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He didn’t want to talk about her trip. Instead, he headed across the room, his gaze fixed intently on the sweet curve of her lips.
Her smile faded in response to the look on his face. “Um—”
He lifted her into his arms and planted his mouth on hers. Though he’d given her no warning, she reacted immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, returning the kiss with enthusiasm. His entire body seemed to harden in response to her eager welcome.
He took a step forward so that she was partially sitting on the top of her heavy, light-toned wood dresser, steadying herself with her arms on his shoulders. With her weight supported, his hands were free to roam and explore. Dropping her glasses onto the dresser out of the way, he slid his palms beneath her loose knit top, caressing her warm back, shaping her narrow waist, easing around to lift and cup her firm breasts through the bra that covered them. She murmured into his mouth when his thumbs pressed, circled, pushed aside lace to bare the taut tips to his ministrations.
Crowding closer to her, he swept the inside of her mouth with his tongue and she welcomed him hungrily. Still gripping his shoulder with one hand, she used the other to tug impatiently at the hem of his T-shirt, pulling it up over abs and pecs, getting tangled at his chin until he finally released her mouth long enough to sweep the shirt up, off and out of the way. She sighed with an appreciation that stoked his ego even higher as she ran her hands slowly over his chest.
Her shirt joined his on the floor, followed almost immediately by her bra. Both gasped when skin pressed to skin. Would being with her ever not make his head spin? Shouldn’t familiarity have lessened the wonder at least marginally by now?
Jeans hit the floor. Hers, then his. Undergarments followed, tossed carelessly aside. Something from the dresser fell to the floor with a thud, but there was no crash of broken glass so he didn’t bother to look down. His attention was focused solely on the naked, willing woman in his arms. Sliding a hand up her soft thigh, he wrapped her leg around him again, then surged forward. Alexis cried out softly in pleasure when he thrust into her tight heat.
This, he thought with a last moment of coherence, was exactly where he wanted to be.
* * *
She wore her robe during the dinner she’d made for them, a beef stew she’d cooked for several hours in a slow cooker. The food was good, but he ate rather perfunctorily. They didn’t talk much during the meal, and when they did they confined their remarks to innocuous work chat. He stayed long enough afterward to help her clear away the dishes, then moved toward the living
room to collect his tool bag.
Fiona butted against his leg, meowing, and he reached down to pet her. Even though she would have a sitter, Fiona was going to miss Alexis this week.
“It’ll only be a few days,” he murmured to the cat beneath his breath. “She’ll be back before you know it. It’ll probably be good for you to take a little break from each other.”
Alexis appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. She looked really good in her soft red robe. He tried not to picture her in a thin red column of silk and lace. “Did you say something?”
He straightened. “Just talking to the cat. I’d better clear out and let you finish packing. Is there anything else I can do for you before I go?”
She shook her head with a somewhat forced-looking smile. “Not that I can think of. Thank you again for fixing my washer.”
She had already thanked him repeatedly and insisted on repaying him for the belt, though he’d told her to forget it. “You’re welcome. So, uh—have a good time in Seattle.”
But not too good, he wanted to add, but didn’t because they didn’t express that sort of wayward thought to each other.
“Thank you. Do you have any fun plans for while I’m gone? Did you set up a fishing-and-beer outing with your friends?”
He shrugged. “No. I’ve got an invitation to a party Friday night, but I haven’t given an answer yet.”
“Oh. Well...um, have a good time, and I’ll see you when I see you.”
They were both stammering more than usual tonight. Shaking his head, he turned toward the door. “Good night, Alexis.”
It occurred to him only when he was in his truck and halfway up Bride Mountain that he hadn’t kissed her good-night. Perhaps subconsciously he’d been afraid he wouldn’t want to leave if he did.
* * *
Logan didn’t sleep well that night. Nothing new for him?he didn’t require a lot of sleep. He gave up at 4:00 a.m., made a pot of coffee and sat at the computer, figuring he might as well work here until it was light enough to busy himself around the grounds. Accustomed to his master’s odd hours, Ninja made a quick trip outside, then returned to curl at Logan’s feet to finish his snooze.
For an hour, Logan concentrated fiercely on work, though his restless mind tried occasionally to distract him with fleeting images of a pretty brunette in a red silk nightie. Saving a file, he stretched, checked his email, then impulsively did a search for photos of Seattle. Looked like a nice place, though he read a few comments about March being an iffy time to visit. He checked the five-day forecast for Seattle and noted that it didn’t look too bad. For Alexis’s sake, he hoped the weather cooperated for her there. She deserved a good time on the short vacation she was taking after her seminar ended, and he wasn’t sure how much fun she could have closed up in a hotel room by herself on a rainy day. Now if she had company in that room, a very good time could be had, indeed.
He shook his head impatiently and called up a website from which he ordered landscaping supplies. He could arrange a shipment for later this week—or maybe early next week, if he wanted to take a few days off beforehand. It was an ideal week to get away, giving him a break from routine. Besides, there was a reception scheduled this weekend that he’d rather have multiple root canals than attend. He could take a camping hike to avoid it, maybe. Or a fishing trip.
Or a flight across the country.
He told himself it was only idle curiosity that had him checking the price of airfare from Virginia to Washington. He choked a little in response to the numbers that popped up on his screen. Last-minute fares were expensive. If ever he decided to take a trip like that, he really should plan in advance. Of course, he didn’t spend a lot day to day. His needs were few, his tastes rather simple. He could justify an occasional splurge.
What would be the consequences if he decided to join Alexis in Seattle? Would they return refreshed and satisfied, ready to dive back into their jobs, content with the stolen time they’d spent together even if there was little spare time to see each other in coming months? Or would he find that he’d grown even more accustomed to being with her, that he would miss her when he wasn’t with her, would be less content in the solitude of his cozy cottage? Wasn’t that exactly what he’d tried to avoid from the beginning with her?
