Ulterior Designs (House of Evans Book 1) (17 page)

"If it makes you feel any better, you've done a wonderful job with the re-upholstery," he laughed.

No, it didn't make her feel any better. It made her feel like a damned fool, and when she glanced up at Logan and saw the stupid grin on his face widen, she felt even more idiotic.

"Stop looking at me like that," she griped.

"Like what?" he softly laughed.

"Like you think I'm naïve."

"You are naïve," he said as he took a step toward her and straddled the chair.

Chloe's breathing immediately quickened as she sank back into the arch of the chair. Leaning down, he inched toward her, thrust his hand into her hair and pulled her bun loose to let her locks fall all around her shoulders.

He ghosted his lips past hers and breathed against her mouth, "And for some reason I find it damned sexy."

F
or some reason?
As Chloe searched for
the nerve to ask what that reason was, Logan pulled back to stare directly into her eyes.

"Do you still want to taste me?"

Her mouth became dry as dust, but somehow she found the courage to answer him. "That depends."

"On?"

"On whether or not you'll deny me if I say yes."

"I wouldn't be asking if I planned on denying you."

"Is this your idea of a
fresh start
?"

He gave her an amused expression. "I was talking about work when I said that—not us."

"Are you sure about that?"

Her question caused his look to quickly change to apprehension, and she prepared for the usual—his rapid withdrawal.

His voice was barely a husky whisper when he answered, "When it comes to you, I'm not sure about anything,"

Her heart leapt into her throat at the blazing sincerity burning in his eyes. His admission and candor seemed to shake him. She didn't have a chance to respond before he quickly recovered.

"You haven't answered my question."

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move her body, but her lips didn't fail her. "Yes."

His look of worry was gone in a flash and replaced with feral lust. "Yes,
what
? Say it,
Minou
. Say the words."

Her eyes darted to his mouth as she recalled the orgasm he had given her. She not only wanted to taste him; she wanted to repay his efforts. "I want to taste you,
Sir.
"

With one knee between her legs and the other firmly planted on the floor, Logan slowly unbuckled his belt. Each of his paced movements made her body ache with a kind of need unfamiliar to her. She was going to taste him and she could hardly contain her enthusiasm. A nervous giggle worked its way up her throat, but she stifled it. He already thought she was naïve and virginal; the last thing she needed to do was appear immature. But, she couldn't help it—she was genuinely excited. When he slipped his pants down his thighs her eyes widened with anticipation.

And there it was, his masculinity presented to her like a big, throbbing gift wrapped in pair of
Hermes
woven boxers. Hard and beautiful, she willed herself to reach for it, but her body betrayed her. Like an idiotic statue, she could only stare at him. At
it.
She had actually only given a blow job
… how many times?
Maybe a dozen.
Maybe
. Oh, hell, who was she kidding? She knew it was far less than that. What was she thinking by offering to do this? She sure as shit was thirsty, but she’d forgotten how to drink. Suddenly frozen with fear that she wouldn't be able to perform up to Logan's standards, she stared up at him apologetically.

As if he sensed her inexperience, he scooted toward her, bringing his shaft to her lips.

"Open wide."

Two simple words. Two words when used alone could mean nothing or a variety of things. But strung together, those words set Chloe's insides ablaze and her nethers on the spin cycle. She closed her eyes and a soft tap-tap-tap with the head of his shaft was felt on her lips as if he was knocking on a door and asking for permission to enter. She did as she was told and poked her tongue out in the process. When she did, she finally received what she had asked for:
a taste.

A slight adjustment of his body. A hand in her hair. A gentle manipulation of her head. A softly spoken order
.

He instructed her and she did as she was told. When her hands finally found the courage to reach for him, his hands covered hers and guided her movements. The anxiety of not pleasing him vanished when she pried her eyes open to meet his gaze and saw a look of pure elation on his face. His breathing became more rapid, his moans of pleasure louder, and when the muscles of his abdomen tightened, Chloe prepared herself for his climax.

He finished with a polite warning and a grunt, and she swallowed what he offered.

Logan had no sooner pulled his jeans back up when he towed her down to the lower arc of the chair, tugged her pants and panties down to her ankles, and pushed her knees to her chest. With his taste still lingering on her tongue, his mouth crashed down onto her as if he couldn't contain his need. His tongue flicked and licked, and once again did things to her that seemed superhuman. Time and time again he brought her to the brink of orgasm, only to back away, leaving her needy and begging. When she began to whine out his name, he frantically yanked her shoes and pants off and tossed them into a heap on the floor. With her legs spread wide, he dove in again.

Warm air blew across her labia just before his tongue dipped in and swirled around. His hands found her breasts and squeezed, his fingers plucking at her nipples. When his fingers dug into her ass and hips as he tilted her pelvis to gain better access to her depths, she clung to the sides of the chair for dear life. Panic inundated her when she nearly squealed. Worried that she would frighten her neighbors into thinking she was being attacked, she clamped her mouth closed, but Logan's words and voiced commanded her otherwise.

"Let it go,
Minou
."

And so she did. With the knuckles of one hand pressed to her lips, she stifled the scream as best she could. As her body continued to shake and tremble in the aftermath of Logan's oral assault, he kissed a trail up her stomach to her breasts and neck. When he pressed his lips to hers, the taste of her salty arousal made her breath hitch.

He laughed as he pulled back to gaze down at her. "Aren't you glad you anteed up to buy this amazing
reading chair
?"

He truly was beautiful. But it wasn't just his physical beauty that appealed to her—it was his intellect and humor. And so much more. She blinked back her feelings and shut her mouth when she almost spoke the words. She wanted to say them, but that look of distrust was still in his eyes and she didn't know if it was himself that he didn't trust, or her.

She quickly tried to push him off to stand, but she was still too wobbly on her feet. Rising, Logan steadied her and guided her to the bathroom.

When he disappeared, she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked different. She
felt
different. She had a glow about her that reflected one of not only sexual satisfaction, but of newly learned knowledge.

*

While Chloe cleaned herself, Logan found his way to her bedroom. None of the rooms afforded her any privacy since they didn't have doors, and that included the bedroom and bathroom. It was an odd set-up, but what the apartment lacked in amenities, it made up for in a decent neighborhood and what he imagined was reasonable rent. An absence of doors hadn't stopped Chloe from fashioning curtains as makeshift partitions. It was a charming look.

Her room was cozy with its sparse furnishings and again, her attention to detail was impeccable. The color on the walls reminded him of a clear-blue Napa day, and the scent of jasmine and vanilla reminded him vaguely of his childhood home in Nebraska.

As he stared at her brass-framed, twin-sized bed that was covered in plush hand-made linens, he wondered how many men she had taken there. If her oral skills were any indication of her experience, it couldn't be many. Not that he was complaining. What she
lacked in
skills
she made up for with her willingness to accept guidance. And she was definitely a quick learner.

"I’m shocked you're still here."

Chloe's voice made him spin around. She had a look on her face as if she was surprised he hadn't bolted. What kind of guy did she think he was, anyway? Oh, that's right, the kind hearted/filthy-minded guy, and, actually, that was a pretty accurate description.

Stunned and mildly offended, he didn't know how to respond without coming off like a prick.

When her statement went unaddressed, she gave him a sheepish grin and walked over to her bedroom window.

"You can see the Golden Gate Bridge from here," she said as she pushed the drapes aside.

Logan laughed under his breath at her absurd statement. Her bedroom wasn't facing the right direction to see the bridge. Not to mention, she was nowhere near it geographically.

She seated herself on a long, padded bench in front of the window and pointed out. "See? It's right there."

He walked over and sat next to her, amused at the look of earnestness on her face.

"It's right there," she repeated and continued to point.

Okay. He'd go along with it
. He turned his head to look out the window and, low and behold, the bridge could be seen outside her window, albeit a tiny version of it. He squinted to get a better look at the plastic replica as laughter slowly bubbled out of him. By the looks of it, she had hot-glued the souvenir to the fire escape.

"You can even see the Eiffel Tower from my kitchen window," she grinned.

"That's impressive," he stated as he pushed her messy, just-got-orally-sexed hair from her eyes. "You must pay a fortune for rent with those kinds of views."

"You have no idea," she stood and moved to the other side of the room.

Standing in the threshold of her doorway, a pink-hue colored her cheeks. "You're very good at …
that.
"

"At
what
?"

Her cheeks brightened further. "Oral sex."

God, she was adorable.
And so damned easy to rib. How could he resist?

*

"You mean eating pussy?"

Chloe puckered her mouth at Logan and narrowed her eyes at his crudeness. "Yes, Logan,
that.
"

He winked. “You're pretty good, yourself."

"I could use some work," she admitted.

He gave her a sly smile."Well, practice makes perfect."

She liked the idea of getting in more practice time, especially under Logan's tutelage, but she wondered … "Have you had a lot of practice?" His brows shot up, but he said nothing as his smile widened. "Don't leave me hanging," she prodded him.

"Yes," he finally answered.

"Have you been with a lot of women?" she asked, since he was being so forthcoming.

"I've been with my fair share."

She should've known it wouldn't last long. "Your non-answers are maddening," she scolded and shook her head.

His right eyebrow lifted only the slightest. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Have you been with a lot of men?" he asked, but something in his expression and tone made her think that he already knew the answer.

"I've had my fair share."

"Uh-huh," he gave her a look of disbelief. "So, what is that? More than five, less than ten?"

She glared at him, irritated that he could read her so well. "Less than five."

"Four?"

In her attempt to not give anymore away about herself, she stared blankly back at him.

His brows pinched together. "Three?"

She chewed the corner of her lip and contemplated whether or not to tell him, but eventually nodded.

A look of utter shock flashed in his eyes. "You've only been with three men?"

"You make it sound as if that's a bad thing."

"It's not, but how is that possible?" he huffed. "You're beautiful."

She wanted to jump up and down with joy at his unprompted compliment, but withheld the urge. "Thank you, but I haven't always been pretty."

"I didn't say
pretty
, I said
beautiful.
"

She had never been good at accepting compliments. Not that she had gotten many. Well, not before she hit nineteen. And none as sincere as Logan’s. Up until that point, she was lucky if she could hold a man's attention long enough to ask him the time of day. Braces, a series of unflattering haircuts, and thirty extra pounds designated as
baby fat
had made it next to impossible to get a date throughout high school. Hence, the reason she didn't go to any of her school dances.

"I was a late bloomer" she admitted, as she stared at her bare feet.

"Well, you've definitely
bloomed.
"

Chloe's eyes darted to Logan's. She offered him a smile before another admission. "You're my first ginger."

He stood and strode across the room to comb his fingers through his hair. "That's not saying much considering you've only been with three men,
Minou
."

"Is your mother a redhead?"

Logan's body stiffened and the same look of sadness laced with irritation flashed in his eyes. "No, my father was."

Sensing his impending emotional retreat, she promptly backed off. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"