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She knew instantly Charlotte heard most of it.

“Can I throw this water in her face? Pretty ple⁠—”

Charlotte’s hand threaded through her hair, pulling her in until her lips brushed the shell of her ear. “You have sixty seconds to get upstairs and get undressed.”

A shiver ran through her. With no time to waste, she bolted for the stairs, trying not to spill a drop in her haste.

Behind her, Charlotte’s voice dropped into something lethal.

“If you know what is good for you, that will be the last time you proposition my girlfriend. Or do I need to remind you how vicious I can be when pushed too far?”

Ali ignored the raised voices drifting up from downstairs as Charlotte gave Victoria a quick dressing down. Where everyone else was, she didn’t know… or care. Maybe outside roasting s’mores or taking a night-walk on the beach. Already asleep, who knew.

With forty-five seconds remaining there was no time to waste on worrying about Victoria. She kicked the door closed behind her, Victoria would rile Charlotte up more which meant Ali’s chances of being railed were steadily increasing.

Most excellent!

She scampered to each side of the bed, setting down the cups of water, noting the sound of Charlotte climbing the stairs. Fortunately, they were already ready for bed, her teeth were brushed, makeup removed. Only her clothes remained, which she began removing, fingers fumbling with her shirt.

Accursed buttons!

The doorknob turned as Ali flung her shirt across the room to land somewhere next to her jeans. She spun toward the door, breath catching when Charlotte’s storm-dark gaze locked onto her. She hooked her fingers under the waistband of her pants, making a show of sliding them down her body.

Charlotte made no show of stripping out of her clothes. Instead, removing them with military-like precision.

“You have three seconds.”

Ali moved to unhook her bra, before she stilled. Her earlier hypothesis, Charlotte’s rare, breathtaking submissive streak, needed more testing.

She settled her hands on her hips instead, smirking.

“Actually,” she purred, the timbre of her tone authoritative. “I think I’ll keep them on for now.”

“Alina,” Charlotte warned, voice low and commanding in a way that any other day would have her dropping to her knees.

But she needed to do this… for science.

“You have three seconds to get on the bed,” Ali cut her off and watched as Charlotte’s eyes widened.

“Ali. Take off your clothes.”

“Three.”

“Ali I⁠—”

“Two.”

Charlotte hesitated half a second more before she slipped out of her underwear. She took an uncertain step toward the bed, balking. Ali could see it, how she was caught between the instinct to control, her natural armor, and her urge to surrender.

Her gaze flicked to Ali, wide and pleading in a way that made heat pool low in Ali’s belly.

Taking pity on her, Ali closed the distance.

Charlotte descended upon her lips, hands bracketing her jaw. The kiss was blistering, all the pent up heat igniting, threatening to consume them.

Ali walked her backward until Charlotte hit the mattress and toppled into its center, curls spilling like a dark halo around her.

Ali took in her naked form for a moment.