Slow Hands

by Faye Avalon

  When Logan walked into the restaurant she actually felt her breath catch. He tucked his sunglasses into the jacket pocket of a sharp, no doubt designer three-piece suit, with a crisp white shirt beneath. He spotted her, his intense gaze making her breath hitch again. Unlike the first time she’d seen him, he looked every inch the epitome of a top-class lawyer, making heads turn as he headed over to where April sat at the corner table he’d reserved. Yet beneath his commanding presence there was a dangerous edge to him that no amount of civilised clothing could camouflage.

  He leaned across and kissed her cheek. A slightly less chaste peck than the one he’d given her earlier, but it still irritated her beyond belief—especially considering what they’d done to each other last night and again early this morning before the chill had set in. But she supposed it was appropriate, considering this was a business meeting.

  Even knowing that didn’t stop the jolt to her nerve-endings or the rush of heat through her blood as she watched him peruse the menu. It was impossible not to remember how much pleasure he could incite with those adept fingers, those skilful hands.

  ‘How was your morning?’ Logan asked, after they’d ordered and the waiter had moved away.

  ‘Good. I managed to pick up some sample stock I ordered for a party on Friday night.’

  He nodded, but April didn’t miss the gleam in his eye. It made her relax a little. Maybe she’d imagined his frosty attitude that morning.

  ‘What kind of stock?’

  The gleam intensified and April raised her chin, accepting his challenge and pleased that they seemed to be sliding back to the place where they’d been before.

  ‘Some lingerie, a remote-controlled vibrator, a belt...’

  Logan nodded, his outward expression giving nothing away as to the nature of their conversation. To all intents and purposes they could be discussing the stock market, or even the weather. It was only the devilish heat in his eyes that said otherwise.

  The waiter arrived to offer Logan a taste of the wine he’d ordered. After he’d filled their glasses and left, Logan leaned forward.

  ‘I’d like to know more about that new stock...but, since this is probably not the best place to be when I’ve got the start of a raging hard-on, we should talk about something else.’ He picked up his wine. ‘Tell me something to get my mind off sex.’

  April didn’t want to do that. In fact, she didn’t want to talk at all. She wanted to get Logan somewhere private and show him exactly what was in her holdall.

  She looked across at him, watching as he sipped his wine. She loved seeing a slightly flustered Logan almost as much as she loved seeing a highly aroused Logan. She knew the signs now. The way his jaw went tight, probably because he was clenching his teeth. The way his chest rose and fell beneath that crisp white shirt and dark waistcoat. The way his dark eyes promised such amazingly good times between the sheets.

  ‘What do you want, April?’

  The question jolted her from her sexy reverie and she blinked several times. Then she lowered her chin and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. ‘I can’t really answer that, because you told me we should talk about something else. That I should get your mind off sex.’

  His mouth kicked up at one corner. ‘And where exactly is your mind right now?’

  ‘On sex.’

  His nostrils flared slightly and he brought the glass to his lips again and sipped, all the while watching her with a tormenting gleam in his eyes. ‘Specifically?’

  She licked her lips, then picked up her own wine. Her intimate muscles clenched and she barely resisted the urge to squirm as her panties grew damp. ‘Not sure I should tell you that. We are in a public place.’

  She batted her lashes, earning a deep laugh from Logan. The sound was thick and carnal, and it sent shockwaves of lust straight between April’s legs.

  ‘You might as well tell me, since the damage is already done. I’m not about to leave this table any time soon without embarrassing myself.’

  April glanced down in the direction of his lap and bit her lower lip. ‘Poor you. Perhaps I should take pity and change the conversation after all—or perhaps I should tell you that I have some very sexy new underwear in my holdall.’

  She almost laughed when Logan took a huge swig of wine.

  ‘Of course, I say “underwear”, but really it’s only scraps of lacy material. It wouldn’t cover much of anything.’

  Now she did laugh at his muttered, ‘Fuck... Are you trying to make me blow right here?’

  Again, she batted her lashes. ‘Just because I’m describing crotchless panties in navy see-through lace?’ She made a play of reaching down for the holdall. ‘Would you like to see?’

  He sucked in a breath, his chest expanding beneath the tailored jacket and waistcoat. ‘April...’

  On a roll now, and loving that she had him on the back foot, she kept her expression innocent. ‘The lingerie is very classy, and the other items are in discreet packaging. I’m sure nobody would notice if you wanted to take a peek.’

  She slid the tote across the carpeted floor towards him. His gaze remained fixed on her, his fingers drumming against the almost empty wine glass.

  ‘What if I wanted more than a peek? What if I wanted a private viewing?’

  ‘That could be arranged.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘As soon as you like.’

  ‘What if I said we should skip lunch?’

  ‘I’d say, your place or mine?’

  Logan was already reaching into his jacket pocket to retrieve his wallet. ‘My office is closest.’

  ‘I don’t think your PA would approve of us having a private party on work time.’

  ‘We can lock the door.’

  Hell, her brain was starting to scramble and it seemed as if the room had grown too hot for rational thought.

  ‘Why don’t we head to your place?’

  He was already reaching for her hand, and the holdall.

  ‘Let’s go.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  BY THE TIME they arrived at his house on Chelsea Harbour, April was ready to drag Logan out of the cab.

  He beat her to it.

  He paid the cab, grabbed the tote, and then grabbed her.

  She laughed as he hurried them up the steps to his front door, where he fumbled for the key. Seconds later they were inside the hall and he’d dropped the tote and pushed her up against the wall.

  ‘Someone’s in a hurry,’ she said breathlessly, pulling at his tie and snapping open the buttons at his shirt collar. ‘And that would be me.’

  Logan gave a half-laugh, half-groan, and pushed her jacket off her shoulders.

  While they yanked at each other’s clothing, Logan kissed her. Urgent, raw kisses that made her head spin. But she managed to get his suit jacket off, then unsnapped the buttons of his waistcoat.

  ‘I like a man who wears a waistcoat,’ she said as she pulled if off and tossed it on a nearby chair. ‘It’s really sexy.’

  ‘I’ll be sure to remember that.’

  Logan’s own breathing was ragged, and he made short work of April’s blouse, tugging it from the waistband of her skirt. Then he reached around, unzipped the skirt and pushed it down over her hips.

  ‘How come you always get my clothes off before I get you naked?’ she asked.

  He had her down to her bra and panties, and while she had his shirt undone, displaying his muscular chest, she still hadn’t unsnapped the fastening of his trousers thanks to being distracted by the raw desire she saw in his eyes.

  He pulled her into his arms so that she had to wrap her legs around his waist, and he carried her through the house and up to the bedroom.

  April had a second or two to take in a huge room, which looked out over the River Thames, before Logan plonked her down on the big bed with its burgundy duve
t.

  He unfastened her bra and feasted on her breasts, tormenting her nipples until she was arching up off the bed. Then he pulled off her panties and knelt between her legs.

  ‘You’re a fucking feast, April.’

  There was something incredibly erotic and provocative about daytime sex—especially when it was kind of illicit. April wondered briefly if Logan had appointments that afternoon, and a strange thrill rippled through her that he might be foregoing them because he wanted her so much.

  Then she couldn’t string two thoughts together as her orgasm built, courtesy of his relentless mouth.

  She came, and everything floated around her as her body gave in to the sensation.

  Logan withdrew and came up over her. ‘Yeah, a fucking feast...’

  She ran her hands down his arms, but he got off the bed and went into the adjoining bathroom, coming back seconds later with a pack of condoms which, after selecting one, he tossed onto the bedside table.

  ‘Don’t you have meetings?’ April teased as he moved between her legs.

  ‘Yeah. But looks like I’m playing hooky.’

  He flashed her a fevered grin and positioned himself at her entrance, stealing her breath as he pushed deep. The rhythm he set was fast and furious, wild and free. And April loved it. Using her intimate muscles, she gripped him hard, extracting from him a deep moan that was almost a roar. As the movement he set pushed her further up the bed with each thrust, April reached out and grabbed his shoulders, needing purchase even as she wanted to fly.

  Her breath came in such gulping pants that for one heady moment she thought she might actually hyperventilate, but she didn’t have the chance to think further along those lines as she climaxed again.

  Logan shoved harder, deeper, his hips like a piston, relentless and desperate. He came hard, his head thrown back, teeth clenched, his breath hissing. And in that moment he looked so damned sexy that April felt her heart turn over.

  It took for ever to get her breathing back under control—or maybe it just seemed that way. When Logan rolled onto his back beside her, she stretched in contentment. ‘I really like playing hooky.’

  He gave a lazy laugh, as if the effort of doing so was enormous. ‘I’m developing a taste for it myself. Maybe I’ll do it more often.’

  April felt a twang of something beneath her ribcage. Did he mean generally? With other women? Or did he mean with her?

  Not that she was about to ask. This was only meant to be fun, a fling. A way for her to enjoy great, scintillating sex. No commitments. No promises. There was no way she intended this thing with Logan to go beyond casual. Anything more and things got complicated. He might think he could start making demands that took them way past enjoyable sex and into the realms of control and manipulation.

  She’d had more than enough of both for one lifetime.

  She kept staring at the ceiling, her heartbeat slowly settling, and became aware of Logan turning to look at her.

  ‘I can hear you thinking,’ he said.

  She huffed, for form, but it unsettled her a little—that uncanny ability he seemed to have that allowed him to tune in to her.

  ‘Well, seeing as I’m not meditating right this moment, it’s not really a long shot to acknowledge that thoughts might actually be going through my head.’

  He shifted, settling onto his side, elbow bent, as he looked down at her. How annoying it was that he always seemed to get his equilibrium back before she did.

  ‘Why don’t you tell me what they are?’

  ‘Why would I do that? A woman likes to keep an air of mystery about her.’

  He ran his free hand over her abdomen, making her muscles tremble, then flattened his palm over her belly button. ‘You certainly do that.’

  Guilt trickled through her. About the things she’d kept to herself. The things that she didn’t want to tell him. That she didn’t want to admit and have him think her an idiot.

  ‘The only thing you need to know about me at the moment is that I’m starving for food. You didn’t get to feed me.’

  His smile could have kept her satiated for weeks. ‘You’re complaining?’

  ‘No, not for a moment. But a girl needs to eat. Do you have anything in your fridge?’

  ‘No idea. Why don’t you go and look?’

  ‘You’re expecting me to make my own lunch? Aren’t I your guest? You invited me, remember?’

  ‘I’ll call for takeout. There are some menus in the kitchen drawer by the dishwasher. Go and decide what you want.’

  With which, he swung off the bed and padded to the bathroom.

  April sat up and looked around, but the only items of clothing she had available here in the bedroom were her bra and panties. Everything else was in Logan’s downstairs hall.

  Biting her lower lip, she eyed his shirt. Okay, it was clichéd, but she shrugged it on. His scent enveloped her. What was it about the man that could turn her to jelly even just after they’d had hot and glorious sex?

  She went downstairs and found the menus he’d mentioned. As she perused them, he came into the kitchen.

  ‘I’ve got a taste for pizza. You?’ She glanced over her shoulder, her breath hitching as she saw him coming towards her stark naked. ‘Don’t catch your death,’ she said with a grin, but it was only for something to say, seeing as he’d basically fried her brain cells with his raw, masculine deliciousness.

  ‘You stole my shirt,’ he said, grinning back. ‘No doubt there’ll be something in here that’ll warm me up.’

  It was only then she saw that he carried her holdall.

  ‘There’s not much in there that will keep you warm,’ she said, raising her eyebrows and thinking of the skimpy women’s lingerie.

  He pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side. ‘Oh, I don’t know. Why don’t we take it upstairs and see what you’ve got?’

  April swallowed, then covered her heated anticipation with a half-hearted wave of the menu. ‘Food...remember?’

  ‘I’ll order your pizza and ask them to deliver in thirty minutes. That should give us time for a little exploration.’

  She went damp. How was it that he could whip her satiated hormones back into a frenzy so bloody fast?

  He walked across to her as she deliberated, hiking the bag onto the counter beside her before pulling her into his arms. He unhooked the two buttons she’d fastened on his shirt and slid his hands inside, cupping her ass. Then he drew her in for a long, lingering kiss that drove the thought of pizza clear from her mind.

  She sank into the kiss, sliding her hands around his neck. His erection pressed hard against her core, making her intimate muscles pulse with anticipation.

  He drew away to press kisses against her neck, her throat, before coming greedily back to her mouth. ‘I can’t get enough of you.’

  Still kissing her, he used the hand not holding her tight against him to pull the holdall down from the counter. Without releasing her he manoeuvred them towards the central island, where he deposited the bag. He spun her around so that she faced the island, with her back to him. Then he reached around her and undid the holdall.

  ‘Let’s see what we’ve got here...’

  April watched, fascinated, as with his arms still around her he pulled out the items of lingerie and tossed them aside. All the while his hard length pressed against her ass, and she barely resisted grinding her hips back against him.

  She wanted him. Again. She always seemed to want him.

  He gave a low rumble of interest as he pulled out the box containing the doggie-style belt she’d ordered. Without removing the contents, he tilted the box and read the blurb.

  ‘“Allows for improved thrusting and targets G-spot stimulation...’”

  Oh, hell. His voice sounded like gravel, grating deep in his throat.

  ‘“The non-slip belt provides ex
tra comfort for the woman, while the man can provide deep and extended penetration without the danger of lower back strain.”’ He pressed a kiss to her neck. ‘Who cares about a little lower back strain?’ He turned back to the box. ‘But I digress...’

  April’s chest was squeezed so tight, the apex of her legs so wet and aching, that she placed her palms flat on the island counter to stop herself from crumpling to the floor as her knees lost the plot. Not that she could have gone far, since Logan was pressed tight against her, his cock leaving her in no doubt he was as turned on as she was.

  ‘“Why not try the belt at different angles and in a variety of positions? Doggie-style is especially recommended, since this position allows for faster, harder sex.”’

  April swallowed. ‘Well, there’s nothing wrong with your reading ability—I’ll give you that.’

  He laughed as, one-handed, he opened the lid of the box and shook out the contents. Seconds later, he had the wide navy strap around her waist. ‘Why don’t we test it out?’

  She widened her legs, her core muscles throbbing. ‘Why don’t we...?’

  His breathing rasped against her ear as he slid the strap further down her hips and pulled gently, tilting her pelvis. Her ass was pushed hard up against his erection in this position, and she sucked in a breath as he pressed down against her opening.

  ‘Fuck, yeah...’ he grated, and pulled on the strap again.

  April steadied herself against the counter as he drew her body back even more.

  ‘I can drive into you hard in this position. Is that what you want?’

  Since she couldn’t seem to form words, she nodded.

  ‘You’d feel me deep inside you,’ he said in a raw tone. ‘And I know you’d grip me so damn tight.’

  ‘Do it,’ she ordered. ‘Please, Logan...just do it.’

  She closed her eyes, expecting his determined thrust, but instead he slid his length slowly along her wetness, over and over. He felt so big, and she was so hot, so wet. All she needed was for him to just...push.