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Charlie was happy. She had just eaten her own weight in fried chicken and green beans and okra. Huxton and Tyson had relaxed and even though the conversation at times turned a little into an interrogation, it was all in reasonable limits. Vidar had also relaxed and his laugh had
his mouth a genuine ring to it as they watched Liam trying to shove mashed potatoes into with both his hands. He had his arm on the back of her chair and his fingertips gently rested on her shoulder. The evening had gone better than she had expected.
“We need to get going,” she told her brother and Tyson.
“Thank you for coming,” Tyson said as they got up from the table.
“It has been a lovely evening,” Vidar offered.
“We appreciate you having patience with our questions. We are a little overprotective of Charlie,” Tyson explained.
“I fully understand and I appreciate that you protect her. I hope I have put your mind at ease. at least a little that my intentions towards her are honest,” Vidar said, and Charlie smiled. Sometimes she saw glints that showed his true age. Tyson chuckled.
“Well, you have at least made me feel better. Hux is a lost cause. No one is good enough for his baby sister. Just ignore him. He isn’t good with change. You won’t believe how long it took him to ask me out for the first date. We had been sleeping together for months by then,” Tyson told them.
“Ty!” Huxton exclaimed. Charlie and Vidar laughed. “You don’t need to tell him things like that,” Huxton fumed.
“Oh please. It’s the truth and you know it. Now, Charlie, be careful when you work and call if you need help or just want to talk,” Tyson said, switching subjects and giving Charlie a hug.
“I will, Tyson. Thank you for tonight. It was just what I needed,” she told him and k*ssed his cheek. While he said goodbye to Vidar, Charlie walked over to her brother and gave him a hug. “It was nice to see you, brother. Thanks for having us,” she said.
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“You are always welcome, Charlie,” he said and hugged her back. “He might not be that bad,”
be then confessed.
“He really isn’t. I’ll call you tomorrow and we will talk,” she said and k*ssed his cheek.
“Hinton, thanks for having me.” Vidar said and shook her brother’s hand.
“It was our pleasure, Vidar. I hope you can come the next time as well,” Huxton said, shaking Vidar’s hand before wrapping his arm around his husband.
“That is more praise than any of my previous boyfriend have ever got,” she told Vidar as they walked to his car.
“I have his seal of approval?” he asked, sounding proud.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but he invited you back. That is a record.”
Tll take it,” he said, opening the door for her. Vidar drove towards “The red lady“.. “Do you! want me to come inside? I don’t mind waiting for you.” he said. Charlie looked at him like he
had lost his mind.
“You can’t sit and wait for my shift to be done,” she told him.
“Why not?”
“I won’t get off until two in the morning,” she said.
“So?”
“So, I can’t let you do that.”
“Fine, I’ll go home and do some work and then I’ll pick you up at two,” he agreed.
“Vidar. You need to work in the morning. I’m not going to be one of those girlfiniends,” she
objected.
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“One of what kind of girlfriends?” he asked, sounding confused.
“One of those girlfriends that expects her boyfriend’s world to revolve around her. I can take
the bus home.”
“I don’t even know where the closest bus stop to my place is,” he said. Charlie had to smile.
“I’m going to your place?” she asked.
“Of course. Where else would you go?”
“My place.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Do you want me to sleep at your place?” she asked. Vidar glanced at her while driving.
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“I know I don’t. But I asked if you want me to.”
“Yes.” Charlie smiled. He was so cute sometimes.
“Okay,” she said and took out her phone. She did a quick search on the app for the bus and smiled. “I’ll be home around three. I don’t have a key so I will have to wake you up,” she told
him.
“I will be awake and I will pick you up,” he said..
“Vidar.”
“I’ll be up so I can just as well come and get you. It’s that or I will have Caine walk two steps behind you from the time you step your foot outside the bar until you walk into my building.”
“You wouldn’t!”
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“Do you want to try me, lilla lo?” he asked. Charlie thought about it. She didn’t doubt he would order Caine to do it. She debated with herself if she would take it just to make the case for her own independence. But she realised it would be unbearable.
“Fine, you will pick me up and I will wait for you,” she told him as they pulled up to the bar.
“Thank you. Please stay safe and call me if there is anything. And I mean anything. Caine and the others will be watching you. You will be safe,” he said.
“I know, thank you for keeping me safe,” she told him and leaned into him. He met her halfway and k*ssed her.
“I will miss you,” he said.
“I’ll miss you too,” she told him as she got out of the car. “Please drive safe and don’t do
anything stupid while I’m at work.” She walked into the bar and greeted Jenni. It felt strangely empty, not having Vidar around. Two days and she had got addicted to him.
“Charlie, hi,” Mia said and gave her a little wave while moving between the tables. Charlie waved back. She had forgotten she was working with her today. She quickly changed and made her way to the bar where Mia and Jennie stood talking. “So, Charlie. You managed to bag one of the Thursday club hotties. I’m impressed,” Mia said. Jenni raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, Vidar has been really sweet,” Charlie said, and hoped that would be the end of it.
“Vidar?” they heard and turned around to see Lilly and Leo standing at the door to the kitchen. “You have been holding out,” Lilly said. Walking over to them. Luckily, the bar was almost empty. Leo looked like a kicked puppy.
“He looks yummy, and I bet he is filthy rich. I bet all of them are,” Mia said, sounding like she was drooling. Charlie had a sudden need to punch her in the face for talking about Vidar like that, like he was a thing you would get because if you shook him, good enough treats would
fall out.
“He’s really amazing,” she said.
“You and I need to talk on your break,” Lille said, wiggling her eyebrows. Charlie smiled and
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nodded. Lilly headed back to the kitchen and Mia when to serve the drinks she had been waiting for. It left Janni and Charlie alone.
“You know?” Jenni asked.
“I know,” Charlie told her, and nodded.
“It’s moving fast, is it…?” Jenni asked.
“Imprinting,” Charlie filled in. Jenni smiled.
“Welcome to the community,” Jenni whispered and gave Charlie a warm smile.
“Thank you,” Charlie said and got to work.
During her break, she popped into the kitchen and gave Lilly a hug.
“Vidar? No more hot and cold? When did that happen?” Lilly asked.
“Friday, after you left, I was just about to call a cab when he walked into the bar and insisted on giving me a ride home,” Charlie told her.
“How did he know where you were?” Lilly asked, sounding suspicious.
“We had texted a little,” Charlie confessed. She felt bad for lying to her friend. But telling her that Vidar had his men following her sounded bad if you didn’t know everything.
“And?”
“And he took me to his place, and I was mad, okay I was fuming, and we had an argument,”
she told Lilly.
“And?” Charlie looked over her shoulder at Leo, who was washing some pans.
“He pushed me up against the window and finished me off, twice, and tucked me in his bed.” Charlie whispered. Lilly’s eyes grew bigger. “Then we spent Saturday just hanging out and
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today we went to family dinner at Hoxton’s,” she continued.
“Wow, I thought I had a nice weekend,” Lilly said, sounding aghast.
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“How did it go with the we… waitress?” Charlie asked her friend, narrowing missing to say werewolf.
“She was hot, and let me tell you. She knew how to use her tongue,” Lilly said with a dreamy
sigh.
“Sounds perfect. Are you going to see her again?” Charlie asked.
“No, it was a night, and morning, of fun. It was my pallet cleanser,” she said.
“Ready to find something new?”
“Yeah. This was an eyeopener. There are plenty of fish out there and I don’t need to stick with the one that makes me feel stressed and trapped and suffocated. I am allowed to have
fun and enjoy a partner,” Lilly said.
“Yes, you do!” Charlie gave her friend a long hug before going back to work.
Blood red love