Page 76 of Charlie

My cheeks heat as my imagination takes over. "I'm okay with other stuff being separate as long as the actual sex is all of us together. What do you guys think?"

"What about Cameron and I?" Lach asks. "If we decide to explore that again?" he elaborates, his words tentative.

"I think it should be the same rules."

"I agree," Cam says, his cheeks flushed scarlet.

"It's settled then? No group sex until we even up the playing field and then only group sex from then on?" Jack confirms.

"Agreed," Cam and Lach, and I say in unison.

"How long might that be?" Cam asks, looking at me and then down at his lap, where his cock is pressed against his thigh.

I lick my lips, remembering that one tiny taste I had in the alley, "Not long. In the meantime, I have a mouth capable of taking care of that for you."

"Fuck," he breathes, his jaw flexing.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Jack says, pushing his stool back as he stands.

"You, maybe," Lach laughs, "this is where I live." He turns to Cam and me, "Why don't the two of you go to the cottage or back to your apartment and catch up with each other?"

"Are you guys sure?" I ask, suddenly uncertain in this new territory.

"Yes, Sassenach. Go." Jack gently pushes both of us toward the door. I turn back toward him to argue but only catch a glimpse of a huge grin and an eyebrow waggle as he closes the door.

40

My hair whips at my face as I look up at Cam, suddenly shy. "Do you want to go to the cottage or back to your place?"

"Is there room for me to do what I'm going to do to you in the cottage?" he asks, tipping up my chin. I shiver as the deep timbre of his voice rumbles over me.

"No," I croak, licking my parched lips. He guides me over to Jack's truck and opens the door, motioning for me to hop in.

"Lach can drive him back," he reassures me when he sees my hesitation. We're pulling into the castle drive a couple of minutes later, a comfortable silence cocooning us – like we both know there's no point in talking until we do everything possible. Except fuck. This will be an exercise in restraint, although I suppose it's good practice for later.

Cam doesn't wait until we're inside. The second he opens my door to the car, he pushes his hands into my hair and pulls my mouth to his. He slicks his tongue across my lips and I open, inviting him in. He slides one hand down my back, around my waist, and up to cup my breast.

"God, I forgot how perfect they are," he mumbles against my lips. I moan as his fingers close over my nipple, arching into his touch. "Fuck, Charlie. I have to get you inside. I need to feel your skin against mine." He links his fingers with mine and pulls me to a side entrance, lifting and carrying me over the threshold. Our gazes collide, both of us caught in a torrent of emotion so poignant it brings tears to my eyes.

"I missed you so fucking much," he rasps, setting me down so he can kiss me properly. I press my body to him, but I know that even when our clothes are gone, it still won't be close enough. I lean back so I can see his face, tracing the bow of his lips, the divot in his chin, the sharp sweep of his jaw, memorizing the tiny flaws that make him imperfectly perfect.

"I think I love you," I blurt, the words tumbling from my mouth before I can give them the thought they deserve.

"You think?" His dimples flash. "I think I've loved you since you turned that chair around and sat there listening to me like I was the most fascinating person you've ever met. I think I've loved you since we stood outside the bookshop and the mist coated your eyelashes like fairy dust." He presses his forehead to mine. "I knew I loved you the second I stepped foot on that airplane to leave and I felt like my life was ending."

I sniffle, then laugh at the irony of it all. "Why did we ever think it was a good idea for you to go?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. But maybe you wouldn't have met the guys, and things would be completely different right now."

"You're sure you're okay with all of this?" I ask, needing reassurance.

"I'm positive, Charlie." He runs one fingertip over my eyebrows, down my nose, lingering on my lower lip. "You're a goddamn supernova. You pulled us into orbit and now we're all fucked. In the best kind of way."

"You have a way with words that I'll never get enough of," my whisper is deep and throaty and tells him exactly what I'm thinking about.

"Come on." He pulls me through a maze of hallways, through a beautiful art gallery with twenty-foot ceilings, into a large open hallway, and then stops in front of an intricately carved door. He twists the doorknob but pauses before opening the door, looking at me with a mixture of wonder and disbelief. "I never thought I would see you standing in front of my door, looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

---