Dangerous Hearts

First Kiss

Charlie's POV

It took me a few minutes to drag myself out of the deep sleep that I was in, but when I finally did, I was able to process the sound of running water. The other side of the bed was empty, and the covers were thrown back, so I deduced that Alexander was in the shower. I stretched myself out over the large bed and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to me. It was barely even seven thirty...

I sighed heavily and threw a pillow over my head. We went to bed only a few hours ago. I have no idea why I am awake right now. No wonder my eyeballs feel so heavy and dry. Alexander must be part robot or something, because how does anyone function on that little sleep? Even when Oliver was born and in the newborn stage, I was still able to get more sleep than I just did. He was a pretty good sleeper and still was. Most of the time, I had to force him out of bed during the weekends and sometimes on school days, too. I definitely wasn't planning on being awake until at least nine this morning, so I burrowed myself more under the covers and attempted to go back to sleep.

I dozed off pretty quickly, but it wasn't the deep sleep that I was in before, so I was able to hear somewhat when Alexander shut the water off and made his way back into the room. I could tell that he was trying to be quiet as he was getting ready, but I could still hear him even though I was under all the covers and pillows.

I debated on peeking out at him and possibly getting caught staring at him again before I finally gave up on sleep and pulled the covers down so that my eyes were barely above the comforter. He had his back to me and was standing just inside his closet with only a towel on. I found myself mesmerized by the muscles in his back that shifted effortlessly with every movement he made.

He was built really well; his tallness was paired with muscle that wasn't overly bulky or even too slim, but perfect for his stature. He made me seem really small, smaller than I already was. When we stood together or when he had held me last night, I felt fully protected in his embrace. He was gentle with me too, like he was afraid I'd break if he held me too tightly. He'd held me like I was a treasure that he didn't want to lose or let go of.

He was nothing like Stephen, I could already tell. The anger he'd shown last night was scary, but I didn't feel threatened by it, I felt moved by it and knew that he'd do everything in his power to keep others safe by using that anger in a controlled and protective way. Stephen had used his for control and for power only, and I could tell the difference between them, as I could tell that the sky was blue, and the grass was green. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to see that difference again after being under Stephen's thumb for so long.

Alexander was adamant on keeping me and Oliver safe after I'd told him everything that had happened, and it was incredibly tempting to let him take over and do what he wanted to do to assure us of our safety. I just wasn't sure how Stella would feel, but I'm glad he was coming with me to talk to her about it.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't realized that he had turned around and noticed me staring at him again until he chuckled. "I wasn't trying to wake you up yet." He moved closer to the bed. Luckily, he had pants on already, but his bare chest was on full display, and it took a couple of seconds before I could find my voice and answer him.

"You didn't," I whispered, "I've been awake for a little while. I've just been thinking." I pushed the covers away and sat up slowly. He raised an eyebrow when I winced at my ribs protesting.

"Do you need some pain medication? I think I have some somewhere here." He grabbed my arm to help me sit up more and tilted my head up, so I'd look in his eyes. I nodded, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to get through the house and yard work I needed to do today if I had to deal with this pain.

"Yes, please." He nodded and brushed his thumb along my cheek before straightening up and going to find some for me. I looked over at his window and could see the sun starting to peak out from the horizon past our city. The sky was going from a deep purple to the reds and oranges of the early morning light. It was really beautiful to see; I usually didn't have a chance to watch the sun rise because I was always on the go in the mornings, but now I was able to bask in the glow with no worry or fear for the day. Alexander came back in the room quietly, and I could feel his eyes on me before I turned to look at him. He had stopped at the door to watch me and was looking at me with what looked like awe on his face. When our eyes met, he straightened and strode forward with a glass of water and a bottle of Excedrin in his hands.

"This was the only thing I could find, but I think it will work for your pain." He handed it to me, and I took it gratefully with a small thanks. He watched quietly as I took two tablets out and threw them back with the water. "Do you want to try to get some more sleep before we head to your house?" He asked quietly.

The idea was tempting, but I usually wasn't able to go back to sleep once I was already awake. I shook my head, "I can't now, I'm too awake."

"Okay." He checked the clock and grimaced, "It's still pretty early. Do you want to get some breakfast and we can head that way? Maybe we can get it done sooner and you can rest later too?" He suggested with a grin.

I smiled back, "I think that sounds great."

He grabbed my hands to help me up from the bed. "Let's get dressed, and I'll see what Chef can cook up for us. How does that sound?" I nodded, slightly unsteady on my feet, but he held on to me to make sure I didn't topple over before leading us to his closet. "Would you like some more clothes or do you want to get changed back at your house?"

"I'll probably just change back at my house. Your clothes are huge on me," I said with a small laugh. He chuckled as he grabbed a shift and pulled it over his head smoothly.

"Fair enough. I think your clothes and shoes are over on the chair." He nodded over to them and I turned to look. When I found my stuff, I went to go put them on as he slipped his socks and shoes on. I slipped his shirt over my head and shimmied into my dress before untying and pulling his pants off. I bundled his clothes up and looked over to him to see what he wanted me to do with them when I bumped into his chest. I didn't realize he had moved towards me, he was so silent. "I'll take them for you," he said with a dark look in his eyes that made me want to tremble with the goosebumps it sent running over my skin. He was looking at me like he wanted me, desperately, but was holding himself back.

"Thank you," I said breathlessly as I handed them over to him. Our eyes locked, and we stood looking at each other for a few moments. His dark eyes held me absolutely captive, and I could feel my body lean closer to him, as if automatically drawn to him. He reached up to cup my cheek and I tilted my head into his hand, closing my eyes slightly.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, making me open my eyes to look back up at him. "I know this is fast, and probably not the right time for any of it, but I want you. I want you to be mine, Charlie. I was hooked on you from the moment I met you and saw those pretty brown eyes of yours unflinchingly look back at me from behind my gun." He dropped the clothes on the floor and cupped my other cheek, bringing our bodies closer. Only centimeters apart now, I could feel the heat coming off of his body and the temptation to just melt into him was almost overwhelming. "I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do, but I want to kiss you so badly right now."

I felt like I was going to explode with the amount of heat in his eyes and voice. God, I wanted him to kiss me too! At this point, with how my whole body was reacting to just him being this close to me, I would say yes to anything he offered to me. So, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling us the remaining distance together, I whispered, "What are you waiting for then?"

He didn't hesitate, and soon our lips were tangling in a heated kiss that had my knees threatening to buckle. His arm went around me carefully to hold me upright and his other hand slid into my hair as he took absolute control of my lips. I let out a sound between a gasp and a moan when he lifted me off the floor, so he'd have better access to devour my lips. I automatically wrapped my legs around his hips and tangled my hands in his hair, eliciting a growl from him.

This was the most intense kiss I'd ever had in my life and all thoughts of Stephen and what we were supposed to do today flew out of my head as I surrendered to the kiss. The heat spread throughout my body and I felt my core begin to throb as feelings of pleasure I hadn't felt in so long burst into life again.

When we finally pulled away to breathe, his dark eyes were full of bewilderment and I was sure that mine matched. Our breaths mingled in a frenzy as we struggled to catch our breath. He was still holding me to him tightly and my hands were still wrapped in his hair. I focused on the softness of it to calm me down, and he leaned his forehead into mine, closing his eyes like it was the best feeling in the world; me running my fingers through his hair.

He slowly and gently lowered me down, so my feet were on the floor again, and smiled, "That was better than I imagined it would be," he chuckled.

I nodded and returned his smile with my own. I almost didn't want to leave the warmth of his embrace, but the growling of my stomach had us both moving apart. "Let's get some food," I said softly.

He grinned, "Alright. Come on." I went to grab my shoes and pull them on while he snatched up the clothes and deposited them into the laundry basket in his closet. He held out his hand to me to take after I'd grabbed my purse and keys, and we walked out of the room together.