Carole Mortimer - Tall, Dark & Gorgeous

Hands that moved restlessly across her back, and lower spine, before searching out the soft pertness of her breasts, Darcy gasping low in her throat as he sought and found the hardened tips, the caress of his thumbs sending pleasure coursing through her whole body.

Logan broke the kiss, his lips against her throat now, tongue seeking the hollows at its base as he moved aside the material of her blouse, his breath warm against her breasts.

Darcy was burning, yearning, wanted—she wanted this never to stop!

Logan’s lips and tongue touched the creamy softness of her breasts, his hands trembling slightly as they moved to unbutton the front of her blouse, peeling the garment aside once he had done so, the clasp of her bra easily dispensed with too.

There was a slight flush in Logan’s cheeks as he looked down at her nakedness. ‘You are so beautiful!’ he groaned achingly, his hands cupping her breasts as his lips moved down to kiss each rosy tip, his tongue moving moistly against the aching hardness.

Darcy felt weak with desire, her body hot and feverish, trembling so badly now she could barely stand up. She wanted this man. Wanted him naked against her, wanted to feel the hard planes of his body, to caress him as he was her.

But the first feel of her fingers moving against his shirt buttons seemed to break the spell for Logan, one of his hands moving to clasp both of hers even as he moved slightly away from her.

Darcy looked up at him, her eyes dark with passion, questioning why he had stopped her.

‘This is not a good idea,’ he grated, moving sharply away from her, bending to pick up her blouse, not even looking at her as he held the garment out to her.

Darcy grabbed the blouse, consternation washing over her in embarrassed waves.

What was she doing?

With her acquiescence, it had taken Logan exactly—she glanced at the clock on the wall—ten minutes—to have half her clothes off.

What on earth must he think of her? A couple of hours ago she had been hurling verbal abuse at him, and yet just now—just now—Oh, dear!

‘I think I had better go.’ Logan spoke, his expression weary as he ran a hand through the thick darkness of his hair. ‘I—I’m sorry, Darcy,’ he added tersely.

He was sorry?

Darcy wasn’t sure she would ever be able to look him in the face again! Logan had kissed her as she had never been kissed before, caressed her as she had never been caressed before, touched her as she had never been touched before. He had seen her semi-naked, for goodness’ sake!

‘I really am sorry, Darcy,’ he repeated heavily.

Her blouse was back on, the buttons firmly fastened. After that first glance at the grimness of his expression, Darcy found she couldn’t look at him, found herself looking anywhere but at Logan.

‘Maybe you should just go,’ she suggested, staring unseeingly at the tiled floor.

‘Yes.’

But he didn’t move. Even though she wasn’t looking at him, Darcy could still feel his presence in the kitchen, knew that he hadn’t gone.

‘Please, Logan!’ she finally pleaded, not sure how much longer she could remain standing on her feet.

‘Yes,’ he repeated evenly. ‘I—I’ll call you tomorrow. Concerning the meeting with my mother,’ he explained as Darcy looked up at him in query.

‘Of course,’ she realised flatly, turning away again. For a moment she had thought he meant something else!

That he wanted to see her again. That the two of them might be able to—

Fool, she berated herself. She and Logan came from different backgrounds, lived in different worlds, had only been thrown together at all because of her father’s relationship with his mother; Logan would never have looked at her twice under normal circumstances.

Although, a little inner voice reminded her, neither of them had known of that connection that time in his office…!

She moistened dry lips. ‘It might be better if, in future, I didn’t smile at you,’ she teased huskily in an effort to lighten the tense atmosphere that now existed between them.

A pretty dismal effort it was too, Darcy acknowledged, but she had to make a start somewhere. After all, this man might—just might, if her father and his mother ever sorted out their differences—one day be her stepbrother. Now there was a sobering thought!

‘Yes,’ Logan agreed quietly. ‘I’ll call you as soon as I’ve spoken to my mother.’

She nodded. ‘I shall be at the restaurant from eleven o’clock in the morning, preparing for the lunch-time trade.’

Logan shook his head. ‘It really is a hell of a life. At this rate, I’ll have to make another booking with the Chef Simon outside catering company just so that I can have a private conversation with you!’

In the circumstances, Darcy thought it was probably better if he didn’t; their private conversations had a way of turning into something else completely!

‘I’m sure my father won’t be away for very long,’ she told him noncommittally. ‘I’ll walk you to the door, shall I?’ she added pointedly. She really did need some time alone!

‘Let’s hope he isn’t,’ Logan answered her question as they walked out into the hallway. ‘You already look exhausted!’

Devastated was probably a more apt description, Darcy acknowledged with a sickening lurch in the pit of her stomach. She was having serious problems coming to terms with what had just happened between the two of them, couldn’t quite believe it had happened.

And Logan didn’t look much happier!

No doubt he was wondering what on earth had possessed him to kiss her at all, let alone make love to her in the way that he had. Despite what he had said during the heat of their lovemaking, she was not beautiful, and never had been. Although her figure wasn’t bad, warm and homely probably best described her looks.

It was her smile that had been his undoing, Logan had claimed in his defence. A claim she had joked about earlier. But in future, all teasing apart, she really would try not to smile at him. Unless she wanted to find herself being well and truly kissed by him!

Logan paused in the open doorway. ‘Lock the door behind me when I leave,’ he advised. ‘I can’t say I’m exactly happy at the thought of you alone in this big house all night.’

Well, the obvious alternative wasn’t acceptable, either!

‘Believe it or not, Logan, and despite what you may have thought to the contrary, because I happen to be staying here with my father at the moment—’ she resorted to sarcasm to dispel her feelings of awkwardness ‘—I’ve actually been taking care of myself for some time now!’

His gaze was scathing as it moved over her face. ‘Then, on the evidence I’ve seen so far, you aren’t doing a very good job at it!’ he rasped.

Darcy drew in a sharp breath. ‘I’m sure a lot of people are interested in your opinions, Logan—but I don’t happen to be one of them!’

‘Lock the door anyway, hmm?’ was his parting shot before he strode over to unlock his car.

Darcy didn’t wait long enough to see him open the car door, let alone start the engine and drive away, slamming the front door behind him, being deliberately noisy as she turned the key in the lock.

She leant weakly back against that closed door. How could she have let that happen? she berated herself with a self-disgusted groan. Not only had Logan kissed her—again!—but he had touched her more intimately than any other man ever had, too.

Every time she thought of those intimacies, Logan’s hands and lips on her body, she wanted to crawl into a corner and hide! And she didn’t even have the effect of his smile to claim in her own defence; Logan rarely smiled, and she didn’t think she had seen him laugh once.