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Aunt Tess’s huge dining table had been extended to its full size, with all of the extra leaves put in. There were 17 of us, including the younger kids, and we all fit. I pulled up a chair next to Orlando, and noticed that Deanna had worked her way to the other side of him. She was so cute! My aunt’s friends were huddled with her at one end of the table, talking in low tones and glancing my way every once in awhile.

“My aunt finds you very entertaining,” I whispered to Orlando as he handed me the salad. “Look.” I nodded toward them. He grinned and I thought Aunt Tess was going to fall off her chair.

“Charlie, babe, your dad tells us you’re running away from home in a couple of weeks,” Uncle Damon said, tossing me a dinner roll.

I smiled and nodded as I put my napkin on my lap. “Yup,” I said, “I’m heading for Broadway. Bigger and better, right?”

“Absolutely,” Uncle Damon said. “We always knew you had it in you.”

“No you didn’t,” I laughed. “You always told me I should do something practical with my life, and apparently theatre isn’t practical.” I winked at him to let him know I wasn’t serious.

“Well, it isn’t practical,” my dad said, not looking up from the roll he was buttering. “It’s a long shot, really, but sometimes it pays off.” He looked up. “Right, Orlando?”

Orlando put down his glass of wine. “Yes, sir,” he said.

“Acting isn’t really stable, right?” Dad pressed. I elbowed him under the table.

“Not really, it’s not,” Orlando agreed graciously. “But sometimes we get lucky, right, sir?”

“Sometimes,” Dad said, and thankfully let it drop.

When dinner was finished, Dad, Grandma, Orlando, and my uncles took the kids back downstairs, Deanna following closely, while I helped my aunts and the other ladies in the kitchen with the dishes. I loved that I could leave Orlando with my family and not worry about him. He seemed to fit in really well, which made him even sexier. Even my dad seemed to like him, his profession aside.

“I’m impressed my dear,” Aunt Tess said as we put the dishes away.

“With what?”

“You,” she said, shoving me playfully. “That man is crazy about you. I’m surprised your father hasn’t torn strips off him yet.”

“It’s not like that,” I said, shaking my head. “We’re just friends.”

“Right, and a pig’s ass is pork,” Aunt Gina snorted. “Paul may not want to see it, but come on, Charlotte, it’s there. This one’s not like Ramsey, either, which makes it that much more bearable.”

“You’re crazy,” I said, trying to laugh it off. I grabbed the package of candles from the counter and started putting them in the cake. Anything to change the subject.

“Charlie, it’s not wrong to want a man,” Aunt Tess said, slipping her arm around me and giving me a squeeze. “Especially that one.” She laughed.

I sighed, seeing no hope for it. We were really going to have this conversation. “He’s amazing, isn’t he?” I said, unable to keep the smile from my lips. “I don’t know what’s happening, and I don’t know how long it will last, but it feels so good, so right. And that body, that face! Good lord, I’m amazed I can speak when he’s around. But it seems so strange to feel so connected to someone I only just met.” I sighed again. “Too bad it’ll be so short-lived.”

“Why’s that?” Aunt Gina asked.

“He’s making a movie in the Caribbean, I’m going to New York to start Wicked, it’s just really bad timing. We really only have two weeks together, then who knows what will happen.”

“So make the most of the time you have while you have it,” Aunt Tess said. “Connections like that don’t come along very often, so when they do, you need to snap them up and run with them, honey. Trust me.”

Aunt Tess had never been married, but I’d heard Dad talk about her having a fiancé once upon a time. Apparently, he passed away, and she never really recovered. Orlando and I leading separate lives was hardly the same thing, but that didn’t change the moral of the story. I knew I had to take what I had while I had it, and just be thankful that it was happening.

“What do you say we take this cake downstairs, give the kids a sugar high, and then let you guys try to put them to bed?” I said, trying to lighten the mood. It had suddenly become very serious in the room, and it didn’t need to be. It was Aunt Tess’s birthday, after all.

Aunt Gina, Marcy, Cori, and Jamie took Aunt Tess downstairs while I finished the cake. It was huge and I had a lot of candles to put on. Before I could finish, I felt hands slide over my waist and pull me back against a very warm body. I smiled, put down the candles, and turned around.

“How’s it going up here?” Orlando asked, his voice low. “Do you need any help, love?”

“I’m almost done,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “We can leave right after the cake. I’m sorry it’s been such a long night.”

He smiled, a sweet, tender smile. “I don’t mind, Charlie,” he said softly. “I’ve had a good time.”

“Liar,” I grinned. He pressed me back against the counter as his hand slid up to cup my face. “Mmmm…” I breathed, nuzzling into his palm. “We’d better be careful. Someone could come upstairs at any minute.”

“Let them,” he whispered right beside my ear. He nipped my earlobe, then began placing little feathery kisses down my neck and over my collarbone. Shivers raced up and down my spine and I put my hands on either side of his neck, lightly kneading with my fingers, to pull him up to me. I looked into his dark brown eyes and I melted. I forgot where I was, all that mattered was Orlando and the lust I saw shining back at me.

“Charlie? Orlando?” Deanna called as she came up the stairs. “Is the cake ready?”

I shoved him quickly away and turned back to the cake before she came into the kitchen. Orlando went to the fridge and pulled out a can of soda, opened it, and took a long drink.

“We’re almost done here, baby,” I said as Deanna came over to me. “Just a few more candles. Can you finish this while I get the matches?” I went into the living room, to the china cabinet, and pulled a pack of matches from the drawer, then went back to light the candles. We carried the cake downstairs, singing “Happy Birthday” to Aunt Tess, and when she blew out all of the candles, everyone clapped.

“So now what?” Uncle Dave asked as he ate his piece of cake. “We’ve still got all night.”

I looked over at Orlando. His eyes were still almost black, and I knew he was aching as much as I was to leave.

“We could always watch Lord of the Rings,” Aunt Gina joked, nudging me in the ribs. I almost dropped my cake. Orlando blushed. “Do we have anything else he’s been in?” she called over her shoulder to Marcy, who’d gone to look through Aunt Tess’s DVD collection. This wasn’t shaping up at all well.

“We should probably go soon,” I said, shooting Aunt Tess a pleading look. “We have to drive into Toronto tomorrow, and I don’t want to be exhausted when we get there.”

“Oh come on, you two,” Uncle Dave prodded. “You’re young, you can handle another couple hours with us old timers, can’t you?” As Dad’s oldest brother, Uncle Dave was certainly the leader of the pack, as much as
my dad liked to pretend otherwise. Since Grandpa had passed away a few years earlier, he’d really taken over the family gatherings.

“Yes, please stay,” Dad said, patting my hand. “We won’t get to see you very often when you go to New York.”

“We have Troy!” Marcy called, holding up the DVD. “Men in skirts, this is my kind of movie.” She giggled.

Orlando shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I could practically feel the embarrassment radiating off him and I
felt bad. “Can we watch something else?” I said. “I don’t think Orlando wants to watch his own movies.”

“Why not?” Marcy wanted to know. “I’d love to watch myself on-screen!”

Orlando leaned over and whispered to me, “It’s not so much that, love, but I have a nude scene in that one, I’d really rather not watch it with your father in the room.”

I’d forgotten that he was practically naked at one point during Troy. I looked over at Aunt Tess. She was engrossed in her cake and seemed oblivious to what was going on. Damn.

“Uh, that might not be appropriate to watch with the kids around,” I pointed out. “It’s kind of violent.”

“It’s pretty much bedtime for them anyway,” Aunt Gina said, getting up. “Damon, help me take Brian and Jennie upstairs. Christopher, you can walk, right?” Uncle Damon lifted seven-year-old Brian over his shoulder, and Dad got up to carry eight-year-old Jennie, while eleven-year-old Christopher climbed sleepily to his feet. They all went upstairs to Aunt Tess’s spare bedroom.

“So are we watching Troy?” Jamie asked when the kids were gone. Orlando squirmed again.

“Can we please watch something else?” I said, this time catching Aunt Tess’s eye. I mouthed the word “nudity” at her and she nodded.

“I don’t think I want Deanna seeing that one yet,” she said briskly. “Pick another one, okay?”

“Aunt Tess, I can watch it,” Deanna said softly. She didn’t want to whine in front of Orlando, so she was being very lady-like in her protestations.

“Baby, it’s a little old for you,” Aunt Tess said gently. “We’ll watch something else tonight.”

Deanna looked at Orlando. He winked at her and her protest was forgotten. After all, who needed a movie when the real thing was sitting right there?

I stood up. “I really think we should go,” I said again, a little more forcefully this time.

“Are you sure, honey?” Aunt Tess said, gathering up everyone’s cake plates. “We’d love you to stay.”

I know it’s sad to let lust come before family, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to get home and finish what we’d started in the kitchen. “Another time,” I said, grabbing my purse.

“Charlie, we can stay if you want to,” Orlando said softly. I noticed Deanna was practically sitting in his lap, and he didn’t seem to mind. I actually envied her for a moment.

“Are you sure? You’re the one driving tomorrow.”

“It’s okay, we just won’t leave as early as we’d planned,” he said, then winked casually at me, so slightly I doubt anyone else noticed.

I sat down again. “Okay, we’ll stay,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

They finally settled on Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which Orlando insisted was fine with him. Dad, Aunt Gina, and Uncle Damon came back downstairs just as Aunt Tess turned all the lights out. I moved from my spot on the sofa so Grandma could sit down, and ended up on the floor in front of Orlando, with one of his legs on either side of me. I leaned back against him, trusting the darkness to keep my father from seeing his hands gently massaging my neck and shoulders.

When the movie was over, Aunt Tess turned the lights on again. Deanna was curled up against Orlando, sound asleep. I gently shook her knee and smiled as she opened her eyes. She looked up at Orlando.

“Did I fall asleep?” she asked groggily.

Orlando nodded. “Yes, love, you did,” he said. She sat up.

“Deanna, go upstairs, please,” Aunt Tess said gently. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Deanna said hesitantly. I could tell she didn’t want the night to end. She stood up. Orlando rose, too, and hugged her briefly.

“It was great to meet you, Deanna,” he said.

“Could you sign a picture for me?” Deanna asked, suddenly shy again. Orlando nodded and she sprinted upstairs to get one.

“Tess, where’s your camera?” Dad asked, standing as well. “We should get a picture of her with him. She’ll never forgive us if we don’t.”

“Good idea, Paul,” Aunt Tess said, and went to fetch her camera. She returned a moment later with Deanna.

When the picture was taken and Orlando had signed Deanna’s Pirates of the Caribbean poster, we took our leave. Orlando went to start the car after saying good night to everyone. As Aunt Tess hugged me, she whispered, “Go get him, honey. You’re only young once.” I squeezed her extra hard.

“I’ll call you in a few days,” I said to Dad as I hugged him good night.

“You’d better.” He kissed the top of my head. “Good night, sweetheart.”

When I climbed into the car a few minutes later, Orlando already had the engine running. As soon as I shut the door, he grabbed me, pulled me to him as best he could, and kissed me, fiercely. It took only a second for the shock to wear off. I returned his kiss, sliding my hands over his chest and shoulders. I grasped at the buttons on his shirt and began to open them. Then I pulled away.

“Wait,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath. “We are not doing this in a car. Let’s go home.”

Without a word Orlando pulled the car away from the curb and before long we were on the highway heading back to my apartment. The seconds ticked by like hours until finally we pulled into my parking lot. Orlando came around to my side and opened the door for me, then took my hand and we practically ran into the building. It was time, there was no more waiting.

When we finally got inside the apartment, I slammed and locked the door behind us, then allowed him to lead me quickly to my bedroom. We fell in a heap of limbs on the bed, hands grasping for whatever we could reach as our mouths reconnected. I’m pretty sure I popped off some of the buttons on his shirt in my haste to get it off him, but neither of us cared at the moment. He rolled me beneath him and I eagerly, greedily, accepted his weight, arching up against him. His lips burned on mine as he became more demanding, more heated, more focused on me and only me. As he pulled my lace shirt over my head, I sighed, hugging him tightly to me. Before I knew what was happening, though, he’d stopped.

“What the hell are you doing?” I practically shrieked as he pulled away from me and sat up. I propped myself up on my elbows, still breathing heavily.

“Not like this, Charlie,” he said, his own breathing starting to slow. “We’re not teenagers or animals here, love. We only get one first time, right? I don’t want it to be over before it begins.”

I flopped back on the bed, my arms stretched out above me. “Seriously?” I said, squeezing my eyes shut and rubbing my hand over them. “It’s not like we’re virgins here, Orlando.”

He laid down beside me, on his side, and began tracing a pattern over my exposed stomach, where my tank top had ridden up a bit. Heat rushed through my body at his delicate touch. “We are with each other, darling,” he said, in a tone that forced me to look at him. “We have time for urgency and need later, but right now, I want to do this right.”

I sighed. The truth was, I wanted him and I didn’t care about it being right, I just wanted it to be happening. I didn’t say anything for a long time.

“Charlie? What are you thinking?”

He was still tracing patterns on my stomach, creeping ever-so-slowly upwards, and I found it hard to concentrate. “I’m thinking I want you,” I said honestly. I reached over and pulled him down on top of me again. “And if slow and gentle is what you want, I’m all for it.” I placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“Thank you,” he said, his eyes almost black with lust. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, kissing my neck again. Slowly he stripped each piece of clothing from my body, and nipped and teased the skin he’d revealed. Before long, all of my clothes were on the floor and I was reaching for his belt.

I loved the feel of his skin on mine as he kissed me, the muscles rippling in his back, the scar that ran from just below his shoulder blades to the base of his tailbone. He was so careful, so tender, and I loved the way he looked down at me as he gently entered my body, as he made me his own. I reveled in the expression on his face as his pleasure took him, right before I let my own overwhelm me. I had never seen anything so beautiful.

When our breathing had returned to normal, he pulled me against him and we drifted off to sleep. We didn’t need words between us now, just the tender, lazy strokes of his fingers on my arms, and the steady motion of his chest as he breathed. I was right where I wanted to be, and I went to sleep wrapped in his arms, a smile on my face.