Page 47 of Charlie

I open for him, our tongues clashing in an epic battle. There's an inevitability to this kiss, like the three of us are standing on the edge of a precipice, ready to jump. Jack pulls away and turns me so I'm facing Lach, sliding his hands over my stomach and up to cup my breasts, his thumbs flicking over my nipples. Lach presses into me, his hands diving into my hair, pulling my face to his, devouring me.

Jack rocks his hips against my ass, his breath hot on my ear. He groans as he snakes his hand inside the front of my leggings. I gasp as he slides a finger over me. "God, you're so wet." He presses a finger inside me, forcing me to arch back against him, breaking my kiss with Lachlan. Instead of complaining, he switches his attention to my nipple, biting and kissing it through my shirt. I moan, grinding against the heel of Jack's hand. "Can we take off your pants?" Jack asks, his mouth pressed to my ear.

I nod, desperate for more. He pulls his hand away, licking me off his fingers before grasping my jaw and pulling my lips to his. Lach pushes my leggings down, helping me step out of them. Jack grasps the back of my thighs with both hands, lifting my off the ground and pulling my knees to my chest, my legs spread wide. I struggle in his grip, but Lach cradles my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "Give me one minute, Carebear. If you don't like it, we'll stop. I promise."

"Okay," I whisper, my heart galloping, turned on and terrified at the same time.

He steps forward, his gaze dropping between my thighs.

"You're so fucking pretty," he groans, kneeling before me and breathing me in. I buck against his mouth as he slides his tongue over me, my entire world narrowing to our connection. He rolls his tongue over my clit, pulling the nub into his mouth as he pushes two fingers into me, sinking them in until his pinky knuckle is nudging my asshole. A guttural sound tears its way from my throat, part protest, part ecstasy.

"You're doing so good, Charlotte," Jack groans against my ear. Lach twists his hand, fingers curling into my g-spot, working it over and over as he drags his tongue over my clit. I reach up and wrap my hand around Jack's neck, pulling his face down as I stretch toward him, our lips meeting in a clash of tongues and teeth. I gasp against his mouth as the first tremors start. He groans against my lips. "Come for us, baby." I try to hang on for a second longer, but Lach is relentless. I explode, spasming around his fingers as he licks me into oblivion.

"You're so fucking perfect," Lach rasps, his chest heaving with each breath. Jack sets me down gently, gripping my hips to keep me upright as Lach helps me with my leggings. He turns me around in his arms and sweeps a strand of hair out of my face, his fingers lingering on my cheek. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, but not for food." I palm his erection, the moan that slips from his lips chasing a shiver down my spine. I need more. So much more. I grasp the front of Lach's shirt and pull him toward me, sliding my hand under his shirt and over his stomach.

He circles my wrist, pulling it up to his mouth and kissing my palm. He raises an eyebrow when my stomach grumbles. "Come on, let's eat."

The sun is slanting through the trees, a magical golden haze settling over us as we eat from the spread of meat and cheese Jack pulls from his backpack. I tuck my knees to my chest, watching them as I sip crisp white wine from a plastic cup. They're telling the worst stories they have about each other, cussing each other out one second, wiping away tears of laughter the next. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this will be the moment I remember falling in love with them.

26

"Charlotte."

I spin around, the hay in my arms forgotten. Jack is standing in the shadows, a shaft of sunlight gilding one side of his face. "Yes?" I ask when I realize he's waiting for me to say something. It's been two days since he and Lach decimated the last of my crumbling walls. Two days of closing myself up in the cabin, feeling vulnerable. Terrified of the feelings I can't seem to ignore any longer.

"Why are you here?" he asks, focusing on the piece of hay he's twisting between his fingers.

"Isla asked me to take care of Sorcha."

"No, why are you here?" His whisky eyes meet mine, emotions warring in their depths. He takes the hay from me, tossing it into the hay rack in Sorcha's stall. He walks back to me slowly, his gaze heated, studying me. I flinch when he reaches out, but he only pulls a piece of straw from my hair. "Are you scared of me, lass?"

"No. I'm scared of this." I motion between us, the hurt in his eyes drawing an honest answer from me.

"What is 'this,' exactly? Aren't we just friends?" He raises an eyebrow, his gaze moving to my lips, then away. He boosts himself onto the stack of bales against the wall, his legs hanging over the side.

"This is scary as fuck," I whisper. We're on the same level now, and I'm having a hard time not looking at his lips, remembering how they felt moving over mine.

"This is life, Charlotte. It's wild and amazing and the scary parts are the best parts."

"That's what I used to think." My voice cracks. "but I know better now." I drop my gaze, the humiliation of the last five years washing over me in waves.

"Come here," he whispers. I walk toward him, stopping just shy of his knees. "Look at me," he demands, his voice doing sinful things to my body.

I look at him.

"Charlotte. He never deserved you." He leans forward and pulls me in, wrapping his arms around my back and tucking my head under his chin. I clutch him, burying my face in his neck.

"I want to forget, Jack," I say, my lips moving against his neck, "I just don't know how." I lick my lips, the tip of my tongue touching his skin, the burst of salt turning my insides to liquid.

Everything but the pulse under my lips freezes.

I suck in a jagged breath, leaning back so I can look at him. His beard tickles my palm as I cup his face. I run a fingertip over his eyebrow, over the tiny dip of a scar, over the bridge of his nose. He's still as stone, barely breathing. I drop my hand. "I don't know how to let it go," I whisper, the words barely audible.

"One step at a time, Charlotte," he says, pushing my hair away from my face with a gentle hand. I nuzzle my face into his palm, desperate for his touch. His eyes darken. He licks his lips, his gaze dipping to my mouth. Cupping my face in both hands, he presses a gentle kiss to my eyes, to my nose, next to my mouth. I turn my head to catch his lips with mine, sinking into him with a groan. He tentatively traces his tongue over my bottom lip. I angle my head, allowing him full access. He pushes into me over and over, hard and insistent. When he comes up for air, I slide my tongue over his bottom lip, sucking and biting.

"Charlotte," he whispers, breathing hard. He rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed.

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