Offside (The Barker Triplets 1)

Jesus, but his wicked, teasing, fire-invoking, tongue was almost more than she could take.

“Oh, Logan,” she breathed, her hands slack at her sides as he suckled and tugged on her nipples. First one breast and then the other. Each time he flicked his tongue over her. Each time he blew on her straining, wet nipples. Each time he caressed her breasts with his rough, callused hands…she felt it.

There between the slick folds of her sex. A desperate ache and a need she’d only ever felt for him.

“You are the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said roughly, his breaths coming fast and sharp.

Logan pulled away, his eyes dark as he stared down at her. For a moment he didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. She felt his erection, hard against her hip and she made that sound again, there at the back of her throat. She couldn’t help herself and felt a thrill as he answered in kind.

She was treading on dangerous ground here. Logan Forest could hurt her. She knew this and yet…

If she had her way she’d rip his clothes off right now and—

“I want you,” he said hoarsely.

For a moment Billie’s vision blurred. Her throat closed up and she pushed away from him, trying desperately to dislodge the lump that now sat at the back of her throat.

“Right now,” he continued.

“Logan,” she began and turned away from him. [i]Holy crap[i]. She needed to hold it together.

[i]I want you[i].

She’d heard those words before. She’d acted on those words—words that hadn’t been meant for her—and she had lied to him. As if a bucket of cold water had just been dropped on her, Billie’s desire fled and was replaced with aguish. And fear. Fear that he wouldn’t understand. Fear that if he knew how duplicitous she’d been in the past, he’d never want to speak to her again.

“Why don’t you two get a room?” Someone shouted from the far side of the parking lot. A few loud guffaws echoed from the dark and she winced.

Billie shivered, aware the spell was broken, and she yanked up her dress while avoiding his eyes. She should leave. She should run as fast and as hard as she could and get the hell away from Logan.

And yet, when he moved behind her and wrapped his arms across her chest she let him. When he pulled her back against his warm, hard, body…she let him drag her back in the shadows because she was that weak.

“Hey,” he whispered against her neck. “Are you all right?”

“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully.

“I didn’t mean to come on so strong, but Christ, there’s something about you that drives me insane.”

Suddenly all the insecurities she’d bottled up for so long came alive. They pressed into her chest. They made it difficult to breathe and she wriggled until Logan released her and she stepped away from him. She’d never been good at any game other than hockey and right now, she felt like she was playing the game of her life and if she wasn’t careful, she was going to lose.

“What are we doing, Logan? I mean, we can’t do this. We just…we can’t.”

He rolled his shoulders and took a few steps, hands balled at his sides until they relaxed and he shoved them into his front pockets. She felt the tension that sat on those shoulders—she felt it like a knife pressed into her chest. When his dark eyes settled on her once more, they were flat. His mouth was tight and she knew she’d made him angry.

“I don’t get you.”

God, this night had gone south fast.

“I want you,” he repeated. “I thought it was kind of obvious but the real question should be what the hell are [i]you[i] doing? Because something’s up. I just don’t know what it is.”

How could she explain? What would she say?

“I don’t like being played and right now,” he continued and took a step forward. “I feel like that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

That hit a nerve and her back was up instantly.

“I don’t play games.”

“No?” He moved even closer and it took a lot of gumption for Billie to not step back because there was something dangerous about Logan right now. He looked like he could eat her up and spit her out with no thought whatsoever.