by Cat Schield
It’s what she loved about acting. Becoming another person was like taking a vacation without going anywhere. For twelve or fourteen hours at a time she was transported to a simple house in the suburbs where her parents laughed at misunderstandings about fixing dinner and her siblings got into trouble at school. Simple complications that resolved themselves in twenty-two minutes. Where lessons were learned and everyone hugged and smiled in the end.
The pleasure such memories gave Scarlett reaffirmed that she was an actress at heart. It was something that would always come between her and Logan. He preferred everything straightforward and realistic. She was pretty sure he wasn’t the sort of man who wanted his woman to dress up like a naughty schoolgirl, a cheerleader or even Princess Leia. Which was too bad because she had a copy of Leia’s slave girl costume tucked away in her closet.
As she tugged on the elbow-high black gloves, she heard a knock on her door. Her heart jumped into her throat as she raced across the living room. More cautious after her attack, she checked the peephole and saw Logan standing in the hall. They hadn’t spoken all day. She’d been both hoping and dreading that he’d call. She was terrified to tell him about her decision. Although he’d encouraged her to take the part, it was such an about-face from his earlier stance on her career, she didn’t understand his motives.
Breath uneven, she threw open the door, uncertain about what to expect. His tight mouth and fierce gaze stopped her forward momentum. A muscle jumped in his jaw as he stepped into her suite, compelling her to shift to one side or be trampled.
“Hello, Logan.”
He strode past her without responding and began pacing in the middle of the room.
“Don’t go.”
His brusque tone matched the tension vibrating off him. She was used to his demanding ways, actually enjoyed surrendering to his desires. Not that she would ever admit it. Ninety-nine percent of the time she preferred being in complete control. It was a throwback to her days in Hollywood when she’d had very little power. But she had learned she could trust Logan and it was nice to hand over the reins once in a while.
“Sure. It won’t matter if I don’t make an appearance in the casino tonight.” Her body tightened with hunger as she moved toward him. “What did you have in mind?”
He spun to face her. “I don’t mean tonight. I mean at all.”
Scarlett stretched out her arm and set her palm against his shoulder, treating him like a skittish dog, trying to gentle his mood with her touch. “Logan, I’m in charge of this hotel. I don’t see how I can stay away from my own casino.”
His arm snaked around her waist and brought her tight against his body. “Not the casino, you simple-minded darling. Don’t go to Los Angeles.”
“But you said—” She broke off when he stroked his hand up the side of her neck and wrapped his fingers around the back of her head.
“I know what I said.” He leaned down and seized her mouth with his, short-circuiting her brain.
The kiss was so like him. Commanding, skillful, hungry. He claimed her breath, stole her willpower and insisted on her complete surrender. Whether he’d admit it or not, he found her strength attractive. What if her weakness disgusted him? One way or another, she needed him to see the real her. Only by letting him glimpse her fear of rejection could she be free.
Terror and joy washed over her as she unraveled in his arms. Immediately, the kiss softened. Passion became play as his tongue and teeth toyed with and tantalized her.
How had she ever dreamed she could leave him? Only with Logan did she feel this alive and complete. She broke off the kiss and arched her back as his lips trailed fire down her neck. Gasping as his teeth nipped at her throat, she struggled to clear her thoughts from the drugging fog of desire.
“I’m not going to take the part,” she murmured, kissing his temple and the bold stroke of his dark eyebrow. “I’m not going to L.A.”
He straightened and peered into her eyes. “Madison said you were going to accept the role.”
“I never told her that.” If the teenager’s misunderstanding had caused Logan to admit how he truly felt, Scarlett would make certain she would do something extra nice for the girl. Maybe a day at the spa. “I don’t know where she got such an idea.”
“She said you were having breakfast with that producer fellow.”
“I did. I told Bobby once and for all that I wasn’t going to take the part.”
“But you wanted to.” Logan took her left hand and began peeling the black glove down her arm.
The drag of the fabric against her sensitized skin made Scarlett shiver. “For seventeen years my identity was caught up in being an actress.”
He hooked his finger beneath her pearl necklace and stroked her feverish skin. “I don’t see where anything has changed in that respect.”
She smiled as Logan set to work on the other glove. Being undressed by him was always such a treat. Occasionally their hunger for each other grew too feverish for preliminaries, but most of the time he took such pleasure in every aspect of making love, from removing her clothes to cuddling with her in the aftermath of passion.
“I think I’ll always be an actress in my heart,” she assured him. “But that’s no longer all I am. Managing this hotel has shown me that I’m also a darned good businesswoman.” She tunneled her now-naked fingers into his hair and pulled his head toward her. “I’m glad you didn’t want me to go, because I didn’t want to leave you.”
This time when they kissed, he let her lead. She understood why as her dress’s zipper yielded beneath his strong fingers. He stroked the material off her shoulders and left her standing before him in her pearls, a strapless black bra and panties and black pumps. His gaze burned across her skin as he took in the picture she made.
Divesting herself of the necklace and casting aside her wig, Scarlett stripped away the final trappings of Holly Golightly. The character was a woman with many lovers, but no burning love. She was a wild thing who craved freedom even as, deep in her heart, she longed for a place to belong.
Scarlett had no such conflicts. She knew exactly what she wanted, just as she knew where she belonged. In Logan’s arms. Pretending to be someone else, even for a while, couldn’t compare to the reality of being herself, in love with him. Her throat contracted as she realized why she’d turned down the part. It wasn’t just because she loved her new life as the manager of Fontaine Richesse. It was because she loved Logan Wolfe and all the heartache and joys that went along with being the woman in his life.
Lifting onto her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “Take me to bed, you big bad hunk.”
“Your wish is my command.”
Logan scooped Scarlett into his arms and headed for her bedroom, glad he’d followed his instincts and sought her out tonight. Those six hours between learning she’d decided to return to L.A. and showing up at her suite had been hell and he had no interest in reliving them anytime soon. His unhappiness at her leaving had forced him to assess just how reluctant he was to be without her.
How far would he have gone if she’d been determined to leave Las Vegas? Once upon a time he’d let Elle go and had never really stopped regretting it. What was happening between him and Scarlett claimed neither the duration nor the depth of what he’d shared with his ex-fiancée, but he felt as invested as if they’d been together for years.
Laying Scarlett on her bed, he began unfastening his shirt buttons. She made no attempt to remove her bra or panties, knowing he preferred to strip her bare himself. All she did was shake her hair free of the pins that held it in place and kick off her shoes.
She lifted herself onto one elbow and twirled a lock of her hair as she watched him shuck off his shirt and send his pants to the floor. She gave him a sultry, heavy-lidded look as she waited for him to join her.
&
nbsp; He trailed his fingertips up her thigh and felt her shudder as his thumb whisked along the edge of her panties. With a half smile, he used his hands to memorize each rise and dip of her body. No matter how many times he touched her, he found something new to fascinate him. With her full breasts and hourglass shape, she was built for seduction, but as he’d discovered the first time he’d made love with her, she had a romantic’s soul.
Taking her hand, he kissed the inside of her wrist, lips lingering over her madly beating pulse. He’d cataloged about a hundred ultrasensitive areas on her body and enjoyed revisiting them each time they made love. The inside of her elbow was mildly ticklish and she loved being lightly caressed on her arms. He did so now and was rewarded when she uttered a little hum of delight, her version of a purr.
It had taken her a bit to realize he wasn’t going to rush the sex between them. Even when they were both too caught up in their passion to enjoy extended foreplay, he made certain to arouse her with words as well as hands and mouth.
He leaned forward to kiss her mouth, pressing her back against the pillows. She melted against him, soft curves yielding to all his hard planes. They kissed long and slow, enjoying the blending of their breath, the feint and retreat of tongues. Logan slipped his hands beneath her and rolled them a half turn so she sat astride him.
She lifted her hair off her shoulders, arching her back and tilting her breasts toward the ceiling. Her movements were measured and graceful like a cat indulging in a languid stretch after rising. The flow of muscle beneath her soft skin mesmerized him. He ran his hands over her rib cage, riding their waves upward until he reached the lower curve of her breasts. Through half-closed eyes she watched him cup her breasts through the black lace and gently massage.
Reaching behind her, she popped the bra clasp and the fabric sagged into his hands. He tossed it aside and traced the shape of her breasts with his fingertips. He circled the tight nipples, noticing that she rocked her hips in time with his caresses, easing the ache he inflicted on her.
His erection bobbed with her movements, the sensitive head scraping against her lace-covered backside and aggravating his already ravenous hunger. As much as he yearned to seat himself inside her, the pleasure he received from watching her desire build made the wait worthwhile.
Noticing his eyes upon her, Scarlett shook her head, her hair cascading about her shoulders in riotous waves. Some of it fell forward over her face and she peeked at him from between the strands, her eyes beckoning. Setting her hand on his chest, she bent forward and planted a lusty, openmouthed kiss on him, showing her delight in the moment with a deep thrust of her tongue.
Logan filled his hands with her firm backside.
“Let’s get these off you, shall we?”
“Please do.”
Working together, they slid her panties down her thighs. As he tossed them aside, she produced a condom and used her teeth to tear open the package. Logan braced for the wonderful pain of what would come next and locked his jaw as she fitted the protection over the head of his erection, and with a thoroughness that was both a torment and a treat, rolled it down his shaft. A groan ripped from his throat as she finished, but she gave him no chance to recover before settling herself onto him.
The shock of being encased in so much heat so suddenly made his hips buck. She rode his movement with a faraway smile and a rotation of her pelvis.
“Geez, Scarlett,” he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. “Warn a guy.”
“What’s the fun in that?”
And fun is what she was having. Letting her do whatever she wanted with him was almost as entertaining as making her squirm. Half his delight came from watching her explore his chest and abs while maintaining that delightful rhythm with her hips. She was a living, breathing goddess and Logan couldn’t take his eyes off her.
But the chemistry between them had a mind of its own and soon they were both swept into a frenzy of movement where each surge pushed them closer to the edge. Wanting to watch her come, Logan slipped his hands between them and touched the button of nerves that would send her spinning into the abyss. Her eyes shot wide, signaling the beginning of her orgasm. She clenched him tight, increasing the friction, and he pitched into the black, spinning in a vortex of pleasure so intense it hurt.
With a whoosh of air from her lungs, she collapsed forward and buried her face in his neck. Logan didn’t have enough breath to voice his appreciation of what had just happened, so he settled for a firm hug and a clumsy kiss on her shoulder.
His heart rate took a long time returning to normal. The way she affected him, Logan wasn’t surprised. Since that first kiss in the elevator, she’d shattered his serenity and caused him to reevaluate what made him happy. For a long time he’d resisted accepting how much he needed her. Today, he stopped fighting.
And now she was all his.
“I’m going to make damn sure you don’t regret turning down the part,” he told her, gliding his fingertips along her soft skin.
She laughed breathlessly. “I like the sound of that. Can we start now?”
He snagged her questing fingers and returned them to his chest. “I can’t stay. I promised Madison that when I got back we’d talk about her moving to L.A.”
“What?” Scarlett made the leap from languid to outraged in an eye blink. She pushed herself up so she could meet his gaze. “But yesterday she was talking about college.”
Logan approved of her irritation. It matched his own. “Apparently that changed after she met your producer friend and Chase Reynolds.”
Her face shuttered. “Bobby is a man who makes things happen and Chase is larger than life. I can see how they could’ve reawakened her dreams of going to L.A., but she and I talked about how important college was to your family. She agreed to get her degree and afterward, if she was still determined to be an actress, to then go to L.A.”
“Apparently Bobby gave her his card and told her to look him up.” Logan recalled the rest of what his niece had said. “She believed since you were returning to your acting career that you would offer her a place to stay.”
A pained expression twisted Scarlett’s features. “I’m sorry she got the wrong impression of what I intended to do. As for Bobby, I know he really liked her,” she admitted in a low voice. “Even told me he might have a part for her in an upcoming TV series. I told him not to mention anything about it to her. I guess I should have been clearer and told him not to give her any encouragement at all.”
“That might have been a good idea.”
Scarlett tried to stay calm as she was caught in the riptide of Logan’s growing annoyance. “I told him she was going to college this fall. I’m sure he didn’t expect her to change her plans because he told her to look him up.”
“There must have been more to it.”
“I’ll call her tomorrow and get her back on the path to college.”
“I’d really appreciate that.”
“My pleasure.
“Maybe she’s just impatient to start living her dream,” Scarlett suggested. “I certainly don’t blame the girl for going after what she wants.”
Placing her palm on Logan’s chest, she set her chin on her hand and scrutinized him. What was it about this often difficult, sometimes surprising and always sexy man that turned her insides into mush? They were at odds as much as they were in accord, but whether they were arguing or making love, he always made her feel as if being with her was exactly where he wanted to be.
And for that matter, what did he find appealing about her? He was scornful of her lack of a college education. Disparaging about her former occupation. Critical of her wardrobe, her abilities as a businesswoman and the way she used her sexuality to her advantage.
Granted, the chemistry between them was off the charts, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t just a conquest. No, there was someth
ing more between them than fantastic sex, but she had no idea what.
“I’ll tell you what,” she said into the silence. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow and get her back on the college track. Will that make you happy?”
“Are you sure you can do that?”
She had absolutely no clue. “Haven’t I been doing a great job so far?” She acknowledged his skepticism with a wry smile. “Up until yesterday, I mean?”
“You have.”
“Grudging praise from Logan Wolfe? I’m thrilled.”
With a humph, he deposited a brief kiss on her mouth and began rolling toward the side of the bed where he’d left his clothes.
“Do you have to go?” Scarlett flopped onto her stomach and kicked her legs slowly in the air. As if drawn by a force too powerful to resist, his gaze swept over her disheveled hair and toured her naked backside. She knew exactly how appetizing she looked lying there and thrust out her lower lip in a provocative pout. “If you stay the night I’ll make it worth your while.”
Logan paused with his boxers in one hand, his shirt in the other. “How?”
“Let’s see.” She tapped her chin with a finger. “I can cook you breakfast.”
“You mean order room service.”
“I’ll listen with interest as you tell me all about your work.”
“You’d be snoring in five minutes.”
“I don’t snore.” She pursed her lips and frowned as if in deep thought. “There’s always morning sex.” At last she’d found something to pique his interest. “I’m very energetic after a good night’s sleep.”
He dropped his clothes and rolled her onto her back. “How are you after no sleep at all?”
“Try me,” she dared, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down for a kiss. “And find out.”
