“You’re coming in too, aren’t you?” she said as she shimmied out of her jeans.
“I’m not sure there’s room in that tub for two.”
“We’ll make space.” She licked her lips suggestively, a sparkle of pure mischief in her eyes.
He didn’t need a second invitation.
“You get in first,” Agnes ordered, “and I’ll sit between your legs.”
That was his woman, always in charge. She scooped a handful of bubbles into her palm and blew them at him, looking triumphant when they splattered on his chest. She stepped close, her fingers trailing through the smattering of hair that covered his pecs.
“Why is chest hair so fascinating?” she mused as she played.
Logan’s hands came up to cup her heavy breasts, feeling their softness through the sexy black lace. “Why are women’s breasts so fascinating?”
Her eyelids drifted down, and she gazed up at him through thick lashes. “Do you like having your nipples touched? Some men do, some don’t.”
She toyed with one as he rasped a thumb over hers. With a groan, she swayed in his hold.
“You like having yours touched,” he said.
She rubbed a fingertip over his nipple. “Does that feel nice?”
“Honestly, I don’t feel anything at all.”
“Nothing?” Her eyes went wide.
“Nope. Sorry.”
“That can’t be right.” She leaned in and laved at it, before adding a nibble for good measure. “Anything?”
“You might as well be doing that to my elbow.”
Her frown was so cute it made him want to laugh. “These things really are pointless then, aren’t they?”
“Okay, we’re done here. Time to get in the bath.”
With an irritated shake of her head, she moved aside to let him climb in.
He lowered himself into the lavender-scented suds and wondered how much mud he’d have to roll in afterward to stop from smelling like a girl.
“Hurry up and get in here,” he grumbled. “Otherwise, I’m a guy having a bubble bath alone, and I don’t think my testosterone levels can cope with it.”
“Idiot.” Agnes threw off her underwear and climbed in, her breasts swaying in front of him, tantalizing him. “There’s nothing wrong with a man having a bubble bath.”
“Maybe if it smelled like Old Spice. This is lavender and vanilla. I’m going to smell like potpourri.”
“If you knew you were going to get in the bath, too, why didn’t you pick a different scent?”
“Because you like this one.” He’d thought that was obvious.
With a sigh of delight, she lowered herself to sit between his legs, making his dick stand to attention. The only thing his dick wanted more than to rub all over her was to be inside her. That will come, he promised it.
The sensation of her soft, feminine body against his settled something deep inside him. Something he hadn’t even realized was tense until that moment. As her hands rested on his legs, his hands slid around her to cup her breasts. Now, he felt…content.
Candlelight danced over her skin as Agnes played with the bubbles. They existed in a cocoon of sensuality where nothing else mattered except feeling. Gently, he massaged her breasts, using languorous touches that made her melt against him.
“I could do this all day,” he rumbled.
“The water would get cold.” She rubbed the heel of her hands up his thighs.
“Are you sure you’re comfortable sitting there? You might feel better if you put your legs over mine.”
“You think that would be more relaxing?”
“Oh, aye.”
She sucked in a breath but shifted to do exactly that. One leg hooked over each of Logan’s, leaving her wide open in his lap. “Like this?”
“Exactly like that. Feel better?”
“Not quite. Something’s missing.”
“A pillow,” he teased as he slid his right hand over her stomach and down toward paradise.
Her fingers dug into his legs as he toyed with the hair at the junction of her thighs.
“Are you going to tease me all night?” Agnes complained. “Should I do this myself?”
“Tempting, but trust me when I say that I have this in hand.” He slid his hand between her legs to cover her, holding her to him.
“That better not be all you’re doing.” That snarky little bite that crept into her voice when she’d lost control of a situation was back, and he loved it.
“We really need to work on your patience.” He slid a finger around her little clit, making her gasp and clutch his legs tight. “Happy now?”
“Not yet, but I’m hoping I will be.”
Chuckling, he continued the slow circular dance with his finger as his other hand caressed her breast.
“Faster,” she ordered on a moan.
“Not yet, there are some things I want to talk about first.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” She angled her head to glare at him, ready to argue her case, but he pressed that little bundle of nerves and got a groan instead.
“We need to clear up our living arrangement,” he said as he continued his teasing strokes.
“What’s to clear up?” She writhed against his hand, trying to get him to speed up his slow seduction. “All of my things are here.”
“Aye, but have you moved in with me, or are you just staying for a few days? Are you going back to the hotel? Are you leaving Invertary? As you can hear, I have a few wee questions that need answering.”
“How am I supposed to concentrate on answering them when you’re doing this?” she demanded, but it sounded rather breathless.
“This is the only way I can pin you down long enough to get answers.” Logan sped up his movements until she moaned, and then he slowed back down again.
“That is just cruel,” she wailed.
“That’s not an answer to my questions.”
“Fine, okay. I’ve moved in.”
His chest tightened. “For how long?”
“I don’t know.” She gasped, her nails digging into his thighs. “I’m trying to find a way to stay in Invertary.”
And just like that, it became impossible to breathe. “Do you want to stay?”
“Yes!” The word exploded out of her when he changed the pressure of his stroke. “Yes. I do. I’ve thought about it a lot. I think I could fit in here, but I need a job.”
There was no point in telling her that he’d happily support her for as long as it took to find work, as he knew Agnes wouldn’t accept his offer. She needed the security of knowing she could provide for herself no matter what happened. And he understood that. Trust took time to build. It often took longer than falling in love and, sometimes, it was far more fragile. Instead, he rewarded her by speeding up and taking her right to the edge of release all over again—before he slowed.
This time, she wailed louder. “I’m going to kill you,” she threatened.
“No, you aren’t because later, in bed, I plan to do this with my mouth.”
“I bloody hate that you’re good at sex.” She sounded so angry about it that he had to grin.
“I know. Now tell me this, do you remember what you sang on the phone the other night?”
“No.” It came out too fast and too clipped to be anything but a lie.
He removed his touch from between her thighs. “Are you sure about that?”
“Logan, I swear, I am going to suffocate you in your sleep if you don’t finish what you’ve started, right now. Oh, to hell with it. I’ll do it myself.”
“Oh no, you won’t.” He angled her forward, grabbed her arms, and tucked them behind her, then lay her back down so they were trapped between them. His arm snaked around her waist and held her tight, immobilizing her.
“What the hell? How did you do that so fast? And why is it so freaking sexy? That is just wrong.” She sounded enraged, frustrated, admiring, and turned on all at once.
Logan couldn’t help
it—she made him laugh. Kissing her shoulder, he pressed his hand over her feminine heat, feeling all that wet lushness just for him. She lifted her hips and tried to rub against him, but with her legs over his, she didn’t have the leverage she needed.
“I must be seriously sick in the head to be turned on by this,” she grumbled.
“As sick as I am for getting horny when you kicked my arse?”
“Okay,” she conceded, “not that sick.”
He pressed his palm against her clit, delighting in the little gasp that escaped her. “Are you going to tell me what you sang? I know you remember.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “I sang ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You.’ Happy now?”
She was priceless. “Aye, I’m happy now.” He resumed his intimate stroking, making sure to add a little more speed and pressure than he’d done so far.
“Oh,” she moaned, “that’s much better.”
“Let’s talk about the song.” Logan kissed her shoulder again, delighting in the wet, smooth skin beneath his lips.
“Let’s not,” she gasped.
“Interesting choice, don’t you think?”
“What I think is that you’re a teasing bastard of a man.”
And she loved it. He nipped her neck, then kissed it better. All the while continuing his steady touch. Her breathing became more rapid, and her muscles tensed. She was getting close, making him itch to send her over and watch her come apart in his arms.
But not yet.
“Why did you choose that song, Agnes?”
“Because I know the tune,” she said between gasps.
He lifted his hand and rested it on the side of the tub. Agnes wailed before cursing him out and threatening him with all sorts of bodily harm.
“Why did you choose that particular song?” he asked again, although he already knew the answer. She’d whispered the words after she’d finished singing—before she passed out. But he wasn’t sure she remembered that part.
“Because I love you,” she shouted. “Even though you’re an evil, sadistic demon of a man. I also hate you right now too.”
A surge of pure love swept up to meet her romantic declaration, and he kissed her neck. “Now, was that so difficult?”
Before she could say anything else, he used two fingers to stroke her hard. Her back arched, her muscles tensed, and she let out a glorious wail. And then she shattered. Panting and moaning as he gently slowed his caresses on her poor abused clit.
Listening to her labored breathing, he cradled her boneless body in his arms. Damn, she was perfect for him. And she planned to stay!
A smug smile broke out across his face, making him glad her eyes were closed and she couldn’t see it.
“I’m not giving you your surprise now,” she said huskily. “You don’t deserve it.”
“That’s okay.” He nuzzled her hair. “I don’t think you could hold your breath under water that long anyway.”
She barked a laugh and snuggled into him.
“I love you too,” he told her.
“I know,” she whispered before she promptly fell asleep.
Chapter 24
Agnes took a deep breath. Then another. She pressed her hand flat to her stomach and willed it to settle. This was ridiculous. She never felt nervous. Never.
“Are you sick?” Darcy asked as she came into the kitchen, where Agnes was going over her notes for the meeting with the town council. She checked the clock. In just over an hour.
“No. Just a bit nervous, and I don’t know why. I don’t usually get like this.”
“I get nervous all the time,” Darcy said as she jumped up to sit on the counter. “I was so nervous before a dance recital once that I puked all over my dance teacher. It stank because I’d had ice cream, and Gran says that curdles in your stomach. My teacher cried, and Dad had to sort it. You should get Dad to go with you to your meeting. He’d help you too. He always makes me feel less nervous when he goes with me to things.”
“I don’t think it’d be very professional if I brought him along.”
“Well, do you want to talk about it? Gran says a problem shared is a problem…yeah, I can’t remember, but it’s supposed to help.”
Agnes couldn’t help but smile. “It’s that simple, huh?” She frowned as she noticed a mark on Darcy’s face. “How did you get that bruise on your cheek?”
Darcy looked around the room before answering. “You won’t tell Dad?” she asked cautiously.
All of Agnes’ nerves disappeared as she focused on the girl. “I think your dad is going to notice that bruise anyway. Now spill, how’d you get it?”
“It’s Samantha. She picks on me and, when no one’s looking, she hits me.”
Oh. That was not happening. Agnes got up out of her chair, crossed to the sink, and dampened a tea towel with cold water. “Hold that to it. Is it sore?”
Darcy shook her head. “Not now.”
Agnes folded her arms over her gray work suit. The one she didn’t bother wearing to the pub now that she was only there in a casual capacity. “Who’s Samantha?”
“A girl in my class. She lives in Fort William, and she’s pretty mean. She picks on all the kids that come from other places, but she really hates me, and I don’t know why.”
“Probably because she’s a nasty little…girl.” She’d been going to say bitch but caught herself at the last minute. “Hasn’t Drew stepped in to stop it?” Agnes and her sisters had always stood up for each other when one of them was picked on.
“I haven’t told him, because she’s a girl and he can’t hit girls. Dad says that’s wrong.”
She had a point. “How big is this kid?”
Darcy held up a hand, a couple of inches above her head. “To about here.”
“Right.” She took off her suit jacket and hung it over a kitchen chair. “Come here. I’m going to show you how to hit back, but only on one condition.”
Darcy eagerly jumped off the counter and rushed to stand facing Agnes. “Okay.”
Agnes nodded. “I’ll show you how to fight, but if this Samantha hits you again, you have to promise to hit her back and hit way harder than she hit you.”
Darcy started giggling and covered her mouth with her hands. “I thought you were going to say I had to tell a teacher.”
“Hell, no! I mean heck…heck, no. The only way to deal with bullies is to hit back and hit harder. They thrive on fear. Never show them you’re scared. Plus, they count on you following the rules they don’t follow, like the one that says you shouldn’t hit people in school, and it gives them an advantage. She’s using your good nature against you. That’s why you need to hit back hard. One good punch, and she’ll never bother you again.”
It was tempting to tell her to punch that kid right in the throat, but that could kill Samantha, which was probably a step too far in dealing with a bully. Although…this was a bully who dared to mess with Darcy, and that made Agnes furious. She hadn’t felt this angry since her sisters had been picked on. She’d always felt a ferocious fury when anyone messed with the people who belonged to her. Guess that meant Darcy was hers too.
She waited for the feeling of responsibility to squash her, but all she felt was a sense of rightness.
“Agnes, are you still going to teach me to fight?” Darcy said, making her smile.
“Was I thinking too much? That sometimes happens. I was wondering if I should go to the school and deal with this Samantha in person.”
Darcy cocked her head. “You look kind of murderous. Maybe it would be best if I tried hitting her first.”
“Fine,” Agnes conceded, “but if this doesn’t work, I’ll deal with it.”
Darcy got a scheming little look on her face. “Normally, only family are allowed to talk to the teachers about a kid. Does this mean you’re Dad’s girlfriend now?”
“I didn’t plan to talk to anyone, and I don’t see why we have to put a label on this thing with your dad. But fine. I’m his…” Yeah, she could
n’t say it. “Whatever. Come here so I can show you how to knock this girl into next week. Nobody messes with my people and gets away with it.”
And then she proceeded to show Darcy how to hit so damn hard, Samantha would end up in France.
“Dad?” Drew came up behind Logan as he stood in the hall, listening to Agnes instruct Darcy on the best way to pummel a girl in her class.
“Shh,” he whispered. “I’m eavesdropping.”
“I thought you said eavesdropping was wrong.”
“I meant when you two do it.”
Drew angled in beside him to peer through the crack in the door into the kitchen, where Agnes was explaining that if a good punch to the nose didn’t sort things, Darcy was to aim for the eyes.
“Dad, your girlfriend is kind of scary.” Drew grinned up at him. “It’s cool.”
Ah, like father, like son. Logan put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “It’s definitely cool,” he agreed.
“You’d better stay on her good side because if you get into a fight, she’ll kick your backside.”
Logan didn’t bother telling his son she already had.
“What’s going on anyway?” Drew said.
“Some kid in school has been hitting Darcy. Agnes is showing her how to hit back.”
Although, he was in two minds about Agnes’ plan. It was against school rules to hit another kid, but should it be if it was in self-defense? Did he really want to raise kids who were so frightened of stepping a foot out of line that they let everyone walk all over them? On the other hand, what if Darcy went wild and started bullying other kids? Naw, that would never happen.
“Somebody’s been hitting my sister?” Drew’s face was pure thunder. “Who? And why didn’t she tell me? I would have sorted them right out.”
“Because it’s a girl.”
He understood instantly. “I might not hit a girl, but I could still scare the crap out of her.”
Logan wanted to say that wasn’t the right thing to do either, that boys shouldn’t go around threatening girls, but hell, the kid wanted to stand up for his sister.
“I wish parenting was clear-cut,” he said on a sigh. “Let’s see how Agnes’ method works before we step in.”
Can't Buy Me Love: Romantic Comedy (Sinclair Sisters Trilogy Book 3) Page 20