Anything He Desires (2 page)

“I should be two weeks. Do you think you can have it up and running by then?” he asked.

“Yes. That should be fine.” She knew it would be a lot of work but it was her dream so she would make it happen.

“I would also like you to make use of visitation day. We will have to share the visitation room with others but I think we need to keep in touch and it’s the only way while I’m still here. Would that work for you?”

“Sure.” She cleared her throat. She was going to have to get over these squirm-inducing feelings he triggered in her.

“Great. They’ll have a visitation schedule for you. You have already been approved.”

He stood to leave and she followed his lead. Logan looked at her and held out his hand for a handshake.

“Do you want to shake on it?” he asked.

“I think that would be appropriate.” When she touched him, they both felt a jolt and instead of the quick, professional handshake she’d planned on, it lingered until a guard brought her out of her stupor.

“Hour’s up,” the guard said gruffly. Kristen felt heat go through her body. Had she just been reprimanded?

*

Logan smiled at her but he wasn’t his cocky self.

             
He watched her go and silently prayed she would come back. It was pretty stupid allowing her to feel his attraction to her but she needed to know what she was getting into with him. They would be working closely. She might as well know with whom she was going to be spending hours day after day. If she wanted to run, she should do so now. She would be his and he hoped she was fine with that because he wasn’t accustomed to being denied. He always got what he wanted when it came to women.

*

             
Kristen stomped all the way to the car. She wasn’t sure what had happened in there. That wasn’t the professional meeting she had planned. If she were honest with herself, however, part of it was her fault.

Now she had a decision to make. Should she set aside her feelings and allow him to fund the project or should she try and find someone else?

She had to work with him because it was impossible to find funding. They could just work around the attraction. She would set boundaries and he would adhere to them. She wouldn’t be bullied by this man.
             

He had literally swept her off her feet—or off her chair—and she knew resisting him would be extremely difficult.

She shook her head. Time to put that in a drawer for now. Instead, she thought about his crime and wondered if she should have talked to him about that and the details surrounding the situation. All she knew was what she had read and she would like to hear his side of the story.

But it had to be a sore spot for him and she should probably wait until they knew each other better to address such personal issues. And then she grinned a little because the kids she worked with would probably ask him anyway and she could hear his side of the story then.

His childhood mimicked that of many of her kids and having him on board could only be an asset.

There. That’s good. Instead of thinking about her attraction to him she would focus on what he could bring to the table. He wasn’t only spending a lot of money; he would also bring insight and real life to these children. He would help her and the kids and that was all she had to think about. Her attraction to him was probably not as obvious as she thought.  She was the one making a huge deal out of the whole thing. She was just being a prude.

*

             
If she could have known the thoughts running through Logan’s mind then, she would have known it was only going to get more intense.

He had plans for her and they didn’t completely involve the youth. As he made his way back to his cell, he couldn’t wait until visitation. He normally dreaded that day, but now he was looking forward to seeing her again. He hadn’t anticipated being attracted to someone who didn’t fit his normal profile. It astounded him in many ways. He went through her attributes in his head and couldn’t decide what made her different. All he really knew was he wanted her.  He was a taker and she needed to know that about her new partner.

Chapter Two

Visitation

The Taker and the Giver

             
Visitation was on Saturday. Kristen decided she would keep her end of the bargain and visit.

She went through all the procedures to get into the prison. The only difference was she had to wait in line with all the other visitors. The correctional officers seemed pissed off as they checked everyone in.

The women were chatterboxes, like friendly members of a gardening club. They seemed to know each other and were determined to rope her into membership as well. When they asked if she was visiting her man, she quickly said no and they all acted as if she was just in denial. She wanted to explain it all to them but she was afraid it would make her look snobbish and superior so she allowed them to believe what they wanted.

They were all escorted into the same visitation room she had used before. Now there were numbers on the tables and Kristen was assigned a number. She sat down and waited patiently for him to come in, watching the other women as they welcomed their husbands, sons, fathers and lovers. It was interesting and she was so engrossed with it all she didn’t see Logan walk in.

*

             
He watched her as she watched the others and he smiled. She may be an innocent but she is very curious with public affection. He chuckled to himself. He was about to give her something to think about.

When he cleared his throat to get her attention, she stood up to greet him. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that was the very opposite of the peremptory and brief kisses exchanged all around them.

*

The moment he touched her, she had felt now-familiar jolt of heat. When he pulled her to him, she was bathed in it. And when he laid his lips on hers, the fire was poured into her. It was so stunning she just stood there and received it. Parting her lips so he could—so she could—drink the warmth better.

His arms tightened around her. His thumb branded her just below her breast.  That touch seared through her clothes. It woke her up a little even as she cursed her clothes for being in the way. And then she cursed herself roundly when she realized she’d been quite hungrily returning his nipping and licking.

Oh gods. She broke away. Her lips tingled. Heat flooded her face.

She blushed harder when she looked around and saw the women all smiling and winking. She wanted to explain but she couldn’t rationalize it herself so she just smiled back and shrugged her shoulders.

“That wasn’t an appropriate thing to do and I think you know that,” she hissed at Logan.

“I never said I was appropriate,” he whispered back.”And I think you rather enjoyed my kiss. If you can look me in the eye and say you didn’t, I’ll stop kissing you.” He looked her dead in the eye.

Kristen wanted to tell him she did
not
enjoy the kiss and he should never do it again but she had to stop lying to herself about him.

“I’ll assume from your silence you did enjoy my kiss and I can continue to kiss you when I’m given the opportunity,” he said with a slight smirk.

“I’m not giving you permission to…to ravage me. I’m simply saying the kiss wasn’t bad. Don’t put words in my mouth. Perhaps you’ve just been without a woman for too long and when you get out and can properly satisfy yourself, then maybe you will not act like a brute.”

He was full-on grinning now. “I have in no way ravaged you yet. If I did, you would know it and you will not be quite so calm about the whole thing.” He was baiting her back, and it was proven by his next words. “As for being without a woman, I can assure you I have found myself satisfied. There are correctional officers and nurses. They can be quite obliging.”

Kristen had to bite her lower lip to prevent her jaw from dropping. She decided to change the subject. She knew when she was fighting a losing battle.

“Let’s talk about the program, shall we?” she said in as steely a tone as she could muster, with her legs still a bit wobbly from that kiss that wasn’t ravaging yet, he said. Good gods. “After all, that’s why I’m here.”

His response was to pick up her arm and kiss the underside of it. She tried to ignore him and pull away, but his grip was too tight. She didn’t want to make a scene either. And despite the fact that he was driving her insane, if she delved a little deeper she knew it felt wonderful.

“This is a test and you are passing. Can I trust you? We shall see.”

His nibbles became nips. She wanted to wrench her arm away but couldn’t. He was testing her, he said. For some reason, she wanted to pass.

He increased the pressure and it hurt now. She blocked the pain. He didn’t take his eyes off of her. He bit down, almost breaking skin. Every instinct in her body said she should yell for an officer, but that felt like betraying him.

“Please. You’re hurting me.”

He immediately released her and she pulled her arm back. A bruise was already forming. The look she gave him must have been more pathetic than she thought because he looked sorry, like he felt bad about what he’d done.

“I had to know I could trust you. That you wouldn’t betray me even when pushed.”

“Is it over? There will be no more bites or bruises.”

He chuckled. “I can’t promise that but I can promise you I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to do.” He turned her arm over to look at his mark.“You are mine now. Whether you know it or not, you belong to me.”

She looked around. No one had noticed he’d tried to nibble through her arm. It probably looked like he’d been innocently inhaling the scent on her wrist. Casually, she said, “I don’t belong to you or anyone and if I were you I wouldn’t try a stunt like that again. You may get more than you bargained for.”

“I have a feeling we are both going to get more than we bargained for. At least I can admit that to myself. You, my dear, know the truth but prefer to be in denial. Time will show you I’m right.”

Kristen wanted to argue with him but she didn’t know what to say. She felt so young and immature around him. She was normally this confident woman but he turned her into something else entirely.

She regained her control and started to talk about the program again. He allowed her to change the subject but she knew in her heart that this round went to him.

             
By the end of visit, she felt that she had regained a semblance of control. She felt a little more optimistic that they could work together without ending up in the bed. She heard the announcement over the loudspeaker saying visitation was over.

“Will you come back next week? Or have I scared you away?” he asked.

“I’ll be back. I don’t scare so easily and we need each other. More importantly, the kids need us both. We can work on the other stuff as we go.” She tried to hide her blush.

             
Kristen got out of her chair and started to walk away.

“Run away, Kristen, but there will be a time when you can’t run,” he said firmly.
             

             
She managed to walk out without tripping on her unsteady legs and the lady who had talked to her earlier gave her a knowing smile.

“I think he is your man. Not that I blame you honey. That man is fine. I thought
my
man was going to blow a fuse because I couldn’t keep my eyes off yours.”

             
Kristen felt her lips quiver in response. She knew how the lady felt and she understood the staring. Logan was hot and mysterious and she had to work hard to maintain her control around him. She and the lady walked out together. Kristen waved good bye and said, “See you next week.”

             
Kristen thought about the visit all the way home. Why had he bitten her? It really didn’t make sense. She kept glancing at the purple swelling on her wrist, embedded with tiny marks, his teeth. The memory of his mouth pressed against her small, white wrist gave her a tingle in the dark pit of her stomach. She blocked the pain and instead found his control over her sensual.

She was an innocent and had so many questions but no one to talk to about these things. She was pretty sure the people she knew—even Kimberly–might not even try to have an open mind about the whole thing.

Was she just trying to justify what he was doing because she was attracted to him?

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

At least she had a week before she had to deal with him again. It surprised her that she was so sure she was going back. There was no doubt in her mind that next week she would be in line with all those other women waiting to see their man.

The question she needed to ask herself was if he was her benefactor who would make her dreams come true with his generous donation, or if he was something more.

Was he her man? It was a ridiculous thought. He was probably laughing at her immaturity. She felt stupid in many ways. Next week, she would be professional and she wouldn’t allow him to have the upper hand.