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I’d never seen a man naked before, and even though I was aware that I shouldn’t have been ogling as I drank him, I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt. His body was sheer perfection, and his cock was impressive. Despite the distance between us, I could make out the curve of it, as well as his neatly trimmed pubic hair.

Jacob strolled leisurely down the length of the jetty, towel-drying his hair, his cock bobbing as he walked. The sight only added to the ache in my pussy, which by now was becoming unbearable.

As he neared the end of the jetty, his eyes flicked up to where I was, our gazes clashing before I ducked down, my cheeks flaming.

Oh God. Had he seen me?

Oh. My. God.

He must have seen me; he was looking right at me.

How was I going to face him?

My heart beat frantically, shame seeping into the marrow of my bones, when a thought suddenly popped into my head. What if he was coming up to the bedroom to take a shower?

I had to hide.

Summoning up every ounce of courage, I raised my head to peek over the balcony, relieved to see that Jacob wasn’t there, but only adding to my fear that he was on his way up to take a shower.

As quick as a flash, I raced to the bed and dived under the covers, clamping my eyes shut and doing my best to pretend to be fast asleep, and that the pounding of my heart wouldn’t give me away.

After what felt like an eternity, and Jacob hadn’t made an appearance, I dashed to the bathroom to wash. Footsteps padded from the other side of the locked door, and I pressed my ear against it, listening intently, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

When the footsteps padded away, I peeked out the door, relief flooding me at discovering the bedroom was empty. My gaze landed on a new pile of clothes sitting on the table, and a rush of gratitude hit me. At least if I had to face Jacob after seeing him naked, it wouldn’t be in a bedsheet.

Along with the shame that had settled in my body, the ache in my pussy had taken up residence, refusing to go away. I crossed to the table, my mind turning over with all the things I used to do to bring some calmness to my life when I lived with my parents, settling on yoga.

My mother hired a yoga teacher to visit our house four times a week, and insisted I join her in the sessions. It was one of the few things my mother made me do that I actually enjoyed. For the entirety of the session, I was always able to clear my mind and focus on my breathing, the stretch of my muscles, and the peace the soft music would bring.

Whenever something had upset me or my mother had done something to irritate me, I’d always hide away in my bedroom and go through a variety of yoga poses until I was calm again.

Perhaps that was what I needed to forget the carnage of the morning. The only problem was, I didn’t have a mat, and the clothes Jacob had left me—a short dress with yellow sunflowers on it—were not appropriate for yoga positions.

I’d only end up flashing my ass.

Deciding that yoga may help me find relief, I put my embarrassment aside for the sake of my sanity and headed downstairs in the oversized shirt to find Jacob, hoping I wouldn’t come across as being rude for asking for a change of outfit and a yoga mat.

He was in the dining room, showered and dressed in a tight-fitting dark blue shirt, and behind the door to the kitchen, clattering floated through, telling me that Wallace was in there preparing breakfast.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be grits again.

As I stepped in, Jacob lifted his gaze from where he was reading the newspaper, his glasses perched on his nose. His smile fell from his face when he saw that I was still wearing the clothes I’d slept in. “Was there something wrong with the clothes I picked out for you to wear today, angel?”

Heat crawled up my throat; he thought I’d gone back on my word. “No, the dress is gorgeous,” I rushed out, wanting to show that I wasn’t being ungrateful. “I will definitely wear it later, but I was just wondering…” I trailed off, the words dying in my throat when my brain unhelpfully flashed an image of his naked body before my eyes, making me lower my gaze.

“What do you need, Charlotte?” Jacob said, his tone soft and encouraging.

Meeting his eyes again, embarrassment flooded me as I tried to remove the image from my memory. “I…uh, I usually do yoga in the morning. I was wondering if it would be possible to have something a little more practical to wear to do the poses?”

A broad grin graced his face, almost as if he was pleased that I’d asked him. “Of course, angel. You only ever have to ask if you want something. Sit and have breakfast with me first, and then I’ll find you something suitable.”

Nerves exploded in my stomach like fireworks as I forced my legs to take the few steps to where he’d pulled the chair out next to him, and as I sat down, my core clenched at the first hint of his intoxicating scent.

“How did you sleep?” he inquired, folding his paper away and removing his glasses to give me his undivided attention.

“Oh. Well, thank you,” I lied. “How about you?”

His eyes filled with affection, setting off another round of fireworks in my stomach. “I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.”