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She looked at Elizabeth and smiled. “It is very nice to meet you, Elizabeth. I love the work you’ve done on the house. The mosaic is stunning; I adore being a mermaid.”
Elizabeth felt a sense of pride, and yet humbled. “Thank you,” she said, softly. “It was all my pleasure.” She turned slightly to address Garrett, who was seated on her other side. “Good evening, Mr. Foster,” she said, and saw him smile.
“Garrett is fine, Miss Adams,” he said.
“Elizabeth, please,” she said, and knew they had stepped across the line of formality into friendship. She was secretly thrilled to see him with Ariel. From the look in their eyes, the play of youth had definitely developed into the more serious play of adulthood.
The drive to the theater didn’t take long, and they were soon stepping from the limo. Logan allowed his parents to disembark first, before reaching in to take Elizabeth’s hand. She slid out as gracefully as possible, standing on the sidewalk as Ariel and Garrett exited. They all turned to walk up the marble steps of the theater and Elizabeth saw each man place his hand exactly in the perfect position to both guide the women, as well as to make each feel connected. She was extremely aware of the heat of Logan’s hand against her bare skin.
Just before they entered the doors of the lobby, Logan bent down. “We’ll be dropping them off first,” he whispered into her ear. Her step faltered, as his words told her that the two of them would be alone in the limo after all. She turned slightly to see him smile, and she knew his wicked games were beginning.
The couples mingled with other theater patrons as the lobby began to fill. When soft chiming of bells announced the play would soon start, the group walked up the curving staircase to their reserved box. Once inside, Logan directed Garrett and his father to take the four seats at the front of the box. Helen hesitated as Benjamin nodded.
“Oh, Logan,” Helen said, “don’t you want to sit in front? I’m sure Elizabeth would prefer the view.”
“The view is just perfect from back here, Mom,” Logan said, his eyes drifting over Elizabeth. She blushed and heard Benjamin chuckle.
“Sit down, dear,” Benjamin said, guiding his wife into a seat. As Elizabeth moved to take her seat, Logan removed the shawl and placed it in her lap. She looked up and met his eyes. The look in them made her swallow hard. He took his own seat and draped his arm across the back of her chair. She found herself wondering how long it would be before he touched her and then found herself worrying that he wouldn’t.
The lights dimmed, and the audience settled. Elizabeth saw Garrett take Ariel’s hand in his and bend to brush her cheek lightly with his lips. Ariel gave a soft smile as she placed her head against his shoulder. Benjamin had his arm around his wife. Elizabeth smiled, incredibly pleased to be spending this evening with them all.
The musical was wonderful. The audience laughed and clapped enthusiastically as the actors delivered a stellar performance. Elizabeth sat forward on the edge of her seat totally engrossed in the show. Goosebumps broke out across her flesh, and she thought they were due to the moving music but soon realized they were caused by a far more personal touch. Logan was running his fingers along the pearls, rolling and pressing each individual bead into the skin of her back. As he moved slowly up her spine, she shivered. He reached her neck and allowed his hand to rest there, his fingers gently pressing against the pearls at her throat, one single finger gently stroking the nape of her neck. It took every ounce of her strength not to moan aloud at the sensation, her nipples peaking instantly, as he slowly caressed her skin. He bent toward her to place his lips just behind her ear, kissing her so softly it was almost as if she’d imagined it. He straightened and spent the remainder of the first half of the show rolling each pearl down her back until he dropped his hand to rest just above the waistband of her skirt. A rush of arousal surged through her when just a single fingertip dipped under the waistband to stroke at the base of her spine, right above the cleft of her ass. Every cell in her body was alert, every molecule wishing for his hands to truly claim her, instead of continuing the teasing, unbelievably erotic, featherlight touches.
As the lights came up and people began to stir for intermission, Elizabeth had to actually concentrate to be able to stand without wobbling. Logan smiled, as if completely unaware of how his play had affected her as he took the shawl and once more draped it across her shoulders. They stepped from the box and joined the others.
“We men will brave the crowds to procure refreshment,” Benjamin said to the women. “Stay together at all times, freshen up if you need, and we shall meet you downstairs.”
The three women answered as one, “Yes, Sir,” and then smiled at each other. The women turned away, but Elizabeth stopped when an arm slipped around her waist. She looked up to see Logan. He bent close, and she flushed, thinking he was about to kiss her, but he simply spoke into her ear. “Red or white?” he asked softly.
She was confused for a moment and then smiled, understanding he was asking what sort of wine she wanted. “White,” she said. He straightened, and she gasped as his hand slid from her waist to rest gently on the swell of her bottom.
“Hmm, I would have guessed red,” he said, before stepping away. Elizabeth’s heart beat faster, as she watched him join the other men. She desperately wanted to run after him and jump his bones.
She actually did jump a bit at a touch on her arm. She turned to see Ariel. “Didn’t mean to startle you,” Ariel said and then smiled.
“Sorry, I guess I as woolgathering,” Elizabeth said, pretty confident Logan’s sister wouldn’t want to hear aboutwhatshe’d been thinking about.
Ariel proved her wrong when she sighed and looked toward the men who were just moving out of sight. “What is it about sexy men that has us shaking in our shoes?”
Helen smiled. “Wicked men is more like it,” she said, her own eyes following the trio, as they disappeared down the stairs.
Ariel and Elizabeth laughed and then linked their arms with Helen’s as they went to join the queue of women already forming outside the ladies’ lounge.
Helen offered to hold Elizabeth’s shawl as she freshened her make-up. She ran her fingers across the lace. “Did you make this?” she asked, and Elizabeth nodded.
“It is beautiful,” Ariel said, also touching the lace. “It is so delicate and yet just the right weight to give warmth.”
“Thank you,” Elizabeth said, as they went to join the men. “I find knitting is very relaxing. I can let my hands do their thing even if my mind is going ninety miles an hour thinking about other things.” The other women nodded in understanding, having learned that Elizabeth was an extremely talented and creative woman.
When they joined the men, their drinks were waiting. The line for the ladies’ room had been long, so the chance to chat about the play was shortened. Elizabeth had only finished half her drink when the lights strobed and chimes sounded.
“I swear, I think it’s my fate never to finish a single glass of wine,” she said.
Logan chuckled. “Don’t fret,schatzlein,there will be more refreshments to come,” he said as he removed the glass from her hand and escorted her to their seats for the second half of the show.
Elizabeth waited in expectation for Logan to return to his own play, but he only reached over and took her hand into his, once more slowly and deliberately entwining their fingers. She sighed at the sensual way he treated such a simple gesture and laid her head against his arm. The musical ended to thunderous applause, audience members rising to give the performers a much-deserved standing ovation.
“That was incredible,” Elizabeth said, as they joined the throngs of people leaving the theater. “Thank you for inviting me,” she said, beaming up at Logan.
