Mad enough to marry (14 page)

His. It was that thought that kept him sane and that kept his caresses gentle and unhurried.

He drew his forefinger lightly over the soft, wet cleft.

'*Logan." His name was a plea, a very sexy demand.

*'Mnmi." He drew his finger down.

"Let me touch you." She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down, afraid of what might happen if she took what she wanted.

His finger drew up, drew down. She opened for him, her body inviting his deeper touch. He slid inside.

She cried out.

He drew out the finger, then sUd two inside.

''Logan."

'*Shh. This is so good," he told her, his voice hoarse. "This is what I need."

Her head moved back and forth against the pillow. *'No. It's what I need."

"Same thing, honey. Same thing." His hand took her slowly, it took in order to feed his desire and to feed hers.

His body throbbed with heat, demanding release, but it was all right because his hand was sHck with Elena, shck with her arousal, slick with the evidence that he wasn't the only one at the mercy of sex.

"Don't," she whispered. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Not Uke this."

He froze. She wants me to stop? But then he realized her hands were at the buttons of his jeans again. She wanted them both naked. She wanted to make love with him. He remembered promising to give to her, that she could take from him, and so he tore open his pants and shoved himself free of the rest of his clothing.

Then he dropped between her thighs.

The wet heat at the center of her body kissed his arousal, and he gritted his teeth against the beast's instant need to dive inside. Instead he Ughtly, slowly caressed her there with himself.

Her eyes closed and she writhed, then lifted herself up to him. ''No peudo pensar. I can't think."

"You're not supposed to think," he whispered against her ear. "You're supposed to feel. Feel me, Elena." He rubbed against her once more.

Her fingers clutched his head and she brought his lips to hers, her mouth greedy on his. '*Now," she said against his lips. "I want it now."

Again, her demanding excitement helped him restrain his. Shaking his head, he rolled off her to lie stomach-down beside her on the futon. '*Not so soon."

Her lower lip pushed out—an expression he would dare to call a pout if the woman was anyone but Elena. *'rve been waiting forever," she complained.

He laughed softly, pleased by the tmculence in her voice.

She narrowed her eyes. '*You're making fun of me.

**Not in a million years." With his hip grazing hers, he was close enough, and she was obviously aroused enough, that the savageness inside him stayed at a simmer. He leaned over to kiss her softly, his hand cupping and fondUng her breast.

But with the touch, the kiss, he seduced himself and he was compelled to firm his touch, to take the kiss deeper. Elena's hand came around the back of his head, and he felt her breast swell in his hand.

A sharp, hot shudder worked its way down his back. He groaned, it was all so damn, damn good, and then she clutched his shoulders, pushed, shoving him flat to the futon so he was beneath her.

'*Elena, no," he choked out.

'*Logan, yes," she whispered back. The ends of her hair swept across his cheek as she drew her hot little mouth over his chin and then down his neck to

his chest. She kissed him, then added litde half bites that should have been almost sweet, but that in his highly aroused state were too Uttle, too hght, too not enough.

He palmed the back of her head to press her harder against his flesh, but she twisted away and sat up. Her soft laughter echoed in the near-empty room.

He reached for her.

She edged back. **Nuh-uh-uh." She shook her finger at him, mischief tilting up the comers of her eyes. *'Not so soon.'*

Deep inside him, the wildness was rising again. He closed his eyes, reaching for the control to hold it back.

It was why he missed that dangerous move of her hand.

Small fingers slid over his erection.

He jerked up, she pushed him down with her fi*ee hand, running her other over him again. **No, Elena, no," he said.

She glanced at his face, then gazed back down at what she held in a gentle fist. "Eres mio."

**Yes.*' He had no idea what she*d said, but it didn't matter. *'Now stop."

*'Mine." She caressed the length of him with her hand. Logan tensed, trying desperately to remember he was a sophisticated, mature man.

Then she lightly squeezed.

Sophistication shattered.

In the instant it took for the heat to sweep across his body, his brain, he reversed their positions again.

But this time when he came between her thighs he wasn't going to tease or caress or stop.

She must have seen it on his face. Her palms pushed against his chest as he lowered to her. '*Lo-gan—"

"Playtime's over, honey."

"Condom."

Condom? For a moment he thought she was speaking in Spanish again because he didn't recognize the word. It made no sense to the wildness riding him. Then he cursed and cursed again as he groped for his jeans.

As his hands came up empty, an image burst in his mind, beautiful and pure. Elena, her breasts ripe and full, her belly round with his child. Elena pregnant with their baby.

The idea should scare him soft, but instead his lust surged, his body going even harder. He spat out another curse.

"I beUeve that's what Fm waiting for," Elena said, a hint of laughter in her voice. She dangled a foil-wrapped square in front of his face. "Will this help?"

He snatched it out of her hand. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you," he said hoarsely, as he took care of the condom then positioned himself between her thighs again.

"Why—" The word ended on a gasp as he entered her in one long stroke.

He groaned, holding himself still and deep. "Elena. You're so tight. You..." His mind scrambled, trying to figure out how she could have seemed so slick and

ready, yet now appeared in near...pain. Her body squeezed down on his, hard.

"Elena. Honey." He dropped his forehead against hers. **Are you all right?"

She nodded once, but her gaze slid away.

He swallowed. "Honey, I can't pull out without hurting you more. Not unless you relax, okay? Relax your muscles, the ones inside. Do you know what I mean?"

She nodded, but didn't move, outside or in.

He brushed her hair off her face, then kissed her forehead. "I know I hurt you. I hate myself for it. But as soon as you ease up a little, I'll be able to move off you."

She nodded again, but again nothing happened. A tear dripped down her cheek. "I...I can't," she whispered.

The beast, he noted thankfully, had retreated to its lair. Only tenderness entwined with his desire as Logan kissed the next tear away. "Let me help you, honey."

He eased his body a little off hers and reached down between them with one hand. She jumped—^her inner muscles clenching tighter—^when he found the knot of nerves within her silky folds. "Shh," he soothed, and stroked it gently, light circles that he hoped would distract her.

He ran his mouth over each of her eyes, soaking up the tears and then he moved to her Ups again, kissing her gently even as he kept touching, touching, touching her.

He felt her inner muscles ease a little even as a new tension entered her body. Her tongue met his and he stroked past it, stroking deeply with the same rhythm as his fingers.

Her body softened and opened around his invasion. He could move within her now and he slowly began to draw out. She tore her mouth from his. *'Logan?"

*'Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you again."

"You're leaving me?" Her hands clamped down on his hips. "You better not be leaving me."

He froze. "Elena. Maybe we should talk. Maybe—"

His words were cut off as she lifted her hips and took him back inside her. "Maybe we should finish this," she said, her expression stubborn.

He closed his eyes. How many times was a man supposed to say "no" to a woman as beautiful and arousing as this? Wasn't once enough?

"On one condition," he said, opening his eyes to look down into hers. He could tell she was determined to see this through, but he'd be damned if it was for all the wrong reasons when only one counted...desire.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What condition?"

He sighed. She was going to make things difficult for him until the end of his life, he could tell. "We're not going to do this for your pride, my ego or any other stupid reason hke our long-ago past. Agreed?"

"Agreed. But—"

He cut her off with another kiss and then when he had her quiet, he rolled, bringing her on top of him.

She instinctively sat up, winced, then minutely adjusted her position with a little shinuny of her hips.

He groaned.

She looked down at him, her eyes glinting with satisfaction. "You like that." She shimmied again.

Reaching out, he rediscovered her small knot of nerves, strummed it with his thumb. Her gasp was all pleasure this time. **And you like that," he countered.

He pushed up with his body and she hfted. She lowered when he did. He caressed her hip. **That's right, honey. Move just like that."

Her nostrils flared as she caught the rhythm.

His thumb strummed over her flesh again. **And ril move just like this."

Elena danced over him, her movements graceful, erotic. With his free hand, he caught her nipple between his thumb and fingers. Her head dropped bone-lessly back as she rode him and the building pleasure.

He watched her closely, her coiling tension communicating itself through her tightening body. She rose up one more time, slid slowly down and then it happened.

Her hips ground against his and his fingers plucked just that much harder. She shuddered wildly. He meant to watch it all the way through, he meant to make sure he saw her wring every atom of satisfaction from the event, but then her inner muscles clenched down on him again—^tight, tighter.

*'Elena." He groaned and lifted himself up, pushing into her, pushing into her body, invading her climax and giving her his.

She fell against him, and for several minutes they lay plastered together, both of them occasionally shivering with aftershocks of pleasure.

It was only after he'd forced himself up to dispose of the condom then returned to the futon and Elena's arms that she finally spoke. ''Te idio," she said, then she turned her cheek against his chest and bit him.

'*Ow!" He grabbed a handful of her hair and Ufted her head to meet her gaze. **What was that?"

Her expression was smug. **I said, I hate you. The bite is self-explanatory."

*'Like hell it is. I'm sorry I hurt you, but—"

She bit him again. '*Shut up."

He rubbed his abused flesh. **You confuse me."

'*My godl in life," she said flippantly.

He sighed, then put his arms around her and shifted them both so they were face-to-face on one pillow. **I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to drift off into a nice, quiet, post-coital sleep."

**I thought fliat was the guy's job."

Logan sighed again. This sassiness was not a good sign. Elena was up to her old tricks, erecting prickly barriers between them, even after they'd been as intimate as two people could get.

As intimate as she'd ever been with any man.

**You were a virgin."

**That's why I said I hate you," she said, half smiling even as her gaze drifted away from his. **Look at what I've been missing out on. I could have had years of pleasure!"

He saw red. He closed his eyes against the color

of angry, instant temper, but it was still there, pulsing behind his eyelids. "I don't know if Fm madder at the idea of you wishing I'd seduced you at sixteen or at the idea of you being pleasured by a succession of other men." 1 m sorry.

Her apology had him opening his eyes, instantly suspicious. "What did you say?" he asked.

She bit her lip, then ran her hand through his hair. "That was a nasty crack." She toyed with one lock, curUng it around her finger. "I...I don't know what I wish, but I understand why you said no that night."

Logan wasn't sure even he knew all the answers to that, but he nodded then took the opportunity to broach another subject. "You've waited a long time to...to..."

"Have sex?" she prompted.

He didn't know why the two simple words made him want to tear something into a thousand Uttle pieces. "Make love."

Her shoulder jerked in a partial shrug. "Not any particular reason. I just never found the right man at the right time."

She'd never trusted a man that much, Logan realized, gathering her closer. Elena was so very careful with sharing herself, soul and body. But for a little time, anyway, she'd trusted him.

She yawned and closed her eyes, snuggling her cheek into the pillow.

"What are you doing now?" he asked. Besides avoiding him, because that was perfectly obvious.

'*Mmm," she murmured, wriggling within his embrace as if trying to get more comfortable. *'Settling into that nice, quiet, post-coital sleep you requested."

He let her wriggle and he let her close her eyes, but he didn't let her out of his arms. His gaze on her face, he reran the entire act in his mind. Once he'd entered her and realized how inexperienced she was, that wildness she called from him had stayed safely in the distance. He didn't know if he could have handled being at the mercy of the beast this first time with her.

She made a little sound and he could tell she actually was settling into sleep now. He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose, then drew in a long breath that was an unforgettable combination of Elena's sun-washed-flowers scent and sex.

Some time before dawn, Logan rose from the futon, remembering Elena's concern that his mother would know they'd slept together. He softly kissed Elena's mouth and whispered that he'd see her later. She murmured in response, her hand lifting drowsily to touch his cheek.

His body instantly hardened and he felt the stirrings of rampant lust reawakening. He had to force himself away from her because he wanted with equal strength both to take her again and to tenderly to guard her sleep.