Friction (6 page)

He popped a ripe strawberry into his mouth and seemed to be considering her response.

“Well…we’re attracted to each other, that was obvious last night. And I think you know I’d like to see that—more—happen again.”

He ate another strawberry, slowly, his eyes on her with uncomfortable intensity. “But I also like your company. I’d like to think there’s more to this—and to me—than just trying to get in your pants, though that thought is a very nice one, I have to say.”

Well, at least he was honest; she’d give him that. And she was attracted to him, tempted in ways she’d thought were over and done for her. He was…unexpected.

“I’m not sure it will work out that way. Just to let you know, since we’re being up front.”

“You mean because things didn’t go well last night?”

She nodded, not saying anything more, and almost jumped when he took her hand, running a half-bitten strawberry along her palm and then lifting it to his mouth. She inhaled sharply as his tongue lapped the sweetness off the sensitive part of her hand.

“So you don’t like it when I touch you? When I do something like this?”

“I, uh—” Sarah lost any sense of what she was about to say when he took her index finger and slid it between his lips, and then drew it slowly out. His mouth was hot,
and she made the mistake of looking down and meeting his gaze, then letting her eyes travel down a little farther where he unabashedly displayed an erection that challenged the tensile qualities of the neoprene.

She looked around, not so much concerned whether they were alone as making sure they were. If she’d been worried about his motives, she wouldn’t have come. Even if she was wrong, she was more than up to the task of taking him down if things got out of hand. But, as he continued to lick hot kisses all over her fingers, and that gorgeous erection still strained within clear view, taking him down was not the first thing on her mind. Well, not in the violent sense, anyway.

She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the thousand sparks of desire he was igniting. She didn’t want to feel these things.

But then again, why not? It was a vacation thing, right? In two weeks he’d head home, and so would she, and that would be the end of it. Maybe this was her chance to reclaim a little part of her life. Maybe it was time. No harm, no foul.

Remembering what he’d done to her the previous evening, she was surprised at how tempted she was. She was rarely seriously tempted by men, at least not so long as she could remember. But she was burning now.

“Sarah, you never answered my question. If you don’t like this, all you have to do is tell me to stop. Just like last night. If you ask me to stop, at any point, I stop. No problem.”

He slanted a mischievous smile, glancing down at his
crotch, where her eyes had been planted just seconds before. “Well, maybe there’s a bit of a problem, but not one you have to worry about. I mean it.”

If he’d pressured her at all, she could have withstood the temptation, written him off as just another guy trying to find a way to get laid.

As it was, she just pushed her dishes aside and twisted, closing her hand over his forearm and lifting herself, snagging his leg and ending up solidly on top of him, pushing him into the sand as she lowered her lips to his. She pressed herself along his entire length while she kissed the breath from him, leaving him in no doubt about her intentions.

If she was going to do this, she was going to do it
her
way.

She felt a rumble in his chest, a laugh, maybe, or a groan, maybe both, as his hands closed over her buttocks and pulled her against him while they continued to kiss, forgetting about the need to breathe. Lifting up for just a moment, she saw him smile, his voice both husky with desire and teasing.

“Smooth move. Someone took some self-defense classes at the local Y?”

She just smiled, opening her legs and locking her knees around his hips, pushing back against him before leading another assault on his mouth. Classes at the Y. Yeah, right. If he only knew.

And then somehow, before she could take her next breath, she found herself flipped over on her back. Logan planted himself heavily on top of her and settled
between her sprawled legs, his hands pinning hers on either side of her head. She smiled up at him, a little kick of admiration filtering through her.

“Pretty smooth, yourself. You must have had those same classes.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

She waited, watching him stare down at her, apprehension and anxiety starting to brew as she wondered what he was planning. Why didn’t he just do it already? Kiss her or something? Hadn’t she made it clear she was willing? And ready, she thought, feeling his hardness pressing between her legs. Lord, was she ever ready. She was hot all over, and it wasn’t from the midday sun.

But if he waited much longer she might lose her resolve, and she would have to back down, again. She fought the thoughts crowding her mind. She didn’t want that to happen.

“Logan—” Her voice held an edge of panic and he freed one hand, and brought his to her face, gently wiping away some sand and pushing her hair back.

“Shhhh, Sarah. Relax. We don’t have to make this a contest of wills. We can both win.”

“But—”

“Shush.” The command was gently issued, barely a whisper, but it worked. She didn’t usually take well to being bossed, but these were…unusual circumstances.

He leaned down and rubbed his mouth over hers, releasing her other hand and framing her face with both of his. Something told him that he needed to show her more than desire, something more than sex.

It surprised him that this woman, for whom he had no intentions beyond sex, could inspire such tenderness inside him. He wanted to make her feel…more. More than good. More than hot.

Beautiful as she was, she had a toughness about her. She was too prickly, too ready to fight. It intrigued him, since many of the women he’d known romantically had been too accommodating for his tastes, too eager to please. But Sarah made him curious; he wanted to find the soft parts, the ones she had hidden. He slid his hands into the short, spiky silk of her hair. Yes, he wanted to know everything soft about her, inside and out.

“You’re perfect,” he whispered huskily, caressing the curve of her face with his eyes before burying his face in her neck, leaving hot kisses all along her neck and shoulder until she was arching into him, baring her skin to him.

He pushed his groin into the warm V between her strong legs, delighting in the fierce need that made him want to rip his shorts off and get inside her now, and the equal desire to take it slow and have her begging for him. She was a strong woman and that made it all the more necessary for him to know she was as desperate as he was.

Sliding back, he sat up on his knees, looking down at her flushed cheeks and passion-smudged eyes, drawing her up into a sitting position. He lifted her top, pulling it over her head and exposing her to his eyes, the sun and the ocean breezes that brushed her nipples, stiffening them even as he lowered his mouth to the tempting buds.

She was nicely proportioned, firm, muscular, but sweet. As he drew at the hardened pebbles in the middle of all her softness, he listened to her breath quicken, felt the shudder work its way along her form.

“Logan, please…”

“Yes…beg me to touch you so I know you need me as much as I need you.”

She tensed for a moment, and he knew what he was asking, knew she probably never begged for anything, but he wanted to hear her beg for him. When he pushed her breasts together and suckled at them both the pleasure was so excruciating pleas tumbled from her lips as she grasped the back of his neck and pulled him in tighter, urged him to suck harder. He was happy to accommodate, happy to give her whatever she wanted, though he took it slow, savoring every taste, every scent as he worked his way down her body, trying to discover her secrets.

With an impatient curse, she maneuvered herself forward, dragged her hands along the planes of his back and found the edge of the flexible fabric of his shorts. She slid her fingers underneath, working it down.

“Sarah, wait….”

“No, no waiting.” Her need was fierce and reflected in her voice as she wriggled against him, working to get them both naked.

“I don’t have any protection. I wasn’t planning on…”

She scrambled to her feet, thumbs hooked at the waist of her shorts, looking down at him, and he thought he’d never seen a woman more magnificent. The sun
was high, casting out its brilliance behind her, and she looked like a warrior. This wasn’t a woman who would beg—not for long, anyway. She spoke, shucking the shorts and standing before him gloriously nude.

“I’m protected. Unless you have something you need to worry about, it’s been a long time for me. A very long time. I’m clean. And I’m ready.”

He blinked, then grinned. “Okay, then. No problems here.”

He pushed his shorts down off his legs and flung them to the side, turning over to lie back on his elbows, unashamed of letting her see how turned-on he was. He barely had time to brace himself when she fell to the ground, tackling him again. He laughed into her kisses. So much for begging—this was a woman who was fully prepared to take what she wanted. Thank God she wanted him.

“How long?” he managed to sputter as she lifted over him, easing him inside of her with a look on her face that nearly did him in. She was so damned tight and wet he almost lost it in a way he hadn’t in years. But as she settled down, encompassing him, he held on.

“What?” she was breathless, already starting to rock on top of him, her fingers digging into his shoulders. Before he could repeat his question, he felt her tightening around him, her voice ragged, her breathing sharp. “Logan, I’m sorry, this is going to be quick….”

Hardly wanting apologies for her amazing hunger, he watched her let go, moving as she needed to, coming fiercely around him, squeezing him tight inside and
with her thighs, crying out in release. The milking action of her muscles nearly drove him over the edge, too, but he managed to lie back, keeping his own pleasure at bay, at least for the moment.

Apparently it had been a
very
long time for her, and he was in no hurry. He wanted this to last. He wanted to feel more than the basic physical connection with her that he was feeling at the moment, but he opened himself to her, letting her do as she liked, his own body straining in response. There’d be time for more later.

“Again, Sarah. Take what you need.”

She looked down, leaning over him so that her face was close to his, her mouth closing over his. The next time she came, moving over him with such intensity that she took him with her, they were both moaning inside of a hot kiss as the world fell away around them.

Holding on to each other in the aftermath of their intense joining, something stirred deep inside him: undeniable physical satisfaction mingling with a sense of unease, a feeling of something left adrift, disconnected. What had happened between them had been sheerly physical, and he wasn’t complaining, but he knew he hadn’t reached her past the surface. And for some insane reason, he wanted to.

“S
O, HAVE YOU
been behaving yourself?”

Sarah rolled her eyes, thinking about her recent behavior, and of how surprised E.J. would be to know she was taking a page from his book and living in the moment. Love the one you’re with, or some such thing. But she was in the middle of the main room of the inn; it wasn’t the time or the place to share. So instead she kept to the real reason she’d called in the first place.

“Please, E.J., help me out here.”

“No way am I inviting the wrath of Ian down on my head, darlin’. He’s been a knot of nerves since he found out about Sage, and if he finds out you aren’t enjoying yourself as ordered, we’ll both be used for target practice.”

Sarah sighed heavily into the phone before a smile reluctantly twitched. Ian had just found out Sage was pregnant and according to E.J., he was freaking out. She could easily imagine it. But really, she was so happy for Ian and Sage, and for herself, in an odd way. She’d been estranged from her own family for so long, been alone for most of her adult life, that it was weird—but nice—to be part of a group again. They felt like her family.

“So she’s doing well?”

“Healthy as a horse, and not giving Ian an inch, though he’s trying to boss her every which way. He wants her to put a hold on her work for now, and you can only imagine her response to that. Fur is a-flyin’. And I think he wants to drag her into some kind of shotgun wedding, to boot. I saw them this morning and she looked healthy enough—she was chewing him out one but good. Hormones, maybe—she was really on a tear.”

Sarah laughed. Sage was no pushover, though she wasn’t usually argumentative. There was no need to be—she and Ian worked together like peas in a pod, and it almost made Sarah think romance might be worth the trouble. Ian was usually putty in Sage’s hands, but they were both strong personalities, and every now and then, as E.J. described, the fur certainly did fly.

“Good luck to him. Sage will never give up work, he’s got to know that. She’s fought too long and hard to get where she is. As for the wedding, well…that ought to be interesting.”

“True, but it won’t keep him from trying. I think he’ll settle down as things move along. He just needs to know she’s okay. On some level he’s just scared to death.”

Sarah knew Ian’s first wife had miscarried and had almost died from the complications. Ian, an FBI agent at the time, had been away on a job, and it had been the beginning of the end for their marriage. She could imagine the conflicting emotions her boss must be going through at the moment, but she knew he could handle it.

“It’s good for him.”

“I agree. So how about you? Enjoying your time off in the sun and sand?”

“It’s dull, though I’ve found a few things to do.” She closed her eyes, picturing Logan on the sand as she’d ridden him the day before, finding pleasure that had rocked her soul. They hadn’t seen each other since they’d returned. They’d had dinner, talked about nothing in particular, and shared one hot kiss before retiring to their separate rooms. He’d seemed distracted, and she wasn’t going to nag or push. He was probably just tired.

But Sarah had to admit to being disappointed that they hadn’t spent the night together. He’d opened a Pandora’s box; now that her body had been reintroduced to sex, she wanted more while it was available.

But he hadn’t been at breakfast that morning, and no way was Sarah going to go all girly and start waiting for him to show up. They’d had a good time, but she had a life of her own.

“I just thought you could mail me over those reports. I could get a little reading done, you know, while I’m sitting on the beach.”

“Are you getting a tan?”

“I wear sunblock, so no.”

“Good girl, but if you don’t come back looking a little sunkissed and completely refreshed, Ian is likely to send you on permanent vacation. He’ll want evidence of fun. So no, no work. No reports. They’ll be waiting for you when you get here.”

“Can’t you just tell me what they say then—”

“Have fun, Sarah—bye.”

And he hung up, laughing, the devil. She growled, setting the phone back in the cradle with a frustrated bang, forgetting she was standing in the middle of the main room where her bad temper was on display for anyone passing by. Damn the lack of privacy here!

She stood by the base of the stairs, fuming. She refused to give into the impulse to find Logan, though there was a nasty little voice in the back of her brain that taunted her. He got what he wanted, why should he bother looking for you now? She felt her eyes burn as she closed them with effort. She would not fall back into that trap again.

“Are you okay?”

Opening her eyes when she felt a hand on her elbow, she found Ivy staring at her with concern. The young woman spoke gently to her again.

“Come here, sit down. Did you get some bad news?”

Sarah shook her head, sighing, letting Ivy pull her to the plump sofa in the corner.

“No, just a frustrating call.”

“You looked liked you didn’t feel good.”

“I have a headache.” Sarah knew she sounded bitchy, and she didn’t really have a headache, she just wanted to be left alone. Looking into Ivy’s open, honest face, she immediately felt bad.

“You stay here, let me get you something. Some aspirin.”

Sarah reached out, grabbed her arm as she started to rise, and attempted a smile. “No, really, thanks. It’s not that bad and I don’t take pills of any kind.”

“Ever? Not even vitamins or aspirins?”

“Nope. None. Ever.”

Ivy looked at a loss, and Sarah felt like an ogre for always putting the young woman on the defensive when she was just trying to be nice. She made an attempt herself, changing the subject.

“I’m sorry. I just need to sit for a while. But thank you. How are you doing?”

Ivy seemed taken by surprise at the apology and the inquiry, her brow creasing before she smiled, her eyes lighting up.

“Oh! I do have news! I have a date.” She said the word proudly, beaming.

“With the kayak instructor? Jim?”

Ivy nodded enthusiastically. “I bumped into him last night, in the office, and we got talking, and then, boom, he just asked me out. I was such an idiot, I couldn’t say anything for like five minutes, but he was so nice. He didn’t seem to mind how dumb I acted.”

“You’re not dumb. And you’re not an idiot. Don’t talk that way.”

“Oh, I know, in general. I’m smart enough for college, and smarter than a lot of folks. But I always get so tongue-tied around guys, and especially around him. He’s just so…I get shivery whenever I look at him.”

Her voice had gone all dreamy, and Sarah felt a surge of uneasiness, a reminder of days when she, like Ivy, had been unsuspecting of what men were capable of.

“Are you sure you should go out with him, Ivy?
Alone? Maybe you should make it a group date until you know him better.”

Ivy’s eyes shadowed, and the furrow in her brow returned. “Why, I’m sure he’s very trustworthy—he’s been working at the resort for several years, and Karen says she trusts him implicitly.”

Hmmm. Shows how much Karen knows, Sarah thought sourly as she remembered Jim’s flirting the day before. She was sure the guy had only one thing in mind when he looked at Ivy, fresh, innocent and ripe for the picking: easy target.

“Listen, Ivy…I don’t want to burst your bubble, I really don’t, but be careful around Jim. Have some fun, but don’t let him charm you into anything you don’t want to do.”

“Like having sex, you mean?”

Sarah was surprised at the girl’s candor, and relieved—maybe Ivy wasn’t as naive as she’d thought. As naive as she had once been.

“Yeah, for one.”

Ivy’s cheeks stained with a light pink, and she leaned in toward Sarah. “I haven’t done that with anyone yet. Not all the way, anyhow. But isn’t it better to have a guy who’s older for your first time? Maybe he knows more, you know, what to do?”

“Could be. But I met Jim and I just have a feeling you should be careful.”

Ivy drew back. “Really? Why?”

“He just seems kind of…you know, like a guy who gets around. He flirts, a little too much.”

She smiled. “You mean in his lessons. He’s always like that. It’s just part of how he puts people at ease.”

Sarah fought the urge to roll her eyes. She hadn’t felt at ease when Jim was sliding his hand up her calf the day before. The guy was a shark.

“Ivy, older guys know things, true, but take it from me, older women know a few things, too. I’m just saying, be careful with him. Don’t let him use you.”

Ivy’s eyes clouded over, and Sarah stood, putting her hand on her shoulder. “I know you have a crush on him but believe me, he’s not as trustworthy as you think.”

Ivy looked up, a few sparks in her eyes now. “How can you know? You don’t even know him!”

Sarah sighed. “I’ve known plenty of guys like him. Believe me, the more you keep your distance, the better.”

With that, she smiled thinly and walked toward the stairs. The talk with Ivy about men using women had fired up her ire toward Logan. She would go about her day, but not before she had a few words with him first.

L
OGAN OPENED
one bleary eye, looking up and seeing only the ceiling. God, he was still dressed and still on the floor, where he’d finally spent hours working once he’d broken back into the wireless connection. He didn’t even remember falling asleep, though it couldn’t have been all that long ago. His laptop had fallen into sleep mode as well, the screen dark, a small, bouncing basketball the only indication the machine was on at all. He had to pack everything up before it was discovered by housekeeping, but first he needed to clean up.

He stood slowly, cursing the fact that at thirty-four, he’d left the flexibility and stamina of his twenties long behind. His back protested painfully as he walked toward the bathroom. Shower. Hot water. Food.

Sarah.

The basic needs occurred to him one by one, the last one making him frown as he stripped and stepped into the spray. He’d wanted to bring her to bed with him last night, pull her through the door and repeat what they’d done on the beach—and more—until he couldn’t walk for other, better reasons. But he wasn’t here for a fling. Sarah was great, and he wanted to spend more time with her, but it was going to be a daytime affair—his nights were spoken for.

And he’d made some good progress. He’d definitely tracked the names of two of the missing women to the gaming company’s master list—now he just had to find out which boat they’d been on. Melanie had been missing for almost six months, but these other two had only been missing for two.

There were only two ships that made port at Norfolk and Virginia Beach. He’d spent the better part of the night trying to break into the company computers, but it was far beyond his capabilities to get through their security. He’d been banging his head against a brick wall for hours before he’d finally lost his connection and had fallen asleep while trying to get it back.

But the evidence was mounting, and he knew the next step was trying to get on board the ship. However, doing that would be tricky. He had no jurisdiction here, let
alone out there where none of the laws applied. That was a snag he hadn’t quite counted on. But if he could get out there, get some solid evidence, and bring it back—

A loud knock on the door startled him out of his train of thought, and he hurried out of the bathroom. His laptop and the papers lying all over the floor had to be hidden away.

“Just a minute!” He let the towel drop, scrambling to shove everything under the bed. He would put it away properly once he got rid of whoever was knocking.

Wrapping the towel securely back around his waist, he opened the door, surprised to find Sarah—looking a bit riled—on the other side. Her blue eyes flashed, first with anger, then with something else as she let her gaze drift over him. His body responded with a quickening that was almost embarrassing.

“Sarah.”

“Logan. You just got up?”

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling awkward and half-aroused. He glanced back at the bed to make sure nothing of what he’d kicked underneath showed from where he stood.

“Yeah, I’m sorry—were we meeting?”

“No. We weren’t. Forget it, sorry to bother you.”

Her voice was cold and she started to turn away when it hit his sluggish mind that she thought he was giving her the brush-off. He’d parted ways with her last night—when it was clear she wouldn’t have said no to spending the night together. And then he’d failed to show up this morning. Now he was acting like he barely remem
bered her. He couldn’t blame her for being pissed. He sighed, holding his hand out to her and opening the door a little wider.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m just groggy.” When she didn’t reach for his hand he moved forward, catching the door with his heel, standing close to her. “I was up late, couldn’t sleep and then overslept this morning. I thought it was housekeeping at the door, and just didn’t expect to find you there.”

She seemed to bristle at that, stepping back. “Fine. I’ll leave you alone, then.”

He snagged her hand. “C’mon, come in. It’ll take me a second to throw some shorts on, and we can go get some food.”

“Already ate.”

He tugged her hand, pulling her up close against him.

“I’m sorry I was a dumbass. I missed you last night….”

“You didn’t have to.” The meaning of her words was obvious, and he felt his response catch in his throat when she spoke again, her features softening just a little. He felt like a jerk for hurting her, and swore to make it up, starting right now. “What were you doing that kept you up so late anyhow?”

“I tossed and turned for a bit, then got caught up in a book.”

“You were reading all night?” She was outright skeptical now.

“Yeah. I thought about coming down and knocking on your door, but I didn’t know if you would appreciate being awakened at that hour.”

“It must have been some book. Maybe I should borrow it.”

“I’ll give it to you when I’m done.”

Her voice softened, “Well, I guess I shouldn’t have my nose so out of joint. I was late to meet you yesterday, after all.”