Someone You Love by Kristen Granata

Charly

“Five, six, seven, eight. Now turn.”

I turn right, but Freddie turns left. “Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry, Charly.”

“It’s okay. Let’s try it again, Fred. You’re leading, so you have to do the opposite of what Gianna shows us.”

“This is harder than I thought it was going to be. My Stella would’ve been so good at this. She’s probably laughing at me right now in heaven.”

“I doubt that. You’re doing a great job.”

“It’s all thanks to you. You’re such a sweetheart for helping this old man.”

I’ve been helping Freddie before our dance class starts each week to practice going over the steps before we learn new ones. He’s sweet, and he’s trying so hard.

At seven o’clock, Gianna and the other dancers trickle into the room, and we take our places.

Gianna stands at the front in a short red sequined dress. “Before we get started, I need to make a slight change in partners.”

I glance around the room, checking to see who’s paired up with who.

She waltzes over to Freddie, and extends her hand with a flourish. “You, my love, will be dancing with me.”

Freddie places his hand over his heart, and bows his head. “My dear Charly, it has been a pleasure dancing with you.”

I smile, sad to see him go, yet excited to be partnered with someone who can keep up with me.

Gianna leads Freddie to the front of the room, and claps. “Charly, you have a new partner joining us tonight. I have a feeling you’ll be very pleased with his abilities.”

I gesture to the others. “But everyone’s paired up.”

She winks as the door at the front of the studio swings open.

And my mouth flaps open.

Bryce steps through the doorway, but I almost don’t recognize him. His hair no longer hangs down in a tangled mess. It’s several inches shorter, the dark wavy strands falling to his ears. His beard isn’t completely gone, but it’s a closer shave like a neat yet overgrown five o’clock shadow. His black button-up shirt hugs his muscles, with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, and his charcoal grey slacks strain against his thighs. He towers over everyone else in the room, their eyes glued to him as he moves in a direct path toward me. Some of them stare down at his cane with a questioning gaze.

Bryce flashes me a wide grin, and my knees go weak. Heat surges through my veins, and my heart thrashes against my chest with each step he takes.

My hands tremble as he stops inches from me. “What are you doing here?”

He leans in and places a lingering kiss on my cheek. “I’m your new dance partner. Didn’t you hear?”

“I thought you didn’t like to dance.”

“For you, I can like anything.” He cuts a quick glance at Gianna. “I’ve been learning.”

Gianna smiles. “He wanted to surprise you, Charly. I’ve been giving him lessons to get him caught up with the rest of the class.”

Murmurs, gasps and awws sound throughout the room. I blink up at Bryce, still stunned and unsure of how, and why, and what’s going on.

He wraps his arm around my waist, drawing me close to him so that only I can hear his whispered words. “You said you wanted a better partner to dance with. Do I fit the bill?”

God, does he fit the bill. “You continue to surprise me every day.”

Gianna starts the music, and we take our positions facing one another. My head is still in a fog over the fact that Bryce is standing in front of me, dancing—that he’s been taking secret lessons because I expressed to him one time that my partner wasn’t as good as I’d hoped he’d be. It’s things like this that set Bryce apart from anyone else I’ve known. Things like this that show me how much he cares. How much I mean to him. How attentive he is.

It’s things like this that make me feel like I’m teetering on the edge of falling.

Bryce sends me out for a spin, and pulls me back in, my body flush against his as I move my hips to the beat. “I was worried I’d have a hard time moving with my cane, but Gianna taught me the most important rule about dancing: My job is to make the woman look good, because no one’s really looking at me.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” I peek around him, catching several women’s eyes on Bryce’s ass. “People are definitely looking at you.”

His eyes never leave mine. “As long as you’re looking at me, that’s all I care about.”

I thread my fingers through his hair. “I like this new look.”

“You mean you’re not disappointed that the Beast turned back into a human?”

I giggle. “I’m far from disappointed. You look incredible.”

“So do you.” His large palms smooth down my sides. “I like this dress.”

“Your grandmother bought it for me the first time she took me shopping.”

“It’s very sexy.” He drags his knuckles across my bare skin peeking out of the keyhole cutout just below my breasts, sending a shiver through me. “You are very sexy.”

“Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Holden? Is that why you’re really here tonight?”

He twirls me again, a devilish gleam reflecting in his black irises. “I didn’t think you needed seducing.”

“When it comes to you, I don’t.”

I press my back against his front, rolling my hips and lifting my arms to reach behind his neck. His warm breath skates along my skin as we move together.

It’s been almost a week since our camping trip. We haven’t done anything other than kissing since the night in the bathtub because I haven’t wanted to push it while Bryce was in pain. But tonight, I think it’s safe to say he’s feeling better.

“I have dinner waiting for us at home,” he whispers, his lips on my neck.

Home.

Not the inn, or my place.

Home, like it’s mine as much as it is his.

I spin around so I’m facing him again, and lift onto my toes, speaking the words against his mouth. “I have other plans for you when we get home. Dinner can wait.”

Before Bryce can pick his jaw up off the ground, Gianna pauses the music and claps, signaling for us to get back into our spots. She teaches us a few new steps, and then we put it all together. It was fun dancing with Freddie, but it’s a different experience entirely dancing with Bryce. It’s intimate, and sexy, and everything dancing should be.

At the end of class, I clasp Bryce’s hand as we walk out of the studio. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me. The fact that you’ve been taking lessons to practice for me ...” I shake my head. “Thank you, Bryce.”

He presses a feather-soft kiss to my lips. “I’d do anything to make you happy.”

Tears well behind my lids, and emotion surges inside me, clogging my throat. “Let’s go home.”

I get into Beatrice’s car, and Bryce follows in his truck behind me. Desire courses through me, anticipation bubbling underneath my skin. A small, quiet voice in the back of my mind whispers, After tonight, there’s no going back, but I try to ignore it. I’m aware of the risks. I’m aware of how this could end. But I’m also aware of the possibility, and I’ve felt too hopeless for too long.

Wherever this may lead, I’m going to enjoy the journey.

When we park, Bryce takes my hand as soon as I step out of the car. We make a beeline for his house, and once we’re inside, he pushes me against the door and his mouth is on mine. His hands slide under my dress, taking my ass in his huge palms and squeezing hard.

“Where’s Edward?”

“With Nana.”

“Good.” My fingers fumble with the buttons on his shirt, our lips still fused together, and I yank it down his arms.

He tosses it to the floor, and kicks off his shoes. “Your shoes stay on.”

I back away from him until I reach the island in the middle of the kitchen. I tug on the bow at the center of my chest, letting the straps on my shoulders fall, and I push the fabric until the dress pools at my feet. As Bryce stalks toward me, his hungry eyes blazing a trail over my bare skin, I hop onto the granite in nothing but my black lace panties, and strappy black heels.

He steps between my legs, and I spread them wider to accommodate his large frame. His hands cup my breasts, and I arch into his touch before claiming his lips again. His kiss is a hot branding iron, setting my skin on fire, forever marking me with the memory of his mouth. We’re frantic tongues, and hands in hair, and grinding hips.

I drag my nails down his back. “I can’t believe you learned how to dance for me.”

“Anything for you, Charly.” He grips my jaw as his teeth clamp down on my bottom lip, sucking hard before releasing it with a pop. “Anything.”

His fingers skim under the thin lace that’s already soaked with my desire. My head falls back, and I let out a loud moan that echoes off the walls. He plays with me until I’m at the edge of an orgasm, and I whimper at the loss of his touch. He sucks his coated fingers into his mouth, closing his eyes like it’s the best thing he’s tasted.

I hop down from the counter. “Please tell me you have condoms.”

“Bedroom.”

We crash into the walls along the hallway, unable to keep our hands off each other as we make our way into Bryce’s bedroom.

“I need you to do something for me,” he says as he lays on the mattress, curling his index finger for me to come closer to him.

I climb on top of him, and he guides my hips higher, positioning me over his face. I gaze down at him between my thighs. “What are you doing?”

“I want to taste you, but I can’t bend down so I need you on top of me.” He sinks his teeth into the inside of my thigh, and chases the sting with his tongue. “I want you to ride my face. Will you do that for me, Charly?”

I shiver as he speaks against my most sensitive spot, his warm breath and beard tickling my skin. I give him a breathless yes, and then he slides his tongue through my folds.

My body shudders, knees threatening to give out from under me. I grip onto his hair, rolling my hips against his mouth. His inky-black eyes are locked on mine, his gaze laden with need, and he lets out a long, pained groan that vibrates through me.

Greg was never a fan of foreplay—not unless it focused on him—and sex with him was mechanical, and one-sided. A means to an end.

But with Bryce, he takes his time appreciating each step of the way, like he’s worshiping my body. He holds me in place with his firm grip on my ass, feasting on me as if I’m his last meal. The warmth of his tongue, and the scrape of his rough beard is a delicious contrast. I grind against his mouth, losing myself in the mounting burn of pleasure. And just as I reach the peak once again, Bryce pulls back his tongue, and places a wet kiss against my sex, leaving me a panting, desperate mess.

“In the drawer.” He tosses the command at me, and I reach over to pull out a brand-new box of condoms from the top drawer in his nightstand.

His dick bobs between his legs, and my core throbs as I roll the thin rubber over his impressive length. I straddle his hips, and slide myself against him, coating him with my wetness, teasing us both until we can’t take another second.

I pause before I push him inside me, setting my eyes on his. “We can stop at any time, okay? I’m happy with being this close to you, regardless of what happens.”

He nods, and swallows before he speaks. “I want this with you, Charly.”

And then I push him inside me. I take him inch by slow, agonizing inch, and we exhale together, reveling in the feel of our connection. I lift my hips to drag him out of me, and then sink back down, over and over again. With his huge hands gripping my ass, I move in a slow yet powerful rhythm, savoring each and every stroke between us.

“You feel so good, baby.” Bryce grunts, reminding me of the sounds he made the night I heard him in the shower. “So damn good. I’ve wanted you. I’ve needed you.”

“You have me.” I clench around him, gazing into his eyes. “You have all of me.”

And he does.

I surrender everything I have—every fear, every wish, every piece of my bruised and broken heart, because he makes it whole again.

I take him deeper, and pick up the pace, swiveling my hips faster. He watches me with wild eyes as I ride him, throwing my head back, and arching into him. He mumbles an incoherent string of words like yes, and more, and don’t stop. His hands roam over my body, rolling my nipples between his fingertips, pulling on the ends of my hair, sliding over my skin. Then his thumb lowers to my clit, and he swirls over it, sending an explosion of white-hot heat ripping through me.

“Oh, God, Bryce. Yes.”

I’ve never felt so close, so in tune, so connected to someone—so lost in a moment that I forget about the past and the future. All that matters is here and now, and there’s no place on earth I’d rather be than in this man’s arms.

Bryce comes when I do, pumping his release with thundering force, and we cling to each other as we tumble into euphoria together. I collapse on top of him, trembling as each wave crashes around me. We’re breathless and sated, my vision is blurry, and Bryce’s cheeks are wet. He cradles the back of my head, and kisses me with such passion, making sure I feel everything he’s trying to convey.

I lay on my side, and wrap myself around him, not ready to separate or let go. I cradle his face, and press a kiss to his nose, his eyelids, his cheeks, and then his lips. “That was incredible.”

“You are incredible.” He brushes my hair away from my face. “You are sexy, and beautiful, and compassionate, and selfless. You make me feel alive again. You’ve stirred up something inside me that I thought was gone.”

I smile. “Your Nana thinks it was fate that brought me here. That this all happened for a reason. I never believed in that before. It would make me angry to think that Mom was destined to get sick. What kind of destiny is that, you know?” I snuggle closer, and Bryce’s arms tighten around me. “But how can two lost souls happen to find each other when they need it most? How can we both feel so numb, yet come alive when we’re together? How can we both give each other exactly what we’ve been missing?”

“Maybe we’re destined to do certain things, and meet certain people, and the bad stuff just happens as we go along with no rhyme or reason. You would’ve ended up here whether your mom was with you or not. Our paths were destined to cross regardless.”

I grin against his chest. Fate or coincidence, whatever the reason, however we got here—I’m so happy it has led me to this moment.

Bryce

I can’t sleep.

Or maybe I don’t want to.

I watch the rise and fall of Charly’s even breaths as she sleeps beside me. Golden hair splayed out on the pillow. Long eyelashes fanned against her cheeks. Her smooth, creamy skin, tinged with a sun-kissed glow from her time spent by the pool. The slope of her nose, the bow of her lips. The thin white sheet drapes over her curves, giving her even more of an angelic look.

Ethereal. That’s what she is. Like I’m not sure how she’s even real—how she’s laying in my bed, how she’s chosen me to spend her time with. And she has chosen me. I should be elated. I should be in a deep, blissful sleep right beside her. Yet all I can do is watch her, as if she’s going to disappear the second I take my eyes off her. My mind churns with thoughts. My erratic heart hasn’t slowed since I surprised her at the dance studio.

Not sure it has beat a steady rhythm since the first day Charly arrived at Sunnyside.

She stirs, and turns away from me onto her side. I pull her close until her back is flush with my chest, wrapping my arms around her. She entwines her legs with mine, and lets out a long exhale, as if she’s content now that she’s in the safety of my embrace.

“You’re perfect.” I whisper the words into her ear, and press a kiss to her neck. “You have my heart.”

She hums, wiggling her ass against me. “You’re awake?”

“Mhmm.” My hand skims down her arm. “Feels like I’m dreaming though.”

“I know what you mean.” She glances over her shoulder, her eyes cracking open. “Tonight was perfect.”

“It was. “I brush my nose against the cusp of her ear. “Go back to sleep, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I’m not tired at the moment.” Her hand snakes behind her, and wraps around my dick. “I want to be up with you right now.”

I thrust into her hand, letting out a low groan. “I want to make love to you again.” I slide my palm over her breast, and she arches into my touch. I squeeze the perfect handful before letting my hand roam lower, sliding down her toned stomach, further down until my fingers slip between her legs.

Charly lets out a breathy moan, spreading her legs wider for me. “Make love to me, Bryce. Just like this, please.”

I reach for a condom, and then I’m guiding myself inside her. This isn’t frantic like before. It’s slow, and sensual. I take my time feeling every inch of me plunge into her warmth, and drag back out. She reaches back to grip onto my hair, holding me against her while I whisper in her ear.

You’re beautiful.

You’re perfect.

I’m yours.

We hold out for as long as we can, savoring each second of total bliss, because it’s the only way we can express how we feel for each other. Sex with Charly is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It means something. It’s more than two bodies rushing toward a finish line.

She’s ruining me.

I’ll never be the same after this.

I know this.

But right now, I can’t seem to care about the consequences.