Page 193 of Charlie

"But I'm supposed to cook for you guys."

"Nothing in the bet said we couldn't cook together. We did come together, so technically, we both lost."

"True. Thank you, Jack." I turn around, leaning against the opposite side of the jacuzzi to look at him.

"For what?" he asks, looking up from his phone, his fingers pausing while listing ingredients.

"Everything." That's the honest answer. This man has changed everything about me in the span of three months. The way I view the world. The way I view myself.

He fires off the text and throws his phone over his shoulder, grabbing my calves and wrapping my legs around his waist. Warm water drips down the side of my face as he pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes glowing gold in the morning light.

"It's me that should be thanking you, lass." He tips my chin up, holding my gaze.

"I didn't do anything," I protest.

"You did everything. You grounded us. Gave us purpose. Something to work for. A reason to keep going. Keep breathing. A reason to live. I didn't think I'd ever have that again."

Fuck.

He wipes my tears away with his thumbs, lowering his lips to mine in a tender kiss.

"Fucking hell," he laughs, clearing his throat. "Time to change the topic. Can I ask you a question?"

"Always."

"I asked you a while ago what your plans for the future looked like. What about now?"

My smile trembles, emotions running high. "I see tourism at the castle thriving to the point that the entire estate is self-sustainable. I see us all learning how to live and work together and doing a damn good job of it. I see us going to the best fertility doctor the UK has to offer so we can have some babies running around those halls."

"Don't go too fast," he laughs, his eyes sparkling, "We have years to make up for before we have little ones to take care of."

"Well, that can be the ten-year plan," I concede, smiling. "How about you?"

"My ten-year plan is keeping you happy."

"Oh, come on," I pout, wanting a real answer.

"You gave my life meaning, Charlotte. Do you think I'm going to fuck that up?"

"But what about your dreams and goals? You can't give that up because of me."

"Then I guess I'm pretty lucky they align with yours, aren't I? My lifetime goal has always been for the estate to pay for itself so that I'm not passing on a burden. You and I working together to accomplish that? It's better than I could have ever dreamed of." He curls a strand of my hair around his fingers, his gaze holding mine. "The sex is good – scratch that, it's fucking great. The best sex I've had in my entire life. But if something were to happen, I need you to know that sex is just the cherry on top, Charlotte."

"And what about Lach?"

"It's complicated, Sassenach. He's still my best friend outside of the bedroom, and I don't want that to change. But when we're all together, and I'm watching him fuck you..." he trails off, scrubbing his hands over his face. "It's like all bets are off. There is something feral in me that craves giving pleasure. I want to make him come harder than he ever has before. Tell me you understand."

"I understand." And I do. I've done things with them that I never thought I would do in the bedroom. I surge forward, the water sloshing over the side of the tub, and trap his face between my hands, kissing him hard, letting him know I accept him exactly the way he is. He opens for me, one hand tangling in the hair at the nape of my neck, the other pressed between my shoulder blades, holding me close. I jerk in his arms, startled by the cold splash of a raindrop hitting my nose.

"Should we go inside?" I ask, looking up at the ominous clouds rolling in.

"We're already wet, Charlotte. And if you think I'm going to give up a chance to make love to you in a jacuzzi in the rain, you better think again" He pulls my face back to his, plundering my mouth, his cock hard between us. I flex my hips against him, dragging my clit up and down his shaft. I use his shoulders for leverage, pulling myself up until his cock is notched at my entrance. He holds my gaze as he grips my hips, pulling me down while thrusting up at the same time, filling me hard and deep.

"You're so fucking tight," he groans, holding me still. Lightning flashes overhead, thunder rolling across the lake several seconds later. The rain is pelting us now, steam rising from the ground around us.

"It's now or never." I rock my hips against him, breaking his hold. He slides his hand down my back and over my ass, his middle finger nudging between my cheeks. I arch my back, pushing into his touch, moaning as he sinks his finger into me, gripping my ass with the rest of his hand and pulling me up and down his cock. His hair brushes my cheeks as he dips down, catching my nipple in his mouth. I ride him in earnest then, electricity crackling over our skin, my nails raking his back as I scramble for purchase against wet skin.

"Come for me, Charlie." He catches my lower lip between his teeth, taking me under with a searing kiss. He grips my hip with his free hand, forcing my pelvis to tilt, changing the angle of his cock until he can feel my clit dragging along his shaft with every thrust. We explode together, fragments of stars dancing behind our lids as lightning tears the world apart around us.

---