Page 98 of One Kind Hand

“He’s a hot hockey player she met at those cottages last night,” Brooke said as she breezed by on her way to the kitchen.

Austin pointed at Brooke. “I can’t know who Sawyer is, but she can?” He looked at Claire sitting on the couch in front of the TV she’d turned on. “Did you know about this guy too?”

“Of course.” Claire turned around and let her arm dangle over the back of the couch. “Some stuff is girl stuff, Austin, and in case you haven’t noticed, you’re not a girl.”

“I noticed.” Charlie raised her hand, earning a grin from Austin. “C’mon, let these ladies have their secrets. I’m sure they’re looking out for each other, and if they had a problem they couldn’t handle, they’d turn immediately to their big brother.”

“Yeah.” Morgan pointed at Charlie. “What she said.”

Austin let out another unintelligible, but sexy hot mumble. “Fine, but I will be grilling Isabel on this hockey team staying at the cottages.”

Morgan rolled her eyes then took off with her phone, no doubt to call Sawyer back.

Brooke walked by with a huge bowl of popcorn. “Don’t worry, Austin.” She patted her brother’s arm then gave Berto a piece of popcorn. “We’ll behave.”

“Mostly,” Claire called from the couch, making Brooke giggle.

“I’m leaving now,” Austin said, clamping his hand on Charlie’s forearm and navigating her to the suite’s door. “I’ll see you clowns tomorrow.”

“Bye!” Claire and Brooke said at the same time, both of them raising a right hand and giving him a wave.

Out in the hallway, Austin shook his head. “Maybe you were right about my sisters maturing. They almost never . . . dismiss me like that.”

“Don’t feel bad, Austin.” Charlie hooked her arm around his as they walked toward his suite. “They’ll always need you, but maybe for different things now.”

He let them into his suite. “If they’re going to grow up,” he said slowly as he set Berto down and faced Charlie, “maybe it’s time I did too.” At Charlie’s furrowed brows, he took her hands in his. “Will you do something with me?”

“I’ll pretty much do anything with you.” She leaned against him, her hands roving downward toward the crotch of his jeans. When she rubbed her hands over his arousal, he groaned.

“Yeah, I want that . . .” He closed his eyes for a moment when she massaged his balls through the denim. “But I wondered if you’d help me with something else first.”

Charlie dropped her hand, hearing the seriousness of his tone. “Sure. What do you need help with?”

He held up a finger, signaling for her to wait a moment. Austin went down the hallway, leaving Charlie and Berto staring at each other.

“Beats me, pup. I have no idea what your daddy is up to.” But she didn’t care. Whatever it was, if it meant spending time with Austin, she was all in.

He returned with a bag and gave it to her.

“What’s this?” The bag was light.

“Open it.”

Charlie pulled apart the sides of the bag to find a black bikini inside.

“I had my sisters pick that up for you so we could . . .” Austin was back to pacing, and Charlie reached out a hand to still him. When his gaze met hers, he drew in a breath and released it slowly. “I thought maybe you could help me with my water issue. There’s an indoor pool on the first floor of this hotel.” He set the bag with the swimsuit aside and interlaced his fingers with hers. “I know how to swim. Or at least I used to know. It’s been a while, but I guess I’m looking for someone to give me the nudge I need to get back in the water.”

“You mean my skydiving chopper antics the other day didn’t give you the nudge you needed?” She pursed her lips, still mad at herself for putting a lit match under his trauma.

“Along with telling you about that night with my parents, it certainly pointed out the need for me to get over this fear.” He released one of her hands and raked his hand through his hair. “I’ve held on to it for too long.”

“Or maybe it’s held on to you for too long.” Charlie rubbed his arms then picked up the bikini bag. “Give me a second to change.”

She took the bag to Austin’s bedroom, stripped out of her clothes and slipped on the bathing suit. It didn’t look half bad though Isabel would have been shocked to see her wearing a bikini. Charlie was strictly a one-piecer with an oversized T-shirt covering everything.

Except when she was with Austin apparently. His lust-filled gaze combing over her when she reemerged in the living room was all she needed to feel like a billion dollars in that skimpy suit. He, of course, looked like a god in a pair of black trunks, his cut chest and abs all right there for the touching.

“Remind me to thank the shit out of my sisters.” He pulled Charlie closer with his hands to her hips. “They are fucking geniuses when it comes to picking out bikinis for you.”