by Kate Steele
Logan’s heart flipped over in his chest. “You sure know how to stroke a man’s ego, sweetheart,” he praised. “As well as other things.” His mouth took hers in a tender kiss that heated their blood.
Bryn pulled back, breathless. “Tell you what,” she offered. “All’s forgiven if you’ll…” She gave him a seductive look.
“What?” That look had Logan ready to agree to anything.
“Feed me,” she smiled. “I’m starving.”
“Vixen.” His arm looped over her shoulder as he steered her toward the kitchen. “Guess I should feed you, keep your strength up for the next round.”
“Har, har,” she quipped, then yelped as he pinched her bottom as she pushed open the kitchen door.
* * * * *
After lunch, they retreated to Logan’s den. As it was Sunday, Bryn called Clare at home, eager to reassure her friend that all was well. Logan lazed on the sofa, half-closed eyes sparkling, smiling indulgently as Bryn giggled with Clare over the phone. Even grown women reverted to a teenage mentality when a new man entered their lives. He yawned. Last night’s excesses had had some effect on him after all. Logan dozed off to the soothing murmur of Bryn’s voice.
He woke to a tickling sensation on his nose. Without opening his eyes, he reached out and pulled a teasing Bryn on top of him. “Nap with me,” he rumbled. There was plenty of room on the wide sofa. He settled her against his chest, her head tucked under his chin, her limbs tangled with his. They both sighed with contentment and drifted off to sleep.
An hour later the jangling ring of the telephone had Bryn jumping with alarm. Logan caught her just as she started to roll off him and onto the floor. “Easy, sweetheart,” he crooned, his voice husky with sleep.
He sat up and, placing a groggy Bryn securely on the sofa, made a dash for the phone.
“Sutherland,” he answered briskly. He listened intently for a few moments. “Yeah, I know that. You and Farrell assured me you had it under control.” Again he listened to the speaker on the other end of the line. “All right, look, try to keep a lid on it. I can be there in a few hours. Meet me at the landing strip in Tuskero.” Another spate of conversation came through. “We’ll see when I get there, all right? All right.” He hung up the phone and looked at Bryn. “I’ve got a job.”
“One of your consultations?” she asked.
“Yeah, come upstairs with me and I’ll explain while I pack.”
Bryn agreed and together they went upstairs. She sat on the bed while Logan packed a couple changes of clothes and other necessities in a duffel bag. As he packed he explained his job to her, and the new problem that had come his way. Two neighboring packs were having a disagreement over their territorial line. An actual fight had ensued, but the combatants had been forcibly separated by their alphas, who were just managing to keep their respective packs in check. The alphas themselves were quickly losing their desire to avoid bloodshed as the instinctive lure of the wolf’s way pushed them to act.
“So this dispute you’re mediating is in Montana?” she asked.
“Yeah, and I can’t spare the time to drive. I keep a Cessna at the local airstrip here so I can make quick flights without having to depend on commercial airplanes. It’s easier this way,” he explained.
“You know how to fly a plane?” Bryn was amazed at all the new facets of Logan she was discovering.
“I sure do. If you’re a good girl while I’m gone, I’ll take you for a ride when I get back,” he winked, offering the bribe. He disappeared into the bathroom to gather his toothbrush and shaving kit. Bryn heard the sound of the toilet lid come up and liquid hitting liquid. She smiled at Logan’s unselfconscious action. In a way it was oddly comforting. Following the flush of the toilet and water running in the sink, he emerged from the bathroom, adding his personal grooming items to his bag.
“I think I’ll go home while you’re gone,” Bryn announced.
“You’re welcome to stay here, you know that, don’t you?”
“I know, but I’ll feel uneasy without you here,” she explained. “Anyway, it’ll be easier for me to be home since all my stuff’s there. I’ll be going in to work tomorrow, so I’ll need my car, too.”
“Can you get home all right?” Logan asked, his concern apparent. “If you want, I’ll wait while you pack and drop you home on my way out of town.”
“No need, I can get home okay. I’ll call Clare. Or better yet, I’ll just call a cab. That way I won’t drag her away from whatever she and Brian are doing,” she reconsidered.
Logan nodded. She could see his mind was already moving to what state of affairs would be waiting for him in Montana. As he grabbed his bag and headed downstairs, Bryn trailed forlornly behind. At the front door Logan dropped the bag, turned and found Bryn biting her lip, her eyes shiny with welling tears. He opened his arms and she stepped into the warm shelter he provided.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
He felt her nod against his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I’m being a big baby. It’s just that we just got started and you’re going and I’ll miss you.”
He drew back, capturing her gaze. “I’ll miss you too, baby. Look at it this way,” he pointed out, “now you’ve got a couple of days to recuperate.” His gaze turned sultry. “Take some hot baths. Get limbered up for when I get back.”
Bryn laughed and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely. “I’ll do that,” she agreed, then sobered, her eyes becoming soft pools of misty gray. “Be careful.”
His golden brown eyes melted into pools of amber heat. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” His arms tightened around her, holding her close. “I know we’ve, as you put it, ‘just got started’, but when I get back, we are having a serious discussion about you and me.”
“Another serious discussion? I think I’m scared.” Her tremulous smile countered her teasing words.
Logan’s hand trailed down, patting her softly on her rounded bottom. “Don’t be a smartass little girl, or I’ll have to spank you.”
“Logan…” Bryn felt immediate arousal at his tantalizing words.
He captured her mouth in a feral kiss, his tongue sweeping in to pillage and plunder. He swallowed Bryn’s moan as she was swept away by his passionate onslaught. After thoroughly exploring her willing mouth he broke the kiss, whispering a sensual promise. “We’ll discuss that when I get home, too.” With a final devastating kiss and a firm pat on her bottom, he headed out.
Bryn watched him, waving as he drove down the driveway. She closed the door and leaned against it. With a gusty sigh and a bemused smile, she headed to the den to call a cab.
* * * * *
A couple of days later, after a hectic day at the store, Bryn was home relaxing on the sofa. Having just showered, she was dressed in a soft pink t-shirt and her favorite flannel teddy bear boxers. An empty container of pasta salad and a half-full glass of lemonade rested on the coffee table. On the television, the weatherman spouted his forecast with confident aplomb.
She stretched and yawned, then regarded the empty pasta container with a scowl, wondering if she wanted to expend the energy to get up and throw it away or continue to play couch potato. The sudden shrill ring of the phone saved her the trouble of deciding.
Bryn hesitated, a pensive frown crossing her features. It had to be Logan. He’d called her every night he was away and last night he had been certain that one more day would see his business concluded. No way to avoid it, she had to wiggle her way out of seeing him tonight if he was back.
Picking up the phone, she answered with a soft “Hello?”
“Hi, baby, it’s me.” Logan’s voice, deep and rich, sent a thrill through her middle.
“Logan.” She exhaled a small breathy sigh. “Are you back?”
“I sure am, sweetheart. I’m about ten minutes away. Grab some clothes and what ever else you need. I’ll pick you up and we’ll head over to my house.” There was a pregn
ant pause. “I got plans for you, babe.”
The sensual heat in his voice sent a shiver through Bryn. She grimaced, wanting to screech with frustration. Keeping her voice level she replied, “I can’t tonight, Logan. We had a really crazy day at the store today and I’m exhausted. Can we make it tomorrow?” She crossed her fingers, hoping things would be back to normal by then.
“What’s wrong, Bryn?”
“Nothing.” She strove to project a casual, natural tone. “I’m just tired.”
“Okay, that’s fine, but you can still come home with me.” His voice became soft, persuasive. “I’ve missed you, Bryn. I want you with me. I need to hold you, baby.”
Her insides quivered with not only physical need, but emotional need as well. “Logan, I really want to, but I need to stay here. Just one more night. I promise we’ll be together tomorrow.” Bryn closed her eyes, rocking with nervous agitation, her toes curling into the carpet.
“Bryn, you haven’t changed your mind, have you? About us?” His hurt was more than apparent coming over the phone line.
Bryn rushed to reassure him. “No, Logan! I just need to stay here one more night.”
“Why?” His voice turned dangerously soft.
“I can’t explain it,” she hedged.
“You will explain it,” he ordered, exasperation making his tone sharp.
Her temper flared. “I told you I can’t and I won’t!”
Logan’s own temper burst. “I’ll be there in five minutes and you will tell me what the hell is going on!”
He broke the connection and Bryn stood, stamping her feet and cussing like a trucker. Five minutes later Logan’s car pulled into the driveway. Seconds later he was pounding on the door.
“Bryn, open the door,” he demanded.
“Go away, Logan,” she insisted.
“I will break this door down, Bryn. You have ten seconds.” The deadly earnest tone of his voice broke her resolve.
The door was unlocked and thrown open. “Fine, it’s open! I hope you’re happy now!” She stamped away, leaving him in the open doorway.
Slamming the door shut, Logan strode after her, grabbed her arm in a firm but careful grip and swung her around to face him. “What is wrong with you?” His fury was tempered by genuine concern.
“I told you I’m tired, can’t you just be satisfied with that?” she flung at him.
Striving to regain his temper, Logan took a deep breath. “Bryn,” he began, determined to be calm and reasonable. His intension was arrested as a possible reason for her behavior became apparent. “Oh.”
Anger warred with embarrassment. “Yeah, ‘oh’. Damn it, damn it, damn it! I knew it! You and that…that nose of yours! Why couldn’t you have just stayed away?” She turned from him, folding her arms in a defensive gesture.
“Bryn, sweetheart, you’re having your period. So what? Is this what’s got you all upset?” Logan felt lost. There had to more to it than this, but he just wasn’t sure what.
“I was trying to spare you,” she muttered resentfully.
“Spare me what?” He strove to keep the exasperation from showing.
“The smell. All that talk about how sensitive your nose is. Don’t you think I smell bad?” Hurt tinged her reluctant question.
Understanding dawned. “You were worried about how I would think you smell?” At her nod, he was filled with compassion for the anxiety she’d needlessly suffered. He placed his hands softly on her shoulders, ignoring the tense bunching of the muscles under his hands. He gently but firmly urged her to turn around. She did, but wouldn’t look at him. A steady hand under her chin raised her reluctant gaze to his. “Sweetheart, the only way you could ever smell bad to me, under any circumstances, is if you decided to give up bathing. And even then, I’m not sure it would matter. You do not smell bad,” he earnestly reassured her. “You smell…intriguing.”
A reluctant, embarrassed smile curved her lips. “Intriguing, huh? Like how? No wait, I know. It’s like when a dog smells something weird in the grass and he starts rolling in it. You’re not gonna roll on me, are you?” she asked with a pouting frown.
Logan chuckled, hugging her close as relief rolled over him. “I’d like to roll on you all right, but not like that.”
Bryn pulled back, a look of surprise on her face. “You mean you’d make love with me?”
“In a heartbeat, baby,” he stated unequivocally.
“You don’t think it’s…disgusting?” she asked hesitantly.
“Making love with you? Never.” He deliberately misunderstood her question, hoping to rile her, to help her get her equilibrium back.
“Not that,” she replied tartly. “The other, you know.”
“Oh, that. No, I don’t think it’s disgusting. It is, and I quote, ‘a natural healthy process of the female body resulting in the expulsion of a small amount of tissue and reddish fluid called blood’. Who told you it was disgusting?” he asked, correctly assuming that someone had.
“My ex-husband.” Shadows filled her eyes. “I once asked him to, you know, have sex with me at that time. He said it was nasty.” She hesitated, unsure about revealing any more.
“What else?” Logan prompted gently. He could tell there was more, could see her attempting to withdraw again. That idiot she had been married to was lucky he didn’t live anywhere nearby. He’d done a real number on Bryn, and Logan was feeling the need for more than a little payback.
Bryn swallowed her pride and confided her shame to him. “He said it was unnatural to want to have sex when I was having my period. He said I was disgusting.”
“Where does this guy live?” Logan asked with deceptive calm.
“Why?”
“I’ve never attacked a human while in wolf form, but for him I’m willing to make an exception.” Logan’s temper was stirring.
“He’s not worth it.” Bryn wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a sweet, hot kiss. “But thank you, all the same.”
“You’re welcome,” he rumbled. “By the way, it’s not unnatural. A lot of women experience heightened sexual arousal during their periods.”
“So speaks the voice of experience?” she asked.
“As a matter of fact…” he began.
“Never mind, I don’t want any details. How do you know about this stuff anyway?” Her curiosity was running rampant.
Logan moved to the sofa and urged Bryn onto his lap. She curled against him with a purring sigh.
He cuddled her close, stroking her hair. “One day, my very wise father sat down with my brother and me and had a little talk with us. He told us that with all the information available today, there was no reason why a man shouldn’t know as much as possible about the workings of a woman’s body. He said we needed to know these things, so that we could be considerate and understanding of a woman’s feelings when she was experiencing these feminine functions,” Logan reminisced with a grin. “Women, he pointed out, were more than penis receptacles with breasts.”
“Damn right,” Bryn agreed.
Logan kissed the top of her head. “He also explained to us that knowing a woman’s body would make us better lovers. And that a man who was a considerate, understanding and knowledgeable lover would never lack for female companionship.” Logan smiled smugly. “He was right.”
“Your father sounds like a very intriguing man. Very much like his son, I imagine.”
Logan acknowledged her compliment with a hug. “He’s going to like you too, sweetheart. Now, are we all squared away here?”
Bryn nodded.
“Good.” He stood, setting her on her feet and planting a gentle swat on her backside. “Go get your stuff, woman, we’re going home.”
Bryn started for her bedroom when Logan called her back. “Bring your vibrator,” he ordered.
Her eyes widened in surprise as her mouth fell open. He slid a finger under her chin, gently urging it closed.
“How did you know I had a vibrator?” she asked incredulousl
y. The surprise kept her embarrassment at bay.
He shrugged with negligent ease. “Just a hunch.”
She frowned and went down the hallway to her bedroom, glancing back at him with suspicion in her eyes. Something was not quite kosher here. She was beginning to worry that he really could read her mind.
Logan smiled and waved her on. He turned on the television and settled on the couch, waiting while she packed.
Half an hour later Bryn reappeared with a suitcase. Logan made the trip to her bedroom to retrieve her makeup case and the long, zippered bag that held her work clothes. He set them on the sofa and turned to Bryn.
“Give me the vibrator,” he commanded, hand extended.
“Why?” she asked, genuinely puzzled.
“You won’t be needing it anymore,” he assured her simply, arrogantly.
She opened her makeup case and liberated the vibrator, handing it over. Logan examined it, turning it on.
“Jealous?” she teased, as a glowing blush lit her face.
“Do I need to be?” he asked dangerously, a darkly sensual and sardonic smile curved his lips.
She felt her stomach quiver, her loins tighten and liquefy under his penetrating stare. “I guess not,” she admitted. Her nipples tightened and pushed against the thin fabric of her bra and t-shirt.
Logan casually tossed the vibrator in the small trashcan by the television. “Come here.” He drawled the sultry order.
A thrill shot up her spine and she smiled. “I love it when you do that,” she breathed.
“What?” he inquired with a raised brow.
“Get all hot and sexy,” she explained. “And then you say ‘come here’ in that smooth, velvety voice that makes me want to melt into a big sloppy puddle.”
“Don’t melt yet, baby,” he countered. “Not until I’ve had my way with you.”