The Vampire Playboy - Blood and Lust

Chapter 34

Charlie's POV

I couldn't get enough of her and I knew I didn't deserve her. I took her in, her beautiful unblemished flesh, each inch of it was like silk under my fingertips, the pink flush wasn't just to her face it reached her entire body, she was glowing and just the warmth from her body transferring into mine was driving me wild with anticipation. I'd take this as slow as she wanted, I wouldn't rush it, I wanted to savour this moment, and I'd be guided by her pace. I swept my fingers over her bra again feeling for those hardened pebbles, I like the way that one swipe would make her arch her back and cry out, I could smell her arousal and I was pretty sure she could see and feel mine. I leaned back and took her in again, her breasts rising and falling with her breaths, her pink lips swollen from my kiss, and her damp hair spread out behind her head like a crown on her pillow. She was a picture of beauty, the most stunning thing I had ever seen. I gladly breathed in her scent, I welcomed the familiarity of cotton candy and peaches and the intoxication that came with it.

I leaned back onto my knees, scooped her around my waist and took my lips to hers, her mouth opened expectantly for me, granting me access, her hand slowly moved down my back resting on my hip, I held her in place, one hand on the small of her back and the other on her cheek, her hair threaded through my fingers, I felt her body relax and melt into me.

"What the f**k!" Noah's angry voice filled the room, causing Liv and me to part, I grabbed the pillow, thrusting it in front of Liv so she could cover herself up.

"Noah" Liv exclaimed.

I'd lost my ability to speak. I could feel the shock and anger radiate from him, I looked at him as he held his phone in his trembling hand. "Next time you get a call you don't want to take make sure you hit the f*****g reject button not accept, I've just had to listen for 40 minutes while you've been with another man" Noah shouted, "I thought when I got to the house there had been some mistake, I saw the mess downstairs and thought maybe you had been attacked and I hadn't heard what I did on the phone line. Then I walk in here and I see my girl and my best friend." Noah put his head in his hands and shook it before throwing his phone across the room, it smashed against the wall just above Liv's head causing her to jump.

"I'm so sorry Noah," Liv sobbed, "I didn't mean for this to happen or for you to" a strangled sob escaped her lips and I felt my chest tighten, "It's not Charles's fault, this is mine, I did this tonight"

"You knew how I felt about her, what she meant to me," he said looking at me, his expression was a mix of anger and sadness. The enormity of what I'd done smashed me in the face. I stood up and took a step forward.

"Noah, I'm sorry, let me explain" I started.

He laughed, "save it f*****g save it, Charlie, you're a piece of shit." He turned and left, I started after him, and I could hear Liv break into deeper sobs, and for the first time, I didn't feel torn. I'd seen a look on Noah's face and a tone to his voice I'd never heard before and I knew I'd hurt him deeper than I realised I would.

He was out of the house and gone for the woods using his speed, he might have been stronger than me but I was faster than him, I caught up with him and reached out to his shoulder to stop him. The shock of his fist colliding with my face stunned me, and my vision blurred for a moment. In all the years he had never hit me, I'd never hit him. f**k, I'd messed this all up. If he was angry enough to hit me it meant he cared for her more than I'd realised and I was a selfish i***t.

"You could have any girl, any and yet you had to have mine! The first girl I liked, that I felt anything for!" He shouted, his voice strained.

"I swear, I tried to keep away from her"

"Clearly you didn't try hard enough! Sure we've shared girls before, and always had a bit of healthy competition but you knew she was different! What the f**k is wrong with you!"

"Let me explain," I pleaded.

"Explain? What is there to explain? You crossed a line, you betrayed me, I've been by your side through everything, I've been loyal to you and this is how you repay me? You know what loyalty means to me! There's no way back from this! You were my brother and you've betrayed me in the worst way possible."

"We've got through worse things than this before, we can get past this."

"No, we can't! I've always trusted you, I always knew you had my back, you were my brother and that above all else you were loyal and put our friendship above everything and everyone else, even with Alexandra! You can't come back from this. We are done, the friendship is done! You are dead to me!" He shouted. "I need to get out of here, I can't be here with you, I don't even know who you are anymore and I want nothing to do with you." I could see my betrayal in his eyes and I knew he meant everything he said and the worst part was he was right. I'd done everything he said, I was guilty as charged. I'd put a girl above my best friend, my brother, it didn't matter what I felt for Liv or what she might be to me. He was my brother and I betrayed him, I lied to him and I couldn't fix this and be with Liv.

I was ashamed of myself, I took my car keys from my pocket and held them out toward them. "Here take my car, I'll take one of the other ones. You might now believe it but I'm sorry."

"Save." He said coldly.

I sat on a tree trunk and watched him run off. Centuries we had been together and I'd done this. How the f**k could I be this clueless, I knew he valued my loyalty and my honesty, all of which I valued from him and I threw it all back in his face.

Eventually, I went back to the house, Carmella was silently sweeping up broken pieces of glass from the floor, her eyes didn't move as I walked past her to the stairs. Owen was at the top of the stairs, he smiled weakly when he saw me. "Noah's gone, he packed a bag and took your car." I nodded. "Sophie's in there with Olivia, I don't know what happened but I can take a wild guess"

I continued down the corridor and stopped outside the door. I could hear muffled sobs from inside and my heart cracked. I knocked lightly, and seconds later Sophie snatched open the door. She glared at me before turning to Liv who nodded. Sophie stepped aside and said nothing.

I couldn't meet Liv's eyes, I knew if I did I'd cave and wouldn't do what I needed to do. I was wrong. I couldn't have them both in my life at the same time. Liv looked up, her face was red and puffy, she had a white blanket wrapped around her shoulders, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I stood frozen on the spot. My natural instinct was to take her in my arms but I was fighting it, I didn't need to make this harder than it would already be.

"Are you ok? Owen said Noah left, I didn't want him to find out like this. What a mess" she sniffed. I had to harden my heart before I broke. I couldn't be weak now, I had to finish what I came here to do. "I know it's not ideal, I didn't want to hurt him like this, I'm sorry for that but I guess it means we can stop hiding now"

"Liv," I said with more ice in the tone than I had intended.

She stepped back and tensed. "What's wrong?"

"I know I keep saying I'm sorry and I've messed up, I can't seem to stop messing up. That needs to change now. There can't be a we or an us, you're a great girl and I'm sorry I've done this to you but he's my best friend and my brother."

She gasped, "what are you saying?" I stole a glance at her eyes and saw the pain that I was causing her, this beautiful and kind person who deserved none of this. I had never felt more of a monster than I did right now.

"I've hurt and betrayed him and I don't think we can come back from this if I'm with you, I should never have started anything with you in the first place, I should have had more willpower, more self-control, I was weak and as a result, I've damaged my relationship with my brother. And I need to focus on fixing that."

She looked at her feet and I could see silent tears cascading down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry" I whispered as I backed out of the room and bumped into Sophie.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt her" she hissed at me, hatred flashing in her eyes.

"I shouldn't have made that promise," I said solemnly. "Look after her"

Sophie tutted and brushed into the room.

I motioned for Owen to follow me downstairs. "I'm leaving tonight, it's not fair on Liv for me to stay here, keep Carmella away from her. I've f****d this all up but I don't need that venomous b***h making it worse for Liv. Make sure everyone gets home safely, you've got my number."

"Charlie, you need to fix this with Noah."

"I know." That was all I could reply. I didn't stop to pack my things, there was nothing important that I couldn't replace or retrieve at another time. I jumped into the range rover and let the engine roar, my only goal was to be as far away as possible and give myself space to think of how I could repair things with Noah if I could even repair things.