Page 31 of Charlie

"Be with both of us, Charlie." The words tumble out of his mouth.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"What would people think?"

"Who gives a flying fuck what people think? I sure as hell don't. And Isla is used to it, so you don't have to worry about her."

I gape at him. "What do you mean she's used to it?"

"This isn't the first time Jack and I—" he trails off, ending his sentence with a shrug, his cheeks pink.

"Not the first time you've done what, exactly?" I ask. I need details. Now.

"Shared." He clears his throat, slowly raising his head to look at me.

"You shared a woman before? Like you both dated her at the same time?"

He nods. "And more."

"More? What does that mean?" I clamp my thighs together as that moment at the masquerade flashes through my mind.

"More than dating, Charlie. We were fucking her." He licks his lips, and suddenly, all I can think about is how his tongue would feel between my legs.

"At the same time?" I blurt, mortified the second the question tumbled from my lips.

"No, not at the same time. That wasn't something she was comfortable with."

"But you guys would have been if she was?"

"Yes, Charlie." The words come out in a low rumble.

I think for a second. "But what would you get out of it? Seems like you both would be getting the short end of the stick."

"We'd be getting you, Carebear. You are definitely not the short end of the stick." He rolls his shoulders, easing the tension.

"How many times have you done this?"

"Only once. Jay, our university roommate and I all fell for the same girl."

"All three of you?" He nods. "And it worked?"

"It did for a long time. Our roommate moved away first, then I went to study for my MBA. She and Jack got their own place." Lachlan presses his lips to the back of my hand. "No pressure. Just think about it."

'Just think about it.' Ha. Like I wasn't going to have to rearrange all of my pre-existing ideas about relationships. Like society would accept it. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Give me some time to figure out how I feel about it?"

"Of course. What does that look like to you? Do you want me to stay scarce?" He pulls away from me, and I feel the loss in my soul.

"NO. No. I want to go slow. I want to get to know you...be friends first."

"Thank fuck. That I can deal with. I may get carpal tunnel, but I'll manage."

I laugh. Really laugh. He stops walking, staring at me like I grew a third eye.

"Motherfucker you're beautiful," he breathes, his eyes luminous. He shakes his head to clear it. "Despite what it seems, I wasn't stalking you. I came down here to jog." He peels off his shirt and tucks it into his waistband. "See ya later, Carebear." He winks and jogs away toward the water. Thirty seconds later, he smacks his ass with his hand like he knows I'm still watching. I spin on my heel and walk the other way before he can look back and catch me staring.

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