by Lia Lee
This passion between them was sweet, it was raunchy, and it was unrepentant. Her lover hit those spots inside her that Cara never dreamed could be reached. The sensation in her stomach bloomed wider and wider. She tried as much as possible to move her body with him, but the bonds on her hands and feet were too restrictive. She begged him to let her go, but he shook his head in refusal.
“I’m the one doing the claiming, sweet lass,” he growled. “You’ll just have to lie there and take it.”
“Aahh!” she gasped, as Logan sent the next thrust particularly deep. Now she seemed to be glaring at him, defying him with her eyes the way her body couldn’t. Like she wanted to push him to the edge until he admitted that he too, was just as possessed by her as she was by him.
His thrusts seemed almost brutal at this point, deliciously so. Cara wouldn’t have it any other way. She grew wetter for him, hotter for him. She moved her pelvis in a pattern that matched his and it was a delight watching the green of his eyes become replaced by an almost onyx gleam.
“Tell me you like the way I take you,” he demanded, his voice almost unrecognizable with how thick with passion his brogue became.
Chills went down her spine and her lower body felt steeped in lava. Cara couldn’t seem to make her tongue work and only gurgled out a few non-human sounds of bliss. He plunged his hard length deep into that killer spot and Cara almost fainted from the impact.
“Say it, Cara. Or I’ll stop,” he warned, slowing his reentrance mid thrust.
Stopping was the last thing Cara wanted him to do. She was too close to her peak, could almost feel it cushioning her in a million candy-studded clouds. “God, Logan! Yes, I like it! You know I do,” she moaned. “You’re taking all of me. And it feels so damn good.”
“Just good?” he teased, and it was him using her own words from back in the kitchen almost a lifetime ago. Cara felt like she’d been reborn and reshaped since she’d walked into this bedroom and Logan had taken charge of bringing her deepest fantasies to life.
Now, his hands played over her body, skimming her stomach and then clutching one breast as he thrust inside her, his free hand moving in between them to paddle her clit. Cara’s hands fisted within the silken bounds and she parted her lips in a silent scream while her eyes linked with Logan’s. Psychic fusion. This couldn’t be just sex. It felt like so much more. Cara rocked her hips and sent Logan impossibly deeper into her, and heard his half-strangled curse.
Logan’s lips were at the hollow of her throat, sucking hard enough on her neck to bruise. Cara groaned and begged him not to stop. “Mark me,” she pleaded. “Make me all yours.”
Logan shuddered and let out a muffled stream of expletives, then lifted his head and kissed the side of her cheek. “I love your dimple,” he said thickly. That had a smile breaking over her face. At last, he’d pinpointed one thing he loved about her body. Maybe by the end of their blissful coupling, Cara could get him to tell her about a few more.
For now, the need for words took a backseat. What remained became those hushed mewls from Cara, those rough groans from Logan … their unspoken glances filled with desire, passion, and even relief. It felt good when you found someone that fit just right, didn’t it? That effortlessly made your body climb those once unattainable heights of ecstasy. Cara found it all in Logan’s gaze, his kiss, his touch, and with every plunge of his swollen manhood within her soft, wet depths.
“Fuck.” Logan swore and rammed faster and deeper insider her. “Yes, just like that, baby. Clench those tight muscles around me. You fucking drive me insane.”
Cara searched his eyes for the truth of it, and saw it in the wildly glinting rims of his green-black gaze. She felt it in the relentlessly rough thrusts he pummeled into her body, uncaring that it jarred her against the bed. Cara had never been taken with such rugged force and her body streamed with juices that coated Logan’s power tool as it filled and pounded her.
Even if she had a way to escape, even if she wasn’t secured to each corner of the bed with his silk scarves, Cara didn’t think she’d want to evade his masterfully aggressive and almost punishing use of her flesh. “Fuck me … fuck me … fuck me,” chanted Cara like a prayer and she saw how the dirty words got to Logan as his cheeks flushed, his angular jawline clenching tight as he rooted his shaft to the very neck of her womb. He gave Cara everything she asked for and more, that final stroke snapping the last shred of her resistance and triggering her nirvana on switch.
Shit! Her resulting orgasm was like a force of nature … splitting through her like lightning, deafening her ears with thunder and streaming from her eyes as stars showered her vision. “Logan!” she screamed, her body moving in jerks and spasms as she came and came. His labored breathing grew thicker and harsher. Cara watched in awe as moments later her wicked angel, her beautiful devil of a lover, took her on the next tailspin of ecstasy as his release sparked yet another orgasm for her.
Logan froze inside her walls, and the distinct sensation of his shaft throbbing as he filled her with his cum was the most fulfilling moment ever. Indescribable happiness and satisfaction turned Cara’s world into a mass of spinning unicorns. She tumbled into that magical space and time, hearing Logan say her name raggedly as he kissed her lips, which still felt slack from all the screaming.
Just give me a moment, her inner voice seemed to say but never managed to get out in the open. Cara sensed she might not be able to speak, think, or even walk for a long damn while after this …
Chapter Six
The procedure was successful on the very first cycle, as Cara found out she was pregnant. Logan wanted them to celebrate, and took her out for a special dinner.
It wasn’t the first time they appeared in public together. In the past two weeks, he’d taken her to galleries, plays, and the odd movie. They were always discreet and the places out of the way, as Logan always liked to keep a low profile. In addition, Cara could understand if he didn’t exactly want to make their relationship official. She’d even signed a non-disclosure agreement so that no one would ever find out she was his surrogate. Now that she was pregnant and would start to show in a few months, would their interactions stay under lock and key?
Cara never planned on being Logan’s dirty little secret. Though he treated her with the utmost regard, she knew he was way out of her league and there could only be sex between them. And once the baby was born, their ties would be severed forever. Logan had made it clear that all he wanted was a baby, not a romantic commitment. If he had, he could have easily knocked up some girlfriend or even got married and started a family.
Cara didn’t want to give up on herself too easily. So what if things between them were just physical? Even that had its own rewards. Since she’d come to the realization that like Logan, she was into some light bondage, they incorporated that into their bedroom games. They enjoyed some role-playing, and even a little exploration with impact tools and sex toys.
Cara was able to step out of her comfort zone and become more comfortable in her own skin. She realized she could finally let go of her need to constantly do things, as well as getting over all of her anxiety about herself—and Logan had the control he craved.
So, Cara couldn’t say things were simply empty between her and Logan, even though neither of them set any clear definitions of what they shared.
One thing was irrefutable—Logan was happy about the baby. He was over the moon, in fact. The only drawback for Cara, was how he got a whole lot more protective, to the point he virtually tried to oversee Cara’s every move. Whether she was eating right, taking her prescribed medicine and supplements, keeping away from stress and not overworking herself.
Cara was so over that. She had to let him see he didn’t have to be in control of everything, all the time. So she went against his wishes every chance she got, as long as it wasn’t something risky to the pregnancy. It was interesting how in her daily life, Cara wouldn’t stand for someone controlling her … but at night, behind closed doors, she
was willing to bend to her lover.
Cara realized how lucky she was to be in this position, to get the opportunity to fulfill someone’s wish to be a father, and to find out he was the total package. Logan was respectful, caring, attentive, and yes, commanding—but in a very different way from her pushy, spiteful, and cruel ex Jude.
There were days when Cara let her mind stray in Jude’s direction, and wonder if he was still looking for her or even missed her. However, her life was too blessed to be stressed she told herself, as she smiled across at Logan as they shared breakfast out on the patio overlooking the beautifully tended gardens.
“My, you seem in a bubbly mood this morning,” she said in a playfully prim tone as she poured them both some tea.
Logan flashed a grin, the sight almost blinding as Cara was reminded what a handsome devil he was and how she felt lucky to have him as a lover. There wasn’t a moment that passed that she didn’t picture how he had so many sides to him. He was the urban tech billionaire, and then the dominant, sometimes rugged and demanding lover beneath the sheets, and the mystery man whose emotions she could never feel privy to. Yet, felt so at ease with whatever part of himself he chose to open up to her at any given time.
“It’s strange, but I feel like the baby’s already my lucky charm. I just got word that my latest video game has been approved and will go into production in a week,” said Logan, green eyes twinkling. “It’s been my pet project for over a year, and I sank a lot of time and income into the designs and execution. Finding out that there are investors ready to take the whole project live, and in such a short period of waiting time, is an awesome feat.”
“Now you make me feel like celebrating,” Cara said, wiggling her shoulders in a dance as she caught Logan’s smile.
“How about a party?”
Cara’s humor faded and she stared at Logan. “What?”
“Here, at the mansion. I always wanted to have one. Nothing too grand, but truly festive. I just never had a good reason before. I think the baby, as well as the new video game, is more than enough cause for celebration, don’t you?”
“A party sounds great. I mean, it will bring a wonderful atmosphere around the place, but, Logan …” She bit on her lip and shifted her gaze, not sure what she wanted to say. Or how to really phrase it.
“There’s no need for concern, Cara,” Logan said with an astute gaze on Cara’s confused face. “I’ve always been a very private figure. My net worth puts me on a lot of top ten richest lists, but because of my low profile, people hardly recognize me. I’d like to keep it that way, which is why this party wouldn’t be a showy society event, but very exclusive to close friends, associates, and even family. Ostensibly, I’m celebrating the coming launch of my new big project, but you and I know it’s mostly about the coming baby.”
“Oh,” Cara said brightly and buttered some toast. “That sounds more like the Logan Shane I’ve come to know. I’m sure Meg will be ecstatic to have a wonderful party to organize with all your special guests. I’ll just have to remember to stay in the background.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Logan said, placing a hand on her wrist as she added a third layer of butter to the already saturated toast she’d been plastering almost mindlessly.
“How can you say that?” she asked, dumping the ruined toast. “I’m basically your employee. It wouldn’t do to have people think otherwise when they take notice of me. That is, if I’m to be a guest at this party at all. Utmost discretion and privacy, remember?”
“I think I remember the terms of our agreement,” said Logan, as he gently let her hand fall. “Cara, I mentioned the party to you because I definitely plan for you to be a guest, and in fact, be very involved. Meg can do most of the leg work to keep any pressure or stress off you, but you can take part in the planning as much as you want. It will be in a couple of weeks, so there’s plenty of time to make everything perfect.”
Cara was stunned that Logan wanted her involved in the party—and she was even more astounded when he added that it would be a chance to introduce her to his cousins Finn, Egan, and Connor.
“Like me, they made it out of the deadly gang life,” Logan said. “They’re brothers and partners in their highly successful online shopping website. They’ve known about my wish to have an heir using a surrogate. They’re looking forward to getting to meet you finally.”
Cara didn’t know what to make of it all, but if Logan wanted her to take a more visible part in his life, she wasn’t complaining. As the baby grew inside her day by day and week to week, she began to feel an attachment that hadn’t been present before. Learning about her pregnancy with Logan and getting informed about the new phases to expect, gave Cara a whole new perspective on things.
Was her surrogacy agreement turning into more than just the job she’d set it out as?
***
Cara stared at the sonogram with awe. Wow. Our baby is growing so fast, she thought.
And then she shook her head, mentally correcting her statement. Logan’s baby. Not ours, not even mine, she added with a hard bite on her bottom lip.
“Don’t worry,” said Meg, who stood beside Cara, watching her expressions. “I’ll make sure Logan is sent a copy immediately.”
It was Meg who’d accompanied Cara to get the scan, while Logan was out of town for a few days. Something about meeting with a big company handling the manufacturing of his latest video game. Cara missed him every moment and she went crazy imagining all the beautiful women he’d come in contact with in London, where he’d traveled to. Maybe it would be the sexy flight attendant on his private plane—or maybe a glamorous executive at the company he was having talks with. And maybe at night, it would be some random supermodel he ran into at his hotel bar and would invite up to his suite for a nightcap. Maybe to her suite.
Cara shook off such thoughts. Logan hadn’t struck her as the type to participate in casual sex. And even if he hadn’t promised himself to her in any way nor had he said anything about them being exclusive, Cara felt she could trust Logan. Too bad, it was other women she couldn’t trust around Logan, knowing the aura of a silent, solid hunk he exuded, in addition to all his money. No sane woman would be able to keep from throwing herself at him.
Which had Cara view Meg thoughtfully, as the assistant went over some details for the upcoming party. Had Meg ever had anything with Logan? Cara had found out that Meg had been working with Logan for years. She was one of his most trusted retainers, and inspired utmost respect and confidence from anyone who had to deal with Logan through her.
She was beautiful in a glossy way that most thin, blonde career professionals could be, down to the gold-rimmed spectacles and her ever-present high heeled pumps. Cara had never seen her in anything but designer suits and heels, her makeup perfect to the point of looking like a mannequin—even on weekends.
Cara couldn’t pretend to know Logan’s type, but she didn’t think he’d go for someone like Meg. Cara just couldn’t pinpoint it but there was something about Meg that was off-putting, even when she smiled.
Like she smiled at Cara now, with those red lips stretched thinly over perfect white dentition. “How about your family? Would you consider inviting them to the party as well? Maybe a few friends?” asked Meg, pen in hand, hovering over her pad.
“I didn’t know I was allowed to invite anyone,” Cara said in surprise.
“Well, of course, they wouldn’t have to know about the surrogacy. But you are basically on contract with Mr. Shane, which makes you something of a valued employee. He wouldn’t begrudge you wanting someone you’re close to present at such a big event.”
Someone she was close to … Cara didn’t really have anyone like that. She’d only ever really had Jude. He was the one who gave her a semblance of a family or a connection, since Cara never really got along with either of her parents or siblings. No one ever seemed to understand her, and only with Jude had she felt any kind of acceptance. If only for a brief time.
“Ther
e’s … no one,” Cara finally said, eyes downcast as she ran her fingers over her knee nervously. Thinking about Jude always made her feel guilty and lost.
“You’re sure? Because it would be nothing to arrange a flight for them and the necessary lodgings for their stay. You’ve been here over a month now and there has to be someone you miss, or who’s worried about your welfare. With how beautiful you look, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a man in your life, wondering what became of you.”
Cara’s eyes narrowed in a frown as she shot a look at Meg, wondering how much the assistant knew or if Logan had told her anything. Well, being his most trusted aide he might have mentioned Cara’s ex, but still, it felt uncomfortable that Logan would share something so personal and sensitive with Meg.
“Like I said, there’s no one,” Cara added, meeting Meg’s smirking expression squarely.
“Well, I’ll just finish sending out invitations, and of course, the sonogram picture. Imagine how pleased Mr. Shane will be knowing the baby is growing so healthy. You should take extra care, too. Wouldn’t want Mr. Shane biting my ear off if you got into any trouble.”
Cara wondered what trouble she could possibly get into, sitting at home all day or working on her paintings. She grumpily glanced down at the smartwatch she had on her wrist, the one similar to Logan’s, which had all sorts of features to monitor her activities. It had been Logan who’d gotten her to wear it and there were times she wanted to toss it into the nearest pool.
As Meg made her departure with a smug smile, Cara fumed even more. The assistant had seemed extra catty today, and Cara as always, found it impossible to really read the woman. Just what was going on in her head?
Maybe it was Cara feeling hormonal, or something to do with the conversation she had with Meg, but in the following days Cara felt like calling home. The last time she’d called, was when she’d been on her way here, to meet her mystery benefactor for the first time. She’d spoken to her mother who had sounded glad to know Cara was safe.