Into The Night
written by:
Lisa

Have you ever watched something that makes you want to look away but for some reason you just can't tear your eyes from the view in front of you? For the past two hours I'd been doing exactly that, sneaking regular peeks at the couple sitting over by the window while I tried to focus on my job at the same time. Unfortunately every minute that passed by had me doing a lot more peeking than working.

It couldn't be helped, though. Logan had been my first high school crush, my only one really. We hadn't run into each other once in the ten years since graduation, so setting eyes on him again had ended up having the same impact it did back when I first became infatuated.

He'd dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, his loosened tie giving the impression he wasn't all that comfortable wearing this kind of get up. His short brown hair had been slicked back as well, but the way he kept lifting his hand to run his fingers through it then stopping at the last second as if he'd just remembered he couldn't, made me think he might still prefer that slightly messy, mostly sexy look he had in his younger years.

While I leaned against the bar and waited for Sarah to fill my drink order, I noted how well the years had treated him. The lanky body I remembered as a teenager had filled out nicely, turning him into a tall, solid hunk of man, the kind who looked like he could easily toss a girl over his shoulder—maybe a scrawny waitress with long brown hair and a too-smart mouth—then haul her off to the bedroom where he'd...

Hmm.

Something about the way he and the woman related to each other made me think tonight's date might be a little different from their usual. Possibly the tension in his shoulders or the way she kept preening and rearranging herself for maximum impact; a little cleavage here, a lot more leg there—and what was with all that glancing around to check if anyone other than Logan had noticed?

They were all smiles when they arrived at the restaurant, but it didn't take long to work out that hers was all for show. When I first approached their table his gaze dropped to my name tag, not lingering in a suggestive way like some guys did, just dropping for a second to gather the information he needed, then he met my eyes again and smiled.

"Thought it was you," he said, oblivious to the fact that one look from him could still knock me on my ass.

"Yep. Yeah, it's me." I nodded like an idiot and had to mentally remind myself I'd long since moved on from my awkward teenage years. "Hey, Logan."

He smiled again and I swear my knees trembled. "Hey, Lace. How've you been?"

"Good, good. You?"

"Good, too. This is Celeste." He indicated the dark-haired woman sitting opposite him with a nod of his head. I swung my gaze across to her just in time to see the tight, closed-lipped smile she spared me before slanting a look Logan's way as if to say: Really? You're introducing me to the wait staff?

While I tapped my fingers on the bar and watched the two of them now, I pictured myself shoving her out of the way so I could drag him to the cruisy, late-night café down the road, where the two of us could relax, sip good coffee and enjoy each other's company. If all went well maybe invite him back to my place and help him out of that constricting suit...

"Lacey, shake it off. You're giving him sex eyes again. It's getting creepy."

"Whoops." I glanced at Sarah just in time to catch the end of an eye roll. She completed my drink order for Logan and his harpy then slid the loaded tray across to me. I flashed her a smile as I collected it from the bar. "Okay, okay, you're right. I'm done now, I promise."

She tucked her chin length blonde hair behind her ear and gave me an amused look that suggested she didn't believe a word of what I'd just said. "Don't worry about it. I guess this kind of thing's bound to happen when you're unintentionally celibate."

My smile turned into a laugh. I flipped her off with my free hand then turned and walked away.

No more than three steps later I stopped so suddenly that some of the chardonnay sloshed from the wine glasses. I slipped a cloth from my apron and alternated between working on the mess and staring in disbelief at the man I'd been not so secretly stalking all night.

The idiot had pushed his chair back and pulled a ring box from his jacket pocket. My fingers gripped the tray and I sucked in a breath, holding it in while my heart pounded. I wanted to scream Noooo! and run at him in slow motion. Take a dive and whack that thing out of his hand before he made the single biggest mistake of his life—a life I admittedly knew next to nothing about these days, but still.

Instead, all I could do was stand there with my mouth shaped into a slackened O while I waited for the inevitable.

He dropped to the floor beside her and made a speech I had no chance of making out from where I stood. I doubted the other diners could hear it either, but when the idea had caught on that something big was about to happen, a low ripple of conversation went through the room and people set down their cutlery to focus on the show.

While he went ahead and bared his silly, misguided heart to the woman, she sat upright and watched on in smug silence, the emotion on her face striking me as strange and unsurprising all at the same time. No excitement, no tenderness, just an odd look of triumph.

Then he opened the velvet box to offer her the contents...

And she clapped a hand over her mouth to smother a laugh.

My throat constricted and I watched on in horrified amazement. She waited a few beats then pulled her hand away and said in a volume loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear, "You're joking, right? You're loaded and that's the best you can do. The ring has to be what—less than a carat?" Her laugh had a hysterical edge to it and she leaned away from him as if she didn't want the icky, carat deficient ring anywhere near her.

What. A. Bitch.

My limbs chose that moment to start working again and I purposefully took the dive I'd only imagined earlier. The tray toppled first and I tumbled to the floor soon after, hitting the carpet hard enough to make it look like I might have cracked a couple of ribs. The sound of smashing glass drew everyone's attention and thankfully gave Logan what I assumed would be a much needed chance to recover.

Several people gathered around to help me to my knees. I mumbled a few thank yous and apologies, sneaking a look through the small crowd to watch Logan's intended fiancé grab her evening bag and stand beside the table. She shook off his final attempt to placate her then stalked from the restaurant with her mouth set in a determined line. I watched on in surprise, unable to decide if it felt like a victory or a defeat.

Instead of chasing after her like I'd expected, Logan's gaze immediately shifted my way and pinned me to the spot, kind of like he'd known exactly where to find me. Shit. With the breath already knocked out of me I had to fight even more for air. I moved to my feet and grabbed the edge of the table, doing my best to ignore him while I tested my weight on the ankle that had taken the worst of the fall.

Sarah and another member of the wait staff hurried over with the cleaning equipment. She gave me a quick once over to search for any obvious injuries but when her eyes met mine again I detected a glint of knowing in them. "Are you all right?"

I nodded and flicked a piece of glass from the knee of my pants. The hole in the black fabric and the sting beneath told me I might need some minor first aid. "Just wonderful, thanks."

"Why don't you go get cleaned up?" she suggested. "You're almost done for the night anyway. I'll take care of this."

"Thanks." With a smile I headed off in the direction of the staff door that led through to the backroom, adding a slight limp to make my performance a little more believable. While I untied the apron from around my waist, I sensed before I saw the tall, masculine body fall into step beside me.

"Was that really necessary?"

Given what he'd just been through it surprised me to hear the humour in his deep voice. I let out a breath and sent him a look. "Do you really need to ask? You were dying a slow, painful death out there. Someone needed to come to your rescue."

"Thanks. I'm surprised you didn't grab her in a running tackle when she was leaving."

I pushed the door open and held it for him, aware that I shouldn't be inviting a customer back here but hoping the other staff members would be too preoccupied to notice. "So am I. Can't say it didn't cross my mind, though." I tossed my apron over the back of a chair and smoothed the front of my black shirt.

He laughed then, a deep, rich sound that had me feeling all warm inside. While I pulled the first aid kit from the cupboard above the sink and hoisted myself onto the narrow bench, he stood near the doorway and looked around the cramped space. A couple sets of lockers sat against one wall, while a small table and two ladder backed chairs were crammed against the other. We mostly just took our breaks in here, but suddenly the already tiny room seemed a whole lot smaller.

"So... I'm guessing that didn't quite go the way you expected."

Logan's gaze flicked to me while remained just inside the doorway. "Actually, it did."

I grabbed the hem of my pants leg and slid it up to my knee, careful to avoid catching the fabric on what appeared to only be a minor cut. A trickle of blood had made its way a few inches down the front of my leg. I pulled an anti-bacterial wipe from the kit and tore the wrapper open. "What do you mean?" I asked while I dabbed at the mess. "And why don't you seem crushed? It's like you've just shrugged your shoulders and moved on."

We'd never been all that close in high school but he'd talked to me often enough for me to know the goodness I saw on the surface went a whole lot deeper. He'd been popular with the other students but also kind to those who weren't so blessed in the looks, personality or hygiene departments. Basically the opposite of what you'd expect from someone who didn't need to be nice to people in order to be worshipped.

He dipped his hands in his pockets and met my eyes. "My dad's a lawyer and her father's his biggest client. The Calloway hotel chain?" When I nodded to let him know I'd heard of it he continued. "Celeste and I met at the last Calloway Christmas function. My dad tried to warn me off her because she had a reputation for being a princess, but she was hot—"

"Gross. I think I'm going to be sick."

He gave me a patient look. "She was hot and I thought we could have some fun together. It only took a few months to figure out she doesn't do fun. She'd already started talking to her parents about us getting married."

Whoa. A little eager maybe, although I could understand the woman's need to hurry. Men like him weren't all that common so when you found one you had to stake your claim hard. "Why didn't you dump her?"

He smiled. Just a brief flash of teeth but it did strange things to my insides. "I couldn't. Like I said her dad treated her like a princess and reminded me more than a few times that if I broke her heart he knew ways to make life difficult for me. She's an only child who gets whatever she wants. If I'd ended things with her it wouldn't have been good for my dad or me."

"So you just gave in because it seemed like the noble thing to do? Fall on your sword, martyr for all of eternity, that kind of thing."

He gave me a not so patient look this time.

"What was the plan then?"

"She had a fancy house in mind, a couple of kids she could fob off onto a nanny, limitless cash flow... that kind of deal."

I almost laughed at the image. "So you proposed to her in order to make her dreams come true? I hate to tell you this but I think you may have hit your head recently—repeatedly and hard, too."

He sighed, then closed the door behind him and took a few steps into the room. "I don't remember you being like this back in school. You were all cute and shy and used to blush so hard I thought your face would catch fire. Has anyone pointed out lately that you're a pain in the ass?"

"More than once." I wadded up the wipe and lobbed it into the waste basket, trying hard to contain the blush that sometimes still made an appearance even now. "I don't have a lot of control over it unfortunately."

He let out a laughing breath and looked me over, his gaze lingering longer than it had when he'd checked out my name tag. We had something going on here, something that if I went back and analysed all the snippets of conversation we'd shared throughout the night, might just be described as... yes, flirting.

Since Logan appeared to want to get this slightly mental story of his out without any further interruptions, I remained quiet and raised my brows in encouragement.

"So... I proposed to her with a small diamond because I knew she'd react that way. If she was the one to break up with me it wouldn't bother her parents nearly as much. They'd have no reason to throw a fit, my dad would be unaffected... aaand my life would get back to normal."

"All wrapped up with a neat little bow." I slid my pants leg down and looked at him. "You're an evil genius, Logan. I don't know if I should be impressed or terrified."

"I'm sure you're genuinely bothered by the fact that she stormed out of here —and did you see what she did to my hair tonight? You should be outraged on my behalf just for that alone."

"Well, you might have a point, but regardless... setting her up like that, all that deceit and manipulation... you're not painting a very appealing picture here." He was, but the guy probably had more than his fair share of positive reinforcement from every single person around him. It wouldn't hurt to bring him back down to earth every now and then.

He took a couple more steps until he'd reached the point where some personal space had definitely been invaded. "What would I have to do to be more appealing?"

I laughed and stared at him. "Are you seriously hitting on me right now?"

"Are you seriously pretending you're not interested?"

How could I answer that one when all I wanted to do was grab him by the lapels of his suit jacket and drag him against me so there was no personal space left to invade? Knowing there should probably be a few more steps between flirty conversation and suit-lapel grabbing, I chose the wiser option of saying nothing.

When the silence stretched on a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he moved close enough that my knees were almost touching some interesting places. With a hand resting either side of my thighs his gaze dropped to my mouth, the intense, determined look in his eyes leaving no doubt about what he wanted to do next. "What time do you finish?"

The idea of getting intimate with him when he'd potentially just done the same thing with another woman last night unfortunately took some of the shine off this thing we had going on here. I wanted him but I couldn't let myself go there until I'd learned all the dirty details first. "When was the last time you slept with her?"

He frowned, whether the change in topic had confused him or it took some effort to remember, I couldn't be sure. "About a month ago, maybe more. I think she cut me off in the hope it would speed up the whole proposal thing. What time do you finish?" he repeated, giving me a barely there smile.

My breaths had turned all shallow because he'd basically just given me the go ahead to throw myself at him. I could see the tiny flecks of gold in his hazel eyes. If I moved forward just a bit I could have my lips pressed to his without too much effort, maybe make a joke before I dived in so his mouth would be smiling when it touched mine. I loved moments like that.

My lack of seriousness had always annoyed my previous boyfriends. One had wanted marriage early on like Logan's almost-fiancé, while another had assumed my laid-back personality meant I wouldn't mind if he slept with other women. I just wanted someone I could find that perfect balance with, someone who'd stand his ground and not let me walk all over him, but be supportive and decent as well. Until tonight I'd always assumed my goals were set too high.

"I could probably finish up right now," I said, deciding on the fly that whatever he wanted to offer I wanted to grab onto with both hands—gently, depending on what it was. "I'm sure the other girls will cover for me. I've done it enough times for them."

"All right. I'll go settle the bill while you do your thing. Meet me outside when you're ready."

*****

It took me longer than I'd expected to get out of work. While I rushed around fielding questions from my nosey bartender friend and trying to finish up what I needed to do, I kept wondering if Logan had lost interest during the wait and taken off. The moment I walked out into the almost empty car park to find him still standing there, relief flowed through me and I laughed as I hurried over to him.

He smiled at my reaction and opened the passenger door to a red Mustang. "Up for a drive?"

"Sounds like fun. Where are we going? No, wait!" I said in a rush. "Don't tell me." The idea of being surprised appealed to me more. I slid inside and dumped my bag in the foot well. "How did what's-her-face get home?"

He shook his head at my comment, his eyes smiling as he looked down at me. "Celeste. Her name is Celeste. Taxi I'm guessing, which would have been okay with her because she hated this car." Logan shut the door before I could respond. Probably a wise move since it appeared I didn't have anything all that nice to say about her.

He rounded the car and pulled open the driver's side door. Before he climbed in he slipped off his suit jacket and flung it into the back seat without a care. The sight made me laugh while also proving my theory that he'd hated the whole dressing up process. With a brief grin he jumped in and slammed the door.

The two of us chatted easily during the drive, sharing stories and catching up on some of the happenings in each other's lives. All the while I kept my eyes on our surroundings, wondering where he could possibly be taking me out here. We'd reached the outskirts of town where the houses stretched farther apart and streetlights no longer lined the roads. With only the headlights left to cut through the gloom, the darkness had closed in around the car and taken on a life of its own.

Just when I'd reached the point where my curiosity had overtaken my desire to be surprised, he lifted his foot off the accelerator and leaned forward as if searching for something.

"Are you trying to find the spot where you're going to kill me?"

"Nah," he said, keeping his eyes on the road. "The trunk's not big enough for a body."

"And you know this how?"

He flicked on the high beams and steered the car around a tight bend. When he didn't respond I stared at his darkened profile and prodded, "Logan, if you don't answer me right now, I'm throwing the door open and commando rolling right out of your life."

Although I heard him laugh he still didn't look my way. "Shhh. I'm concentrating."

He took another turn then veered onto a smooth gravel road that I would never have seen had I been the one driving. The dense bushland hugged the vehicle and created the feeling of being in a tunnel, then after a few twists and turns that would have had most guys worrying about the paintwork on their car, everything suddenly opened up and we found ourselves in a wide open area that, aside from the blackened circle on the ground that I assumed had once been a campfire, looked undisturbed by any kind of human presence.

I'd lost all sense of direction on our journey but the tang of salt in the air told me we'd reached the ocean. When Logan pulled to a stop and flung open the door, the scent of the water and the sound of lapping waves were unmistakable.

He switched off the headlights, which surprised me given we had no other source of light here. I guessed he must have planned on being here a while and didn't want to drain the battery. We both climbed out and I shut the door behind me. When I'd rounded the hood to join him, we stood side by side facing away from the car.

The stars appeared so clear here, glittering from a darkened sky free from clouds. The land ahead appeared to continue on for several meters before disappearing into nothingness. Something told me a steep drop existed on the other side, but there was no way I'd be getting close enough in the dark to confirm that suspicion.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"A private spot not many people know about. There's a track over there," he said, pointing to our right, "that leads down to the water. I come here with friends to spearfish. We camp right here whenever we stay overnight."

I smiled. That sounded like my idea of fun. Spearfishing, cool car, and he'd told me on the drive over here that he made a comfortable, creative living developing games apps. Combined with everything I already knew about the guy, including the fact that he'd brought me to his secret fishing spot that so few people were aware of, he'd just become even more appealing.

As if he'd been thinking about me as well, he changed the subject and asked, "So, are you going to tell me what happened to that girl I knew in school? You're so different now."

I looked up at him to check his expression. "Good or bad different?"

His teeth flashed in the dim light. "Good."

I laughed, realising that could be taken either way. Not that I had any room to be offended since I'd struggled to come to terms with the old version of me as well. "I went into local theatre after high school," I explained. "To meet new people, try to get over my shyness, that kind of thing. Turns out the solution all along was pretending to be someone else. I loved it so much I still perform now." And had a starring role in an upcoming major production, not that I'd ruin the moment by bragging or anything.

He looked at me steadily for a minute then directed his attention somewhere in the distance. "It's great seeing you happier now, Lace. It's also a hell of a lot easier hearing what you're thinking instead of having to guess what's going on in that head of yours."

"You say that now, but remember it won't always be a good thing."

He returned his gaze to me and smiled. "I bet you'd be fun in an argument."

"Why don't you irritate me and find out?"

Logan laughed softly and hooked my elbow to pull me over to him. Being the first time he'd touched me all night, I had to deal with the sensation of electricity shooting up my arm as well as the sudden nearness of him when he pulled me in between his thighs. "Just so you know," he said beside my ear, apparently oblivious to my struggle, "irritating you is the last thing I want to do right now."

Feeling him smile against my cheek just made things even worse. I had to drag in a steadying breath but it didn't stop the thrill-lovin' hussy in me from trying to take things further. "What's the first thing you want to do?"

We hadn't so much as kissed yet, not even touched in any way that wouldn't be classed as platonic. So when he flattened his palms against my abdomen and slid them up to close over my breasts, I sucked in a pleasure filled gasp and arched my back. "God... Logan. Give a girl some warning before you do something like that." I'd worn a thin cotton bra tonight, the kind with no padding, no lace or other adornments, so when his thumbs and forefingers began rolling my nipples and massaging my breasts, I felt every touch intensely through my shirt.

"You love surprises," he said as if he'd spent the last ten years getting to know me rather than being absent from my life. He leaned in close and pressed his lips to my cheek, leaving his mouth there so I could feel the smoothness of his skin and his breaths moving over me. He didn't play fair, but I liked that about him. "Am I right?" he coaxed, giving my breasts a firm rub.

"Uh-huh." I turned my head to invite a kiss that he didn't seem in any kind of hurry to take. Our breaths intermingled, and even though I felt the heat coming off him he made sure to keep his mouth a safe distance from mine. "Kiss me," I demanded in a shaky voice, wondering if he just sucked at picking up hints.

He pressed his lips to the underside of my jaw. "Not yet."

Oh, really? I ground my hips against him, at least content to find an impressive erection hiding there inside his pants. If we were going to go about this whole thing backwards, I figured I might as well get on board with the idea and have some fun of my own. My hand slipped behind me and dipped between our bodies. I gave him a firm rub and let out a rushed, "Oh, my God," at the feel of him.

He groaned and kept his hands still, clutching my breasts while I explored the length of him. He felt so good even through a couple layers of material that I couldn't wait to get my hands on him for real. "Logan, I think you like me," I said, gripping as much of him as I could through the fabric.

His responding laugh came out more like a growl. The deep, husky sound made my hips roll and my back arch further. "You can tell, huh?"

While his hands began moving again, his fingers teasing and rubbing my nipples, I responded in kind and leaned into his body as I stroked him. "Yeah. I think you like me a lot."

His fingers slid down to the waistband of my black pants, and with one hand he flicked the button open. While I braced myself for what I knew was coming next, he yanked the zipper down and slipped his hand inside my panties. He didn't waste any time reaching his intended target, and at the first touch I let out a deep sigh and parted my legs. He stroked his fingers back and forth through my wetness, making a hum of approval beside my ear. "I think you like me, too."

We still hadn't kissed yet. Hearing him talk to me like this made me desperate to feel his mouth on mine, but I wanted to try it his way and let him lead, maybe not act like I knew everything for once.

His other hand kept massaging my breasts, moving from one to the other, teasing my nipples so thoroughly it seemed like he had all the time in the world to play with me. I couldn't remember ever being as turned on as I felt right then. With the hardness of his body supporting me and the strength of his hands driving me crazy, I closed my eyes and made a whimpering sound.

"You doing okay there?" he asked, touching his lips to the corner of my mouth.

"No." I pushed my hips closer to his stroking fingers. "This is just... awful." The rumble of his deep laughter against my skin made me smile. My hand smoothed along the length of him and slipped beneath, our positions making my attempts a little awkward. I wanted to drag his fly down and touch that silky skin of his, but I had a feeling he wouldn't give me full access there until he got a certain reaction from me.

My eyes continued adjusting to the darkness, and what had originally seemed to be pitch black had now become clearer. The shape of the landscape around us, the outline of the trees in the distance, the swaying grass over to the left and a scrabbling sound in the bush that I didn't even want to think about right now because—

"Oh, my God." I pressed back hard against Logan's chest and let the trembling come over me. My thighs locked together and trapped his hand. My eyes squeezed shut. Pleasure filled me and my hold on his erection tightened until I'd shuddered through an orgasm so intense it had me crying out.

He spoke in a low voice beside my ear the whole time, the words mostly unintelligible but the sound of his roughened voice just making me want him all the more. When the tremors had subsided he slipped his fingers from my panties and shoved both hands under my shirt, using his thumbs to lift my bra and top over my breasts. I opened my eyes and glanced down to see my hardened nipples appear beneath the bundled material. Even though I knew no one could see us out here the sudden exposure still had my stomach dipping.

I turned my head to search Logan's face in the dim light. The features that had always seemed so relaxed and composed were now hardened with desire, his hazel eyes glimmering in the dark. He gave me a quick smile, the expression so out of place amid all of that intensity that it made me gasp. When he eased me away from him to unfasten his belt and zipper, the sound of those movements and the promise they held had my heart racing all over again.

Once he'd freed himself he gripped my hips and pulled me against him, then without even giving me a chance to get my head around the fact that, yes, this was actually happening now, right now, he slid inside me from behind.

He groaned as he filled me, and if I'd heard ever anything hotter than that I couldn't remember it right then. The sensation of him being completely inside me, so close I could smell his subtle cologne and feel his hard stomach pressed against my lower back, had my eyes drifting closed and a deep breath leaving me.

Logan leaned against the hood of the car and took me with him, urging me back until I was sitting on his lap. With his arms wrapped around me and his cock buried deep inside me, the moment felt so good, so right, that I couldn't imagine ever wanting to be anywhere else. He covered one of my bare breasts with his palm and pressed his mouth to my throat. His fingertips began teasing my nipple while his hips moved slowly beneath me. I couldn't stop myself from matching his pace, deepening the connection to intensify the sensations.

Logan kissed his way slowly along my neck and a trail of shivers followed the journey of his soft, damp, unbelievably sexy mouth. I wanted that mouth on mine, but no, he'd been stubborn and hadn't even kissed me to congratulate me on that spectacular orgasm.

"You make the sexiest sound when you come," he said against my throat.

"Do I?" I pressed down harder against his hips, smiling at the way his breath caught. "I stopped thinking as soon as you touched me."

Something I said must have set him off because he pushed off the car, and without even breaking physical contact with me, turned us both around. "Bend over and put your hands on the hood," he said in a gruff tone I'd never heard from him before.

With a rush of desire that had my knees wobbling, I leaned forward and flattened my palms against the cool metal. "Yes, Officer."

A sound remarkably like a snort came from behind me. "God, Lace, I swear. I can't figure out if I want to laugh or keep fucking you."

Why couldn't I just shut the hell up, hmm? "The second option, definitely the second option. Or multi-task. I'm good with that, too."

And he did. With a low chuckle he smoothed his hand up my spine and leaned over me, gripping the back of my neck while he gave me a deep, testing thrust. A sensation like the one I'd felt on the downward slide of a rollercoaster filled my stomach, and my back bowed as my fingers curled against the hood. He seemed to like my reaction because he clutched my hip with his other hand and began a series of hard, driving thrusts that made me want to scream.

The strength of his movements pushed me closer to the car, my long hair swinging over one shoulder and my forehead almost pressed to the metal. I focused on the sensation of his cock sliding into me and begged him to keep going. He continued on with his deep thrusts, his heavy breaths and the feel of his fingers digging into my hip thrilling me. When my knees nearly gave way he moved his hand to my lower abdomen and supported me, but he never let up. His pace only increased and I pushed back to meet every thrust.

Once I had my feet again he moved his hand between my legs and rubbed me there, apparently not content with only giving me one orgasm. His fingers were wet and slippery, moving easily back and forth while his thrusts drove my desire to breaking point all over again. I rested my elbows on the hood for leverage and shoved my hips back hard. He groaned and let go of my neck, slipping his other hand beneath me to reach for my breasts.

Even though we'd never been together like this before, I still recognised the point when he wanted to let go. His thrusts became shallow, more frequent, and left me gasping for breath. Without even needing to ask I knew he only wanted one thing from me before he went there. "Logan, I'm nearly... I'm gonna—"

"Fuck." He pressed a little harder between my thighs, rubbing from side to side until I couldn't take it anymore. My legs clenched around him for the second time tonight, and he drove into me with so much force I had to steady myself against the car. His momentum built until I found myself holding my breath, then his hands suddenly clamped me against his body, hard, so hard, and he came with a long, husky groan. It only took seconds for me to join him there.

When it was all over my heart pounded and I could barely breathe. Lifting my head, I looked around and dragged in air while I held myself off the car. I desperately wanted to collapse right here and take a minute to get my breath back, but the idea of cold metal touching bare skin held me back. I'd have to wait until I got home for a full recovery, although something told me I'd never really get over tonight.

We both busied ourselves pulling up our pants and fixing our clothing. When I'd only managed to get my zipper halfway closed, Logan turned me around and clasped my face in his hands.

We'd been out here for a while now, and although there were shadows falling across his face I could still clearly make out those gorgeous eyes of his and the way he was checking out my features in the darkness. With only the wind swirling around our feet, the skitter of dead leaves and that damn scrabbling in the bushes for company, he rubbed his thumb over my lower lip and watched me quietly.

The connection between us had a strange tension building inside me, tightening my stomach until my breaths picked up pace and I felt like I might either pass out or start begging him to just... do something. He chose that moment, the one where I could barely hold back from gripping his shirt and dragging him against me, to smile and press his lips to mine.

His fingers delved into my hair at the sides and his thumbs swept over my cheeks. My eyes drifted closed and I sighed as I found myself on the receiving end of the sweetest, softest kiss I'd ever known. His mouth moved slowly with mine, his hands staying right where they were to keep me steady—and it felt right, so, so right. After the intensity of what we'd shared against his car, the sensual, almost innocent kiss had tenderness flowing through me.

Just when I'd settled into those teasing sensations, the soft touches and skilful movements, he pulled away and smiled as he met my eyes—then went back for one more lingering peck as if he just couldn't stop himself. I laughed breathlessly and glanced away for a few seconds to gather my composure. Now, after all these years, my old awkwardness had come over me again and I didn't know how to handle the situation.

When several painful seconds had passed, the sound of Logan's voice made me jump.

"Want to come back to my place and stay the night?"

My gaze shot back to meet his, my heart thudding at the idea of sleeping beside him. "You mean you don't live with—"

"No, I don't live with what's-her-face." His eyes had filled with amusement now.

It amazed me just how much could change over such a short space of time. I took in the quietness of our surroundings, listened to the waves lapping in the distance. So remote, so peaceful here. He'd brought me to a place I'd never been to before, but I suddenly felt a part of it now.

When I glanced back at Logan and saw the way he was watching me, sort of like he couldn't be sure I'd agree but hoped I would all the same, it sealed the deal for me right there and then.

An opportunity for another adventure and the chance to spend more time with a guy like him? Who wouldn't say yes to that?

I smiled and brushed the back of his hand with mine. "Sounds like fun."