He lifted his hand to her dark, curly hair. She didn’t move, only continued watching him with those chocolate-coloured eyes. Logan slipped his palm to the back of her neck. He’d always loved the nape of a woman’s neck, the smooth warmth hidden under a cascade of hair. Abiona’s hand went to his chest as he drew her closer to him, their lips meeting in a sudden crush of heat. She gave a little moan against his mouth. She tasted like sweetness and spices. Her body melted against his as if she were boneless.
Her body. Logan’s hands skimmed over her cotton caftan, touching her soft, round curves with increasing urgency. His penis hardened within seconds as he felt her heavy breasts, her nipples already hard against his fingertips. Damn how he wanted her in all her mystical, haunting glory. No one had ever looked at him with the same, acute perception. It was as if Abiona knew so much more than he realised. A charge of lust coursed through his nerves. He felt it in her, too, in the increasing tension of her muscles and the sway of her hips.
She twined her arms around his neck and drew him closer, plunging her tongue into his mouth. Logan grasped the material of her caftan in his fists and drew it slowly over her legs and hips. Thoughts spun through his mind. What was she doing to him? He, Logan Waterford, suddenly didn’t care that they were in the middle of a cemetery, that anyone could walk by. Shaded by the darkness and the oak tree, he wanted nothing more than to sink into this incredible woman.
He trailed his fingers up the soft skin of her inner thigh, then thrust them gently into the moist warmth of her pussy. Abiona gasped, her eyes glowing with excitement and lust as she leaned back against the tree and spread her long legs apart for him. She murmured something in Creole that Logan didn’t understand, but the sound went into his blood. He reached down and quickly worked the buttons of his jeans. Abiona’s breathing grew hard as she pushed his hands aside and grasped his penis. Her long fingers stroked him with a surprising intuition, as if she knew exactly what motions would be the most effective. Logan closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers as he pushed a forefinger into her slit. She moaned, all silky wetness and malleability. He slid his hands up the curves of her hips to her breasts, rolling her stiff nipples between his fingers. Then he hooked his hands underneath her thighs, lifting her against the tree as she guided his prick towards her.
In one swift movement, he was buried in her humid warmth. Abiona gasped and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her body totally open to his penetration. She felt like heaven. Her inner muscles clenched around him as he began thrusting inside her. His blood felt like fire, his every nerve concentrated on the woman before him. Whimpers emerged from Abiona’s throat in an unending stream, her hips working against him to increase the depth of his immersion. Logan fought to retain control of himself. He had been so taken by this woman from the beginning that he wanted her utter rapture. His fingers sank into her thighs as he pumped inside her, his engorged prick stimulated by the intermittent sensations of her heat and the cool air. Holding her with his body, Logan moved one hand down to her swollen clit and began rubbing.
‘Oh, yes,’ Abiona moaned. ‘Harder, please.’
He rubbed harder as her pussy tightened around him and she let out a squeal. She worked herself almost frantically on his cock as she came, riding out every last shudder of pleasure. The feeling of her flesh vibrating around his cock was too much to stand. Logan thrust deep inside her with a groan as he spilled into her with wave after wave of sensation.
Gasping, Abiona sank back against the tree. Logan lowered her legs gently to the ground as he struggled to catch his breath. Abiona opened her eyes to look at him, her lips curving into a smile.
‘You know, Logan, they say that Ghede is also a great spirit of sex,’ she murmured.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. ‘Now that’s something I can believe.’
Her laughter sounded like bells. She drew her caftan back over her body and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. ‘Thank you.’
Logan fastened his jeans and shook his head. He’d never imagined that he would be capable of something like this, let alone with a voodoo priestess. Oddly enough, he felt a strange calmness inside. ‘No. Thank you.’
She smiled again and bent to blow out the candles before placing them in her basket. She slipped her arm through his as they walked out of the cemetery.
‘I believe this will help you, Logan,’ Abiona said. ‘The ritual, I mean. But you must also make amends with your father.’
The calm feeling evaporated. ‘I don’t think so.’
She gave him a quizzical look. ‘Why are you so hostile to him?’
‘He was irresponsible.’
Abiona chuckled. ‘Ah, now there is the Logan Waterford Callie left.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Simply that I know you are much more complex than this image you project to the world.’ She glanced at him from beneath her dark eyelashes. ‘And I believe Elenore Lawrence knows that, too. I only wish your wife did as well.’
Chapter Thirteen
‘
S
ir?’ Adam’s heart pounded as he knocked on Logan’s office door and peeped around the corner. They’d both been working late, and everyone else had left for the day. ‘You wanted to see me?’
Logan glanced up from his computer. ‘Yes. Close the door and sit down.’
Adam smoothed down his hair and entered the room. Logan returned his attention to the computer, effectively ignoring Adam for the next couple of minutes. Adam glanced furtively at his watch. It was past eight and he had to be at the theatre that evening. He stared at Logan for a moment, drinking in the strong line of his jaw and the way his reading glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. He adored it when Logan wore his glasses; they gave him a certain vulnerability.
Logan finally pushed his chair away from the computer and turned to Adam. His eyes narrowed slightly.
‘I thought you were going to get rid of that earring.’
Adam touched his eyebrow. Tess had given him a gorgeous ring to wear and he wasn’t about to remove it, not even for Logan. ‘I was. I just . . . I mean, I kind of like it. Is there a company policy against it?’
Logan shrugged. ‘I have no idea. But if you want to look like a fool, that’s fine by me.’
Adam squirmed. ‘OK. Um, thanks.’
‘I want you to do some research into a married couple,’ Logan said. ‘Elenore and Gerald Lawrence. They lived in Charleston for five years before moving to Savannah about twenty years ago. Gerald is dead now, and Elenore lives in Hilton Head. She’s purchased a riverboat and wants to turn it into a floating hotel and gambling casino.’
‘That’s a great idea, sir!’ Adam said eagerly as he scribbled down all the information. ‘Those are really big with tourists, especially on the Mississippi.’
‘I didn’t ask for your opinion,’ Logan reminded him dryly. ‘Get as much information as you can about their legal activities. You can call Sam Houston again if you need his help.’
‘Are they clients?’ Adam asked. ‘The Lawrences, I mean.’
‘No. I’d also like to know about their finances. Keep this quiet.’
Adam nodded and looked at his boss. He wondered why Logan had so many hush-hush things going on lately.
‘Sir, um, can I ask you about your wife?’
Logan’s expression tightened. ‘No.’
Adam debated about just how much he should tell Logan. ‘Um, because, you know . . . I’ve talked to her.’
Logan looked up abruptly. ‘What? When?’
‘Once after a show I went to,’ Adam explained. He quailed slightly under that razor-sharp gaze, but forced himself to go on for Callie’s sake. ‘She’s really nice. She seems to really love you, too.’
For the first time since he had known Logan, Adam saw the other man look startled. Adam almost dropped his pen. He’d actually shocked Logan Waterford?
‘How do you know that?’ Logan asked sharply.
Adam’s throat convulsed. Maybe he should learn how to keep his big mouth shut. ‘W-when I was talking to her, she mentioned you. She . . . she just seemed as if she m-missed you.’
‘What did she say?’
‘That she was sorry your relationship didn’t look as if it would work out.’ Adam shifted in his chair and wondered about the wisdom of trying to help Callie out here. ‘She seems like a great lady. Too bad you let her go.’
He winced when Logan glowered at him.
‘I didn’t “let her go”,’ Logan snapped. ‘She walked out on me.’
‘Oh. Well, she probably had a good reason, then. She didn’t strike me as the kind of woman who does things without thinking.’
Logan’s gaze narrowed. ‘How did you discover all this about her?’
‘It was just one conversation,’ Adam replied quickly. ‘I swear, Logan, that was all.’
He glanced at his watch and saw with relief that it was nearing nine o’clock. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go. I have a thing to attend this evening.’
‘What thing?’
Adam stood, aware of an increasing blush. ‘Just a . . . well, a theatre event.’
‘What show?’
‘You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s kind of an experimental performance art show.’
‘And will my wife be there?’ Logan asked.
‘I don’t think so.’
Logan stood and shrugged into his suit jacket. ‘Well, why don’t I go with you and find out for myself?’
Oh shit. ‘L-logan, I don’t think you want to do that,’ Adam stammered.
‘And why is that?’
A trickle of sweat ran down Adam’s back. ‘It’s kind of a sex show.’
Logan frowned. ‘Kind of?’
‘Y-yes.’ Adam began backing towards the door, sending up a silent prayer that Logan wouldn’t follow. ‘You really don’t want to see it.’
‘On the contrary. I think I do.’ Logan picked up his briefcase and strode towards the door. ‘I’ll drive.’
Oh man, oh man, oh man.
Adam’s knees fairly knocked together as he followed Logan out to his car. He couldn’t just leave Tess in the lurch by attempting to flee, but how could he possibly get on stage with Logan in the audience? Even worse, how could he do what he was supposed to do? His face flamed.
As he directed Logan to the theatre, Adam tried frantically to think of a way out of this situation.
‘You know, Logan, I think Callie might be working this evening. The owner of Nebula Arcana is the star of the show. Maybe you should go to the shop instead.’
Logan glanced at him. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘I’m telling you, Logan. Callie won’t be here.’
‘Why are you so eager to get rid of me?’
Adam squirmed. ‘Logan, uh . . . I should t-tell you something.’
‘What?’
‘I’m sort of in the show.’
Logan’s head whipped around to fix him with a piercing look. ‘You’re
in
the show?’
‘Y-yes.’
‘As what?’
‘A performer.’ Maybe it would be better if Logan knew up front what to expect.
‘What the hell do you perform?’
‘Well, it is a pretty explicit sex show.’ Adam saw all his hours of hard work and overtime spinning down the drain. His fist curled around his seat belt as he watched the mask of disapproval descend over Logan’s features. ‘Am I fired?’
‘Not yet.’ Logan pulled into the car park next to the theatre and got out.
Adam couldn’t believe this was happening. His mind spun back over their conversation. How had Logan ended up here with him? Lord, Tess was going to have a fit about this.
‘The performance starts at ten,’ he said. ‘I have to get ready.’
‘Good, you get ready.’ Logan looked at the dilapidated theatre and broken marquee and shook his head. ‘This is brilliant.’
Adam grabbed his bag and hurried towards the theatre. His stomach churned. Logan was going to be in the audience! He went backstage and found Tess applying her make-up in her dressing room.
‘Tess, I have terrible news,’ Adam gasped.
She glanced at his reflection in the mirror. ‘Adam, you’re all flushed. What’s wrong?’
Adam sank down on to the couch and put his head in his hands. ‘I’m ruined. I made the mistake of telling Logan that I had a performance to attend, and he got it in to his head that Callie would be here. He insisted on coming with me.’
Tess’s eyes widened as she swivelled around to look at him. ‘Callie
will
be here, Adam! It’s the first night of the Spanish Inquisition set, and she promised she’d come.’
Adam groaned. ‘Oh man. We are in such a crisis.’
‘Let me see if I can reach her at the shop.’ Tess picked up the telephone, then sat there chewing on a silver fingernail as the phone rang. She shook her head and hung up. ‘She’s not there. She and Eldrich were going to grab some supper before coming over. They must have left already.’