Authors: Rochelle Alers
She remembered him calling her a fool, and that she was. She was a fool for falling in love with Logan Prescott, and even more of a fool for wanting him.
Pushing aside the sheet, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached for the lamp. She turned the switch, but the bulb remained unlit. The power was still out on the island. Slowly and tentatively, she felt her way across the room and down the hallway, her fingertips maintaining contact with the wall.
Counting doorways, she came to Logan’s bedroom, pushed open the door and walked in. She heard movement, then his voice. “Caryn?”
She went completely still, unable to see in front of her hand. There was only the sound of her breathing, it sounding unnaturally loud in her ears. She wanted to tell him she wanted him, she needed him, and that she did not want to be alone.
“Are you all right?”
Inhaling deeply, she held her breath then let it out slowly. “Yes.”
She remained in the same spot as she heard him move off the bed. Then he was beside her, the heat from his body nearly suffocating her when he pulled her naked body against his.
Holding her gently in his strong embrace, Logan lowered his head and dropped a kiss over her ear. “I’m going to take you back to your bed.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to go back to my bed.” Her voice was a tremulous whisper.
Logan sucked in his breath, holding it until he was forced to exhale and praying he could control the rush of blood to his groin. He stood in a darkened space, holding a woman to his nude body—a woman who had managed to weave her way into his heart without trying. A woman who
made him want her, although he continued to tell himself that he did not want or need any woman.
“I’m going back to bed,” he said softly. “And if you come with me, then I can’t promise you I won’t make love to you.”
Her fingertips inched up his bare chest to his lips. Rising on tiptoe, her mouth replaced her fingers and answered his challenge. “Then don’t promise,” she whispered.
Bending slightly, Logan swung her up in his arms and backed up until his calves hit the side of the bed. He sat down, holding Caryn protectively in his embrace. He registered her slight intake of breath as his rising hardness pressed up against her derriere, searching for the heat of her moist opening.
The passion rushing headlong throughout his body told him to take her quickly to ease the throbbing ache, but he ignored it. Caryn deserved more, because he loved her. He would make certain she would find fulfillment before he took his own.
Easing her off his lap, he placed her on the center of the bed and covered her body with his, supporting his weight on his arms. His fingers swept through her hair, pushing the short curls off her forehead and over her ears. He felt the warmth of her quickened moist breath on his throat before he captured it in a explosive kiss that sucked the very air from her lungs.
Caryn arched, her arms curving around Logan’s strong neck. Kissing him, holding him, feeling his hardness rising up against her belly verified she was truly alive; that her passion had been asleep. It had a long time, too long, since she’d lain with a man while acknowledging that her own passions ran strong and deep.
Her legs curled around his, making him her willing prisoner. His tongue moved in and out of her open mouth in a slow, measured rhythm, precipitating a matching throbbing between her thighs.
Reaching between their bodies, the fingers of his right hand lingered on her thigh as it inched up and found the
source of her feminine heat. Raising his hips to permit him access, one finger slipped between the moist folds hiding her femininity. She gasped at the invasion as he pushed into her and prepared her for his total possession. His thumb covered the tight, distended bud of flesh at the apex of her thighs. He increased the pressure, massaging gently until her moans escalated along with her rising desire.
Logan measured the contractions of her flesh opening and closing around his finger, feeling them coming stronger and faster. Angling his hips, he pushed his sex into her body at the same time her body arched in her first soaring climax. Her pulsing flesh pulled him in until he found himself drowning in the ecstasy hurtling him beyond himself.
Caryn gasped in sweet agony as Logan’s hardness aroused her to heights she hadn’t thought possible. Explosive sensations buffeted her again and again, over and over until she thought she would surely die from the pleasure. Her breathing quickened, she writhing against his hard, damp body, wanting to get closer, wanting to become one with him.
Then she heard it, his long, shuddering groan of surrendering ecstasy overlapping her soft moans as they soared together in an awesome, shattering, explosive shower of liquid passion.
They lay together, breathing heavily, his sated body pressing her down to the mattress. Smiling, she welcomed the pleasurable, protective heaviness.
Loathing to withdraw from the scorching heat of her body, Logan held her tightly and reversed their position. He smiled in the darkness and placed soft, tender kisses on her silken, scented throat. Caryn moaned softly, rested her cheek on his shoulder, and slept.
Logan reached down and pulled the sheet up over their moist bodies, and within minutes he joined her in the sleep reserved for sated lovers.
The rising sun clearly revealed the devastating aftermath of the storm that bore down along the Carolina coast with abandoned vehicles and flooded structures. Logan turned over and stared at Caryn, wondering what secrets she kept as she lay sleeping. The silken crush of her firm breasts against his chest elicited a knowing smile as he recalled her unrestrained passion. Their coming together had been intense, but all too brief. He’d wanted it to last longer, but it was not to be. At the moment he entered her body, he knew she had been celibate for some time, and any prolonged bout of lovemaking would have left her tender for days. And he did not want anything to interfere with his sharing her body.
Resting his head on a folded arm, his smile vanished. He’d slept with her without using protection, and something told him Caryn was not practicing contraception. He shuddered to think if he’d gotten her pregnant. And if she was, there was no doubt he would take full responsibility for his actions. Unlike his sixteen-year-old biological Native-American father, who hadn’t been told he’d fathered
a child, he would care for Caryn, as well as his own child.
His free hand touched the soft curls clinging to her scalp, lifting them gently. Caryn stirred under his light touch, her eyelids fluttering until they opened. They widened in shock, and she appeared startled to find herself waking up in his bed.
“Good morning,” she said shyly, dropping her gaze.
“Good morning,” he returned, his smile back in place. Last night, with the darkness and in concert with the storm, she had come to him, offering up all she had. Now, in the full sunlight she was visibly embarrassed by what had occurred between them.
He decided to make it easy for her. He would not mention their lovemaking unless she brought it up. “Why did you cut your hair?”
Her hand came up, and she threaded her fingers through the shortened black curls. “I decided I wanted a different look.”
Logan’s penetrating gaze registered everything about her lovely face. The shorter hair was flattering, making her appear older and more sophisticated. “Why would you want a different look?”
Her gaze met his, all traces of gold missing and leaving them a deep verdant green. “Because I’m not the same person I was when I decided to let it grow long.”
Curving an arm around her bare waist, he pulled her closer. “Is that a good thing?”
Nodding, she gave him a half-smile. “A very good thing.” What she wouldn’t say is that she was a different person since meeting him. Knowing she was falling in love again had changed her—forever.
“I like the new and different Caryn Edwards.”
She searched his features for a hint of guile, but found none. “Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he whispered, “You pack a mean wallop, Miss Edwards.”
She remembered hitting him the night before. “I’m
sorry I hit you,” she apologized, staring at the hard muscles under his powerful shoulders. “I didn’t mean it.”
He nodded slowly. “I realized that after you nearly broke my neck. You hit me with an open hand. Have you been trained in the martial arts?”
She hadn’t meant to hit him that hard. “Yes. I took a self-defense course after the stalking. I never wanted to become that vulnerable again.”
Logan whistled softly. “I’m willing to bet you can kick some serious butt.”
“I will if I have to.”
“You’re a scrappy little thing, aren’t you?”
The heat in her face intensified. “I’m not scrappy.”
Raising his chin, he pointed to the spot where she’d struck him. “Look at my jaw. I’m willing to bet it’s swollen.”
Her gaze visually traced his stubbled jaw. “No, it’s not.”
“Touch it.”
Reaching out, she ran her fingers along his jawline, encountering a small lump under his chin. Caryn bit down on her lower lip. “I said I was sorry.”
Logan held her hand firmly. “Kiss it and make it better,” he crooned in a coaxing tone.
Her eyes widened. “No.” It was enough she had come to him the night before seeking comfort and protection. But the storm was over and so were her fears. And she knew her wanton behavior was the result of her falling in love with him, but that love for him would remain her secret.
“I kissed you and made you better,” he countered.
“When?”
“When you were shaking so hard from the cold that you couldn’t stand up or talk.”
Caryn watched him warily as he stared at her. She lay on his bed, naked. There may have been a teasing quality in Logan’s challenge; however, she knew instinctively what had passed between them was far from teasing.
Her fingers splayed over his jaw as she leaned in closer and pressed her mouth to his at the same time he caught
her head, increasing the pressure. The heat from his large body reignited the flame in hers, his mouth searing hers with an uncontrollable heat which spread to her chest and still lower. The kiss continued, his mouth leaving tender, moist kisses all over her face. It ended with him burying his face between the scented area of her shoulder and neck as he inhaled the cloying perfume clinging to her silken flesh.
Closing her eyes, Caryn curved her arms around Logan’s slim waist. “Logan?”
“Ummm.” He lay motionless, fighting back the passions threatening to surface and explode.
“What—what we’re doing. What we did …”
His head came up, and he stared down at her as she regarded him with an impassive expression. “What about
us?
”
After a pregnant pause, in which she managed to control her emotions, she said, “We’re going to be together for only a short time, and I believe we’re both mature enough not to read more into this—our sleeping together.”
A frown settled between his eyes. “What are you saying?”
“I hope you enjoyed sleeping with me as much as I’ve enjoyed sleeping with you.” He nodded. “But that’s all it is—our sleeping together, and when it’s over it’ll be over. No histrionics and no pressure of a future commitment.”
His expressive eyebrows shifted. “Are you suggesting we can have a
summer dalliance
, and when the summer ends so will our liaison?”
Caryn hid the pain she wouldn’t permit him to see with a gentle smile. She wanted nothing more from Logan except his passion. She did not want him to feel obligated in any manner because she’d offered him her body. Her ex-husband had controlled her life, and when she left him she took it back. And if she was willing to share her body with Logan, it would be on her terms or not at all.
She nodded slowly. “That’s the way I want it.”
His hands went to her shoulders, tightening and holding
her fast. “What if you become pregnant? I have to assume you’re not using any birth control.”
She mentally calculated when her period was due. “I’m safe right now, but I won’t be in another week.”
Releasing her, Logan rolled off her body and lay on his back. “You don’t have to worry about becoming pregnant, because I’ll assume the responsibility of protecting you.”
Caryn reached for his hand and threaded her fingers through his, squeezing gently. “Thank you.”
What he wanted to do was scream at her. He wanted to tell her that she was cold, unfeeling, but knew she wasn’t. Her words may have indicated indifference to the importance of their sharing the other’s body, but the amazing completeness she’d offered him was anything but nonchalance.
He’d burned for her, and when he finally lost himself in her scented limbs the ecstasy she aroused was explosive and satisfying. Unknowingly, she had become the one to assuage his voluptuous, libidinous appetite. A deep peace settled into his being when he confirmed Caryn Edwards was the first woman who had taken him into her body and to complete sexual fulfillment.
The electrical power was restored to Marble Island only after the Army Corps of Engineers, called in at the request of the state’s governor, descended on the islands along the North Carolina coast to erect makeshift bridges to link the isolated inhabitants with the mainland.
The Crawford house escaped any flood damage because of its elevated construction, but more than a half dozen of the smaller structures were not as fortunate. Within twenty-four hours insurance company adjusters set up headquarters in a corner of Addie’s and conducted business amid the mouthwatering aromas coming from the restaurant’s kitchen.
Logan and Caryn went through the task of discarding foodstuffs in the refrigerator and freezer which either
wilted or spoiled during the electrical power outage. It was late afternoon when they took a tour of the island, surveying the damage brought on by the unexpected tropical disturbance. Luckily both her car and Logan’s four-wheel-drive vehicle were operable and had not sustained any saltwater damage. Others in lower elevations were not as fortunate.
At five o’clock that evening, the sound of the bell in the church’s belfry called all inhabitants to the church for an impromptu thanksgiving service for the sparing of human life. Caryn moved closer to Logan and tightened her grip on his hand. He smiled down at her, and she returned it with a dazzling one of her own.
The upcoming Friday night outdoor concert was canceled, but the six businesspeople who made up the island’s Chamber of Commerce decided to go forward with the scheduled Saturday night barn dance. There were a few protests, but Elaine Shelton reminded the vacationers that they had come to Marble Island for fun and relaxation, and within minutes everyone agreed.
Addie ended the meeting with the promise of an open house at the restaurant, offering dinner at half the menu price. Randy Bell asked Logan if he and Caryn were coming, but Logan declined. He had only another three weeks on Marble Island, and he intended to spend much of that time alone with Caryn.
“What do you have planned for this evening?” she asked as they made their way back to the house on Watermelon Patch Lane.
Curving an arm around her tiny waist, he pulled her close to his side. “A romantic candlelight dinner under the stars with the most beautiful woman on Marble Island.” She tilted her chin at the same time his head came down. He brushed his lips overs hers, inhaling her sweet, moist breath.
“Speaking of candles,” she said as they continued their walk along the beach. “I stopped and bought some oil candles yesterday. I thought they would be a pretty addition
to the house when your friend and his wife come on Saturday.”
Logan nodded. “I have to call Ham and find out if they’re still coming. Who knows what kind of storm damage they may have sustained farther down the coast.”
“If they don’t come Saturday, then they can always come during the week.”
“Maybe I’ll suggest that. I need this weekend to put the finishing touches on a proposal I’m hoping to fax to my father by Monday.”
“How do you like working for your father?”
“He’s a hard taskmaster, but he’s fair. I learned a long time ago not to challenge him outright once he takes a stand on a project. It has taken many years, but I’ve learned the subtle art of negotiation.”
“I take it you’ve challenged him?”
“Only once. I was seventeen and I’d just gotten my driver’s license, so I volunteered to drive my friends to a party. Jace gave me the keys to his car, but insisted emphatically I come home by midnight.
“Needless to say, I strolled back in after two. We exchanged words, and it was only after he’d clipped me on my jaw and I was sprawled on my ass did I plead temporary insanity. In a heated rage I hadn’t remember exactly what I’d said to him, but what I should’ve remembered was that Jace Prescott had been a middleweight boxing champ at Yale.
“I picked myself off the floor, threw his keys at his feet, and stalked off to my room. My mother came to see me the next day and quoted my inflammatory tirade verbatim. What I said to Jace was unconscionable, and I knew I had to apologize to the man who loved me despite the fact we shared no blood ties. I went to his office to meet with him, but he kept me waiting for two hours even though there was no one in his office.
“His secretary finally let me see him, and I walked over to him, extending my hand. He stood motionless, staring at my hand for what seemed like two minutes, and when
he finally looked up to meet my gaze I broke down. It was the first time I’d ever cried wherein I’d permitted either one of my parents to see my tears. And it was also the first time I’d ever seen my father cry.
“We hugged each other, then laughed. Jace patted my cheek, saying he was proud of the man I had become. I kissed his cheek, telling him that I was proud to call him father. The older I become the more I love my parents, and I pray I’ll never deliberately hurt them—not for any reason.”
Caryn wondered what he’d said to Jace Prescott, but would never ask Logan to disclose something so personal. “How did you meet Marcia?”
“Terrence, her brother, Wayne, and I belong to the National Association of Black Architects. We bonded one year during a national convention in D.C., but after Terrence married Marcia and moved to Asheville, Wayne and I continued the friendship. He was to be my best man.”
Logan mentioning his aborted wedding elicited a shiver of awareness. She had just slept with a man who had called off his wedding two weeks ago, and she wondered when he’d made love to her, if he had thought of Nina Smith. Had she become a willing replacement for a woman he’d loved enough to ask her to spend her life with him?
She shook off the feeling of uneasiness. It didn’t matter. Whatever they offered the other, would only be for the summer. She would enjoy his protection and his passion, and she when she walked away from Logan she would not look back. At least not with any regret.
The setting for the candlelight dinner under the stars became an ethereal event. Instead of eating on the porch, Logan decided to spread a blanket out on the sand, adding throw pillows from the family room sofa to sit on while they dined on an appetizer of gingery chicken kebabs with a honey mustard sauce, sliced avocado, broiled baby lamp
chops served with a Madeira sauce, and a full-flavored fragrant chilled rosé.
After her second glass of wine, Caryn lay down on the blanket and stared up at the quarter moon casting an eerie pale glow on the sand and ocean.