Page 65 of Charlie

"How long have you been reading books like this, mo chridhe?"

"Why does that matter?" I ask, intimidated by the look in his eyes.

"Because I want to know how long your heart has been yearning for us. I want to know how long your body has been begging to be worshipped by more than two hands and one tongue."

I lick my lips, feeling extraordinarily vulnerable. I meet his golden gaze, "Years. Since I was sixteen."

His deep chuckle skitters over my skin, lodging in my core. "And I was worried we were dragging you to the dark side without you fully understanding what you were getting into." He tips my chin up, studying me. "But you want it, don't you?"

"More than anything," I confess, the words tumbling from my lips.

"Such a dirty girl." The baritone of his voice slides through my veins, fire and ice colliding between my legs. My eyes flutter closed as the throbbing intensifies. "I can't wait to see you on your knees begging for it like a good girl." A shiver courses through me, his breath hot against my ear.

"Not until I make you beg first," I rasp, gasping as he pushes a finger between my legs, my clit rolling under his fingertip.

"We'll see about that," he growls, his body blocking me from anyone passing by as his hand works between my legs. He pulls away suddenly, tweaking my nipple before pulling out his phone.

"Jack," I whimper, " Please."

"Who's begging now, mo chridhe?" He cups my face, pulling at my bottom lip, his gaze slightly unfocused. I lick his thumb, sucking it into my mouth, swirling my tongue over him.

"Fuck," he mutters, then pushes it in farther. I hollow my cheeks, and he pulls away abruptly. "You're fucking dangerous." He eyes me, something primal in the set of his jaw, in the lines bracketing his mouth.

A spark ignites in response, lighting up a wild, insatiable part of me that I've kept buried all these years, and that's the moment I realize I can finally let my freak flag fly.

35

As we pull into the campsite, the hills open into a wide valley draped in green velvet. The beauty has my heart pounding in my chest, like something inside me is screaming, 'This is home! This is where you belong!'.

"This is incredible," I murmur as Jack opens my door.

"It is, isn't it, lass? Do you want to hike it first?" I nod, my hand disappearing inside his as he helps me from the truck. Instead of releasing me, he tucks both of our hands in the front pocket of his jacket as we turn and gaze at the view. "My grandad used to bring me here every summer. Those are some of the best memories of my childhood."

"Will you tell me more about how you grew up?" I ask, the sudden urge to know everything about him gripping me by the throat. He pulls my bag and his pack from the back of the truck and straps it on, grabbing my hand again as we head toward the trail.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

He chuckles. "The three of us lived in the manor house with our parents until they died when I was thirteen."

My stomach drops. "Jack, I had no idea. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to."

"It's okay, lass. It was a long time ago." He smiles, his eyes sad. "They were on an anniversary trip and had taken a private plane to the Orkneys. The wind was terrible that day. The pilot lost control."

"God, I'm so sorry."

"They died together, Sassenach. That's all anyone could ask for. After that, we moved onto the estate with our grandad. It must have been a huge burden for him, but he never let on. He was an amazing man. I wish you could have met him – you would have loved him."

"I’m sure I would have," I murmur, wistful.

"All three of us went to university, but we couldn't stay away long, and came right back right after graduation. Harris is home. It just doesn't feel the same anywhere else."

I'm envious of that. My home never felt like anything other than a house. I've never had a special connection with a place. At least not until I came to Scotland. I push that thought to the back of my mind to examine later.

"So you took over the estate once your grandad died?"

Jack nods. "I'm the only one that actually wanted the responsibility, so I took it on. It's a challenge almost every day, but I love it."

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