Part 12 (2/2)
”Close your eyes. Just feel what I'm doing to you. Don't think about anything else.”
She was spread across the wide divan, her shoulders resting against the plump pillows that provided cus.h.i.+on next to the wall. Her skin was hot against the cool, soft upholstery, and she moaned when he slid his fingers between her legs, soaking them in the wetness he discovered there, and slicked it backward, ma.s.saging her in a way that had her fighting the urge to grind back against him.
”You're so beautiful, so strong...I love touching you like this....”
His mouth followed the wet path his fingers had drawn, and she cried out as he looped his arm under her belly and pulled her up, helping her balance as he separated her thighs farther then plunged his eager, hot tongue inside of her.
His large hands planted themselves on her bottom, holding her up and apart as he feasted on her, ma.s.saging her entrance with his mouth until she shook uncontrollably, her fingers digging into the satiny pillows as she rode out a shattering release. His hands were everywhere-on her legs, her c.l.i.t, her stomach-the hot touches pushed the rolling waves of her o.r.g.a.s.m to every point of her body, and she wasn't sure she could take much more. Her body, having lived too long with its needs ignored, was sure making up for lost time.
”Oh, please, Logan...” She panted, spent, whimpering when she felt him s.h.i.+ft up behind her, his long, thick erection rubbing against her hip. She thought she couldn't take any more, but before she could say so he was inside her, filling her to the hilt. Reaching forward to grasp her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in both hands, he s.h.i.+fted her upright against him like a rag doll, thrusting inside her while he whispered sweet, hot things into the back of her neck.
It shouldn't have been possible, she was drained, exhausted, but the pleasure began to coil again and she braced one hand on the wall while curling the other back around his neck, drawing him in for a deep kiss, moving with him, tapping energy from some unknown depth.
At the last moment, when the sensation was too much, they opened their eyes, staring deeply into each other as they came, their sounds of pleasure intermingling as they pumped the last vestiges of pleasure from their bodies. Gazes still locked, they fell together into the cus.h.i.+ons on the divan. She thought, somewhere in the back of her l.u.s.t-saturated brain, that he had, as he'd promised, caught her.
”I SENT YOU SENT YOU on a d.a.m.ned vacation and you landed yourself in the middle of this?” on a d.a.m.ned vacation and you landed yourself in the middle of this?”
”It kinda fell into my lap, Ian. I swear. I wasn't working. It just...happened.”
Ian sighed heavily on the phone, and she waited for the inevitable. She knew he'd react this way, but she also knew he wouldn't ask her to ignore what she'd discovered, or what Logan had told her.
”It's surprising what manages to 'just happen' to some people. So he has hard evidence?”
”He says.”
”You haven't seen it?” Ian seemed a little distracted, and Sarah frowned, messing with the phone cord.
”We, uh, got sidetracked. But I'm heading down to his room now, and once I know more, we can figure out how to handle it.”
”I'll wait to hear from you. And Sarah...”
”Huh?”
”Depending on what happens here, I still expect you to take some downtime when this is over.”
”Yeah, uh, sure.”
”I mean it.”
”Yes, I know.” She sighed, but before he hung up, she grabbed his attention once more. ”Ian. Keep this close, okay? He's a good guy, and he's acting against orders, but, well. You know.”
”I'll do what I can.”
”Thanks. Hey, and congratulations. You know, on Sage. And the bun in the oven.”
”How'd you know...? Never mind. Thanks, Sarah. Call me when you know more.”
Sarah murmured a goodbye and hung up the phone, looking around to make sure she was alone. The inn was quiet; everyone had left for the morning. She peered up the stairs. She'd slept in Logan's room, slipping away quietly before he'd awakened to make her call to Ian.
She was glad she'd told Logan everything. They had something between them, something special, and she wanted the air clear between them. Telling him about what had happened to her, about Guy, had felt right, and had helped convince him why it was important for her to help.
She had feelings-more than tugs and s.h.i.+vers-real, punch-in-the-gut feelings that were growing for this guy. It may have clinched it that he was risking so much to help not only his partner, but the other women he didn't even know.
Sarah knew he'd also reached inside her and given her back a part of her life that she'd a.s.sumed had gone dead. She liked having it back. Suddenly, life wasn't just about work anymore. She was feeling things she'd never even known about, far beyond s.e.x. And that was great, too.
For the moment, though, those feelings had to be set aside. She knew Logan had doubts, regarded her as a rookie and a desk jockey, but he'd find out differently. Together they'd solve the case, and then, well, they'd deal with what came later.
But for the first time in a while, she was thinking there was a future with a man in it, with the potential for so many things she'd thought she'd left behind for good. It was just wild.
Heading up the stairs, she hoped he wouldn't mind getting breakfast elsewhere and bringing whatever evidence he'd acc.u.mulated so they could go over it together. It was probably better if they discussed this outside of the inn. She tried the door, but found it locked, and rapped her knuckles softly against the wood.
No answer.
Frowning, she knocked again, and nearly jumped out of her skin when two arms slid around her from behind, laughing when she recognized the touch of those hands on her midsection.
”Morning, gorgeous.”
”Morning. Where have you been?”
”I'd left a few things in your room-just retrieving them.”
”Oh. Well, good. Since you're dressed, I thought we could go get breakfast downtown, and maybe talk about the case.”
He moved past her, pausing for a second before he slid the key into the lock, and entered the room. Sarah followed, smiling at the sight of the pillows from the divan strewn all over the floor.
”Breakfast sounds good, but I don't think there's much more to discuss about the case. I told you everything last night.”
”Just the bare bones. I have to see what evidence you've collected, and we can talk with Ian and E.J., come up with a plan-”
”Sarah,” he cut her off, ”I have a plan. I told you last night, there is no 'we' on this-I'll handle it. I don't want you involved.”
Backing up, she took a breath. Clearly, they were experiencing a miscommunication of some sort, and she kept her voice calm. If they just launched into an argument, neither one of them would benefit. They were fighting the same enemy, they both wanted the same thing, to put these sc.u.m away.
”Logan, I told you last night why I am involved in this. For one thing, it's my job, and my jurisdiction. Second, I explained to you what happened to me, why it's important for me to help. And third, because I...” She lost her words for a second, looking into his eyes, searching for something that would encourage her to share her emotions with him. She did find warmth there-guarded by caution-and forged ahead. ”I care about you. I want to help for a lot of reasons, but that's a big one.”
He came toward her, wrapping her in his strong arms, squeezing tightly, then tenderly framed her face with his hands.
”I care about you, too. What's happening between us is obviously more than a fling, and that's why I have to say no. There's no way I am going to put you at risk. I've already lost too many people who are important to me.”
”This isn't the same thing at all. Your family suffered because of an accident. This is my job. Believe me, I'll be fine. We'll both be safer and more effective working together with the department behind us.”
”This may be your job, Sarah, normally, but not this time. And jurisdiction doesn't mean squat in this case. I'm not bringing you with me, and that's that.”
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