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We turned back and walked alongside the Reflecting Pool. Charlie was silent as if she were taking it all in. The place carried a certain weight that caused me to join her in reflection. No quips. No banter. Just the two of us. It wasn’t long before we were met with fifty high-flying American flags that encircled the Washington Monument. Charlie and I craned our necks all the way back, and it still never felt like we’d see the top.
“Did you know it took over a hundred years from the time this monument was proposed until it was finished? That’s generations of Americans who built this,” Charlie said.
“Yeah, that sounds like a typical construction schedule to me.”
She giggled. “Now you know why I’m not a fan of reconstruction. Takes too long.”
“Yeah, but when it’s finished, you might end up with something really spectacular.”
Her eyes glinted in the light as a gust of wind swept between us. I’d restrained myself for long enough. I needed her closer. I wanted to curl my arms around her waist and feel her pressed against my chest. So I swept her into me without a second thought and closed the space between us. Much better.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” I said.
“What’s that?” She tilted her chin.
“Your middle name. Are you related to George Washington?”
“No,” she said. “My mother was just really patriotic.”
Well, that answered that. She bit her lip, gaze tracing my face, then lifted her fingers to brush my jaw. I leaned into her touch as my eyes fell closed, and I wondered if I’d ever felt this good with anyone, ever. The air tasted sweet, and Charlie fit perfectly in my arms, and all I wanted was to call her mine.
“I’m seeing a new side of you, Anderson,” she murmured in the shadow of the monument.
“I’m still me,” I told her, even though it felt like a lie. I was so much more than who I’d been when we met. She made me feel like I could do anything. Be anyone. My palm spread over her lower back, and I lifted my other hand to cup her cheek.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” She smiled, her fingers sliding to my nape where the slightest pressure tilted my head down to hers.
I kissed her, and a key turned in my locked heart. As a gentle breeze fluttered around us, I lost myself in the feel of this woman in my arms. In the soft moan that traveled through her throat and the way her fingers tightened on my scalp. I tasted happiness on her lips and wondered if it was mine.
I would’ve kissed her until the sun went down and came up again, but my phone rang. Charlie pulled away, lids heavy, a soft smile on her mouth. “That’ll be the lighting manufacturer,” she said, in a drowsy kind of voice that made my cock feel heavy and my blood run hot.
Reluctantly, I pulled away and checked the phone. She was right, which meant the bulbs were ready. It was time to go.
She stuck her hands in her back pockets and looked around like she was going to miss the place. I wanted to tell her she could visit anytime. And I hoped she would, even though the thought of only seeing her when she made the trek to the city sent a dart of pain piercing through my chest.
Voice thick, I turned us toward the truck and said, “I guess we better head over before they close.”
Back at the manufacturer warehouse, we loaded the boxes into the truck bed, insulated the extra space with the furniture pads Rex stuck in the back for us, and closed the cover. When we were ready to go, I checked the gas gauge.
“We need to fuel up if we want to make it back tonight. NOVA traffic is no joke. It could take a while.” That was another good thing about New Elwood—their rush hour was nonexistent. Saved me a lot of time, which was nice.
“Or, we could grab something to eat and wait for it to clear up. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Charlie gave me that sparkly-eyed grin I loved, and I knew I’d say yes to anything she proposed.
“I know just the place.”
I drove us across the bridge to Freedom Tavern, a historic building-turned-restaurant near my apartment. Inside, we inhaled the smell of fresh pasta and savory meats. Sitting in a corner booth, I slid in next to her and rested my arm around the backrest. Charlie scooted in close to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. She looked up at the haphazardly placed photographs of dead guys on the wall behind us. “You really know how to show a history buff a good time.”
“What can I say? I know what you like,” I whispered in her ear.
She turned to face me, our noses nestled together. “Yes, you do, Mr. Anderson.”
“You seem much more relaxed here. It’s too bad our little DC adventure’s almost over.”
The look she gave me made all the blood in my body rush south. It was dark and hot, and I knew she wasn’t thinking about any history except the one we shared. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be. There is one tour I haven’t been on yet.”
It was hard to keep up when she was looking at me like that. I blinked. “What’s that?”
“Your fancy high rise. I want to see where you call home.”
