Passion's Tide

by Sarah West

  Amber’s eyes snapped open. “No!” she gasped, her hands flying to her breast to keep the ring hidden beneath her bodice. With her outburst, the tears she had been holding back began falling in earnest. Logan ignored her and freed the rest of the chain from where it was concealed beneath her dress.

  “I think I’ll keep this, whatever it is,” he said as his fingers tightened around the thin gold rope. With a single tug he broke it and pulled both ends towards him. She made a final, futile grab for the chain, but he easily tore it from her grasp. “Now, lets see what you were hiding between those delectable breasts of yours…” he trailed off into silence. Amber slowly turned around to face him. His expression was unreadable; his eyes were locked on the ring where it lay in his open palm amidst the coils of the broken chain.

  “You kept this?” he asked, his voice incredulous as he stared down at the gold hoop.

  “I had to,” her quiet voice replied.

  His eyes drew up to meet her gaze. “You lied to me.”

  “Let me explain—” his lips crushing down against her mouth silenced her, as his arms surrounded her and pulled her tight against his body. He kissed her with such intensity that the wall she had tried to erect between them crumbled instantly, and she found herself obeying her body and relenting to the heat of his embrace.

  “You lied to me,” he repeated, his voice a low growl against her lips.

  “Please,” she begged, her hands at the back of his head, tangling in his thick dark hair and trying to pull his face closer to hers. A whimper escaped her throat as he took a step back.

  A dark storm raged in his eyes as he surveyed her flushed cheeks, her parted lips. “Swear to me you’ll never lie again,” he demanded. At her quick nod he closed the distance between them and took her mouth again for another feverish kiss that left her lightheaded and swooning against him for more. His urgent hands swept along her shoulders down to the small of her back, and then even lower, bunching handfuls of her skirt and pulling her tighter.

  He cupped her chin and tilted her head back, his mouth leaving hers to burn a trail of kisses down her exposed neck and chest. Her mind went blank, drunk on the heady scent of him and the sensation of his touch. She knew only the fierce need that drove her to him, the hunger that made her arch her back against his hard body, the desire to feel his skin against hers.

  “You don’t know how I’ve missed you,” he whispered against her neck. “Every night I spent without you was torture.”

  She opened her mouth to reply that she did know, that part of her died when Mendoza shut the door on her that fateful night, but he was kissing her again and she forgot what she was going to say. Instead, she found herself murmuring his name over and over again.

  “Logan,” she breathed, grabbing the lapels of his waistcoat and pulling her hips against his erection. He groaned. “Logan, I need you.”

  “I know sweetheart, I–” his head shot up, and he covered her mouth with his hand as he listened to the faint footsteps of approaching people. With his hand still in place he dragged her backwards into the shadows.

  Amber watched as Dominic marched into the light, a flustered Olivia behind him, trying to keep up with his longer strides.

  “Dom, slow down! I can’t help you to look if I am running behind you,” Olivia complained, stopping in the center of the path and planting her feet. Dominic spun around angrily.

  “If you hadn’t lost her we wouldn’t be out here looking at all, and I would still be inside, winning another thousand pounds off of Warwick. So shut up and keep looking, before mother discovers we’re all gone.” With a pout, Olivia followed him past the concealed couple and further down the path.

  Once they were gone Logan lowered his hand from Amber’s mouth. “We can’t stay out here,” he told her as he caressed her cheek. “I can’t be seen.”

  “Where can we go?”

  “I think I know of a place where we can be alone,” he whispered, “if that’s what you want.”

  She briefly thought about running after her cousins and letting them know she was fine, but decided against it. She needed to be with Logan. So she held out her hand to him and smiled. “Take me.”

  He swept her close for one last searing kiss, and then, after checking to make sure they wouldn’t be spotted, he led her back towards the house. Instead of going in through the ballroom he quickly brought them through a dark servants’ entrance, careful to avoid the bustling kitchen as they hurried down the hall. Then he led her up a damp staircase and onto the second floor.

  She stayed hidden as he ventured out to see if the hallway of the main house was deserted, and then darted through the door he held open for her. Closing it behind him, he turned the key in the lock and pocketed it.

  As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she realized that they were in an expansive library. There were rows of floor to ceiling bookcases, and a window seat overlooking the garden. A large brick fireplace dominated one wall, there was a mahogany writing desk by the door, and a marble table with a chess set in the corner. Everything was decorated in rich golds and greens.

  Amber would instantly have felt at ease in the room, but the heat of Logan’s stare bore into the back of her neck. Unable to ignore it, she turned to him. He lunged at her immediately, and she opened her mouth to him and his fervent kisses. His arms lifted to steady her as he pushed her further into the room, her feet shuffling backwards while her hands worked on the buttons of his coat. A jolt of pain and a wooden object pressing against the back of her knees told her that she had run into some sort of table, but Logan steered her around it with an apology, and they fell to the floor before the fire.

  At once, Amber she gasped at the pleasure of having Logan’s full weight on her. She arched into him as his kisses deepened and moved from her mouth to the sensitive spot behind her ear. Desperate to feel his skin beneath her fingertips she started tugging at the cravat around his neck, struggling with the complicated knot until he loosened it and tossed it aside. Her mouth went to his newly bared flesh, nipping and sucking at his neck.

  “Minx,” he rasped, pulling away from her hot mouth, and kissing her again. He reached under her back and tried to loosen the stays that held the bodice of her dress against her like a second skin, but ran into difficulty with the tight knot that her maid had tied. Before she could offer to help him, he had wrenched the dress apart with a tug. She cringed at the ripping sound, but was soon distracted as Logan freed her breasts from the boning of the corset and lowered his mouth to one, his hand curving around the other one and gently squeezing. The shocking mix of sensations was overwhelming and with a whimper she buried her fingers in his hair and thrust her breasts upwards, so he could possess them more fully.

  He groaned. “Forgive me sweetheart, I have to have you. I can’t wait any longer.” He leaned back and reached beneath her skirts. He slipped off one shoe, and then the other, and her eyes fluttered closed as his hands traveled up her silk-covered legs, her anticipation growing as he grew nearer and nearer to the part of her that craved him the most.

  Suddenly, he stopped. Amber prevented herself from calling out in exasperation. “What’s the matter?” she asked instead, studying his puzzled expression.

  “What the hell is this…” he trailed off and lifted her skirts, his head disappearing beneath them, “metal contraption?”

  “Damn it,” she cursed, remembering the wire cage around her hips. “They’re called panniers, and they make my dress wider.”

  His head reappeared with a wicked grin. “I thought you looked especially fat this evening, but, being the gentleman I am, I refrained from mentioning it.” She giggled as his fingers tickled her thighs. She pushed him away.

  “Stop that! They’re the newest fashion.”

  “I don’t care what it is,” he said as he continued to explore the metal hoop, “how the bloody hell do I get the damned thing off?”

  “You can’t take them off without first removing my dress.”

  L
ogan rolled his eyes. “I’ll never understand ladies fashion. Whoever decided that dresses should be made to hinder the wearer from passing through a doorway without turning sideways deserves to be shot. All right, new plan.” Without warning, he grabbed her waist and rolled both of them over so she was straddling him. “Problem solved.”

  “Oh my,” she whispered, her body wiggling to adjust to the new position. Then she smiled. “Just like in the bathtub?”

  Logan recalled the morning after they had first made love, when she had ridden him in the bathwater, and nodded. “Just like in the bathtub. Can you lift for me, sweetheart?” he asked, and as she did he reached between their bodies and released himself from the front of his trousers. Then, holding himself in one hand and steadying her with the other, he guided her onto him.

  Amber closed her eyes and shuddered, her body at once accommodating the intrusion. She had almost forgotten how large he was, but perched on top of him like this she could feel every inch of him, stretching her, filling her. With a moan of satisfaction, she began to move against him, her speed increasing rapidly as she brought herself closer to her own release. She threw back her head and braced her palms against his still-clothed chest as the heat spread to her toes, on the verge of exploding through her body with monumental force.

  But Logan’s hand on her cheek stopped her, his amused voice quieting the need inside her. “Easy love, I haven’t done this in awhile. If you come apart right now I won’t be able to last, and I’ve waited too long for this to be over so soon.”

  All the built-up heat rushed to her cheeks, and she smiled down at him in embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize for being passionate. Don’t you ever apologize. You’re beautiful when you lose yourself, and normally I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. But just for now, let’s keep it nice and slow. I want to finish with you.” She nodded and began moving again, this time at a more relaxed pace. “Ah, sweetheart, that’s perfect,” he told her as she slid up and down his hard length, punishing him with her gentleness. His hands roamed her body, pausing at her hips, her breasts, her neck, her face. He wanted to touch all of her, to feel her hot skin beneath his large hands, but he made do with that portion of her that was exposed, and instead imagined her naked, filling in from memory what he couldn’t see through the layers of her dress.

  Though he had slowed her to save himself, he found that her restrained movements were just as intoxicating as when she rode him hard and fast. Drowning in her slick heat, he glanced up to see her eyes closed, her luscious lower lip caught between her teeth as she concentrated on holding back. The sight of her trying so hard to please him nearly undid him right then and there.

  Logan thrust his hips upwards, impaling Amber fully and drawing a gasp from her. “Let go,” he instructed, “come for me.” The look she sent him was grateful.

  As she bucked wildly against him, he felt the wave threaten to overtake him. He gritted his teeth and held it back until, with a cry, Amber convulsed around him, drawing from him his own crashing release.

  She collapsed down onto his chest, heaving with exhaustion. “Breathe, sweetheart. Don’t forget to breathe,” he instructed, rubbing her back until he felt her heartbeat return to normal. “Are you all right?”

  She smiled into his shirt. “Never been better. Am I squishing you?”

  “Only slightly,” he grunted, shifting her so that her panniers stopped digging into his side. “That’s better.” They lay like that for several minutes; silent and happy to be in each other’s arms again, and content to ignore the consequences of their actions.

  The sound of a key turning in the lock painfully brought them back to reality. Amber bolted upright as the door creaked open, her eyes shooting back and forth between Logan and the door. But as it opened, he flipped her over and pressed her down, both to hide her state of undress and to see who entered. His hand covered her mouth.

  She heard a loud gasp in the doorway, followed by the sound of footsteps running from the room. From her position on the floor she could only see Logan’s face, but she knew from his expression that they were in trouble. “We need to get dressed and get out of here, now.”

  “Who was it?” she asked as he stood and pulled her to her feet. “Did he see you?”

  “A servant, and yes he saw me. Now we only have a few minutes before he brings the entire house back up here, so we have to hurry.” Amber responded by pulling her bodice back up and smoothing down her wrinkled skirt. Logan dropped to the floor. “Where’s my damn cravat? Oh here it is…and here are your shoes,” he said, shoving them at her and jumping up to re-lace the back of her dress. “Don’t forget to fix your hair,” he said as he tied the best bow he could and began working on his waistcoat buttons.

  “You appear to be quite practiced at this. Tell me, have you had many trysts in libraries?”

  He shot her an impatient look. “Not the time or the place for this discussion, Amber.” She was pinning her curls back into place when the door swung open and Lady Penelope waltzed in. “Oh hell,” Logan muttered, and Amber silently agreed with him.

  But before she could open her mouth to apologize to the hostess of the party, and the woman whose library she had been found in a compromising situation, the tall woman directed her stern gaze in her direction and demanded, “where have you been?”

  Amber’s faced burned red. “My lady, I’m sorry. I…uh…desired to explore the rest of your beautiful house, and I ran into this gentleman here…” she stopped when the older woman held up a hand.

  “I’m not looking for an excuse from you, Amber dear, though your family has been quite worried about you. I was speaking to him.”

  Confused, Amber turned to Logan. She was shocked to find him looking extremely uncomfortable, bewildering her further. His mouth opened and closed several times like a fish out of water, and he rocked back and forth on his heels. Growing tired of waiting for a response, Lady Penelope asked another question: “Do you know how long it has been?”

  Logan swallowed loudly and cleared his throat. “A few months?”

  “Two and a half years!”

  Logan cringed. “Time got away from me?”

  Penelope crossed her arms in a gesture that Amber found somehow familiar. “Time got away from you, did it? Are you aware that half of London believes you to be dead?”

  “Did you tell them I had died?”

  “Of course not,” she scoffed. “When the rumors started circulating, we did our best to ignore them. After a while, people stopped asking.”

  Amber listened to the back and forth between Logan and the older woman, a faint buzz echoing through her head. It was almost as if a swarm of bees were flying around inside her skull. She did her best to ignore them.

  “I am glad to see you removed that awful earring, although I wish you would do something about your hair.”

  Just then, Georgina ran into the library and, with a squeal of delight, threw herself into Logan’s arms without hesitation. “It is you! I knew you’d come back.”

  Logan smiled again for the first time since the Countess had entered the room. Putting Georgina back on the ground, he ruffled her hair. “I suppose I couldn’t avoid you forever, Munchkin.”

  Georgina beamed. “And Amber, there you are! Everyone’s been looking for you. Oh my, you look quite pale. Do you need to sit down? Are you going to faint?”

  “Nonsense,” Amber replied in a meek voice, the buzzing in her head getting louder, “I’ve never fainted in my life, and I don’t plan to start now.”

  Penelope smiled. “Well that is a relief, dear. Now, would you care to explain how you two know each other? I assume you did not just meet tonight,” she said with a perceptive look at their disheveled appearances.

  Logan went back to looking nervous, something that Georgina failed to notice. “I bet he did something brave and wild, like capture her ship and take her prisoner! I bet he killed her entire crew in cold blood and without mercy!”

 
; Amber watched as Logan’s face turned a vibrant shade of red, and he tugged at his loosely tied cravat as if it were a noose around his neck. Unfortunately, Penelope observed it too. “Oh Logan,” she said with a sigh, “you didn’t?”

  “What? That’s…I…she…well I didn’t murder the crew!”

  “Does anyone else know about this?”

  Amber wasn’t certain whether she was experiencing an earthquake (which was unlikely, as they were in London) or simply whether the bones in her legs had turned to jelly, but the effort of keeping herself standing upright was becoming harder and harder. She gripped the edge of the settee for support.

  “Are you certain you don’t need to sit down? Perhaps a glass of water?” Georgina asked.

  She shook her head, causing the bees to become angry and buzz even louder. Her vision swam a bit. “I would appreciate it if someone would tell me what is going—” Her words died as a large man strode into the room, and with a whoosh all the air vanished. She struggled to take her next breath as the tall, dark haired stranger moved to stand next to Penelope, never once taking his grey eyes off of Logan.

  “When did you arrive?”

  “Just this morning, sir,” Logan answered with military precision.

  The older man nodded. “Got rid of the earring, I see. A slight improvement. Though your hair is a tad unruly.” His piercing gaze shifted to Amber, as if seeing her for the first time. “Are you going to introduce us, Logan? Or did you throw your manners overboard when you were off exploring the world?”

  “Ah, yes. Forgive me. My Lord, this is Lady Amber Townsend, daughter of the late Lord Robert Townsend. Amber, might I present the Right Honorable, the Earl of Granville. My father.”