by Linda Ladd
Logan smiled. “That, my love, I cannot say. All I know is that I intend to have you this night one way or another.”
Their eyes fought a duel until Elizabeth moved across the floor to stand at the windows.
“I will not subject myself to the indignity of fighting you,” she said in a low voice, “but neither will I ever forgive you for this.”
Logan sighed, knowing he was taking a chance with her, as he removed his coat and unfolded his cravat.
Elizabeth braced herself as he moved behind her.
“All I've ever wanted is to love you,” he muttered thickly, as he gently pulled the flowers from her hair until the heavy tresses fell to her shoulders in a glorious swirl. She quivered all over as Logan gathered it in both hands, the sheer essence of her reeling his senses, and she closed her eyes as his fingers went to the buttons at the back of her neck. She could hear the quick intake of his breath as he pushed the gown gently off her shoulders, and it fell with a whisper of silk to a pool of white at her feet.
His hand swept the softness of her hair off her nape, and she jerked spasmodically as his hot mouth touched her bare shoulder.
“I want you, I've wanted you so long,” he said hoarsely as he turned her to face him.
She stood stiffly unresponsive as he slowly undressed her, his eyes burning blue coals, until she stood in only her sheer chemise. Her lips parted slightly as he slowly tugged at the satin ribbons between her breasts and eased the silken fabric over the curve of her hips.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and held her breath, and with a gentleness that belied his great strength, one powerful arm folded about her waist, bringing her tight against his hard chest. His hand was anchored firmly in her hair as he forced her to look at him. Then his lips were upon hers, warmly, softly, persuasively, until waves of heat radiated through her blood, making her entire body pulsate. Her will began to crumble as his lips continued to twist upon hers, ravaging her with a demanding hunger he could no longer withhold.
Elizabeth could not think, could only feel that it was meant to be, Logan was her destiny as sure as the sun would light the day and the stars would rise at night. She surrendered with a muffled moan, willingly offering to him the honeyed nectar of her mouth. Flaming currents brought wild and forgotten desires racing through her blood, and she slid her arms around his neck, pulling him to her, wanting to touch him, wanting him to touch her.
Logan groaned, one hand in the long silken tresses, the other sliding slowly down the warm velvet skin to cup her hip. Elizabeth gasped as she was lifted from the floor and lowered upon the bed, watching out of darkened eyes as his sunbrowned chest emerged from his shirt. Then his lips were upon hers, his arm beneath her back, lifting her against him, and Elizabeth's world dipped and careened as his hands began to move across her trembling flesh in an erotic search. The clean manly scent of him summoned sweet recollections of another time of love, but she could not think of it, did not want to remember. The only thing that was important to her was that Logan was her husband and she loved him.
Her lashes fluttered closed as his mouth skirted the satin angle of her jaw, dipping to the deep hollow of her fragile collarbone. His lips sought and found the hammering pulse in her throat, and Elizabeth lay in the mists of rapture as his fingers slid across the beloved hollows and curves of her naked flesh with slow expertise. Elizabeth felt as if she'd come home, as if they fit together, her softness molded into his hard strength, as if they'd both been created for this moment.
Each soft caress shredded already quivering nerve endings, and Elizabeth moaned as his tongue swirled a molten path to the pink crest of her breast. All inhibitions evaporated, and she responded to him, her palms moving over sinewy muscles, her slender fingers kneading the lean, hard-fleshed muscles of his waist. Nothing mattered, not anger, not distrust, not reason, as the fierce, long-forgotten needs of her body took command. She wanted him, and her mouth found his, greedily, hungrily, as her hands glided over the hard muscles of his hips until he rose above her, the heat of his body welcoming her embrace.
They moved together, limbs entwined, muscles flexing, their breaths mingling, ragged and hoarse, as they rode to the exquisite heights of their love.
“Tracker...” she breathed, without knowing what she said, and Logan barely heard her before the explosion of their union burst between them as all the love Logan had forcibly suppressed and all Elizabeth had forgotten came forth with a white-hot blast of pure ecstasy.
In the aftermath of their passion, both lay limp, realizing only love could create such a union; but it was later when their blood was calm that Logan's whisper was barely audible against her hair.
“Now are you free of me, my love? Or are you forever bound to me as I have been to you from the first moment I saw you?”
Elizabeth raised her face, and the soft look in her eyes was the answer Logan craved. He smiled as his lips closed over hers with a gentleness born of love.
Eighteen
Logan came awake slowly, troubled by a vague sense of unease. It was still dark, the fire burned down to a mere glimmer, but the sweet fragrance that was Elizabeth brought a drowsy smile to his lips. He thought of the night they'd shared, reaching for her warm softness. His hand touched cold and empty sheets, and the fear that she'd gone to Brent sent the covers flying off him. Panic pinched his heart with cruel fingers, and oblivious to his nakedness, he started for the door. Halfway there, he saw her, standing at the window. The room had grown very cold, and Logan went to her, drawing a coverlet from the bed as he passed.
“Elizabeth?”
She did not turn as he wrapped the blanket around her naked shoulders, and when he turned her to face him, he saw that slow tears rolled down her cheeks. He pulled her quickly into his embrace.
“What is it, my love?”
Elizabeth shivered, and his arms tightened reassuringly. She laid her wet cheek against the blond fur of his chest, her voice muffled.
“I am ashamed.”
A puzzled frown drew Logan's brows together.
“Whatever for?”
He felt her tense. “You are not disappointed in me?”
“Disappointed?” Logan repeated in amazement, disbelieving her question after their hours of exquisite lovemaking.
“You must think me terrible,” she continued brokenly, and it was so ridiculous that Logan couldn't stop his smile.
“I feel many things for you, love, but that certainly isn't one of them. Why would I think you terrible?”
She stood apart from him, her eyes downcast.
“Because now I know that I have lain with a man before. I do not remember when, or who he was, but I knew things that...” Her voice shook with shame. “...that a virgin could not possibly know.”
Logan looked down at her, appalled at the guilt she harbored. Elizabeth shivered in the wake of his silence, and Logan made up his mind to do what he'd wanted to do since she'd come back into his life, and consequences be damned.
“Come, my sweet. It's time you knew the truth about us.”
He took her easily into his arms, carrying her to the warmth of their bed. He slid his long length in beside her, then drew the downy comforter over them. She felt so small and soft in his arms and smelled so good that he almost forgot his intentions; but she'd suffered unfairly, and they had the rest of their lives to make love. That idea fascinated him, and he smiled as he gathered her silky head onto the hollow of his shoulder. He smoothed a wayward silver strand to press a gentle kiss upon her forehead, then raised one finger and tenderly wiped away all traces of her tears.
“Sweet,” he whispered, “I've made love to you many times before last night.”
In her surprise, Elizabeth could not move, and his softly uttered revelation hung in the air between them. Confusion clouded the wide lavender eyes when she finally raised herself on one elbow.
“I don't understand,” she said haltingly.
Logan cupped her cheek in his palm, his eyes on her moist lips.
“We were lovers, Elizabeth. Just weeks before you lost your memory.”
Her mouth dropped agape, and she stared into his serious eyes.
“That is impossible,” she breathed finally. “I lived in Boston then. With my aunt.”
“No, you were with me. In a cave in the mountains north of here.”
He watched her reaction carefully, wanting her to remember the rest on her own, but her expression remained skeptical. He suddenly decided that he'd help her remember. He wanted Starfire back once and for all. He'd tell her everything and to hell with the doctor's warning.
“You grew up with a tribe of Cheyenne Indians until I was sent to rescue you. We fell in love, but we were separated.”
It was highly oversimplified, but it told the whole story.
“I was with savages,” she repeated wonderingly, then her laugh tinkled in the air. She smiled, carving deep dimples in the softness of her cheeks, making it difficult for Logan not to kiss them.
“Why do you tease me with such ridiculous things?” she demanded, still amused.
“Because they are true. And I have scars to prove it.”
Logan held up his arm, and Elizabeth's expression faded. The cold air forgotten, she sat upon her heels, examining the thin white line on his forearm.
“You stabbed me with my own knife,” Logan commented, laughing as her lips parted in astonishment.
“But why?”
“You wanted to leave, and I preferred that you didn't.”
A slight dart of guilt attacked his conscience as he remembered how he'd treated her that day. “I deserved it,” he added, and Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.
“If all this is true, why didn't you tell me before? When I first met you?”
Logan was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on her questions with soft pink crests tantalizing him from beneath the gossamer gown. He smoothed her hair over her shoulders to give him a better view.
“I was afraid to tell you anything that would shock you. Father said your doctor insisted you should remember by yourself.”
Elizabeth seemed to consider his story, then shook her head resolutely. “No, I don't believe a word of it.”
She turned slightly, and Logan admired the thinly veiled curve of her hip before he forced his eyes back to her. She sat in profile now, and his eyes gleamed wickedly.
“Then how do I know that you'll gasp when I kiss you here?” He raised her gown, his lips burning into the small of her back.
The gasp came quickly.
“And shiver when I do this?” he continued with a smile, as he trailed one fingertip lightly up the back of her knee. Again the predicted response was immediate, and her black-lashed eyes turned to him in wonder.
“But how...” she murmured breathlessly, “...how could I have forgotten such a man as you, and the way you make me feel...”
She stopped, a revealing crimson hue rising to stain her cheekbones.
Logan laughed.
“In the long months I searched for you, Starfire, I often prayed for such forgetfulness.”
Her eyes jerked to him. “Starfire?”
“That's your Indian name.”
“I am Starfire?”
Logan nodded, and Elizabeth could not hide her relieved look. Logan looked puzzled, but Elizabeth explained.
“You called me that several times. I thought it was another woman.”
Logan smiled, as Elizabeth insisted on more details.
“Tell me more. How were we separated?”
His eyes hardened, and his relaxed look gave over to a jaw tight with anger. “You were taken from me by three men. I didn't know why until I received a letter while I was in Denver last week. When I saw you again, Elizabeth, I wrote to Thomas asking him to confirm your identity. He finally wrote back and admitted he had paid a high ransom for your return.”
She looked away in confusion, but Logan laid his fingers upon her small chin and turned her to face him.
“I know it's difficult now to accept these things, but someday you'll remember and everything will fall into place. You must trust me.”
His gaze dropped to her soft red lips, and Elizabeth's eyes drifted closed as his mouth came against hers. His hands slid down her arms, taking the gossamer gown with them until it was a discarded heap upon the floor. She turned toward him and smiled, and the smoky seduction that darkened her violet eyes brought back to Logan visions of Starfire during their first days together in Denver. He smiled, for the first time seeing the essence of Starfire surface in Elizabeth. He sat very still as she reached out and smoothed her hands over his bare chest, her eyes following her fingers in a sensual caress that made his blood race.
She spread her fingers, enjoying the texture of his body, amazed by the hardness of the muscles beneath his smooth brown skin as she molded his bulging biceps. The blond fur of his chest was crisp beneath her search, and Logan's chest began to heave as she trailed her fingertips between the molded contours toward his lean waist.
Elizabeth raised her face, capturing his eyes. “I want to give you pleasure,” she whispered huskily. “I want you to teach me.”
Logan swallowed hard as her hand moved lower, thinking she was doing fine on her own. He lay back against the softness of the pillows, closing his eyes as she gently explored his body, her lips soft against his chest, her hair and skin like silk as she moved atop him. He groaned under her touch, and Elizabeth brought her mouth to his as Logan's arms crossed over her back, holding her satiny warmth tightly against him.
“I love you, Starfire, Elizabeth, beloved, you are my soul,” he breathed against her lips.
“Logan, my love,” Elizabeth murmured, but her words were stopped as Logan rolled until he was above her, his lips on the side of her throat. They became one—gently, lovingly, for all time.
It was long after dawn that Elizabeth slept again, curled peacefully against Logan's hard chest. A knock upon the door finally brought her to awareness, and she sat up, her long hair tumbling over her breasts in a wild disarray. Logan had been awake for some time, watching her sleep, and he reached for her, intending to draw her back into his arms. But she evaded his grasp, and he laughed as she scrambled in search of her gown.
Elizabeth had barely managed to wrap a sheet around her when Rachel and Amanda opened the door, giggling at the sight of Logan's sunbrowned chest clearly visible above the sheets. Elizabeth's cheeks burned as they eyed the rumpled bedcovers and exchanged looks, and she picked up the gown Logan had tossed away during the night and quickly thrust it behind her back.
Amanda laid the tray of hot chocolate and muffins upon the table, and Elizabeth frowned threateningly at Logan's amused grin.
“I trust all my guests found their way home,” Logan said to Rachel, and she nodded, her curls bouncing.
“Oh, yes sir. Mama's putting the house to rights again. She asked if you would be down for dinner.”
Logan looked at Elizabeth, his eyes warm as he beheld her slender curves beneath the sheet. “No, I don't think we will.”
Another blush crept into Elizabeth's cheeks at the way he looked at her, deepening to scarlet as he added, “Nor for supper, either.”
The girls snickered behind their hands as they left, and Logan barely suppressed the laughter in his voice.
“It's not a secret what we've been doing in here, sweet. We are married, you know.”
“Well, there's no need to show them, too,” Elizabeth retorted tartly as she climbed back upon the bed, the sheet tucked firmly in place.
They sat across from each other with the tray between them, and the way Logan's eyes played upon her with warm, possessive pleasure made Elizabeth's skin burn self-consciously. But she found herself happy with him and the way things had turned out. Her husband's lovemaking was nothing like what Brent had led her to believe it would be, but tender and loving, awakening in her a response she'd never dreamed possible. Even the thought of his lips upon her flesh sent a slow, undulating shiver down her spine.
“Are you cold?” Logan asked at once, always sensitive to her needs, and Elizabeth shook her head. Logan's eyes played over her thinly draped figure with open desire.
“Too bad—I had in mind the most delectable way to warm you.” His smile was tender, his eyes promising things that accelerated her pulse. She sipped her chocolate, watching him over the rim.
The sight of him stretched out, his hands laced behind his head, brought images winging through the draped corridors of her mind. Often she had felt things about him that she could not explain, but if they'd been lovers, she could now understand much that had bothered her. She was glad Logan had told her the truth, but she felt cheated, wanting to know every detail that had passed between them in their past together.
“It's not a bad idea taking all our meals here,” Logan mused aloud, tugging at the sheet wrapped around her. It fell away, baring the petite perfection of her body, and Logan grinned. “The view is much to my liking.”
Elizabeth blushed, still shy with him. But she hastened to set the tray aside. Logan smiled as he slid a warm palm over the silken warmth of her thigh.
“I see you no longer cringe away,” he teased. “Have you lost your fear of me?”
Elizabeth leaned forward and placed a nibbling kiss upon his broad shoulder. “I have a different fear now,” she confessed breathlessly, and Logan dipped his fingers through the rippling silver waves flowing over his chest.
“And what is that?”
His face dropped to her shoulder, and Elizabeth sighed, closing her eyes and moving her head to give him better access.
“That you will never let me out of this room again.”
Logan raised startled eyes, then leaned back his head and laughed heartily.
“And would that displease you so much?” he asked, drawing her fingertips to his lips.
Elizabeth's body came alive as the warm male lips moved into her open palm, and she smiled dreamily as he pulled her bodily onto his hard chest.
“No, I do not think it would,” she murmured before his lips took her words.