Out of Control

by Tory Richards

  “What makes you think I’m a gentleman?”

  “You’re a fireman,” she reminded him curtly. “Surely firemen have honorable scruples.”

  “I’m a man first,” Logan corrected softly, making certain Libby understood that. “Would it make you feel any better if I removed my trunks?” he joked.

  Libby let out an unladylike snort that quickly turned into a husky laugh. Logan had the feeling she didn’t like the little sound of betrayal and ducked beneath the surface to cover it up. He laughed, but didn’t follow her. She couldn’t go far, and a hunch told him she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of viewing her shapely form again. The light of the moon was enough to reveal that Libby had swum back to the deep end. She reached for something near the diving board, reminding Logan she’d dropped her swimsuit there.

  There was a trace of laughter in his tone when he realized what Libby was doing. “Need any help?”

  “No!” She turned around as though to make sure he hadn’t moved from the middle of the pool. “Just stay where you are!” She quickly turned back toward the deck.

  That was all it took for Logan to do the exact opposite. He didn’t like being told what to do, especially by some smart mouth troublesome female who was snapping at him as though he was a five-year-old in trouble for stealing a cookie. Her tone reminded him too much of what it had been like growing up with five older sisters who never wanted him around. He didn’t think twice about kicking off the bottom of the pool and swimming in her direction, surfacing right behind her.

  A grin spread across Logan’s face as he watched Libby struggle to slip into her bikini bottoms with one hand while the other gripped the edge of the deck to keep afloat. He waited until she reached for her top and then let her know he was there.

  “I told you I’d help you.”

  “Oh!” Libby shrieked, and spun around. The bikini top slipped from her fingers and Logan watched it float away on the surface of the water.

  The situation wasn’t so amusing anymore when he raised his eyes to realize the light of the moon was resting squarely on Libby’s breasts. The crystal clear water did nothing to shield how perfect they were, or the fact that there was enough flesh to fill his hands, and then some. And he’d thought her skinny? In spite of the cool water Logan felt his blood pressure reach the boiling point, his heart rate skyrocket. He was about to explode and for a crazy moment he was tempted to reach out and touch Libby.

  His balls tightened beneath his cock, demanding release of the lust bubbling there. A wise man would turn and swim away from her before he did something stupid. He’d made bigger mistakes but right now he felt like this was the granddaddy of them all. It wouldn’t take much to make him lose control. Damn…he wanted to lose control!

  “Why don’t you just kiss me and get it over with?” She sounded angry but Logan quickly picked up on the huskiness of her tone.

  He arched a brow. “What makes you think I want to kiss you?” he countered arrogantly, grinning in spite of himself. Kissing her wouldn’t do much to eliminate the lust fire in his blood. Contradicting what his body wanted, Logan retrieved Libby’s bathing suit top where it came to rest at the side of the pool. He held the tiny scrap out to her and she snatched if from his fingers with a grudging thank you. Instead of putting it on she held it against her breasts.

  “How long are you going to be here visiting your grandmother?” he suddenly demanded. Maybe he could disappear for a few days. He had a friend in Ft. Lauderdale who’d been bugging him to visit.

  “I, ah, on and off the whole summer,” Libby replied with clear reluctance.

  Logan watched her carefully, interested in her slight hesitation and wondering at the reason behind it. His curiosity piqued when she refused to look him in the eye. Then her words registered and he frowned. Great, they were going to be running into each other on a fairly regular basis.

  “Do you mind pretending you’re a gentleman long enough to turn around and give me a moment of privacy?” Libby questioned in a voice dripping with feigned sweetness.

  “Who’s there?” A voice boomed out of the darkness without warning, startling them both. They’d been so absorbed with each other they hadn’t heard anyone approach. Then suddenly there was a flashlight beam directly on them, from someone standing on the other side of the fence.

  “I bet it’s Ben and Maurine,” a feminine voice whispered half under her breath. “They’re always breaking the rules.”

  Libby gasped and Logan moved until his body shielded hers from the light. But his chivalry cost him. He could feel her breasts brushing against his chest. Those hard little nipples were causing him a mixture of pain and sweet pleasure as they raked mercilessly across his scars.

  “Well, speak up! We aren’t blind; we can see you!”

  “It’s me, Mr. Kramer,” Logan replied, recognizing his grandfather’s poker buddy’s voice. “Logan.”

  “Oh, it’s Vincent’s grandson, Harry,” the woman said with relief. “That nice, handsome fireman. Harry and I are on patrol tonight, dear,” she explained in a friendly tone.

  Libby chuckled softly but didn’t remove her hands where they’d fallen on Logan’s shoulders. She was using him to stay afloat, and the buoyancy of the water caused their bodies to bounce against each other.

  “We’re sorry about breaking the rules,” he offered.

  “Who’s that with you?” the woman asked.

  Logan glanced down into Libby’s eyes. “She’s a…friend,” he replied, not sounding too sure.

  “A girlfriend, dear?”

  “Well, she’s certainly a girl. I don’t know if she’s a girlfriend, yet,” Logan joked.

  He couldn’t take much more. With her hands upon his shoulders Libby’s nipples rubbed along his chest like little fingers, keeping him aroused. “How long are you two on patrol tonight?” he asked, attempting to change the subject. Then he felt her pelvis brush against his hard-on and groaned, a low sound like an animal in pain. His hands slipped down from her waist to her hips until he felt the spaghetti thin straps holding her swim suit bottom in place. Logan was sure he felt her slight shudder when his fingers slipped beneath the tie, running along the edge of it. He couldn’t help wondering why she was allowing him such liberties. Could it be that she wanted him as much as he did her?

  “From eight to ten.”

  From eight to ten? Logan had no idea what they were talking about, acutely attuned to the tempting goddess in front of him.

  “For goodness sake, June, let’s leave these love birds alone so they can get on with, ah, whatever it is they were in the middle of.”

  They weren’t in the middle of anything, but before Logan could tell them that they turned off the light and left. He held Libby’s gaze, swallowing hard when she brushed against his erection a second time. He wondered if she did it on purpose. His fingers continued to trail along the tie to her bikini bottom, all the way to where the tiny triangle of cloth covered her mound. She sucked in her breath. He hesitated, waiting for her to say no. When she didn’t he took that as an invitation and slipped his fingers inside.

  Her gasp was sharp and telling. Logan felt her hands clench into his muscles. She arched her hips against him. His fingers toyed with the soft curls covering the most private part of her before tenderly running along the velvet soft lips guarding the core of her. He ran his tongue from the base of her throat up to the sensitive spot behind her ear, and then suckled gently at the delicate lobe. His finger flicked across her clit.

  “Oh!” She trembled violently against him.

  Logan ground his hips against her thigh, finding some relief at the contact, realizing it wouldn’t take much effort to make him come. He wanted to come! He lowered his head, fully intending to take her mouth. She made it easy by turning her face upward toward his. Then the inevitable happened. The sound of voices reached them as bingo had come to an end and everyone began leaving the community center next to the pool.

  The moment between them was
abruptly over and Libby pushed him away so she could slip into her top. Logan turned and headed for the shallow end, giving her privacy and proving he could be a gentleman when he wanted.

  “Thank you for, ah, shielding me,” Libby said from behind him.

  Thank you for raking my chest with your hard little nipples and turning me on, Logan wanted to snap right back at her. But he wisely kept his mouth shut. He was glad when he turned again and she was in the shadows, where he couldn’t see her. He could at least pretend that she wasn’t there. Ignoring the ache in his cock was another matter.

  “I guess I’ll be going,” she murmured after a moment.

  So much for pretending she wasn’t there. In the next instant Libby was in the moonlight again, swimming toward Logan until she could touch bottom. His eyes followed her when she slowly waded toward the steps, her enticing form becoming more visible with every step she took. He’d already seen her naked, so Logan wasn’t expecting much could top that.

  How wrong he was. Libby’s curves outlined in the brief bikini whet his appetite more than he would have thought possible. The little scraps of nothing only covered what it needed to. With her long hair plastered to her body she looked like a mythical mermaid rising out of the water. And Logan nearly swallowed his tongue when she glided past him up the steps. He closed his hands to keep from reaching out and grabbing her to him. And then what? Pull her down onto his lap and make love to her? His cock twitched wildly with he thought.

  “Don’t leave on my account,” he finally said, sorry he’d cut her swim short. He watched her grab up her towel and brings it around her hips, hiding those magnificent legs from his view.

  “I just wanted a dip to cool off,” she admitted, then paused, glancing down at him. Logan wasn’t sure but he thought he could make out the ghost of a smile on her face. “I was hot.”

  Yes, so was he. When he didn’t comment she turned and walked away. And it was then that Logan took a deep breath, not realizing he’d been holding it until then. Damn… He hoped his run-ins with Libby were few and far between. For the first time he was glad his grandfather lived in a retirement community so Libby’s visits would have to be sporadic.

  This meant, with a little luck, he could avoid her.

  Chapter 5

  “Cart patrol! Gram, what have you gotten me into now?” Libby rushed out with mild irritation, forgetting to lower her voice. The plate she was washing slipped from her fingers, crashing back into the sink and soaking the front of her flowered dress all the way through to the heavy padding beneath. “Darn it!”

  “Hush your voice, honey,” Margaret cautioned from the rocking chair she was sitting in, just outside on the enclosed porch. “The neighbors might hear you.”

  Libby rolled her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping something back. Especially when she could hear the smile in her grandmother’s voice and knew she was teasing her. She loved the old woman dearly but the heat was starting to get the best of her. She could feel the sweat rolling down between her breasts. For some strange reason being hot made her think of Logan.

  “You’re very quiet in there, Reba, cat got your tongue?” Margaret chuckled.

  Libby’s eyes automatically searched out Rufus, who was lying like a beached whale on the small rug in front of the stove. “I was just wondering why you can’t go with Vincent tonight,” Libby lied, letting the water down the drain after washing the last glass. “After all, you’re the one who signed up for it.”

  Margaret made an impatient sound that carried to the kitchen. “I told you, I’m getting one of my headaches. By the time eight o’clock rolls around I’ll be in bed.”

  Libby knew when her grandmother started in with one of her migraines she could be bedridden for days. “I’m sorry,” she began, instantly sympathetic. She stepped out onto the porch, drying her hands on a towel. “Do you want one of your pills?”

  Margaret smiled up at her. “No, thank you, dear, I already took one.” Her smile quickly disappeared. “Will you go for me tonight? We’re not supposed to go out alone and I’d hate to let Vincent down.”

  “Of course.” Libby glanced in the direction of Vincent’s house, wondering where Logan had gone. His motorcycle wasn’t in the driveway next to Vincent’s small sedan. If he were home she imagined he could go in her place. She released a sigh, unwillingly recalling what happened between them the other night. If they hadn’t been interrupted she had no doubt they would have made love.

  “What exactly will we be doing tonight, anyway?”

  “Neighborhood watch, dear. I’ve told you about it. Pairs of us take turns riding around the neighborhood in a golf cart for a couple hours after dark, protecting the residents. If we spot anything suspicious we’re supposed to call the police. There’s a canvas bag on the cart with all kinds of supplies in it like bug spray, a cell phone, flashlights.”

  Libby supposed she and Logan were lucky the police hadn’t been called when they’d been discovered at the pool after hours. Had it only been a week ago? And he’d been gone ever since. Not that she cared. Liar! For the first time in her life she’d been reckless, and it had felt good. He had felt good. Pleasant warmth pooled between her thighs when she thought about his fingers there. Teasing her with bits of heaven and hell.

  “I’m surprised you’re willing to let me drive around with Vincent by myself after dark, since you’re convinced he’s after me,” Libby joked. “What happens if he gets fresh?”

  “Bah, the old fool’s full of hot air and that’s all,” Margaret responded, surprising Libby. “If he puts the move on you push him out and make him walk back.”

  Libby thought about it for a moment, not at all worried about Vincent. But going on cart patrol would certainly break up the monotony of just one evening in a row of many to come. She wasn’t the type to sit in front of the TV, and could only stomach so many reruns of The Golden Girls. But then, she’d known what it was going to be like when she made the decision to become Reba and move in with her grandmother. Besides, she was doing it for love.

  It was that exact reason that prompted her to say, “Maybe I shouldn’t leave you alone tonight.”

  “No, no, I’ll be fine. You go get ready. Once my pills kick in I won’t feel a thing for hours. All I need is rest.” To prove her point she leaned her head back against her chair and closed her eyes, effectively dismissing Libby.

  Smiling, Libby hurried to her bedroom to get ready. She was just putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard a rap on the door, indicating Vincent had arrived. She knew she was overdressed for the hot July evening but could do nothing about it. Even a dig through her grandmother’s closet hadn’t produced anything useful. As she walked to the door, she chuckled at her reflection in the large mirror over the sofa. Hopefully Vincent’s eyes weren’t that great, and under the cover of darkness he wouldn’t pick up on the fact that she wasn’t wearing a slip beneath her dress. She’d eliminated some of the padding too, in exchange for comfort.

  “I’m coming!” Libby called out when there was a second knock. “Gram’s in bed,” she continued, hoping Vincent toned down his eagerness.

  The front door was still open but it was too dark to see Vincent through the screen door. Reluctantly slipping into a lightweight sweater, Libby flipped on the light switch just as she reached the door. “Oh!” She stopped short, meeting the seriousness in Logan’s eyes and wondering the cause of it. “What are you doing here? Where’s Vincent?”

  “At home in bed, with a stomach ache,” Logan replied respectfully. Then before Libby could catch her breath from his unexpected appearance he asked, “What did you say a moment ago?”

  “What did I say a moment ago?” she repeated as though in a daze. He was as handsome as ever, and she couldn’t help but notice the new tan beneath the gloom of the porch light. His white tank top outlined the sculptured muscles of his chest and emphasized his powerful arms. Her gaze halted at his belt because Libby knew if she looked any further
south he’d see an old lady swoon at his feet.

  “You said Gram was in bed,” he reminded her with suspicion in his tone. His eyes moved over her appearance, making her uncomfortable. Praying that he couldn’t see through her skirt, she had the sudden urge to turn off the light, but that would be obvious.

  “I did, when?” she asked innocently, swallowing with difficulty.

  “Just after I knocked on the door.

  Her voice cracked. “Are you sure?”

  “I know what I heard, ma’am."

  Libby had to think fast. “Then maybe you’d better have your ears checked because what I said was, ‘Gret’s in bed.’ Short for Margaret, get it?”

  Libby could tell by Logan’s expression that he wasn’t completely buying it. She decided to take control of the situation by opening the door and brushing past him. Pretending the whole thing was no big deal. “Come along, there are people counting on us to protect them.” She purposely sharpened her tone, knowing she could get away with it.

  Libby didn’t wait for Logan to acknowledge her. She continued down the porch steps toward the golf cart, her heart pounding out of control. It took conscious effort to remember she was supposed to be an old woman. How was she ever going to make it through the next two hours with him sitting there next to her? Lord, she was already hot! By the end of the evening she’d be a puddle of makeup and nerves on the vinyl seat beside him.

  She climbed into the cart, watching Logan approach in that sexy saunter of his. He was overly quiet and Libby guessed he was mulling over what just happened. Did he think she was a cranky old bitch? She turned her face to hide a smile, thankful for the cover of darkness. But the golf cart rocked briefly when he climbed in, prompting her to glance his way again. He tossed her a quick look as he turned the key, and then backed up.

  “Have you ever done cart patrol?” Libby inquired in a crackling tone that reeked with authority.

  “Yes, ma’am, a couple times with Granddad.”