*73:Hashtags & Rubber Bracelets

Once Luke was shoved out the door with a kiss on the cheek and a promise to let him know when he was no longer under a gag order, Charlie turned to Jon with hands on hips.   “What’s the plan for the rest of the day?  Because I’d like to take a shower in my own bathroom and change into something that isn’t in that bag.”

“Go ahead.”  Bending to scoop up the overnight bag that still lay in the living room floor, he tossed it in her direction.  “You wanna finish the grownup shit or play?”

Play?  What was that?  When was the last time she did that instead of taking care of business?  She would say in the Hamptons if her kids hadn’t been with her.  Aside from that…  Charlie couldn’t think of a specific time or place. 

“I’d rather play, but the grownup shit has to be done.  What do you think?”

She clutched the bag to her chest, watching as he now put hands on hips.  “When’s the last time you set aside responsibility to do something fun?”

“I was just thinking about that and have no idea.”

“Considering this is one of my only free days before I go back on the road…  I’m leaning toward play with a little responsibility on the side?  Whaddaya think?”

Tipping her head to the side, she remarked with interest.  “You mentioned leaving before.  Asia, right?  How long will you be gone?”

“A month this time.”  He passed by with a pat on her rump and asking, “You mind if I make some coffee?  I need another cup.”

“Go ahead.”  Following along behind him, she paused in the doorway to watch him poke around in her cabinets.  “How long are you usually on the road?”

Locating the coffee canister and cups, he started scooping out the grounds without looking around. 

“Depends.  In the old days it could be as much as a year, with a couple breaks here and there.  Lately, though…  It doesn’t have quite the same appeal it once did, so a month or two at a time is the new norm.”  Now that the coffee had started to brew, he turned to lean against the counter.  “You trying to decide if good sex is worth the pain in the ass, or are you lining up your one-nighters for while I’m gone?”

Charlie’s jaw went slack and her eyes widened.  Had he really just said that?  Really? 

“There went that idea that you actually know me.”  Her voice was deliberately made monotone to give the appearance that she wasn’t hurt by the careless words offered with a smirk.  Moving toward the stairs, she used the same tone to inform him, “I’m going to take my shower.  If you’d rather go fuck yourself than stay here, I’d fully support that.”

“Counselor, it was a joke!”

“It’s a good thing you can sing,” she called down behind her.  “Because you’re not fucking funny.”

Her overnight bag landed in the center of the bed after being slung in that direction, and she shed her clothes to throw toward the hamper.  Was he just being a typical man with an idiotic sense of humor?   Part of preferred to think so.  The alternative involved him discreetly expressing the same slut opinion of her that Luke did, and that didn’t sit well.  This was one time that his crude persona did nothing for her. 

Charlie turned on the faucet to let the water flow into the corner tub, discovering her temper was rising along with the water temperature. 

Climbing in, she pulled the tandem white shower curtains to cover the length of the L-shaped rod and ducked her head under the spray with the decision that if he wanted to be an ass, she could be one just as easily.  It was guaranteed that women would be throwing themselves at him during that month on the road.  How would he feel if she mandated a clean bill of pecker health before he crawled back in her bed? 

He would throw a damn fit, no doubt.

“If I bring you hot coffee, you gonna throw it in my face?”

Rinsing the shampoo away, she awarded herself several gold stars for not immediately spitting out the clean bill of health thing that was on the end of her tongue.  It was an admirable display of maturity that had her taking the high road and neutrally replying, “Depends on what kind of commentary you’re bringing with it.  If it’s as stupid as what you said downstairs, the odds increase.”

“Look, I’m sorry.” His sigh found her along with a whiff of the aromatic beverage that accompanied him.  “That was obviously not the right thing to say.”

“Ya think?” she scoffed rudely, mentally returning one of the gold stars.  With the conditioner worked through to the ends of her wet tresses, Charlie picked up her shower gel and squirted it onto a washcloth. 

“It was honestly meant as a joke.”

“I’ll refrain from repeating myself and telling you it wasn’t funny,” was the generous offer she made while swiping the sudsy cloth over her neck and shoulders.  “Instead, I’ll ask how many one-nighters you plan on having in the next month.”

“Jesus Christ.  That’s where you wanna go with this?”

The groan of disbelief had her whirling to snatch the shower curtain open enough to stick out her head and find him sitting on the closed toilet.  “Okay, first of all, you’re the one who opened your mouth and stuck your damn foot in it.  Don’t blame me for this topic.”

“I said I was sorry,” he interrupted, but Charlie just raised her voice to talk over him. 

“Secondly, yes, that’s where I want to go with this.  Outlining our expectations is probably a good idea and, contrary to what my marital status may lead you to believe, I’m a huge fan of monogamy.  If you don’t share that view, then we need to… do something.”

Whipping the curtain closed again, she turned back and resumed lightly scouring the cloth over her chest and stomach.  Never had she considered the real-life details of dating of a man who was always being voted sexiest something or another and was repeatedly gone from home weeks at a time.  He and Dorothea must’ve had some major trust going on in addition to a whole lot of open-mindedness. 

Charlie was fine with him being gone as necessary.  She wasn’t a needy person and being with him when he was home would make up for it.  That’s where she drew the line, though.  Ironically enough, overlooking indiscretions wasn’t in her DNA makeup.

The day she found out Owen was effectively holding her hostage, she’d told him she didn’t give a damn what the courts said.  She didn’t consider him her husband or worthy of her fidelity.  Never had she flaunted her limited sex life after that, but she also didn’t feel guilty about it. 

She and Jon were in an actual relationship and, as long as that was the case, there would be no other men.  Period. 

The only thing that remained was to see whether he was on the same page.  If the prolonged silence from the other side of the curtain was any indicator, they may have a problem.

“Jon?” she beckoned, tipping her head back to rinse away the conditioner.  “Are you still there?”

The scrape of hooks over the metal curtain rod was immediately followed by a cool breeze, prompting Charlie to lift her head with a sharp breath.  Stepping into the back of the shower was a very naked and very somber Jon, who wasted no time in covering her ribcage with his palms.  Tiny droplets from the spray misted his face and hair as intense blue eyes zeroed in on hers.    

“I could do a whole lot of fucking talking right now, but I’m going to spare you the psychology, Counselor.  Bottom line is there’s nothing out there that can compete with this.” 

The gentle shower pelted Charlie’s back as he bent to take her lips, but there was nothing gentle about the tongue that immediately pushed between them.  His hands splayed out until the thumbs were touching her breasts at the same time his crooked pinky fingers made a home at her waist and his index fingers curled around the back of her ribcage. 

Would she ever get tired of the sizzle?  The way he could simultaneously bring her to life and soothe her without effort? 

She had her doubts and, looping her arms around his neck, Charlie disengaged from the kiss just enough to ask, “Does this mean you’re Team Monogamy?”

“Yeah.”  Those widespread hands slithered up to fondle her breasts.  “There will be no t-shirts, rubber bracelets or hashtags to certify my affiliation, though.  Just my word.  That gonna be good enough for you?”

“Yeah,” she sighed with pleasure as he rolled throbbing nipples in his fingers.  “As long as mine’s good enough for you.”

“It’ll do for now.”

The head that had fallen back with pleasure at his touch now lifted to suspiciously peer at him.  “For now?”

“For now.” 

There was no further explanation and his searching kiss kept her from asking for one.  With their mouths so intimately fused, somehow there didn’t seem to be a need to push the issue. 

While sucking at her tongue, he twisted Charlie slightly so that her back was pinned to the white tile by the force of his chest.  One knee shoved between thighs that were always embarrassingly eager to part for him, and her left leg was hiked onto his right hip so that he could grind his hardness into the exposed softness.

She met him with a soft mewl and tunneled fingers through wet silver hair, clutching at his head while the back of hers thumped against the wall.  With nipples digging into his pectorals and her leg hooked around his waist, Jon was consuming her like only he could. 

“I’ve spent a lotta years enjoying sex,” he rumbled when the kisses moved to the underside of her jaw. “There’s never been any better, Chiara.”

He went from stroking shower-slicked skin to stroking desire-slicked skin when invasive fingers delved deep.  Such a high school move, but from him it was the match that lit her fuse and the groan echoing inside the enclosure was scarcely recognizable as her own.

“No pussy that wept for me as good.”  One forceful thumb grated over her clit while his middle finger worked the source of the weeping.  “Nobody that made my dick harder.”

“Ohhhh my God!” 

She had no idea what kind of finger aerobics were now going on down there, but it was turning her bones to jelly.  It was only his left hip pinning her against the cool tile that kept Charlie from sliding down the drain with the water.

“Nobody that I had to fuck or go crazy.”  The words were hotter than the spray against her skin.  “Just you.”

His tongue dipped into the shallow recess of her collar bone as he slowly pumped her.  Kisses and licking became nibbles that worked outward and ended in a sharp bite to the ball of her shoulder before his head lifted.

Jon jockeyed her into the position he wanted and air rushed out of her lungs when she was impaled by something far thicker than his fingers.  Something she craved even when she hadn’t wanted to.   The very thing that connected them before they had enough sense to connect on any other level.

“That’s it, baby,” he bit out when Charlie’s nails desperately scraped from his shoulder blades to waist.  “Make it hurt good.” 

“It is good.”  The gasped admission floated to the ceiling, and she had a feeling that she wouldn’t be far behind.

It was so, so good.  With each thrust of hips and whisper of lips, she traveled a little higher.  Relocating her nails to his ass, she dug them deep, trying to make him a part of her that she couldn’t lose.  Couldn’t forget. 

“Both legs up.”

Pressing her back flat against the wall, she slid only a fraction when lifting that second leg.  The sheer strength of his grasp and chest held her firm and, doing as he requested opened up Charlie to an utterly vulnerable position that he was capable of manipulating to both their pleasure.

“You’re so fucking amazing,” she whimpered into the neck that was wound in her arms.  “The way you fill me…  Touch me…  Perfect… Every time.”

The next push came with his grunt into the wet mass of her hair.  “There’s my girl.  Talk to me, beautiful.”

The shower that started as scalding was now uncomfortably cool and Charlie extended a hand to turn the dial.  The splatter of water on tile went silent to leave only the sound of them.   Breathing,  whimpering, panting, mating...

“I don’t want anybody but you.”  The confession was wrenched out of her in hopes that this ride would soon come to its blissful conclusion.  “Nobody else is enough.  Nobody… Oh!  Ahh!  I don’t…  Oh, please.  Please.  So close…  Take me…”

“I’ll take you anyplace you wanna go, baby,” he crooned while hitting her with short, harsh drives that weren’t meant to satisfy.  They were intended to tease, and tease they did.  She only ached more.    “Just gotta tell me.”

“With you.  I want to… come with you.  Take me with you.”

“Mother… fuuucker.  Hold on.” 

Both hands firmly seized her thighs, strangling Tinkerbell with the fierceness of his grip as Jon picked up the pace.  Charlie was left to cling helplessly as, with harsh breaths in her ear, he took things fast and furious.   Thank God he saw the destination and was finally racing for it.

“That’s it, stud.  Just like that.  Harder.  Again.  Again.  Once more… ohhhhhhhh!  Yes! Yessssss!”

“Fuuuucckkkk!”

The weight of the world leapt from Charlie’s shoulders and all other body parts, leaving her to float freely to the ceiling.  She ran gentle hands through the wetness on his back as he continued with a slow, lazy roll of the hips until they were both spent, breathless and clinging to one another. 

“Chiara.”  The beckon was softly commanding as he drew back his head.  “Look at me.”

Eyes that were heavy with her satisfaction lifted to find that his were far too alert – and somber. 

Pushing sodden hair away from her face, he quietly declared, “I’m not going to duck in back alleys for four years, pretending you’re not mine.  The boys are old enough to understand.  Now's the time to end it.”