Logan (Carolina Reapers 4)

He didn’t remove my clothes or his. He simply slid into the bed behind me and tugged my back against his chest. Wrapped his arms around me, holding me to him, tangling our legs together like I might somehow disappear if every inch of our bodies didn’t touch.

A tight breath loosed from my chest, the motion cleansing all on its own. The solid feel of Logan behind me, the loving way he stroked my back, the warmth radiating from his body, it all became a physical lullaby shushing me into a deep, peaceful sleep. One where the nightmares of my past turned to ash from the brilliant light of the future he offered.

13

Logan

“Are you sure?” I asked Delaney as her hands strained toward my headboard.

“Absolutely.” She nodded and wiggled her fingers.

She was utterly gorgeous beneath me, naked and flushed from my kisses. The pulse in her neck beat quickly, and her breath came in fast pants between her parted lips.

“We don’t have to do this,” I assured her as I looped the tie around her wrist and secured it. Sure, it was sexy as hell to have her completely at my mercy—to be in control of her body and pleasure. My cock was in full agreement that this was an excellent idea.

“I want to,” she whispered, arching her neck to kiss my jaw softly.

Right, but now I knew what that asshole had done to her, how badly he’d abused her trust—abused her—and I didn’t want to reopen that wound.

“I want to,” she said again. “With you. Only you.”

I looped the second part of the tie around her other wrist and secured it. I knew this wasn’t just sexual—it was about trust. About her turning that trust over to me, the man she’d given those three little words to. I love you.

But those words didn’t belong to me. Not really. They belonged to a guy who worked in sales and wore a suit to work, not the leading defenseman in the NHL, and now that I knew what I was up against, I was even more certain that she’d leave the minute she knew. And after what I had planned for us this afternoon...well, this might be the last time she put herself in my hands.

I tied the silk band through my headboard, securing her to one point and then tying a quick-release knot. My hands stroked down her arms until I cupped her cheeks.

Fuck, those eyes were everything. She looked up at me with more trust than I deserved, but in this, she was safe.

“Feel the end of the tie?” I asked, reaching one of my hands to guide her to it.

“Yes,” she answered, hooking one of her legs over my hips and bringing my dick flush against her heat. Thank God I still had my boxer briefs on. That little layer of fabric was enough to quell the impulse to thrust into her and take us both where we were desperate to go.

“Good. One little tug and you’re loose.” I pulled lightly on her arms, and the knot held. “You’re nice and tight unless you don’t want to be. Understand?”

“Mmmhmmm,” she murmured against my cheek. “Nice and tight.”

Damn, this woman was going to be the death of me. Need slammed into me again. At this point, it felt like a battering ram against my self-control, and I knew the doors would give way any second.

“Look at me,” I demanded.

Our gazes locked. “I’m here.”

“Good. You say anything like no or stop, and I’ll do exactly that. Understand?”

“I can get free if I want. I tell you to stop, and you will. Got it. Can we play, now?” She grinned, and I nearly came undone.

“Yeah, baby. We can play.” I sank into the cradle of her hips and brought my mouth to hers in a deep, hungry kiss. Then I tilted her face and took her harder, stealing her breath until she was arching her hips against me.

I kissed my way down her neck, then worshipped her breasts, savoring her little cries and whimpers. The last month had given me more than enough opportunities to learn exactly what she liked and how she liked it. I brought her nipple to a pebbled peak, then lightly ran my teeth over her before sucking her hard.

“Logan!” she yelled, sending a rush of heat straight to my already-straining cock.

Her skin was so soft beneath my lips as I made my way to her belly, teasing the little spot just above her hip bone that drove her nuts. Her hips bucked, and I gripped the curves hard enough to pin her to the bed.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I asked just before placing a kiss above her cleft.

“If it’s anything like what you do to me, then I have a really good idea,” she answered with a breathy little sigh.