Page 16 of Charm

I take the bait and answer the question in a way I hope gets me what I want. “Probably, but I know for a fact there is no rule about eating after eating.”

Her brow furrows. “Don’t you mean there’s no rule about eating after swimming?”

“No,” I answer succinctly as I close the distance between where I’m standing and the stool she’s sitting on next to the large kitchen island. “I meant what I said. There’s no rule about eating you after eating.”

To drive my point home, I trail my pointer finger over the smooth skin of her thigh. I caught a glimpse of white lace beneath the robe, so I know she took the time to slide on a pair of panties when she put on the robe.

Her gaze leaves my hand to focus on my face. “If we do that, neither of us will get any sleep tonight.”

“Is that a problem?”

She laughs, but a yawn takes over. “For me, yes. I’ve been up since five this morning…or is it yesterday morning?”

“That’s almost twenty-four hours.”

Nodding, she places her hand over mine before it can reach its final destination. I want to touch her again. Ripping the panties off of her and burying my tongue in her pussy seems like the perfect after sandwich treat.

“I need to sleep, Joe,” she whispers. “Can we pick this up tomorrow?”

“It is tomorrow,” I point out as I lift her hand to my lips for a soft kiss on her palm.

That pulls more laughter from her. “Later today, then?”

“Later today,” I agree with a nod. “I’ll take off.”

She leans closer to wrap a hand around the back of my neck as she pulls me in for a kiss. It’s soft yet raw in its intensity. My cock throbs as she bites the corner of my bottom lip slightly.The pinch of pain is enough to send my feet forward until I’m standing between her legs.

The kiss breaks when she sighs. “I’m already looking forward to later.”

I steal one last kiss from her. I’d say it’s almost chaste, but that would be a lie. There’s nothing innocent about how I feel when I touch her.

“Later, as in an hour from now?” I tease while brushing a strand of her hair from her forehead.

“Around noon would work,” she says, placing a hand in the center of my bare chest. “I need some time to catch my breath. Don’t you?”

I can’t hold back a smile as I avoid answering the question because I’d have to admit that I’ve been breathless since I walked into this house hours ago. “I’ll be back then.”

“It’s a date.” She runs a fingertip over her bottom lip.

Fuck me if that’s not one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen. I stare at her, saving the image to memory. “It’s a date.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Greer

I rakea hand through my hair as I settle on a leather bench beneath one of the windows in a bedroom I haven’t been in before. I stepped in here because I know that I’ll get a bird’s eye view of what is proving to be a breathtaking sunrise.

The last time I was in East Hampton was years ago, and the small condo I stayed in didn’t have a view of anything other than my ex-husband. At the time, I thought I could see forever in his eyes, but now, I realize that was hope. I hoped the relationship would last until one of us died, but instead it crashed into a million pieces on a day that was both the worst and best of my life.

The warm air filtering into the room from the open window is scented not only by the rose bush that sits below it, but also by the ocean. I could breathe it in all day and never get enough of it.

I glance down at the pool. The water is still now. The beach is deserted except for a couple walking hand in hand in the distance. I know if I took a leap and dove into the pool for a very early morning swim, no one would notice.

This property sits on a gentle hill. It’s far enough from the beach that curious onlookers can’t see much more than a row of lush, leafy trees that border the pool. I suspect that’s why Joe felt emboldened enough to skinny dip when it was still light out.

I skim a hand over the front of my robe. Unlike earlier, I’m nude beneath it since I took a quick shower right after Joe said goodnight to me.

Laughing softly, I whisper to myself, “Joe did it. You can, too.”