“You’re pretty sure of yourself,” she said, tipping her head back further to give me more room to work.

  “I’m pretty sure of you,” I said, my words coming out like gravel. “Holy hell, woman.”

  I tipped her head back down and practically dove toward her mouth. She was right, she tasted like pizza and beer and I didn’t give a single fuck. She knew what she was doing, her tongue sliding against mine, and I struggled against going after her like some overeager puppy. The kiss made my fucking hands shake.

  I’d known that it would be that way. I knew that she would tilt my world on its fucking axis if she ever let me in there, but I don’t think I’d had any idea just how quickly or irrevocably that would happen. The thought was almost enough to make me pull away.

  “Charles, Draco said they didn’t build your bed. Do you guys need any help—oh!”

  Kara’s voice behind me hit Charlie like a bucket of cold water. In a split second she had pulled away, her cheeks rosy and her lips gorgeously swollen.

  “Whoops,” Kara said sheepishly.

  “They need any help?” Draco called from somewhere in the house.

  “Uh, no,” Kara called back, still standing in the doorway.

  “You have shit timing,” Charlie griped as she stepped around me.

  “Sorry,” Kara replied, grimacing. The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs behind her made Charlie sigh.

  “What’s up?” Draco asked. “You sounded weird.”

  “You’re so fucking nosy,” Charlie said. “But now that you’re here, help Bishop put the bed up.”

  “Sure, Charlie,” Draco said easily, glancing between us. “Since you asked so nicely, I’ll help build your bed.”

  “Thank you,” she said primly.

  “Might need to give Lover Boy a minute, though,” Draco said jokingly.

  “I’m fine,” I said, turning toward the bed so I could discreetly adjust the most uncomfortable erection I’d ever had. Fuck.

  “Why do you call him that?” Charlie asked as she gestured for Kara to help her reposition the couch.

  Draco laughed. “Have you seen him?” he asked. “Prettiest man I’ve ever met.”

  “Well, thank you, sweetheart,” I said dryly.

  I’d been hearing the same thing for most of my adult life. Hell, I’d been pretty as a kid too. I’d never had an awkward stage. When other kids were dealing with permanent teeth that were too big for their faces, mine had just looked even more charming than the baby teeth had. As a kid who’d grown up in the system, I couldn’t say that had worked to my advantage. I shrugged off the memory and moved toward Charlie’s headboard.

  “This thing is easy,” Draco said, grabbing one of the bedrails. “But it’s heavy as fuck and takes two people.”

  We made short work of building the bed and sliding the box spring and mattress into place.

  “Okay, now you two leave so we can make it,” Charlie ordered, her arms full of bedding.

  Draco laughed. “Fuck off.” He strode to the couch and dropped onto it.

  “This is my haven,” Charlie said dramatically, setting the bedding on the mattress. “My own special oasis where I can be alone.”

  “Cool,” Draco replied, patting the other seat on the couch so I’d sit with him.

  I hid my smile as I went to take a seat.

  “I’m getting a lock on my door,” Charlie said in exasperation. “A deadbolt.”

  “Probably a good idea,” Kara said, looking over at me.

  I laughed.

  “You remember what I told you?” Charlie said to Draco, her gaze moving pointedly toward me. “I bet it’s going to get loud, too.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he said in disgust. “I don’t want to know.”

  “I bet he’s a screamer,” Charlie said with relish, snapping the sheet out over the bed.

  “I’m not a screamer,” I mumbled, unsure about what she’d told Draco before, but sure she was talking about me now.

  “We’ll see,” she replied, giving me a smug smile.

  “I was right about washing the sheets this morning before we moved,” Kara said loudly, deliberately and awkwardly changing the subject. “Right? It’s so nice to sleep on clean sheets.”

  “Do you like clean sheets, Bishop?” Charlie asked me, unwilling to let it go. “Wanna climb on in?”

  Now that there were other people in the room, all her reservations were gone. I wasn’t surprised. Charlie was full of piss and vinegar when she knew it would go nowhere. It was the moments we had alone when she was jumpy.

  “You’re trouble,” I replied as Draco scoffed.

  “I’m fucking fantastic in bed,” she replied as they continued making the bed. “You’ll scream.”

  “Is that a promise?” I asked in amusement.

  “Please don’t encourage her,” Draco said, his face still screwed up in disgust.

  “It’s a guarantee,” Charlie said, grinning.

  “You’ll scream first,” I replied quietly.

  “Challenge accepted.”

  “Okay, now I’m getting uncomfortable,” Kara muttered, throwing a pillow at Charlie’s head. “And I’ve heard most of your conquests through the wall. Quit it.”

  “It’s just a little light flirtation to pass the time,” Charlie said, throwing the pillow back as she winked at me.

  “More like foreplay,” Kara countered. “I’m going to get a drink. Anyone want one?”

  “I’ll help,” Charlie said. “Maybe we should all go?”

  “I’m good,” Draco replied, grinning as he made a show of getting more comfortable on the couch.

  “When are you going shopping for living room furniture?” Charlie asked Kara as they left the room. “He needs a couch downstairs.”

  “You three should take this show on the road,” I murmured. “The shit slinging is actually kind of impressive.”

  “We’ve been doin’ it since we were kids,” Draco replied with a smile. “We bicker, but we’re tight.”

  “You’re lucky,” I said quietly.

  “I’m aware,” Draco said with a nod. “How’s things? I wasn’t sure if you’d show up today.”

  “Things are good,” I replied, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “This crew I’m working with is good. No fuckwads in the mix and everyone gets along so we’re runnin’ like a machine. Got a raise already.”

  “Workin’ your way up that ladder,” Draco said with a grin.

  I laughed. “Yeah. Give me another week and I’ll be runnin’ the place.”

  “Don’t doubt it for a second,” Draco replied, still smiling. “How’s the house?”

  “Smells like fuckin’ cabbage,” I said, tilting my head to smell my shirt. “Feel like I can’t escape it. I smell?”

  “I’m not gonna smell you.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “When do you get outta there?”

  “Whenever,” I replied with a shrug. Draco had been fortunate. When he’d gotten out of prison he’d had a place to go. I hadn’t. When I got out, my parole officer had set me up in a halfway house. He was a good guy and I knew that he was doing me a solid, but the place sucked. “I gotta get a security deposit together before I can get a place, though. Couple more months, maybe.”

  “Hell, you should just move in here. We’ve got the room. Even when my brother gets back, we’ll still have extra space.”

  I considered it.

  “I don’t know,” I hedged. “That might not be a good idea.”

  “What might not be a good idea?” Charlie asked as she came back into the room. She handed me a beer before climbing onto her bed, sitting cross-legged with a pillow on her lap.

  “Told Bishop he should move in,” Draco said, taking his own beer from Kara. “Thanks, baby.”

  “Draco,” Kara scolded, glancing at Charlie. “You can’t just ask someone to move in with us without talking to us first.” She looked at me, embarrassed. “No offense, Bishop.”

  “None taken,” I replied, waving her off. “Like I said, probably not a good idea.”

  “We’re talkin’ now,” Draco said defensively. “Havin’ a whole ass conversation, in fact.”

  “He’s literally sitting right there,” Kara said out of the side of her mouth, pointing her thumb at me. “What if I didn’t like him or something?”

  “If you didn’t like him, you would’ve said somethin’ by now,” Draco replied.

  Charlie was unusually quiet.

  “I do like you, by the way,” Kara said to me. “It’s just the principle of the thing.”

  “No worries.”

  “He should move in,” Draco said stubbornly. “It’ll split the rent even more, there’ll be another man in the house when I’m not, and I’ve lived with him before.”

  “Mentioning that we shared a cell might not be the recommendation you’re goin’ for,” I said dryly.

  “The house he’s livin’ in smells like fuckin’ cabbage,” Draco continued, like it was the most important factor to consider. “Cabbage, Kara. The BO of vegetables.”

  Charlie’s silence ended then. She snorted once. Then again. Then she was full out laughing, and falling back on the bed, her beer held out above her to keep it from spilling.

  “It’s not funny, Charlie!” Draco snapped. “He fuckin’ hates it there.”

  “I don’t hate it,” I said calmly. “It’s alright.”

  “Baby, I love you,” Kara said, sitting on Draco’s lap as she fought a smile. “You’re the best.”

  “It’s a fuckin’ good idea and you know it,” Draco replied.

  “I’m not the only one with a vote,” Kara said quietly.

  Draco stared belligerently at the bed, where Charlie still giggled.

  “Charlotte,” he said sharply.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Is it cool that he moves in?”

  “Aw, hell,” she said with a sigh as she sat back up. She stared at the ceiling for a moment before meeting my eyes. “Wouldn’t want you smelling like vegetable BO.”

  “Good,” Draco said, leaning back into the couch. “It’s settled.”

  I turned slowly to look at him. “I didn’t even say I wanted to move in here.”

  Charlie started laughing again, and this time it was infectious. Within seconds, we were all doing the same damn thing.

  When we’d finally calmed down, Kara stood.

  “I’m going to work on some more boxes,” she announced, she pointed at me. “Go pick which room you want.”

  “I’ll help,” Draco said, getting off the couch with a sigh. “I need to get the dressers set up.”

  “Bye,” Charlie sang, waving her fingers at them. “I’m going to work on my room.”

  “Come down when you want and I’ll give ya the grand tour,” Draco told me, slapping me on the shoulder as he passed. “The back yard’s huge. Thinkin’ of getting’ a smoker.”

  “You’re such an old man,” Charlie teased as he walked away. “If I catch you wearing socks and sandals I’m moving out!”

  “Great. I’ll buy some tomorrow,” Draco yelled back from the hallway.

  “So you’re moving in, huh?” Charlie said, sliding off the bed. “This relationship got serious fast.”

  My jaw dropped and I struggled to find a response. I couldn’t tell if she was serious or just fucking with me, and I sputtered for a minute before she took pity on me.

  “I’m joking,” she said, setting her beer on a windowsill. “It would’ve been fun as hell, but we obviously can’t fuck around if we’re going to be living together.”

  “We can’t,” I repeated, almost a question, but not quite.

  “I’m all for friends with benefits or whatever,” she said, smiling at me. “But living together while we’re doing it is a bit too far, I think.”

  “Alright.”

  “I mean, I have a date tomorrow—”

  “You have a date tomorrow?” I asked incredulously.

  “Yep,” she said, lifting a nightstand and carrying it over next to her bed. “And you can see why that would be weird. You know, bringing dates back here to hang out and having the other person you’re screwing around with just…watching. Sounds messy.”

  “You’re plannin’ on bringin’ them back here?” I asked, still trying to catch up.

  “Well, maybe not tomorrow, but it’ll happen eventually, right?” she asked, stopping to look at me. “Not just me—you too. I mean, it’ll be your place, too, so you could potentially be bringing dates home?”

  “Yeah, I guess,” I replied.

  “See?” She shrugged.

  “So, if I move in here, I’m not gonna see you naked,” I said, walking toward her.

  “Bingo,” Charlie replied, putting her hands on her hips. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not about that kind of drama.”

  “Then I won’t move in,” I said simply.

  “Don’t be stupid.”

  “Not bein’ stupid,” I replied through clenched teeth.

  “Well, don’t get mad,” Charlie said in exasperation. “It’s not like I’m being unreasonable.”

  “Don’t like bein’ called stupid.” I reached up and rubbed the back of my neck. It had already been a long ass day of work and I wasn’t really interested in arguing with her.

  “Oh,” she said quietly. She must have seen something in my expression because hers immediately softened. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t calling you stupid.”

  “I know that,” I replied, shaking my head.

  “I won’t say it again.”

  “It’s no big deal.”

  “Still,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “You don’t like it so I won’t say it. Easy.”

  “You’re not really makin’ a convincin’ argument that I should give up seein’ you bent over the bed takin’ my cock when you’re bein’ all sweet like that,” I told her seriously.

  Charlie jerked in surprise and her eyes widened. “You’ve got a dirty mouth.” She chuckled. “I’m starting to rethink my position.”

  I waited.

  “No,” she said, scrubbing her hands over her face. “You should move in. Get out of the cabbage house. We can keep our hands to ourselves.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” I replied.

  “I have superior self-restraint,” she said cheerfully.

  “I do not.”

  “You’ll have to learn, then,” she said, wiggling her finger at me. “Now make yourself useful, would you? I need that dresser against the wall.”

  I nodded and moved the dresser, helping her with the other pieces of furniture as she pointed to where everything should go. Some of it she could’ve easily done herself, but I didn’t mind doing it for her. If I was honest with myself, I would’ve painted her fucking toenails if she’d asked me. There was something about Charlie that just made me feel good. When I was around her, shit just felt lighter.

  “So, you’re almost done with school, huh?” I asked as she tore open a box.

  “Yep. I have to finish this term and then I’m home free.”

  “You got plans for after?”

  “Yes.”

  I waited but she didn’t say anything else.

  “Care to elaborate?”

  Charlie glanced at the door to her room like she was making sure no one was there.

  “I’m gonna buy the coffee cart,” she said conspiratorially. “But it’s not a sure thing so don’t repeat that.”

  “The place where you and Kara work?” I asked in surprise.

  “That’s the one,” she said happily. Her whole energy changed as she spun toward me. “So, I’ve done the numbers, right? And I can buy Mal out. I’ve already talked to her about it and since she’s ready to retire she’s considering it.” She tiptoed toward the door and quietly closed it. “I’ve been saving as much as I can and I got lucky on some investments. I think if I can up the revenue at the shop by just fifteen percent, I’d have enough in a year to open another cart. I’d have to do some cool events, make some specialty drinks for holidays, that sort of shit. But I could start a whole brand, you know? Maybe even have a whole bunch of carts eventually or roast my own coffee.”

  “Damn,” I replied, impressed.

  “Sorry,” she said, grinning. She threw her hands up in the air. “I’ve just been dying to tell someone! I even have the second location all picked out. Tommy just bought this small commercial property less than a mile from the club. It’s an old corner store that he’s hoping to lease and the parking lot would be perfect.”

  “You’re fuckin’—” I just shook my head. I didn’t even know what to say. She was just so goddamn gorgeous all lit up the way she was. Talking about her plans and sharing her secret with me.

  “What?” she said, deflating a little. “Does it sound stupid?”

  “Hell, no,” I replied instantly. “You sound determined and fuckin’ brilliant. You know those boys like their coffee, and if you’re right down the road they’ll stop brewin’ the shit themselves and buy from you in bulk.”

  “That’s what I was thinking, too,” she replied excitedly. “Plus, think of the traffic in the summer! If I can make some exceptional smoothies and iced drinks, people will stop by on their way to the river and the park and shit!”

  “Absolutely,” I said firmly.

  Charlie sighed happily. “I think it’s really going to work. The cart I’m trying to buy now is in a really good spot and does great business already. I don’t think that it’ll be that hard to increase the sales just fifteen percent.”

  “You can do it.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to move in though,” I said regretfully.

  “What?” she asked in confusion. “Why?”

  “Cause seein’ you all fired up when you get this whole thing started?” I shook my head solemnly. “No fuckin’ way can I keep my hands to myself.”

  “Funny,” she said flatly.

  “I’m not jokin’,” I replied, moving toward her. “Jesus, when you’re into somethin’ you fuckin’ glow.”

  “When I get excited about something I have a hard time hiding it,” she joked with a shrug.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said honestly.