by Tina Folsom
But he suddenly shifted, moving away from her.
Startled, she gasped and tried to turn away from him, but he snatched her arm.
“It’s best if you don’t kiss me.”
Heat shot into her cheeks. Had she really just lost her mind and tried to offer him her lips? She tried to step back, embarrassment rushing through her, but he didn’t let go of her arm. She snapped her gaze back to his face. To her surprise, she saw regret in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, don’t be,” he said in an even voice. “I would welcome your touch. I would have kissed you back. But there can’t be anything sexual between you and me.”
He would have kissed her back? So he’d felt the attraction between them, too? Then why did he have scruples? Or wasn’t it that at all? What if the reason wasn’t because he didn’t want to have sex with her but because he couldn’t? Physically couldn’t. That thought made her suck in a breath of air and pause. Yes, that had to be it. “Oh.” She swallowed hard and lowered her eyes. “I didn’t realize. I thought because you look so human that… you know… you’d have all the same… uh, parts.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Parts?” Logan interrupted, his voice raised.
“Uh…” Was he going to make her say it? Oh God, how embarrassing. She made a motion in the general direction of his groin, then averted her eyes quickly. “You know…”
“You think I don’t have the right equipment?”
Winter coughed nervously. “Please, I’m sorry I made an assumption. I’m sorry I tried to, uh… Can we please drop the subject?”
“No, we can’t.”
She looked back up at him. There was a struggle going on inside him, a struggle that reflected on his face.
“You don’t understand,” Logan said. “It’s my fault. I probably sent you the wrong signals. I’m not immune to you. I’m attracted to you. But you’re my charge. My responsibility. It doesn’t matter what I want, because I won’t give into my needs. I can’t do that.” He released her arm. “I won’t take advantage of a woman in my care. It’s not right. You’re vulnerable. Impressionable. You probably think you owe me something. You don’t. But I need your help to resist the temptation. Please don’t try to kiss me again. It will only lead to one thing.” He motioned to the bed. “Knowing that we’ll sleep in the same room tonight is going to be temptation enough. I might be an immortal warrior, but I’m also a man.” He let out a weak laugh. “With all the right parts.”
Winter gaped at him. He was attracted to her. And despite being different species, they were compatible. And his objection was that he thought he was taking advantage of her? That couldn’t possibly be it.
“So let me get this straight. You find me reasonably attractive,” she started.
“Not just reasonably.”
She registered his comment with satisfaction. “And you have all the right parts.” She glanced at his groin. “And I’m assuming they work?”
Logan growled. “They work just fine,” he pressed out through clenched teeth.
“But you think you’re taking advantage of me, if you sleep with me.” She rolled her eyes. “Men! No wonder I don’t date much. They’re just too complicated.”
“You’re calling me complicated?”
“No, you”—she drove her index finger into his chest—“I call boneheaded.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Care to explain why I deserve such harsh criticism?”
“You still don’t get it, do you? I could die tomorrow. Hell, we could both die tomorrow. The demons could catch up with us and murder us in our sleep for all I know. And you’re concerned about taking advantage of me, when I’m the one making a pass at you?” She shook her head and turned away. “Honestly! If you’re trying to spare my feelings, because you’re not actually interested—”
A firm hand on her shoulder spun her back around to face him. Suddenly both his hands were on her, gripping her shoulders. “I’m interested.”
He pulled her to him, his hands sliding down her back until they came to lay on her behind. He pressed her against his groin, where she felt hardness rub against her soft stomach. Her breath hitched.
“Is that proof enough of my interest?”
Winter snapped her gaze to him. He didn’t look angry anymore, nor had his voice sounded annoyed. Instead he had a smirk on his face. Stunned, she froze.
“Well, now, look at that. Suddenly the little seductress isn’t quite so brave anymore, is she? Are you gonna back away now that you know I’ll take you up on your offer if you make it again? I hope that’s a warning to you. Don’t play games with me.”
She felt him loosen his grip and shove her back, but before he could release her, she put her hands on his biceps and held tight. “I wasn’t asking for a warning. And I don’t play games.”
“Goddamn it,” Logan ground out, but dipped his head toward her nevertheless. “This is a mistake.”
“But one I’m going to enjoy,” she murmured. “And I don’t need to be a psychic to know that.”
“Winter?”
“Hmm?”
“Stop talking.”
“Then start kissing me already.”
A second later, she felt Logan’s lips on hers, pressing gently, flooding her with warmth and the knowledge that for a short while she would be able to forget everything that had happened in the last hours.
14
Logan felt Winter respond to his kiss and knew there was no going back now. She was a free spirit like Barclay had mentioned, and she didn’t care about conventions. The fact that she didn’t know him at all didn’t stop her from offering her body to him in the most trusting way. And he was a scoundrel for accepting the offer. Because he knew what he was doing was wrong. Wrong on so many levels.
Wasn’t it enough that he’d gone rogue, betrayed his friends and defied his superiors’ orders? Wasn’t it enough that he was still lying to her about why he’d been in her shop? Did he have to top it all off now by sleeping with her?
Fuck! He should stop, should confess everything. But he couldn’t. Winter’s body in his arms felt too good. Her mouth yielded to his, her lips parted to invite him in. And what man, what living, breathing creature could resist such temptation? She was young and beautiful, her body soft, her curves round and tantalizing.
Kissing Winter was like a sensual dance. A dance between two strangers who had no secrets from each other. Two strangers who trusted each other. Was it Winter’s free spirit, her unconventionality that contributed to what was happening between them now? Or had the horror she’d gone through only hours earlier driven her to this act, an act that reaffirmed life?
With every stroke of his tongue against hers, every press of his lips to hers, Logan felt his body temperature rise. It had been a while since he’d felt desire like this, since he’d been aroused by a mere kiss. But it wasn’t just the kiss. He felt her hands on him, touching him, exploring him with almost desperate anticipation, with a wildness he now welcomed.
She was already opening the buttons of his shirt as if she feared he would change his mind and suddenly stop if she didn’t undress him fast enough.
Logan drew his head back and took a hold of her hands.
She stared at him, disappointment instantly flaring up in her eyes.
“Easy, Winter, we’ve got time.” He let go of her hands and put two fingers under her chin, tilting it up. “If we’re really gonna do this, I’m not gonna rush it. You’re right, we might die tomorrow, so let’s at least enjoy this together.”
A slow smile built on her lips, while she released a relieved breath of air. “You scared me there for a moment.”
“You should never be scared of me. I mean that, Winter.” He slanted his lips over hers and captured them for another kiss. And another.
At the same time he slowly began to undress her. Layer after layer he peeled away. First her sweatshirt, then the camisole. Beneath it she wore a bra. He let h
er keep it, for now. He wasn’t ready to lay her bare there.
But he did want to feel her curves, so he let his hands slide over her naked shoulders, down her torso to where the simple white cotton bra covered her shapely breasts. Under the many colorful layers she’d worn in the shop and then the unshapely sweatshirt she’d changed into later, he hadn’t been able to guess what treasures lay beneath. Two perfect globes, firm and yet soft, beckoned to be explored.
He ran his thumbs along the bra’s seams, delving below the fabric to touch the silken skin. Her chest rose in invitation, and a ragged breath tore from her chest.
“Beautiful,” he murmured and dipped his head to kiss the indentation between her breasts. She smelled of lavender there, of innocence and sensuality. When he lifted his eyes to look at her face, he saw her watching him, her eyes hooded, her lips parted, still moist from his kisses.
The sight made his cock spasm in anticipation. He was already hard. Had been since the moment she’d started talking about parts. Had she really believed he didn’t have the right equipment to make love to her? How silly, and how charming at the same time.
“Aren’t you gonna continue?” she suddenly asked.
He chuckled. “Trust me, only one thing can stop me now.”
“What’s that?”
He brought his face to hers. “You changing your mind. There’s still time for that.”
Winter shook her dark curls. “No, there isn’t.” She slid her hand down his torso to the front of his pants, cupping the hard bulge there, making him gasp in response. “See? There’s no going back now. I need to feel you, skin on skin.”
“I think my people got it wrong: you’re not a psychic, you’re a witch.”
She chuckled. “That’s what men call women when they can’t tame them.” Her eyelashes fluttered, and her pink tongue emerged to lick her lips. “But I bet you can tame me with what you’ve got here.” She squeezed his cock through his pants.
Her boldness surprised him—and turned him on.
“Fuck!” he cursed under his breath and pressed Winter against the wall behind her.
He lowered his head and kissed one breast through the thin cotton, until the nipple was rock-hard and the fabric was so wet it became transparent. Then he unleashed the same torture on the other breast. Meanwhile, his hands weren’t idle. He made quick work of the button of her jeans, then lowered the zipper, before yanking her pants down to her thighs. She wore cotton panties without any frills. He slid his fingers underneath the fabric, combing through the coarse hair at the juncture of her thighs until he found what he was looking for: a warm wetness oozing from her core.
He moaned against her nipple and bathed his fingers in her arousal.
“Logan, oh God!” she uttered on a moan.
Knowing his touch was welcome, he started rubbing along her slit, then brought the moisture up higher to where her clit was hidden underneath a protective hood. He swiped upwards, covering the sensitive organ with her juices.
Another moan, this time even more breathless.
He let go of her nipple and lifted his head, kissing a path up her neck until he could suck her earlobe into his mouth. “You like my fingers there?”
“Y-yes,” she stammered.
“Good, cause I’m gonna make you come with my fingers first, so you’ll be nice and relaxed when I make love to you with my cock.”
Her breath hitched, and he felt her nipples rub against his chest.
With her jeans down to her knees, Winter’s range of motion was restricted. She couldn’t open her legs any wider, but Logan didn’t mind. He had enough space to slide three fingers back and forth to reach her clit without any problem. Winter couldn’t escape his caresses. She was at his mercy.
Planting open-mouthed kisses on her neck, he continued to stroke her center of pleasure, feeling how her clit became more and more swollen, while Winter thrust her pelvis toward his hand, demanding more friction. He complied with her demand, rubbing her hard and fast, adjusting his tempo to her breathing pattern, to her frantically beating heart.
“Logan, oh yes, yes, please!”
Even without her words he could tell how close she was. Her skin was perspiring now, a soft rose blush covering it, her chest was heaving, her breaths ragged, her pulse racing. He loved seeing her like this, loved being the reason for it. He felt her clit throb now, and knew she was ready. He slipped his middle finger deep into her pussy, then pinched her clit with his thumb and index finger.
Her body spasmed, her inner muscles clenching his finger tightly. Then he felt her shudder as her orgasm crashed over her. He stilled his fingers, allowing her to ride out the pleasure now coursing through her body, kissing her neck, her shoulders, dipping down to her breasts, and kissing her there too, until the tension in her body finally ebbed and she sagged against the wall.
Slowly, gently, he eased his fingers from her. Then he lifted her into his arms and placed her down on the bed.
“I’ll take care of you now,” he promised and continued to undress her.
~ ~ ~
Winter felt like she was in a daze. A dream. But it wasn’t a dream. She was lying on the bed, and Logan was undressing her. She felt cool air blow against her skin and knew he’d taken off her pants. But she was too satiated from her orgasm to lift her head and look down at herself.
Then she felt his hands on her chest. She watched him as he freed her of her bra. He tossed it aside, then dipped his head to one breast and licked over the nipple. Her entire body still hypersensitive, she let out a moan.
He briefly looked at her, smiled, then reached for her panties and slid them off her. She felt no shame about being exposed to him like this. She wanted him to see her like this. Just like she wanted to see him. Every immortal inch of him.
“Take your clothes off,” she said, barely recognizing her own voice. When exactly had she turned into a breathy-voiced vixen?
Logan stood up straight. “Only if you watch.”
She braced herself on her elbows and looked at him, more alert now. “Oh, I’m watching.”
There was something intimate about watching a man getting undressed. But watching Logan as he took off his shirt and unbuttoned his pants, was even more of a turn-on. Was it because he was an immortal? Or because he was a stranger, and she had no expectations? Maybe it was both.
His chest was covered with only the lightest dusting of dark hair, just as dark as the hair on his head. His pectorals were defined, not in a bodybuilder kind of way, but in a, well, warrior kind of way. He looked as strong as he was. His abs were just as well-developed, the ridges reminding her of ripples the ocean waves left in the sand. Down the middle of his abdominal muscles, the hair grew slightly thicker where it disappeared into his pants.
Her eyes were glued to his hands, his strong, yet elegant fingers, when he lowered the zipper revealing black boxer briefs beneath the khaki pants he wore. When he stopped, she lifted her head to find out the reason why and found him looking at her.
“Just wanted to make sure you want me to go on,” he said with a smirk.
“Now you’re just being a tease,” she said.
“Or maybe I’m simply enjoying the way you look at me.”
“I’ll enjoy it even more once I get to see more.” She tossed a pointed look at his groin.
Finally, he continued his slow undressing. He bent down and undid his boots. He pulled a dagger from one of them and put it aside, before stepping out of them. Then he stripped himself of his socks, straightened again, and pushed his pants down. When he stepped out of them, she was rewarded with the sight of two muscular legs. But her interest lay farther up, where the black fabric of his boxer briefs stretched over a thick bulge.
Winter licked her lips. A groan came from Logan, then he hooked his thumbs into the waistband and pushed his last item of clothing down, freeing himself. His cock sprang free. Hard and heavy it curved toward his abdomen, and below, his balls hung in a tight sac.
“You do
have all the right parts.” She raised her eyes to meet his. “Perfect parts.”
“I’m glad you approve.” Slowly he bridged the distance to the bed and slid one knee onto the mattress. “Now let’s put this part to good use.”
“Let’s.” She reached her hand out, sliding it along the underside of his cock, reveling in the smoothness of his sensitive skin. “Perfect.”
Logan pressed her back into the mattress and rolled over her. “It’ll be even more perfect inside you.”
“We need a condom.” How could she have forgotten about that?
Logan froze. “I don’t have a condom.” He sighed. “Our race doesn’t use them. We don’t need to. As preternatuals we carry no disease.”
“Ah, makes sense,” she said, relieved to a point. “But I’m not on the pill.”
He shook his head. “You won’t have to worry about that. I can’t get you pregnant.”
She looked into his eyes and saw the truth in them. “Well, then I guess…” She pulled him down on her and spread her legs wider, making space for him.
Logan slid into the space as if they’d done this a thousand times. She locked eyes with him and saw passion reflected back at her. His eyes were light brown with flecks of a darker color throughout. They seemed to sparkle. And then she felt it, felt his cock nudge at the entrance to her body and slide between her moist folds. His eyes still holding her gaze, he thrust deep into her, stretching her, filling her.
A breath escaped her and with it a soft moan.
“See?” he murmured. “We fit perfectly.”
She loved the feeling of his hard root inside her, loved the fullness. She squeezed her interior muscles wanting to feel more of him.
Logan moaned, his eyes closing for a moment, then he looked at her again. “Keep that up and this’ll be over in no time,” he warned.
“Then maybe you should do something about that.” She moved her hips, pressing toward him.
“Maybe I should.”