Page 97 of Charlie

"Right on time," Lach grins, lifting my fingers to his mouth and licking them clean. "Ready for some adventure, Carebear?"

I reach up and push a lock of hair from his forehead, sweeping my thumb over his freckles before bringing his mouth down to meet mine. The kiss is tender and filled with promise. "I'm ready for anything as long as I'm with you," I murmur against his lips.

53

Ican still feel my heart beating between my thighs as we prepare to disembark. We’re anchored several hundred feet offshore, a small tender boat bobbing in the water below, waiting to ferry us to the island just off the bow. In true Scottish fashion, gale-force winds claw at us, each gust churning the water until it looks like we’re caught in a washing machine.

"Is this safe?" I ask, looking up at Lach, my heart lodging in my throat as the boat rises over a swell.

"The captain has years of experience; he wouldn't put us at risk. We have lifejackets and a GPS beacon just in case," he says, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"Okay," I whisper, steeling myself. I can do this.

"Hey," he whispers, tilting my face toward his, "We don’t have to do this. We can motor to calmer water or head back toward the marina and do something on land instead."

"No," I insist, shaking my head. "This boat is an important part of who you are – I want to do this with you. You and I haven't had as much time together as I've had with Jack and Cam." I chew on my lip, meeting his gaze. "There's a hole in here that's been waiting to be filled by you." I flatten his hand over my heart, holding it there.

He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head, his hand moving in comforting circles over my back. "I feel the same way, Charlie." He releases me and disappears into the cabin for a minute, coming back with a gigantic pack on his back.

"What's that for?" I ask. "I thought this was just a quick trip to see the cave."

He laughs sheepishly. "I'm making sure we were ready for anything. I packed flashlights and helmets in case you want to explore in the cave; I have firewood in case we want a fire... lunch, a blanket in case you get cold..." he says, ticking the items off on his fingers.

"And if you get cold?" I tease.

"I have one blanket in case we get cold," he says, biting his lip and wiggling his eyebrows up and down suggestively. I laugh and follow him down a set of stairs and over a walkway to the tender. He throws his pack to the captain, hops in, then grabs my waist and lifts me on board.

He looks at my face and immediately grabs a life jacket and fastens it around me, then does the same for himself, motioning for the captain to put his on as well. I lean against Lach and close my eyes, turning my face to the wind as we make our way toward shore. We hit the sand after a couple of minutes, and the captain hops out, steadying the boat. Lach hands him the pack, rolls up his linen pants and jumps out, holding his hands out to me. I brace myself on his shoulders, and he swings me away from the boat, sliding me down his body until my toes touch the sand.

"Is he going to stay there the whole time?" I ask, surreptitiously looking over my shoulder at the captain, making sure he isn't leaving. I can't help thinking that our odds of survival aren't great if we end up stranded here – the entire island is one giant rocky cliff face.

"He’ll stay there the whole time," Lach promises. "We'll be on the other side of the island, so we won’t be able to see him, but he'll be there waiting."

"Good." I force myself to take deep, calming breaths. "I think I need to get out a little bit more – expand my horizons, so I don't panic over tiny things," I murmur, more to myself than to Lach. "You probably think I’m ridiculous, don’t you?"

"No, I absolutely do not think you're ridiculous. Having anxiety when you're doing something new is completely normal. Expected, even." He presses a firm kiss to my forehead, holding me there until I wrap my arms around him. "Are you ready?" he asks, threading his fingers through mine.

"Ready," I confirm, walking with him along the beach, the boat slowly disappearing from sight. "So, tell me about this cave," I say, carefully picking my way over the rocks.

"It’s called Fingal's Cave. It’s pretty popular due to the rock formations, but I’d be surprised if anybody is there today due to the wind."

"What makes it so special?"

"You’ll have to wait and see, Carebear," he says, grinning, "I don't want to ruin it for you."

We round the bend, and there she is in all her glory. Rocky hexagonal spires of rock stretch toward the sky like giant stairs leading to the mouth of the largest cave I’ve ever seen.

"Oh my God," I breathe, my eyes wide as I take everything in. "I can't believe the rock forms like this naturally," I say, walking to the nearest stone and placing my palms flat on top of it, marveling at the shape.

"Isn't it amazing?" Lach asks, coming up behind me and wrapping an arm around my waist. "It’s like something out of a fairytale. I wouldn't be surprised to find out a dragon used to live here. Or a family of giants."

I study the cave, the sheer magnitude of it making my heart beat faster. It stretches high above us, the wind whistling across the opening.

"So, what do you want to do first?" he asks, propping his pack against a rock to give his shoulders a break.

"What do you want to do first?" I echo, but he’s shaking his head before I even get the last word out of my mouth.

"This is your day, Carebear."

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