Page 46 of Charlie

I protest. He cocks his eyebrow at me. Pulling the truck to a stop, he twists in his seat to face me. His gaze is unrelenting. Heat races up my neck, settling into my cheeks. I duck my head and cover my face with my hands.

"Don't," he says, gently pulling my hands away. "Come on. Out with it."

Lachlan pulls my hand into his lap, twining his fingers through mine, squeezing them to bolster my courage. I take a deep breath. "I'm happy. I'm still not sure about everything, but right now, this feels right." I look between them, my heart in my throat.

Lachlan grins. "Finally."

I hold up my hand. "We need to go slow. I know myself, and I'll regret it if I run from this."

"We'll take it day by day... minute by minute if we have to, lass," Jack says gruffly. His wink sets my heart racing, nipples aching, heat pooling in places it shouldn't. His gaze drops to my lips and then further south, darkening when he sees my nipples pebbled against my shirt.

He swears under his breath. "Get out."

"What? Why?" I ask, but he's already slamming his door and heading to the bed of the truck. Lachlan pulls me to the edge of the seat, engulfing my waist in his hands, and lifts me from the truck. He covers my lips with his, sweeping his tongue against mine before sliding me down his body until my feet touch the ground.

He presses his forehead to mine, his gaze hot and hungry. "I need to taste you again, Charlie."

"It's been an hour, Lach," I say, laughing him off.

He pulls me flush against him, his erection hard against my hip. "I don't care if it was seconds ago, I'd still crave you. If I could live off your orgasms alone, I would, Charlie, I swear to God."

My core throbs at the picture his words create.

He spins me around, and we walk down a wide path, gravel crunching under our feet. Jack reaches out and grabs my hand, his fingers engulfing mine, shivering as his callouses scrape over sensitive skin. Lachlan slides a hand into my back pocket, giving my butt a firm squeeze. The three of us walk together, pulses thrumming from the simplest of touches. Jack brings my hand to his mouth, pressing his full lips to my skin, his teeth grazing my knuckles, and my body tightens into a ball of desire. His whisky eyes lock on mine as he nips at me, soothing the bites with a swipe of his tongue. He brushes his fingers over my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Lachlan pushes my hair off my neck and presses a kiss to the skin under my ear, goosebumps racing over my skin.

"Where are we going?" I ask Jack as we walk into a copse of trees.

"Craigh na Dun,” he says, winking.

25

Jack motions for me to follow him into a clearing in the trees, and there, on top of a hill, sits a stone circle. It's magical. Magnificent pine trees soar high above our heads, their needles forming a thick carpet under our feet. Moss and lichen clamber for purchase over the stones, swirling carvings peeking out from the few bare spots.

Jack sets his pack against a tree and moves toward me. My stomach somersaults as I stand my ground. He grips my hips and pushes me back until I'm flush against a stone.

"Does this remind you of anything, Sassenach?" His chin is almost to his chest as he looks down at me, need swirling through his amber eyes.

The night of the masquerade party flashes through my mind.

"I can see your face this time," I murmur, trying to memorize every detail. The tiny freckle below his left eye. The scar that cuts through his right eyebrow. The dimples mostly hidden by his beard.

He pushes his thumb against my lower lip, dragging it to the side, his gaze locked on my mouth. "God, Charlotte." His hand drops to my neck, cupping sensitive skin, my blood thrumming under his fingers. His gaze follows his hand as it slips further down my collarbone, stopping over my hammering heart. "You feel it, too," he says, a statement, not a question.

How can I not? Our souls have been orbiting each other at a dizzying pace since the day we met. His gaze is heavy, his lips so close I can feel their heat.

"I can smell him on you," he growls, rocking his hips into me.

I groan, closing the distance between us, pressing my lips to his and inviting the rough sweep of his tongue. We're two stars colliding, exploding, creating a black hole of insatiable need. He slides his palm over the small of my back, pulling me into his body, his hard length pressed to my stomach.

A low groan from behind Jack has my eyes flying open.

Lach.

Every nerve comes alive, energy vibrating through my body, gathering in my core. I moan as Jack lodges his thigh between my legs. He grips my ass, lifting my toes off the ground as he turns me around. Lach steps forward, running his hands over my shoulders and down my arms, his lips hot on my ear. I break the kiss, gasping for air. Jack fists his hand in my hair, pulling to expose my neck. Turning my face to the side, Lach captures my mouth in a fierce kiss, moaning against my lips like a man possessed.

"I feel like I've been waiting ten years to do that again," he murmurs. Jack grips my jaw, turning my face back to him, his gaze dark. Possessive.

"This was the biggest fucking mistake of my life," he whispers, tracing my bottom lip. "You're going to break my heart, aren't you, Sassenach?" He angles his head, holding my gaze, his lips brushing against mine. "It doesn't fucking matter now. It's done."

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