Simply Scandalous Page 8

  “I take it you aren’t afraid of thunderstorms?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m one of the strange people in the world who love the rain.”

  He closed his eyes and pictured her lying alone in her bed, naked on top of the covers, listening to the pulsing, pounding rain beating against the window.

  “Don’t you?” she asked.

  He forced his heavy eyelids open. “Don’t I what?”

  “Love the rain? You’d have to to live in a house with all these windows.”

  “Storms have a beauty all their own.” And so did she.

  “You have the added bonus of the ocean. The rumble of the ocean mixed with the sound of the waves pounding against the shore. It’s electric,” she murmured.

  “Erotic,” he muttered. He lowered her to the floor, slowly, then followed her, feeling her breasts crush against him and the hard peaks of her nipples graze his chest.

  He held her gaze fast as their bodies touched and collided, aching and straining with a need that had yet to be met. “God, you feel good.” He gripped her waist tighter.

  Her assent came out more like a purr of contentment.

  “What?” He drove his fingers through her hair. “What do you want?” he asked, resisting the urge to taste her moist lips until he’d heard her say she felt the same things he did.

  Her hands gripped his shoulders until her fingernails bit through the T-shirt and into his skin. “I want you to make love to me. I want to feel you inside me, driving me to the edge as hard and as fast as the rain outside. I want…”

  Logan didn’t wait to hear more. He brought his lips down hard on hers, tasting her, drinking her, needing everything she was willing to give. And her moan of assent told him she’d needed it, too. The music had finished sometime before, and with the storm as their only backdrop, his lips never moved from hers, never letting his body leave her warmth. He hadn’t meant for things to get so out of hand, so quickly, but the tempest of desire swirling inside him wouldn’t be denied.

  Catherine’s lower body arched against him, begging, pleading for more. He reached for the bottom of her shirt and sent it flying across the room.

  He glanced down and sucked in a deep breath. Rounded mounds of flesh strained upward over delicate peach lace. Her nipples pushed taut and hard against their confinement. The hint of lace he’d seen earlier hadn’t done justice to what lay beneath.

  He drew in an unsteady breath, then traced the scalloped edging over one breast before lowering his mouth and capturing one of the teasing nipples with his mouth.

  Her breath caught, her back arched again and she moaned aloud with pleasure. He couldn’t mistake that her body wanted him.

  Threading his hand through her feather-soft hair, he brought their faces within inches of each other.

  She cupped his face in her hands and covered his lips with hers.

  The kiss didn’t start out slow. With the desire building all evening, their need was too urgent to contain. Her lips were soft and warm, moist as they opened for his searching tongue, and he swept inside, tasting heaven. And as he’d known all along, one taste wasn’t enough.

  Gripping her bare waist in his hands, he pulled her closer, wanting to feel her heated skin against his, but his T-shirt prevented him from getting as close as he wanted.

  “Here,” she whispered. “Let me.”

  Logan sat back and she pulled his T-shirt out of the waistband of his jeans and eased it over his head. Her soft fingers grazed the skin on his chest. She laughed softly and he knew she’d done it on purpose. “Tease.”

  She clucked her tongue. “That’s not a nice thing to say. I thought you were raised better than that,” she said with a grin. “Besides, it’s only true if I don’t plan to follow through.” She ran her hands up his side, letting her thumbs graze his nipples. “And you know I do.”

  He let out a rush of air. The way she could make his body react with a simple touch defied logic. His erection strained against the rough denim, harder and more insistent with each passing second. He had to regain a semblance of control and to do that, he needed to be in control.

  “I’m not sure I like that grin on your face,” Catherine said warily.

  “And I’m just as sure you’re going to love it.” With steady fingers, considering the circumstances, Logan yanked on the drawstring of her sweats and watched with pleasure as he discarded the loose cotton material. The lacy briefs matched the bra. The tiny scrap of peach material and the hint of what lay beneath made his mouth run dry.

  So much for being in control, he thought wryly. But she trusted him, something he didn’t take lightly. Logan rose to his feet and before she could question him, he helped Catherine up and swept her into his arms again.

  “You really shouldn’t make a habit of this. You’ll spoil me.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” he asked.

  She laughed. “So what are you doing this time?” she asked, then bit down lightly on his earlobe.

  The pull went straight to his already swelled erection and he groaned. “I’m sweeping you off your feet.” He tried to ignore the feel of her luscious body molded to his or else he might have come right then, something neither one of them would appreciate. But her soft skin, rounded curves and body heat tested his strength of character.

  She rolled her eyes. “I guess I should have told you the first time I don’t believe in Prince Charming.”

  Although her eyes danced with delight, he recognized the sad truth behind her words.

  “Then I guess it’s up to me to prove you wrong.” Before she could respond, he set her down on the couch and knelt down between her legs.

  Catherine knew his intent. And suddenly she wasn’t so brave anymore. “You know, Logan…” His hands reached for and cupped her thighs. The heated warmth shot straight upward. “Somehow I don’t think Prince Charming…had this in mind.”

  “You know, Cat…” He paused and treated her to a sexy grin. “I’m not sure you’ll want to be arguing with me right now.” As he spoke, his palms moved forward and his fingers inched higher until they’d reached the edge of her panties.

  She let out a whoosh of air. All rational thought and the desire to speak fled at the touch of his hand. All she could do was feel. The glide of her nearly bare flesh against the leather couch as he pulled her gently downward. The heated, moist sensation of his tongue on her skin. And the white-hot darts of fire and need pricking at her with growing intensity. Everything he did felt right and good.

  And when he licked her through the flimsy triangle of fabric, she welcomed the madness that engulfed her. Her remaining inhibitions fled as if they’d never been. She gave herself up to the long, slow strokes of his tongue that alternated with short, teasing flickers and left her wanting and begging for more.

  Without her consent, her hips bucked upward from the cushioned couch. He slipped her panties down and she raised her hips to help him, anything to satisfy the aching need. He seemed to understand. After tossing her under-garments onto the floor, he returned to her, and eased his finger inside. She could feel herself moist and wet around him. One finger slipped in and out while his thumb worked at her most sensitive flesh. The tremors began in small waves and continued until they engulfed her in heated convulsions.

  And still it wasn’t enough. She wanted him with her, inside her and along for the glorious ride. She wanted to see him lose control just as she had. She needed to know she affected him on a level beyond physical need.

  With difficulty, Catherine lifted her head off the couch and gazed into his eyes. Desire flared in the brown depths, deeper and darker than anything she’d seen there before.

  He rose to his feet. Placing his hands beneath her arms, he helped her rise.

  He rubbed his thumb over her still moist lower lip. “I want more, Cat.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Still don’t believe in Prince Charming?” he asked, turning his attention to the swell of her breast, outlining the sca
lloped edging of her bra.

  “I don’t think…what you did qualifies as something Prince Charming would do.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “Because as incredible as it was, it’s something that’s happened during one night of passion. Prince Charming, by definition, is a long-term kinda guy.” Now where had that come from? The last thing Catherine wanted was for him to run far and fast. She glanced out the window into the stormy night. Especially when he had nowhere to go.

  He cupped her cheek in his hand. “We could have more than one night, Cat.”

  She couldn’t believe him any more than she believed in the tooth fairy. Her baby teeth hadn’t even gotten her a penny growing up. Neither would useless wishes now. “We’re worlds apart,” she reminded him.

  His arm swept the cottage she’d grown to love in such a short time. “You call this worlds apart?”

  Catherine opened her mouth to argue and couldn’t. Though the judge’s disapproval lingered in the back of her mind, she pushed it aside. Logan was his own man. He couldn’t live in this house, work for the public defender, live off his own salary and be anything else.

  If he said they had a chance, she believed him. After all, how could she get hurt by class differences when he didn’t live them or believe in them?

  She wasn’t one to give her faith or her heart easily, but Logan made it seem so simple. She reached for him then, gripping his waist in her hands. Hot muscle pulsed beneath her fingertips causing an answering tug deep inside her, in areas he’d already loved thoroughly.

  Trouble didn’t begin to describe what she’d gotten herself into. She glanced into Logan’s warm eyes. She couldn’t give him anything less than the truth. “I call this making my dreams come true.”

  With a harsh groan, he swept her off her feet again, only this time she didn’t argue and she found herself lying on the rug in front of the fireplace. He removed his jeans. He wore standard white briefs, but nothing could look ordinary on a man with his physique. Broad shoulders, flat stomach and bronzed skin, he was a perfect male specimen down to the bulge she couldn’t possibly ignore, even if she wanted to.

  He placed his hands on the waistband of his briefs, and never taking his gaze from hers, he drew them down until he was naked, then he stretched out beside her. The swell of his erection pressed against her thigh and the warmth of shared body heat was sweeter and hotter than the blazing fire he’d created.

  If this was what it felt like to believe there existed a chance for them, Catherine was suddenly glad she’d opened her mind to the possibility.

  “I’ve only just begun,” Logan said. He lay beside Catherine, flesh to flesh and discovered her skin was softer, her body warmer than he’d imagined.

  “To what?” she asked.

  “To make those dreams of yours come true.”

  “You make me think anything’s possible,” she murmured.

  He switched positions, easing himself over her until he lay on top. His arms prevented his weight from crushing her, but their lower bodies fit perfectly. His erection, hot and heavy, settled between the V of her legs.

  “That’s because it is,” he told her.

  Her eyelids fluttered shut and a soft moan escaped her lips. Logan nearly came right then, but somehow he didn’t think that’s what she had in mind. Besides, he’d promised to make her dreams come true. His be damned.

  With one hand, he cupped her breast. She fit perfectly in his hand. Her skin was supple, in direct contrast to the rigid nipple pressing into his palm. Logan kneaded her waiting flesh, savoring the fullness nestled in his hand. With his thumb and forefinger, he teased her taut nipple, plucking, rolling and flicking the erect nub until she writhed beneath him.

  He stared at her face. Green eyes stared back at him. He placed a kiss on her upturned nose and then did the same to the tip of her breast.

  “Who’s the tease now?” she asked in a husky voice.

  He answered by running his tongue in a circle around the white skin on her breast, coming to a halt only after flicking the tight nipple with his tongue. He raised his head and grinned. “Complaining?” he asked.

  “Only that you’re not inside me already.”

  “That’s not a complaint, it’s a request.”

  A soft smile played on her lips. “Take it any way you want,” she said on a soft sigh. Her hips jerked upward, whether on purpose or an involuntary response to pure desire, Logan didn’t know. Nor did he care.

  He just knew the time was right. He transferred his attention from her breasts to the warm, moist place between her legs. He wasn’t surprised to find her wet with desire, hot with the same aching need that burned inside of him. It was the same desire that had flared into an inferno within him the second he’d laid eyes on the beautiful bartender. Logan’s gut told him it wouldn’t be satisfied with just one night of abandon. Even if his body were to be sated for the moment, he knew he would crave more of her.

  He separated them long enough to reach for his jeans, and the condom he’d shoved into the pocket earlier, just in case. In case he were lucky enough to have one time with this one woman.

  Unable to wait another second, he glided into her slick heat with a hard and demanding thrust meant to let her know exactly what she did to him.

  Filled and fulfilled. Catherine wondered if she’d ever understood the distinction before. Logan grasped her hands and intertwined their fingers together above her head. The uniting motion ground their bodies together until they weren’t just joined, they were one. Thoughts like that could only lead to pain and disaster, yet with Logan staring into her eyes, she couldn’t think negative thoughts.

  She couldn’t think at all. His lips covered hers in a kiss as hot and promising as the heat between their bodies. Between them, they began a grinding, rocking motion that was sweeter than it was fast, more reverent than it was frenzied. If Catherine had made love before, she couldn’t recall. Because anything less than this was sex and this was so much more.

  He released her hands and braced his on either side of her shoulders. “Look at me.”

  She did, and saw a raw need so deep, so exposed, she was swept away by it. Words failed her but emotion didn’t. He’d drawn her in, deep and fast.

  With every gliding motion, he came fuller and deeper inside her. The tip of him was smooth, but with every thrust she felt the rougher ridges of his erection and the friction was almost unbearable.

  Her eyelids fluttered shut. He kissed each until they opened again and then he began a rhythm unlike anything she’d experienced before. Sleek and measured one minute, he created an agony so prolonged and exquisite she wanted to cry out for harder, faster, pounding thrusts. But when he answered her silent plea, her body built toward completion too fast and she missed the drawn-out intimacy they’d just shared.

  Just when she was about to topple over the precipice, he slowed the pace once more until her body begged for completion. But Logan was in control and he wasn’t giving in. Wasn’t letting it happen fast and easy. Wasn’t letting this be an experience she’d put behind her anytime soon.

  The fast and furious pace slowed. “Open your eyes.”

  She hadn’t realized she’d closed them. “What do you want from me?” she asked him.

  “Everything.” And then he thrust so deep she was sure they’d been joined for eternity. He moved inside her and she raised her hips, allowing him even fuller and deeper access, heightening her pleasure.

  Catherine couldn’t look away from his deep, compelling gaze. No doubt that was his intent and the crescendo came without warning, a tidal wave beyond her control.

  THE AFTERSHOCKS STILL rippled through his system. He doubted he’d ever breathe normally again. Logan rolled to his side and glanced at Cat who looked as sated as he was. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her green eyes were still heavy-lidded and her breathing still sounded rapid and shallow.

  He stretched his arms overhead. Huge strategic mistake, he discovered immediately. Catherine r
olled onto her back, away from physical contact. That cleared his mind at once.

  If she needed distance, he respected that. But not until she understood a few things. He’d never lost himself with someone before and he’d have bet she felt the same. He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arm back around her.

  She didn’t pull away but instead surprised him by curling into him. “That was incredible,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Mind-blowing,” she agreed.

  He hoped she was referring to the emotion involved as much as the act itself. He waited a beat but she didn’t speak. Apparently she needed space. Her next words confirmed it.

  “It’s getting cold in here, don’t you think?”

  “I’m pretty warm myself.” He nuzzled the side of her neck.

  Her laugh sounded more relaxed. “You know what I mean.”

  He did. Once she drew his attention to it, the crackle of the fireplace called to him. “Tell you what. Let me put out the fire and we can move to the bedroom.”

  He held his breath. After the intimacy they shared, now wasn’t the time for her to be claiming the couch for the night.

  She nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Giving her some distance and privacy, Logan rose first and grabbed for his jeans before kneeling by the fire. It wasn’t easy, knowing she was undressed behind him, but somehow he managed.

  He wasn’t great at reading signals women sent out, but he sensed she needed a combination of space and reassurance. Just one of the many things he liked about Catherine was her honest responses.

  Logan feared, given the chance, she’d run from what they shared instead of facing it. He’d finally found the one woman who liked everything in his life that was real and nothing that was related to the Montgomery wealth or status.

  If he had his say, she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CATHERINE WOKE TO THE SUN streaming in through the window. Logan’s window, Logan’s room. She glanced over, but his side of the bed was empty. The shower sounded in the background. She lay back into the pillows. Every pull of her muscles reminded her of last night. And, Catherine admitted to herself, she felt good.