Things Aren't Always What They Seem

"So where's this pizza I heard so much about?" Jon asked with a sexy undertone as his chest rapidly rose and fell in the immediate aftermath of their lovemaking.

Charlotte grinned and turned her head on the pillow to look at him. "It's in the kitchen on the counter. I should have showed that to you before I let you undo the robe."

"No," Jon immediately shook his head with a smirk. "I think you played your cards right." He pulled Charlotte's body tighter into his and gave her a quick kiss before he crawled out of the bed. "You want a slice? I'll throw it in the oven for a few minutes. That sex made me want a little snack."

Charlotte smiled as the tiniest of blushes spread across her face and nodded her head. "Yeah give me a minute I'll meet you in the kitchen."

"Alright baby." Jon went to leave but turned real quick and came back to her. He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips and Charlotte could feel him smile against her. "I'm crazy about you. You know that?" The top of his hands were planted hard into the soft mattress as he leaned into her. She covered her bare breasts with the sheets and smiled back into him. "Yeah," she breathed out and nodded her head-- her nose grazing his as she did. "You wanna know something?"

"Mmm," he moaned out with a nod. His eyes were still closed as he kept rubbing his nose against hers.

Charlotte reached up and gently grabbed his chin between her fingers. "The first night I came home from the hospital-- that night we ate at my place and you got me brownies-- do you remember?"

Jon smirked as he thought back to that night. "Of course."

"If Pat hadn't knocked on the door that night, if he hadn't shown up....I was this close to kissing you. It would have been so wrong but I didn't care. You made my heart pound, you made me lose my breath. He didn't. I felt like such a bad person because I wanted you to. I found myself disappointed you hadn't, and stupid for thinking you might."

Jon's heart swelled as he leaned in and pressed his smiling lips against hers. "You wanna know something?"

"Mmmm," she moaned back in the same manner he did.

"If Kaner hadn't shown up the second he did I would have kissed you and not had the strength to pretend it was wrong. I would have blurted out how much I loved you even though it would have been the exact thing we were instructed not to do at the hospital--overload you with information and do things out of the ordinary."

"I would have said it back."

Jon shook his head. "No you wouldn't have," he said softly. "You would have freaked out. You weren't you yet."

Charlotte felt her lips curl up into a faint smile. "You're probably right. But I felt it, deep down I did."

"And why would that have been wrong, may I ask?" Jon questioned, reverting back to her original confession.

"Well," Charlotte swallowed and pulled back an inch. "Because I was still with Patrick, I still belonged to him."

Jon brushed his nose against hers as he slowly shook his head. "No," he breathed out. "You always belonged to me."

Charlotte inhaled deeply as she felt her heart flutter. "Yeah," she nodded her agreement. "I always was."

"Meet me in the kitchen?" Jon asked as he pulled back and stood up straight with her hand lingering in his.

"Yeah," Charlotte nodded. "Give me a few minutes to get dressed."

"Hey, I don't mind if you walk around here naked. Feel free."

Charlotte tilted her head and gave him a smirk. "Thanks but I think I'll put some clothes on anyway."

"Alright," Jon shrugged with fake disappointment. "Suit yourself." He let her hand go and walked out of the dimly-lit bedroom to make his way into the kitchen where he found the box of pizza Charlotte had sweetly ordered for him. He put the oven on and while it started to warm up he grabbed a slice and ate it cold. He thought back on the events of the evening and shook his head. He couldn't believe the drama Kane had caused and it made him angry to keep harping on it. When the oven heated up just enough he put a few slices in and went to the fridge to grab water for him and Charlotte.

He heard her approaching down the stairs and his eyes lit up when he saw her in front of him innocently donning nothing but an oversized t-shirt of his that barely covered her thighs and panties. She grabbed glasses from the cabinet and Jon couldn't take his eyes off of her. She wasn't dressed to seduce him but somehow everything she did made him want her more. She gave him an innocent kiss as she walked by to get the oven-mitt and take the pizza out of it, placing it on the top of the burners. She was facing the stove as Jon came up behind her, placed his hand on her upper arm and looked over her shoulder. "Look warm enough?"

Charlotte nodded, "Mmmhmm," she answered with a smile. He kissed her quickly on the cheek and gave her arm a little squeeze. When he did that he immediately paused when he noticed her wince. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she answered quickly and awkwardly tugged at her sleeve to pull it as far down as she could.

"Char." Jon lightly put his fingers on her waist and spun her around to face him. "What's wrong?" he asked as he looked down into her eyes.

Charlotte didn't answer she just looked back up at him and swallowed. Jon gently ran his hand up her delicate arm and lifted the sleeve where he saw the redness and bruising. "What the hell happened to you?" concern laced his voice as he looked at her with wide-eyes.

She closed her eyes and looked away as she let out a loud breath. "Pat came by before."

Jon's heart rate instantly elevated and his jaw tightened. "What. Happened." he growled out.

"He was wasted Jon. He was totally hammered. I walked out my door to come back here and literally ran into him. He waltzed into my place and was going on about how he was going to be a dad and he wasn't taking it well at all."

"That doesn't explain your arm," Jon said losing patience.

"He got a little too touchy and pushed me back onto the couch," Charlotte said quietly as she watched Jon begin to unravel. "He hurt me okay?" she told him what he wanted to hear though she knew he couldn't handle hearing it. "He wouldn't do that if he were sober..." Charlotte went to continue but Jon spun around and began to hightail it to his front door. "No!" Charlotte yelled as she grabbed his arm and tried to spin him around.

"NO!" Jon yelled back as he hastily turned around to face her. "I can deal with just about everything he's done. I can deal with him making jabs at me. I can deal with him professing his love for you because I trust you. I don't care he was and is banging Rose. I don't care about any of it. But this? This I care about. He's gonna show up at my girl's place and assault her? He's gonna hurt you and I'm supposed to just say whatever?" Jon shook his head and puffed out air. "Fuck that," he spat out as he went to grab his keys off the table by his front door. "I'm going to kill him."

"Stop!" Charlotte yelled as she ducked under him and squeezed in between him and the door using her body as a shield.

"Move," Jon demanded as tough as he could be with her.

"No," she shook her head and pressed her back against it tighter.

"Charlotte."

She shook her head again and looked up at him with big doe eyes. He held her gaze for a few seconds but he couldn't keep his eyes locked with hers being as angry as he was.

"Jon," she said his name sweetly and rested her hand on his naked abdomen. "Jon look at me," she requested in a soft voice.

Jon sighed out and finally brought his gaze to meet hers as she reached up and rested her fingers on his cheek. "Don't do this," she pleaded. "I'm not defending what he did but I'm telling you it's not worth it. Look at the hole he dug for himself. He's basically at the lowest point he's ever been. I don't want you risking anything to get even with him when you've already won."

Jon released some of the hot air he'd been holding and kind of melted into her. "But Char," he raised his hand and delicately ran his fingers up her arm, pushing the sleeve up and revealing the huge mark Pat had left on her. His body deflated as he looked at it and a look of pain overcame his face. "I can't stomach him putting his hands all over you and hurting you and not doing something about it."

Charlotte slid her arms around his waist and pressed the side of her head into his chest. "Do you want me to tell you I was scared? I won't lie, I was. But I'm okay and I was able to stop it before it got out of hand so nothing happened. He has a lot on his plate now-- he's gotta grow up one way or another. And me? Well I need to be with you like I always have been. He's getting wasted and avoiding being responsible to show up at my place and drunkenly confess his love. He's got way more pain going on inside than you could beat into him. I'm not going anywhere-- you and me, we're happy. He's not."

Jon lifted his arm and pressed his hand against her back. He gently rubbed it and felt his body relax into her. The more she spoke the more he realized she was right and he felt slight pity on his friend. "You're right," he breathed out. "You're too damn good at calming me down. You always have been-- it's almost annoying," he joked as he gave her a playful smile.

"I guess it's a curse I know you so well," she breathed out as she gave his chest a quick kiss. "Plus you aren't even dressed. I need you here with me all naked and all."

Jon's lips curled up into a grin. "Is that right?"

"Mmmhmm. I always enjoyed when you had your shirt off."

"I always wished you'd take off yours."

"Jon!" Charlotte gasped as she gave him a pretend slap on his chest.

"What! I was just saying. Gosh."

"Well I think I've made up for it as of lately. We've been catching up on lost time I'd say," Charlotte commented and Jon nodded his agreement. Charlotte leaned up and brought her lips to his ear. "I still hate that you weren't my first....or my only," she whispered. "It seriously hurts my heart."

Jon's eyes widened and he felt his blood begin to race faster. When she pulled back he looked down into her eyes for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her, feeling her soft lips give in to his. He broke the kiss but kept his lips against hers as he cradled her face in his hand. "I know," he breathed out. "But I'll be your last."

Charlotte smiled into him and relished being in his arms. "That's all I ever wanted."

Jon bent down and lightly kissed her arm where the swelling and bruising appeared to be painful before he stood up straight. "I really like having you here all the time. Day and night."

"I was always with you before we were dating," she said with a little giggle.

"Yeah, but it's different now. I don't like when you leave. I mean I didn't like it before but there aren't any boundaries now. When you leave I just wish I didn't let you. I sleep better than I've ever slept when you're in that bed with me. So.... how about you don't."

"Okay, I'm not leaving tonight you don't need to worry," she laughed not realizing how serious he was-- that he wasn't just talking about tonight.

"I mean it," he said confidently. "Move in."

Charlotte held his gaze for a few seconds until she realized how much he meant what he was saying. She slowly began to shake her head, "No. You know I won't officially move in unless I'm married to someone. And unless I missed something that isn't something we're at yet."

Jon cocked his head and gave her a smirk. "Soon."

She tilted her head and gave him the same look he was giving her. "Oh really?"

"I didn't ask you yet? I thought I had."

She could barely mask her smile as she shook her head again. "Nope," she answered as she held up her left hand and put her naked fingers on display.

"Soon," Jon said again with that same grin and tone of voice.