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“What are you two smiling about?” Jason asked as the men reached their table.
“Just celebrating life’s quirkiness,” Nancy said as her husband bent to kiss her cheek. “Would you like to join us?”
“I think you’re quirky enough for all of us,” Jason said.
Nancy stood and gave a little curtsey. “Why, thank you, kind sir, but I meant would you like me to get you a coffee.”
Jason agreed and Nancy turned toward Logan. “May I bring you something as well, Sir?” she asked, sweetly. Logan asked for coffee as well and then looked down to see Elizabeth trying to hide her smile in her coffee cup. Nancy hurried away and Logan heard Jason chuckle.
“I wonder how long she will be perfectly sweet and submissive, hoping I’ll forget those swats she has coming?” Jason asked.
Logan reached across the table and took Elizabeth’s hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze and then slowly entwined his fingers with hers.
Her body tingled as he brought their hands up to his mouth and used just the tip of his tongue to slowly swirl against one of her knuckles before he gently blew his breath over the wetness. Elizabeth felt a surge of arousal, her eyes lifting to his as he smiled before gently kissing her knuckles.
He lifted his lips just enough to be able to speak softly but clearly, without any hint of amusement, “I’m not sure, Jason, and since I’m the newbie in this group, I’m not even going to take awhackat a guess.”
Elizabeth lost the battle and laughed. “You have to admit, she’s adorable.”
“No question there,” Jason said. “I’ll go give her a hand.”
Chapter Fifteen
Five hours later the men were definitely done with the festival, stating there were only so many paintings, sculptures, weavings, and handcrafted items one could take. The women had the exact opposite idea. Not content with a mere glance toward a booth, they needed to take time to actually look at the wares offered as the four of them walked through the crowded aisles.
“Oh, Liz, look!” Nancy said, grabbing her friend’s hand and pulling her toward a large booth at the end of the aisle. “It’s leather!”
Elizabeth heard Jason sigh loudly. She pulled against Nancy’s hold. “I’m thinking we’re probably pushing our luck,” Elizabeth said. “Maybe you and I can come back tomorrow and look some more.”
Nancy looked at the two men and grinned sheepishly. “But it’s leather! Even you two can find pleasure in leather goods, right?” she asked. “Please, Sir?”
“Okay, but this is the last booth. I’m starving and donotwant to eat festival fare,” Jason said, taking his wife’s hand and walking toward the booth.
“Thank you, Sir,” she said, leaning into him.
Logan placed his hand at the small of her back and a thrill coursed through her. “Shall we?” he asked, and she nodded.
By the time they joined the others, Nancy was already holding a beautiful frame, the design of the tooled leather seeming to shift as she turned it at different angles. “This artist is truly talented,” she said, and Elizabeth had to agree.
Elizabeth saw a box that had different colors of leather patches stitched with thin strips of black rawhide. She opened it to find an interior lined with leather as soft as velvet. It was absolutely beautiful. “Look at this,” she said, as Nancy joined her. She also thought the box was a beautiful example of the artist’s expertise. “If only this were larger, I could just imagine it holding something special,” Elizabeth said. “Can’t you see Benjamin opening it and pulling out a small paddle or something? Maybe some beautiful scarves? I can imagine Helen’s thoughts, knowing that something so beautiful was holding something so wonderfully wicked.”
“That would be perfect,” Nancy said, with a smile. She leaned down and drew in a deep breath. “I love the smell of leather.” The women laughed, and both men smiled at their enjoyment.
Elizabeth saw Logan examining something and walked to him. He held up a beautifully tooled hair clip. It looked like a figure eight lying on its side, a small, carved piece of wood threaded through the loops.
“That’s beautiful,” she said. “It reminds me of the Infinity symbol. I bet your mother would love that.”
Logan smiled but shook his head. “I was picturing it in your beautiful hair,” he said, as he reached to take the baseball cap off her head. “May I?” he asked, before folding the cap and sticking it in his back pocket when she nodded. Nancy and Jason stood watching as he slowly turned Elizabeth around so that her back was to him. She bowed her head and Logan lifted the weight of her ponytail.
No one spoke as he twisted and arranged her hair until he fastened it all with the hair clip, weaving the wooden stick in and out of the holes as easily as if he’d done the same a hundred times before. Air slid across her neck as it was now exposed, her hair held firmly high on her head. He bent down and gently pressed his lips to the nape of her neck. She shivered deliciously.
“Perfect,” he said. She reached to remove the clip, but he took her hand and lowered it. “My gift to you,” he said softly.
“Thank you, Logan,” she said, just as softly.
“It’s beautiful,” Nancy agreed.
“How did you know how to do that?” Elizabeth asked, before realizing it might be a question he’d rather not answer.
