Club Destiny 1 Conviction (16 page)

A quick look around the line of
docked boats and Sam spotted Logan standing on one of the piers.  With constant
encouragement from herself, she started his way, but when she came to where the
sidewalk ended, and the pier began, she stopped cold. No amount of
encouragement was going to help her now. She wasn’t going any further. She
couldn’t. Her brain was already malfunctioning just at the nearness of the water.

“Hey, beautiful. You ready?” She
heard Logan’s deep voice as he came closer. He must have noticed she was no
longer walking although she had seen him.

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?
We’re going out on the lake. To do that, it’ll be easier in the boat.” Logan
attempted humor, though his voice held a touch of concern.

Sam could feel his eyes as they
roamed over her. He was probably trying to see if there was something
physically wrong with her. He wouldn’t find anything, but if he looked close enough,
he’d see she was trembling.

“I just can’t.” Sam knew the
words were no more than a harsh whisper, but it was the best she could do just
to speak.

She took the chance and looked
from the water, up into the greenish brown of his eyes. She knew what he’d see
when he looked at her. Cold, breath-stealing fear.

“Are you scared?”

“To death.”

“Of the water? Or the boat?”

“Both.” After all, the boat was
on the water, wasn’t it?

~*~*~

Logan was torn between pulling
Sam into his arms, greeting her appropriately, and trying to help her overcome
her apparent fear of the water. The conversation wasn’t moving particularly
fast, and he feared the trek to the boat would likely take twice as long. He
decided not to rush her. They had all day, and he needed Sam to trust him.

Instead of urging her toward him,
he took the few steps that would close the gap between them. He took her hand
in his and pulled it against him, being careful to remain on the sidewalk where
she had stopped, raising her chin so she had to look at him.

“You’re safe with me, you know
that right?”

When she looked up at him, she
wasn’t smiling, and her eyes were bright with fear.

“I just can’t go out on the
water.”

“You don’t even want to try? I
promise you won’t have to get in the water, nor will you come in contact with
it at all.” He couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her so he planted his lips
gently on hers and felt the jolt to his system. Hell, they didn’t need the
boat, he was content just standing there holding her.

“Did something happen to make you
afraid of the water?”

“Fortunately, no. I’ve just
always been scared of water. If it isn’t in a concrete bowl in someone’s
backyard that I can see clearly to the bottom, I have never been able to go
near it.”

Contemplating her words, Logan
wanted to urge her past her fears. He wanted her to trust that he would take
care of her, so he told her so. “Come on, baby. Trust me, please.”

A full minute passed before she
said a word, and Logan half expected her to back out altogether. Instead, her
next words filled him with pride.

“I trust you.” She laced her
fingers with his and took a step away, looking up at him for direction. “Please
be careful.”

He nodded his understanding and
then led her the few steps that would take them onto the pier. When she hesitated
once more, he reassured her.

“Come on, baby. Focus on me. I
won’t let anything happen to you.” Logan stated as he stopped, turning around
to face her again.

“Maybe if you took your shirt
off, I could focus on you and not the water.”

Logan laughed at her attempt for
humor.

“I’ll do it.” Logan smiled back
as he took the hem of his shirt in one hand and started to raise, giving her a
slight glimpse of his abs.

Her sexy laugh broke some of the
tension and Logan took another step forward. 

“I’ll take you up on that when
we’re on the boat.”

After she managed to take several
steps on the wooden planks, Logan suspected it became easier for her, or she
just wanted to get to the boat as fast as she could. A minute later they were
settled on the deck, and Logan was putting a lifejacket around her.

Logan untied the boat from the
dock, started the engine and took another long look at the woman beside him.
Clad in short denim shorts and a tiny black halter top, she made his mouth
water. He could see the black straps of her bathing suit tied behind her neck
and he wondered what type of suit it was. The mental image of her clad only in
a small, black bikini had him wondering if they’d make it out of the dock.

Tearing his mind out of the
gutter, Logan went through the motions of getting the boat out of the marina.
He took it slow and made small talk as he went along. He answered her questions
about the boat, giving her some basic details when she asked. She seemed
enthralled with the sundeck and even asked about the hydraulic swim platform,
though Logan knew she wouldn’t go anywhere near it.

He wondered what she would think
when he gave her a full tour of the cabin.

In an attempt to alleviate more
of her tension, Logan opted to pull his t-shirt off, hoping the diversion would
make her feel better. Her eyes went wide when he did so, and a smile creased
her lips. He thought he heard her laugh, but it was hard to tell over the hum
of the engine.

After Logan had the boat out far
enough, he turned to look at her. She watched the water and other boats as they
passed and he found he couldn’t help but smile. She had trusted him even though
he could tell the fear had nearly strangled her when she arrived.

“Come here.” He said as he slowed
the boat and stepped back from the steering wheel. Her head turned toward him,
but he couldn’t see her eyes due to the dark sunglasses she wore, but he knew
she was paying attention. “I want you to steer the boat. Feel the power beneath
your hands. It’ll be ok. I won’t leave you for a minute.”

He held his hand out so she only
had to take a few steps before she could grab on to him. Once she was close
enough, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, her
back to his front, the steering wheel directly in front of her.

“I’m going to take this off for a
minute.” He said, referring to her life vest which was wedged between them. He
unhooked the clasps and pulled it off of her arms and then laid it on the
counter beside them. “I’ve got you. You’ll be fine.”

Her breaths were a little
erratic, and her hands shook as he placed them on the wheel. Once she took
hold, he knew it would take some work to break her death grip, but he smiled
anyway. He placed his hands over hers, felt the slight tremble and the feel of
her small hands beneath his. Then he turned the wheel, steering the boat in the
direction they wanted to go.

“How’s that?” He asked as he
moved in closer behind her, trying to shield her between his arms and his body,
giving her more stability as the boat rocked over the small waves.

She didn’t answer, but she did
lean further into him, offering him her silent trust and making his heart swell
in his chest. He could get used to this. Taking care of this woman. Protecting
her. She felt perfect in his arms, and Logan was content for the first time in
a long time.

“We’re going to a small cove I
found last time I was out here. It’s secluded and shaded. A nice place to
relax.”

“How long will it take to get
there?”

“About thirty minutes, but it’s
well worth the drive.” He would drive the boat for hours if she would stand in
front of him allowing his body to press against hers.

He breathed in her scent. It was
soft, flowery, and all Samantha. He wasn’t overpowered by the department store
perfumes like some women wore, but instead he could take in the sweet scent of
her hair and the fresh smell of her skin. She made him hard. Painfully. But
more than that, there was a possessive, protective feeling that filled him. As
if it was his responsibility to protect her, and shelter her from anything and
everything.

Guiding the watercraft through
the short, choppy waves, they talked about the surroundings and the boat. She
asked about Bear, his brother’s German shepherd, apparently their introduction
had left an impression on her. Logan was introduced to Bear about four years
ago when his team visited a local animal shelter as part of a volunteer event
XTX was in full support of.

He’d seen the scraggly puppy,
looking emaciated and just a little sad and decided he had to find him a home. Logan
wasn’t able to dedicate enough time to the animal, so he’d convinced his
brother to take him. Since that day, Logan and Bear had become best friends
even if he wasn’t Logan’s dog. He made a mental note to have his brother bring
Bear over one of these days.

~~  ** 
~~  **  ~~  **  ~~

When they reached the cove, Logan
shifted to move away and felt Sam’s body tense. She didn’t move, but she didn’t
look happy either.

“Just for a moment. I have to
secure the boat so we don’t continue to drift. You stand here, and I’ll be
right back.”

Logan hurried through the
process, returning to Sam only to find her still gripping the steering wheel,
her knuckles white and a bead of sweat on her forehead. He had to admit she
looked so damn cute standing there.

Seeing the confident woman who
walked through the XTX offices turning heads and making others stop talking
just to hear what she had to say, standing on his boat, battling an apparent
debilitating phobia had his heart wrenching.

He approached slowly, then leaned
down and kissed the side of her neck, breathing in her scent once more. He took
one of her hands in his and pulled her toward him as he sat on the long padded
bench directly behind the wheel. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his
arms around her, and when she settled against him, he let out the breath he
hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He still couldn’t believe the
overwhelming desire he had to protect her and keep her safe. There were strange
feelings stirring up inside of him when she was around. Not just sexual,
although the chemistry between them was explosive.

“So, what do you think so far?”

“I think I wouldn’t have done
this if it weren’t for you.” She smiled at him, her eyes hidden by her
sunglasses. “Do you do this often?”

“I try to. I don’t have a lot of
down time, but when I do, I usually come out here if the weather is agreeable
and the lake is open.”

“What do you normally do when
you’re out here?”

“I usually bring a couple of guys
from the office, and we just hang out, sometimes fish. Although, I’m not much
of a fisherman, but they seem to enjoy it.”

“A man who doesn’t like to fish?
I didn’t know they even existed.” She teased.

“You’re funny.” He responded
sarcastically, letting one hand roam up her leg. He felt her shiver and this
time he didn’t think it had anything to do with fear. “Do you want to see the
rest of the boat? I had it stocked with things for lunch, figuring we could
spend a few hours out here.”

“Sure.”

Logan helped her to stand, and
they walked toward the cabin door, which stood open and welcoming. He had to
duck in order to make it inside, but once he was in, he could stand at his full
height.

Once inside, Sam released his
hand and took in the surroundings. The brightly polished stainless steel and
glass that decorated the interior was part of the reason Logan purchased this
particular model. The large booth surrounding a solid wood table and the large
flat panel television were things he added after the fact.

“Would you like something to
drink?” Logan continued to the kitchen as he gave Sam a minute to familiarize
herself with the interior.

When she murmured a “no, thank
you”, he felt a sense of pride, liking that he could impress her. Logan opened
the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water and unscrewed the lid. Before he took
the first drink, Sam was walking toward him.

“What is that room?” Sam asked
when she stopped behind him.

The kitchen was small, a little
smaller than the one in Sam’s apartment and the thought brought back memories
of the night before, when he’d had her on the counter, the warmth of her body
filling his hands.

He set the water bottle on the
counter and turned back to her, slowly crowding her until she was pressed up
against the wall closest to the room she had pointed to. He was relieved when
her arms went up around him, her body loose and inviting against his.

“The bedroom.” He replied,
staring down at her and giving her his most mischievous smile.

Logan couldn’t resist the
temptation to kiss her. He wanted to taste her, to feel her. Her fingers slid
up the back of his neck and into his hair, causing his body to harden more than
he thought possible. He was in a constant state of arousal and had been since
the first day he saw her in the office. He wanted desperately to see how
responsive she would be to his touch. How she would react to him and how she
would return the pleasure he could give her.