by Lyric James
“Come on.” He reached down and caught her hand, bringing her knuckles to his lips. “I think I can leave you alone long enough for you to shower and eat.” His mouth curved in a slow sensuous smile. “But I’m warning you. My self-control is not going to last long.”
At that she had to laugh. “Understood.”
They moved through the house. The cool air made chill bumps pop out on her skin. Thank goodness no one was sitting in the living area that led out to the pool. If they had, they’d have witnessed a fantastic erotic show between her and Logan.
Voices filtered out of the game room. It sounded as if they were playing the Wii. The beach house was perfect for adults and families. Enough room to sleep over twenty people, it had a large kitchen, two living areas, plus the game room set up for billiards, TV watching, lounging and playing cards.
At the top of the steps he leaned forward and kissed her, a tender kiss that had her aching for more. “I’ll see you back down in the kitchen in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” she agreed, and walked down the hall to her room.
In the Jack-and-Jill bathroom she shared with her friend, Harper, she turned on the shower and disrobed, pealing her clothes off her still damp body.
Violet saw it in her eyes the moment she dared to look at herself in the mirror. She was falling for him.
Stupid.
What the heck was wrong with her? The moment he’d walked in the door today, she’d had a mission. Seduce Logan McMasters. Sex. Just sex. Nothing else. But he surprised her when he told her he’d been waiting for her to be free of the ex.
She shook her head. It didn’t matter. Logan was nothing more than a one-night stand. Sure, the sex was extraordinary, way up there in the WOWZA stratosphere, but once she got in her car tomorrow morning to go home, their liaison would be over.
She reached into the shower, turned the water on full blast, and watched the steam billow upward. Besides, what man would even think about having a relationship with a woman who jumped into bed—well, on the sand with him—the first time they were alone together? She’d broken the cardinal rule.
Yes, they were acquainted because of Dayna, but they’d never spent any time together outside of parties and mutual friend’s houses. Still, she doubted even that would make him see her as anything more than a weekend sex buddy.
So why was she kidding herself into believing it was something more than it was?
She scrubbed the sand and salt from her skin, washed her hair and towel dried off before putting on pair of khaki shorts, a white tank, and flip flops.
In the kitchen, she found him scrounging up food with Harper, Blake and Ian.
“Ugh, finally,” Harper said, waving her hand toward the counter at warmed up hot dogs, hamburgers and bags of chips. “Please tell these men they need more than meat and bread to sustain themselves.”
Violet laughed, took a bag of chips, and poured some out on a paper towel.
“Don’t forget the potatoes,” Blake said.
“You’re hopeless,” Harper said before she tossed a dry towel at Blake that he caught before it smacked him in the head. Then she rounded on Ian. “And you. I know Stella doesn’t want a hot dog this late at night.”
Violet looked around. “Where is she?”
“In the attic,” Ian answered. “Dayna told her that her grandmother had a lot of old pieces she brought with her before she moved into the beach house that she couldn’t bare to give away so she placed them in the attic. Dayna’s sure some of them are antiques.”
“Oh boy,” Violet joked. “She’ll never come down from there now.”
“Right,” Ian agreed. “So I volunteered to help retrieve sustenance, but Ms. Chef over here won’t let me.”
“That’s not true,” Harper asserted. “I only suggested you add some fruit and vegetables with it.”
Ian threw up his hands. “Fine. Make me a tray and I’ll take it. Just don’t forget the meat. I need meat.”
“Fine,” Harper grumbled. “Just try a piece of fruit. It won’t kill you.”
Violet sat on one of the bar stools and snacked on her chips. She knew if she sat there long enough, Harper would put a plate in front of her. Logan rounded the island, and his gaze lingered on her crossed legs. It sent heat sizzling through her veins.
He approached, leaned down to whisper in her ear, and trailed the palm of his hand up her thigh. “I’m giving you ten minutes to eat. After that, I’m tossing you over my shoulder and we’re going to find a bed.”
His deep, dark voice poured over her like warm milk chocolate. He was by far the sexiest man she’d ever come across in her life. On one hand, what woman wouldn’t want to be ogled by a virile, gorgeous man? However, when it was all over, where did that leave her heart?
Logan moved behind her and surreptitiously swiped his hand over her butt before he sat down beside her. The wolfish grin he gave her made her stomach clench, and a heated flush stole over her body.
As predicted, Harper placed a plate of fruit, grilled chicken and vegetables in front of her.
“And here you go,” she said to Ian. “Enjoy.”
He looked down at the platter and back up at her. She’d given him two hamburgers with a glazed sauce dripping off of them, no buns, fruit, vegetables and ranch dip. He glowered. “Seriously?”
Harper pointed toward the exit. “Go.”
Ian turned on his heel and left, Logan and Blake’s laughter following him.
“I’ll be back when I know you’re out of the kitchen,” he yelled.
Harper pointed to Blake. “You. Sit. Don’t think you’re getting off easy.”
He raised his hands, feigning mock innocence. “Who, me?”
“I have something special planned for you.”
Blake sat in one of the chairs at the table, leaned back with his hands behind his head, and crossed his legs at the ankle. “Your wish is my command, Princess,” he said softly.
Harper flushed.
“Um, I don’t think we want any part of this. Plus,” Logan said, his gaze going from Blake back to Harper. “I think these two need to be alone.”
Violet agreed. Sexual tension had been brewing between Harper and Blake for months, and it was quite palpable in the room. She picked up her plate and grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “We’ll see you two later.”
Logan followed her out to the deck where she sat in a lounge chair. He moved between her legs and took her plate. “Here, let me.”
“Didn’t I tell you I was quite capable of feeding myself?”
He scooted closer. “And didn’t I tell you I wanted to feed you,” he reminded her while placing a fork of chicken in her mouth, “among other things.”
A shiver raced down her spine, and her nipples puckered against the cups of her bra. She chewed and swallowed with difficulty. Food became the last thing on her mind. Drawing a deep, calming breath, she allowed him to feed her.
After giving her a few bites of the succulent meat, he said, “Tell me about Violet Tanner.”
She chewed slowly. “What is it you want to know?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Tell me a secret.”
“I don’t have any secrets.” Nothing she’d confess to him anyway.
After he fed her some more, he said. “Okay. Let’s keep it simple then. Twenty questions.”
Violet shook her head. “Uh uh. One question.”
“Damn, woman. Five questions.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay. Five. But I go first.”
“Okay,” he agreed.
“Do you miss playing ball?”
A shadow slid over his face, and he lowered the fork of food he was about to give her, but the look of sadness disappeared fast. “Sometimes.”
“That’s it? Sometimes?”
He shrugged his shoulders and placed the fork in her mouth. “I have a good life now. I like it. My schedule is my own. I’m not bouncing from state to state six months out of the year, getting pounded in
to the ground by three-hundred pound linebackers. Plus, I’ve built a business I enjoy. It keeps me busy, but I’m doing something I love. My degree in kinesiology ended up paying off.”
In the distance she heard the waves of the ocean crash on the sand. Sea salt air shifted in the wind. Logan looked off, lost in his thoughts for a moment. “Yeah, sometimes I do miss it, the other guys, the locker room trash talk, getting hyped up for a game, running out there on the field. The fans. It was fun.”
“I’m sure you still have plenty of female fans,” she quipped.
Grinning at her, he fed her the last vegetable on her plate, set it down, and leaned into her. “I’m only interested in one female fan at the moment.”
While she chewed, he nibbled at her neck, twirled his thumb around her nipple. The contact caused it to pebble against her shirt. “What makes you think I was a fan?”
When he looked down, he smiled. “Oh…you were a fan.”
Violet swatted his hand away but did agree. From the beginning of his career she’d become obsessed with football. She wouldn’t tell him that though. “Stop teasing. I thought we were playing five questions.”
“Okay…then. My turn,” he said low and deep before he nipped the lobe of her ear, sending a shiver cascading down her belly. “Do you like it hard and fast? Or slow and sweet?”
The moon was bright in the sky now, the only light. Its reflection shimmered in the pool beside them. The temperature had dropped a little, but the havoc Logan caused to her body made heat infuse like a lit firecracker. He reached behind her and lowered the lounge. “I think you know the answer to that question already and, it really all depends.”
He licked a trail across her throat. “On what?”
Wetness pooled between her thighs. She was seized by a sudden urgency to flip Logan over on his back and torture him the way he was torturing her.
“If I’m in the mood to be romantic, or if it’s enough already and I just want to get some sleep.”
He barked out a howl of laughter and pushed up. “Seinfeld? You’re quoting Seinfeld.”
“It’s one of my favorite shows. I don’t know why that just popped into my head. I can watch reruns of it over and over again.”
“You’re kidding? Me too,” he proclaimed. “What are your other favorite TV shows?”
“Umm…Castle, Criminal Minds.”
She saw his eyes narrow. “You just watch that show because of Shemar Moore?”
“What’s your point?”
Logan shook his head.
“Are you going to let me finish?”
He sat up and faced her, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Uh huh.”
“NCIS Los Angeles.”
Blowing out a sigh, he said, “And you watch that one because of LL Cool J.”
Violet leaned back. “Well, you know what they say? Ladies love Cool James.”
He growled.
“Jealous?”
He feigned mock indignation, crossing his arms. “Of course not.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. But if Shemar Moore walked down that beach…well.”
“I think I’m going to have to start restricting your TV watching during the week. Do you like to read?”
She playfully smacked him on the thigh. “Not answering. That’s three questions back to back. It’s my turn.”
He got up off the lounge and held out his hand. “Stand up.”
“Why?”
“Just stand up.”
Violet placated him and stood. He surprised her by sitting back on the lounge, but he moved her in front of him so they were front to back and he wrapped his hands around her waist, his head resting beside hers on her shoulder. Ignoring the way her heart thumped, she snuggled up close. From this angle, they could see the tide wash up onto the sand. A cool breeze drifted up from the ocean, the sky was a vivid shade of dark blue.
“If you get chilly,” he told her, “Let me know and I’ll go grab a blanket.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. Logan’s body, not to mention her rising libido, created enough heat to keep her warm. Need throbbed between her legs. She had to smolder these feelings somehow and get her mind off of it. “Tell me about your family.”
“That’s not a question.”
She nudged his leg. “Don’t be difficult.”
He laughed. “My mom, Margaret, and father, Henry, have been married for thirty-five years.”
Violet laced their fingers together and had that weird feeling again. She started to release him, but he held on to her and brought their joined hands up to his lips and kissed. She struggled not to succumb to the feelings bouncing around inside her, to the sense of peace being this close to him produced. In the beginning, this night had been all about sex and seduction. The romantic perfection of this moment erased that intent. Why couldn’t they have done the deed then gone their separate ways? Hell, this evening was almost shaping up into a date.
“I have two older sisters.”
“Oooh. The baby in the family.”
Logan raised his knees and shifted in his seat. “Most definitely. I was a spoiled brat.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder and was struck by his smile, his even white teeth and chocolate brown eyes. Sharing this type of moment with him was completely unexpected. “I believe it.”
“When I was about six years old, the summer after I turned six years old as a matter of fact, my father got fed up with me. I was a whiner, especially when I didn’t get my way. He told my mom he was taking me away for a while to straighten me up, told her all he needed was two weeks and he’d bring me back a changed child.”
Violet twisted around to stare at him. “Did it work?”
Logan smoothed his hand up and down her bare leg. “It did. Talk about tough love. All that stuff I was getting away with at home, my mom and my sisters giving me everything, he stopped it cold turkey. I remember it like it was yesterday.”
She playfully shoved him. “Wow. You were that bad?”
Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I don’t think I was that bad per se, I was just spoiled. I was the baby. My sister’s were so much older than me it was easy to either do it for me or let me have my own way so I would stop whining or crying about it. But when my dad took me away for those two weeks during the summer, I really did come back a different little boy.”
She crossed her arms and nodded her head. “So the world has your father to thank for the man you are today.”
He tilted his head to the side and quirked a smile. “I’m not sure if you’re being serious or facetious.”
Lifting both her hands out, palms up, she said, “Serious.”
“Actually, after that summer, my dad and I started taking a trip together every summer. He called them our father and son man trips. He taught me everything I needed to know about being a man. A good man.”
Suddenly serious, she wanted to know the answer to her next question. “And do you think you’re a good man.”
Logan took her hand. “I do.”
“Examples?”
A sly, seductive smile slid over his face when she glanced at him. “I thought I showed you that already on the beach.”
“Ugh,” she grunted and twisted back around in his arms, but her pulse quickened. Logan had definitely showed her exactly what type of man he was on the beach. A generous lover, for one. Kind, he made her laugh, and they’d had fun. In fact, these last few hours were the most fun she’d had in ages. The lousy ex had been too busy the last month or so to spend any quality time with her. If she were honest, the last couple of times they’d actually gone out on a date, he’d grated on her nerves and she couldn’t wait to get away from him.
With Logan, she couldn’t get enough.
What did that mean?
“I’m waiting,” he murmured in her hear.
“For what?” she asked, momentarily taken aback.
“Your next question.”
Crap. She’d forgotten about their
game. She was lying in the arms of the sexiest man she’d ever run across, gazing out at an exquisite midnight blue sky, contemplating if their liaison could be extended into much, much more. She asked him the first thing that popped into her mind. “What else do you like to do in your spare time? Besides working out and watching reruns of Seinfeld.”
The rumble of his laughter felt good against her back. Men loved women who could make them laugh.
Love.
Where the heck had that come from?
“Let’s see. I play a mean game of pool. I bet you could beat the pants off me in bowling. I love a good action movie.” His arms, strong and heavy, snaked around her, snuggling her closer to his warm body. “But if I had you next to me in a nice dark theatre, I could be persuaded to enjoy a chick flick. For the right price, of course.”
“And what price would that be?” she asked.
Logan inclined his head to nip at her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin. “I’m sure you can figure it out.”
Violet’s cheeks grew warm. Oh yeah. She knew exactly what price she would pay to be in Logan McMaster’s arms.
“I also like midnight strolls on the beach.”
Check.
“Lying up under the stars with a beautiful woman.”
Check, check.
“And making mad passionate love.”
Check, check…and check.
Suddenly, Logan flipped her over and she was lying on her back. When she looped her arms around his neck, he swooped down and licked into her mouth, stealing the comment she was about to say. He groaned, dragging his lips from hers to nibble at her neck. The graze of his unshaven jaw sent a stimulating scream of sensation through every pore in her body.
“We’re not…we’re not done with our game.”
His low, sinful voice was a temptation in wickedness. “We have all night to play games.” He moved lower, teasing her nipples through her thin cotton shirt. A shiver of desire rippled over her clit.
“I know one we can play,” he said, still moving lower until he’d captured her thighs in his arms and pulled her further down the lounge chair. “How about we see who can remove the others clothes the fastest?”
He began to tug on her shorts. Violet snapped out of the desire induced stupor she was in and reached for her waistband. “Not here. Someone will see us.”
