C&A Novella (Marked Heart #2.5) Read online

  Proud of the way his surprise for her turned out, Auggie took a minute to make sure the queen size bed with a high square frame and sheer fabric netting draped over the top was perfect.

  Back at Charlotte's side, he took her hand, saying, "Okay."

  Watching her reaction carefully as she opened her eyes, he felt her smile in his heart as the glow from the lantern lit up her expression.

  Appearing as though she had something to say but couldn't get the words out, she stood there staring at the bed.

  "I'll take it down and bring it home tomorrow." He shared before suggesting, "I thought we could stay the night out here."

  "This is ours?" She breathed with tears in her eyes.

  Nodding at her, he took her face in his hands.

  Auggie placed a long slow kiss against her lips before leaning his forehead to hers offering, "We can try it out right now."

  "Help me with my dress." She urged as her face went flush.

  Hating to pull away, even for a second, Auggie let go and stepped to the end of their bed.

  All along he had planned on leaving it up to her, but at the same time, Auggie knew Charlotte wouldn't want to wait any longer than he did.

  Picking up one of four hangers off of the chair he bought, that would also come home with them, he hung it from a partition he used to block the only window in the barn.

  "I figured you would want us to look presentable for pictures at the reception," he informed, letting her know he had taken the time to think of everything.

  There was a slight laugh to her tone as she replied, "You first."

  Smiling at her he complied with her request.

  Standing behind her in his boxers, Auggie ran his fingers across the white ink peacock feather tattooed across her shoulder blade. Slowly unzipping the back of her white satin wedding dress was torture as he forced himself to be thoughtful and take his time. When Charlotte held her arms high in the air, he gathered her dress in his hands and gently pulled it over her head.

  Turning back to her once he had hung her dress next to his jacket, he wasn't sure if he was going to make it. Charlotte's skin, a pair of white satin panties and sparkly blue high heels almost pushed him right over the edge. Auggie gritted his teeth as his entire body flexed at the beautiful sight before him.

  Charlotte slowly turned to face him. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she had a mischievous look in her eyes.

  Glancing down between them, she uttered, "Two feet."

  Moving his hands to her hips, he reminded, "And a quarter."

  "That quarter's important." She laughed, as he nodded, saying, "Damn right."

  Leaning in, he eagerly kissed her.

  As Auggie held Charlotte against himself, the need to christen her under her new title provoked him to break their kiss.

  Seeing her eyes flutter open as she sighed, he placed his hand against her cheek, vowing, "I, Augustus Carrick Caffrey, promise you, Charlotte Persephone Caffrey, the love I have for you will never fade. My desire for you will only grow. And the life we share together will make every day worth living, because..."

  Charlotte placed her fingers against his lips preventing him from finishing his declaration. Scowling as she took a step back from him, he concentrated on the loving expression on her face, instead of wondering why she stopped him.

  Charlotte brought her finger's that were against his mouth to her lips and kissed them. He watched intently as she drug them down her chin to her chest. His heart was racing as her fingers traveled down between her breasts, across her stomach and stopped when they reached the inside of her hip.

  Auggie glanced at her face just long enough to see her pull her lips into her mouth as she took a deep breath. Returning his focus to her fingers, resting against the inside of her hip, he watched her run a finger inside the band of her silk panties as she tugged one side of them down.

  In an instant everything stopped. His heart, his breath, his being, everything escaped him as he went down on his knees in front of her. With a deep scowl Auggie clenched his back teeth together, almost unable to carry the weight of emotion inside him. Reaching his hand out, he wrapped it around her hip. As he brushed his thumb over the tiny letter A that was marked on the inside of her hip, Auggie gazed up at her. Kneeling in front of her, Auggie kept his eyes focused on Charlotte’s as he placed a soft kiss against the inside of her hip. Slowly, he stood, taking her in his arms, swearing, “Because… You own me.”

  25

  Hours later, the afterglow of making love to her husband was far from wearing away. Swaying back and forth in Auggie's arms, while the wedding DJ played 'Fooled Around And Fell In Love' by Elvin Bishop, Charlotte reflected back on their moment.

  In the midst of the slow steady rhythm, that satisfied her every desire, she could feel Auggie handing himself over to her. With each stroke, they grew closer. As his movements intensified, so did her feeling of ownership. When the moment came, Charlotte was more than complete, she was whole.

  Brushing her lips against his, she wished the night was over and it was just the two of them.

  "I love you."

  Tightening his hold on her, he repeated, "I love you."

  "Would it be wrong for us to sneak out of here?"

  With a slight laugh, he replied, "After this song."

  Smiling, she teased, "Because this is your theme song?"

  "Our theme song." He clarified with a wink before asking, "You sure you're alright staying in the barn tonight?"

  Curling the corner of her mouth into a smile, Charlotte replied, "Only if I get to wear the rubber boots."

  Auggie appeared confused at first, then quickly took her by the hand and led her off of the wooden dance floor.

  Making their way through the wedding guests, with polite nods and smiles, Charlotte noticed Braden standing by himself outside one of the party tents.

  Tugging on Auggie's hand, she suggested, "We should see if he's okay."

  Nodding, he agreed as they made their way over to him.

  The closer they got the more it became clear that Braden was not okay.

  "Hey, Braden." Charlotte greeted, causing him to look over at her and Auggie.

  "Hey, Charlotte." He replied with a wide smile while reaching out to shake Auggie's hand.

  Shaking his hand, Auggie asked, "Ya alright man?"

  "Always." He assured, patting his brother on the back before turning and walking away.

  As they continued to the truck, Charlotte glanced at Auggie and saw him shaking his head with a deep scowl.

  By the time they made it to his truck, Charlotte couldn't keep quiet.

  "He's not okay."

  Opening the passenger door for her, Auggie scowled, saying, "I know."

  "Do you need to talk to him?"

  Shaking his head, he admitted, "I'm thinkin' I should listen instead."

  "It's alright if you want to talk to him now."

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed her before saying, "It can wait."

  "You sure?"

  Pulling her closer, Auggie shared, "Right now, there's a pair of rubber boots callin' me, and they've got your name on 'em, Mrs. Caffrey."

  "Is that so, Mr. Caffrey?" She questioned with a laugh.

  "Ya damn right." He confirmed, tossing her into the passenger seat of his truck.

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  Always, Family First! I have the best one in the world!

  Thank you to my readers! Without y'all my characters would never see the light of day.

  All the INDIE blogger/reviewer/supporters out there, I appreciate everything that you do to keep writers writing.

  Lucii my love ♥ this one would not have happened without you!

  A very special 'thank you' to my beta readers Susanne Lancello, Nicole Griffin, Kasey Fitzgerald, Katelynn Luna, Paula Genereau. I am honored to have each of you in my corner, loving my characters.

  To my Street Team, who spend countless hours, supporting a
nd promoting so I can write, YOU LADIES ARE MY HEART!

  Playlist

  Music has a way of inspiring the smallest ideas. It allows me to create an entire scene or chapter from just the right song. For me, music is one of the most important creative tools there is.

  There were only two songs I listened to while working on C&A. 'Crazy Love' by Brian McKnight and 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love' by Elvin Bishop.

  About the Author

  M. Sembera was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and now lives in Brazoria, Texas with her husband, three kids, three dogs and two cats. After writing her first short story when she was in high school, M. instantly fell in love with writing. However, life sometimes gets in the way of aspirations and it wasn't until years later, when her life calmed down, M. was able to start writing again.

  'For me, each new book I write or character I create feels like the first time and I find myself falling in love with writing all over again'

  Past works include Enduring Everything, Charlotte, One Penny, and 'The Rennillia Series'.

  www.BrokenBirdMedia.com

  Work in Progress

  Marked Heart

  Fall 2015