CHAPTER 10 #2
“You’re crazy. Nothing ever happens to me. Or, if it does, I always come out of it.”
“Yeah, sure. Well, I suppose you wouldn’t tell me anyway. But if you don’t call me next week, I’m calling you. Give Monty a pat for me.” She hung up.
“You tried to give away my job,” Logan said as Sarah turned away from the phone. “And I thought I was doing pretty well with Maggie.”
“You’ll do.” She sat down on the couch across from him. “But Eve would be better off with Jane here.”
“So you’d throw me out. It’s not a good idea. Not now.”
“If you get rid of Rudzak, I could go on with my life.”
“I’m trying. I have to find him first.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “It hasn’t been so bad having me here, has it?”
“No.” She looked away. “But it’s time for it to be over.”
“Why now?”
You’re sure everything is under control with you?
It was odd Eve had asked that question. For the first time in years, Sarah was feeling out of control. Hell, for the past two days she had done everything under the sun to keep herself busy just to avoid Logan.
“Why now?” Logan repeated.
She got to her feet. “I think I’ll check on Maggie and then turn in.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me why Eve called?”
“She said she was uneasy about me.”
“And you told her nothing could put you down.”
“If you’re going to eavesdrop, get it right. Any number of things can put me down, I just usually manage to work out of them.”
“I stand corrected. Why was she uneasy?”
“No reason. She doesn’t know anything about Rudzak or that you’re here. The situation with Jane probably has her on edge.”
“Maybe.” He thought about it. “But it’s not like her. She’s been through too much to let one worry carry over to another.”
“You should know.” She headed for the porch. “Since you lived with her for a year. Don’t worry about Eve. It’s Joe’s job to take care of her now.”
“For God’s sake, I’m not worrying about Eve.”
The harshness of his tone startled her, and she looked at him.
He held her gaze with an intentness that made her lose her breath. “I’m worried about you. Is that too much to believe?”
She breathed deeply to ease the sudden tightness in her chest. “Yes. I don’t know . . . I mean . . . naturally, you’d feel concerned about Eve.”
“Naturally.”
“You care about her.”
“Of course I do. That doesn’t mean I can’t feel anything for any— Where the hell are you going?”
“I told you, I’m going to bed.”
“Look at me.”
She didn’t want to look at him. She was feeling the same mindless heat she’d felt that day Madden had come. “I don’t want to talk anymore. Good night.”
“Then don’t talk. Listen.” He was out of his chair and standing before her. “You know what we both want. If you refuse to take it, I’m not going to force you. But don’t throw Eve between us. She has nothing to do with this.”
He wasn’t touching her, but he was so close, she could feel the heat of his body. She felt dizzy, tingling . . . She wanted to step closer. He was so big. What would it feel like to have that body against her own? The next moment she knew.
He inhaled sharply and went rigid. “What are you doing?”
She wasn’t sure. The movement had been purely instinctive. “I don’t know. I wanted . . . I think I made a mistake.”
“You’d better make up your mind fast. I’ll count to five.”
How could she make up her mind when she was so dizzy she couldn’t put two coherent thoughts together? “It probably shouldn’t happen. We’re not really compatible.”
“The hell we’re not.” His hands dropped to her hips and he pressed her to him, rubbing in an undulating, catlike motion. “You can’t be more compatible than that.”
She bit her lower lip as a wave of sheer lust surged through her. “You’d try to control me. You’re a manipulator. You like things your own way.”
He kissed her. “Doesn’t everyone? But I’m willing to negotiate, and I know better than to get in the way of your precious job.”
“What about Taiwan? There are jobs I have to do alone and you’d—”
He kissed her again. “I promise.”
“You said—you’d count—to five.”
“I did. Internal clock.” He stepped back and took her hand, pulling her toward the bedroom. “And it’s still ticking. God, is it ticking. Want to hear it?” He put her hand on his heart. “If you’re going to say no, it better be now.”
She could feel the rapid thump of his heartbeat beneath her palm. It was sending shock waves through her with every beat. It filled her body. It filled the room. It filled the world.
“It’s going to be good. Can’t you feel it? Don’t you—”
“Stop talking,” she said unevenly. “I’m not going to say no. How the devil could I?” She followed him down on the bed and covered his mouth with her own.
“I really have to go check on Maggie.” Sarah yawned and cuddled closer to Logan’s naked body. “I should have done it hours ago.”
“You were busy.” He brushed a kiss on her forehead. “And you’re going to be busy again in about . . . two minutes.”
She chuckled. “Your internal clock again?”
“You bet. It’s wound tight and ready to spring forward.”
She reluctantly pushed him away and sat up. “Maggie.”
“I’ll do it.” He swung out of bed. “You stay here. I don’t think you’ve had much practice at balancing duty and pleasure. I wouldn’t want those weights to swing in the wrong direction.”
She felt a ripple of heat go through her as she watched him walk naked across the room. The very first time she had seen him she thought he was beautiful as a cougar. He was muscular, big, strong, fit, as comfortable in this bedroom as he had been in the jungle.
He had swept her away with his bawdy eroticism and dynamic energy, totally surprising her.
She had thought sex with him would be intense, overpowering, and it had been.
But it had also been fun. If she had been overpowered, it had been by her own sexuality.
Logan had not tried to dominate her. He had led, offered, tempted.