Say Now

by Linzi Basset

  Good lord, Shanna. Get a grip. You’re acting like a half-wit.

  She picked up her cup and blew into it to cool it down. The caffeine would calm her, it always did. As opposed to the belief that it boosted energy, Shanna always felt she could relax better after a strong cup of coffee.

  The rest of the flight went without incident. She even managed to finish reading the article, not that any of it registered on her. The desire to peek at Logan was strong but she didn’t want to appear like a peeping Tom while he slept. The plane was already descending when he straightened his seat. The aircraft was taxiing into the allocated parking spot when Pauline arrived at their side once again. Shanna stared out of the little porthole, diligently ignoring the two people. There would be more than enough time to acquaint herself with him. Hopefully, by then, she’d have control over her wayward libido.

  “Mr. Chase, our pilot, Devon Kent asked if you would join him in the cockpit. He only just realized you’re on the plane and would like to have a word,” she cooed in his ear.

  Oh, for heaven’s sake. Get a room, why don’t you. Shanna could feel the seduction dripping off the woman. Why it annoyed her so much, she had no idea. She rarely felt this kind of thing.

  “I’d love to. I’ll be along in a minute,” he replied and waited until she walked away. “Unfortunately, our little tête-à-tête will have to wait, little one,” he murmured into Shanna’s ear. He chuckled when she straightened and offered him her back once more. “And, don’t believe for one moment that I won’t find you, luv. I always get what I want.”

  “Good luck. Even if you do find me, Mr. Casanova, don’t bet on any cooperation from me.”

  Shanna gasped when his warm lips teased the soft curve of her throat with a butterfly touch.

  “I have my ways to get around that problem. I’m hoping you’ll fight me,” he drawled between teasing little kisses to the scallop of her ear. “Do you know why?”

  “I’m sure you’re going to enlighten me.”

  Shanna cursed her husky voice but she couldn’t stop the chills his warm lips caused to run through her.

  “Because then, my little fiery snip, the reward will be even more awarding, especially when you beg me.”

  She could feel her nails cutting into her palms. She bit on her lip.

  I won’t respond. I won’t respond. I won’t—

  “Dream on. I can guarantee you that I won’t—he’s gone,” she puffed in annoyance when she finally turned mid-sentence, to find nothing but an empty seat. “Asshole,” she muttered and wondered if it was his usual modus operandi to pick up women on a flight.

  She continued to berate herself quietly as she collected her luggage and pushed the cart toward the arrival area. The bright blue shuttle with ‘Silverstone Resort: Your home away from home’, embossed across the side, stood waiting just outside the exit.

  “Ah, you must be Ms. Lovett, our final guest for the day. My name is David.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, David.” Shanna greeted the pleasant, salt-and-pepper haired man cordially. He took the cart from her to load her luggage in the back.

  “Go on, get inside, there’s one seat in the back. All the guests are already here. We’re just waiting for one more.”

  Shanna smiled at the couples who were huddled together, leaving her no choice but to squeeze past an elderly couple to reach the indicated seat in the back corner. It suited her well, especially as she still didn’t feel the desire to chit-chat.

  “Ah, Mr. Chase, you finally decided to join us.”

  Shanna froze at the amused banter from David. She peered through the people in front of her, but she could only see the back of his tousled dark-blonde head.

  “Then let’s not keep our guests waiting any longer, David.”

  Oh, good lord, I’m in so much trouble.

  Shanna felt the tremor inside her gut every time he spoke. She’d shied away from the memory since that one night, thirteen years ago. She could hear the dominance in his voice; it was in his squared shoulders when he settled into the passenger seat. Here was a man, whose persona was eerily similar to the one who had managed to make her forget all her inhibitions and had given her . . .

  She blocked the thought before it formed. It was a taboo subject; her mind was well conditioned to ignore this topic.

  Logan glanced over his shoulder. Shanna ducked, hiding behind the kissing couple in front of her. She gnawed on her fingertip.

  What the hell am I gonna do?

  Easy, Shanna, my girl, get a grip over yourself!

  Oh yeah, that’s easier said than done. Especially as I want him to fuck my brains out.

  Pfft. You don’t even know what he looks like.

  So, what? He’s dynamic, a body that makes me drool just thinking about it and oh, so powerful.

  Stop it, Shanna!

  Her soliloquy ended abruptly when he drawled in a friendly voice, “My apologies for keeping you all waiting. Your first drinks at the bar will be on me tonight.”

  “Well, that’s not necessary, young man but much appreciated, nevertheless,” the man next to her responded eloquently amidst the cheers of the other passengers.

  The rest of the drive to the resort was filled with jokes, laughter and taking in the beautiful sights of the Colorado Mountains, as they travelled through. Now and then, her thoughts were interrupted by the damned man and his sexy voice. She was squirming in the seat in an effort to keep the tingling in her naughty bits under control.

  Jeez, how pathetic is this? Seduced and aroused by his voice. No wonder Alexis and Rachel call him the stud.

  Shanna cursed the rising pressure of desire in her loins. The lurid visions she’d conjured up on the odd occasion that she’d brought herself to orgasm with him as the conduit, were squarely to blame for it.

  Damn Alexis for painting such a seductive picture of the man!

  No, put the blame where it’s due, Shanna. You’re the one who has been fantasizing about having what they have.

  I didn’t ask for your opinion, so shut up!

  Shanna breathed a sigh of relief only when she locked the door of the hotel room behind her; unscathed and undetected by the tall, drool worthy man who had been helping David with the guest’s luggage, giving her the opportunity to slip away.

  Her phone rang. “Now, where is the damn thing? Ah, here it is,” she mumbled as she dug it out of her large tote bag. She smiled as she noticed Alexis name flash on the screen.

  “You guys have gotten me into so much trouble,” she snapped into the phone. She fell on her back onto the bed and kicked off her shoes.

  “What have we done? We haven’t seen you in months, so we plead innocence,” Alexis protested.

  Shanna smiled. Her visit was a surprise. Her two besties had no idea that she was so close to them.

  “Yeah, the two of you always gang up against me,” she replied with a grin.

  “Well, only because you’re a genius and we need our combined brain power to compete with yours,” Rachel snipped. “How are you, Shanna and why the hell haven’t we heard from you for so long?”

  “Babies don’t always follow a time schedule you know.”

  “Which means you need to take a break. You can’t continue to work at the rate you have been these past couple of years,” Alexis ranted, repeating the same thing she always did when they spoke.

  “I second that and if you’re not going to come for a visit, we’re coming to fetch you. This is the best place to relax and forget about all the stress of preemie babies, complaining mothers and all that stuff,” Rachel decreed.

  “All that stuff is what keeps me sane,” Shanna said with a forced chuckle. It was the only thing that kept her sane. Studies and work had been the two things that had kept her afloat all these years.

  “Come on, Shanna. You know Rachel is right. You need a break,” Alexis prodded gently.

  “Which is why I’ve taken four weeks leave from the clinic.”

  The shocked silence would�
�ve been funny if Shanna hadn’t been so tired.

  “Come again?” Rachel crowed.

  “I’ve decided to come for a visit.” Shanna turned on her side. She couldn’t keep the gasp at bay. “Oh my, that mountain does look enchanting from here.”

  “Mountain? Enchanting? Shanna . . . wait! Don’t tell me . . . are you . . . eek!” Rachel shrieked excitedly. “You’re here? In Colorado? At Silverstone?”

  “Yep, I just arrived in my hotel room but before you jump in your car, I’m dead on my feet. I came here directly from an all-night delivery and I need to sleep. Can we catch up tomorrow? Please?”

  “Of course, and even though it’s still mid-afternoon, we can wait a couple of hours,” Alexis agreed. “But, don’t forget to eat.”

  “Yes, mom,” Shanna teased.

  Chapter Two

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Shanna muttered groggily. The insistent knocking on the door penetrated her sleep-riddled mind. She groaned and pushed herself upright. “Ugh, I must’ve fallen asleep before I took that bath I wanted.” She yawned and stretched out before she forced her eyes open to find the room shrouded in shadows. “Good lord, I slept the entire afternoon away.”

  The hollow echo of knuckles rapping on the door sounded through the room again.

  “I’m coming! Just keep your pants on, goddammit,” she grunted as she yanked open the door. “Oh,” she floundered. Her gaze was snagged by hypnotic hazel eyes that peered at her from beneath regally arched eyebrows. Her vision was still blurry from sleep and with the hallway light behind him, his face was in the shadows. She blinked. Why did his eyes look so familiar? She shook her head to clear her mind. No one had such lustrous gold eyes, it was genetically impossible. But on second glance, there was a wealth of reproach on his face as he pushed past her into her room.

  “Wait! Who do you think you are? You can’t just—” Her words abruptly cut off, as the incandescent glow of the lamp that he’d just switched on, softly illuminated the room.

  The now familiar, tousled dark-blonde hair was the only thing that registered on her before he slowly walked toward her. She retreated, step for step, until she was pressed against the wall, his hard body flattening her softness.

  “But I can. I warned you that we’re not done yet, remember?”

  Shanna swallowed the excitement that surged to the surface. There was something so familiar about him; how he felt pressed against her, his dark voice that flowed through her mind like the soothing taste of a single malt whiskey. She shook it off. She would remember him if she’d met him before and Logan Chase was as much a stranger to her as his equally powerful friends.

  He shook some errant hair from his eyes, which drew her gaze to his wide forehead, high cheekbones and a square jaw, covered in five o’clock shadow, with the sexiest dimple in his chin that begged to be kissed. He had rugged good looks which she wouldn’t call classically attractive, but he had a magnetism that she found very hard to resist. His full lips curved upward when he noticed her eyelids flutter. He was tall, broad and lean and his muscles rippled against her hands when she pushed against his chest.

  “Get away from me, you big oaf,” she ordered.

  “Well, I would, if you can say that with conviction,” he drawled as he leaned in to brush his lips over hers.

  “How did you find me?” She puffed in a breath.

  “Being friends with the pilot has its benefits. Imagine my surprise when he told me that my enticing co-passenger was none other than the one woman I’ve been itching to meet.”

  “What do you mean? Stop doing that,” she ordered in a husky whisper when he trailed his lips over her cheek, to nibble on her earlobe.

  “Come now, Ms. Lovett. Are you going to deny that you know who I am?” His lips closed around her earlobe and he sucked, gently tugging on it. A surge of arousal shot to her loins and set her clitoris throbbing with need.

  “I . . . you . . . ohhh,” she sighed when his roving lips latched onto the furiously pulsing vein in her neck and sucked. This time, the hot shard that tore into her loins and caused her eyelashes to flutter was the only cue Logan needed to explore further. His hand gently fisted a tuft of her hair to tilt her chin back.

  He blinked, shielding his eyes beneath long, dark eyelashes—a surprising contrast to the rest of his chiseled, manly features. Shanna was mesmerized. Another elusive memory toggled inside her. Something wasn’t right. She didn’t know him, so why did it constantly feel like she did? She offered him a surreptitious glance, and promptly toppled on a novel feeling.

  It was the strangest thing; a sensation of serenity and tranquility that descended over her. Something that she’d not experienced in years. The empathy in his gaze communicated a visceral insight of the pain buried deep inside her that once again shook her to the core. It was almost like he could see inside her soul and watch her most painful memory buried there like a movie reel.

  How can he know? It’s impossible for him to know my emotions.

  Shanna pushed against his chest which was covered in a black linen shirt that hugged his toned body like a lover’s caress. She swallowed in awe as his broad shoulders rolled with sinewy strength.

  “Very well, Logan Chase. I know of you, but I don’t know you, so kindly remove yourself from my person.” Shanna was desperate to regain her composure. She’d closed herself off from emotions and feelings for the past twelve years. She had no idea how to deal with the ones now coursing through her.

  Lust, passion and desire, those she could deal with, but the emotional cocktail that was swirling in her mind, was overwhelming.

  “Oh, there are a lot of things I aspire to do to your person, my love, but removing myself from it, right at this moment, isn’t one of them.”

  Logan stared at the beautiful women in front of him. He was aware of the battle inside her. He’d been struggling with something similar all his life. Insecurity and guilt were a damning combination. It had taken him years to acknowledge that, but since he’d come to terms that his past was over, and that he had to stop looking back if he wanted happiness, he’d become a new person.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured, his gaze locked onto her plump lips. He leaned in to bite into the lower one, before sucking on it.

  A flash of heat raced down and unleashed a warm flush of essence inside her pussy, forcing Shanna to clench her muscles against an influx of pheromones that lingered between her thighs.

  Oh my god. Shanna shivered, completely overwhelmed by the rush of sensations that filled her entire system. Not to mention the memory of the exact same action that had been the conduit that had loosened her inhibitions thirteen years ago. It can’t be! Oh, fuck no. It can’t be him.

  Logan traced her long, beautifully shaped nose with a fingertip, gently caressing the vestigial depression beneath. He gazed at her pouty lips, swamped with a yen to taste their swollen scrumptiousness again. Alexis and Rachel had described her vividly and showed him pictures but still, he was unprepared for the effect her beauty had on him. Now he knew why he’d been so drawn to her on the plane and why her profile had been so familiar. She had a fresh, innocent look that was equally sultry and seductive and took his breath away. He’d traced the heart-shaped face in the photo on his phone many times. Now, he was enchanted by the most delectable high cheekbones and forest green eyes that were shimmering with passion. She nibbled on her perfect Cupid’s bow lips, and he felt his knees go weak. He tightened his fist around the silkiness of her luxurious auburn hair that tumbled in thick waves down her back.

  “And, now that I have you in my grasp, nothing and no one is going to keep me from what I want. Not even you, my lovely Shanna.”

  Shanna stared at him, desperately trying to find any link to the younger version of a man from her memories. But it was all in vain because the man who had spoiled her for all others ever since, had been nothing but a tall, muscled figure in a dark night, at her prom. She never knew the man’s name, or what he looked like―a phantom, really.
The only things that connected them were his flashing gold eyes and the way his voice reached deep into her soul. Not forgetting, the way he felt. No one had ever felt like he had.

  No one . . . until now.

  “What do you want?” She asked breathlessly.

  He caressed her chin between his fingers.

  “Do I need to spell it out, luv?” He murmured against her lips before he delivered a hard, open-mouthed kiss on her lips that unleashed a fresh wave of arousal to wash over her.

  Logan’s hard mouth slanted across hers, doused with passion. He let go of her chin and wound his arm around her body. His hand settled on her bottom to draw her hard against him. He groaned into her mouth when her softness yielded to the hardness of his arousal. His lips gentled, turned from coercive to seductive. He reached beneath her hair, below her ear to gently caress her cheek with his thumb.

  Shanna moaned. Against her better judgment, her arms crept around his shoulders and to the back of his head, her fingers curling in the soft hair at his nape. Wild palpitations vibrated her nerves; eliciting sensations she’d never known she was capable of feeling. With a torrent of euphoria swirling in her mind, she leaned into him and kissed him back with all the fervor he’d awakened inside her.

  What are you doing, Shanna? This shouldn’t happen! You don’t know the man. Her body, however, refused to listen as she melted against him.

  Logan felt her heat . . . her sultry sensuality and her willing surrender enter his bloodstream. He rejoiced in the lushness of her curvy body beneath his hands. The desire she’d unleashed inside him, scorched through his body. The intensity shook him. He had the strangest feeling that this was where he belonged. With her, against her and god help him, deep inside her. His lips left hers to trail a line of fire down her throat in urgent, hot nibbling kisses.