Confiscating Charlie Read online

  He didn’t stop until his shaft filled her and his balls came to rest against her. He paused there, letting her get used to him. It didn’t really hurt anymore, but it was a strange feeling. But the sensation was quickly converted to euphoria as he withdrew and pumped back inside her.

  “Holy shit,” she breathed.

  It was a tight, stinging pleasure, almost like being tickled. Noah repeated the motion a few more times, and she moaned aloud. He let out a husky laugh and withdrew until only the tip was still inside her. She flexed, arching upward to try and bring them closer together.

  “Noah.”

  His name was a plea. She didn’t want the feeling to stop. Being denied it almost felt like punishment.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” he commanded hoarsely.

  The strain in his voice made her feel better. He was hurting, too. Charlie wrapped her legs around his waist, and he lowered his face to her hair as he began to thrust back and forth, teaching her a rhythm she was able to follow instinctively.

  The raw hunger from their first kiss was back, holding her tightly in its grip. Each time Noah rocked forward, she tightened her channel around him, trying to hold him inside her. In response, he hissed and moved faster and harder, stroking a spot inside her that pulsed with pleasure.

  Unable to use her hands, she held him with her legs, moving them to caress his sides until the wave of bliss from where they were joined rose and broke over her in an intense orgasm.

  Charlie cried out, her body arching high off the cushioned bench. Her vision whitened like an explosion had gone off nearby. Noah let go of her hands and moved his arms around her, holding her as she trembled and shuddered from her first real climax.

  The intensity of it stunned her. Touching herself had produced pleasant little twinges she’d always considered orgasms. But they were nothing like this feeling of being built and then shattered.

  “Hold onto to me,” Noah whispered as she tried to slow her breathing.

  Charlie put her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as he pumped inside her again.

  His strokes fueled the hunger that had started to recede after her climax. It grew quickly until she was burning inside. She didn’t think she could stand anymore when Noah’s rhythm broke and his hands reached up to fist in her hair.

  “Fuck,” he ground out as his cock jerked and twitched inside her.

  Every time he jerked, his shaft rubbed against that spot inside her that made her shiver and moan. She clamped down on him, trying to hold him in place as the little waves and contractions inside her got progressively bigger and bigger.

  The second orgasm was more intense that the first. Charlie opened her mouth and screamed Noah’s name. He lunged forward a few more times, spilling his hot come deep inside her before collapsing. Warmth spread inside her and out of her as his seed ran onto the cushion underneath them.

  Charlie wrapped her arms and legs around Noah, welcoming his weight on top of her. At that moment, he was the only solid, real thing in the universe. If she let go, she might float away.

  For a long time, they stayed like that, trying to catch their breath.

  “Are you okay?” Noah asked finally.

  “I’m...I’m...”

  She didn’t know how to explain. But it turned out she didn’t have to. Noah ran a hand up her side and kissed her softly.

  “Yeah. Me too.”

  ****

  The staff figured out what happened between them right away.

  After they dressed, Noah walked Charlie to her room so she could shower and change. Noah retrieved his bag out of the car and took it to his room, and then went back downstairs to make sure the cook made Charlie a cake for her birthday.

  The matronly, grey-haired woman put her hands on her hips and gave him the evil eye when he came into the kitchen.

  How do they always know?

  She continued to glare at him until he actually made his request.

  “It’s Charlie’s birthday?” she asked in surprise.

  “Yeah,” Noah said, thinking about what the background check said about her personal tastes. “I think a chocolate cake is a safe bet.”

  She was still scowling at him, but a little less fiercely. “I can make Devil’s food.”

  “That sounds good,” he said before standing up a little straighter. “I also want you to pass along word to the rest of the staff that I’m going to be staying on here for a while after all.”

  The cook gave him a knowing look. “How long do you expect that to be?”

  He shrugged. “I have some things to organize around here, so the rest of the month—or until my father gets home.”

  He turned and left before she could voice any complaints.

  Chapter 7

  Charlie showered slowly, closing her eyes to savor the feel of the water running off her body. Everything felt different. Her breasts tingled and there was a slight soreness in her pussy.

  It was as if Noah had branded her, leaving little traces of himself in her skin. She lingered in the shower, flashing back to their lovemaking in the grotto, until she reminded herself that she could go have the real thing right now if she hurried.

  She blow dried her hair and dug through her closet for her best dress. It was a form fitting black one with a square neckline. Her sister had bought it for herself and then rejected it for being too long. On Charlie it fell to a modest length right above the knees.

  The neckline however revealed the generous curves of her breasts. She’d never worn it in public after the first time because of the way men looked at her when she wore it. Even her sister’s ex-husband had stared and then looked away hurriedly the one time she’d worn it at home.

  But only Noah was going to see it now. Hurriedly, she slipped it on and ran to her vanity, then dug in a drawer for her mostly unused makeup. A little powder, lipstick, and a dash of mascara were all she applied. She didn’t need blush. Her cheeks still had a lot of color in them from her and Noah’s earlier encounter.

  As she primped, her inner voice interjected periodically, telling her she was behaving like a crazy person.

  Her first taste of pleasure, and she had fallen hard, succumbed to a desire so intense she could barely function. The fact that she had just met Noah wasn’t even enough to make her blink. All she knew was what he had told her.

  She was his now.

  Charlie hoped Noah knew that he was hers now, too.

  ****

  When she knocked, he wasn’t in his room. She went downstairs and found him in the dining room, sitting at the formally set mahogany table. He was talking on the phone, but he rose when she entered.

  “Yes, Sergei. I’ll come in first thing Monday. Stop that. I should be thanking you. All right, see you Monday, man.”

  Charlie tensed. Today was Saturday. Was Noah going to leave in a few days?

  “Where are you going?” she asked, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

  Noah smiled. “Only to the city for a meeting. Business. I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

  Charlie nodded, the tightness in her chest loosening fractionally, but she still felt a little anxious. She had only been alone with him twice, and both times passion had literally swept her off her feet.

  She didn’t know how to act around him.

  He beckoned her to a chair. “You look beautiful. Come sit. Cook said she knows what your favorite dinner is, and I asked her to make you a cake. Devil’s food. I hope you like it.”

  Charlie beamed at him. “I love it, thank you.”

  Noah gave her a small frown. “Why didn’t you tell anyone it was your birthday?”

  She shrugged and looked down at the table. “I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea.”

  “What might that be?”

  Charlie met his eyes and then waved her hands lightly. “It’s complicated. I do miss my sister today, but believe me, I would rather spend my birthday alone than
go through the circus she would organize to celebrate it. She’d invite half the county and my entire school, which is awkward since I don’t know anyone very well yet. I have made some friends, but not close ones and I didn’t invite them over because...well it’s weird to spring that on someone—hey, come on over. We’ll swim and have cake ‘cause it’s my birthday.”

  “It’s not weird,” he protested as the cook brought out the meal—stuffed mushrooms followed by shrimp and scallops baked in cream with breadcrumbs.

  Charlie grinned wryly. “It’s a little weird,” she continued after the cook left. “I was going to reread my favorite book instead. I’d rather do that than—” She cut herself off and blushed. “I take that back. There are some things I’d rather be doing than rereading Persuasion again.”

  Noah gave her a warm and intensively private smile. A little thrill raced up her spine.

  “That’s Austen right?” he asked between bites of the delicious meal.

  “Yes,” she said pleased he knew one of the author’s lesser known works.

  “We forgot your gift outside,” he reminded her. “We should go get it after dinner. I think you’ll like it.”

  She gave a guilty start and then laughed. “I would apologize, but it’s your fault I forgot all about it.”

  He chuckled and agreed. The rest of the meal passed in eager conversation. They told each other their life stories, although Charlie tried to gloss over the unpleasant parts. But inevitably, some surfaced anyway.

  They had blown out the candles on her cake together at her request and were enjoying seconds when he pointed out that Darla hadn’t called her.

  “Oh, the time change is probably confusing her,” she said lightly. “She’s always been hopeless at calculating the right time back home when she travels.”

  It was true, but Noah still threw her a small sympathetic glance. “What about her husband? The other one. Her ex-husband. Were you friendly?”

  Charlie’s throat tightened. She set aside her fork and looked down at her plate. “We were. We don’t talk anymore. Not since the divorce.”

  She was surprised when Noah appeared at her side. He pulled her out of the chair. “Forget about that. I’m your family now,” he said stroking her cheek. “Come on, let’s go get your gift and then veg out in front of the TV.”

  Charlie inhaled deeply before agreeing.

  ****

  Noah woke up early, surrounded by the familiar blue plaid of the walls of his bedroom. The pattern was faint, and he’d always disliked it, but it was a more pleasant alternative to the glaring pink of Charlie’s room.

  They hadn’t made love again last night. Since yesterday was her first time, he wanted to wait and give her a chance to recover. Instead, they talked most of the night, cuddling on the couch long after the movie she had chosen finished.

  Charlie had been shy about sleeping in his room, worried about what the servants might think. But he hadn’t taken no for an answer, and she’d slept in his arms. He’d slept peacefully the whole night.

  Waking up was better. He crawled down Charlie’s length, stroking her soft skin as he opened her legs.

  This was a wake-up call she was never going to forget.

  Chapter 8

  The next few days were the strangest of Noah’s life. He was energized and curious to know everything about Charlie, but at the same time he felt like he already knew her—had known her his whole life.

  A strange and unfamiliar peace settled in his heart. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel restless.

  It was like coming home.

  He knew his claim on her had confused Charlie. There were moments when she would stare off into space and then blink before smiling at him nervously.

  She wasn’t the type of women who gave herself freely to a man. She wasn’t Darla. But he wasn’t like his father, either. He wanted Charlie as she was. He would adapt to fit into her life the same way she would adapt to fit into his.

  But so far, neither of them was going to have to make any big sacrifices. His vague idea of moving to Manhattan was solidified when Charlie told him she had been accepted to Columbia and was going to start there in the fall. Things couldn’t have worked out better if he’d planned them.

  On Monday morning, he drove into the city to meet Sergei at Damov Industry headquarters. They drove to the other side of town to tour the engineers draft room and examine a 3D printed model of the hybrid engine. By lunchtime, he was signing contracts in the conference room.

  Sergei had wanted him to start right away, but Noah had put him off. “I need to take some time to find a decent place and to get some stuff settled between me and my girl.”

  Sergei raised a brow. “Someone new? Is it serious?”

  Noah smiled. “It is new and serious. You’ll love her. She’s brilliant.”

  It wasn’t an exaggeration. Terrence’s report said Charlie had straight A’s this semester. At Dalton, that was quite an achievement.

  Sergei gave him a broad grin. “You have to bring her around for drinks. We can celebrate your new career!” he said, picking up one of the reports on the engine’s projected fuel efficiency.

  Noah pursed his lips. “Well, there’s a little problem with that.”

  “What is it?” Sergei asked absently, his eyes on his small brunette assistant, who was gathering the rest of the paperwork from the table.

  “Charlie’s not legal drinking age yet.”

  Sergei’s head snapped up. He looked shocked, and Noah was about to make it worse. “And she’s still in high school.”

  Sergei dropped the report on the conference table. “Noah.”

  “It’s not what you think. Charlie’s nineteen. She had to miss a lot of school so she’s only now going to graduate, but she’s amazing. Honestly, I don’t know how this happened so quickly, but I’m crazy about her.”

  Sergei passed a hand over his face. “I forget how young you are sometimes. That’s what you get for being an overachiever. So how did you meet this girl?”

  Noah broke out into a huge grin. “My dad married her older sister. She’s Charlie’s legal guardian.”

  The tall Russian threw back his head and laughed. “Have you told Alex?”

  “No, not yet. But I think I can count on his support.”

  Sergei clapped him on the back. “As long as you’re serious about her, yes, I think you can.”

  Noah didn’t need the warning. Afterwards, he stopped at his real estate agent’s office to give her new specifications for her search before driving back home.

  ****

  Charlie didn’t want a graduation party. He argued with her, but she easily convinced him that a private celebration was a much better idea.

  That didn’t stop him from going to watch her get her diploma with a huge bouquet of roses. It caused a bit of a stir, since he had a few fans in the student body at Dalton. A few of the faculty tried to make a fuss over him, but he politely reminded them that this was Charlie’s day.

  After that, he’d thrown a possessive arm around her shoulders and taken her home. They spent the afternoon making love in his room. They took a break for dinner, but went straight back to bed afterwards.

  She’d been ecstatic to hear about his new job. She asked if his new place was going to be near the Columbia dorms. He didn’t know how to tell her she wasn’t going to need a dorm room.

  He’d gotten a text from his real estate agent. She had found him the perfect apartment approximately half-way between the Columbia campus and Damov’s engineering offices. The two were fairly close together. After work, he could walk to campus to pick Charlie up and help her carry her books home.

  The next morning, Noah woke up early. He was training himself to keep normal hours so it wouldn’t be too much of an adjustment when he went to work at Damov early each morning, setting his watch alarm on vibrate so he wouldn’t wake Charlie.

  He left her asleep in bed and went downs
tairs to put on a pot of coffee. He surprised one of the maids holding a mass of high-end shopping bags and packages going up the stairs. Once he helped her get them to the second story, he went back down, frowning. Apparently, his father was home early.

  But it wasn’t his father. Darla was alone in the kitchen.

  “Hello,” he said, stopping short when he saw her.

  She looked like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar as she mixed herself a mimosa using a bottle of Crystal.

  Charlie strongly resembled her sister in terms of build and coloring. But Charlie’s face was softer and her eyes fairly sparkled with intelligence.

  By comparison, Darla had the angular features of a model. He could see why his father had been taken with her, enough to marry her out from under the nose of another man. But he preferred Charlie’s sweeter look.

  “Hi, you must be Noah. I didn’t know you would be here,” Darla said, recovering from her startle gracefully.

  That was a little surprising. He’d half-expected the staff to call his father and Darla to tell them all about his relationship with Charlie. But apparently no one had tattled on them. He liked to think everyone had recognized that Charlie was better off with him than without.

  “Is my father here?”

  “No, he was delayed. You know how he is,” Darla said, waving a bejeweled hand. “I simply couldn’t wait to see my baby sister any longer.”

  Noah didn’t buy that for a second. Darla had gotten bored, and she’d come home to shop. Every single bag he’d helped the maid with were from exclusive stores in the city.

  He crossed his arms. “But you stopped in town to do a little shopping first.”

  Darla stiffened. “I wanted to buy a little present for Charlie.”

  He humphed. “And you didn’t think to cut your shopping trip short and come home a day earlier so you could see her graduate from Dalton Academy instead? Graduation was yesterday.”

  Darla’s face fell. “Oh my god. I forgot all about that!”