Undressed

by Shannon Richard

  Abby was too stunned by the newest tidbit of information to do anything but lead him down the hallway and into an empty room.

  She heard the lock click behind her as she went to reach for the switch. Just as the room was filled with light, she was pushed up against the wall.

  Chapter Eight

  Sometimes Sharing Is Not Caring

  Logan’s mouth came down hard on Abby’s, and for just a moment she forgot that she was angry with him. It just so happened that the moment involved his tongue in her mouth. Her hands were in his hair and she was kissing him back. She’d missed him way more than she’d thought… and then she remembered that he hadn’t missed her.

  “Stop.” She turned her head away from him, her hands falling from his hair and going flat on his chest where she pushed at him to move away.

  He didn’t budge.

  “Stop?” he asked. “Why? What’s going on?”

  She turned and looked up at him. “You tell me.”

  “Red, I have no idea what I’m supposed to tell you.”

  “Does your date know you’re in here?”

  “My… what?”

  “Your date. The beautiful brunette that was all over you. Look, I get that we never established being exclusive, but I don’t share, so whatever—”

  Logan cut her off, covering her mouth again, and she couldn’t stop her traitorous body from going over to it. Going over to him. Pushing him away the first time had been hard enough, and she couldn’t find the strength to do it again.

  She judged herself just a little in that moment. Or she would have if she hadn’t been so focused on the feeling of Logan’s hands on her hips. How they moved down her thighs and around to her bottom. He filled his palms and squeezed, making her groan.

  He pulled back, his breath washing over her mouth as he skimmed his nose along hers. It took her a moment to open her eyes, and all she could see were Logan’s looking right back at her.

  “The brunette is my sister Adele, the head costume designer for Ponce, the TV show that you invited the cast and crew to tonight’s little dinner.”

  “Your sister?” Her brain was slow to start. Either because of the fact that Logan’s mouth was just inches from hers… or because every hard inch of him was pressing into the rest of her body.

  Actually, it was probably both.

  “Yes, Adele James.”

  Abby remembered putting the name on the list, but James was a fairly common last name. She hadn’t known this was his sister.

  “I… didn’t know.”

  “You didn’t know? You?” His eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “I didn’t think that was possible. You’re little Miss Attention-to-Detail.”

  “I knew you had a sister, not that she lived here. Or that she worked on Ponce. That information wasn’t in the dossier I’d been given on each player when I first started the job.”

  “And you didn’t look me up since then?”

  “No, I prefer it when you tell me things like people do in normal relationships.”

  His head kicked back just slightly in surprise. “I don’t think we have a normal relationship, Red.”

  “Isn’t that the truth? Not telling each other about families, or going to visit sick kids in the hospital. When did that start?”

  “A couple weeks after we got back from visiting Dale.”

  “And you got Jace and Andre involved?”

  “Yeah, it’s a good cause.”

  “You continually surprise me, Logan James,” she whispered as she reached up and touched the side of his face, cradling his jaw in her hand.

  He turned his head, kissing her palm. “And you continue to surprise me.” His eyes went back to hers, humor flickering with the gold in a sea of green. His head tilted to the side and those lips of his quirked. “So you were jealous when you thought Adele was my date?”

  “Could you be any more smug?”

  “I think I could, but your dress is distracting me from it.” He moved his hands from their location on her butt, traveling back to her hips and running them up to her waist before he slid them back down. “Does it make you feel any better that I can’t even think straight when I look at you?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  He grinned as he bent his head, kissing a path down her chest and dipping his tongue between her breasts. “Tell me you are wearing something lacy under this.”

  “My bra is. I’m not wearing any panties.”

  Logan’s head came up in an instant. “What was that?”

  “I’m going commando. The material of this dress is too thin. Shows everything. So I took a leaf out of your book.”

  “Come home with me tonight, Red. I’m tired of waiting for this to all die down. I need you in my bed tonight.”

  “Need? Really, that’s—”

  “Need,” he cut her off, one of his hands moving down to her knee. He pulled her leg up around his waist before he pushed his palm up and underneath the hem of her dress, touching her bare skin. “You’re right, we haven’t established a lot of things and I think that we should. Tonight. After I strip you out of this dress.” His hand moved around and he now held her bare bottom. He pulled her closer and the hard length of his erection pressed into her belly.

  The predatory gleam in his eyes made her breath catch, and she felt more than a little light-headed. She held on to the lapels of his tux, needing something to keep her from sliding to the floor. Though as he still had a pretty tight grip on her ass, she figured she was okay.

  “But I’m going to establish something right now.” He moved his mouth to the side, kissing the hollow beneath her ear. “I don’t share, either.”

  His hand dipped low, traveling past the curve of her bottom. He moved along her folds before he slid two fingers inside her. Her head fell back against the wall and she had to bite her lip to stop from moaning.

  “And not being able to touch you these last few weeks? Not being able to have you when I need you?”—he emphasized the word need with a light nip to her skin—“that’s unacceptable to me.” He whispered the last few words as he moved his fingers in and out of her. “Do you have any idea how desperately I want to bury myself inside you right now? But I can’t, because I know that once I start I won’t be able to stop. And we only have minutes.”

  Minutes? She wasn’t sure she was going to need that long. She’d been pretty desperate for him, too, and she couldn’t stop herself from thrusting against his hand, seeking more pressure.

  “Logan, please.” The words came out of her mouth strangled and breathy, which was good because it meant she wasn’t screaming them.

  “What do you think I’m trying to do?” His other hand moved between their bodies and quickly went to the apex of her thighs, where he started to work her clit with his fingers.

  The double onslaught was more than she should take, and she started coming, bucking against his hands as she cried out. Logan’s mouth covered hers, muffling the sound. He brought her down nice and slow with soft strokes of his tongue on hers, and his fingers that were still expertly moving between her legs.

  “We’re going to have to finish this tonight,” he said against her mouth, his lips brushing hers. “In my bed.”

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  He kissed her one last time before he pulled his hand out from under her dress, straightening it before he took a step back and looked her up and down.

  “Damn,” he said as he shook his head. “I have no idea how I’m going to make it through the night with you looking like this.”

  Her eyes darted to the mirror over his shoulder. Her flushed reflection and bright blue eyes stared back. At least he hadn’t messed up her hair.

  Thank God for small favors.

  “Crap, how am I supposed to go out there like this?”

  “You?” he asked, incredulous. “I think I have a more pressing problem.”

  Her eyes traveled down the front of his pants to where his erection was clearly straining against his zippe
r.

  “And whose fault is that? You’re the one who dragged me in here.”

  He reached forward, pulling her from the wall and into his hard body. “I had to get my point across.”

  “Oh, I think you were successful with that,” she said as she cupped the front of his pants.

  “Red, I don’t suggest you start something unless you intend on finishing it.” He raised his eyebrows as he grabbed her hand and pulled it away.

  “Well, aren’t you a fine one to talk?”

  “Uh, I think you finished nicely.”

  “Hmm, that’s very true.” She held on to his lapels again as she stretched up and placed a kiss to his mouth. When she pulled back she attempted to straighten him out, but he still looked pretty unrumpled considering she’d been holding on to him for dear life. “What you do to a three-piece suit should be illegal.”

  “The same could be said about you in this dress. You look stunning tonight, Red.”

  His words made her breath catch for an entirely different reason than it had earlier. “Thank you.”

  “I can’t keep my eyes off you, and I really wish I didn’t have to take me hands off you. But I suppose we should get back out there.”

  “Yes. We should.”

  “I’m going to need a minute to catch my breath. Probably shouldn’t walk out together anyway; I don’t think I could hide anything at the moment. But if anyone asks about your cheeks, just say that we got into an argument.”

  “About?”

  “I’m sure you’ll come up with something. You always do.”

  “I’ll see you out there when you get yourself”—she gestured to the front of his pants—“under control.”

  “Could take a while.”

  She grinned as she pulled away from him and headed for the door. But before she could open it, Logan put his hand over the exit. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, but he spun her around all the way and pushed her back into the solid wood.

  “Just one more,” he said as he lowered his mouth to hers. Thank God for smudge-proof lipstick.

  * * *

  The next three hours went by in a rush. Abby worked her way around the room, thanking everyone she could for coming, introducing the players to the guests, and making sure the silent auction was running smooth.

  Waiters circled around with trays of drinks, and the dance floor was filled with couples who moved in time with the music. She wished she could go out there with Logan. Wished she could press her body to his, rest her head against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her.

  Her gaze wandered to the other side of the room, where she spotted him with Jace and Andre. They all had drinks in their hands and were smiling as they talked to two women in floor-length gowns.

  Not for the first time, she resented the fact that they had to keep their relationship a secret. But it was what she’d signed up for. If she wanted to be with him, she was just going to have to deal with it.

  “So you’re the infamous Red?”

  Abby turned and looked up at the rather statuesque Adele James. A tiny diamond stud glinted from the left side of her nose, and the streaks of red in her dark brown hair were expertly curled in just the right way to highlight the color.

  “Adele James.” She reached out, holding her hand in front of Abby. She had a tattoo of a threaded needle and a stitched heart over her right wrist.

  “Abby Fields,” Abby said as she grabbed Adele’s outstretched hand and shook it.

  “I believe you know my brother, Logan James.” Her shrewd eyes zeroed in and she did a quick assessment of Abby before she nodded her head in approval, her mouth quirking to the side.

  There was no believe about it. Adele knew exactly who Abby was. So Logan hadn’t been exactly tight-lipped when it came to her. That was enlightening. So was the fact that it appeared she hadn’t been found wanting.

  A waiter came up to them, offering some champagne. Both women took a glass before he smiled and moved off.

  “I was told you were the mastermind behind this whole event.”

  “Mastermind? That’s high praise.”

  “It is. And my brother doesn’t tend to give praise where it isn’t due.”

  “That so?” Abby asked, raising her eyebrows.

  “Yes, so I know it’s well earned by those he gives it to,” Adele said before she took a sip of her drink.

  Never in Abby’s life had she been given the talk. She’d given it many times. Had given it to her stepfather when he started dating her mom, had given it to Brendan when he started dating Paige. So the fact that it was coming from Logan’s little sister was more than a little interesting.

  “I’m sure you’ve picked up on the fact that he’s a bit of a private person.”

  “A bit?” Abby almost snorted.

  “Yes, a bit.” Adele’s mouth twitched in amusement as she turned and focused on the group of men across the room. Two other women had joined them, and the uneven numbers made Abby feel slightly antsy. “My brother can be hard to get to know sometimes… hard to work with. But him being cooperative? Well, it isn’t small potatoes.”

  “I’ve picked up on that actually.”

  Adele looked back to Abby, but this time a full-blown smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “Good.”

  Abby had the feeling that she was just granted approval by one Adele James.

  Well, wasn’t that something?

  Both women returned their gazes to the men just as one of the newcomers around them, this one in a low-cut silver gown with a slit up the side, reached out and touched Logan’s arm. Her palm slid up his sleeve until she got to his bicep, where she wrapped her fingers around him and held on.

  It didn’t matter that Abby knew she was going home with him. Didn’t matter that the smile on his mouth was forced. Didn’t matter that there was no heat in his eyes as he looked at the blonde who had her hand on him.

  For the second time that night, the jealously that ran through Abby was overwhelming. She knew nothing was going to happen with Blondie over there, but it didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t be the one with her hands on Logan. That she couldn’t stake her claim. Let all of the women in the room know that he was hers.

  That he was hers? Where the hell had that come from?

  “I wouldn’t worry about that.” Adele’s voice dropped low so that there was no chance she could be overheard.

  No sooner were the words out of Adele’s mouth than a waiter passed by the group. Logan managed to move away from Blondie’s touch as he grabbed two glasses of champagne. He handed one to the woman, and as her other hand was wrapped around her satin clutch, she was now unable to touch him.

  Well, wasn’t he clever?

  His eyes came up for just a second and he focused on Abby. Even though they were on opposite ends of the room, she felt the heat like his hands had just passed over her body. He winked at her, his mouth kicking up into a grin as he looked between her and his sister.

  “Jace was right,” Adele whispered in amazement.

  “Huh?” Abby turned, forcing herself to pull her eyes away from Logan. If they continued to look at each other like that, their secret relationship wouldn’t be much of a secret anymore.

  “He said that Logan smiles more. I haven’t seen that look on his face in…” A sadness flickered in her gaze before she glanced over to her brother. “A long time. Logan is definitely a one-woman kind of guy. Unlike his friend over there.” The touch of bitterness in Adele’s statement was hard to miss even in her whisper.

  Abby found herself automatically looking over to the group again. She was going to give herself whiplash at this rate.

  Her eyes ran around the circle, taking in the three men. Andre was married, so Abby sure hoped Adele was talking about Jace. But before she could say anything on the matter, Jace’s hand came up and he ran it across the back of the brunette in the short green dress.

  “Typical,” Adele muttered under her breath.

  Abby turn
ed just in time to see Adele’s nostrils flare as she looked away from the group. She took a deep breath right before she let it out in a frustrated sigh.

  Abby was beyond curious as to what that had been about. Before she could even open her mouth to say anything, though, Adele nudged her arm and indicated a spot across the room with her chin.

  Kent Proctor was surrounded by a group of people, mostly women. The one at the center, and who he was focusing on the most? Felicity Carter, the lead actress on Ponce.

  “What is she doing?” Adele asked, shaking her head. “She should know better.”

  “You friends with her?”

  “Yes. She’s a good girl. A bit naive, obviously, as she’s talking to that asshat. I heard about what he said to you. That was uncalled for.”

  Abby hadn’t spoken to Proctor since the whole locker room incident. Her bosses had removed her from any and all things that had to do with him. She wasn’t upset by any means that she no longer had to deal with him, but she got the feeling that they blamed her a little bit for the incident.

  Proctor had become Dingle’s problem since the two seemed to have an amicable relationship.

  Birds of a feather.

  They had a lot in common. Proctor was much like Dingle in the essence that he could be considered attractive, that is, until his personality came to light. He opened his mouth and arrogance spewed forth like vomit. He had long light blond hair that he slicked back and blue eyes that revealed absolutely nothing of the man that lay beneath them.

  There was just something about him that put her on edge.

  “Maybe we should go save her.”

  Adele looked over at Abby and shook her head. “You won’t be doing anything. My brother sees you anywhere near that guy, and you will have a situation much worse than what happened in that locker room. You should know Logan only loses it like that when it comes to people he cares about.”

  “He… what?”

  Okay, so he’d told her he needed her earlier that evening. He’d told her he didn’t share, that he wanted to establish things about their relationship. She knew all that, yes, but there was something about somebody else knowing it. About hearing it come out of the mouth of someone who knew him.