by Layla Nash
Edgar's gravelly voice reached me from very far away. "Natalia. You make my brother very happy. I give you this food and ask you to join our family. Please eat. Find your strength. Be warmed. Be safe." He squeezed my knee as he stood, but instead of departing, he took a deep breath and added, "You make each other better. If that isn't love, I don't know what is."
Then he was gone.
Even Logan looked a little surprised, but then he picked up a strawberry, dipped it in the mousse, and held it out to me. When I reached for it, he pulled back, eyebrows raised. I flushed, opened my mouth. He placed the strawberry against my lips, smeared a little chocolate across them, and then pushed it into my mouth. My heart beat very fast, pounded against my ribs. I savored the strawberry, the chocolate, the feeling of his thumb against my lip. My fingers trembled as I picked up a strawberry and covered it in chocolate, then offered it to him.
Logan smiled, leaned closer, and opened his mouth. I rested it against his tongue and caught my breath as he held my wrist. Ate the strawberry and then licked the juice off my fingers. Desire shivered through me and landed in my center. He kissed my palm, then the inside of my wrist. "Do you love me, Natalia?"
"Yes." I breathed the word, almost in a trance.
He smiled, and some of the weight lifted off his shoulders, and he looked younger, more at ease. He fed me another strawberry but was messier, left chocolate across my mouth, and leaned in to lick it off, kissing me deeply, intensely. Until he bit my lower lip and I nearly jumped out of my chair, holding on to his face to keep his mouth against mine. God help me.
"Will you live with me?"
I closed my eyes, pressed soft kisses against his lips over and over, then across his cheek. Melted against him. "Yes."
I felt his smile rather than saw it, then his arms crushed me to him and the dessert was forgotten. Which was really too bad, because it was delicious.
Seventeen
The meal went better than he hoped, and though he didn't expect her to agree, his heart leapt when she said she loved him. It took all his strength not to wipe all the dishes from the table and spread her across the top of it to really kiss. Instead, he picked her up and carried her out of the dining room and toward his suite. He ignored the rowdy cheers from down the hall, particularly as Natalia stopped nibbling at his jaw to look over his shoulder. "What was that?"
"I'm sure they're watching a football game," he said, not wanting to spook her.
She raised an eyebrow. "A football game where we fuck at the end?"
He laughed but didn't answer, only kicking open the door to his suite and kicking it closed behind him. Then it was a short walk to the bedroom. He'd started a fire there and changed the sheets to the high quality cotton ones — just in case things went well. Logan dropped Natalia on the mattress and stood over her, just looking at her. Drinking her in.
She went up on her elbows, eyebrow raised. "What?"
"You're just — too beautiful."
"I know." She sat and tugged on his tie, then pulled his shirt out of his pants and reached for his belt.
Logan pinned her back against the bed, kissing her until she sighed and moved against him. He undressed her, starting with a pair of ridiculous cowboy boots. Threw them aside, then unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them down her long, muscled legs. He picked up her foot and kissed her ankle, trailed kisses up to her knee.
Her eyes had gone dark with desire as she sprawled across his bed. Logan dropped her leg and instead tugged her shirt over her head, burying his face between her breasts as soon as they were revealed. She laughed but pulled impatiently at his shirt. "You should be naked too. I want to see you."
"Do you?" His voice went all throaty and deep, the lion shivering to the surface because he wanted her so desperately his control nearly slipped.
She bit her lower lip, a hint of a smile escaping.
He almost came just from that look. He rubbed her thigh as he stood between her knees, taking in the smooth expanse of pale skin, the lacy bra that still hid her breasts. She looked soft and warm and ready. Willing. Just waiting for him to claim her. Logan took off his tie and jacket, threw them onto the chair in the corner, then pulled off his shirt. Stretched for her benefit, and even flexed a little. Just because.
Natalia stroked her stomach, watching him. "Lose the pants."
He laced his hands behind his head and raised an eyebrow at her. "Go ahead."
"Lazy kitty," she murmured, sitting up and taking his belt in hand. She unbuckled it, worked the button and then the zipper. Her hands pushed the pants from his hips, then she ran a finger under the waist of his boxer briefs. Teased him, looking up with wide eyes as she batted her eyelashes. "Do you have something in there for me?"
Logan caught a handful of her hair and dragged her face to his for a kiss, crushing her lips and thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She would learn that lions didn't like to be teased. She melted in his arms, let the force of his kiss bear her back to the mattress, and Logan pushed her higher on the bed. He kept his grip on her hair, though, as he slid his hand into her panties. Found her wet and wanting, his fingers sliding easily into her crease. Natalia moaned and arched against him, her nails dragged across his chest.
He kissed her again, then tore off the bra that still concealed her perfect breasts. Her nipples stood out, pink and dainty. Logan circled one with his tongue, sucked on her nipple and then her entire breast, pulling deeply enough that she cried out and grabbed his hair. He lifted his head, loving the erotic flush traveling up her throat to her cheeks and the tangle of her dark hair against his pillows. He could watch her all night. Every night. For the rest of his life.
"I love the way you moan," he said, then bit her lip.
Natalia looked a little dazed, reaching for him. "Kiss me again."
"I will." Logan chuckled and slid down her body, dragging the panties away until he breathed against the heated skin at the apex of her thighs. Kissed her there and reveled in the taste of her, the quick, breathy moans she made, the way she grabbed his hair but squeezed her breast at the same time. "Come for me, baby."
Her hips pushed at his face, and he had to pin her thighs down, working steadily to bring to the edge of orgasm just before he backed off. She hovered; he felt the ripples in her core as he teased her clit in delicate, soft, brief touches. Natalia reached down to finish herself, growling in frustration, but Logan knocked her hands away. He nibbled along the inside of her thigh, letting his beard scrape against the sensitive skin. "You want something?"
"I want you." Her head tossed on the pillow and her hips bucked, she pushed at him and begged. "Please. I want to feel you."
He groaned, his cock ready to explode at the thought of her silky channel, but dragged off his briefs as he latched his mouth to her clit and sucked. Hard. The scream started low in her throat but built, and then she wailed, arching away from the mattress and grabbing double handfuls of the sheets as tremors rolled through her. Logan had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.
A sheen of sweat covered her, covered him as well as he knelt between her thighs. He pinned her shoulders down and nuzzled his nose against hers. "Ready?"
It took her forever to open her eyes, glazed and dazed from her orgasm, and she stroked his cheek with a sigh. "Go slow. I want to feel you."
It took all his control not to take her hard, right then. She'd feel that. But there was time for that later, when they knew each other better. He held his weight off her, taking his cock in hand to rub the head through the slick heat of her pussy. Natalia moaned and lifted her hips. "More."
"Bossy little thing, aren't you?" He kissed her into silence so he could press the tip into her in peace, and her body clutched him in a warm, wet embrace. He slid deeper and she sighed, broke the kiss to make a soft little "Oooh" sound that branded itself on his brain. Her body rolled against his, hips tilting, and Logan groaned, thrusting until his stomach met hers, and he was in.
She made that sighing, hungry sou
nd, like the yummy noises when she ate, and he held still until she settled. Her legs lifted, wrapped around his hips, and she stroked the back of his neck. Natalia's blue eyes found his in the firelight. "You feel so good, Logan."
He started moving, slow and steady, until those little sighs turned deeper, into moans. He stroked through her, watching the flush rise in her cheeks again, the sweat beading on her forehead. Until she froze underneath him, meeting his thrusts with short little jerks of her own, and her muscles squeezed his cock and the pressure built in his balls until he couldn't wait, he couldn't stop. He moved faster, harder, thrusting until the slapping of their flesh filled the room, until the wet sounds of his body filling hers deafened him and control was a distant memory.
He pinned her shoulder down with one hand and tilted her hips up with the other, deepening the penetration until she cried out again and again and clawed at his sides. And still the lion wanted more. Needed more. He pulled out abruptly and flipped her onto her stomach, pulling her hips up and plunging back into her before she could do more than get her hands underneath her.
Logan leaned over her back, his arm a bar across her chest to keep from fucking her into the headboard, and growled. She cried out, pushing back to meet him, and he grabbed her hips, yanking her back into every thrust. Fucking her until she seized up again and he had to force his way through her spasming channel until — release. His balls exploded and he filled her in a heated rush, kept thrusting until his come spilled out and down her thighs. She moaned low in her throat and collapsed forward onto the pillows, panting.
He stayed deep in her, never wanting to leave her, and lay on his side with her tight against his chest. He closed his eyes and struggled for breath, stroking her stomach over and over as she sighed and trembled, and aftershocks rippled through her core every time he moved. Logan kissed her shoulder, right where he would bite her if he meant to turn her, and hoped his voice sounded normal. "Are you okay?"
She stretched with a little wince, but sighed, so close to that delicious "oooh" she made that he was immediately hard again. She looked over her shoulder at him, then down at where they remained joined. "Better than okay?"
He laughed and eased back, let her lay on her back so he could move over her again. "I'll take it easy this time." He licked the sweat off her chest, between her breasts, and her fingers worked into his hair. "Unless you have other ideas?"
She smiled, then sat up to push him onto his back. "I might."
* * *
My arms and legs still didn't cooperate as I wiggled out from under him and nudged Logan onto his back. His hands trailed along my sides, sending shivers through me, and the heat in his gaze lit another fire in my center. I wanted him so much I couldn't look away as I straddled his thighs, afraid if I looked away he would disappear or turn into a dream. That I would wake up and I'd still be at my apartment, depressed and alone without him.
I bit my lower lip as I settled on his thighs, not quite ready to brave another round with his massive cock. The unbelievable fullness from his first entry still sent delicious ripples through me, but every inch of my skin was hypersensitive. He held my knees, trying to pull me closer, and I braced my hands on his chest. Leaned forward so I could kiss him and feel the hard heat of his body against my stomach. I murmured, "We need some rules, Logan."
He gazed up at me, golden eyes dreamy as he stroked my back, and his hips lifted to push at me. "Rules?"
As if he had no idea what the word meant.
I tried to control the lust as another little moan slipped out, as his tongue slipped into my mouth and teased the desire to an inferno. He still tasted a little like chocolate and strawberries. I slid one hand into his long hair and pulled his face away. "Rules," I said, voice unsteady. "No controlling asshole behavior, got it? I make my own decisions."
"Sounds good, no objections," he said, arms tightening around me as he tried to kiss me again. He nibbled on my chin and stroked along my ribs. "Just let me —"
I planted a hand on his chest and sat back, heart fluttering and racing at the same time. Holy Christ, the man was my undoing. One touch and I lost all sense. But I couldn't stop touching him. Or myself. The way his eyes devoured my body, the way he reached for me — I stroked my stomach, my breasts, thinking of the way he wanted me.
"And I'm staying human," I said, swallowing the nerves at such a declaration. What if he decided to bite me anyway? Would I lose my humanity for him? "Until we talk more."
"We can talk more later," he said. Logan took himself in hand and stroked his cock, watching as I played with my nipples. A low growl rumbled through him and vibrated against me in the best possible way. "But I won't bite you. Not until you ask me to." He chuckled.
"Okay." My head tilted back and I couldn't for the life of me remember what I wanted to say. Couldn't have been that important. I eased up, and he rubbed the head of his cock against my clit, and my legs failed. I sank down on him and moaned as he filled me. The hard heat of his body ignited fire inside mine and he moved, couldn't stop moving as he thrust up and up and up, and I tried to meet his urgency with my own.
Lightning sparked around me as I rode him, orgasm rolling through me as I moved and couldn't stop, as he grabbed my hips and dragged my mouth to his. I seized up, shaking as I came, but Logan continued on and on until I lay boneless atop him.
He kissed my neck, and his teeth grazed along my shoulder as his arms tightened and captured me, as his hips jerked and the rush of his release poured into me. He cried out with me, as my nails raked down his sides, and then the only sound was panting breath and a raspy growl from him.
Logan kept kissing me as the aftershocks subsided and his body slipped from mine. He drew me close to his side, though, and pulled the sheets up over us. He kissed along my forehead, down my cheek to my ear and jaw, as if he needed to map and taste every part of me. I looked forward to it immensely.
I sighed and rested my head on his chest, eyes closed. "Don't think for a second I'll let you tell me what to do at the restaurant."
He laughed, bouncing me around, then grumbled and kissed me more. "Not at the restaurant, agreed. Does that mean I can tell you what to do everywhere else? In bed?"
"We can talk about that later," I said, flushing.
"Oh yes." His voice got all deep and I shivered in anticipation.
At least life with a lion wouldn't be boring.
Epilogue
The dinner rush slammed the kitchen. I juggled two orders of the house special, one of which went to a serious food critic and the other to her husband, when one of the servers poked his head into the kitchen with a grin. "Chef?"
I didn't look up from plating the braised lamb. "Yeah?"
"A guest wants to speak with you."
Shit. I wiped my hands off on my apron and gestured for Jake to take over, thinking only of that damn critic. If she didn't like us, we'd be dead in the water for at least a couple of months. Despite Carter saying we made a lot more money than I thought, I didn't trust it. Didn't trust the numbers. We weren't a success yet. At least, we weren't enough of a success.
I chewed my lip and followed him out of the kitchen, noting the smiles on the staff's faces but not registering what they had to be so pleased about — I snapped, "Mind that béarnaise, and if you burn the béchamel, you're washing dishes for a week" over my shoulder as the door swung shut.
The dining room bustled with activity, conversation and laughter and clinking dishes filled it with a happy noise. I remembered what Benedict told me about how special it was to feed people, how intimate a gift. It made me smile as I wiped my hands over and over on my towel, a nervous habit from school I still hadn't broken.
But instead of stopping at the food critic's table, the waiter led me to the round table near the front where three men sat. I folded my arms over my chest and tried to scowl as the server giggled and disappeared, his mission complete, and I whacked Benedict with my towel. "And what the hell do you want?"
"It was hi
m," the lawyer said, laughing, and pointed at Logan.
"I'm too busy for this silliness," I said. I pointed at the kitchen behind me but couldn't hide a stupid smile that seemed to take up permanent residence on my face whenever Logan was around. "I have meals to prepare. There's a very special guest here tonight, and we have to make a good impression."
"I just had a question about my steak," Logan said, low and slow and with his eyes half-closed.
Fuck. That. I leveled a glare at him. "Don't —"
"Come here." He peered at the steak. "I thought I saw something on it."
"You're full of shit." But I edged around the table, within his reach, and gave Edgar a look. "I thought you were supposed to keep him in line?"
The security chief shrugged and threw his hands in the air. "I'm only one man."
The moment I was close enough and distracted by the steak, which really did have something strange next to it, Logan captured me around the waist. Drew me into his lap as I squawked and flailed, and he kissed me to silence. There were a few whistles and claps from our regular clientele, who'd all witnessed similar interactions over the past few weeks. I refused to admit how happy it made me that Logan couldn't keep his hands off me. The moment I got within a few feet of him, he had to touch me — had to hold my hand, or brush my neck, or kiss my cheek. He gave me goosebumps every time.
Logan looped his arms around my waist. "Seriously. There's something on my steak."
Despite that my stomach clenched at the feel of his hard thighs under mine, I frowned at the plate. Then moved the steak with his fork and saw... a ring. A simple platinum band with an enormous diamond. A diamond. An odd sound, maybe a croak, escaped my throat.
Logan kissed my neck, moving me to his chair as he went to one knee, murmuring, "I wonder how that got there."
My vision blurred until I couldn't see anything — and certainly not that gorgeous ring. And Logan held my hand as cheers erupted from the restaurant and the kitchen, and he said beautiful, wonderful things that I only half-heard, too stunned to do or say anything as he held up the ring and asked me to marry him.