Crush (Tainted Love Duet #2)

by Kim Karr

  If that just didn’t make me cry even harder. “I love you. I can’t lose you.”

  He pulled back and gripped my upper arms. “Hey, where’s this coming from? You’re not going to lose me.”

  “Besides Clementine, you’re all I have left in this world. Without you, I’d be practically all alone.” The thought made me shudder and I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t want to be alone anymore.

  “Hey, look at me.”

  I opened my eyes to see those hazel pools gazing at me. I felt like it had been so long since he’d held me.

  “I love you. I know I don’t say it enough, but I do.”

  I nodded. I knew he did, but would he still when I confessed what I had yet to tell him?

  His fingers went back to unbuttoning my coat. “Let’s get this off.”

  My coat peeled off easily, but the revelations from the day would stay with me forever. Out of his arms, I could think more clearly. It was as if my emotions were running on high octane. Recognizing this, I went to sit on the steps to talk to him from a distance. I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. “About the Mercedes, Clementine’s new nanny’s car is in the shop and Michael is going back to work Monday, and he needed it so Clementine wasn’t left at home stranded.”

  Sugarcoating the issue by not telling him that Michael had asked for the car back wasn’t the smartest idea but I didn’t want to upset Logan, and I knew explaining the situation the way I had with Peyton would. Tomorrow I’d tell him everything; tonight I needed him. It was selfish, but for once that’s what I wanted to be.

  He stepped forward and crouched down in front of me. “It’s not that big of a deal.” He wiped a stray tear away with his thumb. “You hated that car anyway. You can drive mine until we go get you a new one.”

  My voice was still shaky with tears. “What will you drive?”

  “My old man’s license is still suspended, so I’ll take his car.”

  Distance had sounded like a good idea a minute ago but now that he was so close, I just couldn’t keep my hands off him. My palms slid from his chest to his well-defined shoulders. “Are you sure?”

  That long, lean body eased forward and I found myself lying back against the stairs with him hovering over me. “There are a lot of things I’m not sure about, Elle, but you aren’t one of them.”

  Breathless, I found it hard to talk, to think. “I meant that you love that Range Rover.”

  “I know what you meant,” he said, his mouth moving close to mine.

  “I was thinking of getting a Prius like Peyton’s,” I babbled. “It’s really cute.”

  “Whatever you want. Give me a few weeks to get the money together, and we’ll go pick one out.”

  I shoved him back. “You aren’t buying me a car. That’s not what I meant. I meant as soon as I can save some money.”

  Ignoring my little outburst, he stood and reached out a hand. “Come with me, I want to show you something.”

  Butterflies swarmed in my belly as I took his hand.

  Connected, he led us up the stairs, through my room, and then stopped at the closed bathroom door.

  Perplexed, I waited for him to turn around.

  When he did, his smile alone practically seduced me.

  I had no idea what we were doing outside my bathroom door but with the way he was looking at me, I didn’t care if we were fixing the rattling pipes.

  Dropping his hold on me, he grasped the old glass knob and pushed the door open to my tiny bathroom.

  I couldn’t believe what I saw.

  The old-fashioned black-and-white tile floor was aglow with dozens of small red tea candles carefully placed around the perimeter. The claw-foot tub was filled with water and red rose petals were floating on the surface. There was a bottle of wine with a single glass beside it on the marble counter that held the sink.

  My hands flew to my mouth. “It’s beautiful.”

  A shyness crossed his face. I’d seen it a few times, but it wasn’t until right now that I figured out what caused it. He was nervous when he did anything even slightly romantic. And, God, if I didn’t find that utterly adorable. “You think?”

  “I know.”

  Those magical fingers started to unzip my simple black shift. “I wanted to do something to make you feel better.”

  A shiver rocked my body as his hands glided up my back to my shoulders to slip the fabric of my dress down. One, then the other, and then it fell to the ground and left me standing in my bra, underwear, and hose.

  It felt like the room was spinning, but it was me. He’d spun me back toward him and we were moving in a small circle. My head on his shoulder. His arms around me. Mine around him. No, we weren’t just moving, we were dancing. Dancing right in the middle of my bathroom.

  There wasn’t any music, but we didn’t need it as we danced to the beat of our own thumping hearts.

  As if the song was about to end, Logan stopped our movement and unclasped my bra, making my heart race even faster. “The water will be cold if you wait much longer,” he whispered.

  I looked up into heavy-lidded eyes. “Then I’d better get in,” I said as I stepped back. Feeling seductive, I ran my hands down my body to my thighs and began to slide my hose down, slowly, seductively, leaving my skimpy panties on.

  Logan sucked in a breath as he watched me. He had drifted over toward the small vanity and was leaning against it.

  Nine at night and I found myself doing my first quasi striptease. My thumbs hooked into the sides of my panties and I eased them down even slower than I had with my hose before I stepped out of them.

  Logan’s track pants did nothing to hide the sign of his arousal. Knowing I could do that to him made me feel powerful and I wanted to see just how far over the edge I could take him.

  My pulse racing, I stepped into the lukewarm water of the tub. The water temperature was irrelevant because it was about a million degrees in this small space. I slid down at what normally would have been the foot of the tub, but I wanted Logan to have a bird’s-eye view of me and I also still wanted to be able to see him.

  Once I was fully submerged, I let my legs drift apart as seductively as I could. “Aren’t you coming in?”

  His lips parted and his tongue snuck out to lick around them. “The plan was to pour you a glass of wine and let you relax in private.”

  I bit my lip. “I’m not thirsty and I don’t want to be alone.”

  Logan leaned back and gripped the counter.

  I let my hands roam my body.

  His eyes were on me like a hawk’s.

  My hands drifted down a bit farther. “See something you like?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  “Come in.”

  He shook his head. “I want to watch you make yourself come.”

  His command was as much unexpected as expected. I knew I was headed that way the moment I took my hose off, but actually touching myself was another thing. It’s not that I hadn’t masturbated before. I’d done that and a whole lot more. But every first time with Logan made it feel like my first time all over again. And in a way it was. With him I felt everything. Every ounce of pleasure, every intense touch, every small kiss. Whereas before him I felt like I was removed from the act, with him I felt like the star.

  Sometimes the best way to do something is just to drop your insecurities and plunge forward.

  He whispered my name, “Elle.”

  My gaze swung to his.

  “Touch yourself,” he clarified in a guttural tone.

  I didn’t make him wait. My fingers drifted down my belly, the water lapping over my breasts with the slight movement.

  His eyes started fluttering closed, his lashes dark on his cheekbones. “Not there. Not yet. Your beautiful tits. Start with those.”

  The rasp in his voice thrilled me. I had never actually fondled my own breasts. I couldn’t imagine I’d feel anything by doing that, but I complied and palmed each of my breasts with my hands.

  L
ogan’s cock had jutted straight out by now and there was no denying how much this was turning him on. I was going to do this and more. I was going to push him right over the edge.

  “Use your thumbs.” His voice was hoarse. Low.

  My thumbs passed over my nipples as the water rippled around them and when they became small hard peaks, I started pinching them. A little pain. Just a little.

  Tiny pricks of pleasure radiated around them and I couldn’t believe it.

  His eyes were watching my every movement. His breathing was ragged. I could see the rise and fall of his chest.

  I wasn’t sure if it was his reaction to what I was doing or the act itself that was turning me on, but I supposed it didn’t really matter. I knew if I had been doing this alone, I wouldn’t feel a smidgen of what I was feeling now.

  Feeling bold, I left one hand where it was and let the other drift down and find the nodule of my clit. Working them in the same manner, I began to feel the same small fissures of pleasure below my waist that I was feeling above it. Sparks tingled along my entire torso.

  “Does that feel good?” His voice shifted again. It was a little huskier. A little lower.

  Such an incredible turn-on.

  Working both small, tight buds at the same time, I found myself almost panting when I answered, “Yes.”

  His eyes were trained on my pussy. “Tell me what you feel.”

  I pushed my thighs apart as wide as I could, slipping the leg farther from him over the edge of the tub.

  His gasp sounded like a growl.

  Soon, I needed more and inserted a finger inside myself. “I feel your cock inside me, moving, in, out, in, out.”

  The face he made was utterly sensual.

  My hand was moving faster and the water splashed out of the tub.

  “Fuck,” he muttered. He moved closer and sat on the edge of the tub. The end where the water controls were, at my feet. I thought he might come even closer. Put his hands in the water, his fingers inside me, but he stayed where he was.

  My heart skipped against my chest.

  “Are you going to come?” he asked.

  It took some effort to speak. I had to lick my lips first. “I might. I’m not sure.”

  He spanned the distance between where he stood and the tub and took hold of my foot, kissing it before submerging it back into the water. “I want you to stop before you do. Can you do that?”

  My pace, up until he had come so close, had been steady and even. With Logan this close, I wanted to speed it up, to feel even more, but I knew if I did, I just might come. “I can try. Can you do something for me?”

  Everything about him at the moment was serious but at my question, the corners of his mouth tipped up. “I can try.”

  My hand stopped manipulating my breast, but the hand below the water continued moving at the torturous slow pace. “Take your clothes off. I want to see you naked.”

  His answer came in the form of a low groan as he removed his clothes with quick efficiency. He must have known I was watching him because he stood there for a moment and let me stare at his naked form. His cock was beautiful. Long, thick, and ready for me. The rest of him was equally magnificent. Abs ripped, muscles lean, thighs just right.

  I had all but stopped what I was doing, but my tripping heart hadn’t figured that out. Pulse pounding, heart thumping, I sucked in a breath. I must have blinked because when I did, I opened my eyes and he was sitting again, much, much closer this time.

  Something flickered in his gaze. Hot. Intense. Sexy. His hand slid around to the back of my neck. One by one, he tugged out the pins holding my hair up and they fell into the water. Once they were all out, my hair tumbled to my shoulders. With it down, Logan easily threaded his fingers through my hair. Then he pulled, tilting my head back and exposing my throat.

  Everything about the two of us was gasoline and a match. One touch and we were on fire. Ablaze. Flames out of control, unable to be doused.

  His lips brushed mine as he whispered, “I don’t think I even said hello yet.”

  The water had started to cool, but I didn’t care.

  I bit down on his lip. “Hi.”

  He smiled. “Hi.”

  Those lips slid along my jaw to behind my ear, where he pressed them. His mouth didn’t stop there. He trailed his lips lower, grazing my skin with his teeth along the way.

  “Do you like this too?”

  “Yes,” I gasped.

  His hand was under the water and he was doing what I had done, thumping my nipple. It didn’t feel the same. It felt so much better. His touch spiraled through me, causing my body to arch and water to lap around the edge of the tub.

  “I got you wet,” I purred as I tried to reach for his cock, but he wouldn’t let me.

  Instead he leaned down lower, his hand sliding lower too, right to the place my hand had been moving moments ago. “I can take care of that,” he said, and then his hand left the sanctuary of my pussy.

  It was then I noticed bruising on his knuckles. “What happened?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing to worry about. I went to the boxing gym without my gloves.”

  “Logan, why?”

  His gaze held me in a trance, and I knew I should drop it or what we were doing just might come to a dead halt. So, I did.

  Logan pulled the plug and then was back. His hand resumed its previous position, and it was as if the sound of the water echoing in the bathroom matched the rhythm of his skilled fingers.

  Magic fingers plunged inside me and I felt my clit swell under his touch. “Oh, God.”

  “Do you like that?” The grit and huskiness in his voice made my stomach flip.

  “Yes,” I moaned, pressing my feet to the bottom of the tub and thrusting upward.

  The movement of his had stopped and he leaned down to kiss me. “Tell me you want to come.”

  “I want to come.” My own voice was hoarse.

  His lips were at my shoulder and he bit it. “Tell me I’m the only one you’ll ever allow to make you come.”

  I gasped and my heart started to race in anticipation. “You’re the only one who will ever make me come.”

  The last of the water sluiced down the drain and as if on cue, his fingers started to move again. The bath oil from the water acted as a lubricant and allowed them to slide in and out so easily. It felt so incredibly good.

  His thumb stroked me and his fingers moved at a punishing pace. “Tell me you’re mine,” he whispered in a guttural voice.

  With the thrill of those words, my orgasm rolled through me like a storm. “I’m yours,” I called out as my body started to unravel and I lost myself to the sweet pleasure of nothingness. Like thunder and lightning, the storm consumed me, pounding throughout my body in sweeping waves. When it started to calm and seemed to reach the vast horizon, I opened my eyes to see his looking back at me.

  Desire was written all over his face. He reached a hand out, “Come here.”

  I took it and launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and holding him tightly. He needed to know Michael meant nothing to me. I hadn’t seen that. I’d been blind to the fact that it was killing him for me to spend time with another man, even if it was only because of that man’s child. “I don’t want anyone but you,” I reassured him. “Forever,” I added, and wondered if I shouldn’t have said that.

  Logan had his arms around my waist and he lifted me out of the tub like I weighed nothing. “Forever,” he repeated.

  Something a little giddy shook inside me, because there was absolutely no denying I was his and he was mine.

  As soon as my bare toes hit the tile, Logan grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me.

  I let it absorb some of the water and then slipped it off. Barefoot, I had to tilt my head to look at him. “Take me to bed and make love to me,” I whispered.

  Fire burned in his eyes. “There’s nothing I want to do more.”

  Our mouths met, ravenous and devouring. Hungry for only
each other.

  When I was with Logan like this, there was just him and me, and everything that wasn’t quite right around us disappeared.

  We spent the rest of the night making love over and over. It was the best way we had of communicating with each other. Of letting our feelings for each other truly shine. Words just didn’t seem to be enough. Not in the midst of the craziness that surrounded us, anyway.

  When we were both sated and spent, he pulled me to him. My back was to his front, in a spooning position.

  Finding comfort in him, I molded my body to his as tightly as I could and then turned my head. “How did you know to get red candles and red flowers?”

  Logan let out a breath and kissed my forehead. “Because red is your favorite color.”

  Overwhelmed that he had figured that small detail out on his own, that he paid enough attention to me to notice, I started to weep.

  “It’s nothing to cry about,” he soothed.

  “I can’t help it.”

  “Come here,” he said, turning me toward him.

  Tangling in the sheets, I rolled my body to face his. “Do you want to know why red is my favorite color?”

  Logan used his thumbs to brush away the tears sliding down my cheeks. “If you want to tell me.”

  I did. This was something I’d never told another. “Because it represents the warrior inside myself.”

  His voice was soft. “Red is definitely a color of strength.”

  My eyes on his, I opened up even more. “It’s more than that, though.”

  “Tell me,” he whispered.

  I nodded. “We were living in France and I was going to school on base since I didn’t know the language. They were having an eighth-grade father-and-daughter ball, and I was so excited. I’d never gone to a ball and I’d never gotten to be a princess. I was twelve, but I still loved Disney movies. My sister thought it was ridiculous. I didn’t care, because I knew just what I wanted to wear—a red dress. Mulan had just come out and I wanted to be just like her. I was determined to be a legendary princess warrior.”