Love & Secrets Read online

  Oz collapsed down on top of her and Charlotte buried her face against his damp skin, feeling…whole and wonderful!

  She wanted to stay like this forever. A long time later, she felt several kisses along her shoulder and neck, then realized that she was squeezing him. Releasing him, she relaxed back against the mattress, a bit embarrassed by that display of uninhibited joy.

  “I’ll be right back,” he told her and kissed her shoulder again.

  Charlotte watched as Oz walked to the bathroom, admiring his butt. He was completely unconcerned about his nakedness while Charlotte pulled the quilt closer, covering herself up before he came back to the bed.

  With strong hands, he pulled the quilt away and settled in behind her. “Why are you hiding from me now?” he asked, back to kissing her shoulder, her neck, his fingers tracing along the sensitive skin of her back.

  “Hiding those extra pounds I can’t seem to get rid of,” she admitted, peering at him over her shoulder.

  He kissed her back again. “I don’t see any extra pounds,” he murmured, sliding his hand along her hip to her stomach, then up to cup her breasts. “Just a beautiful, sensuous woman who drives me wild.

  Charlotte was so startled by his answer that she peered at him over her shoulder. He looked sincere, although, how sincere could a man be when he was playing with her breasts?

  But did she care? Not really.

  Rolling onto her back, she lifted her hands up, circling his neck once again. “Oz, I…” his thumb flicked against her nipple and she gasped.

  “You what?” he prompted. Then he shifted against her, the friction of their bodies causing her to gasp again.

  Licking her lips, she tried to remember what she’d wanted to say.

  “Think you can take me again?” he asked, his voice rough and thick. “Tell me if you’re too sore.”

  She laughed, shaking her head. “I thought men needed more time in between.”

  Charlotte wasn’t sure if his rumbling was a laugh or a grumble. Nor did she care. Not when his hand moved from her breast, sliding down over her stomach to that juncture of her thighs. His hand pulled her leg back and she wasn’t sure what he was doing, but then his hand moved again, teasing her and she gasped. Reaching down, she tried to grab his hand, but then his finger swept over that sensitive nub again. Instead of pulling his hand away, she pressed it against her, guiding his hand. Closing her eyes, she let him pleasure her once more.

  That’s when he pressed into her again, his shaft pressing deeper and deeper. She couldn’t do anything but respond, her body rocked by his. With every thrust, his fingers pressed against that nub and, with her hand on his wrist, she could guide him exactly how she wanted. It took a bit longer this time, but when the climax happened, he was literally wrapped around her body and she shuddered only moments before he found his release.

  Afterwards, Charlotte could no longer keep her eyes open. As he went to the bathroom again, she fell into a deep, sated sleep.

  Chapter 9

  “Scones!” Charlotte breathed. “I need chocolate scones!” Hurrying down the sidewalk, she waved to Ms. Scarlett who was out…was that a snake? Charlotte blinked, not sure if her eyes were tricking her. But sure enough, Ms. Scarlett was carrying a live snake down the other side of the street.

  “Don’t ask,” Emerson muttered as he walked towards the octogenarian. “You don’t want to know.”

  Charlotte burned with curiosity, but he was already crossing the street. “I don’t want to know,” he called over his shoulder, then focused on intercepting the elderly woman in the park by the church.

  “Right,” Charlotte muttered, turning back and heading down the street to Jane’s bakery.

  “It’s ready!” Jane called out, lifting a paper bag in the air. “You called and I pulled the last chocolate scone out of the display case moments ago.”

  Charlotte beamed. “You’re wonderful!” she said and paid for the scone as well as a cup of coffee. It was late enough in the morning that the usual rush was over, but the lunch crowd hadn’t started to filter in.

  Charlotte needed to get to her office. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she was running a little behind schedule and picked up the pace. But as she turned the corner, trying to see what was going on with Ms. Scarlett before her next patient arrived, another scene captured her attention.

  Oz! He’d left her bed earlier this morning with a kiss goodbye and she sighed with memories of last night. It had been three weeks since the dance and their first night together. Every time she spent the night with him, the nights were filled with steamy sex, great conversation, wonderful food and lots of laughter.

  But now, seeing him with the boys out on the field, she couldn’t figure out what they were doing. Staring, she watched, wondering if it would be wrong to move closer so she could hear their conversation.

  Looking around, she mentally argued that they were in a public place. So legally, they had no expectation of privacy. Plus, there were others who were walking by the park. Why not her?

  So, instead of hurrying off to her next appointment, she took the long way around, heading towards the park.

  That’s when she heard him and her heart melted even more for this amazing man.

  “So if you see someone being hurt, what are you going to do?” he demanded sternly.

  “Help them!” the boys all shouted.

  “And if you see someone who might be upset, what are you going to do?”

  “Stop and talk!”

  Obviously, Oz had gone through the appropriate responses.

  “If you see someone at a party who is drinking, are you going to let them drive home?”

  “NO!” the all shouted.

  “Are you going to drink and drive?”

  “No!” they shouted again.

  “Excellent!” he nodded to the boys. “Are these the only rules for life?”

  “No!” they yelled.

  Charlotte’s mind froze for a moment, surprised at how he’d taken a simple concept and introduced it to these boys.

  Oz didn’t have to do this. She knew that he was a busy man. But he’d taken time out of his schedule to be with these boys, to be a role model for them.

  Turning away, she hurried off to her office, blinking back tears. From tender lover to demanding role model. A woman’s heart could only take so much!

  Hurrying now, she tried to keep her mind from Oz. But he popped up in her thoughts all day long. She couldn’t seem to focus on work issues, but her patients deserved better. So, she leaned in and got her mind in gear. Although, when a sixteen year old girl told Charlotte about how her boyfriend was pressuring her to have sex, Charlotte wanted to introduce the boyfriend to Oz. Or when a woman talked about how her husband was boring in bed, Charlotte thought about the different things that Oz had done to her over the past few nights. The multiple times he’d brought her to a climax. The way he’d touch her in a non-sexual way that still made her heart pitter patter. When a man talked about wanting to get into better shape, Charlotte pictured Oz’s strong shoulders and tapered waist, the way he’d run every morning and come back drenched in sweat but feeling revived. Oz loved exercise. What was it about some people that they loved exercise while others struggled to get up off of the couch?

  At the end of the day, Charlotte was exhausted! The effort to keep her mind focused had really done a number on her. Not to mention, she hadn’t been able to finish up her paperwork, which meant she’d have to do it tonight. Which also meant that she couldn’t see Oz tonight.

  Just then, her phone rang. She smiled when his name popped up on her phone’s ID. “What are you doing now?” he asked as soon as she answered, his voice doing that husky thing that told her exactly what he’d like her to be doing. Thankfully, Charlotte was in full agreement with him!

  “I’m stuffing my bag full of files because I was thinking about you too much today and didn’t get all of my work finished.”

  His laugh was wonderful, she though
t.

  “So, I’m distracting you?”

  “Yes. What do you want?

  “You,” he said without hesitation. “And dinner. Can I cook for you? At my place?”

  She thought about that for a long moment. He’d come over to her house the last time and she seemed to feel more secure there. But fair was fair and she should go to his place this time. “What time?” she finally asked.

  “Just hit your house for a change of clothes, grab Bart, and come on over.”

  “Fine, but I really do have to work tonight.”

  “I’ll cook. We’ll eat. You can work after dinner while I watch the game. How’s that sound?”

  “Excellent,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll see you in about thirty minutes.”

  “Can’t wait!”

  Charlotte had to agree. She was literally trembling with excitement! The past few weeks had been the most magical of her life! Never before had she been so excited to be with a man. And Oz! Good grief, her assumptions about him had been so wrong. Or right, but he was much more complex than she would have thought. He was arrogant and irritating, but he was also sweet and attentive, caring and gentle. And not gentle! When he took her into his arms, the man could either drive her crazy with tormenting touches and kisses, making love to her for so long that she was literally screaming. And then there were the times when he was so frantic for her that he stepped through the doors to her house or pulled her into his arms, and he took her against the wall or on the floor of the foyer.

  Either way, she was walking around town with a silly grin on her face a lot lately.

  Chapter 10

  “Do you have time for a visitor?” Nancy asked, leaning into Charlotte’s office.

  “Sure. Who is it?”

  Before Nancy could answer, a beautiful brunette woman stepped through the door to her office. Although Charlotte was fairly sure that she’d never met the woman before, she still looked vaguely familiar.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, standing up.

  “Absolutely!” the stranger replied, extending her hand. “My best friend, Danielle, married some sheiky dude a few months ago. So, I’ve decided that you’re going to be my new best friend.”

  “Oh,” Charlotte replied, not exactly sure what to say. She extended her hand, shaking the other woman’s, and feeling more than slightly intimidated. There were very few people in this world with this kind of confidence! Immediately, Oz came to mind but she pushed him out of the way, focusing on this woman.

  The woman’s laugh was musical and infectious. “I know, I get that response from a lot of people. But since you’re dating my oldest brother, I decided we’re going to be friends.” With that, she tossed her purse and sweater onto the other chair. “I’m Carly Cole, by the way. And you’re Charlotte Bixby. Doctor Bixby. I love that, by the way. It sounds so official and important!”

  Sister? Uh oh! Not good! “And we’re going to be best friends?” Charlotte asked, sitting back down at her desk.

  “Absolutely! I’m a very good best friend, by the way,” she laughed, her dark hair dancing over her shoulders.

  “What happens when your brother and I break up?”

  Carly looked at Charlotte carefully. “Are you going to break up with Oz?”

  How did one answer that? “Um…well…”

  Carly dismissed the possibility. “Don’t worry about it. Oz is smitten with you and, from what I can see in your eyes, you’re pretty far gone too.” Her phone buzzed and Carly took out her phone and quickly read the message. “If you hurt him,” she replied without looking up at Charlotte, “then we can’t be best friends any longer. If he hurts you, then I can tell you all of his most embarrassing secrets.” She looked up at Charlotte. “That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

  “Which part?”

  Carly grinned engagingly. “Finding out all of Oz’s secrets, of course.” She looked around Charlotte’s office, obviously finding it to her liking as she nodded, then looked back at Charlotte. “The first thing we should do is have lunch. When are you free?”

  Was this woman sane?

  “No,” she laughed. “I’m not crazy. I’m perfectly sane and normal.” She stopped, looked up to one corner of the ceiling, as if contemplating something, then shook her head. “Let me clarify. I’m mostly sane. But seriously, Danielle was a good friend, but she’s gone now. Plus, I’m single and surrounded by brothers or idiots who have no clue. I need a female friend. I’ve decided that you’re it. So…lunch sometime this week?”

  Charlotte was still stunned, but also delighted and couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of her. “Right. Lunch. But promise me that you won’t be angry with me when things don’t work out with Oz, okay?”

  “Why do you assume that it isn’t going to work out?”

  Charlotte cringed. “Well, because it’s Oz. Has he ever had a long term relationship before?”

  Carly shrugged slightly. “Nope. But I think you’re different. Which makes you interesting. Which is one of the main reasons I think we should be friends.”

  Nancy poked her head into Charlotte’s office again. “Your next appointment is here. Should I tell her to wait?”

  How could one argue with Carly’s kind of logic? “How about this Friday for lunch?”

  Carly flipped to that date on her calendar, then nodded. “Friday sounds good.” With that, she stuffed her phone back into her purse. “Okay, so it’s a date. I’ll see you at Tony’s sandwich place next Friday. And don’t tell Oz or Jayce. It drives them nuts when I don’t tell them where I’m going.”

  Charlotte laughed as Carly slipped out of the office, waving as she brushed past Nancy. What a woman, Charlotte thought, impressed and more than a little intimidated. She’d have to ask Oz about his sister tonight. They’d spent their evenings, and their nights, together every night for the past several weeks and it was a pretty good bet that Oz had something special planned for their dinner. He loved cooking and spoiled her with recipes from different parts of the world.

  Standing up, she greeted her next patient, thinking that life was pretty good lately.

  Chapter 11

  “Come on boy! Let’s go find your girlfriend!” Charlotte called to Bart as she pulled into the parking lot of The Solutions Group. Immediately, Bart stood up, his stubby tail wagging frantically and his pink tongue licked his mashed up face. She stepped out of the car and moved to the back door, but Bart’s normal patience was gone and he leapt to the driver’s seat and followed her out, almost trembling as he waited for Charlotte to attach his leash. As soon as that was attached, Bart was on the go!

  She stopped at the front desk and smiled at the young receptionist. “Hi Mike. Is Oz ready to go?”

  Mike shook his head. “Oz hasn’t come into the office today.”

  That wasn’t good. “Not come in? Did he go out of town then?”

  Carly pushed out through one of the security doors. “Hey Charlotte!” she greeted. “What’s up?”

  “I’m supposed to meet Oz here.”

  Carly stopped, leaning against the reception counter. “He didn’t call you?”

  Charlotte grew concerned. “No. I haven’t heard from him all day.” Which she’d tried not to worry about. He usually sent her at least one sweet message during the day. And several other messages that caused her to blush. And smile. But today had been ominously silent.

  “Typical,” she grumbled, pressing the files in her arms against her chest. “He called earlier today and said he wasn’t feeling well, that he was going to work from home. But I’ve sent him several messages and he hasn’t responded yet.”

  Charlotte didn’t like the sound of that. “Oz is sick?” she asked, frowning in worry. “He seems too big and healthy to get sick.”

  Carly laughed. “Yeah, it is pretty rare, but my guys get sick occasionally. As a sister, I should probably be more concerned. But to be honest, they are such babies when they are sick, I try to avoid them. Although, I did bring over some soup aroun
d lunch time. Oz growled at me so I just took Betty for a walk and left him to his pain and suffering.” She shrugged one dainty shoulder. “You know, like any good sister would do.”

  Charlotte tried to laugh, but her concern for Oz made the sound come out weird. “Well, I’ll just…” she stopped when she caught a strange look on Carly’s face. Instead of her normal smiling, vibrant expression, Carly was…blushing? Was that possible? The woman was so confident! So dynamic!

  Glancing over her shoulder, she wondered what could cause a woman like Carly to blush. A big guy with almost black hair and dark stubble along his strong jawline walked across the lobby. He wore black cargo pants and a black tee shirt that was stretched to the limit over bulging muscles. Yeah, the guy was drool-worthy, but Charlotte wasn’t impressed. She had her own drool-worthy man that made her body hum. This man was handsome, but…eh. He did nothing for her.

  When Charlotte looked back at Carly, the woman had shifted slightly so that her back was to the man. Another glance over at him and…yeah, he’d shot a look in Carly’s direction, although Charlotte wasn’t sure if that was interest or just a visual sweep of the area.

  “So, if you are heading over to his house, would you mind taking Betty out for a walk?” Carly asked.

  The blush was gone but Charlotte grinned, feeling smug because the oh-so-vibrant Carly was human after all. Charlotte and Carly had been out to lunch several times with Deni, a pretty, shockingly-positive woman who worked at a bank in Louisville. “So, that’s how it is with you and the other guy?”

  Carly sighed, then shook her head. “Not really,” she admitted, a sad, defeated tilt to her head now.

  Charlotte leaned forward. “We’ll talk over lunch,” she said. “I want the scoop!”

  “Not much of a scoop,” Carly grumbled. “But lunch sounds good.”

  “In the meantime, I’ll take Bart over to Oz’s place and we’ll walk Betty. I’ll check on Oz and let you know if he’s still alive.”