“Kate, unlock these cuffs.”
She whirled around on him and if it had been any other situation—well, it didn’t matter because he was still turned on by the fire in her eyes. He’d always admired strong women and right now Kate was most assuredly a fiery goddess in his eyes. The problem was, there was no hiding it from her in any way, shape, or form.
“No. I have to think.”
“What is it you want? What have I done to make you distrust me?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding. I find this file in your apartment and you can ask me that? Are you really going to sidestep this?”
“Well, let me loose and I’ll try to explain whatever it is you seem to think you’ve found.”
“Tell me that you weren’t her lover for ten years. Tell me that you didn’t help her to fleece all those people.”
“I wasn’t her lover.” Love had nothing to do with what had gone on with Nell.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Then what is it you want me to do if you’re not going to believe anything I have to say? Why make me strip and cuff me to the bed? You don’t have any idea what you want, do you?”
“I want you to feel like I do! I want you to feel the vulnerability. I want you to feel as exposed as you’ve made me feel. Damn you, Logan.” She finally plopped onto the edge of the bed and bowed her head in her hands.
He wanted to hold her, to comfort her. The problem was that he was the reason she was hurting. This time it was his fault. And he wasn’t certain he could help her. Their passion had run hot and so high for the months they had been together. Somehow he had to get her to trust him again. Maybe he should have told her the truth. But he hadn’t, and now he had to suffer the consequences. And find a way out.
Finally, she lifted her head and gazed off into the distance, her shoulders hunched. “You listened to me rant about her all these months. God, I can’t even say her name. You held me in your arms, you made love to me, and all the time you were lying to me. If by nothing else, by omission. You didn’t tell me. You didn’t trust me.” She turned to look at him and he caught his breath as he saw the anguish laid bare. “I’ve never loved anyone like I’ve loved you, Logan, and you betrayed me.”
“I didn’t betray you.”
“Then tell me the truth. Why were you in that courtroom that day? Tell me you didn’t bump into me on purpose.”
“Only under one condition.”
“I’m the one laying down the conditions.”
He leaned back on the pillow and started up at the ceiling. “Fine then. We can stay here all day. I’m plenty comfortable.”
He heard her heavy sigh. “All right, what is it you want? But I’m not undoing the cuffs.”
Logan turned to look at her. He had to break through the barrier she’d set up. He had to make her feel again, to open up to him. “I want you to lay down beside me. I want to feel you next to me.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. You think I want to be any place near you?”
“Do you want the truth or not?”
He turned his attention back to the ceiling. One thing Nell had taught him was how to win—no matter what. To use whatever means was called for. And right now he was planning to pull out all the stops.
“I’ll be going to sleep here in a minute.”
“All right.” And then in a lower tone. “All right. But you’re not getting out of this until I have what I want.”
“Me neither,” he said under his breath as he felt the bed shift and she crawled up next to him.
Chapter Nine
She shouldn’t be doing this and Kate knew it. But she had to have the answers. And she knew Logan was just stubborn enough to deny them to her if she didn’t give him what he wanted—within reason. She lay as far away from him on the bed as she could get.
“Uh-uh, that won’t work. I want you next to me. Touching me. I want to feel you.”
Kate trembled at the implications of that. Even with his arms bound, the man was a force to be reckoned with. He had bowled her over with his charm and magnetism within minutes after first meeting him.
“I’m not letting you loose,” she muttered as she scrunched closer. His body heat blasted against her. The smell of his cologne wafted over her and she just wanted the last week to never have happened. What was it people said—ignorance is bliss? For her, it obviously had been. And one couldn’t go back. One could only move forward.
Her trust in him had been destroyed. So totally demolished she knew it could never be fixed.
Nell Dubrowski had been Logan’s lover. The bitch who had married her father, taken everything from him that he had, then divorced him—who had ended up causing his death—had been Logan’s lover. The taste was bitter—a betrayal of everything she had felt for the damn man. So why wouldn’t her body get the message, too?
“Yes, that’s better,” Logan said. “Now what do you want to know?”
“You’re much too comfortable with this situation.”
“You’re the one who laid the ground rules. I’m just trying to accommodate you.”
“Bastard.”
“Not really. I didn’t betray you, Kate. I was trying to help you.”
“Why were you in that courtroom that day?” She wasn’t certain she really wanted to know the answer to that.
“Investigator Alarna called me. He wanted me to look over some records. He was trying to dig up more dirt on her. What I had to say couldn’t help him with your case, Kate. She’s apparently gotten smarter over the years and she had that will and those stock assignments tied up nice and tight.”
“She stripped him of everything and then she just tossed him away. He’d have done anything for her. Nothing I said to him helped, nothing. He wanted her and she was done with him. I couldn’t help him.”
“I know it was tough for you. From what I saw, he didn’t treat you well, sweetie. He should have put you first, not her. By the time I went to court, do you think I didn’t read up on him? Didn’t realize that Nell was his fifth wife? By that time, he should have known better.”
“He wasn’t like you, Logan. He had different needs. When it comes to women, he loses his head. He’s not tough like you are. He inherited his company, and the money. My mom was his first wife and she had her own money. Dad always saw something shinier over the next horizon when it came to wives.”
“What about children? From what I could figure, you were his only child.”
“I don’t think any of the others every stayed around long enough to get pregnant.” She looked up at him. How had he turned the discussion onto her? Oh, he was slick, real slick. “Seems you learned quite a bit from my dear stepmother. What did you expect to get from me? Why were you so nice to me?”
He turned to look down at her. God, he had gorgeous green eyes. So gentle, yet there was the sense that so much was buried deep inside him. He had seemed so strong. He’d swept her out of that courthouse and she hadn’t had a thought of denying him. She’d never let her guard down so quickly with a man as she had with Logan.
She’d thought he was the one she’d been waiting for all her life. How could she have been so wrong?
“Have I ever asked you for any money, Kate?
“Well, no.”
“Have I ever asked for anything from you? Besides your passion. And your trust.”
“Well, no.”
“When we’ve talked about marriage, didn’t I specifically tell you I didn’t want your money? That I was planning to sign a prenup to that fact?”
Now he was confusing her. Is that the way they worked?
“I-I don’t know. I’m confused.”
“I know you are. I realize this has all been a muddle. But don’t you think you would know if someone was trying to use you? If I was? Hasn’t your father been through enough wives for you to sense when someone’s not being up front with you? You knew Nell was bad news—don’t tell me you didn’t.”
“What does
that have to do with anything? What does that have to do with you?”
“You have to trust your instincts, Kate. They’re good. I know you. You wouldn’t have let me past your defenses if you’d sensed something wrong about me.”
“That could mean you’re just very good at what you do.” She leaned up to look down at him. That was a mistake. Because she so wanted to kiss him. She wanted it all to go away, to go back to where they were. She didn’t want Nell to shadow the rest of her life.
“Kiss me, Kate. And listen to your instincts. Listen to your body.”
“You’re trying to confuse me. And I could let you do that much too easily.”
“Kiss me. Remember what it felt like that first time in my hotel suite? Because I’m going to tell you, I never tasted anyone as delicious as you.”
She felt her heart beat faster. Oh, God, she was going to do it. Because she couldn’t resist him. Even bound to the bed he was such a dynamic man. How had he come under the influence of someone like Nell Dubrowski? Or had it actually been the other way around?
She didn’t know, and suddenly she wasn’t certain that she wanted to know the truth. She leaned forward, her gaze locked to his. She looked at his mouth, felt his naked, hot body right through her clothes. He didn’t say a word, but she felt the magnetic draw and truly, she couldn’t resist.
It wasn’t until she was so far into the kiss she’d lost touch with the earth that she realized the cuffs no longer held him bound and his arms were around her. Within seconds she was flat on her back beneath him. His hands holding hers above her head.
“Tit for tat, sweetheart. Now it’s your turn to strip.”
She should have known. Too damn smooth for her own good. And now he had the upper hand.
Chapter Ten
Logan didn’t play fair. He’d learned that important survival lesson many years before. He played to win.
“I thought you said I could trust you.”
“Well, there’s trust and there’s trust, sweetheart. And I think now will be the proof if you really can trust me, don’t you think?”
He pressed into her, his hard cock buried in the folds of her dress covering her pelvis. Damn, he felt so good, too good.
“How did you do that?”
“Babe, I learned how to get out of a lot of tight spots a long time ago.”
Nell had never been the sweet, fragile flower she liked everything to think she was. No, Logan had never been her lover, not in the sense Kate meant. Nell liked her men on their knees, worshipping her, obeying her. Nell had hierarchies of lovers. The men who paid the highest price were invited to her bed. Fucking Nell was reward for a job well done. Logan wasn’t even certain that Nell knew what the word “love” meant.
Oh, he’d worshiped her all right, chained at her feet for more than one orgy. He remembered looking up at her as another man lapped at her cunt, bringing her to orgasm. And he’d knelt there, stiff as a board, aching to have her. But there’d been things he just couldn’t bring himself to do that served as tribute to the woman he worshiped.
She had liked playing them one against the other. Like chess pieces upon a game board. But she was the only queen and she wanted them to vie for her pleasure and attention. There never had, and never would be, a king in her court. Simply a consort or two to do her bidding.
He’d learned a lot from Queen Nell, more than he’d ever wanted to know. And although he’d never given her the ultimate tribute, as his father had done, he did understand how to get out of a pair of handcuffs. That was almost child’s play.
“What are you going to do?” Kate asked, her voice breathless. But he couldn’t be certain if it was fear or pleasure that tinged her words.
He leaned closer. “Do you really think I’m a felon, Kate? Do you think, deep down, that’s the kind of man you could fall for? Because, let me tell you, I don’t.”
“Then why, Logan? Why didn’t you tell me? Why keep a secret?”
“Because I wanted to find out more. You don’t know all of it, Kate. You don’t know how dangerous she and her crew are.” He looked down at her. “Now, do I need to cuff you to the bed in order to get you to listen, or are you going to give me a chance to explain?”
It was the oddest thing how he could see deep into her soul. He had from the first moment he’d met her. It was almost as though he’d known her from another life, knew exactly what she needed and how she needed it.
He saw the firm resolve, saw it building. Before she could take another breath he had her bound to the headboard. Her eyes widened when she realized what he’d done and how quickly he’d done it.
“You didn’t even give me a chance to answer you.”
“I didn’t need to, babe. I saw it in your eyes.”
“So now what?”
“If you won’t listen to me willingly, we’ll just have to do it the hard way. I’ll have to…coax you into submission.”
Again, her gaze widened. And he saw angry understanding in her expression. He’d always been able to make her yield. And it was usually quite a pleasant process.
He began to unbutton her dress, one small pearly button at a time. He then folded the floral print dress back, exposing her pretty lacy bra and matching bikini panties. He smoothed a hand down over her rib cage, felt her quiver, could smell her arousal.
“You would never respond to me this way if you really thought I was a crook.” He leaned down and licked over her midriff, dragging his tongue down to her navel, dipping in and tasting her sweet, drugging flesh. He was glad she’d already forced him to strip, and now he was going to do the same to her.
He moved upward, pulled down one lace covered cup to expose her plump breast and then sucked the tight little bead into his mouth. He heard her gasp as she arched against him. Not so distanced as she had been earlier when she’d stood across the room from him.
“Logan.” Her voice was barely a rasp of breath. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
“Oh, but I do, babe, I do. I’m taking care of you, just the way it should be. How could you think I’d do anything to hurt you?”
He ripped the flimsy material of her bra in two and peeled it away. How he loved her. He had to tell her the truth, but not just yet. Not at this moment. He just wanted to savor her. To make her understand.
He moved back down her body to the hem of her delicate panties. Inhaling deeply, he drew in the heady perfume of her desire. He’d know her scent anywhere. It was so uniquely Kate. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his thoughts from the first moment he’d seen her. He dragged her panties down her legs and tossed them to the side.
Slowly, he separated her thighs and slid his fingers through the silky nest of pale gold curls covering her mound. So pretty, such a natural beauty. He loved that about her. She was all natural. There wasn’t anything about her that wasn’t real. Every facet of her body, every thought, every emotion. He couldn’t lose her. Not after he’d spent so many years trying to find her.
He peeled back her labia to expose the folds of her succulent pink inner lips. Her clit glistened enticingly. He blew on the little bud of emotion. Kate shuddered as the sensation told hold of her. Lightly he flicked his tongue over the hot button of flesh. He tasted her and needed more.
He swiped his tongue over her slit, circling her clit, and finally sucked the sweet bud into his mouth. Kate groaned. A low, guttural sound that emanated from deep inside.
He buried his tongue in her channel, driving deep, tasting her sweet essence, and then he was sucking at her nectar as she orgasmed. Pulse after pulse of sweet cream filled his mouth before he finally drew away. Only then did he move back up her body to curl himself around her.
Her whole body trembled in his embrace.
As he started to say something, the doorbell rang. And he remembered his clothes were heaped in front of the living room door. Who was stopping by unannounced at this hour of the afternoon? Quickly, he hopped off the bed, undid the handcuffs binding Kate and dug for
some clothes.
He turned to look at Kate. “We’ll continue this discussion as soon as I get rid of whoever is at the door.”
Chapter Eleven
Kate was shocked by her responses to Logan. Anger, love, and confusion all wound up together. And she wasn’t quite certain which was winning. The man was secretive and a contradiction.
By all rights if he was the man she thought he was from what she’d found in the safe, he should have left her handcuffed to the bed and cared not a speck for her comfort or discomfort. In fact, he probably would have gagged her, too. Why did she still respond to him? Why did she want to give him excuses?
What was wrong with her?
She lost the bra since it was now worthless anyway. She felt rather naked without it, but at least her dress was still in one piece, more or less. She slid off the bed and tiptoed over to the door. Carefully, she opened it a crack so she could see what was going on in the other room.
She was shocked to see a familiar face in the form of Investigator Dominick Alarna. He had been the one to look into the insurance fraud case against Nell. Why was he at Logan’s apartment? Especially after all these months?
“Dominick, what are you doing here now? I thought we agreed to meet later this evening?”
“Something’s come up, Logan. I thought you should know.”
They were on a first name basis? Since when? And why hadn’t she been informed?
Logan stepped back from the door and waved Investigator Alarna into the apartment and then closed the door. Kate wondered what he’d done with the clothes that had been scattered in the other room. Silly question. Anyone who could get out of a pair of handcuffs probably would have no difficulty in dealing with a little matter of discarded clothing he didn’t want someone to see.
Strip Page 5
