by Author TR
Just the thought of Libby in the arms of another man made his blood boil over. His eyes dropped down her scantily clad body, seeing her as he’d never seen her before. A white off the shoulder blouse clung to her breasts, so thin and airy he knew she wasn’t wearing a bra. The peaks of her breasts were pointed, telling Logan her nipples were hard against the silk. A short black miniskirt left her magnificent legs bare from the tops of her shapely thighs down to the sexy impossibly high stilettos on her dainty feet. She’d pulled that red hair of hers back into a haphazard style that left it wild and full of life about her shoulders and back.
His gut clenched, recalling what her soft hair felt like against his body. Like silky fire. Damn! He was responding to her allure. She was sexy as hell and the three days since he’d held and kissed her had only left him wanting more. If Pete and Ron were alive they’d tease him mercilessly and say he had it bad. And he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
He willed Libby to look his way, only she was too wrapped up with her friends and what they were saying. Then the door closed, shutting out what little light was behind them from the setting sun. His eyes followed them as they made their way to one of the tables. He couldn’t help but be aware of the heads turning their way as they sashayed by. They had enough hip action going on to test a saint. The temperature of Logan’s blood shot up another notch. He started to leave his stool when he saw three men approach their table.
“Hello, handsome!” A hand on his arm prevented Logan from taking more than a step. “I haven’t seen you around lately.”
It was the resident barfly, the blonde from a week ago. He would have thought she’d gotten the hint that he wasn’t interested. There wasn’t much difference between her attire and Libby’s, yet her hot pink skirt and matching blouse didn’t turn Logan on. Her perfume was so heavy he felt his eyes water and she had enough war paint on that it actually took away from what he thought would be a pretty face.
“I haven’t been here lately.” His eyes shot past her to Libby. Her friends had paired up and were heading toward the dance floor with two of the guys, but the third was scooting into the booth next to her.
“Dance with me.” The thick purr of the woman’s voice drew Logan’s gaze back to her. The fumes coming off her breath warned him she’d been drinking.
He tried to figure a way of getting rid of her, without insulting her, or causing a scene. “I’m sorry but I’m not in the mood for dancing.” Praying she didn’t notice he slowly pulled his arm from her grasp.
“How about a drink instead?”
Her expression, which had started to darken with his first remark, quickly brightened with a smile. “I’d love a drink.
Bartender, another dry martini please.” She hitched up her skirt until she was able to slither upon a stool. “Why don’t you sit down and join me? I’ll make it worth your while.” She reached out and ran her hand down the front of Logan’s shirt.
“No, thank you, ma’am.” He stepped back and made eye contact with the bartender as he set a martini down on the counter. “Add it to my tab.” Before the woman could protest Logan swung around and headed for the door, but not before he glanced back at Libby.
He pressed his mouth when he noticed how the man was crowding her against the wall. He hesitated. She didn’t look like she was protesting, but she didn’t look all that at ease either. The man definitely looked like he’d set his sights on her and was working it for all it was worth. He couldn’t be more obvious about his intentions. When he reached up to brush a curl away from Libby’s cheek Logan saw red and made a beeline for their table. He picked up speed when he saw Libby slap the man’s hand away after he’d reached for her a second time.
“I’m not going to tell you again to stop.” As Logan neared the table she glanced up and saw him. They made eye contact. “Logan…”
Ignoring the man sitting next to her, Logan held out his hand, cutting off her exclamation of surprise. “Dance with me.”
“I…”
“Excuse me, but the lady’s with me.”
Logan made eye contact with the man, who sat there so assuredly claiming Libby as his own. He brushed aside the impulse to punch the guy in the mouth, thankful when Libby took matters into her own hands.
“Please let me out, John.” The smoky timbre of her voice was barely audible over the noise in the room.
Her eyes never left Logan. What he saw churning in those beguiling depths, besides the ever present mischief, was warmth brimming with very clear designs. What is she up to? He felt a moment of uncertainty, something clenching in his gut. Like, he was the one who suddenly needed rescuing. Had she set him up?
“John.” She gave him a nudge.
With a shrug of indifference, John slid out of the booth. Libby slipped her hand in Logan’s and he turned, pulling her with him onto the dance floor. When he stopped and turned she glided into his arms naturally, as though she’d done it a hundred times. She felt good against him. He closed his eyes and savored her seductive fragrance and the softness of her body moving against his. Everything about Libby attacked his senses at once.
Threatening to suck him under.
“You looked like you needed rescuing,” he murmured against her forehead.
She chuckled lightly. “So, this was payback for my rescuing you the other day. And here I thought you were just looking for an excuse to hold me in your arms.” She pulled back slightly. Their eyes met, hers filled with mild humor. “John’s harmless.”
“I know what I saw; he looked like he was harassing you.”
“John harasses everyone.”
“You know him.”
Her soft laugh heightened his awareness of her. “We grew up together. The six of us have been friends since grade school. John—”
“I didn’t like him touching you.” Damn, it slipped out before he could prevent it.
Laughter escaped her. “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t like Bambi touching you, either.”
So, she’d known he was there all along, interesting. She’d been watching him. That realization made Logan smile. He tightened his arms around her, linking his hands at the small of her back. She in turn snuggled against him with a sigh, running her nose along the skin beneath his ear. Then her lips were touching him and a sharp feeling of pleasure shot straight to his loins. He’d never met a woman who could turn him on so fast.
“Why?” Her lips caressed his skin as she spoke.
“Why what?” Why did he want her to dance with him? Why did he turn bone-hard against her the minute she was in his arms?
Why did he love her?
“Why didn’t you like John touching me?”
Oh, that. Logan released a deep breath. He wasn’t going to answer that, because he couldn’t and not reveal how he felt about her.
“You smell good.” She smelled good, looked good, felt well. And he was a damn fool!
He clenched his jaw, wishing he could find the words to take back what he’d uttered in her kitchen so long ago, on that first day. But Logan recognized the reason he couldn’t do that was because he was afraid. For the first time in his life he was running, and from a little mite with laughing eyes. Afraid she didn’t love him.
“You didn’t answer my question, and you’re tense,” Libby observed, drawing back enough to meet his eyes. “Do I make you nervous?”
Damn her! In spite of her candidness Logan found the corners of his mouth lifting. He couldn’t resist the lure of mischief in her eyes. “Why would you make me nervous?” He didn’t know if he liked the secrets dancing in her eyes.
“You tell me.”
Her tone was challenging, yet Logan ignored the glove she tossed down, knowing he couldn’t answer her honestly. He pulled her closer, forcing her to lower her face until her head was resting against his shoulder. With her arms linked around his neck he was aware of every inch of her pressed against him. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling, trying to pretend he wasn’t going to miss her like hel
l. And it wasn’t just the sex he was going to miss. It was everything about Libby.
It didn’t take much to get him in the mood when she was around. And Libby had to know it. Why else was she melting into him with a satisfied purr? He gritted his teeth, feeling her nipples harden into his chest. He recalled what the tight buds felt like when he rolled them on his tongue. His hands unlocked at her waist to glide over her rump, giving the luscious mounds a barely controlled squeeze. Then before he could help himself he forced her tighter against his swelling cock, groaning low in his throat.
“You’re hungry.” Her throaty laughter rumbled against Logan’s chest, teasing him mercilessly. She turned the heat up several degrees by wedging her thigh between his and teasing the hardness pounding persistently behind his zipper.
An overloud laugh brought Logan back to reality and with it the reminder that they were in a public place. It hit him like a ton of bricks that he wasn’t doing either of them any favors. He made himself take a step back. It was the only way to regain control of his senses. Only it wasn’t enough. He’d need to leave the state for that.
Perhaps it was that thought that caused him to blurt out, “I’ll be leaving for California soon.” He cringed inwardly at the sound of desperation in his tone.
Libby released a resigned sigh. “I know, Vincent told me at coffee this morning. When?”
Logan smiled at her slip. She’d gone to coffee not as herself, but as Reba. “This weekend.”
“That soon?” she exclaimed, her eyes rounding up at Logan. Damn, she almost sounded disappointed. “There’s a big fire on the California, Nevada border. They need all the help they can get.”
“I see.” Logan got the impression the smile on her face was forced. She barely made eye contact with him. “Is this goodbye, then?”
Something twisted in his gut, then traveled up to his heart. “I’ll stop by Margaret’s before I leave this weekend.”
Her eyes slowly lifted to his. “I won’t be there.” What? He raised his brows and waited for her to continue. “My folks are going out of town for the weekend and want me to housesit.”
So, that’s why he’d overheard her, or Reba actually, asking his grandfather to look in on Margaret over the weekend. She’d looked cute, whispering in his grandfather’s ear so Margaret wouldn’t overhear. Then her admission hit him, making him realize that maybe this was goodbye. He stopped dancing, and for a moment they were just two people standing close to each other, staring into each other’s eyes.
Libby surprised him by reaching up and touching him tenderly on the cheek. There was something in her eyes he couldn’t quite identify. Then she took his breath away by smiling. And Logan knew at that moment that he’d never make it to California alive with the ache pounding in his loins. He had to have her, if not forever, then at least one more time.
“You feel like going for a ride?” He thought about her sitting behind him on his bike, with her arms wrapped around him. Her breasts crushed against his back and her hair flying in the wind.
“Where?” she asked without hesitation.
Logan knew exactly where. There was a park not far from there, closed to the public after seven. The chain kept cars from entering after hours but it wouldn’t stop his Harley. “Does it matter?”
“No.”
“What about your friends?” He wondered if her friend John would be receptive to her leaving with another man.
Her smile widened. “Let me tell them goodnight. I’ll be right back.”
Logan watched the provocative bounce of her fanny beneath the miniskirt as she walked away. He wondered how long it would take him to remove that bit of nothing, and what she was wearing beneath it. When she reached the table her friends occupied he sauntered back to the bar to pay his tab.
“I’ll settle my bill now.”
“Nice,” the bartender commented, his gaze directed at Libby. He slapped a receipt down on the bar in front of Logan. “She’ll cure what ails you.”
Logan glanced her way before meeting the man’s knowing eyes. He wasn’t about to respond to his slightly crude remark. But it did make him stop and think. What was he doing? She was the reason he was in the state he was in, both physical and mental. A second ago the only thing on his mind was taking Libby somewhere private and making love until they were too exhausted to move. Only he didn’t just want Libby’s body, Logan wanted all of her.
He wanted her heart, her soul.
He reached inside his pocket and pulled some money out, peeling off the amount he owed, plus a generous tip. “Keep the change.” He turned just as Libby walked up to him.
“Ready?” She smiled.
Like a rocket getting ready to launch. The look in her eyes revealed she was ready, too. Logan knew her well enough to recognize the desire simmering in those pretty eyes. He reached for her hand and turned, pulling her behind him. The other day he’d convinced himself he was better off ignoring what he wanted and leaving Libby alone.
Tonight he was going to get her out of his system, once and for all.
Chapter 15
Libby had never felt such freedom before, sitting snug behind Logan, her arms wrapped tight around his middle and her breasts crushed against his back. He’d insisted she wear his helmet, but it didn’t keep her from getting close to him. Every movement he made, every turn of the powerful bike, she felt his body tighten with reaction and control. When they made the turn off the main road onto County Road 545, he was able to pick up speed. And suddenly they were flying against the wind and into the darkness, with nothing to stop them. There weren’t any lights, and not much traffic. Libby had been on the country road and had a feeling she knew where Logan was taking them.
But wherever they ended up, she knew it would be someplace where they could be alone together, where they could make love. Anticipation licked at her senses, keeping her blood hot, and her panties wet. She couldn’t help it. Logan was a powerful lover, and having his tight buttocks flush against the apex of her spread thighs was a powerful turn-on. She was extremely sensitive down there, and the vibration of the bike beneath her only aided in keeping her highly stimulated.
Who was she kidding? Anytime Logan was near her senses went into overdrive. How was she ever going to say goodbye to him? Unwilling thoughts about him leaving for California weaved through her mind. How was she going to go on without him? The answer came to her almost immediately. She was going to put on a brave face and pretend it didn’t matter, that’s how. She was thankful she wasn’t going to be around that weekend. The hot sting of tears filled her eyes. Loving him came easy, he had so many of the traits she wanted in a man. Losing him was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever had to face.
She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t! She chomped down on her quivering bottom lip. Did he feel anything more than just lust for her? She wanted to believe that he did. The sign for Jansen Park came into view. It didn’t surprise Libby when Logan slowed his motorcycle down and turned into the entrance. It was closed, but he had no problem going around the chain across the road. He continued down the road, past the small guard’s shack that hadn’t been used for as long as she could remember, the public bathrooms, and a concession stand where hotdogs and hamburgers were sold during special events.
They didn’t go very far once they passed the groundskeeper’s small, dark house. Logan steered his bike off the trail and up a small hill, coming to a halt at the top. It was dark, but the sky was clear and the moon was big and bright, offering them just enough light to be able to see each other.
Libby saw the glistening of black water in the distance, realizing they were near a lake. Then she was aware of stark silence when Logan shut down his bike and pushed the kickstand down. For a moment they just sat there, taking in their surroundings. The sounds of nature gradually became audible. Libby relaxed her hands, letting her palms slide down Logan’s thighs toward his knees, smiling when she felt the steel muscles flex beneath her caress. Feeling naughty, she let her hands in
ch back up until her finger tips were able to brush against his zipper, which was straining beneath the full-blown hard-on he had. He sucked in his breath.
“Damn, that feels good,” he said hoarsely.
Libby released a little laugh. She leaned forward and tugged on his ear with her teeth, caressing him harder. “I’m so hot I’m burning up inside. I want you, Logan.”
She gasped with surprise when Logan made a sudden move, releasing a noise that revealed his hunger. His growl sounded like a night creature on the prowl for something to eat. Only she knew what he was hungry for. He turned around on the seat, and the next thing Libby knew he was removing her helmet and tossing it to the ground. Before she could catch her breath his fingers threaded through her hair and he pulled her to him, snapping her head back with a hard kiss. The pressure forced Libby into opening her mouth, and Logan took advantage by slipping his tongue inside.
They moaned simultaneously. Libby’s hands went to his shoulders; his left her hair and glided down her body to her bare thighs. The only way she’d been able to mount the bike wearing a miniskirt was by pulling it up, so she was completely exposed from the waist down. And the only thing keeping her from being indecent was the triangle covering her mound. Logan’s hands tickled her with delicious pleasure, smoothing along her flesh until his fingers reached the silk between her legs.
Libby felt a light flick of his finger across her weeping mound and nearly lost it, arching hungrily and crying out with passion beneath his mouth. His kiss turned savage at her response. Their tongues battled, hearts pounded as one. Then Logan’s mouth left hers to trail liquid fire along her jaw, up to her ear, and behind, then down the curve of her neck. The whole time his finger flicked over the sensitive bud pulsing between her thighs. A ripple of pleasure traveled down Libby’s spine, and she gasped. Her panties became soaked.
“Logan!” She was close to climaxing. She began to move her hips into his caresses with one thought on her mind, she wanted, needed to experience the sweet rush of release. “Oh, God!” She leaned forward, and raked her teeth along the thick muscles in his neck, encouraging him to continue. “Close…”