Ulterior Designs (House of Evans Book 1) (26 page)

Chloe swallowed noisily as she slid a hand underneath her night shirt to pluck at one of her nipples. Logan’s French didn’t sound out of practice at all. In fact, he spoke the language as if he had been speaking it his whole life. Perhaps he had. She had half a mind to ask, but decided against it. Without any effort he had managed to completely turn her on and she didn’t want to ruin the moment with her silly questions.

“Elaborate, please,” she whispered as she cupped her breast and pressed her thighs together.

“It’s crisp and bright,” he finally translated his statement with a shift of movement and a growl. “And I wish you were here to share it with me.”

*

Logan’s hand had found its way to his cock. The simple words Chloe had spoken had quickly put him in a state of arousal, and that growing need that she always seemed to cause had struck him full force. Her voice—smooth, feminine and sweet—made him want to drive the distance to her place to experience her legs wrapped around his waist again. To feel her hands in his hair and her lips and throat capturing and caressing his cock—like the previous night. Damn, she had looked good bent over that chair. He had taken her in every conceivable position and then some, and she had begged for more.

When he heard the rustle of fabric on the phone, he wondered if her own hands were having their way with that fuckable body of hers. The thought was both a turn on and a travesty seeing as he wasn’t there to witness it. It was a good thing his
sexy-time
furniture, as Chloe had dubbed it, hadn’t been delivered, because there was no way he’d have been able to resist not hauling her perfectly round ass back to his place that night to break it in.

With the taste of wine still on his lips and the sound of Chloe’s soft breathing in his ear, he smiled. Just as he began to climb the stairs to his bedroom with his glass of wine in hand, Chloe’s request stopped him.

As if she was right there next to him, she whispered, “Please play something to help me fall asleep.”

God, he hated playing the piano. Why did it have to appeal to her so much? He stood motionless on the first step for only a moment before her turned and walked back to his baby grand. It wasn’t Chloe’s fault that he despised it so much. And hell, it was a simple enough request, and by the tone of her voice, sincere. How could he deny her when she’d been so absolutely perfect the night before and worked so hard on his place all day?

With his drink and phone on the piano top, he closed his eyes and allowed the sheet music from more than a decade before flash behind his closed lids. A slow song. A dark melody masked by lulling notes. Something soothing to put Chloe in the right frame of mind for their next encounter. A song even he had to admit was beautiful—
Au Coucher Du Soleil,
even if he detested playing it.

He pushed the key cover back, set his phone to speaker and gave Chloe what she had asked for, even if she hadn’t taken the last song he texted her to heart, even if he intended on keeping his
distance
with her.

T
he mid-day sun was peeking out from beneath scattered gray clouds, and the breeze blowing in from an open kitchen window smelled of Logan’s vineyard. The same aroma had permeated his house the night before while his hand stroked his cock. With Chloe’s sweet voice in his ear urging him on, his climax had
come
quickly. So had hers. He only wished he’d been there to see it.

It would be a long two days without her, but he had plenty to keep him busy.

Just as he sat at his table to dig his heels into the School of Arts project, he heard a vehicle pull into the driveway, followed by the sound of men’s voices as they approached the house.

His furniture.

Logan was on his feet in seconds to meet them at the door. After a quick scribble of his signature to accept the delivery, the men began toting in his treasures. In less than twenty minutes, one large crate and three medium-large containers, along with one small box were sitting inside his home. As one of the men removed the nails from the crate, the other gazed up at the vaulted ceiling while throwing out compliments.

The first sight of dark wood and D-rings set Logan’s nerves ablaze with unfulfilled longings.
God, the things he could do to Chloe on it.
Her back pressed against the smooth wood, her wrists and ankles bound to each post leaving every part of her exposed …the scent of her aroused femininity and moans of pleasure … He would make sure to fully
educate
her on the purpose and use of the St. Andrew’s cross while alternating between gently and brutally fucking her.

Finally glad to see the glorious piece of furniture off his wish list
and in his home, he looked it over more closely before moving on to the next item.

While the two men continued to unpack the other boxes and clear his house of the packing debris, he then proceeded to examine the spanking horse. From the looks of the one Chloe had chosen, it was meant for far more than merely paddling the asses of beautiful women, though he doubted she knew that. Knowing her more personally, she had probably purchased it based strictly on its aesthetic quality. That was fine, because she definitely had an eye for this sort of thing. The hard lines and leather were a nice contrast to the cathedral windows and curve of the staircase, and it would definitely stand out, which is what he wanted.

When he glanced around the room, the moving men had disappeared. He’d been so enthralled with his new toys that he hadn’t heard them leave.

He then turned his attention to the uniquely-shaped
Adela
chair. He had opted for the neutral ivory shade; however, he had to give Chloe kudos for going with the obsidian black as it complimented his piano.

His eyes darted between the cross and the horse several times as he tried to imagine the final look of his living space. Though the distressed metal and wood grain on the on the cross matched the interior of his beloved home, it threatened to overtake the room. He’d been so eager to get the damned thing and put it to use, that he hadn’t taken its size into consideration. Hopefully, Chloe would address the issue, because there was no way he would part with it.

The next object, which stood waist-high and looked to be an unstained pedestal that would hold a plant or knick-knacks, perplexed him. He didn’t give it a second thought other than he found it odd for a company that specialized in fetish furniture to sell such an unexciting piece.

The last item, something that hadn’t been on any of his lists, made him smile so widely he swore he heard his jaw creak. Before him sat a chair designed specifically for cunnilingus, A.K.A.,
eating pussy.
He’d given Chloe a bit of free reign, and to his absolute shock and joy, she had run with it. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud of not only her for having taken the initiative, but of himself for having put her in the frame of mind to be sexually creative.

He skimmed his fingertips along the smooth, red, shiny fiberglass and knelt on one knee to place a palm on the cool aluminum base. Envisioning Chloe’s toned legs spread wide on the chair with her head thrown back caused a swell of blood to his cock.

There was no way he would be getting any work done in his house with those items sitting idly by. Hell, there was no way he would be
anything
done except fantasizing about the ways he would fuck Chloe next.

****

As Logan sat eating a late lunch, seated outdoors at a restaurant not far from his office, clouds began to form overhead. After failing miserably to work from home, he’d driven to his firm. Two hours in, McDaniels had shown up, nosing around and checking on his progress. That had been Logan’s signal to get the hell out of Dodge. Dealing with that ass-monkey five days a week was almost more than his sanity could tolerate, he didn’t intend on putting up with McDaniels’ shit on the weekend, too.

A glance up at the gray clouds that hung ominously above him and threatened to drench him, prompted Logan to gather his jacket and leave.

As he walked to his car, his phone vibrated in the pocket of jeans, notifying him of a text.

Chloe:
I’ve made great progress today! Want a peek?

Oh, he wanted a
peek
alright, but not at any project she was working on. He wanted another gander at that round ass of hers and her perfectly perky tits.

Logan:
Only if that peek involves a random nude body shot.

Chloe:
You’re impossible. But here you go. I’ll give you what you asked for AND a sneak peek.

Chloe:
Naked lips! And see the sparkly lights in the background? That’s one of your chandeliers almost done!

Nude lips, messy hair, seductive stare—the image of Chloe, though washed out by the fluorescent bulbs in her make-shift artist studio, made him grin. As for the lights, he couldn’t care less, as he had no doubt that whatever she created would be nothing less than a masterpiece.

Back in his car with the motor humming, he pulled into traffic. McDaniels would surely be gone by now, but working in the confines of his office was the last thing Logan wanted to do. A crack of thunder off in the not-so-far distance followed by a downpour of rain began when his phone vibrated again.

Chloe.

She was working diligently on what she had deemed a surprise when he had asked for her to send him the completed plans the previous evening. But he hated surprise. Even if they were meant with the best of intentions, surprises meant lack of control.

Just as he neared the entrance to the freeway that would take him back to Napa, he veered left while cursing under his breath. To do the thing that he was already planning would mean that he’d have to meet Chloe’s parents, and he didn’t
meet parents.
Doing that meant taking things to a whole other level, and as far as he was concerned, this thing with Chloe hadn’t progressed to that stage yet. Nor would it, if he had his way.

Nevertheless, he connected on the 101 toward Russian Hill. Still, he exited onto Union Street toward her apartment. And worse yet, he watched her through the open garage door from across the street while she worked with her father. He’d managed to come all this way under the guise of needing control, and he couldn’t even pry his ass away from the safety of his vehicle.
What a jackass.
Hell, from the distance he was sitting, he couldn’t even see the work of art he’d been so sure she was creating.

So much for keeping his distance.

Forcing his trepidation down like a rancid meal, he opened his car door and stepped out. He had no other choice, because the only
masterpiece
he could see was Chloe, and that piece of art needed to be viewed up close to be truly appreciated.

*

Chloe and her family had spent the morning shopping for the necessary supplies and renting a welder to make the two chandeliers for the House of Evans. With one of them nearly complete, she and her father had made good time.

In the rented garage, her father was scrutinizing and making a few last-minute changes to her draft, when her mother and Tyson popped in. While her mom busied herself by attempting to organize Chloe’s shelves, a broken piece of clockwork caught Tyson’s eye. When Chloe spun around to scold him, something in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

Standing motionless in the pouring rain, Logan watched her from a few hundred feet away. She smiled and immediately went to him, only to find him completely soaked.

“How long have you been standing here?” she asked, as she grabbed his hand and dragged him into the garage.

A peculiar look on his face and a casual shrug of shoulders seemed to leave him speechless. His eyes darted between her and her family, but there was no time for introductions. Hauling him into her apartment to get him dried, she couldn’t help but wonder what had incited his visit.

Seated on the toilet while he towel-dried his hair, she gazed up at him.

“What are you doing here?”

Again, he lifted his shoulders in a non-committal response. When she stood and attempted to remove his wet shirt from his body, he protested.

“Jesus, Chloe. Your parents are here.”

“I’m not trying to take advantage of you, Logan. I was just going to throw this and your pants into the dryer for a few minutes,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

Seemingly resigned, he peeled his clothes off and shooed her out. When she exited the bathroom, she found her mother with a look of amusement on her face. Chloe quickly explained her plans to help her employer
out of his damp predicament before she could make assumptions.

As they both walked to the basement of the apartment building where the washers and dryers were located, her mother began throwing out hints.

“You didn’t mention that he’s handsome.”

In a move she had learned from Logan, she shrugged.

“I dated a redhead once—back in my first year of college,” he mother said with a smile. “But your boss’ hair is a much darker shade than,
what was his name?
Oh, Steve.”

Chloe tossed the clothes into the dryer, powered it on and turned to gape at her mother as she continued with the unsolicited admission.

“I was wild back then. Partied too much. Got put on academic probation because of it,” she snorted.

Chloe’s mouth hung open. “You never told me that.”

“I haven’t told you about a lot of things, but not because I’m hiding anything. The occasion just never arose. That boy I dated—he was cute too, just like your boss. All of them were.”

“
All of them
?” Chloe asked in horrified shock.

“I dated a lot before I met your dad. What did you say your boss’ name is?”

“Logan,” Chloe answered while still processing what her mother had just confessed.

“That’s a nice name. Imposing. Manly. Like your father’s. I have a thing for strong names. And men.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my mother?” Chloe huffed.

“Ay, Chloe,” she gave her a disbelieving smile. “I’m still your mom. But you’re a woman now. The time to talk to you as if you’re some innocent child is over. Now, tell me, are you dating Logan?”

Chloe swallowed loudly and suppressed the nervous smile that was hovering on her lips. “No. Not dating.”

Her mom’s eyes widened as if she
knew
what was really going on, but Chloe swiftly changed the subject. “With the money I’m making with this project, I plan on finally buying a new computer and that software that I’ve been wanting.”

Her mom nodded as she reached a hand out to push a strand of hair away from her face. The affectionate look in her mom’s eyes said so much. It was a look she’d seen over the years countless times. It was a look she’d missed.

“I’ve missed you and Dad,” she whispered.

“We’ve missed you too,
mi hija
. If things don’t work out here, you know you can always come home. But,” she paused to cross her arms over her chest, “it looks things are going pretty well for you here. Especially with your
boss.
”