SevenSensuousDays (12 page)

At last, he came around to her right side, his hand resting
heavily on her waist to keep her still and obedient. A moment passed, then
another and another, forcing her to wait once more for the inevitable.

She made a whining noise without meaning to.

Calm as could be, he murmured, “What did I just say about
making noise?”

“Sorry.”

“You will be.”

Tessa tensed.

Nothing happened.

She looked over.

At just that moment, Logan’s hand connected with her ass.
Hard and assured, causing her to start, the crack sounding too loud. The sting
lasted only a second, replaced by incredible warmth. Tessa moaned.

“Quiet,” he ordered.

She whimpered.

Logan mumbled something she didn’t catch, then paddled her
well and long, until her head hung between her shoulders and Tessa could
scarcely catch her breath. She kept babbling her thanks, wanting him to take
her again while she was still tied up.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head instead. “You
going to be good now?”

“Only if you make me…that was amazing.”

He made a sound that said he thought so too and untied her.

“Wait,” Tessa said as he strode away, napkins in hand. “Where
are you going?”

He pointed to the stuff they’d left on the ground.

She sagged against the rail. “Want me to help?”

Logan regarded her obvious aversion to doing so, then flung
the afghan over his shoulder. He next shoved the grocery bag beneath his arm.
As he approached, Tessa expected him to stop at her side. He did, but only when
he was practically on top of her, all virile and dominant. With the tips of his
toes touching her sandals, he leaned down and murmured, “Some servant you
turned out to be.”

“Sorry, but I’m a pleasure slave, not a maid,” Tessa
informed. “There is a difference.” Showing him, she kissed his neck, then
suckled it.

His Adam’s apple bobbed with his forceful swallow, his free
hand travelling to her ass. He cupped one cheek in his palm and fondled her
roughly, then stopped. “Are you giving me a hickey?”

She was. Foolishly branding him. Better quit. After a moment
she did. “Let’s go inside.”

The pups went crazy at their master’s return. Tessa couldn’t
blame them. He was some guy. Tenderness wrapped in strength. Protective.
Definitely in love with Molly and Jack. On one knee in the kitchen, he stroked
their heads as they gobbled the puppy treats he fed them, leaving slobber all
over the place. Making as much of a mess as kids would.

Logan didn’t seem to mind. A really nice guy.

More than Tessa had expected. She enjoyed talking with him,
tasting him, playing their carnal games, having his solid weight on her. Their
bodies so close, their souls still far away. She sensed his control returning,
the way he was suddenly holding back again. All of his attention on the pups,
none left for her.

Tessa glanced at the windowed wall, the faint overhead
lighting in here reflected on the glass, tiny pinpoints of brightness. She
wondered if he hadn’t turned the bulbs up to full blast because someone in a
passing plane might see inside, the pilot having taken the wrong route. Unless
he was flaunting the rules in his single engine or executive jet, giving his
passengers a show, encouraging them to witness her nudity. Logan knew she’d be
worried about that, and so he was clearly concerned too.

Liking him even more, Tessa scratched her hip. Her skin
itched from grass that had somehow gotten onto the afghan, and from having
perspired so much while they’d be screwing around…literally.

She waited as the pups finished their treats, stuffed and
ready to roll. With one in each arm, Logan left the kitchen. Tessa followed him
to the front porch, watching from there as he let them run themselves down,
after which they each picked a spot and did what comes naturally. They
protested quite a bit when Logan herded them back inside the room they’d been
in earlier.

Scolding them gently, he pointed to the two doggie beds. One
all frilly and pink, the other with a Spiderman theme. The pups ignored the
items, sniffing the kiddy chairs instead. With two bowls of fresh water, Molly’s
pacifier, and Jack’s chew toys surrounding their beds, they were clearly down
for the evening.

Both pups whined and tried to escape as Logan headed out.

Tessa murmured, “Do they always sleep in there?”

“Only since early last week.” He closed the door and faced
her. The light in the foyer was as meek as that in the kitchen. Of course,
there were windows here too, in the ceiling. “They’re usually upstairs with me.”

Not tonight. Tessa played with the hem of his tee. “You
relocated them to this room because I was going to be here?”

“What do you think?”

She thought it was an excellent idea. “How about a bath…or a
shower. Whichever you prefer.”

Something passed over his face. For a moment, Tessa expected
him to refuse, but then with a nod that looked resigned he took her hand and
led her up the stairs.

What she guessed was the master bedroom had the same glass
wall as the kitchen, showing the silvery scene outside, a contrast of lighter
and darker objects or shadows. The night sky held hundreds of stars. A wayward
gust brushed against the house, rattling the panes briefly.

As he’d done downstairs, Logan turned on the recessed lights
in here to their lowest setting. A warm, gentle glow that revealed the massive
four-poster bed and brick fireplace directly across from it. Chunky, masculine
furniture, in dark wood and what looked to be maroon leather, barely filled the
expansive space. It was breathtaking, rather than cozy. Not really a home.

Logan regarded her, his eyes glimmering in the meager light,
his expression unreadable.

Tessa’s skin prickled, partly from excitement, a bit from
uncertainty at how he kept looking at her, as if he were trying to decide
something. “What?” she asked.

He lowered his fly and dropped his jeans, stepping out of
them. “Bath or shower?”

Damn, he was hung, wonderfully blessed. Tessa’s cunt ached
for more of his cock, the comfort of having him inside her once again.
Especially during the time they’d be floating down from their climaxes, their
arms and bodies caressing. How wonderful that had been. How deprived she was
without it.

That need rang in her voice. “Shower. You’re kind of big to
fit in a tub.”

He smiled briefly at her praise, his expression saying he
was only being polite. “A shower it is.”

Without fanfare, he finally removed his tee and dropped it
to the side.

Tessa stared at his chest, that muscular expanse of flesh,
superbly toned, male as all hell. His firm pecs and abs called to her as few
things had, promising all sorts of decadent pleasures. With her eyes finally
adjusted to the murky illumination in here, she saw that his nipples were a bit
lighter than his hair, nearly the same shade as his cock, the root of his shaft
snuggled within a beautiful nest of thick, equally dark curls.

A rush of desire hit Tessa so hard, the room swayed
slightly. She recalled his cock in her mouth and then each of his balls. Lord,
she loved his sac, so pendulous and erotic. Tessa nearly licked her lips, but
thought better of it. However, she did smile.

Logan turned.

Her smile froze, making her face feel weird, as if she’d had
a stroke.

Oh god.
At his brutal scarring, Tessa pressed her
fingers to her mouth to keep from making even the faintest sound.

Even if she had, Logan wouldn’t have heard. He’d already
padded away from her into the adjoining bath.

“More?” Alexa lifted the bottle of French merlot.

Ronnie put her hand on top of her wineglass. “I’m good. You
might want to offer something stronger to the guys though.”

The clack of tools and mutters coming from the spare bedroom
told Ronnie that Hunt and Wallace were having a time of it putting together the
baby stuff.

Alexa called out, “If you two don’t play nice, we’re going
to have to take your toys away.”

More mutters, some peppered with louder swears. Then what
sounded like wood cracking.

“Don’t you worry,” Ronnie said to Alexa. “Whatever they just
broke, I’ll replace it.”

Smiling, Alexa moved the wrapping paper from the sofa and
joined her. “If you give us anything else, we’re going to have to get a bigger
place.”

Weeks ago, she and Hunt had purchased this Victorian row
house in Georgetown, not all that far from where they’d first met when she
still called herself Magique.

What, to Ronnie, seemed a lifetime away.

She marveled at the change in Alexa. Blessed with Eurasian
features, delicate yet exotic, she’d always been lovely. Now she glowed with
happiness and trust. Not an easy thing for her. Her parents’ indifference,
especially her father’s, to everything she did, had made it hard for Alexa to
love, to give her heart to a man. She’d needed to control her encounters with
them, using her elegant sensuality to seduce, while zealously protecting her
heart.

No more. With an expression of wonder, Alexa rubbed her
belly. It was still too soon for her to show. The ecru sheath she wore draped
her body perfectly.

“You’re sure everything’s going well with the baby?” Ronnie
asked.

“I’m hurling every morning right on time. So, yeah.”

Ronnie laughed.

“I am curious about what’s been happening at the agency.”
She lowered her voice considerably, no doubt not wanting Hunt to listen in. “Anything
I can help with from here?”

Ronnie patted the back of Alexa’s hand. “We have it all
under control, just like I told you earlier when we were shopping.”

“All what? Under what kind of control? All you said was that
everything was running smoothly.”

“It is. Business is great. Your ideas for the auction were
fabulous, as I’ve already told you. It went off without a hitch.” Ronnie
paused, remembering, then shrugged. “Well, one little catch.”

“What?” Alexa leaned closer and kept her voice subdued. “One
of the clients reneged on his bid?”

“They’ve all been perfect gentlemen.” Ronnie finished her
wine and put the glass on the cocktail table. “Especially Logan Kincaid, even
though he did create kind of a stir.”

Alexa’s almond-shaped eyes widened a bit. She knew Logan
from the previous escorts he’d hired when she’d still helped run the agency. “He
created a stir with the ladies? They all wanted him to bid on them?”

“Not exactly. He wanted more than a day. A week, actually.”

“Wow. With who? No, wait.” Alexa put up her hand. “Felicity,
right?”

“Nope.”

“Emma?”

“Not even close.”

Alexa frowned. “He bid on one of the guys?”

“No, of course not. He chose Tessa.”

Alexa sagged against the sofa, obviously surprised. “Sweet
little Tessa? I mean, she’s very pretty and she does have curves to die for.
But Tessa?”

“Uh-huh.” Ronnie smoothed her linen pants. “Wallace dropped
her at Logan’s estate this afternoon. He called her an unusual girl.”

“Who? Logan or Wallace?”

“Wallace.” Ronnie turned to the hall, making certain it was
still empty, Hunt continuing to do battle with infant furniture. Satisfied that
he was, she continued, “Logan hasn’t offered an opinion on how unusual Tessa
is, at least not so far.”

“Why would he? Why did Wallace?” Alexa shifted on the
cushion like a teenager eager for the latest gossip. “What did she do?”

“Nothing really or yet, except to quiz him—Wallace—on how to
get men to talk before sex.”

“Erotic talk?”

“Hardly.” Ronnie fingered her pearls. “Apparently, Tessa
wants to get to know her clients before anything happens between them, or
something like that.”

Alexa mouthed “wow”. “So, she wants to share more than
pleasant conversation with her clients? Something deep?” She looked baffled,
then worried. “Surely not about what happened to Logan.”

There was always that possibility. Ronnie grabbed the bottle
of
Domaine De La Presidente
and poured herself another glass, suddenly
wanting it. “Don’t know. Neither of them has called yet to cancel the rest of
the week. That has to be a good sign.”

Logan switched on the bath lights. Every last one. This
time, he didn’t bother to dim them as he had in the other rooms. The
illumination poured down. Harsh. Cruelly revealing. The same as the bath’s
mirrored walls.

Dozens of his images looked back at him, hiding nothing.

Time to face reality. Especially with Tessa. He was a
client. She, an agency escort. No matter the pleasant time they’d already
shared, it didn’t change the fact that they’d been playacting, like when he
gave chase outside, catching then paddling her.

He smiled at the memory and stopped quickly at what the
mirrors revealed. The truth of what he was, who he’d become. A man who didn’t
want another deep relationship with a woman. He’d had a stomach full of that.
Sex and carnal games were enough. The comfort of a warm female body,
sufficient. That was, if Tessa ever decided to join him in here.

If she didn’t, Logan figured he couldn’t blame her.

He’d sensed her shock in the bedroom, even though she hadn’t
said a word. Of course, her absolute silence revealed more than any words
could. And now her hesitation punctuated it.

He was about to return to the bedroom to let her know it was
all right if she wanted to leave when he heard her heading here. Logan kept his
back to the bath’s entrance. Her. As Tessa stopped just inside the room, he
turned his head to the side. From this angle, the mirror revealed no more than
a glimpse of his scars, a fraction of what she now saw. Uneven skin mottled an
angry red. The damage on the left side of his back traveled down to his buttock
and the top of that thigh. Compared to his unmarked flesh, the injuries looked
like a landscape from Mars.

When she said nothing, he asked, “Change your mind about
that shower?”

She moved closer, the bath’s marble floor recording the
tapping of her shoes. “No.”

He almost said, “why not?” Starting the conversation she’d
once seemed so intent on having. A huge mistake he wasn’t about to make.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

He wished to god she wouldn’t. “What?”

Tessa shifted her weight from one foot to the other as
though debating what to say.

“Go on,” Logan said, feigning nonchalance. “Ask.”

“Does it still hurt?”

That wasn’t what he’d expected her to say. Nor did his
injuries still pain him in the way she surely thought.

He turned to face her, expecting to see her barely concealed
revulsion or pity. That is, if she were still looking at him at all.

To Logan’s surprise, she was. What appeared to be sadness
and worry made her seem so fucking unpretentious, capable of being shocked by
what sometimes happened in a world that should have been sane and safe.

Something shifted within him at her frank concern, until he
remembered that he was a client. She was a call girl, trained to be everything
a man desired…except honest. Genuine. The qualities he liked most about her.
Could be it had all been an act. A part of her appeal to put her customers at
ease.

God knew, he wasn’t a great judge of women. Nicole had
certainly been proof of that.

“No, it doesn’t hurt any longer,” he answered. “I exercise
regularly to keep the skin from getting stiff. There are also lotions the doctors
prescribed. I’m assuming, or maybe hoping, none of it will be necessary
someday. I really don’t know.”

Tessa went to him. Her hand stalled before she touched his
chest, as though she were uncertain whether he wanted that.

Part of him did. A lot of him didn’t, not if sympathy fueled
it.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, lowering her hand.

“Then you do know about me. What happened.”

“Not from your file,” she said hurriedly. “I didn’t read it.”
She chewed her bottom lip, much as a kid would when caught doing something
wrong. “I was on the Net.”

Of course. What he’d already suspected. She’d read the news
stories. There had been so many of them. All showing Nicole’s picture, how
gorgeous she’d been, smiling for the camera. Pretending. None of them capturing
her as Logan had seen in private. Her eyes narrowed, features twisted in
resentment.

“I know you’re cheating on me.”

He couldn’t count the times she’d accused him of that. That
was the saddest truth of all. Although Logan knew he was no saint, he hadn’t
strayed.

Nicole wouldn’t believe. They’d been wed less than a year
when he finally faced the fact that he’d made a huge mistake in marrying her.
She wasn’t the woman he’d fallen in love with. Exquisite, yes. But not even
close to the confident female he’d once admired. She’d hidden her insecurities
from him while they’d dated, charming him so easily, making Logan believe that
her unwavering adoration was simply the way a woman behaved when she was in
love. That her gentle questions about his day weren’t meant to dog his every
movement, but because she was genuinely interested in what he did.

Once they’d shared vows it should have calmed any fears she’d
had. Instead, her insecurities grew by the minute. No matter what he did, where
he went, Nicole questioned it. Insidiously at first, until Logan realized she
was controlling more and more of his behavior. Always an easygoing man, he’d
simply dismissed her conduct as wanting what was best for him and them. When he
finally got fed up with it and pushed back, needing to breathe, she’d held off
for a while, returning to the woman he thought he knew. Didn’t last. Soon, she
was hounding him day and night with her accusations. If he was a second late
coming back from a meeting, her recriminations began anew.

“You saw that woman again. I know. Don’t deny it.”

It was true that he’d made friends with a colleague in his
field. However, there wasn’t anything sexual about it. Logan had simply wanted
to talk, to ask for advice, a way to fix things, hoping that the Nicole he’d
first known would come back somehow.

When that hope faded, she was already pregnant, leaving him
with an unbearable sense of responsibility toward her and their child. He’d
naively believed the baby might make everything better. Prove to her that he
was committed. Even though he had considered leaving innumerable times, he’d
never told her that. He assured her they’d be a family. Hell, he’d even adopted
her daughter from an earlier relationship. Not because he had to, but because
he adored the little girl. Samantha was six, Connor not yet two when the world
Logan had known came to an end.

The nanny had called him, interrupting his meeting with
investors. Clearly worried, she’d said that Nicole had locked herself and the
children in the house. The nanny had only gone outside to get the kids’ things
from the backyard. Samantha’s favorite doll. Connor’s Monster Bowling game.

Nicole wouldn’t let the young woman back inside.

Logan didn’t want to believe it. Nicole had been going to a
shrink to work things out. They were deep into couples’ and family therapy. He’d
learned how her insecurities drove her. That she lashed out because deep inside
she was terrified. Unable to control her own emotions or life, she sought to do
so with others. She wasn’t evil, she was scared.

He got it, and never once blamed her. He’d listened and
tried to make things better. He’d actually begun to relax because she’d seemed
so much better. Calmer. Trusting. The girl he’d fallen for.

“You’re not going to leave me. You’ll never take my
children.”

Nicole had most likely started the fire when she’d seen
Logan pulling up. He didn’t realize what she’d done until he saw smoke pouring
from the children’s bedroom windows. Faster than he would have believed
possible, flames shot out, a blast of heat shattering the glass. He couldn’t
open the front door. She’d put something against it. He broke in through the
living room window and crawled inside, screaming for Samantha and Connor. Acrid
air stole his breath. He couldn’t see past the wall of smoke pouring from the
upstairs. Something from above fell on his back. He felt none of the pain, only
stark terror at what Nicole had done, needing to stop it. To make things right.
To save his kids.

He’d learned later that it took three firefighters to pull
him from the house. He kept trying to go back and awoke in the hospital’s burn
unit. Everyone gone. All of it ashes, literally.

Tessa knew only a part of it, not the true horror. Seeing
her sadness for him, what Logan sensed wasn’t an act, he said, “It’s all right.
It’s over. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay.”

Every time she’d said that word earlier, it had tugged at
his heart, making him want to smile. Not now. Not ever again. She had to know
the score. “I want to have a good time, Tessa. Nothing more.”

He’d gotten close once, delivering his heart and life
willingly to a woman and look where that had led. Logan didn’t think he’d
survive that kind of betrayal again with anyone. Especially Tessa. They barely
knew each other, but he liked her far too much and that had to stop.

“Show me that good time,” he ordered.

She ached to wrap her arms around him, offering all the
solace she could. The brief flash of horror she’d seen on his face tore at
Tessa’s soul. Although she’d read the news stories about what had happened with
his wife and kids, those were just words. The facts watered down so the public
would find them palatable…like in those stories where rape became a sexual
assault. Nicole’s act of suicide and murder were referred to as “the incident”.
Logan losing his family, everything he’d cherished, “the fatal occurrence”.