Part 7 (1/2)

Logan bit into his sandwich, a.s.sessing her openly as he chewed and swallowed. ”Fis.h.i.+ng, Sarah?”

”Just making conversation.”

”This is the first romantic picnic I've been on in a long time. Years, in fact.”

She didn't want to admit how nice that made her feel, and just ate her salad because she wasn't quite sure what to say. Logan was making it clear he was interested in more than just buddying around, and she didn't know if it could be more than that. The fact that she wanted more, though she found it hard to admit, shook her, and the next words out of her mouth emerged from her anxiety as much as anything else.

”So is all this just a way to get in my pants again?”

The words cut through the air harshly, and she felt more than saw him draw back, his surprise at her response clear. Well, too bad. But instead of relenting, she dug in. She was too used to squaring off, and in her experience, that's what it was all about with guys. Why put pretty dressing on it? She took a deep breath, ready for confrontation.

But then he laughed, which was not what she'd expected.

”You do just lay it out there on the table, don't you?”

She shrugged, feeling her ire deflate in the face of his good humor, and bit into her sandwich. ”Why sugarcoat things?”

He popped a ripe strawberry into his mouth and seemed to be considering her response.

”Well...we're attracted to each other, that was obvious last night. And I think you know I'd like to see that-more-happen again.”

He ate another strawberry, slowly, his eyes on her with uncomfortable intensity. ”But I also like your company. I'd like to think there's more to this-and to me-than just trying to get in your pants, though that thought is a very nice one, I have to say.”

Well, at least he was honest; she'd give him that. And she was attracted to him, tempted in ways she'd thought were over and done for her. He was...unexpected.

”I'm not sure it will work out that way. Just to let you know, since we're being up front.”

”You mean because things didn't go well last night?”

She nodded, not saying anything more, and almost jumped when he took her hand, running a half-bitten strawberry along her palm and then lifting it to his mouth. She inhaled sharply as his tongue lapped the sweetness off the sensitive part of her hand.

”So you don't like it when I touch you? When I do something like this?”

”I, uh-” Sarah lost any sense of what she was about to say when he took her index finger and slid it between his lips, and then drew it slowly out. His mouth was hot, and she made the mistake of looking down and meeting his gaze, then letting her eyes travel down a little farther where he unabashedly displayed an erection that challenged the tensile qualities of the neoprene.

She looked around, not so much concerned whether they were alone as making sure they were. If she'd been worried about his motives, she wouldn't have come. Even if she was wrong, she was more than up to the task of taking him down if things got out of hand. But, as he continued to lick hot kisses all over her fingers, and that gorgeous erection still strained within clear view, taking him down was not the first thing on her mind. Well, not in the violent sense, anyway.

She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the thousand sparks of desire he was igniting. She didn't want to feel these things.

But then again, why not? It was a vacation thing, right? In two weeks he'd head home, and so would she, and that would be the end of it. Maybe this was her chance to reclaim a little part of her life. Maybe it was time. No harm, no foul.

Remembering what he'd done to her the previous evening, she was surprised at how tempted she was. She was rarely seriously tempted by men, at least not so long as she could remember. But she was burning now.

”Sarah, you never answered my question. If you don't like this, all you have to do is tell me to stop. Just like last night. If you ask me to stop, at any point, I stop. No problem.”

He slanted a mischievous smile, glancing down at his crotch, where her eyes had been planted just seconds before. ”Well, maybe there's a bit of a problem, but not one you have to worry about. I mean it.”

If he'd pressured her at all, she could have withstood the temptation, written him off as just another guy trying to find a way to get laid.

As it was, she just pushed her dishes aside and twisted, closing her hand over his forearm and lifting herself, snagging his leg and ending up solidly on top of him, pus.h.i.+ng him into the sand as she lowered her lips to his. She pressed herself along his entire length while she kissed the breath from him, leaving him in no doubt about her intentions.

If she was going to do this, she was going to do it her her way. way.

She felt a rumble in his chest, a laugh, maybe, or a groan, maybe both, as his hands closed over her b.u.t.tocks and pulled her against him while they continued to kiss, forgetting about the need to breathe. Lifting up for just a moment, she saw him smile, his voice both husky with desire and teasing.

”Smooth move. Someone took some self-defense cla.s.ses at the local Y?”

She just smiled, opening her legs and locking her knees around his hips, pus.h.i.+ng back against him before leading another a.s.sault on his mouth. Cla.s.ses at the Y. Yeah, right. If he only knew.

And then somehow, before she could take her next breath, she found herself flipped over on her back. Logan planted himself heavily on top of her and settled between her sprawled legs, his hands pinning hers on either side of her head. She smiled up at him, a little kick of admiration filtering through her.

”Pretty smooth, yourself. You must have had those same cla.s.ses.”

”Yeah, something like that.”

She waited, watching him stare down at her, apprehension and anxiety starting to brew as she wondered what he was planning. Why didn't he just do it already? Kiss her or something? Hadn't she made it clear she was willing? And ready, she thought, feeling his hardness pressing between her legs. Lord, was she ever ready. She was hot all over, and it wasn't from the midday sun.

But if he waited much longer she might lose her resolve, and she would have to back down, again. She fought the thoughts crowding her mind. She didn't want that to happen.

”Logan-” Her voice held an edge of panic and he freed one hand, and brought his to her face, gently wiping away some sand and pus.h.i.+ng her hair back.

”Shhhh, Sarah. Relax. We don't have to make this a contest of wills. We can both win.”

”But-”

”Shush.” The command was gently issued, barely a whisper, but it worked. She didn't usually take well to being bossed, but these were...unusual circ.u.mstances.

He leaned down and rubbed his mouth over hers, releasing her other hand and framing her face with both of his. Something told him that he needed to show her more than desire, something more than s.e.x.

It surprised him that this woman, for whom he had no intentions beyond s.e.x, could inspire such tenderness inside him. He wanted to make her feel...more. More than good. More than hot.

Beautiful as she was, she had a toughness about her. She was too p.r.i.c.kly, too ready to fight. It intrigued him, since many of the women he'd known romantically had been too accommodating for his tastes, too eager to please. But Sarah made him curious; he wanted to find the soft parts, the ones she had hidden. He slid his hands into the short, spiky silk of her hair. Yes, he wanted to know everything soft about her, inside and out.

”You're perfect,” he whispered huskily, caressing the curve of her face with his eyes before burying his face in her neck, leaving hot kisses all along her neck and shoulder until she was arching into him, baring her skin to him.

He pushed his groin into the warm V between her strong legs, delighting in the fierce need that made him want to rip his shorts off and get inside her now, and the equal desire to take it slow and have her begging for him. She was a strong woman and that made it all the more necessary for him to know she was as desperate as he was.

Sliding back, he sat up on his knees, looking down at her flushed cheeks and pa.s.sion-smudged eyes, drawing her up into a sitting position. He lifted her top, pulling it over her head and exposing her to his eyes, the sun and the ocean breezes that brushed her nipples, stiffening them even as he lowered his mouth to the tempting buds.

She was nicely proportioned, firm, muscular, but sweet. As he drew at the hardened pebbles in the middle of all her softness, he listened to her breath quicken, felt the shudder work its way along her form.

”Logan, please...”

”Yes...beg me to touch you so I know you need me as much as I need you.”

She tensed for a moment, and he knew what he was asking, knew she probably never begged for anything, but he wanted to hear her beg for him. When he pushed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s together and suckled at them both the pleasure was so excruciating pleas tumbled from her lips as she grasped the back of his neck and pulled him in tighter, urged him to suck harder. He was happy to accommodate, happy to give her whatever she wanted, though he took it slow, savoring every taste, every scent as he worked his way down her body, trying to discover her secrets.