by Jennie Marts
His eyes looked into hers with such feeling, and she was a slave to his desires. She’d made it her life dictum to not trust anyone, yet she trusted Logan to lead her to the fireplace, to slowly and deliberately undress her.
Her whole body had been alert as she’d stood still and let him undo each button. Each time his fingers brushed her skin, she’d wanted to melt, and she thought she’d die if he stopped. She wanted to weep at the delicious torture of his fingers skimming the edge of her bra.
After Michael had died, she’d put away her few lacy bra and panty sets. She’d swapped them out for more sensible cotton styles, not caring what she wore since no one ever got to see her underwear anyway. But when she’d been in county, she’d only been allowed to wear a plain white bra and panties. Her jailers had controlled everything she did, down to her underwear.
When she was released, she hated the sight of her plain bras, so she’d dug through her drawers until she unearthed the lacy things. Even if no one saw them, even if no one knew she wore them but her, it gave her a sense of freedom, of control, to put on one of the prettier versions.
But tonight, someone else was seeing them, and she’d secretly thrilled at the look of desire in his eyes when he’d peeled back her shirt and discovered the sexy black bra. A spark of heat tightened her nipples each time his hand brushed over the lace or across the top of her breast.
Everything in her ached for him, wanted him, and a shiver of arousal coursed through her. She wanted him to kiss her, to touch her, to everything her.
Desire had awakened in every inch of her body. It had been there, sparking just below the surface, since the first moment she’d seen him. But she’d pressed it down, kept it in check, dismissed it as nerves.
Now her nerves were alive and buzzing and not about to be dismissed. What might have started as a spark was now a wildfire of desire. A fire that couldn’t be tamped down or put out, even by the blizzard raging outside the windows.
The situation felt out of control, but Logan was giving her the power to decide what happened next. He was asking her with his eyes, but he wasn’t pushing her. He was giving her a choice, and that gave her the control she so desperately needed.
He was also what she desperately needed. Everything about tonight felt good. Okay, so she was terrified and freezing and anxious about what would happen tomorrow. But right now, in this moment, standing half naked before him, with his hand on the bare skin of her shoulder and his eyes seeking permission to kiss her, this felt good. He felt good.
She couldn’t speak, couldn’t articulate the words, but she lifted her chin and arched into him, saying yes in every silent way she could think of.
He must have understood because he leaned down, his breath a whispered caress against her skin as he moved a wisp of her hair from her neck before pressing a kiss to her shoulder. His whiskers scraped her sensitive skin as he laid another tender kiss on her throat and another on the soft spot just below her ear.
He raised his hands to her neck and cupped her cheeks in his palm, holding her face as his gaze traveled from her eyes to her mouth. Dipping his head, he traced his thumb over her bottom lip, his mouth hovering over hers, barely grazing her skin.
They were so close, and the need in her so strong that she sucked in a breath as if the motion might pull him closer.
He leaned in the slightest bit, the anticipation sending waves of heat coursing through her veins. Then he finally, thank you, Lord, finally closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers.
His kiss was deep and demanding, and she was instantly overwhelmed, consumed by the first touch of his tongue against hers. He slanted his lips against hers, tasting deeply, thoroughly. She moaned into his mouth, tilting her head as she invited him deeper.
His hands left her face, gliding down her neck and over her shoulders. Her breasts were tight and heavy, yearning for his touch, as his kisses sent a slow surge of warmth through her body. She moaned again as he moved one hand down and curled it around her breast. Sliding his thumb inside the cup, he grazed the tight, tingling nub of her nipple.
Her breasts ached with need and want, desperate for the attention they’d been lacking over the last several years. She let out a quivering sigh and sent a silent thank-you to whoever had invented the front-fastening bra as Logan popped open the snap and brushed the cups to the sides.
He dipped his head and sent another shiver of desire through her as the scruff of his whiskered cheek scraped the hardened tip of her nipple. His breath was warm as his tongue circled the nub, then sucked it between his lips.
Filling his hands with her breasts, he lavished them with attention, massaging and kneading, kissing and licking and sampling their tender tips. Scorching need seared through her each time he drew a sensitive nub between his lips.
He eased his hands down, skimming her waist, then reached for the top snap of her jeans. They were soaked and clung to her legs, but she barely felt the cold. Every part of her body was hot with want and need. But as much as she wanted him, if she did this, there would be no going back.
She put her hands on top of his, and he froze.
“What’s wrong?” His voice was breathless and hoarse.
“Nothing’s wrong. Exactly. I’m just scared, I guess. This could change everything.”
He nodded. “I get it. I’m scared too. I like you, Harper. I mean, I really like you. You’re funny and smart, and you just seem to get me. Plus, you’re sexy as hell.” He raised his hand and cupped the side of her cheek, tilting her head to look up at him. “I know I’m saying it wrong. I don’t know how to tell you all the ways you affect me and all the things you mean to me, but I want this. I want you.”
“I want you too. Like I want you with everything in me. But I don’t want to screw this up. With you or with the job. I work for you, remember?”
“Screw the job. This doesn’t change that if you don’t want it to.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t care about that. I care about you.”
“I care about you too. But it’s been a long time since I’ve been here, and I don’t want to mess it up. I really like you, Logan, and my body is aching for you to touch me, but I need this job.”
His voice was husky as he dipped his head and spoke into her ear. “I need you.”
That was it. She was lost. “Then take me,” she answered. “I’m yours.”
One hand slid around her waist and pulled her against him as his other hand cupped the back of her neck, holding her head as his mouth slanted against hers. His kisses were deep, passionate, demanding surrender, but promising pleasure.
He let go of her just long enough to drag his shirt over his head, and she caught her breath at his beautifully sculpted body. His shoulders were broad, and the physical labor of ranch work had his body lean and strong. With his defined abs and powerful arms, the glow of the firelight turned him into a muscular god, and all she wanted to do was touch him. She couldn’t get enough.
Trailing his lips down her throat, her chest, her stomach, he sank to his knees in front of her and set to finishing what he’d started when he’d first reached for the snap of her jeans. The soft whisper of the zipper sent a shiver coursing to the tight bundle of nerves at the center of her legs. A shiver that turned into an onslaught of sensation as he drew her jeans down her legs and pressed his mouth against her stomach, laying a row of hot kisses along the waistband of her lacy panties.
He pushed her jeans further down, and she willingly stepped out of them and kicked them aside. Her legs trembled as anticipation thrummed through her, and she could feel her pulse beating wildly in her throat as he kissed the top of her thigh, then pressed his lips to the triangle of lace at the juncture of her legs.
Her breath caught in a gasp of pleasure. His breath was warm. She could feel the heat of it through the thin fabric, along with the abrasive scratch of h
is whiskered chin, and she couldn’t hold back the shiver that passed through her body. He pulled back, and her knees almost gave way from wanting his touch.
“Stay here,” he told her, rising to his feet. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait? What?” She struggled to catch her breath, but he was already gone. She heard his footsteps hurrying down the hall. Really?
“Hold that thought,” he yelled from the vicinity of his bedroom. “I’m coming right back.”
Seconds later, he appeared, his arms laden with the pillows and blankets from his bed. “This should make you a little more comfortable. And a lot warmer.”
She was already warm enough, her body was on fire, but the pillows would certainly make the floor more comfortable, and she had a feeling they’d be sleeping there tonight as well.
He dropped everything on the floor in front of the fire. Including a box of condoms.
Oh.
He caught her eye and gave her a sheepish shrug as she looked up from the box. “Just thought we should be prepared. In case things went that direction.”
“Good thinking.” She offered him a sultry smile. “I’m glad you brought the whole box.”
He chuckled. “Damn, but I do like you, woman.”
“I like you too. But I’d like you better if you resumed where you left off and got back to the business of kissing me.”
He laughed again and grabbed her hands, bringing her down onto the blankets with him. Pulling over the pillows, he eased her head onto them, and she gazed up, awed by the sight of him. His chestnut hair was tousled, and she should have been afraid. It had been so long since she’d done this. Not just this, although it had been a long time for that too, but so long since she’d trusted someone enough to give herself over to him.
But Logan was smiling and looking down at her as if she were the exact Christmas gift he’d wished for. As if she were the thing he wanted above all else.
That look was a little daunting. She didn’t feel worthy of that kind of praise, but if he were imagining her as a gift, she was ready to be unwrapped. As if he could read her mind, he slid his hands inside her shirt and pushed it back from her shoulders. She shrugged out of it and the straps of her unfastened bra and pushed them to the side of the blanket, then lay back on the pillows.
He shimmied out of his jeans, then lay down next to her and skimmed the back of his fingers over her cheeks. “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, his voice a gravelly whisper. He ran his hand through her hair, fanning it out on the pillow. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
She started to fire back a snarky comment, but he pressed his finger to her lips.
“Don’t. Just take the compliment.” He ran the tip of his finger over her parted lips, then leaned down and replaced his finger with his mouth.
She didn’t know how to take a compliment anymore. It felt like it had been so long since anyone had given her a sincere one. She didn’t know what to say, and he apparently didn’t need her to say anything. So instead, she showed him how she felt by kissing him back with all the passion and fervor she could muster.
Their legs were tangled as if they couldn’t get close enough. He shifted as they kissed, and his body rose above hers, the firelight casting shadows over his muscled chest and arms.
A moan escaped her lips as she relished the feel of a man’s weight on top of her, a feeling she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed. He was warm and solid, and she arched in to him, desperate to feel more of him. His hips ground against hers, and the sensations thrummed between her legs where the slightest friction made her light-headed.
It might have been a long time since she’d felt like this, but her body reacted with an instinct that came from deep inside her. She shifted against him, craving more of the tantalizing friction.
He kissed her mouth, her neck, her chest as his hands roamed over her body, discovering what she liked and what made her moan and sigh and arch with need.
Clutching his shoulders, she ran her fingers over his muscled arms as she kissed him back, her body needy and frantic to touch, to taste, to learn every part of him. She kissed the soft spot below his ear, and a low growl escaped his throat. She loved knowing she could affect him like this.
He reared back, pulling away, and she tried to catch her breath as she watched him scramble for the box of condoms, tear one open, cover himself, then settle back between her legs.
“You okay?” he asked, brushing the wisps of hair from her forehead.
She nodded, unable to speak. Gazing into his eyes, she felt something she hadn’t in such a long time. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, she was obviously falling for the guy. She felt those crazy, nauseous, roller-coaster feelings in her stomach every time she was around him.
But this was different.
This was a feeling of trust, of handing over control, of giving herself to another person and believing he wouldn’t destroy her. Trust was not something she gave lightly, but looking into Logan’s eyes and seeing her feelings reflected there made her think maybe this was a man she could finally let go with, that she could finally let herself believe in someone again.
He bent to lay the softest kiss on her lips as his hips stirred against her. Then she couldn’t think anymore, couldn’t process any semblance of thoughts. She could only feel, and move, and react to the rhythm he set. She gripped his shoulders, holding on as the sensations scorched through her, pulsing in the deepest part of her.
He’d barely set the pace, but she was already climbing, every muscle tense, as pleasure radiated through her, electrifying every nerve. Her body hummed with tension as the sensations ricocheted through her.
Her senses were so deliciously heightened that every caress sent another hot current of desire to her core. Circling, spinning, tumbling, soaring, she succumbed to the pleasure with a gasp as shudders rocked through her body.
Logan kissed her, catching her gasps in his mouth as if taking in her very essence, while his strong arms held her tightly against him. She’d never felt anything like this—this intensity that quaked through her in a frenzied rush. All she could do was hold on, helpless against the fierce tremors that reeled through her body. His muscles tautened, and a low growl hummed against her lips as he rocked with her, matching her release.
A blizzard of emotion whirled through her, rivaling the storm that raged outside the windows, and she didn’t know how to hold it all in. It was all too much—the feelings, the sensations, the stress of trying to do everything on her own, coupled with the closeness she’d allowed herself with this man. Gripping his shoulders, she held on as a sob escaped her throat.
He didn’t even flinch, just held her tighter, and that one reaction was all it took for the floodgates to release. For the first time in months, she let herself cry. And not cry like a few tears escaped her eyes, but cry like shoulders-shaking sobbing into his neck.
They held each other, their bodies connected in the most intimate way as she clung to him and wept. When she’d cried herself out, he released his grip and eased down next to her.
Pulling her close against him, he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“No.” She let out a shaky breath. “That was just intense. Like toe-curling amazingly intense. I guess I’ve been bottling up a lot of emotion, and…I don’t know… That’s never happened to me before. Apparently my body chose that moment to let it out. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I felt it too.” He brushed his fingers lightly over her shoulder. “Anything I can do?”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she pulled back slightly to look up at him. “You already did more than enough.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “Oh darlin’, I was only getting warmed up. I can always do more.”
Her eyes widened along with her grin. “More? I can’t imagine topping that.”
He rolled over and dragged her under him. “That sounds like you’re throwing down a challenge, Peaches.”
Her nipples tightened in anticipation, and she wrapped one of her legs around his muscled calf. “Maybe I am.”
His lips curved into a seductive grin. “Challenge accepted.”
A giggle bubbled up in her, and she marveled at the range of emotions this night had torn from her. Then his lips slanted across her mouth, and she couldn’t think at all.
* * *
Hours later, they lay together, their bodies spent and curled into each other for warmth. Sated and happy, Harper snuggled into Logan’s shoulder. He’d just put another log on the fire, and it snapped and crackled and sent tiny sparks into the air. The snow still swirled and spun in flurries outside the window.
“The storm sounds like it’s gotten worse,” Harper said, running her fingers lightly along his chest. “I’m glad we got all the cattle in when we did.”
Logan blew out his breath, and his shoulders tightened. “You have no idea.”
She tilted her head to look up at him and was surprised to see the furrow of his brow. “You got a little panicked out there. Did you really mean it when you said you couldn’t afford to lose even one cow?”
“Damn right I did.”
“I didn’t realize that a ranch depended so much on the loss or gain of one animal.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Normally, it doesn’t. But Dad was immersed in all this stuff with his brother, and I was in charge of buying the calves this year.” He paused, and she waited, knowing there was more to the story but feeling that if she said anything, he wouldn’t go on. “You know how I told you I mix up numbers and letters sometimes.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I must have really blown it when I got all those calves. I don’t know what happened, but I checked the market report a couple of weeks ago, and whatever I did, however I must have mixed up the numbers, I screwed myself out of about twenty thousand dollars. And that’s if I sell every single one of them for the price beef was going for that week and they all come in at seven hundred pounds or more. If they don’t, or if I messed something else up, it will affect how many calves we can buy for spring and could ruin our entire year’s income.”