Tossing the Caber (The Toss Trilogy) (10 page)

She stepped close and looked up at him, her voice soft and low. “You promised to tuck me in.”

“That I did—alone.”

She let her gaze roam over his strong features, then reached up and ran her fingers through his thick, soft hair.
Sliding her body against his, she drew his head down and moved her mouth, whisper soft, over his. He didn’t move.

“Playing hard to get, Carmichael?” She took his hands and drew them up and down the sides of her waist as she continued kissing him. She could feel him smile and could feel his arousal, but he still didn’t move. With a mixture of frustration and annoyance, she stepped away from him.

“Fine, then. Come and tuck me in.” Leaving him standing there, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Light spi
lled into the hallway from the bedroom. Logan waited a few beats before moving towards it. Despite Diana’s dismissive words, she wasn’t likely to just give in. He rounded the corner and saw he was right.

Her blue dress lay puddled just past the bedroom door. Panties lay a few feet further on, and her bra was tossed haphazardly over the mi
sshapen pillows of the armchair. Diana lay between the sheets in her big bed, looking at him with wide, seemingly innocent eyes.

He masked a grin and kept his face solemn as he approached. Sitting down next to her, he started tucking the sheet around her naked body with exaggerated care. “I’m glad you decided to be sensible about this, Diana.”

She gave him a sultry look and pouted.

Pretending not to notice, he made a show of adjusting the top of the sheet across her breasts—smoothing it out by running his fingernails over the cotton covering her peaked nipples. Her eyes closed
half-way and she moaned deep in her throat.

“You see
, you’re half asleep already.” Heading south, he tucked the sheet deep under her waist and hips, so deep he lifted her off the bed and massaged the backs of her thighs.

Her hips started rocking, like they had that afternoon. He thought she was trying to control it—she didn’t look like she was moving—but he could feel her muscles tense and release. Smiling to
himself, he tucked the sheet under her calves and ankles, wrapping her legs tight together, then ran his hand up the center of her.

Her hips were thrusting to a steady beat now—he could see it—and when he leaned forward to kiss her she wrapped her arms around him, to pull him down onto the bed.

“Not so fast, sweetheart. I said I’d tuck you into bed alone.” He disengaged her arms.

She frowned.

“Just lay there and let me finish this.” He leaned over her and smoothed her hair away from her shoulders, fanning it across the pillow. He kissed the frown away, then kissed her eyes, her cheekbones, the corners of her mouth, but moved away when she turned to try to capture his lips with her own.

“Go to sleep, darling. Keep your hands at your sides and relax.” Kee
ping his voice soft and low, he smiled at her, coaxing her to let him take control. “Close your eyes.”

She obeyed.

Taking his time, he worked his mouth from the edge of her collarbone to her throat, from her throat to her chin, then with a nibble at her bottom lip he moved away.

He looked at her eyes; they were shut, so he braced himself on his arms and leaned forward to lick the material covering her nipples. Then he scraped his teeth gently across the sensitive tips.

Her hands gathered the sheet into her fists as she arched her breasts against his mouth. After a while she began to moan, and he lifted his head.

“Relax, darling, you’re so tense. Maybe you need a massage.” He put his hand on the mound at the juncture of her legs, circling and teasing.

When he moved to her sensitive upper thighs, she groaned. Wiggling and kicking, she loosened the sheet and spread her legs apart.

Logan smiled at her response. The
tell-tale rocking of her hips was no longer subtle.  “What’s this? You want me to tuck in each leg separately?” His hands worked their way up the inside of her right leg from the ankle, tucking and caressing through the sheet. At the juncture of her thighs he paused, sliding a finger up to tuck a bit of sheet between the lips there.

She bucked on the bed, but he turned his attention to the ankle of her other leg, working his way up toward the spot where dampness showed through the sheet. Moving atop the bed, he put his mouth to the damp spot. His tongue found the engorged nub beneath the sheet and he scraped his teeth across the cotton covering it. Bucking and writhing she rocked violently against him, her hands straining and still fisted in the sheet. He let her move against him for a few delicious moments,
then drew back.

She moaned restlessly, eyes shut tight, waiting for him to touch her again. “Logan, please.”

He paused, enjoying the power of the moment.

“Logan!”

Satisfied, he once again brought his mouth to the swollen tip of her, nibbling and licking delicately as he held her in place with his hands. Within seconds she crashed into orgasm, his hands warming her hipbones, his lips feeling each shudder and contraction.

When the tremors stoppe
d, he stood. The beautiful face was passive now—soon she would be asleep.  “Goodnight, sweetheart.” Dropping a quick kiss on her lips, he turned out the light and let himself out, locking the door behind him.. He drove away with the Cherokee’s windows down, letting the breeze cool his face.

He was fully aroused, but that
discomfort that was nothing compared to the satisfaction of seeing Diana mindlessly, erotically at his mercy. Damn. He’d never known a woman to be so explosively passionate, to be so total in her gift of herself. This afternoon had been the first time in years he hadn’t been able to hold himself back. She said she’d never before met a man she wanted and could trust. He shook his head. She had given him her trust today, and he wanted to be worthy of it. For the first time in his adult life, instead of considering a woman’s needs equal to his own, he had put himself second. Thinking about her response wasn’t helping tame his arousal…there would have to be one long shower tonight. But he couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

Smiling, and cocooned in lethargy, Diana lay in her bed and listened to the motor of the SUV as he drove away…then she summoned up the strength to roll to her side, and fell asleep.

chapter eleven

The next morning, Diana woke deliciously stiff and sore, but uncertain. Somehow, she had expected to wake up in love. She was sated, certainly. Logan had been incredible. But did she love him? It was frustrating not to have an answer, especially after yesterday.
I’ve been so focused on what he does to my body, I’ve ignored everything else.
Alone in her bed, she blushed and sat up. Was she that shallow?
Nonsense. There’s more to him than just that.

As her thoughts began to circle, the discomfort of her muscles i
ntruded on her reflections and refused to be ignored. Setting thought aside for the moment, she walked into the bathroom to shower away the aches left by yesterday’s unaccustomed activities.

Later, sitting on a stool at her kitchen counter and eating a toasted bagel, she let her thoughts settle on Logan once more.
He makes me feel marvelous.

And?
prompted her brain.

And he’s smart, tough and determined.

And?

He’s got a goal, a dream.
She knew that was true. He hadn’t said much—he hadn’t said anything—about hopes and dreams, but she’d read between the lines of his childhood misadventures and taken a guess at filling in the blanks in his journey from orphaned high school boy to engineer. Besides, she’d seen for herself how hard he worked, and pushed, to get the job done.

She saw a man driven to make something of
himself, pushing hard to get the job done, seeking recognition and respect. A dreamer with the drive and determination to make his dreams reality. And love?

I can’t say I’m there yet, and I don’t know if he even believes in love
.

He believed in responsibility and obligations. That was part of his character. But was there even a chance for love? Diana knew she, at least, felt more for Logan than she’d felt for any other man; but, even the new, real, confident Diana didn’t want to risk her heart if his was not in play.

As she sipped her coffee, Diana felt more and more uneasy about the impression she might have given yesterday. She had wanted him, and she’d chosen to act on it. That was real. It was honest. Yet that wasn’t all it had been—for her. She felt hollow inside.
But I haven’t a clue whether he really cares for me or just wants to have sex with me.

The more she thought, the worse she felt. Tension spiraled from her stomach up to the base of her throat.
Damn it.
She pushed off the stool and tossed the bagel in the trash.
Enough of this.
What was done was done, and if it had been a mistake, she had no one to blame but herself. In the bedroom she found the soiled coverlet folded in a corner where Logan had left it, and bundled it into a trash bag. She didn’t want to deal with it, or think about it. She’d come too far to beat herself up like this. Grabbing her cell phone, she stuffed a credit card and her driver’s license into the back pocket of her jeans, and snatched up her keys. Depositing the ruined coverlet in the condo dumpster, she turned her Lexus toward the mall. She’d just buy a new quilt.

An hour later, with a replacement for the satin comforter in the trunk of her car, Diana set out for the shelter. Maybe talking to Sally would help. The phone in her pocket vibrated. Who would be...?

She looked at the display. Carmichael.

Her palms started to sweat and her heart pounded.
Oh, shoot. I don’t want to talk to him yet.
She was a little surprised he’d called her cell. She’d given him the number when he’d taken over Lennox, but this was the first time he’d used it. After a moment she connected and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Diana? Logan.”

His deep voice caressed her senses and she shivered, as a tingle swept over her body.

After a pause, during which she made no response, he went on. “How are you this morning, darling?”

“I’m fine,” she said—automatically polite—and pulled the car to the side of the road. “How are you?”
Careful, Diana.

“Disappointed.”

Disappointed? A wave of sick disbelief washed her confidence away. Numbly she shifted to park and turned off the engine, drowning in a despair that was nearly frantic. In her ear, Logan’s disembodied voice continued.

“I wanted to come see you first thing today, but I got a call from my aunt. There’s a family emergency, and she needs my help. Aunt Lou and Uncle Henry are just about the only family I have left. I couldn’t turn her down. Can you forgive me? There’s no one I’d rather be with today than you, but I’m stuck.

“Oh, sure.” Diana reddened with embarrassment. Thank God they weren’t face to face. “I understand.”
Why not take me with you?
A cold lump seemed to settle just below her diaphragm.
So I’m good to play with, but not to meet your family?

“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Will you have dinner with me then?”

Just another way to say he wants more sex.
Diana shuddered and moved the phone from her ear. She stared at it for a moment, then hit the End button. She was Diana Lennox, not some street slut. Her thumb mashed the power button down, turning off the phone. Thoughts tumbled through her brain—all negative—each one hurting a little more than the last.

Damn it. Lost the call.
Logan tried again, listening in disgust as Diana’s phone switched him directly to voice mail. No point leaving a message.

“I’ll try again later. Let’s go find the rest of the stuff your mom needs from the mall, then we’ll get some lunch before we head back to
Hallum.”

As they dodged around the other shoppers in the Galleria, the petite blonde at Logan’s side smiled up at him. “Sorry Mom dragged you into this, but you know how stressed out she gets—after she sprained her ankle, all she would talk about was how Dad’s surprise party would be ruined, and she refuses to believe I can handle it alone.”

“No need to apologize, Tammy.” Logan ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s probably for the best anyway. It’ll keep me from giving Diana the bum’s rush.” Maybe staying away for a day would give him some control over this crazy need for her. His thoughts flashed back to the day before, and heat raced through his veins. Not a snowball’s chance in hell. Shifting his shoulders restlessly, Logan followed his cousin into the next store on Aunt Lou’s list. He had to settle down.

Settle down, Diana. What is your problem?
Diana stared at the cell phone lying on the passenger seat. What was wrong with her? Logan had a family emergency. Her response had been completely irrational. It was probably a good thing she’d cut him off before she actually verbalized what she’d been thinking. Why would she want to meet his family anyway? She didn’t even know where the two of them stood yet.

Suddenly Diana wasn’t ready to talk about yesterday—not even to Sally. First she had to get her own head on straight. Today it would have been too easy to just fall back into bed with Logan—the very thought
had her body warming with desire. Tomorrow at dinner they could talk—assuming he’d even bother to call her back after she cut him off like that. What if he didn’t call back? At their next meeting…

Unimpressed by the turmoil in her brain, Diana’s stomach rumbled loudly. She was hungry.

She grasped at the thought as if it were a lifeline. Hunger was concrete, understandable. Hunger she could do something about. She pulled the Lexus back onto the road and made a U-turn. Back to the mall.

By the time she arrived at the Galleria, it was after twelve. Knowing the restaurants immediately outside the center were likely to be ove
rflowing with the Sunday lunch crowd, Diana chose to find something to eat in the food court. Soon she was sitting at a sheltered table near a large planter and picking at a bowl of shrimp and rice.

Trying to ignore the discordancy of her thoughts, she watched pe
ople come and go, picking up visual details with no real interest. Mainly, she was giving herself a pep talk.

I am smart, and strong, and worth knowing. No more masks. The real me doesn’t need masks. I make good
decis
—she straightened up as a tall figure caught her eye.

It was
Logan, bending down to speak to someone she couldn’t see through the crowd. Straightening, he threw his head back and laughed.

Diana leaned left. She still couldn’t see
who he was talking to. She stood, pretending to brush crumbs from her lap. No good. Her hands stiffened against the jeans, and she took a long step sideways then saw… her. Diana wished she hadn’t eaten. A tiny, delicate-looking blonde sat talking to Logan, with a model-thin boyish figure and short curls waving stylishly around her head.

Diana’s stomach churned as the blonde spoke urgently to Logan and he laughed again. So this was his “family emergency.” All the doubts D
iana had awakened with that morning quadrupled in strength. She saw clearly now what she was to Logan—an easy lay, and nothing more. She collapsed back into her chair.

Maybe it would have hurt less if she had borne some resemblance to Logan’s “emergency”, but the girl was in every way Diana’s physical o
pposite.

Her mother’s list of flaws-to-be-hidden slammed back into her mind.

‘You’re so awkwardly tall, Diana…’ unlike the blonde, who looked like a petite cheerleader.

‘Streamline your figure, Diana, curves are just bulges that haven’t sagged yet…’ the blonde wore a classic, sleek skimmer.

‘With those large breasts, my dear, you will have to work extra hard not to look vulgar’… the blonde was model-flat.

‘You must stand erect, Diana, poor posture will make you look even worse, but do remember to keep your escort’s height in mind when you choose your heels…’even on stilts, the blonde would look up to Logan.

And so on, and on.

Feeling ill from the double onslaught—past and present—Diana pushed aside her food and rose to leave. She had taken only a few steps toward the exit when she heard Logan’s voice.

“Diana!”

Automatically, she turned her head toward the sound…
No, don’t react…
and then swept her eyes the rest of the way across the eating area, trying to look as if she hadn’t seen him.
I should have pretended not to hear.
Giving a theatrical shrug, as if the call must have been for someone else, she turned and hurried toward the exit, dodging clumsily between the close-packed tables. She had to get away.

“Diana!”

He must have flown through the crowd. No use pretending she didn’t hear this time. She stopped, but didn’t turn, wanting to control her jagged breathing and settle her rolling stomach first. Her legs didn’t feel strong enough to support her. Capture was inevitable.

His hand closed on her arm just above the elbow. “Diana, hold on a minute.”

How rude. He isn’t even winded. The real Diana fumed, then fled the scene in defeat. So, gathering her well-trained dignity about her, Diana Lennox, CEO, pulled her shoulders back, straightened her spine, and turned to Logan.

He was smiling, but did a quick
double-take when she turned, mask firmly in place. Making no comment, he moved smoothly on. “I’m glad I caught you. I’d like to introduce you to my cousin Tammy” He caught her hand. “She’s back this way.”

He moved out of the clustered tables, pulling Diana along with him, and began to walk around the edge of the eating area toward the table where he’d left his cousin, but the vivacious blonde came into view, nimbly cutting across the crowded court. They halted, watching her a
pproach.

Stepping clear of the tables, she came straight to Diana, offering a friendly smile and her hand. “Hi, Diana. I’m Tammy, Logan’s cousin. Sorry I stole Logan today—he told me you two had plans—but my mot
her was fretting something fierce about my dad’s surprise party being ruined—she sprained her ankle yesterday—and she decided Logan and I both had to help get things together. I told her I could handle it, but she wouldn’t listen, and Logan has always been putty in her hands.” She paused for breath, giving Diana a frank appraisal, much like a loving sister would.

Diana glanced at Logan. He looked pained by the putty-in-her-hands remark, but looked at his irrepressible cousin with good humor and a
ffection.

The worst of Diana’s doubts dissolved, washed away by simple truth. “I’m glad to meet you, Tammy.” She smiled at the diminutive blonde.

“Have you eaten?” Tammy looked back over her shoulder. “It looks like our food has been cleared away already.”

Diana looked towards her table. “Mine’s gone too.”

“Let’s get out of here and go where we can sit down and talk over lunch. Logan and I deserve an hour off after all the running Mother’s put us through today. Would you join us?”

The real Diana returned, resurrected. She smiled at Tammy. “I’d like that.”

By the time they were seated, served and had eaten in a nearby restaurant, lunch took two hours. Tammy had done most of the talking—in between quizzing Diana about her work, the shelter, and how she had met Logan. “Sorry if I’m being too pushy, but this is the first time I got to meet anybody Logan dated. I feel like I have to take advantage of the opportunity.”