Loving David Read Online Free PDF Page B

sweat pants and a worn black tee-shirt. Looking at his chiseled features in the dim light was almost too much for Charlotte. She could barely watch him without imagining what it would be like to be swept up inside those sculpted arms, bulging now against his shirt. To press up against his massive chest and to get lost in those captivating green eyes. For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Charlotte had to stop herself. Thirty she kept saying over and over in her mind. She didn’t remember thirty-year-old men looking like him when she was that age. She swirled her wine in her glass and then realized how quiet it was. She looked up and caught him staring at her and blushed.
    “What?” she asked. “Is something hanging out of my nose?”
    “Yes,” he deadpanned.
    Charlotte’s hand flew to her nose and David laughed. In spite of herself, she joined him.
    “You’re terrible,” she said as she took another sip of wine.
    David shrugged and smiled. “I like seeing you laugh.”
    Charlotte looked down, embarrassed, and then noticed him gazing at her yet again. “What?” she asked, now a touch exasperated.
    He plopped his chin down into one palm. “I noticed at dinner you didn’t say a whole lot about yourself.”
    “Oh, well; as I mentioned, I joined the group three years ago and well, I make a decent living writing steamy romance novels with action that I have never actually participated in, just heard about from these very experienced ladies ---”
    David cut her off. “Still vague. I want to know more about the real Charlotte. Will you tell me more?”
    “What, the widow/divorcee saga?” she asked.
    “If you don’t mind… I’m curious,” he replied.
    Charlotte drained her wine glass and poured a bit more. “Well, let’s see. Ben and I had been married for almost five years when I found out he was having an affair with one of his co-workers.”
    “Wow. How’d you find out?”
    “He’d called me to say he was going to be working late at the office. He was always working late, and I felt bad, so I picked up some dinner; thought I’d surprise him and take it to him.” Charlotte took a sip of wine. “He was working alright. All over his desk.”
David winced. “Ouch.”
“Yeah. I had the locks changed the next morning, and he moved in with her.”
“So you initiated divorce proceedings?”
    “I did. But Ben just kept putting it off. Claimed he was too busy with work to concentrate on it. Even though he was living with this girl, he still seemed reluctant to move forward with the divorce. Kept saying he’d get around to it eventually.”
    “Maybe he was hoping you two would work things out.”
    “Yeah, well, that was never going to happen.” Charlotte shifted her weight on the couch. “Then one day I get this call from the hospital that Ben had been in a car accident. T-boned by a semi. Died on impact.”
    David covered his mouth with his hands. “My God. How awful.”
    “Turns out; his girlfriend was in the car with him, and she was in critical condition. After I identified Ben… I don’t know- I couldn’t help myself. I went to see the girlfriend.” Charlotte struggled to hold back tears. “She was in terrible shape---- dying, her face was unrecognizable. Neither I nor the hospital could track down this girl’s family.” Charlotte shook her head. “She was so alone. I stayed with her and held her hand until she died.” Charlotte cleared her throat to keep from crying. “As it turned out, her parents were dead; she was an only child, and she had no other relatives – no aunts, no uncles, no cousins. So I decided to bury her and Ben next to each other.”
    “Wait,” David interrupted. “You stayed with your husband’s mistress and held her hand until she died? And then you paid for her burial, and you buried her next to your husband?” David shook his head. “That’s bollocks. She broke up your marriage!”
    “ They broke up my marriage,” Charlotte clarified.