Page 52 of Charlie

"Ewww!" Isla screeches, sending a sheet of water our way.

Jack sets me down and disappears under the water, popping up fifty yards away.

"Does he usually do that?" I gape.

Isla laughs, shaking her head. "I think he needs to work off some steam. Did you see the way he was looking at you?" She wiggles her eyebrows, grinning.

"He was not," I laugh, sending a wave of water toward her.

Jack pushes out of the water right in front of me, water streaming down his torso. "Yes, I was, Sassenach. You're a fucking snack."

Heat pools in my stomach. If I'm a snack, I want him to be my last meal.

He shakes his hair out of his face. I stand there frozen, watching the rivulets of water running over the ridges of his stomach. Holy hell.

"My eyes are up here, Charlotte."

Mortification rolls over me, heat rushing to my cheeks. I meet his gaze, ready for the cheeky smirk, but it's all heat. He pulls his bottom lip into his mouth and lust spikes through me, a lightning bolt straight between my thighs. I sink into the cold water but realize too late that I'm now eye-level with his crotch. Wet swim trunks don't hide a damn thing. He's massive, and I can't tear my eyes away. I groan and submerge myself until the water closes over my head. Aiming toward a floating platform, I swim underwater until my breath runs out. I pull myself up onto the ancient wooden planks and lie on my back, taking deep breaths. I'm panting over a big dick like a hussy. I grin to myself.

Jack bursts from the water, boosting himself onto the platform. "That's an awfully big smile you have there," he says, his voice smoke and whisky.

"That's an awfully big—" I slap my hand over my mouth, my eyes wide. Why the fuck can't I control myself when I'm around him?

He turns toward me, cocking an eyebrow. "An awfully big what?"

I roll away from him until I plop off into the water. Escape is the only answer. I open my eyes under the water to try to see where the platform is with the sole plan of getting back to shore and hi-tailing it back to the cottage. I push up for a breath, but Jack is already there, grabbing my arms so I can't go back under.

He slides his hands over my waist, the rough scrape of his callouses setting my nerves on fire. "A big what, Charlotte?" he asks roughly.

I press my forehead to his chest, my gaze traveling down his body, the dusting of hair on his lower stomach snagging my attention before I look further down, his swim trunks almost obscene the way they're tented. My heart rate picks up, throbbing in forbidden places. I moan, squeezing my hands into fists. I want him so bad I can barely think straight. I look up at him through my lashes, letting him see everything.

"Fuck...me." His gaze anchors on my lips as he traces them with his thumb. "I wish we were alone," he murmurs.

I hum my agreement, watching as he slides his tongue over his lips. God. I want his tongue on me. In me.

"Jack! Come help with the burgers?" Lorna calls from the deck, sounding frazzled.

"I better go help." He brushes his lips over the corner of my mouth and wades out of the water, grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist.

I watch Jack pause by Lach's chair and say something to him. Lach raises his head to look at me, then sits up, motioning for me to join him. I walk to him and sit down between his legs; he pulls me against his chest, his warm sun-kissed skin making me shiver. He nuzzles my neck, rubbing my arms with his hands to warm me up.

"Are you having a good time?" he asks, his voice husky with sleep.

"Yes, maybe too much."

"How can you have too much of a good time, Carebear?" He pulls my hair over one shoulder, pressing his lips to the sensitive skin behind my ear.

I take a second to think of a less scary way to spin how I'm feeling, but I give up. "I feel like I belong here, and I don't understand it. If I'm being honest, it's terrifying. I have to leave eventually."

"Do you, though?"

I twist to look at him. "Yes! I don't have any money. I have to go back and figure out the rest of my life."

Lach extricates himself from the chair and stands in front of me, his fingers tracing my jaw. He squats down, bringing his eyes to the same level as mine. "I want you to listen to me, okay? I don't want you to respond. Just think about it."

"Okay." I bite my lip, suddenly nervous.

"If you want to stay, we'll figure it out. This may feel like home to you, but you feel like home to us."

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