Her eyes closed, and he saw the iron control she exerted over her emotions.
The Dom in him wondered how quickly he could break through that control to the woman underneath. Tie her up, tease her a bit, and watch her struggle not to give in to her need and…
Hell, talk about inappropriate thoughts.
He pulled in a breath to cool off. No use. It was blistering hot, and not just from his visions of steamy sex. Nothing like global warming in the mountains. He frowned when he noted her damp face and the sweat soaking her long-sleeved, heavy shirt. Not good. The woman needed to get her temperature down.
At the far end of the meadow, the forest would provide shade. He could send her there to sit and cool off, but she‘d be out of sight, and from the obstinate set of that pretty, pink mouth, she‘d head right back down the trail in spite of his orders.
Shoulders straight, chin up, feet planted. Definitely a rebellious one, the type that brought his dominant nature to the fore. He‘d love to give her an order and have her disobey, so he could enjoy the hell out of paddling that soft ass. But she wasn‘t his to discipline, more‘s the pity, since a woman like this was wasted on that pretty boy.
And he‘d gotten sidetracked.
With a sigh, he returned to the problem at hand. She needed to stay here where he could keep an eye on her, and she needed to cool off.
"Even if you don‘t strip down completely, at least take some clothes off and wade in the water," he said. "You‘re getting overheated."
"Thank you, but I‘m fine," she said stiffly.
"No, you‘re not." When he stepped closer, he felt the warmth radiating off her body. Being from San Francisco, she wouldn‘t be accustomed to the dryness or the heat. "Either strip down, little rebel, or I‘ll toss you in with your clothes on."
Her mouth dropped open.
He wouldn‘t, would he? Rebecca stared up at the implacable, cold eyes, seeing the man‘s utter self-confidence. Definitely not bluffing.
Well, he could be as stern as he wanted. Damned if she‘d take her clothing off and display her chunky, scarred legs. She shook her head, backing away. If she needed to, she‘d run.
Faster than she could blink, he grabbed her arm.
She tugged and got nowhere. "Listen, you can‘t—"
With one hand, he unbuttoned her heavy shirt, not at all hindered by her efforts to shove his hand away. After a minute, her shirt flapped open, revealing her bra and her pudgy stomach.
"Damn you!"
She glanced at the lake, hoping for Matt to rescue her, and froze. He was kissing the oh-so-perky Ashley, and not just a peck on the lips but a full clinch and deep-throating tongues.
Rebecca stared as shock swept through her, followed by a wave of humiliation. He… As her breath hitched, she tore her gaze away, blinking against the welling tears. Why had she ever come here?
"Oh, sugar, don‘t do that now." Logan pulled her up against his chest, ignoring her weak protest. His arms held her against chest muscles hard as the granite outcroppings, and he turned so she couldn‘t see the lake. Silently, he stroked a hand down her back while she tried to pull herself together.
Matthew and Ashley would have sex. Soon. Somehow she hadn‘t quite understood the whole concept of swinging and what her gut-level reaction would be. But she could take it now that she realized…what would happen. After drawing in a shaky breath, she firmed her lips. Fine.
And if Logan insisted she strip to bra and panties, that was fine too. So what if these people saw her giant thighs and ugly scars. She‘d never see any of them again. Ever.
For a second, she let herself enjoy the surprising comfort of Logan‘s arms. Then she pushed away.
He let her take a step back and then grasped her upper arms, keeping her in place as he studied her face.
She flushed and looked away. God, how embarrassing. She had melted down in front of a total stranger, showing him exactly how insecure she was. But he‘d been nice, and she owed him. "Thank you for…uh…the shoulder."
With a finger, he turned her face back to him. "I like holding you, Rebecca. Come to me anytime you need a shoulder." A crease appeared in his cheek. He ran his finger across the skin at the top of her lacy bra, his finger slightly rough, sending unexpected tingles through her. "You think I can talk you out of this too?"
The thought of being braless led to her imagining his big hands touching her breasts, how all his strength could hold her in place, and… God, get a grip, Rebecca. She shook her head and stepped back hastily.
He eyed her, and his look heated her more than the noon sun. "You will, at least, strip down to bra and briefs." One corner of his mouth tipped up. "If you don‘t, I‘ll do it for you. And I‘ll enjoy every minute."
Her insides turned to molten lava. How could she be appalled at his threat and excited at the same time? "Fine. But I‘ll take my own clothes off," she said, her mouth dry. She shrugged her shirt off.
"I‘d almost rather lose," he murmured and tugged a lock of her hair before striding away.
*
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Table of Contents
Chapter One .....................................................................................................................4
Chapter Two................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter Three ................................................................................................................. 24
Chapter Four .................................................................................................................. 32
Chapter Five ................................................................................................................... 39
Chapter Six .................................................................................................................... 43
Chapter Seven ................................................................................................................ 53
Chapter Eight ................................................................................................................. 58
Chapter Nine .................................................................................................................. 66
Chapter Ten .................................................................................................................... 75
Chapter Eleven ............................................................................................................... 83
Chapter Twelve .............................................................................................................. 91
Chapter Thirteen........................................................................................................... 101
Chapter Fourteen .......................................................................................................... 108
Chapter Fifteen ............................................................................................................. 117
Chapter Sixteen ............................................................................................................ 126
Chapter Seventeen ........................................................................................................ 128
Chapter Eighteen .......................................................................................................... 136
Chapter Nineteen .......................................................................................................... 142
Chapter Twenty ............................................................................................................ 150
Chapter Twenty-one ..................................................................................................... 158
Chapter Twenty-two ............
......................................................................................... 168
Chapter Twenty-three ................................................................................................... 174
Chapter Twenty-four .................................................................................................... 185
Chapter Twenty-five..................................................................................................... 191
Chapter Twenty-six ...................................................................................................... 198
Chapter Twenty-seven .................................................................................................. 208
Chapter Twenty-eight ................................................................................................... 212
Epilogue ....................................................................................................................... 216
About the author ........................................................................................................... 218
Document Outline
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Epilogue
About the author
Table of Contents
Chapter One ........................................................................................
Chapter Two.........................................................................................
Chapter Three ......................................................................................
Chapter Four .......................................................................................
Chapter Five .......................................................................................
Chapter Six ........................................................................................
Chapter Seven ......................................................................................
Chapter Eight ......................................................................................
Chapter Nine .......................................................................................
Chapter Ten ........................................................................................
Chapter Eleven .....................................................................................
Chapter Twelve .....................................................................................
Chapter Thirteen....................................................................................
Chapter Fourteen ...................................................................................
Chapter Fifteen ....................................................................................
Chapter Sixteen ....................................................................................
Chapter Seventeen ..................................................................................
Chapter Eighteen ...................................................................................
Chapter Nineteen ...................................................................................
Chapter Twenty .....................................................................................
Chapter Twenty-one .................................................................................
Chapter Twenty-two .................................................................................
Chapter Twenty-three ...............................................................................
Chapter Twenty-four ................................................................................
Chapter Twenty-five.................................................................................
Chapter Twenty-six .................................................................................
Chapter Twenty-seven ...............................................................................
Chapter Twenty-eight ...............................................................................
Epilogue ...........................................................................................
About the author ...................................................................................
Hour of the Lion Page 37
