Snowbound Summer (The Logan Series Book 3) (10 page)

“Why?” Summer’s forehead creased.
“If he has a crush on her, why doesn’t he ask her out? She obviously likes him.”
She stared at the couple slowly rotating on the dance floor. “Look at that
smile. She looks as though she’s died and gone to heaven.”

“I don’t know.” He’d suggested to
Sean more than once that he take Evie out on a date, but Sean had always
brushed off the suggestion. Maybe it was because they only seemed to flirt when
they’d both had a few drinks. He’d said he kept his distance because she worked
for them, and it wouldn’t be right to date a member of staff, but the real
reason… “I think he worries that she might say no.”

“That’s crazy.” Summer sipped her
drink. “If he likes her, he should just go for it. I mean, you never know till
you try, do you?”

“I guess.” Watching them dance,
so right for each other if only one of them would realize it and take it
further brought his and Summer’s situation into sharp focus. He too, had hidden
his feelings—had spent years waiting on the sidelines for the right moment. And
had been too late—she’d moved in with Michael.

He reached for her hand. “Let’s
dance.”

Chapter
Twelve

They cut in through the crowd of dancers, first swirling
around the periphery, then advancing in ever decreasing circles to the center
of the dance floor.

The music was loud, too loud to
talk easily, so Summer didn’t even try, instead just enjoying the feel of his
arms around her, his hand at the curve of her spine. Up close against him, she
rested her head against his shoulder and breathed in his familiar scent.

The freedom of being taken at
face value was exhilarating. None of Nick’s friends cared if she’d had a
relationship fail, none of them cared about the restaurant. They took her as
she was—just Summer—conversation had been easy.

They had no expectations—and she
didn’t have expectations of them, so there’d been the opportunity to connect
one to one, not have to share the things that made her spirits sink, or her gut
to roil with worry.

They all had one thing in
common—Nick.

And it seemed everyone had a
story to share.

She smoothed her hand over his
shoulder. His arm tightened in response, Peeking up, she caught his gaze and
smiled.

He swirled her around as much as
was possible in the tight confines of the space available.

The vet, Alison, had shared a
story of the previous winter, when Nick and Sean had trekked out to a farm on
the far side of Brookbridge, intent on digging out a number of sheep buried in
the deep snow.

Evie told how he’d nursed a half
dead chicken back to life after a particularly brutal moult—refusing to give up
on the bird, the pet of a friend.

His colleagues admired and liked
him. Not because of his achievements, because of who he was inside.

She wrapped her arms tighter
around his waist, looked up at him. “Nick?”

He brought his face down close so
he could hear. If she angled her head, her mouth could brush across his cheek.
If he turned to her at the same moment, their mouths could meet. Warmth bloomed
in her chest, spreading outwards.

“How long before we can leave?”

“Do you want to leave?” Awareness
was in his eyes. “Are you not having a good time?”

“I’m having a great time.” She
gave in to the impulse to press her mouth against his jaw. “I...I just want to
be alone with you.”

He moved against her in time to
the music, his hipbones pressing against hers. “If we rush off too soon,
everyone will know exactly why we’re leaving.” His mouth curved in a smile. “I
don’t care if there’s talk, but you might.”

Right now, she couldn’t care if
everyone in Brookbridge knew she intended to spend the night in Nick Logan’s
arms.

He was hard against her. She
pressed her chest into him, feeling her nipples tight inside the material of
her bra. “I guess we should wait a while then.”

“An hour should do it.” He
smoothed a hand down her back. “If we can wait that long.”

“I guess kissing on the dance
floor is out of the question.” Her mood dipped.

His mouth tightened. “If I start
to kiss you in full view of everyone, I won’t stop.” In the middle of the dance
floor, surrounded by people, it was as if they were alone on an island. Marooned
together in a sea of people. “And it would be just my luck for the music to
change. I can’t step away from you right now without scandalizing everyone.” He
rotated his hips to make his point.

“Maybe we could get some air?”
She glanced to the door at the back of the club. As there was no smoking
inside, a makeshift area had been set up outside, with outdoor heaters and
shelter for the nicotine addicted.

“Good idea.” He danced her to the
edge of the dance floor, took her hand, and pushed open the door.

A couple of people sat on chairs,
smoking. Nick tugged her to a secluded area at the periphery. The temperature
was chilled, but the two large heaters cast out enough heat to stop them from
freezing. And her internal temperature was boiling anyway. No-one even glanced
in their direction.

“Here.” Nick opened his jacket
wide and she snuggled close. He wrapped it around her and brought his mouth to
hers.

His kiss was tender—the way his
tongue probed her mouth so perfect she couldn’t hold back a sigh. His hands
held her face, and something about the way he did that made her heart twist. He
kissed her as though he’d wanted to do so for hours. As though it was the most
natural thing to do in the world.

No-one had ever kissed her like
that before, as though kissing was as vital as breathing. When they pulled
apart, her heart was racing and both of them were breathing heavily.

Nick rested his forehead against
hers. “There’s no way I can wait an hour.”

She felt the same way. “We’ll
have to go back to the table, make our excuses.”

“Give me a minute.” He stepped
out into the chill of the tiny yard, away from the heat of the burners. “Stay
there. I’ll think about being in the river instead of being in you; that should
cool me down.”

He walked across the tiny yard,
examining the large planks that formed the back wall of the enclosure. Summer
moved closer to the outside heaters, held her hands in a pretense of warming
them. The other people there stubbed out their cigarette butts, and the sound
of music filled the air as they opened the door to the club.

Nick turned, and walked to her. “Okay,
we’re good.” He took her hand. “Let’s make our excuses and get out of here.”

*****

Disadvantages of being a dog owner? Having to put them out
when you want to do something else entirely. The moment they entered the flat,
Fella was there, limping toward them and wagging his tail. “I better put him
out,” Nick said.

“I’ll just freshen up.” With a
shy smile, Summer walked off in the direction of the bathroom.

Nick opened the back door, and
let the dog into the garden. His breath puffed out in white puffs of vapor in
the cold air. The temperature was falling again and the threat of more snow was
in the air. They should go back to Summer’s parents’ house in the morning,
check that the electricity was back on. Gather up more of her things. She’d
only intended to stay the night, but he’d promised Declan that she would stay
with him until Michael arrived. And as Michael arriving was a fantasy, she
would stay with him through Christmas.

He liked being alone—had never
felt the need to invite someone to live with him, even short-term, but Summer
was different. He liked having her around.

Fella limped back. “Okay, come on
in.” He checked that Fella had water. Then the dog settled down in the basket they’d
brought from the house on the mountain. The basket that had now become Fella’s.
Nick turned off the light, closed the kitchen door, and went in search of
Summer.

She wasn’t in the sitting room—
and the bathroom door was open, with the light off. He pushed open the door to
his bedroom.

She had changed, and was in his
bed. The entire scene had domesticity written all over it. For a moment, his
insides rioted at the thought, but then she spoke.

“I thought I could be coy, could
wait for you in the sitting room, or I could be brazen and just climb in here. This
is where I want to be, so I decided to just go for it.” She chewed her bottom
lip, and there was indecision in her eyes, nerves. As if he might have changed
his mind in the moments standing outside, might have come to his senses.

No chance.

Nick stripped off his clothes.
Then walked to the bed, pulled back the cover and slipped between the sheets. “Come
here.”

She scooted over. “What’s this?”
He examined the overlong tee-shirt she was wearing, her legs bare under it. A
large picture of a skull and crossbones graced the front.

“A Christmas present from my
brother last year.” She shrugged. “He thinks I still have a thing for pirates.”

The mention of her brother made
him hesitate for a microsecond. There would be no going back from tonight. No
way he could pretend that nothing had happened between him and his best friend’s
sister. They weren’t kids any longer and Declan would have to accept that. He
imagined himself in Declan’s shoes, discovering that Declan and his sister Amy
had slept together. He wouldn’t be delighted about it, but he’d have to accept
it. As long has Declan hadn’t taken advantage of her, as long as it meant more
than sex.

“Do you still have a thing for
pirates?” He eased the tee-shirt up and off, ran his palms over her naked,
perfect breasts.

She sighed. Her arms came up and
her fingers speared through his hair. “Hell no. That fantasy has been blown out
of the water by my vet fantasy.”

He pressed his lips to hers. With
a moan, she opened her mouth, allowing him access. His hands stroked her,
teased her nipples, which had already peaked into hard nubs.
God, she’s so
beautiful.
Their legs tangled, her thigh over his, and her silk panties
brushing against his cock.

The only sounds in the room were
of their sighs, hitched breaths, moans. She pushed him back against the
mattress, and straddled him, still somehow keeping their mouths fastened
together. The freedom to touch her soft skin was exhilarating. Her breasts were
within reach of his mouth, so he licked one erect nipple and surrounded it with
the heat and wetness of his mouth, flicking his tongue over the nub. She
responded like a woman overcome, clutching him to her, eyes wild.

When he transferred his attention
to her other breast, she wriggled against him.

“I better put on a condom.” He
reached across to the bedside table, and retrieved the small foil packet.
Ripped it open, and sheathed himself.

As he did so, she shimmied out of
her tiny panties, and kicked them to the bottom of the bed. When she returned
to him again, she pressed her core against his erection. “I want...I want you.”

He wanted to be in her more than
he’d ever wanted anything in his life, but the first time with Summer wouldn’t
be rushed—wouldn’t be ordinary.

“Not yet,” he whispered. Then he
clamped his arms around her, and flipped their positions so she was flat on her
back on the sheets next to him. “Not yet.”

*****

Mussed by her hands, Nick’s hair tumbled over his forehead.
His face held such raw sexuality she couldn’t look away. He stroked her face
with his fingertips, tracing the bump of her eyebrows, the slide of her
cheekbones.

“I like touching you.” His voice
was deep and serious. His fingertips skated over her lips, skied the slope of
her throat, and circled the base, between her clavicles.

None were traditional erogenous
zones—but his touch was all the more meaningful for that.

He flattened his large, warm
hands over her, and felt her body, from her shoulders to her belly button. Not
lingering, just transferring heat, stroking her as he might stroke a cat.

Entranced, she lay still and
watched him.

He shifted his position, ran his
palms over her thighs, and then gently hooked a hand behind each knee.

Her breathing hitched at the look
in his eyes as he placed one leg and then the other over his shoulders, and
brought his head down to the juncture of her thighs.

In three, long years, Michael had
never paid her such focused attention. Had never made her pleasure his
priority.

Nick rubbed his thumb over her clitoris,
moving in slow circles that made delicious tension curl in her stomach. His
mouth covered her, and his tongue flicked inside her heat. One hand smoothed
over her lower stomach, holding her in place as he kissed, tasted, teased.

Summer closed her eyes and bit
down on her lower lip. The sensations were amazing—colors swirled behind her
eyelids, and heat flared through her body, travelling from his mouth to her
stomach, her heart, her arms, and stealing the strength from her legs.

His fingers filled her, the
melting feeling changed. Like a gathering storm, everything seemed to rush
together, circling beneath her belly button, rushing down…a tsunami, impossible
to control, inescapable…

“Come.” Nick’s soft-spoken plea
dissolved the last vestige of resistance. Her toes pointed, the back of her
calves pressed against the warm, strong muscles of his back, and Summer
surrendered, feeling the pulsing contraction and relaxation of her inner
muscles spasm into bliss.

Maybe he could tell—maybe he
realized just how affected she had been by the experience—or maybe he was just
a man in a million, because Nick seemed to know exactly what she needed in the
aftermath of her orgasm. She needed to be held.

He scooted up and tumbled her
into his arms, holding on tight and smoothing his hands down her back in a way
that made her feel…made her feel loved.

Loved
. Summer breathed in
deep, and tried to quell the misty, soft feelings swirling inside.
This is
crazy.
Nick didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him.
Where are these
feelings coming from?

He was hard against her stomach.
Making no attempt to do any more than comfort. The intimacy and lack of control
over her reactions to him made her anxious. She reached up and stroked the side
of his face. Then kissed him, hard, demanding, urgent.

Her other hand slid down his back
and rested on his butt.

Nick groaned.

Summer wriggled her hips, eased
her legs apart a little, and squeezed. He read her body language perfectly,
positioning himself at her entrance, and entering her in one swift thrust. As
they rocked together, she forced down the thought that this was perfect, that
this was where she was supposed to be, that Nick was the one.

Her foot linked around his calf,
holding him in place as he thrust into her. She didn’t think she could come
again so hard, so absolutely, but he proved her wrong. And when she scaled the
peak and soared over the other side, he was right there, with her, sharing the
moment—sharing heaven.