Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Harper
S he had nothing to lose. The phone call from King had ripped away any allusions that this nightmare would go away quickly. It was almost beyond belief that Isla had been dumped by her record label. King had mentioned something about a clause in the contract that allowed them to do that, but by then, Harper had been so overwhelmed she wasn’t paying much attention.
What she did know was that Isla’s career was ruined, and it was all her fault. The only thing Harper could do to make it up to Isla was write this album. To write the best album she could.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been trying. And that was part of the problem. Trying to force creativity had never worked for Harper. What she needed was to relax and let the lyrics and the music come to her.
Easier said than done.
So by the time Logan had strolled out onto the deck in the late afternoon light, she’d been ready for a diversion.
And Logan was one hell of a diversion.
Is that all he is?
It was too soon to have big feelings for someone—they’d met only a matter of days earlier—and now she wanted to climb into bed with him. Just because she was attracted to him didn’t mean she was going to fall in love with the guy. Maybe all she needed was a little distraction…
Who was she kidding? She’d climb him where he stood. He was strong enough, why not up against the wall?
He was stunning, with his slightly grown out brown waves that flopped over his forehead, and those green eyes. She could drown in those eyes.
And when he’d kissed her, and she knew it wasn’t all in her head…
Now, she stood so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body as her hand traced over the sun-bronzed muscles of his chest.
“Harper,” he practically growled.
“Do you want me to stop?” She asked from under lowered lashes.
“It’s more about do you know what you’re starting?”
Oh, she knew. She knew exactly what she was doing. She decided to lay her cards on the table, at least then she’d know where she stood.
“I like you. I think you like me?”
“Princess, you have no idea.”
She grinned at that. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
She slid her hand around his neck. He groaned as she delved her fingers into the still damp hair on his nape that curled around her fingers. It was so soft, probably the only soft thing about Logan. He was all muscled strength, scowls and few words.
But she felt safe with him.
“I want to feel good.” Her chest tightened a little as she spoke. Why couldn’t she just have this one thing—this one night?
“A glass of wine and a foot rub would do that.”
He was teasing her. Making her say the words out loud that she’d hesitated to say earlier.
“I want you to more than kiss me, Logan. If you want to. Only if you want to.”
She didn’t feel so sure anymore. She’d never propositioned someone before, and now it felt like she’d walked out onto a plank and was about to drop into shark-infested waters.
She looked away and stepped back, wrapping her arms around her middle. Why had she been so impulsive? She was always the one that thought everything through, almost to the point of obsession. And now this? She just threw herself at the hottest guy she’d ever met, who was just being nice to her.
Oh god. This was more than embarrassing.
She bit her lip, her cheeks heating.
“Actually, never mind. Forget I said anything.”
Seeking an escape, she turned away, but his hand gripped her shoulder. The heat of Logan’s body seeped into her back as he stepped close, the hand on her shoulder slipping around to the front of her neck to turn her head up to look at him.
“Forget? Never,” he growled before his lips crashed down on hers.
She moaned into his mouth, her arm sneaking up to pull him close. His other hand slipped around her waist and slid over the soft curves of her hip and belly, pulling her back against him. She gasped as the hot length of him was pinned between his front and her lower back, the towel having dropped to the floor.
She tried to turn around and he held her fast.
“Oh no you don’t, princess.” His lips were against her ear, his breath tickling her curls and sending a shiver through her. “You don’t say something like that and then run away.”
His erection pressed against her lower back through her tee shirt, and she tried to turn around again, but he held her fast.
“Let’s make this really clear. I want you. Do you want me?”
She nodded so fast she thought her head would fall off.
He chuckled, his breath against her ear making her squirm. “Princess, I want to kiss every inch of your beautiful body. I want to taste your delicious pussy and make you come so many times you can’t walk. I want you to sit on my face and scream as I eat you out. I want to feel you grip my cock with your cunt as you come on me.”
Harper panted at the vision he painted, the deep growl of his voice making her forget everything but this moment.
“Yes, I want that. All of that,” she panted.
Logan turned her, tilting her head up so she couldn’t peek at what had previously been hidden by his towel.
“Sneaky girl,” he said, and she whined.
Logan smirked then bent and lifted her up and over his shoulder.
She squeaked as her feet left the ground, her hands scrabbling for purchase on his naked skin. “I’m too heavy for this!”
He spanked her bottom lightly. “No, you’re not.”
She relented, bracing her hands against his back as he climbed the stairs. Her hair dangled over her face as she hung upside down over his shoulder, one of his thick arms gripping the back of her thighs, holding her securely in place.
From this angle, she could watch the flex of his bare butt as he moved, and she shifted trying to rub her thighs together to relieve the ache. That only resulted in another smack, so she grumbled and relented, relaxing slightly in his hold.
Logan carried her into the bedroom she’d come to think of as hers. Even though it was his.
Could it ever be ‘theirs’?
Ignoring that line of thinking, she held her breath as she was lowered slowly to her feet. He seemed to be making a show of the fact that he was strong enough to literally man handle her. The possibilities had her shivering with delight.
Her feet hit the carpet, and she looked up at Logan, his green eyes on her. “Just want to make sure you’re all good with this, princess.”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“Harper.” His voice was serious. His hands lifted to either side of her face, holding her steady as he watched her. “I don’t want to do this if you’re going to have regrets tomorrow. I need you to tell me what you want and what you don’t want. I need you to tell me what feels good, what you’re ready for and what you’re not ready for.”
Harper’s mouth fell open.
“Are you for real?”
“Harper.” His words were low. “Words, please.”
She closed her eyes. This was not going to work if she had to look at him while she said what she wanted. Oh god, she was going to have to, wasn’t she?
“Please don’t laugh.”
Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. Her hands slid around his waist as one of his big hands cradled her head and the other rubbed circles on her back.
It would have been an innocently comforting hug, if he wasn’t completely naked and his—rather impressive—erection wasn’t jabbing her in the stomach.
They both ignored that particular elephant.
“Harper, I will never laugh at you. If you can’t talk about what you want, can you show me?”
She smiled against his chest and smiled, tears pricking her eyes.
There was something so perfect about this moment. About him wanting to take care of her. She wasn’t used to this much attention, and it was overwhelming.
In a good way. But still overwhelming.
She pulled back and met his eyes. “I’m not used to getting what I want.”
He nodded. “I want to give you what you want. What you need. That’s what I want, princess.”
Now it was her turn.
“I want… I want it all to go away.” She buried her face into his chest. “I need to forget about the world for a while. I’m sick of solving everyone else’s problems.”
Logan chuckled, and she jerked back to look at him with a frown.
“Not laughing at you. It’s just that I understand all too well.” His hands slid up to rest on her shoulders once more before turning her around to face the bed.
She felt him grip the bottom of her sweater. He paused. “If at any point you want to stop, we will. Alright?”
She nodded. “Alright.”
He slowly slid the fabric up, her arms lifting automatically over her head so he could pull the garment free. It made a soft plop as he dropped it to the ground.
Harper felt a moment of panic at the thought he was seeing more of her than any other man had. She had always been a lights-off kind of girl, but with Logan, she didn’t want to miss a thing. So be it. If he didn’t like what she looked like in her underwear, then this wasn’t going to go anywhere anyway. Better to find out now than?—
Than when?
All thoughts fled as he began speaking in a low voice, his fingers trailing over her skin.
“Look at you. Beautiful curves just made for my hands.” One of those hands slid around her waist and up to cup her breast through the lace of her bra.
Thank fuck I wore the red set.
Small mercies that she had the presence of mind to wear her nicest underwear. She grinned thinking about how he would react when he saw the matching red lace thong she was wearing.
Her head fell back onto his shoulder. His lips trailed down the side of her neck, heat welling at the apex of her thighs.
She moaned as he pinched her already tightening nipple and then smoothed his thumb over her pebbled flesh.
“So beautiful.” His lips were next to her ear, stirring the hair and tickling her skin. “Princess, you are utterly divine.”
She laughed at that. The thought of being a goddess to this man with the body of a god? Who was she and what had happened to the Harper Holden of a week ago?
And then Logan’s hand slid from her breast, down over her stomach and all thoughts fled her head. He spread his fingers, his hand span covering the whole of her lower belly. The bit she liked least.
“I love how soft you are here. So fucking beautiful.”
He bit her earlobe gently and she made a garbled, unsexy noise that had him chuckling and her cheeks heating. Logan slid his fingers into the waistband of her leggings and slid them down over her hips.
As he bared her bottom Logan sucked in a breath.
“Oh, princess. You are a naughty girl.” He fingered the lace of her thong and smacked her lightly on one cheek.
Harper bit her lip and giggled, then sucked in a breath as Logan’s warm hands quickly stripped her of her leggings. She rested a hand on his shoulder as she lifted one foot, then the other so he could pull the fabric free.
Hands still on his shoulders, she looked down at him as he kneeled in front of her. His eyes smoldered as he slid his hands up the back of her calves and over her thighs and then dipped his head and licked a stripe right up her center through the lacy fabric of her underwear.
“Oh!” Harper’s legs buckled, but Logan’s hands held her still. She gripped his shoulders tightly, her nails biting into his skin.
Logan flicked her clit with his tongue through her underwear. Heat pooled right where he’d licked her.
He looked up at her, those brown waves falling back over his forehead and revealing his hot, green-eyed gaze.
“If you taste as good as you smell, I’m going to heaven tonight.” He grinned and winked at her.
The wink broke some of the seriousness of the moment, and Harper smiled shyly.
Logan pushed to his feet, his hands settling on her waist, his thumbs brushing the skin of her stomach.
They moved at the same time, Harper standing on her toes to lift her face to his, Logan dropping his head. Their lips touched, and Harper’s whole world contracted to the feel of his hands on her, his hard length pressing against her soft belly, the way his fingers tightened on her when she nipped at his bottom lip.
His tongue tangled with hers, their breath mingling.
Logan stepped backwards, taking Harper with him and sitting on the edge of the mattress. He slid a knee between her thighs and tugged her onto his lap, her legs spread around his and her knees resting on the mattress on either side of his hips.
His hands were on her ass, tracing over her skin in a way that had goosebumps cropping up over her arms and legs. Logan looked up, heat in his gaze, the muscles in his arms bunching as he gripped her bottom in his hands and tugged her against his hard dick.
Harper looked down and moaned at the sight they made.
Red lace covering her labia, but showing a glimpse of the small patch of curls she kept neatly trimmed. The contrast of that red lace with the flushed head of his dick, the veined trunk pressed against her core, had her biting her lip.
“That’s it, princess. Take what you need.”
It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized she was moving her hips against him. She moaned and reached around behind her to unclasp her bra.
Logan’s hands gripped her hips harder, and she reveled in the possessive growl he let loose as he watched her ease the straps over her shoulders.
She held the cups in front of her chest teasingly, lips twitching, until he leaned forward to reach for the lacy garment with his teeth and tug it away from her chest.
Harper gasped, hands gripping his shoulders as he stood with her in his arms, her legs gripping his waist, one of his big hands under her bottom.
Logan turned and lowered her to the bed on her back, coming down on top of her, his weight resting on his forearms on either side of her head.
“You’re a little tease, aren’t you?” He dropped his head to kiss her before she could answer.
He was all hard muscles and soft touches as he trailed kisses down her neck. Harper arched her back as he captured her nipple between his teeth. She squirmed wanting more—needing more.
“Ah, princess. Look at you. So beautiful it hurts.” Logan ran his hands over the dip of her waist and the generous flare of her hips. He slid a finger under the lace of her thong and tugged it until she lifted her hips, and he helped her wriggle out of it.
“I was tempted to rip this from you,” he said, and Harper’s eyes went wide. “But I like it too much and want to see you wear it again for me.”
Harper’s mouth fell open.
Again?
Then his mouth was on her in the best way possible and any thoughts of tomorrow disappeared.