Stripped Part III & IV

Ethan knocked on the front door, trying to ignore the tingling in his belly.

C’mon, Gray. You’ve faced Sly Stone with better nerves! It’s just dinner!

Regardless of the pep talk, Ethan found himself more nervous than he ever remembered being. The heavy wooden door slowly opened and Ethan forgot to be nervous. He forgot how to breathe. Charlie stood there, smiling at him.

“Hello,” she said in a low voice, opening the door farther to invite him in.

“Hi,” Ethan replied stepping inside.

Charlie closed the door, and prayed one more silent prayer that she wasn’t about to make the biggest fool out of herself. She led the way into the living room, and told Ethan to make himself comfortable. “Dinner is almost ready. Can I get you anything before we eat?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine, but let me help you with dinner.” Ethan found he couldn’t sit, not if Charlie was in another room. He wanted to be near her, watching her move, smelling her soft scent, listening to her.

“There’s not much left to do, but you can keep me company, if you’d like,” offered Charlie.
“I’d like that very much.” Ethan was seriously wondering if, along with the ability to breath, he had forgotten how to hold an intelligent conversation.

Small talk filled the kitchen as Charlie finished preparing the meal. Finally they were seated at the dining table and began eating. Charlie wasn’t aware of anything she put in her mouth as she listened to Ethan talk. She could spend hours listening to his voice. It was so soothing, so warm.
He was telling her of his next project, something she could tell he was really excited about.

“It’s less...what did you call them? Oh, yeah. Less of a ‘guy movie’ and more of a thinking movie,” Ethan teased Charlie. “More of a spy movie, rather than a fighting movie.”

Charlie wrinkled her nose and then grinned. “You make it sound like I said ‘guy movies’ are bad. I just said they weren’t usually the kind of movies I watch.”

Ethan laughed, sending waves of heat crashing through Charlie’s body. She had given up all pretense of eating, content to concentrate on Ethan.

“I’m just giving you a hard time, Charlie. I know what you meant.” Ethan leaned closer to Charlie over the table. “If I tell you a secret, you promise you won’t tell anyone?”

He looked so handsome at that moment, Charlie thought she would’ve promised him anything. She leaned closer and nodded.

“ I don’t like ‘guy movies’ that much either,” Ethan whispered, and watched Charlie’s face for her reaction. He wasn’t disappointed. She sat back, her eyes wide in surprise, then laughed. The fire that had been burning low in his blood now flared up wildly.

“I promise, I wont tell a soul,” Charlie said when she could finally speak again.
“What kind of movie do you like?”

“The kind of movie I’m getting ready to do. The kind where you actually have to pay attention to everything, and then you are still left guessing until the very end. More brains than brawn, I guess,” came the grinning reply. “I’m only a secondary character in this one, but it’s still a great role.”


Charlie rose from the table and began clearing it. Ethan jumped up to help her.

“Ethan, you really don’t have to help me,” Charlie protested.

“I don’t mind. I’d feel like a total bum if I just sat there while you did this,” Ethan returned. He was still looking for any excuse to be as close to Charlie as possible. The chore was quickly finished and Charlie led Ethan out onto the deck. It was the time of night when the sun had set, but the land still held the light, giving everything a soft glow. As Ethan sat next to Charlie on a wicker settee, he saw that she had the same glow about her. He wanted so badly to touch her, to run his fingers through her thick black hair, to kiss her. It was pure madness, sitting this close to her, just looking at her.

“This has always been my favorite time of the day,” Charlie said, looking out at the sea. “The land is so ...soft. Twilight...doesn’t it just sound right? A beautiful word for a beautiful time.” She was babbling, and she knew it. She was having a hard time thinking, breathing with Ethan this close to her. She rose form the settee, wandering over to the railing, trying to give her mind time to function properly.

Don’t be silly, Charlie. Just say something to him. Let him know how you feel.

Her nerves were too jangled up, however, and she didn’t know where to go from here.

The choice was made for her when Ethan walked up beside her and said, “Very beautiful.” There was something in his voice that made Charlie turn and look at him. He was so close to her, she imagined she could feel the lightning sparking between them. “Very beautiful,” he whispered. One of his hands came up slowly to caress her face, the other lay lightly on her shoulder. His burning gaze dropped to her mouth. “Charlie...”

His lips covered hers, and Charlie felt the world drop away. There was nothing but her and Ethan, and a fiery heat surrounding them. Leaning into Ethan’s kiss, Charlie clung to his shoulders to keep from falling. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing heavily.
“Ethan....don’t stop,” Charlie pleaded softly, threading her finger through his hair and pulling him back to her. Ethan more than willingly obliged.


He pulled Charlie close into his body, trying to surround her, absorb her. He felt her hands in his hair, on his face, on his back, it was pure heaven when she touched him. Never had he felt such intensity in a kiss. He wanted it to go on forever.

Charlie was the first to break the kiss, but she held on to him. “What have you done to me?” she asked in a low voice.

“My God, Charlie. What have you done to me?” Ethan replied, resting his forehead against the top of her head. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long now.”

Charlie gave a shaky laugh. “Why did you wait so long?”

Ethan chuckled. “I was so worried of scaring you off. I wasn’t sure how you felt about me.”

“Oh, Ethan. You couldn’t tell?” Charlie looked into his eyes, her own sparkling, even in the dark. In reply, Ethan leaned down to kiss her again, a gentle kiss this time.

“I can tell now, and that’s all that matters.”

He only meant to give her a quick kiss, then he would step back to give them both some breathing room, but his mouth had other plans. Once he touched Charlie’s lips, he couldn’t stop. He turned their bodies around and backed her up to the outside wall. Trapped between the wall and Ethan’s body, Charlie could only feel the heat from Ethan’s kiss. His lips trailed across her cheek, down to her neck, which Charlie arched to give him full access. Streams of fire trailed in the wake of the kisses, and when Ethan reached the sensitive area where her neck and shoulder met, Charlie thought she might faint from the exquisite intensity. A soft moan escaped her.


In a haze of his own pleasure, Ethan heard the soft sound from Charlie. He pulled back from her soft body, only far enough to let her escape if she wanted. When Charlie didn’t move, except to brace her hands against his chest, Ethan moved in closer, and whispered in her ear,
"Charlie, love, we’ve got to stop.”

Charlie responded by laying her head against his chest and nodding. She felt as if she were about to go up in flame, reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes. Ethan hugged Charlie to him one more time, trying to convince his arms to let her go, and walk down the beach to his home before he did something he might regret later. With a supreme effort, he stepped back, and looked into Charlie’s face.

“You have enchanted me, Charlie. You make me burn with a look, and you fan the flames with your touch. This is just the beginning for us. I will bring you into my fire, and together we will burn.”

Ethan then kissed her almost roughly, before turning and walking down the steps to the beach and to his home.


Charlie stood there, stunned. Ethan’s parting words shocked her, making her heart feel as if it would burst out of her chest. Oh, sweet Lord, she thought, watching Ethan disappear into the darkness. When she could finally move, her trembling legs carried her to the settee she had sat on earlier. Sinking down, looking in the direction Ethan had taken, Charlie wondered what had happened to her. Never, never, had she felt such emotions hammering at her. She could still feel ripples of pleasure wave across her skin, like residual lightning after a thunderstorm.

“Ethan,” she whispered into the night.

She lay her head on the back of the settee, letting the breeze cool her skin. She had her answer on how Ethan felt about her. She was still terrified, perhaps even more so now, of the feelings she had for him.

Please, don’t take this away from me, she begged to whomever was listening.
I can’t take being alone again.

The only answer she received was the sound of the ocean tide, gently roaring at her.









Ethan walked down the beach, trying to cool his blood. Short of stripping and jumping into the waves, and probably shocking his neighbors in the process, he could think of nothing to calm himself down. Everything reminded him of the woman he had just left. The dark night sky, her silky hair, the pale sand, her fair skin. He even imagined the breeze carried his soft scent, swirling it around him, taunting him.

What the hell am I doing? I just left the most beautiful woman sitting alone, while I walk home, home to a empty house.

Yeah, what the hell are you doing? The voice in his head sounded suspiciously like Henry. Ethan had to smile. He was glad that Henry couldn’t see him now, so twisted into knots that Ethan didn’t know which way to turn. With a sweet smile, and a laugh that had ignited his soul, Charlie Maxwell had captured Ethan. There was no turning back now. Enchanted was the word he had used earlier, and enchanted he was. It was a feeling he wanted to keep for the rest of his life.
He was almost at his house when Ethan thought of what he should tell Henry about this night.

God, if I tell him I used the word enchanted, he’ll never let me live it down!



That night the nightmare came back, more intense than it had been in a long time. As Charlie twisted within the covers, faceless voices assaulted her sleep.

...Charlotte, where are you?...Momma, I can’t find you! Where are you? ...
...Charlie?
...Drew! Please help me! Don’t leave me!

A new voice invaded her head.

...Charlie, love...
...Ethan, don’t leave me, don’t leave me!

All three voices flowed together, in an endless chorus.

...Charlotte...Charlie...Charlie, love...
...she couldn’t see them, she couldn’t find them...she screamed for them, but all she heard were the voices, echoing in her mind...

...Charlotte...Charlie...Charlie, love...


A low, broken cry woke Charlie up. She realized the sound had come from her. She buried her face into her pillow, wanting to cry, to scream, but nothing came. She hadn’t cried since the day they told her of her family’s death. Sometimes she wished she could cry so hard her tears would drown her, taking her away from this living hell.

Turning on the lamp beside her, she stumbled out of bed and made her way into the kitchen, then out onto the deck. How could she have been in the same spot, awash in burning emotions, just a few short hours ago, and now she was praying for death?
She had to let Ethan go. Charlie couldn’t face the devastating pain she knew would come for her if he stayed in her life. But how would she find the strength to walk away from the man who consumed her? She closed her eyes to shut out the images of leaving him.

“Ethan...,” she breathed his name.

And suddenly he was there, as if she had conjured him out of the air. Her eyes flew open. He swept her into his arms before she could protest, if she had wanted to protest. His lips covered hers fiercely, as his fingers tangled in her hair. She held on to him, returning his kisses with her own ferocity.

Please don’t take him, she repeated the plea from earlier that evening. Please, please, please...
“...please...” Charlie hadn’t realized she had spoken out loud. “Please...”
Ethan dragged his lips from hers to stare into her passion filled face. The absence of Ethan’s mouth on hers made Charlie open her eyes. The desire in his eyes made her tremble, but there was also a question on his handsome face. Without any words she answered him. She pulled his head back to hers and kissed him passionately. She fiercely wanted him, despite her fears.

A deep growl rumbled from Ethan, his hands touching Charlie wherever he could. Her soft hair, her bare arms, her back under the thin tank top. He had to have more, he had to have it all. Swinging her up in his arms, he walked inside, still kissing her. Her hands were tangling in his hair, unbuttoning his shirt to sear his chest. Everywhere her hands moved he felt his skin burning. He made his way to her room, gently laying her down, his body following to covers hers. Clothing ended up on the floor. Nothing but heated flesh tangled upon the sheets. Mouths and hands explored, touching, tasting, holding.

They were indeed burning together, as Ethan had sworn.

“Charlie, look at me.” Ethan’s voice was thick with restrained passion.

Charlie’s grey eyes slowly opened to stare into Ethan’s brown ones. No more words came between them. Time stopped moving as they chased each other to the heavens. Charlie felt the heavens explode around her, leaving nothing but Ethan to hold on to. Her eyes drifted shut as she held Ethan’s body close to hers.

Ethan, what have I done to us?



The sun was pouring through the windows of Charlie’s bedroom when Ethan awoke. He was curled around Charlie’s body, holding her even in his sleep. She was even more beautiful this morning than she had been last night. Her dark hair partially hid her face, inviting Ethan to sweep the hair away and kiss the soft skin hiding there. Desire once again flared up as he gave into the invitation, kissing Charlie’s cheek, sliding down to her jaw, and finally her pale shoulder, just peeking out of the covers. Ethan felt her stir and raised his head to see those eyes staring straight into his soul. He smiled and leaned in to kiss Charlie.

“Hi”
“Hello,” came Charlie husky reply. She rolled over to face Ethan, and time ceased it’s movement once more.

Finally, Ethan rose from the bed and began looking for his clothes. He studiously avoided glancing back at Charlie, knowing that if he saw her before he was fully dressed, he was never going to leave her bed. Even after he was fully dressed was debatable, he thought with a small grin. When he had all his clothes on, he turned to see Charlie’s eyes had closed. He moved quietly next to the bed and leaned down to kiss her goodbye. She turned her head, proving she wasn’t asleep, and gently returned the kiss.

“Charlie love, I’ve got some things to take care of. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Promise me that you’ll be here.”

Charlie laughed, a low, sultry sound that almost made Ethan change his mind about leaving, even for a short while.

“Right here? Just like this?” Charlie was playing with fire, teasing Ethan like this, but she didn’t care. Her pleasure was becoming tainted with the fear that started creeping back in. She felt reckless, daring the dreaded emotion to take her.

Ethan’s eyes flared with desire, a desire he put an iron clamp on. Leaning down again, he kissed the sensitive spot between Charlie’s neck and shoulder, sending shivers through her body.

“Right here, just like this, Charlie love.” He stood up, almost at the edge of his desire. “You are going to be the death of me, Charlie Maxwell, if you keep this up.” He swooped down for one more quick kiss, not noticing how Charlie’s body had stiffened, and her eyes went wide with shock. Ethan than almost ran out of the room before he forgot his good intentions.

Laying on her back, Charlie stared up at the ceiling, her hands clutching the sheets.

You’re going to be the death of me, Charlie Maxwell, Ethan had said.
The death of me.

The fear was now in total control of Charlie. She had dared to let someone into her life, and she was already paying the price: fear, guilt,loss.

Would this life ever end for her?




Not knowing when Ethan would come back, Charlie hurried to clean up. She showered, then dressed in the rattiest clothes she could find. Telling the man she craved to leave her life didn’t merit anything more than holey jeans and a t-shirt. She didn’t even bother looking for shoes; she preferred to be barefoot most of the time anyway. No make up and her hair pulled back in a unglamourous ponytail, Charlie looked like she was ready to clean house.

Maybe that what I’m doing, she thought. Cleaning house, putting things where the belong, or in this case, getting rid of things that don’t belong to me

When Ethan returned, Charlie would be as ready as she would ever be to tell him to leave her alone. She couldn’t tell him why, she doubted he would believe her. Hell, some days she didn’t believe it herself. She sat in her house, surrounded by silence, desperately waiting and dreading Ethan’s arrival. The sun was starting it’s descent, dragging storm clouds with it.

Perfect., Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to be hit by lightning after this is over, That would take care of everything, wouldn’t it?



She heard Ethan before she saw him. His sure footsteps bounding up the deck steps, and then the french doors opening. She stood up as he walked towards her. He looked so handsome, his hair windswept, that grin, his sparkling eyes. Charlie’s resolve almost crumbled right then, and she quickly turned her head, dragging her spirit for the last bit of courage she needed.

Ethan’s strong arms came around her, holding her close, and he planted a kiss on the crown of her head.

“Well, you aren’t waiting exactly where I left you, but I guess this will be alright, too,” Ethan said, still grinning.

Charlie remained silent as she felt her heart begin to crack. God, this was going to be harder than she thought! Pulling back to look at her, Ethan saw the look on Charlie’s face.

“Charlie, I was only kidding. I’m glad you’re here, right here. I took care of what needed to be done, but I’ve got something to tell you.”

Charlie looked into his eyes. Perhaps Fate was going to make this easy for her, just this once, and Ethan would tell her that it had all been a mistake. He was just passing the time with a warm and willing body, thanks, and I’ll see you later. Even something as callous as that would be better than what Charlie had to do. She choked down a hysterical laugh. Imagine looking forward to being dumped! She was on the edge, just waiting to fall.

“My manager called me, and he told me that my next project is on hold, indefinitely. Remember I told you that I was a secondary character in this role?” Ethan continued when Charlie nodded. “ Well, the lead has had some...dispute over money and his contract. Until they get this settled, everything’s on hold.” He gave a grin and a shrug. “Promise to shoot me if I ever become that pompous!”

Tearing herself out of Ethan’s arms, Charlie’s heart cracked a little more. She had do to this. An icy calm flowed through her, leaving no room for any other emotion. She moved, zombie-like to the doors Ethan had just come in, and stared out at the grey sea.

“Ethan, you could never be that pompous. You are all that is good, and charming, and so handsome that you steal my breath. But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t see you anymore. It won’t work between us.” Charlie’s voice had been steady, but it almost broke on the last word.

With her back turned, she missed the look of shock that came over Ethan’s face. He felt as if someone had slammed him into a building.

“Charlie? What happened? Why...why?”

“Ethan, I can’t explain it,” Charlie sighed. “Just believe me that it would be a much better life for you without me in it.”

Ethan stared at the figure by the door. She looked so lost, looking out, her arms wrapped around her middle. All he wanted to do was go to Charlie and hold her in his arms until she was the warm loving woman he remembered. What had happened in the time he had left her alone?

“Charlie love, I’m not leaving until you give me a better explanation.” He slowly walked over to her, close, but not touching. “I can’t imagine how my life would be better without you in it.”

He watched her eyes slowly close. Was she shutting him out as effectively as she shut out the view? Not if he had anything to say about it!

“Tell me Charlie. Don’t you feel what happens when we’re close to each other? The heat, calling to you. Even now, I feel you pulling me closer to that flame. I told you this was just the begining for us, that together we would burn. A life without you is cold, Charlie. I don’t want anything but the heat that you give me.”

“Ethan, stop. You’re making this hard for me. Can’t you just accept what I said and leave?”

“Hell, no! I want to make this harder for you! If this is hard, that must mean you feel something, anything. But you won’t tell me why you are denying me, and yourself. Tell me, Charlie, tell me why you are running.”

He was too close to her, and she could feel the walls pressing in on her. She flung the doors open and walked out in to the evening. He followed, determined to know why Charlie was pushing him out of her life. She had become the center of his world so quickly; he would not let her go without a fight.



She hated him at that moment. Ethan had stripped every defense, every protective layer away from her raw guilt, leaving her too open. She stood on the deck, her arms wrapped around her middle, staring out into the dark. The breeze off the ocean was becoming stronger. There would be rain before morning. Charlie wished the wind would pick her up and toss her somewhere else, like Dorothy and Toto. She could hear the wind, the growling surf; her hair blew wildly around her, and she could feel the dampness from the sea covering her like a blanket. All her senses were screamingly alive, but she paid no attention to them. She began speaking in a voice harsh with self-loathing.

“Things happen to me that are unexplainable. When I was a girl, my best friend had a dog. I wanted a dog, but Momma was allergic to them, so all I got was a room full of posters with dogs. I began to hate my friend for having that dog. I wished she had a room of slick paper, and not that furry beast. Two days later, the dog was hit by a car and died. All she had left were the pictures of her beloved animal.”

Ethan felt a moment of sorrow for the little girl and her dead pet, but couldn’t see what that had to do with Charlie.

Still staring out, Charlie continued. “When I was in high school, I was on the swim team. I was good enough to be the captain, but another girl was better. I knew this, but I still wanted to be the one. Deep down, I wished she would break a leg or something, and I could be captain. Very childish, I know, but there it is .A few weeks later, she was climbing out her window to sneak off with her boyfriend and she fell and broke her arm. I was made captain, and she was sent away to boarding school. I started to wonder about things. My entire life, incidents like this kept happening. Not enough to really spook me, but just enough to make me cautious.”

“Charlie, just making a wish doesn’t mean that you made those things happen. People make comments like that all the time. Hell, there have been many times I wished my best friend at the bottom of the ocean, but he keeps coming back. It has been nothing more than a bad coincidence.”

Charlie was silent for so long Ethan wondered if she was still paying any attention to him.
She moved then, shaking her hair out of her eyes, and looked at him over her shoulder.

“I sent my father away, and I killed my mother and brother.”

Ethan sat there in shock. “What do you mean?” Henry had told him that Charlie was alone, but that was because his father abandoned the family, and her mother and brother were killed in an accident.Turning back to the dark night, Charlie words became softer.

“My last words to my father were screamed at him. ‘Go away! Leave me alone!’. I haven’t seen my father in ten years. I have no idea where he is. He left us the day after our fight.”

Ethan began to see what was eating Charlie’s soul. “And your mother and brother?”

“Drew was a developer, very successful. He had lots of wealthy friends and he and my mother were forever trying to set me up with one of them. After my father left, I couldn’t stand the idea of having a man in my life, someone I would love, only to have him just walk out. Again, very childish. I know not every man would do that, but I seem to have a strange track record, and I didn’t want to set myself up to be knocked down deliberately. Momma and Drew were going out to another diner, and tried to convince me to come along. I explained myself again to Momma, but she just called me stubborn. I wanted them out of my personal life. It was mine, they needed to get out and stay out. And they did. Forever.”

Ethan got up from his chair and went to stand next to Charlie. He could feel the anguish, the guilt radiating from her. Wanting to put his arms around her, but not sure if she would accept any comfort right now, he stood quietly, letting her feel his closeness.

“I killed the man who killed them, too. Why should he have lived, and not Momma and Drew? He didn’t even have a scratch on him, and my family was torn to shreds. I wanted my family back, I wanted him gone, his family to feel what I felt. And I made it happen. He committed suicide two days before the trial for his life was to begin. The note he left behind said he couldn’t live anymore, knowing he had taken two precious lives because of too many Buds. He hated himself, but not as much as I hated him. He died because of that. I killed him.”

Ethan stared at Charlie’s profile, letting her memories beat at her. Had she truly lived with this burden of imagined guilt for so long?
A streak of lighting touched the water many miles away, but Charlie’s grey eyes didn’t see it. She was in Charleston, so far away. The silence between the couple grew longer.

A very low rumble of thunder, almost imagined, rolled across the sky. Charlie turned her head towards Ethan. Her face was half lit by the outdoor lights, making strange shadows on the other half. Ethan had never seen a face so full of emotion.

“Do you know I begged God to take me? I wanted to die, to stop this nightmare I have been living. But He seems to have a cruel sense of humor, don’t you think? Everything that I love is gone, and here I am, just waiting for someone to come into my life, so I can destroy them.”

Ethan could stand it no longer and pulled the stiff figure into his arms. Charlie resisted at first, trying to break his hold, but he just pulled her closer. She stood in his arms unresponsive.
Ethan knew she was on the breaking point: her body was rigid from her internal torture.

“Charlie, you are not responsible for anybody dying, or for your father leaving, or anything like that. I promise you, “ Ethan said, resting his chin on Charlie’s head. Her arms were still wrapped around her middle but her head was now leaning against Ethan’s chest.

“I promise,” he whispered.

“You can’t promise me anything, Ethan. I don’t want your promise.” Charlie pushed against him, trying to put space between them. He let her go only as far as his arms could stretch and still be around her.

“You don’t know what it is like to know you are the reason you have no family now.”

Her grey eyes were snapping, but at least they were showing some emotion. The cold detachment that had held Charlie was being replaced by anger.

“You have a family, friends. I have no one, and I made that choice. I can’t cause any damage if I am alone. I already told you even God has left me.” She realized she was still standing in his arms, and pushed away with surprising strength.

“Leave, Ethan, before something happens, “ she ordered him, then turned again to the ocean.

Ethan looked at Charlie and felt his heart squeeze. She truly believed she caused those terrible things to happen. Now she was in a self-imposed exile, and trying to stop him, anyone, from rescuing her.

“Charlie, you are not responsible. And I am not leaving you. Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise,” he said fiercely, willing her to turn around and see the sincerity in him.

“I told you, I don’t want your promise. You can’t keep it.”

“Charlie, I promise.”

“Stop saying that!” She spun around to glare at him. “You can’t keep it!”

“I promise.” He moved in front of her, toe to toe. He would not leave her to face these demons alone.

Charlie felt a panic coming on. Ethan wouldn’t leave. She had to get him away. If she was the cause of anything happening to him, she wouldn’t wait for God. She would kill herself.

“Leave! Just leave Ethan! No more words, no more-” Her shouting was halted by his soft words.

“I promise.”

Charlie wanted to believe him so badly it hut. Every time someone got close to her, she regretted it. She had actually been content, if not happy, with her solitary life, until she met Ethan. He made her feel again, every emotion. Could she believe him? Could she put her self at such risk again?

“I promise”

He reached out and almost roughly pulled her against him. She hesitated only for a second before she threw her arms around him and held on for dear life. Ethan felt relief rushing through him. Charlie still believed she was guilty, but she wouldn’t push him away. He held her with one strong arm, while the other hand came up to stroke her face. It was then he felt her tears scalding his fingers. No noise came from her as her grief and guilt became too much. Ethan pulled Charlie’s head firmly to his chest and let her cry.

“I promise,” he whispered softly into her hair. Whether she heard him or not, he did not know.
The couple stood there, locked together in the dark as time sped by, unnoticed. Charlie still had tears coursing down her face, and she started to tremble from the onslaught of emotions attacking her. Ethan swung her up into his arms and carried her into the house, making his way to her bedroom.

Carefully he lay her on the bed, and watched her turn away, curling up into a fetal position. His heart was breaking watching her. Turning the bedside lamp off, he moved to pull the draperies closed when Charlie broke the silence.

“Don’t leave me.” She never moved from her protective position, as if she were scared to watch him actually leave .Moving to the other side of the bed, he could barely make out her features in the dark room. Ethan lay down beside her and pulled her close to him.

“I’m not going anywhere Charlie. I promised, and I always keep my promises.”

Charlie still didn’t say anything, but she moved as close to him as she could without crawling under his skin. Ethan soon felt his shirt grow damp from her tears. It was unnerving as hell that she was so silent. He just held her, rubbing her back slowly. He wanted to take all of the hurt, all the guilt, real or imagined, all the sadness from Charlie. He just didn’t know how to do that right now, but he would not, could not, leave her. Ethan would not be the reason Charlie finally broke. He would do whatever it took to make Charlie laugh again.

Charlie’s body jerked in his arms. Ethan hoped it was that strange sensation one gets when falling asleep, but when a whimper escaped from Charlie, he knew she was having a nightmare.

          ...Momma!
...So stubborn, Charlotte...always alone...
...I’ve got you and Drew...
...always alone Charlotte...always alone...
...Drew?...
...I miss you Charlie...
...Drew?...Where are you?...
...Charlie...
...Drew!...
...Charlie!

Charlie’s eyes flew open. She saw nothing but shadows above her, shadows that moved closer. She hoped they would swallow her and take her away from the continuous nightmare. God, or someone, had finally listened. She was leaving this world. She would be in the shadows in the afterlife as she had living in the past year. She just didn’t care anymore. The shadows drew even closer, and called her name.

“Charlie!”

Wait...shouldn’t the shadows of death have voices like black velvet? This one sounded worried, concerned. It was the voice that shook Charlie from her spell-like state.

“Charlie, wake up, love. I’ve got you, everything’s all right.”

Th darkness fled when the bedside lamp flared on. Charlie flung an arm over her sensitive eyes.

“Damn! I’m sorry. I’ll cut it off,” the concerned voice said.

“Please,” croaked Charlie. The light clicked off, and she lowered her arm. The dream, the shadows all retreated as Charlie remembered why she was in bed and who was in bed with her. She reached out for Ethan, her hand connecting with his arm. He was so solid, so comforting, laying there so close to her. Except for last night, no one had been this close to her in a year. It felt so good.

“Ethan,” she breathed.

“I’m here, Charlie,” Ethan replied, unerringly finding her face with his hand. He stroked the soft skin of her cheek with his thumb, content in the silence. He didn’t know what it was about Charlie that kept pulling at his soul. At this point, he didn’t care. He just knew it was right with Charlie in his arms. He felt calm, complete.
He was in love with this woman.

“I’m so scared, Ethan,” Charlie’s voice was so soft.“I don’t know what to do.”

“Let me in, Charlie, let me in to help you,” Ethan said in a low voice. “I promise I won’t ever leave you. I love you, Charlie, I have loved you from the first night I heard you.”

Charlie raised her eyes to his, and even in the darkness, he could tell her expression was puzzled.

“I was walking on the beach in the middle of the night, and as I came close to your house, I heard a sound that touched me. It was your laugh, Charlie. It reached out and surrounded me. I had to know who it belonged to. I met you the next night. I was already half in love with you then I think.” He placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. Love. Ethan Gray was in love! He was deeply in love with Charlie Maxwell.

“I belong with you, love. I can’t let you go.”

Charlie held Ethan’s words close to her. He loved her! For this man’s love, she was willing to face her fears head on. She truly believed him when he promised he would never leave her.
Her fingers came up to gently trace his strong jaw.

“I don’t want you to let me go,” she admitted shyly. “I’ve been so scared, and it feels so good to have your arms around me. It feels right.” She felt his arms tighten around her as she said that. “I can’t let go of the fear just like that, though. It’s been my other half for a long time.”

“I know love. I wish I had the magic words to make it disappear. All I can offer is my heart, and my love. I will do whatever to help you. I love you, Charlie Maxwell. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Ethan. God, I love you. Don’t ever leave me.” Silence reigned as lips met in a frantic coupling. The familiar heat was there, burning them both from the inside out.

A whisper drifted from the bed, echoing until the room was filled with the two heart-felt words:

         ...I promise...





The End