by Tina Donahue
She watched as Logan shooed the pups into a side room divided into sections that Tessa couldn’t begin to understand. There were a couple of low chairs—the kind kids sit on—what looked to be doggie beds, chew toys, food, and two bowls of water. The Labs ignored all of it. Just in time, Logan closed the door on them before they could slip out. They whined, bumping their pudgy bodies against the wood, then clawing it.
“What are the sections for?” Tessa asked.
“It’s the Misty Method.”
“To do what?”
“Housebreak them beginning at three weeks.”
Tessa arched one eyebrow. “Misty’s a fairy godmother? She waves her magic wand?”
“Hardly.” He kept smiling. “You divide their room into a place for play, eating and well, you know. Once they get used to the idea of not messing up the other areas, they go to the proper one if nature calls and I’m not immediately available to see to their needs.”
“Clever. But what about what they’re doing now?” They were still clawing the door. “Won’t they mess up it up?”
“It’s only wood. Just like all the furniture in here. If they destroy anything, so what? It’s all replaceable.”
Not like pets…or people.
Tessa didn’t ask anything else. They crossed the front porch and walked to the grassy slope that led to the pond. Stately trees surrounded parts of it, their dense branches thick with leaves, some dipping toward the water. It glittered beneath the heavy summer sun. To the left were the fenced-in areas, a view that went on for miles, the road winding down it.
Unable to stop herself, Tessa hunched her shoulders and lowered the afghan to hide her cunt. She kept glancing around instinctively, worried that the caretakers might have returned for some unknown reason and would soon be making their way here.
Logan’s steps slowed as they neared the pond. “How long have you worked for the agency?”
She tried to sound nonchalant. “It’ll be a year soon.”
He didn’t ask how soon, simply nodding as if he’d already suspected she hadn’t been seeing to men’s pleasure for very long. The breeze tugged at his hair, making him seem sexier, downright reckless. “What made you do the auction?”
“It was for a good cause.”
He stopped and so did she. With no hesitation at all, he leaned into her. “Yes it was.”
Tessa shivered at his breath skimming her skin.
“No one’s out here,” he murmured, “except for us. The caretakers won’t be back until next Sunday. Right now, they’re winging their way toward Paradise Island. Their plane won’t even be traveling over this property. It’s not on anyone’s flight plan. You wouldn’t be out here as you are now if it were…I wouldn’t have put you in that position given your obvious unease. I’m not that kind of man.”
Tessa already knew that. Even so, having him state it so seriously relaxed her. “Thanks.”
“Save your thanks for later.” He gave her a knowing smile and put the cloth bag on the ground. Once he’d spread out the afghan, he offered Tessa his hand.
She sat as gracefully as she could, no longer trying to hide her partial nudity.
Logan studied it. “Take off your bra, but leave the jewelry and your shoes on.”
Tessa’s skin grew moist with anticipation. She did as he asked, dropping her bra near his feet. Large and nicely shaped, his toes long.
Grinning, he pulled out the item in his front pocket. The one she’d noticed earlier. Not a box of condoms as she’d expected, but suntan lotion.
“Wouldn’t want you getting a burn,” he said, even though he’d spread the afghan in the shade.
He dropped to his knees beside her.
Tessa rested her hand on his chest. Beneath her fingertips, his heart hammered as forcefully as hers. His muscles were solid, arousing, and comforting. “I should be putting lotion on you. I’m supposed to be seeing to your pleasure.”
“That’s why you’re going to do exactly as I say. Lie back. Arms above your head. Bend your knees. Spread your legs.”
She offered no argument to his plan.
That’s my baby. Logan was going to arouse her until she couldn’t think, was unable to question one fucking thing, and wanted nothing more than their bodies together, indulging in their most pressing and primitive needs. Him as deep as possible within her heated depths. Her giving his cock shelter, a momentary respite from anything painful or bad.
She smoothed the afghan and positioned herself as Logan wanted, all rosy skin, glossy hair, sensual woman accentuated by her incredible cunt. Silken and bare, her vaginal lips puffy with lust, already slick with her womanly moisture.
God bless her for being so fucking wet, and not from some manufactured lubricant. Logan would have noticed that on her panties when she’d removed them or when he’d come into the kitchen and she’d been bent over, her cunt and anus so wonderfully exposed. Her vaginal lips hadn’t been plump with desire then. She’d been moist but hardly damp. Not like now. He’d done this to her.
Masculine pride and excitement welled in him, decidedly adult emotions, yet he also felt like a kid with a new toy. Tessa was certainly what he would have asked for at Christmas. Rarely had he met a woman so straightforward, which made her seem even more youthful than she probably was.
“How old are you?” he asked, without meaning to.
If his question bothered her, she didn’t show it. “Twenty-four.”
He nodded and waited. When she didn’t pry into his life as she’d seemed to want to do earlier, he said, “Aren’t you going to ask how old I am? Or did you read it in my agency file?”
“I never saw your file. I didn’t ask to read it.”
No shit? Logan wanted to question why, but didn’t. There were all those Internet articles about him that would have told her more than she needed to know. His academic and professional history. The wealth he’d accumulated. What happened with Nicole. That, of course, had been on TV too, fodder for the cable news shows where talking heads debated the most recent tragedies, offering opinions that had nothing to do with reality. “You like TV?” he asked.
Puzzlement flickered across her face. No doubt because of his accusatory tone. “Some of the cable shows. I really like movies.”
He smiled indulgently. “How many times did you see Twilight?”
“Oh come on, not that movie.” She rolled her eyes. “Or The Hunger Games. I know I’m probably the only person in the world who didn’t go nuts over either of them, but I didn’t. I’m not into action-adventure or comic book stories either. You know, all those Transformer movies. I go more for stuff like Argo. It’s one of my favs. And I couldn’t get enough of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
Logan couldn’t hide his surprise or pleasure. “You liked that? I saw it three times. Read the trilogy afterwards. Amazing.”
“Oh hey, I agree. One of the best trilogies or books I’ve ever read. And I read a lot. Probably too much. I just loved Salander. My god, is she cool or what?” Tessa pressed her palm to her throat. “Imagine being able to hack a computer like she did. Transferring billions from a creep’s account to your own just like that.” She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers.
The same as she’d done when she’d told him about getting a new family with none of them understanding her.
He did, or was beginning to and nodded.
She brightened even more. “What she did to that SOB who was her guardian was amazing. Better than if she’d just beat him to a pulp like I was hoping for.”
Logan smiled. “And here you said you were a nice person.”
“Fair,” she corrected.
“That’s right. And apolitical.”
Tessa arched one slender eyebrow.
“I bet you like Hell on Wheels too.Don’t deny it,” he teased.
She grinned. “Bohannon’s my hero. He’s so freaking intense. But nothing like Rick from The Walking Dead.”
“You watch that?” Logan blurted, stunned and ple
ased.
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“Are you kidding? I can’t get enough of that series. Now those are stories you can literally sink your teeth into.” He continued, speaking above her laughter. “I really miss Dale and Shane, but Michonne, wow, she kicks some serious ass.”
“Daryl too. His crossbow is the best weapon ever. I never want the series to end. I know it has to, eventually, though I can’t imagine what’s going to happen. Maybe they’ll find a cure for the virus, or whatever it is. I bet it came from a conservative.”
Logan laughed, loving how it felt and how she looked right now—engaged, her eyes sparkling, her few barriers down. His too. He’d enjoyed these few moments, discussing ordinary stuff. Them getting to know each other a little, exactly as she’d wanted.
The silence between them grew, becoming rich and intoxicating. Weighty with anticipation. Remembering his task to rub her down with lotion, Logan first leaned over and rummaged in the grocery bag for the napkins, pulling two out.
Tessa watched in silence as he held the ends of the first one between his hands, flipping it repeatedly until it resembled a small rope. Her chin went up, her gaze following him while he slipped the napkin around her wrists, knotting it securely.
There wasn’t anything in the vicinity to further tie her hands to, keeping her from moving…making her feel bound and confined…so Logan dragged the grocery bag over, tying the ends of the napkin to its handle. With the four beers inside, it was heavy enough to keep Tessa in her place.
Beneath him. Opened. Willing.
Logan took the second napkin and folded it over until it resembled a makeshift blindfold. Before he could put it on her, Tessa said, “Wait.”
Why? She didn’t like these kinds of games? “I won’t hurt you,” he assured.
The way she rolled her eyes told him she already knew that. Her frown followed. “I want to be able to see you.”
He brushed his mouth over hers. Her breathy sigh skimmed his lips. “You have a whole week to do that.”
“I meant, when you undress. Out here. Now.”
Logan hadn’t planned to. “I don’t need to be undressed to pleasure you.”
She laughed. “Like hell.”
“Shhhh.” He slipped the blindfold around her head, taking care not to get any of her hair trapped in the knot. After a few adjustments to make certain it was in place, he murmured, “Can you see anything? Don’t lie. I’ll know. And then, I’ll have to punish you.”
Her face turned a bright red. She hushed, “Okay.”
That didn’t answer Logan’s question, but it was good enough for him. He squirted the suntan lotion on the curve of her precious belly, making certain not to get any on her jewelry. Although the concoction wasn’t chilled in the least, Tessa arched her back and breathed hard.
Her gems rolled over her stomach, catching even more of the light. Logan stared at them. “Did it hurt when you got your navel pierced?”
She swallowed. “Only for a minute or two.”
He smoothed the lotion over her belly.
A sound escaped her, sounding pleased. “Now, my wax…”
Logan used a lighter touch on her baby-soft mound. “Does the lotion sting?”
“No.” She pulled in another breath and huffed it out. “Feels good.”
Her fingers were curled into loose fists. Her nipples erect. Logan rubbed the lotion down each side of her mound, dipping a bit to her ass, making certain he didn’t touch her plump folds or clit. Not yet.
More color rushed to Tessa’s throat and cheeks with his intimate exploration of her.
Logan leaned over and directed the next stream of lotion to her breasts. She started, clearly not expecting it.
“This feel good?” he asked. He worked the creamy substance into her luscious swells, avoiding the areolas and the long tips of her nipples.
“Yes. It’s—” An indecent moan interrupted whatever she’d intended to say.
Logan licked her nipple again, savoring its smooth texture, then drew the small nub into his mouth and suckled gently. Air rasped through Tessa’s teeth. She tried her best to lift her torso to get closer to him. However, her bound hands and the weight of the grocery bag stopped her.
With her breast cupped in his hand, he sucked her nipple harder, sensing she’d like that.
The noises she made said she did. They were amazing, bringing Logan a measure of joy he needed. She smelled of the suntan lotion that he’d purchased for her arrival…a delicate mixture of fragrant orange blossoms and coconut. Her own musk also scented her, proving she was a female ready for mounting.
Not just yet…soon.
Suddenly, Logan needed to drag out the pleasure of having her here. They only had the rest of today and the coming week before he had to slip back into harsh reality. Work that helped somewhat, but no longer brought real satisfaction. Quiet nights with too much time to think. To wonder what he could have done differently.
The past pressed in on him again, and he shoved it away as forcefully as he could so he could enjoy Tessa.
Her torso quivered with the kisses he trailed down it, pausing at her jewelry, touching the gems to check how heavy they were. A pen would have weighed more. Satisfied that they caused her no discomfort, he scooted lower and settled himself between her legs.
Tessa lifted her head, turning it this way and that, trying to see him beneath the edge of the napkin, unable to do so. As best she could, given that she still wore her sandals, she rubbed the side of her big toe against his jeans, no doubt wanting them and his tee off.
He had no intention of complying at the moment. He intended to delight her, giving Tessa something to remember before she saw him as he really was, fucking imperfect, a failure despite how much the world thought he had.
None of it was what he wanted.
Right now…this…helped to ease a bit of his lingering sorrow, allowing him to forget the last awful years, even if it was for only a moment.
Incapable of waiting any longer, he lowered his head and settled his mouth on Tessa’s wondrous cunt.
Chapter Seven
It was all she could do not to cry out, moaning so loud she’d frighten away the insects. One buzzed persistently near her face until the breeze shooed it away. Logan licked her folds, coming close though not quite tonguing her clit.
Tessa willed him to concentrate on it.
He didn’t.
She gritted her teeth and kept trying to see beneath the napkin, but could not. Nor could she free her hands no matter how many times she twisted her wrists.
She was trapped, nude, fully available to Logan. For him to do with whatever he willed, taking his time, making her freaking wait for completion.
Aw come on. Do it, please. Lick my clit.
He still didn’t.
Just as she was about to protest, he slid his hands down the insides of her thighs, pushing them even farther apart, wanting her opened, bared to him.
Tessa’s heart caught. She lifted her chin, pointing it at the sky. A bird chirped. Another answered. She caught a distant rumble, the sound a faraway plane makes and imagined it flying overhead, the passengers hugging the windows, wanting to see her blindfolded, fettered, stripped of clothing and freedom. Used by a man.
Oh my god, this was so freaking nice. Logan’s lips were silky, his tongue wet and hot as he probed her opening and made lazy circles around her clit. Nearly as good as lapping it. Tessa snatched in a much-needed breath and surrendered completely, no longer trying to see and direct him, or to have use of her hands so she could pull him on top of her. She wanted this maddening foreplay. She ached for him. The real Logan.
A man who’d built an empire with his obvious smarts and skill, but also enjoyed zombies and kick-ass heroines. A guy who’d lost so much, more than most people could have endured, and was slowly coming back.
Tessa knew he enjoyed being with her and not only for the sex. He’d come alive while they’d been talking, his eagerness palpable, d
ownright boyish.
Thank god, he was no boy. The sounds he made belonged to a man in his prime, uninhibited, joyous. She moaned in answer, focused on the tip of his tongue again sweeping the length of her cleft, his fingers stroking her belly. He kept toying with her body jewelry, obviously fascinated by it. Her muscles trembled at his touch.
She gasped as he finally flicked his tongue on her rigid little clit—once, twice, again and again—concentrating on the hard rise of flesh, fastening his mouth on it.
Aw damn. Each sweep of his tongue increased the friction until it grew unbearable. Tessa tried to curl her toes, but her sandals stopped her. She fisted her fingers, digging her nails into her palms. No way could she move more than that. Not with her wrists tied and held by the grocery bag, Logan’s body pressed into her right leg, and the way he’d wrapped his arm around her left. Held captive, she had to endure. Pressure built deep within her pussy, a dull needy sensation—an itch she couldn’t quite scratch—making her even wetter, juicy with her growing need.
Logan dipped his fingers into her moisture, then dragged them to her anus.
Tessa moaned at him circling the tight ring, exploring it. The same as his mouth on her nub. Tirelessly, he worked the most sensitive parts of her until Tessa thought she might burst. The pulse points in her temples and throat pounded too hard. She couldn’t pull in any air. Perspiration dampened her neck. Her body wanted the freaking orgasm more than anything else, yet her mind resisted, needing to prolong the exquisite misery of denying herself.
She dug her shoes into the afghan. She wiggled her hips, wanting to get closer to Logan’s mouth, his amazing tongue, while also trying to pull away.
He wouldn’t allow her retreat. He clamped his free hand on her hip, pushing it down, demanding that she obey. She was his property now, having agreed to this and whatever else he’d planned. More bondage, expected submission, punishment, the weight of his palm striking her ass…the lick of a strap.
So many horny images flitted through Tessa’s mind, the climax whisked through her. Quick and relentless. She cried out in joy, her pussy pulsing. After choking on a swallow, she coughed forcibly.
