C&A Novella (Marked Heart #2.5) by M. Sembera Read Free Book Online

shared, "Should have, but you didn't. Everything else that's going on in your head though, that's on you."
      "I wanna believe that Auggs, but..."
      Braden's voice interrupted Kieran and startled them both as he shouted, "You sure Liv's not gonna get pissed we brought her furniture out here?"
      Glancing at Auggie, Kieran hollered back, "Nope, why do you think I had you do it."
    Hearing Braden curse Kieran as he walked off, Auggie started to laugh.
      "We good?" Kieran questioned holding his hand out.
    Nodding, Auggie shook his hand before helping him with the box of paintball guns.
    Lying on his stomach behind a mattress, propped against a large tree, Auggie waited for his brother to peek out from behind the couch far enough for him to catch him in the shoulder. Just as he was aimed and ready, a pair of headlights shown bright coming up the gravel driveway causing Braden to pull back out of sight.
    The second Charlotte's car stopped, Liv jumped out hollering. While Kieran promised to buy her a new couch, Seth ran across from out of nowhere announcing that Penny was his hostage.
      Laughing when Braden shouted, "She's not a hostage if you're the only one that wants her." Auggie caught sight of Charlotte.
    Standing there with her back to him, in navy blue heals and a tan skirt that showed more of her legs than he felt anyone other than him should see, he couldn't resist the moment. Drawing in a deep breath, he slowly blew it out and pulled the trigger.
    The blue paintball splatter on the back of her skirt was immediately followed by a yelp.
      "Augustus Caffrey!" She shouted, swinging around and glaring right at him.
    He wanted to laugh, but the look on her face warned him, he'd better run instead. Dropping his gun, he hopped up and took off around the side of the house, hearing her not far behind him.
    Years of hide and seek back when they were kids and when Kieran's parent's owned the farmhouse, gave Auggie the advantage over Charlotte in the dark. He watched her slowly glance around searching for him. As soon as she was close enough, he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her behind pallets of bricks stacked almost as high as the roof.
      "You shot me in the ass!" Charlotte growled at him as she tried to elbow her way out of his arms.
      Laughing, he held her tighter offering, "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
      Clearly not amused, she fussed, "That hurt, you jackass."
      Trying to keep his laughter at bay now, Auggie assured, "I'm sorry, I figured I was far enough away, that it would just sting a little."
      "Well, it stings a whole hell of a lot more than a little." She insisted as she smacked him in the back of his head.
    Unable to keep from smiling, Auggie reached down and slid his hand up the back of her thigh and under her skirt.
      "Better?" he asked gently rubbing her wounded behind.
    Relaxing in his arms, Charlotte closed her eyes.
    Pushing her back against the pallet of bricks, Auggie heard her sigh as she leaned her forehead onto his chest. It was dark and the thought that no one would see or hear them provoked him to move his other hand up the back of her skirt.
      "Seven days." She whimpered, reminding him, he was about to take things too far.
      Letting go of her, Auggie remained close, swearing, "It's a date."

 
    16
    Five days before the wedding, things slowly started to go wrong. Penny and Seth broke up and although Charlotte took Penny's side, because that's what best friends do, she realized Penny could be just as stubborn as her big brother. When convincing her to hear Seth out didn't work, Charlotte tried to talk Auggie into stepping in, but all that was accomplished was that there was a pretty lengthy argument between Charlotte and her ass of a soon to be husband.
    Her only hope was talking Braden into getting Seth to go talk to Auggie, which to no surprise he agreed to, but at the same time she could tell he was still struggling with his own problems.
    Now with just two days