An Extraordinary Match (The Match Series Book 3) (15 page)

Her stomach rumbled, and she realized she was starving, too.

“Can I help?” she asked, following him.

“Nope. Hop up and drink.” He gestured to one of two bar stools at the kitchen island.

The kettle whistled, and he efficiently put together the hot chocolate drinks then passed one across to her.

It was sweet, hot, and intensely satisfying. Logan drank his while he heated a griddle and assembled the sandwiches. The fire grew as more pieces of wood caught, and the heat radiated out to warm Jade’s back. The gloom gathered outside, and the flashes of lightning were bright in the windows.

“Do you get a lot of storms here?” she asked.

“Sometimes. Though it’s a bit late in the season.”

“I guess Elroy won’t be flying in any time soon?”

Logan smiled as he flipped the sandwiches onto plates. “We won’t be seeing Elroy tonight. Maybe tomorrow if it clears.”

Jade couldn’t help but be glad about the delay. It probably wasn’t right or wise, but she was in no rush to confront the outside world. And the thought of another night with Logan had her body humming with anticipation.

He pushed a sandwich across the island counter and took the chair cornerwise to hers.

She took a bite of the warm, crispy sandwich and groaned in appreciation. “Do you have a secret recipe?”

“Ham, cheese and bread.”

“These are delicious.” She took another bite.

“What did I tell you? Hard days, soft nights. Everything is better after the exercise and excitement.”

An image of what else she wanted to do for excitement bloomed in her mind. She didn’t dare look at Logan.

“It’s almost worth it,” she admitted.

“It’s completely worth it,” he countered. “We got some exercise. We had fun.”

“You call that fun?”

“It was exciting,” he amended.

“It was exciting,” she agreed. “You know, I never liked vacations before now.”

“Who doesn’t like vacations? What’s not to like about vacations?”

She took a drink of her hot chocolate. “They seem a little pointless.”

“Pointless?”

“You never accomplish anything.”

“The point is to have fun, Jade. And we accomplished something today. You learned how to canoe. You climbed a mountain and saw a vista you’d never seen. You’re in better shape now than you were this morning.”

“And how,” she agreed, stretching out her legs and rolling her shoulders.

The tone of his voice went lower. “And you know me better than you knew me this morning.”

She turned to look at him.

“Was that pointless?” he asked.

She thought about her answer for a moment. “It was fun.”

He took her hand in his, rubbing his fingertips across her knuckles. His eyes darkened. “And it’s going to be more fun still.”

She swallowed, her own voice going husky. “You think?”

He kissed the inside of her wrist. “I know.”

Then he came to his feet, smoothing back her damp hair. “I’ve never been partial to the drowned-rat look. But all the way across the lake, all I could think about was holding you, kissing you, making love to you.”

She put her palm against his chest. “You were amazing out there, so strong and capable.”

He covered her hand with his. “So were you.”

Then he leaned down to kiss her lips. The kiss went deep, curling down to her soul. He tasted of chocolate. He smelled fresh, like the lake and rainwater. His body was a solid block of warmth that engulfed her and kept everything but him at bay.

“We have to make love,” he told her.

“Right now?” She was game.

“Right now. Tonight. Tomorrow. Maybe we’ll never stop.”

She didn’t have an answer for that, and she certainly didn’t have any objection. So she wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding off the stool to kiss him, bringing their bodies tight together.

He flipped off the light then took her hand, leading her to the front of the fireplace.

“Warm enough?” he asked.

She nodded.

He smiled. Reaching down, he peeled the knit dress over her head, leaving her in the tights and a black bra.

“That’s nice,” he said, stroking the back of her neck and drawing her in for a kiss.

Then he stripped off her tights and socks, leaving the scrap of her black panties.

“That’s even better,” he mumbled, kissing her more deeply.

Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her into his arms, easing down on the sofa, settling her on his lap. The fire was warm on one side, while Logan was heat on the other. His hands stroked her body, from her neck to her breasts, to her hips and thighs, all the way down to her bare feet.

“You are so soft,” he told her. “And smooth, and warm, absolutely everything I ever wanted.”

He flicked the catch on her bra, tossing the bra away. He kissed her bare breasts, teasing the nipples, sending shoots of desire into her belly. She reflexively arched her back, gripping tight to his shoulders. He stripped off her panties, leaving her naked, curled against him, her desire intensifying as he kissed and caressed his way across her body.

Impatient, she pulled off his shirt, kissing his bare chest, running her hands over his broad shoulders.

She shifted her body, planting her knees on either side of him. He helped her strip off his jeans, kicked them loose then bracketed her hips with his hands, bringing her down on top of him.

She tipped her head back, moaning in absolute pleasure. He kissed her neck, teasing it with his tongue while his hand closed over her breast. He moved his hips, and she shifted her weight, helping him with the rhythm.

Sensations built and tightened, radiating out from the spot where their bodies joined. His arms wrapped fully around her, holding her tight against his chest. He captured her mouth in a drawn-out kiss, his tongue tangling with hers.

The fire popped and crackled, sending out swirls of heat that hung in the air around them. He grasped her thighs, pulling her hard against him, increasing the pace until the lightning seemed to penetrate her brain. She cried out his name as colors exploded around her.

“Jade,” he groaned. “Jade, Jade, Jade.”

Waves of pleasure all but paralyzed her. The last of her strength was drained from her muscles, and she slumped against him, melting against his body.

He held her close, smoothed her mussed hair, ran his hand down her back, along her thighs, squeezing her knees, before he gently touched his forehead to hers. “You are amazing.”

She settled her head on his shoulder. “I think you might actually have killed us.”

His body rumbled with a chuckle. “If that’s dying, bring it on.”

She whooshed out a breath. “We shouldn’t be liking this that much.”

“It does defy logic, doesn’t it?”

She nodded against him, and they both fell silent.

“I’ve been thinking,” he rumbled in her ear.

“I haven’t. My brain shut down about twenty minutes ago.”

“I can probably get them to drop the charges.”

Jade pulled herself back to blink at him. “Your aunt and uncle?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want you to do that.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why not? Why wouldn’t you?”

“Because I’m innocent.”

“Then dropping the charges makes sense.”

“Not as a favor to you. They’d always think I was guilty.
You’d
always think I was guilty. You still do, don’t you?”

“I don’t know. How can I know?”

She straightened. “You’re saying that just because I’m willing to sleep with you doesn’t mean I’m not a criminal?”

She started to move from his lap, but he grasped her arms, holding her fast. “Don’t you dare.”

“Dare what?”

“Back off. Get mad. Draw away from me. You rock my world, and I don’t give a damn if you’re guilty or not. Logic tells me it’s a fifty-fifty chance. But instinct tells me to make love to you until neither of us can move. We can argue for the rest of the night, if you’d prefer, but it’ll all be the same in the morning.” He paused. “What do you want, Jade?”

She stared at him. She’d never been presented with anything even approaching his argument. Then again, this had to be a ridiculously unique situation. Did she want to stress her point? Yes. Did she want to make love with him? Yes.

She couldn’t do both.

While she thought it through, he leaned in and kissed her.

Then he kissed her again.

The third time, she kissed him back. Forget stressing her point. She could do that tomorrow.

*

By ten o’clock
the next morning, Logan was at the controls of his airplane. Elroy was in the co-pilot’s seat, and Jade was tucked in the back. Sam had sent word that they should come back to Mirror Falls, and Logan had absolutely no idea what would happen next.

He brought the plane down on Mirror Lake, gliding it to a stop close to his dock like he had a thousand times. He taxied up and shut off the engine, while Elroy jumped out and tied them off. He stripped off his headset and looked over his shoulder at Jade, taking in her gorgeous face and that sweet, soft hair that he’d touched and smelled all night long.

He tried to come up with the right words. Was this goodbye? Was it see you later?

Before he could speak, Elroy pulled open the back door. Jade moved, and Logan’s attention was distracted by a group of people making their way along the dock. He was surprised and worried to see Bonnie and Mike marching toward them. Amy was in the group, and Logan could only hope she was still on Jade’s side.

“What are they doing here?” he called out to Elroy.

“Who are they?” asked Jade, glancing from the group to Logan.

“My aunt and uncle, for one, the Twin Peaks owners. What’s going on, Elroy?” Logan couldn’t help but wonder if this was a setup.

“Beats me,” said Elroy.

“Cast us off,” said Logan. “Jade, don’t get out of the plane.”

“Seriously?” asked Elroy, clearly shocked by the request.

“Logan,” Amy called, jogging up to the open door. Her smile was broad. “Hi, Jade. How did you like the cottage?”

Jade gave Logan a questioning look.

It was too late. He’d missed their chance to escape.

“It was fine,” Jade told Amy. “Good.”

“I love that place. But I’m glad you’re back. Hey, Logan,” she greeted, peering deeper into the plane.

“What’s going on?” he asked her.

“Hello,” called Bonnie as she arrived.

Mike was at her side, and Jade was making her way out of the airplane. Logan quickly exited to join them.

Bonnie grasped Jade’s hands. “Sam told us what happened. He explained the mix-up.”

Mike stepped in. “We’re awfully sorry about our reaction.”

“I’m horrified that you went to jail,” said Bonnie. “Even if it was only for a little while.”

Jade was glancing from one to the other. “I, uh…”

“We hope you’ll come stay with us for the rest of your vacation,” said Mike. “We’d like to make it up to you.”

Bonnie put an arm around Jade’s waist, urging her into a walk. “We’ll upgrade your room to our best suite.”

“And offer you complimentary breakfast,” said Mike.

Amy shot Logan a self-satisfied grin. Taking the handle of Jade’s suitcase, she fell in behind the small troop.

“You’ll probably want to go to the spa,” said Bonnie. “You need to relax, regroup.”

“I’ll take her to the spa,” Amy called.

Elroy blinked at Logan.

“What the hell?” Logan asked no one in particular.

“I’m assuming that means she’s innocent,” said Elroy.

“Good to know. But it would be nice to find out what happened.”

Jade and the others climbed up the staircase to the foot of Main Street. She glanced over her shoulder, but it was too far for him to see her expression.

“Do you think she’ll stay?” Logan asked.

“Jade?”

“Yes, Jade. Do you think she’ll hang around? She might hightail it out of town. If I was her, I’d be pretty ticked off at the Edwards clan.”

“I don’t get it,” said Elroy.

Logan watched her disappear around the corner. “Get what?”

“What did I miss? Two days ago, you wanted to abandon her at the cottage, because she made you crazy. Now, it sounds like you want her to hang around.”

“She’s not as bad as I thought.”

“What did I miss?” Elroy asked again. “What exactly did you two do up there?”

“We canoed across the lake and climbed to Red Ridge.”

“You took her canoeing?”

“Were we supposed to sit around and stare at each other all day long?”

“And based on canoeing and hiking, you like her now?”

Logan didn’t know if “like” was the right word. “Obsessed might” have described it better.

“Logan?”

“Yeah?”

“You kissed her again, didn’t you?”

There didn’t seem to be any point in lying. “Yes.”

“And?”

“And.” Logan started walking. “Yeah, there was an
and
to that.”

Elroy whistled low.

“I need to go talk to her.”

“You’ve got a flight.”

Logan turned his head. “What?”

“A pickup. Six tourists from Bowen Valley.”

“Now?”

Elroy glanced at his watch. “Right now, according to Danica. Paperwork is in your office.”