Deadly Beauty

Sweet Sickness: Luke's POV

I spent all night dreaming of Charlotte's lips on mine. I am gonna be honest, I've had a few girlfriends before, but none of them ever had me obsessing. I've never dreamed of one of them; not even once.

How is it that one girl I don't even know almost had me begging her to stay with me last night?

Even as I'm dressing for work, I keep imagining undressing Charlie... Slowly... Sweetly. Discovering every inch of her body...

I groan.

There is no way in hell I can make it through to the end of the summer; obsessing over the daughter of the mistress I can't stand. I don't even know if I can make it through the morning without chasing Charlotte down and putting my hands all over her.

A sudden knock at the door startles me out of my inappropriate thoughts. Confused, I rush to the door and pull it open. And there she is.

"Good morning, Luke," her soft sultry voice captures my attention.

"Hey," is all I can come up with.

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind a little company today. My mother is in her office, and I get lonely all by myself..." she whispers.

The thought of her out there with me starts my heart slamming into my chest. Now I just have to figure out how to keep my hands off her.

"I would really like that," my voice comes out huskier that I expect.

"Good. Our gardener last year let me come out and help him. He was really nice," she says, smiling sweetly at me.

A fierce jealousy rips through my body. Who is this guy and why did he think he could make Charlotte happier than I could? Even if I don't know who he is, I know exactly what he was after. He wanted to run his fingers through her sandy hair, and taste her soft lips... pull her down onto his bed... Anger like I've never felt courses through my veins. She is mine, and I'm not gonna let anyone else touch her!

A flash at Charlie's neck catches my eye, drawing my finger with it.

"What is this?" I ask, trying to control my emotions.

She bites her lip and I almost groan out loud. Finally, she looks up into my eyes and says "It was made to keep the garden healthy. As long as the daughter wears the charm, the mother's garden will flourish. I've had it for a very long time," she explains.

"Don't you have any friends or family to hang out with?" I ask suddenly curious about this girl, as I grab my gloves and close the door behind us.

"No. Like I said, it has just been me and my mother, and it's been that way for a very long time."

I automatically reach for her hand and pull her after me to the garden. I get on my hands and knees and start pulling up dead weeds and old roots.

"What happened to your dad?" I ask.

"He died a long time ago. My mother inherited our mansion, but we've never had maids, butlers, or even a cook. All my mother cares about is this garden," she confesses.

I stop what I'm doing a look up at her.

"That can't be true. She loves you," I say with absolute certainty.

"No. I don't think my mother has loved me for a very long time," she whispers. I can hear the hurt in her voice and it crushes me. How could someone not love their own child? Not that I can't empathize. My own father hasn't loved me for a very long time either. Everyone needs someone to love them.

Charlie deserves someone to care about her; to love her. Maybe I could...

"Tell me about you, Luke," she says, quickly changing the subject.

"It's not a very pleasant story," I say, turning my attention back to the weeds.

"Tell me anyway. Please," with that sweet plea on her lips I can refuse her nothing.

"I lived with my parents in Texas. My mom was an angel. She was always there for me whenever I needed her. But she was a nurse, and always picked up as many shifts as they would give her. We needed the money and she took care of us. She loved me... My dad, on the other hand, was a drunk. He lost every job he ever had. He was a slob and a waste of space. He was abusive and always hurt my mom." I choke on my words and start attacking the weeds with more vigor. "I tried to protect my mom, but he would just end up beating both of us up. I got so mad, I ended up in the wrong crowd and did some stupid stuff, just to see if he would notice me. One night he came home really drunk. My mom said something that pissed him off. He threw a beer bottle at mom's head..." I take a deep breath to calm my shaking voice. "I called 911, but it was too late. My dad went to jail, and I got put into the foster care system. I got tossed from family to family. I was the trouble child and kept ending up in juvie. While I was there, I got to thinking. I didn't want to spend my entire life like my dad. Then I decided to turn my life around and was put into a program where I learned job traits. While I was working I decided when I grew up I wanted to do something with my life. I am planning on going to college to become an architect," I finish.

"That is wonderful. What made you decide to be an architect?" she asks.

"I finally figured I want create something beautiful instead of destroying it," I respond.

"What a lovely thought," she sighs.

The rest of the day I spent pulling weeds and talking to Charlie. We didn't talk about anything deep. She seems to understand how painful it is to relive my past, and from what I gather, her past wasn't the whole princess life either. Maybe, when she is more comfortable with me, she will feel she can share her past with me as well. I don't remember half of what was said, but just listening to her voice brought me peace I haven't felt in years.

I have come to the conclusion if I end up staying here through summer, I will end up going mad with longing. I don't know how long I can avoid this pull I feel toward her. Then again, maybe it would be worth it... Because it will be the sweetest sickness I have will ever have to endure.