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I try not to look back at the pool where Cora is bathing. I really do try. Dipping under the water, while keeping my bandaged hand raised, I scrub at the dirt in my hair until I can’t hold my breath anymore. But when I break the surface, there’s a sloshing sound followed by a soft gasp, and I turn. Just to make sure she’s alright. That’s all.

What I see arrests me. I can’t look away.

Cora has her profile to me, sitting on the edge of the pool. Two pillars frame the view of her beautiful body, lush curves on full display, every peak and valley. Those breasts I’ve been dreaming about, now completely exposed. She’s leaning back on her hands with her head thrown back, and from the rise and fall of her breasts, I can tell she’s breathing fast.

Movement between her legs draws my attention, and I realize Jax is… fuck . I can’t see exactly what he’s doing, but the implication is clear. His moans are a perfect chorus to the gasps she’s making. He throws her legs over his shoulders, and she shifts her weight to one hand so she can clasp his hair.

My scalp tingles, imagining it’s my hair she’s tugging, my tongue between her legs, cock like a pillar, aching as my knot swells and pulses. Her head rolls side-to-side, and like the draw of a magnet, her eyes lock with mine. She doesn’t look repulsed by my voyeurism, doesn’t yell at me to look away, doesn’t tell Jax to stop. She licks her lips.

I’m so fucked.

Cora has always been beautiful, a temptation I’ve tried to avoid, but over the past few weeks on this dig, I’ve learned she’s also kind, considerate, incredibly intelligent, and, well, fun. I’m mesmerized by the way she hyper focuses on a task she’s excited about, how her eyes light up when she discovers something new, and the way she talks to herself without even realizing it.

She’s not talking now. She’s biting her lip like she’s trying to keep herself quiet. I wonder what she’s trying to keep from saying. If she didn’t hold herself back, would she be talking to him or to me? Would she babble about the sensations she’s feeling or beg for what she wants?

Her pleasure is enthralling, making it impossible to tear my gaze away. So I don’t. Eyes roving her body, I fist my cock under the hot water. Her hand moves from Jax’s hair to her breast, tweaking her nipple before filling her palm with the flesh and squeezing tightly. Her gaze is heated, steam circling her body like it’s coming from her rather than the pools.

She shakes, and suddenly cries out as she comes, breaking eye-contact with me as she throws her head back, her chest pushing forward, her spine arching.

Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

As soon as she comes down from the high, she looks at me, and I can’t hold back anymore, spilling myself in the pool with a low groan. Shit! That can’t be sanitary. Do I have to tell everyone to stay out of this pool? How the fuck am I going to have that conversation?

The spell she cast on me breaks like shattered glass, and I’m left feeling disgusted with myself and embarrassed by my actions. I’m a grown man, not a horny teen who can’t control himself. Sure, she didn’t seem to mind me watching, but it still doesn’t mean it was okay. She was caught up in the moment, like I was. She’ll probably regret it now.

A woman like Cora Whitlock doesn’t go for an old grump like me. She could have anyone. There’s a fucking scent match between her legs right now! She doesn’t need or want me. Just a few hours ago, she slapped me!

Shit, is she going to slap me again for watching her like a perv? I wouldn’t blame her. I deserve it.

But, fuck, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

That was the sexiest experience of my life, and I’ll never forget it.

Climbing out of the pool, I avoid looking at her, focusing all my attention on putting my clothes back on. Or at least my khaki shorts. I forgo my sweaty shirt since it’s plenty warm in here, and take a few minutes to wash it, along with my socks and boxers. Cora’s soft footsteps sound nearby, and I hold my breath waiting for her to call me out. She doesn’t. She walks by without saying a word .

Unsure if I’m grateful or disappointed, I glance up after she’s past and see she’s wearing nothing but a clean, oversized shirt I can only assume came from Jax. It makes me think of her in my shirt that night with the jackal. And, fuck ! Seeing her prance around with those long legs on full display, the fabric barely hiding anything, my cock is instantly stiff again.

How am I going to survive being trapped down here with her?