A soft sob tore from her throat. “I didn’t know if you…I wasn’t sure.”
Logan opened his eyes. He watched as long, silky stands of her hair floated through his fingers, then his gaze met hers in the glass. “Don’t you know, Juliana? I’d forgive you anything. All you need to do is ask me, and I’ll do anything for you.”
Another sob broke from her lips. Tears started in her eyes, but Logan caught them on his fingertips before they could fall. She’d cried so many tears this week. He knew she’d cry many more before she’d spent all her love, anger, and grief over her father.
But not tonight.
He slid his hands over her shoulders again, but this time his fingertips drifted beneath the neckline of her night rail. He eased the fragile material aside to stroke her throat and the tops of her breasts. Logan watched the two of them in the mirror, mesmerized by the sight of his big, rough hands against her fair skin. She was too fine for a man like him, but he was selfish—selfish and greedy—because she was his, and he couldn’t get enough of her.
Her breath caught as his hands slid lower, dipping under the thin linen of the night rail to stroke the tips of her breasts. They hardened instantly against his calloused fingers. He dragged his fingertips over them, circling and pinching gently until Juliana moaned, and her head fell back against his chest.
“Look at yourself, Ana.” Logan tugged gently on the muslin so it pulled tightly against her breasts. Her nipples were hard and flushed a deep pink from his caresses, and Logan groaned as he plucked at them, flicking his fingernail over the eager nubs. They strained against the white material, reaching for his teasing fingers. “Mo Dhia, you’re so beautiful, Juliana. Every inch of you.”
Just that simple caress had left him hard and aching for her. His cock pressed insistently against his falls, and he felt as if he’d die if he couldn’t see all of her, touch all of her. Every creamy inch of skin, every curve, every wet, tender fold. He lowered his hands to her thighs, grasped handfuls of the material and dragged it up over her hips. His lips found her ear. “Raise your arms for me, bhean.”
Her arms rose in the air and he tugged the flimsy night rail over her head. She was bare underneath. Logan stroked his palm over her belly, groaning with need when a spray of goosebumps rose to the surface of her skin in the wake of his touch. He reached lower, playfully circling her belly button, then lower still…
“Open your legs for me, Juliana.”
She stared at him in the mirror, her lips parted, a flush darkening her cheeks.
He let his hand drift lower, slowly stroking over the soft skin of her belly until his fingertips found her fair curls. “Open, beag bòidhchead.”
She opened, a soft moan leaving her lips.
“Yes, Ana. Just like that. Now lean back against me, neach-gaoil.”
She was trembling, and he helped ease her backward so her head was cradled against his chest. Logan made certain she was balanced securely, then he trailed his hands down one of her thighs to the back of her knee and shifted her position, so the sole of her bare foot rested against the edge of the dressing-table.
She raised her head from his chest, her green eyes going wide when she understood what he intended to do. “Logan…”
“Shhh.” He scraped his teeth over her earlobe, nipping at the soft flesh. “Let me see you.”
Logan’s cock was so hard he felt ready to explode, but he waited, his breath held, for her to give him permission to touch her like this.
Finally, she nodded once.
Logan arranged her other leg as he had the first. When she was spread open in front of him he sucked in a hard breath, mesmerized by the sight of her. “Mo Dhia, just look at you.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her skin was flushed, her nipples still peaked for him. He let his gaze drift lower, to that most intimate place between her legs, where her damp, tender pink skin seemed to beg for his touch.
He reached between her pale thighs and stroked a fingertip over her. Just a single stroke with one finger, his touch so light.
Juliana gasped.
So, he did it again, and then again, his fingers circling and teasing until she was writhing in the chair, soft whimpers and pleas falling from her lips.
Logan’s gaze was riveted on her, everything inside him focused entirely on her pleasure. “Does that feel good, Juliana?” His mouth was hot against her ear. “Do you need more, beag bhean? Look at me, and I’ll give you everything you want.” Juliana was rolling her head from side to side on his chest, her eyes tightly closed, but he took her chin gently in his hand and turned her face to the mirror. “Watch. Watch me touch you.”
She watched, her mouth open, her green eyes nearly black. She arched her back when Logan cupped his hand over her and slid one finger inside. “Logan.”
Her hips rose, and he growled against her neck. God, it drove him mad to see her like this, her pink flesh swollen, her body arching and twisting under his hand. She let out a sharp moan when he sank a second finger inside her. Her arousal coated his palm, driving him so close to the edge he couldn’t wait another moment to taste her.
“Lower your legs. Feet on the floor.” His voice was deep and hoarse, almost savage.
She did as he asked, and when he sank to his knees in front of her, he could see her legs were trembling. His hands were heavy, possessive when they landed on her inner thighs and he held her open for his mouth. He lost control the moment his tongue found her sweet flesh. He became frantic, snarling like an animal as his tongue lashed over her again and again, devouring her.
“Logan!” She gripped his hair with clenched fingers, tugging mindlessly as she panted and moaned her way through her release, her thighs shaking. He stayed with her, his lips and tongue stroking insistently until he’d wrung every last tremor from her. He slowed then, caressing her thighs with long strokes of his hands as he lapped gently at her, bringing her down until she went limp, spent.
Logan lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He laid her down on her back and she threw her arms over her head, a sleepy, seductive smile on her lips as she watched him tear off his clothes.
He was mad for her, his cock pulsing with need, but he paused to gaze down at her, his fingers on the buttons of his falls. “You look satisfied, bhig galla.”
“I am.” Her gaze lingered on his bare chest, then dropped lower, to the evidence of his arousal. Her lips curved when she met his eyes again. “For the moment, that is.”
Logan groaned as he struggled out of his boots and stripped off his pantaloons. Nothing excited him more than having her eyes on him, knowing she wanted him. He tossed his clothes aside and joined her on the bed, sighing with relief when he had her in his arms again, with her warm curves pressed tightly against him. “I missed you,” he murmured, dropping a kiss onto her temple.
She gazed up at him, her green eyes serious. “I missed you, too. I waited for you. Every night that I lay here alone, I hoped you would come to me. I ache for you, Logan.” She took his face in her hands and pressed a sweet, hungry kiss to his lips.
He buried his hands in her hair with a groan and took her mouth harder, his tongue slipping between her lips to tangle with hers. The soft heat of her mouth, her silken skin against his, her breathy sighs in his ears—it all made him mindless with desire and love.
I can’t wait any longer…
He eased his hips between her thighs, took himself in hand, and pressed his swollen head against her. She let out a deep sigh and wrapped her legs around him, urging him to go deeper. Logan’s mind went hazy as he slid inside. He knew only her—her soft, welcoming heat, her pleading whimpers in his ears, the slightly salty taste of her skin as he opened his mouth against her neck.
She moaned when he began to move, her legs tightening around him. Logan sank deeper inside with one measured stoke, then went still, his back bowing from the ex
quisite pleasure of her heat wrapped around him. “I want you to come for me again,” he whispered, with another nudge of his hips.
She panted as he nudged into her again, slowly at first, but then harder and faster as his release slid closer. “Come, Juliana. Come with me inside you.”
Her body strained against his. “I—I can’t, Logan. Not again. It’s too much.”
Logan reached down between their bodies, hissing when his fingers found her damp core. “Yes, you can. You’re so wet, so ready.” He rolled the pad of one finger over her tender nub, moaning when it grew harder under his touch. “Come for me, breagha bhean. I need to feel you.”
His other hand slid up her body to her breast, his thumb finding her nipple. He worked her with both hands, petting and teasing even as he continued to thrust into her, and God, she was so hot, so sweet, her body clenching around his, greedy for him. He stroked into her harder, urging her on with his fingers. His spine started to tingle, and he could feel his release sliding closer, then closer still, and he couldn’t wait, couldn’t wait any longer…
Just as he was tumbling over the edge with a guttural moan, Juliana stiffened beneath him. Her breath caught on a sob, and then she was coming apart for him. He dimly registered her breathless cries in his ears and her body squeezing his, contracting around him until everything else faded but the agonizing pleasure of being buried inside her.
It seemed to go on forever, shaking and tossing them in its grip until at last Logan felt the tension drain from her body. She went slack, melting against him. His hips ceased their relentless thrusting as the pleasure slowly faded away, leaving them both breathless and sated.
Logan tightened his arms around her and trailed his lips over her neck before collapsing onto his back against the bed. He took her with him, dragging her close so her head was on his chest, and one of her legs thrown over his.
After a time, their breathing evened, and the sweat cooled on their skin. Juliana shivered and burrowed closer, and Logan reached down and drew the coverlet over them.
They didn’t speak, but lay quietly together, wrapped in their warm cocoon. Juliana pressed soft kisses on his neck and stroked his chest, but eventually she went still.
Logan continued to stroke her back long after she’d fallen asleep.
He didn’t sleep. He held her in his arms, his thoughts in turmoil.
This business with Cowden had to end.
He’d returned to see the man three times since that initial visit, and each time he’d been ushered into his lordship’s presence readily enough. Cowden seemed to relish his visits. He was always unfailingly polite—solicitous, even. He offered Logan his finest port, and encouraged him to remain well into the night, chatting or playing at chess or cards.
Cowden was clever, amusing, charming—the consummate host. Anyone watching the two of them together would have imagined they were the best of friends.
Logan knew better.
Cowden was simply toying with him, lying in wait for Logan to make his next move. He knew damn well Logan intended to get the land in Perth, no matter what it took. So, he bided his time, his cold gray eyes scrutinizing Logan’s every move, his every breath, and waited for their inevitable clash of swords.
It would come sooner than he expected. Tonight, Logan would visit Lord Cowden one final time, and when he left, he’d take the rights to Cowden’s Scottish land with him.
He needed to finish this. He had Juliana and Grace now, and he wanted to begin his life with them as soon as possible, without any shadows or secrets hanging over them.
The sooner he put an end to Cowden’s game, the better. The man was dangerous, and this battle with him was going to keep getting uglier until it was resolved. He didn’t want Juliana or Grace anywhere near it.
Juliana stirred in her sleep, and he tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss in her hair. She sighed, nuzzling her cheek against his chest. He gathered her closer against him and waited, eyes open, for morning to come.
Chapter Twenty-two
Juliana got up several times throughout the night to check on Grace, and ended up waking much later the next morning than was her habit. A quick glance out her window revealed it was nearly midday.
Logan was already gone. His coverlet trailed on the floor, and his side of the bed was cold. Before she had a chance to wonder where he was, she heard the soft sound of the connecting door opening, then closing again.
A moment later, Logan appeared at the entrance to her bedchamber. He saw she was awake, and a slow smile curved his lips. Juliana’s breath caught, and she knew she would never become accustomed to how handsome he was. Every time she looked at him, her heart beat in a wild frenzy inside her chest.
“Good morning, mo bhean.” He leaned his hip against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. “You look deliciously rumpled and sleepy.” His hot blue gaze moved over her face and down her neck, then lingered on the upper curves of her breasts peeking over the edge of the coverlet.
A slow, intense heat washed over Juliana, leaving her flushed and breathless.
“That’s a seductive blush, Ana.” Logan dropped his arms and straightened away from the door. “You make me want to see how far it goes.”
Juliana lifted the sheet and peeked underneath. When she met his gaze again, her lips were quirked in an inviting smile. “Farther than you imagine.”
“Oh?” He prowled across the room toward her, blue eyes glittering, and sank down onto the edge of the bed. “Show me.”
Juliana let the coverlet drop to her hips and leaned back against the pile of pillows behind her.
A soft hiss left Logan’s lips. “How are you so beautiful? You look like a wicked angel, with your wild hair falling everywhere.” He caught a long lock in his fingers and drew it over her shoulder so the wavy ends brushed against her nipple. His eyes darkened as he watched it harden, then he leaned forward with a groan and took it into his mouth.
Juliana’s back arched sharply under the teasing caress. “Logan.” She reached for him and tried to pull him down beside her, but he caught her wrists and pinned them to the bed. He didn’t say a word, but teased and licked at one of her nipples, driving her out of her mind with each stroke of his hot tongue.
“Logan…” She tried to move her hands, to tug free so she could sink her fingers into his hair, but again he resisted, holding her down gently as he continued to pleasure her. When he’d worked her nipple into a rigid peak, he dragged his mouth across her chest, dropping a half-dozen kisses there before his lips closed over her other nipple.
Juliana whimpered and squirmed under his relentless caress as he suckled her. When she was gasping and boneless, he released one of her hands and smoothed his palm down her stomach, drawing closer and closer to the place where she wanted him most.
She opened her legs and arched her hips for him, but when he reached the top edge of her curls, his hand stilled. He lifted his head from her breasts and watched her face as he drew lazy circles on the gentle curve of her lower belly. “Will you come for me like this, mo bhean?”
“I—I don’t know.” Dear God, she was going mad from his teasing, every inch of her body taut as she waited for his fingers to stroke her. “Touch me, Logan.”
His eyes had gone heavy-lidded. He dragged one harsh breath after another through his parted lips, but even as he grew more aroused, he continued to deny her. He toyed with her, letting his fingers play in her curls, circling closer, but each time he stopped just shy of her center.
“Dhia, I could come to release just watching you.” He released her other wrist and leaned over her, his breath hot against her ear. “Take my hand, bòcan, and put it where you need it.”
Juliana didn’t hesitate. She pushed his hand down and pressed it directly against her core.
Logan sucked in a harsh breath. “So wet, Juliana. It drives me mad, feeling how
wet you are for me.” He stroked between her warm folds and gently pinched her aching bud between his fingers. Juliana cried out, and then Logan’s lips were at her ear again, his voice a low growl as he urged her on. “Yes, Ana. This is what you want. Now let me give it to you…”
He slid his fingertip over her, and at the same time bent to suck a nipple into his mouth. His tongue stabbed at the turgid peak, and that was all it took. Juliana’s back bowed, and a second later she was tumbling headlong into a breathless release.
He stroked and sucked as she shuddered through her climax, his movements ceasing only when she collapsed into a sated heap on the bed. “Every morning, just like this, Juliana.” He smiled at her dazed nod, brushed her damp hair away from her face, and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
She gave him a lazy smile, her body so relaxed she might have fallen asleep again if she hadn’t wanted to see Grace.
Logan watched her stretch and twist, and a groan fell from his lips. “You make me want to lie in bed with you all day.”
“Then why don’t you?” He was still breathing hard, and his cheekbones were flushed. Her gaze drifted lower, and…yes, he was fully aroused, his hard length straining against the front of his falls.
“Not today.” He brushed the back of his knuckles over her cheek, then rose from the bed.
Juliana sat up straighter against her pillows. For the first time, she noticed he was dressed for riding, and anxiety swelled in her stomach. “Logan? Where are you going?”
“I need to take care of some business,” he muttered evasively.
Juliana frowned up at him. “What business?”
His face closed. “Nothing important.”
Julian stilled. Business? He had business in Surrey? Was this mysterious business what had kept him here, then? What would happen once he finished it?
Logan blew out a breath. “It’s nearly finished, so it’s nothing you need worry about.”
But Juliana was worried. “Why can’t you tell me what it is? Perhaps I could help you—”
To Wed A Wild Scot Page 26