Ten
The sun lit the remaining clouds in brilliant pinks and reds, and Callie leaned back and took a slow sip of wine while she admired the view. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said. "I hadn't expected the rain to break like that." After a quick stop back at her guesthouse to shower and find some appropriate, dry attire, a light summer dress, she had accepted Logan's invitation to dinner on his yacht. The whole thing had felt like a dream. Her head was still hazy from the unbelievable rush she had felt in Logan's arms earlier that day, and she couldn't help but wonder when she could feel it again.
Logan's invitation hadn't simply been an excuse to get her on his boat. He really had made her dinner, steak to be exact, grilled on one of the three rear decks of his enormous yacht. Each bite of steak was buttery and tender and melted away in her mouth. Each sip of wine only accentuated the flavors. Even if Logan didn't want to sleep with her again, she wouldn't object to him cooking for her. This day had been full of surprises.
"Today's been full of surprises," Logan said.
"Somehow, I have a hard time believing that this isn't exactly how you planned the day."
Logan grinned. "As fun as it was, I hadn't planned on you jumping me in the bedroom."
"I was almost naked and standing in your bedroom, and I saw the way you were looking at me. Am I really supposed to believe that you had completely innocent intentions?"
Logan laughed and his wicked grin widened. "You had me at undressed. By the way, I never said anything about being innocent. I just thought I'd be the one to make the first move."
"Maybe I thought I'd save us both some time. You don't have to play coy with me, Logan. You're not going to hurt my feelings or offend me."
"Maybe I was just taking my time. Did you ever think of that?" Logan said.
"So is that your vaunted skill with women?" Callie asked.
Logan shook his head. "What?"
"Show them a little bit of your soft side. Make them think that maybe, just maybe they can be the one to change your bad boy ways, then go in for the kill?"
Logan laughed. "First, you were the one who 'went in for the kill.' Second, when I decide to make a move, it will be something better than standing there, mouth breathing as I try to figure out how you are as beautiful as you are interesting." He placed his fork down on his plate and walked over to the edge of the deck. He leaned back against a railing and crossed his arms.
"I thought those two things were one and the same for you. And you don't have to tell me I'm beautiful to try to get me to sleep with you again."
"Believe it or not, I'm not always trying to get you to sleep with me."
"BS. You've been thinking about it since before we left the house. I'm not blind. You haven't been able to keep your eyes off of me." Well, Callie thought, there was that moment in the hidden study. She knew he had felt what she had felt. The electric rush as they kissed, the rising heat as he pressed himself against her. If he wanted her so badly, why hadn't he kept going then?
"Then you can appreciate why I can't stop looking at you. Like I said, when I decide to make my move, you'll know."
Callie pushed her chair back and stood up. "Oh I get it. You want everything on your terms."
"If I wanted to have it my way, we wouldn't be talking right now."
"Is that right? That's a bit cocky, even for you. Then again, if I wanted to wrap my legs around you, I'd hope you'd do something more than stand there like you'd never even spoken to a woman before."
"Hey, two can play this game. Remember, you're the one who's thrown herself at me multiple times. Face it, you like me a lot more than you're letting on."
"No, I just don't want to rush things. I like you a lot, and I'd like to enjoy the sunset before throwing myself at you."
"You're not even facing the sunset," Callie said.
"I'm watching the soft glow of the sun on your face. Trust me when I say it's a better view than some clouds and some water, but maybe I should take a closer look." He walked up to Callie and placed his hands on her hips. "So much better." Callie could smell his cologne and the hint of wine on his breath. His breaths were slow and measured, but there was a hint of rasp to them, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to hide his excitement. Her heart was racing, and if he felt anything close to what she felt, he wanted her. She could feel his heat as he held himself tantalizingly close. She looked at his lips, the slight stain of wine on them, and she thought of what it had felt like to kiss him, to feel his rough stubble against her skin as he slid his tongue against hers. She looked into his eyes, and tried to figure out what he was thinking. She knew this was a bad idea. Sleeping together once in a fit of passion, that was one thing, but giving in again would make their relationship something else, something more. What if she couldn't control that something else? What if she let herself fall for him?
Before she could answer her own questions, Logan leaned in and planted a searing kiss on her lips, and the whole world felt like it tilted on edge as she melted into his arms. The first pass of his tongue against hers sent a thrill up and down her spine, and she knew she had to give in. She pressed herself harder against him and gasped for air before sealing her mouth against his again. Who knew when she'd come back up for air? Each movement of his hand against her sent new thrills through her body. His hand on her hips, on her back, on her breasts. His hands moving with wild abandon as Callie kissed him again and again. She didn't just want him. She needed him. She ached to feel him again.
They kissed against the railing on the benches that looked out over the expansive ocean views and finally on the hard wooden deck. They tangled their bodies against each other and gasped and moaned with delight as they kissed. Logan reached up and slid the strap of her dress down off of her shoulder, leaning in to kiss the bare skin before he turned his attention back to her neck. Callie closed her eyes and ground herself against him. She wanted to tear his clothes off and take him right there outside. She could feel his excitement through the thin fabric of his clothing, and she wanted to feel the rush of sliding him inside herself again.
"Bedroom," Logan said, "let's go to my bedroom." He grabbed Callie's hand and pulled her up to lead her inside. As they raced inside, they tossed off their clothing, leaving a trail from each state of undress leading to the bed. By the time they reached it, they were both in their underwear. Callie couldn't wait to throw herself at Logan, but he stopped just short of the bed and turned around to look at her. Still holding her hand, he looked up and down the length of her body. "You're perfect," he said, "Every inch of you is perfect."
Callie looked at him, his tight muscles and his broad frame. He didn't have an ounce of fat on his body, and his physique looked like it had been carved from marble. She reached out and ran her fingers over his abs. "You don't have to say that," she said.
"I know," he replied, "which is why I wanted to tell you."
For the guy who supposedly liked to love ‘em and leave 'em, Logan was surprisingly tender. "Well, you're not so bad either," Callie said.
He ran his hand over her shoulder again. "Besides, if you decide you hate me, I want to remember this moment."
"Hopefully the next ones will be even more unforgettable."
"Those, too," Logan said. He wrapped his arms around Callie's waist and pulled her in, kissing her again, pressing his lips against hers as he stepped back toward the bed. Callie let herself fall into him as his kiss rang through her, weakening her knees and making her want him that much more. She loved the way she fit against him, the way his arms wrapped around her in just the right way. It all felt so natural even though it felt like falling. She had expected to feel badly about giving in to her desire so easily, but everything just felt so right.
Logan held her against himself as he leaned back into bed. As they fell into place, he kissed her chest, and Callie felt new thrills. He unclasped her bra and slid the straps off as he kissed her. Callie felt a jolt of pleasure and a rush of arousal as Logan sealed his lips against her chest and kissed her nipple. A gasp escaped her lips as he licked and kissed and cupped her breasts. Then he placed her hands on her waist and spun her over, positioning himself on top of her before kissing her neck and moving his way back down over her chest. Callie felt an extra thrill as Logan kissed the top of her stomach and hooked his fingers back under her panties, slowly pulling them down her thighs as he kissed her navel.
"You don't have to do that," she said, but Logan didn't reply, he just kept working his way lower, kissing the sensitive skin of her lower abdomen, then her hip, and then her thigh, slowly moving closer and closer to her sex. Each kiss sent a paroxysm of pleasure through her core, and she tensed her muscles as her anticipation and excitement grew stronger. Then he slid his hands between her legs and spread them apart. Callie felt his hot breath against her skin as he moved in closer and closer until finally, he pressed his lips against her and she moaned.
Callie ran her fingers through Logan's hair as he teased her with his tongue. He ran his hands over her body, allowing himself to grab her as she trembled, and moaned. Her heart raced as the warmth and the pressure of the pleasure grew stronger and stronger. The excitement was more than she could bear, and she curled her toes into the blanket and cried out in delight again and again until climax stole her breath. Callie sighed as she reveled in the pleasure. How can he possibly top that? she wondered.
Soon enough she had her answer. Logan started to work his way back up her body, kissing her stomach again, and then her breasts. With each kiss, she felt her excitement building higher. By the time he pressed his lips against her neck, she began to think that maybe she was ready for more. By the time he sealed his lips against hers, she knew she was ready. She slid her tongue against his and oh, God, she felt his erection through his boxers pressed against her as he rocked his hips against hers, and she wanted him all over again, only now she ached to feel him inside her, to slide inside and fill her like he had before. She reached down and tugged at the waist of his boxers, pulling them off as quickly as she could.
Logan ground against her, and the feeling of his smooth skin against her drove Callie wild. That ache grew stronger inside her and she just wanted to feel the rush of having him inside again. "I need you," she whispered. She reached down and rubbed him, and she kissed his chest as he leaned forward.
"Just a second," Logan said as he reached over to the drawer. Callie didn't even notice what he was doing until he handed her the condom. She had gotten so worked up that she had almost forgotten about it. She lowered it against him and unrolled it along his length, half wishing she could feel him inside her without it, his smooth skin sliding against the walls of her core. The thought sent a new rush of excitement through her body. Logan held himself against her entrance for just a moment, but to Callie it felt like an eternity, and her anticipation reached delirious heights before Logan finally pushed himself inside.
Callie clenched her jaw and closed her eyes as surge after surge of pleasure rocked her body. Logan worked himself against her, bucking his hips against hers in a steady rhythm, rising and falling with her breaths. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him even harder against herself, sealing his full length inside herself. She tried to stifle her moans, until Logan whispered, "I want to hear you. It's such a turn on."
Normally, she'd find the whole thing embarrassing, moaning like that, but she wanted to turn him on as much as he had turned her on, and she moaned into his ear, a full, throaty moan, one that echoed through the cabin and rang in her ears. As she moaned, Logan ran his hands over her body, cupping her breasts and rubbing her nipples, and Callie gasped in delight. She licked his earlobe and moaned again. So this was what it was like to be in the arms of a man who knew what he wanted. This was what it was like to feel sexy as hell. She rolled her hips against him as he shook the bed with his thrusts. Logan slid his hands back down over her hips and her behind, running his fingers over all of her curves as he brought her closer and closer to climax.
Callie had never felt like this in her life. She'd never felt such power in her body. She rubbed her breasts against his muscular chest and delighted in the thrill of feeling her skin against his. A thin layer of sweat had started to form between their bodies, slicking their motions against each other. Callie cried out in delight as Logan pushed himself deeper inside her and locked his lips against hers again. This was it. She felt the powerful pangs of climax rising up inside her and he tilted her head back and shouted in delight as Logan brought her to completion.
For a long while after, Callie tried to catch her breath. She was covered in sweat, and her throat was hoarse from shouting. She couldn't believe she had just done that, that she had just let go like that, that Logan had brought out those feelings in her. Her head buzzed with the wonderful haze of satisfaction. It felt just like falling, the rush of being with him, the feeling of weightlessness in his arms and the butterflies in her stomach; it was just like falling.
That sounded nice, but Callie knew it was wrong. What she was doing with Logan wasn't falling. She wasn't falling for him or with him. She was jumping, and it was thrilling. She was discovering a side of herself that she barely knew, and Logan was leading the way. She had taken his hand and followed him over the edge. She just didn't know what would happen when she finally reached the ground.
***
Callie leaned over the railing and watched the morning sunlight glint off of the water below. A light breeze blew her hair back, and she inhaled the calming ocean air. She hoped that Logan was still asleep in bed where she had left him. She didn't feel much like explaining why she had to sneak off to return a call to her sister so shortly after dawn. Amy must have found out about Veronica or the trip or almost anything that had been going on between her and Logan. Why did she worry so much about what her sister thought? Since they were kids, Callie had let Amy worry and mother her at every chance she got. Maybe this time, she'd find a way to stand up for herself and explain exactly what she wanted, if only she knew what that was.
Callie pressed send and called Amy back. "Little sister," Amy said immediately upon answering, "I was beginning to worry that I'd need to send reinforcements to help you out."
"I'm fine," Callie said. "How are you and the baby?"
"We're fine. You know me. I'm just trying to get as much done as possible before the big day. Ethan has been joking that I'll probably end up giving birth right at my desk."
"When's your due date?"
"Two weeks. You know that. I'm pretty sure you had the date circled on your calendar as the date you take over the company."
"On a temporary basis."
"Who knows. I might find that motherhood suits me better."
Callie laughed. "Amy Haven, stay at home mom, I think you'd stage a prison break by the end of the first day."
"Enough about me. How's Don Juan?"
"He's great. I mean things are going great. I mean I don't think you have anything to worry about." Callie stopped herself before she babbled on any more. What the hell was that? she wondered.
"He's great?" Amy asked. "God, you're not falling for him, are you?"
"No, of course not. We have spent some time together though." Callie kept her gaze on the water. She knew were Amy was going with this, and she didn't like it.
"I swear if you show up in some tabloid making out with Logan Harris on a beach, I will personally fly up there and fire you. I don't care if I give birth en route."
"Amy, there's nothing going on between me and Logan!" Callie shouted. She looked up to see Logan smiling at her from inside his cabin. Shit. Did he hear that? "Did you really call me to grill me about my social life?"
"No, I'm calling because I need your help. A Governor's son has impregnated his girlfriend at his boarding school in New Hampshire."
"Couldn't we just have their parents pick them up? I mean school isn't even in session."
"That would be fine," Amy said, "if the girl wasn't his teacher. Also, she's missing."
"What?"
"That's why I need you there. This whole situation could blow up if we don't handle it right. The school wants to keep everything quiet and pay her to go away. The Governor wants to press charges against her, and she is nowhere to be found."
"Oh God," Callie said, "please tell me they don't suspect the Governor's son."
"His name's Luke, and I don't know. He's not cooperating with anyone. I need you to get there. I need you to find out what he knows, and mostly I need you to find the teacher."
"What does your gut say?"
"Callie, I'm almost nine months pregnant. My gut is telling me to find ice cream and tabasco. I don't want to talk about my gut. I need you to handle this. Find the teacher. Find a way to make her cooperate. If you can convince her to sign an NDA and stay quiet, we'll find a way to take care of her. I need you there as soon as possible. Tell me you'll do this."
Callie turned around and watched Logan pulling on a shirt. This was probably the best excuse she'd have to get away and come to her senses about him, and yet, she was angry that she wouldn't be able to see where things would go. Whatever her feelings were, it made sense to get some distance and slow things down. She had gotten caught up in the excitement and romance of spending time with Logan. It really was just as he had described it. It felt like they had drawn a line between themselves and the rest of the world, like they had drawn a circle in the sand and declared it their own kingdom. It had been a wonderful feeling, but how long it would be before reality set in, how long before a wave came crashing onto the shore and washed the line away?
"I'll do it," Callie said. "Send me the info. I'll be on the road within the hour."
Callie braced herself and stepped back into Logan's cabin. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, buttoning up his shirt. She looked at his muscular chest and his angular jaw, and she felt that deep desire rising up in her stomach again. He looked like a god no matter what he wore, whether it was a suit or a half buttoned casual shirt. She needed to leave before she threw herself at Logan again.
All she had to do was sound official. "Logan, I'm sorry. I have to go. We'll find some other time."
"Where are you going?" he asked. He looked up at her with his deep blue eyes that seemed capable of bending her to his every whim.
Callie turned and looked out the window over the water. "It involves a prominent client. I can't really tell you anything more than that."
"Sure you can. Here, I'll start for you. 'Sorry Logan, I've found someone else to spend the day with. He's rich, and he's handsome, and I have to keep him out of jail. His name is:' All you have to do is fill in the rest." He said.
Callie laughed. "As far as I know, no one has committed a crime yet."
"Plausible deniability, I like that."
"No, really, no one committed a crime."
Logan shook his head. "I thought you said your job was interesting."
"Oh this one is interesting. It just doesn't happen to be criminal."
"Come on, you know you want to tell me. If you're going to just leave me waiting around for you, I at least deserve a clue."
"Have you ever heard of Cabot Academy?"
Logan laughed. "I got kicked out of Cabot Academy in the eleventh grade. If I remember correctly, the rumor that went around after I left was that I had been caught in a compromising position with the headmaster's daughter."
"Were you?"
"No, it was his wife."
"Are you serious?"
Logan laughed again and shook his head. "No, but I had you going for a second there. You know, for someone who deals with liars and cheats for a living, you're not very good at figuring out when I'm kidding."
"So what really happened?"
"I did get caught with the headmaster's daughter, but it wasn't what you'd think. I was driving her off campus to visit friends. I was already on probation, and well, instead of letting me get kicked out, my parents decided to enroll me in another school for the next semester. It didn't hurt that the chairman of the board was one of my father's biggest competitors. No one was exactly sad to see me leave."
"I can understand why," Callie said.
"Ouch. If I remember correctly, you didn't exactly have a problem spending the night, even if there is nothing between us."
"That's not what I meant," Callie said. "This has been fun, but I have to go." She paused for a moment and added, "alone."
"If you're not going to let me come, you'll have to find some other way to get back to shore. How's your back stroke?"
"You're kidding, right? This is my job we're talking about, Logan. I don't have time to play games right now."
"You're on vacation! You only have time for games right now. When your sister says jump, do you ask how high? Come on, you're enjoying yourself. There must be someone else who can take your place."
"There isn't. I really have to go."
"Let me bring you."
Callie could see that she wasn't going to win this argument with Logan. He was so damn stubborn. The worst part was that she could tell that he was enjoying their little fight. His eyes had lit up the second she had said no. If she wasn't so annoyed with him, it might have been amusing, endearing even, but she had to get off of his boat as soon as possible. "Fine, but you won't do anything on the trip without my approval. Ok?"
"Sounds great, boss," Logan said as he tossed Callie her clothes from the night before. "Do you want to stop by the guesthouse, or is last night's attire good for you?"
"Just get me to my wardrobe," she said, "I don't exactly feel like making one of your shirts into a dress again."
"You could always try something different," Logan said. "I bet you'd look great wearing only a tie."
"Get me off this boat, and maybe we can find out," Callie said.
"Yeah?"
"For someone who supposedly does this a lot, you're not very good at knowing when I'm kidding."
"But you'll let me tag along?"
"As long as you behave."
"Well, how about I promise not to mess up your case?"
"Isn't that the same as behaving?" Callie asked.
Logan didn't say anything in response. He just smiled.
Callie shook her head. "Fine." She had a feeling that this was a very bad idea.