Summer Magic (15 page)

He held her close, supporting her limp body. “I can’t be your friend,” he whispered near her ear.

“Why not?”

“Because friends don’t do what we do with each other. At least not the friends I know.”

Her head came up, and she stared at him at the same time as he steered her toward the house. “But we decided it would be friendship and nothing more.”

“
You
decided, Caryn. Being friends was your decision, not mine.”

She stiffened and pulled out of his loose grip. “You lied to me.”

“Wrong, Caryn,” he shot back. “How can you believe what we offer each other is nothing more than friendship?”

“That’s all it is!”

They stood on the porch under the golden glow of recessed lights, staring at each other, their chests rising and falling in unison.

He arched a sweeping black silky eyebrow. “Now, who’s a liar?”

She stiffened as if he’d struck her, but she recovered quickly, flashing a saccharine smile. “I thought you’d be man enough to be able to handle sleeping with a woman without the onus of a commitment.”

It was Logan’s turn to recoil from her stinging challenge. But instead of retaliating with the sarcastic words poised on the tip of his tongue, he opened the screen door, bowed slightly from the waist, and waited for her to enter the house. Then he closed the door behind her, staring at her staring back at him behind the finely woven mesh screen.

His hypnotic black gaze burned her face, then her chest, and moved lower as it roamed leisurely over her body, communicating he wanted her despite her refusal to acknowledge what they had shared.

“I’m going to make some coffee,” Caryn said quietly
before turning and retreating to the kitchen. She did not have to turn around to know Logan hadn’t moved because she felt the heat of his gaze on her back. It was the fire and energy Cynthia accused him of possessing. But what Cynthia hadn’t realized was she’d always felt his energy. And it was greatest whenever he lay between her thighs.

Chapter Fifteen

Caryn lay on a blanket beside Logan, eyes closed and her head cradled on his solid shoulder. It was the closest they’d been in days, and now that she felt the unyielding strength in his muscular body while inhaling the sensual fragrance of his cologne, she realized how much she’d missed him. They had occupied the same space, slept under the same roof, yet she had missed him.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked softly, pulling her closer to his side.

“Quite comfortable,” she replied, not opening her eyes.

Ham and Cynthia lay less than six feet away on their own blanket, talking quietly to each other.

The fog had lifted midday, leaving the skies clear and cloud-free. The humidity had also lessened and the night air was perfect for an outdoor concert.

The lights ringing the church’s lawn dimmed at the same time the familiar strains to the opening theme of
West Side Story
came through the powerful speakers set up around the expansive space. Mothers hushed their children, and all talk ceased as everyone settled down to enjoy a summer night filled with music.

Caryn felt herself slipping into a magical world created by the music and the protective warmth of the man holding her to his heart. He shifted her effortlessly until one leg rested between his as she lay half on and half off his body, her thigh pressed to his groin.

“Don’t move,” he whispered when she attempted to extract herself. Swallowing back a moan, she felt his hardness pressing against her flesh through the cotton fabric covering her thigh. “I want you to know I’ll always want you even if you don’t want me,” he rasped against her ear.

But I do want you
, she pleaded silently. She wanted him now, tomorrow, the next day, and she wanted him forever. She loved him just that much.

The taped selections segued to popular hits from
Cats, Jelly’s Last Jam, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, The Wiz
, to the classics from
Oklahoma, South Pacific
, and
The King and I
.

As the night wore on, many left surreptitiously, leaving those who decided to remain and enjoy the entire program. Hamilton and Cynthia departed reluctantly, saying she needed more than her usual amount of sleep because of her condition. She was now three months pregnant, but her body had yet to exhibit the obvious evidence of impending motherhood.

“Let me know when you’re ready to leave,” Logan stated after the Wheatons departed.

Caryn pressed her lips to his warm throat. “I’d like to stay until the end.”

He smiled. “So would I.”

They stayed until the last note faded away just before the midnight hour, then stood up, folded their blanket, and made their way back slowly to the house on Watermelon Patch Lane.

Logan delayed going upstairs as he went to see to Domino’s needs, while Caryn walked up the staircase to her bedroom. She showered, brushed her teeth, then pulled on a lightweight nightgown and fell across the bed. She
was asleep less than a minute after she’d extinguished the lamp.

She’d just settled into the throes of a deep, dreamless slumber when she felt the heat and weight. Startled, she sat up, but was pulled back to the mattress just as quickly.

“Go back to sleep, Caryn.”

Sighing, she complied, falling asleep in Logan’s protective embrace.

“Are you sure you’re coming down next weekend?” Cynthia asked Logan as he hugged her.

“Of course,” he replied, smiling over her head.

“And if you don’t come, then Ham will get it,” she said.

Pulling back, Logan frowned at her. “Get what?”

“One of my celebrated, hysterical crying jags.”

Hamilton closed the trunk of his car, shaking his head. “Don’t do that to me, Raven. I can’t stand the woman’s tears.”

Logan released Cynthia and placed an arm around Hamilton’s shoulders. “Come on, man,” he said softly. “She’s an accomplished actress.”

“Oh, no, man. It’s different. The tears she throws at me now are not staged. The doctor said it’s because of the baby.”

An expression of disbelief crossed Logan’s face. “You’ve got to be kiddin’ me.”

“No lie, Raven. Wait until you’re due to become a father. It
ain’t
easy,” he stated between clenched teeth.

“What are you whispering about, Ham?”

He smiled at his wife. “Nothing, Tia. I was just telling Raven that I hope he won’t disappoint us.”

Caryn also smiled as she winked at Logan. “Don’t worry about us not coming, Tia. We’ll arrive early Saturday afternoon.”

Her brilliant green eyes shimmered with excitement. “Ham and I want to plan something very special to thank you for your fabulous hospitality.”

The two women hugged each other while the men offered the other rough embraces. Hamilton helped Cynthia into the Mercedes, then took his own seat behind the wheel. Logan and Caryn stood together, holding hands and watching as the sedan slowly backed out of the driveway before speeding away and leaving Marble Island behind.

Logan turned to Caryn, smiling down at her. “I think they enjoyed their stay.”

“I enjoyed having them.”

His eyebrows shifted. “You were a wonderful hostess, and I’d like to thank you for that.”

Standing on tiptoe, she touched her lips to his before he could kiss her first. “You’re welcome.”

Without warning, he swung her up in his arms and headed toward the house. “What have you planned for yourself today?”

Tightening her grip on his strong neck, Caryn rested her head on his shoulder. “Laundry.”

“Forget it.”

“I can’t forget it, Logan. I’m running out of clean clothes.”

“Let the Shelton kids do the laundry. Why do you think I pay them.”

“By the way, how much are you paying them?”

He climbed the half-dozen steps to the veranda, sat down on a love seat rocker, and settled Caryn comfortably across his lap.

“That’s privileged information between employer and employees,” he said, giving her a full-mouthed smile.

“Oh, it’s like that, Logan Prescott?”

He nodded slowly. “That it is.”

“I’d thought you’d gotten over being a tight-ass.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You still haven’t changed your opinion of me, have you?”

“No.” It was her turn to give him a saucy smile.

The gesture entranced him as his gaze widened, taking in the smooth darkness of her tanned skin. He telegraphed the stubborn tilt of her delicate chin and visually traced
the outline of her lush mouth. He found it hard to believe that this little slip of a woman had crawled under his skin like an invisible itch he didn’t want scratched.

He had come to love the sound of her voice which claimed an unusual accent that made it impossible to identify where she’d grown up; he also loved her passion; a passion that knew no boundaries; an unrestrained passion that always left him reeling with a sense of complete fulfillment once he spilled the soaring lust she always elicited in him.

And in that instant he wanted what his college friends had—a solid marriage and impending parenthood. Before coming to Marble Island, he thought that was what he wanted with Nina, but he realized he’d wanted to marry her for the wrong reason.

His parents had hinted subtly for some time he settle down, and unknowingly he had sublimated their wishes. He’d known Nina for ten years, but had never considered dating her. They were seated together at a wedding for a mutual friend, and before the reception ended they had promised to keep in touch.

He called Nina for a dinner date, then before he realized it they were seeing each other exclusively. He’d told himself that he was in love with her, refusing to acknowledge the infatuation was based solely on a physical dependence.

They dated for a year before he proposed marriage, then decided to wait another year before exchanging vows. What had surprised him was not once had he ever suspected Nina of not being faithful to him, and he had to give her credit for being an expert in deception.

“What do you want to do?” Caryn questioned, breaking into his thoughts.

“How would you like to go boating with me?”

“Sailing?”

He shook his head. “No, rowing.”

Her eyes widened. “You want
me
to row?”

Gathering her closer, he pressed his lips to her forehead.
“No. I’ll row. We’ll order takeout from Addie’s, rent a boat, then row over to one of the other islands.”

Her right hand searched under the hem of his T-shirt, tracing the defined muscles along his belly and chest. “I’ll agree only if we bring Domino.”

Closing his eyes, Logan smiled as her delicate fingers caressed his body. “I’ve watched you with my dog, Caryn. And I remember warning you about spoiling him and turning him into a mush.”

“He’s not a mush.”

“Yes, he is. I’ve noticed when I let him run free he follows you everywhere.”

“That’s because he knows I like him.”

“And he likes you—a little too much.”
Just like his master
, he added silently.

Her hand stopped over his heart. “You sound jealous, Logan. And of a dog, no less.”

“You’re really pushing it, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

“Nope. And stop calling me sweetheart.”

“What is it you prefer? Darling? My love? Or perhaps baby?”

She laughed softly. “None of the above.”

But he had called her all three in the throes of passion, and there were times when she wondered whether she had said things to him in bed she never would’ve uttered out of bed.

“You’ve called me darling a few times.”

Her face burned. She had her answer. “That’s different,” she argued.

“How different?”

“We were making love.”

“You call
every
man you make love to darling?”

“There’s been only one other man,” she said heatedly before she could censor herself.

There was silence, only the soft sounds of their breathing punctuating the space. “Then he was the biggest fool on the face of the earth to lose you,” Logan declared in a quiet tone.

Caryn pulled her hand away and struggled to free herself from his embrace as he tightened his grip on her wrist. “Let me go.”

“Not yet. Tell me what he did to you.”

Her angry gaze clashed with his calm one. “I told you what happened.”

Logan shook his head slowly. “No, you didn’t. You told me only what you wanted me to know.”

“Then consider yourself told and mind your business.”

Vertical lines marred the space between his eyes. “I can’t. I need to know what it is that keeps us apart. I want to know why you refuse to commit to our having more than a series of quick lays.”

She felt a rising panic she wasn’t certain she would be able to control. “What’s with you, Logan? A lot of men sleep with a woman and never ask for more than a quick lay.”

He went completely still, his eyes narrowing as his delicate nostrils flared noticeably, while the skin stretched over his high, sharp cheekbones grew taut. There was something in his stillness that made him appear suddenly dangerous, lethal. She shivered, certain he felt her quaking.

“I’m not a lot of men. So don’t even go there, Caryn Edwards.”

She felt his repressed rage and wanted to retailiate, but decided she didn’t want to argue. Not with him. She had argued enough in the past to last several lifetimes. Besides, she wanted what she and Logan shared to continue until he or she left Marble Island.

Lowering her gaze in a demure gesture, she smiled. “I stand corrected. Now, are you going to let me go so I can get ready to go boating with you?”

Logan’s hand fell away as he gave her a look of disbelief. He hadn’t expected her to apologize. In fact he wanted to goad her into a confrontation, where in her anger, she would disclose what her ex-husband had done to make her so cautious and guarded with men. He frowned. Why
couldn’t she just open up and love him as much as he had come to love her?

Caryn slid off his lap and walked into the house, leaving him scowling and staring at the space where she had been.

Dressed in a pair of cotton slacks, a long-sleeve cotton T-shirt, running shoes, and a black baseball cap that belonged to Logan, Caryn sat opposite him in the rowboat cradling Domino on her lap.

Squinting behind the lenses of her sunglasses, she watched the rippling muscles in his arms flex sensuously with the fluid rowing motion. He was dressed entirely in white: shirt, shorts, deck shoes, and baseball cap. The startling whiteness of his attire emphasized the glistening darkness of his sable-brown skin, reminding her of shimmering black and white pearls.

A secret smile softened her mouth. He was beautiful, perfect—in and out of bed.

“What are you smiling about?”

She arched a curving eyebrow. “You.”

He returned her smile, his eyes crinkling behind the lenses of his sunglasses. “What about me?”

Caryn hesitated, deciding to be truthful. “I was thinking of how perfect you are. Physically,” she added when he gave her a questioning look.

“You’re no slouch in the looks department, Miss Edwards.”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll do.”

“You’ll more than do. You’re an exquisite woman—in and out of bed.”

His compliment added more heat to her face with the blazing sun beating down on their heads. “I suppose I’ll do in that category, too.”

“Wrong, sweetheart. You just don’t do. You’re the only woman who has been able to satisfy me.”

Caryn tightened her hold on Domino, and the puppy
squirmed frantically until she eased her grip around his neck. “I—I never thought you had a problem with—”

“I don’t have a problem,” he interrupted. “It was just that I’d never experienced sexual fulfillment. It’s like you’ve climaxed but still want more. You go through all of the motions, yet there’s no satisfaction when you’re finished.”

She nodded. There were times when she had experienced the same emptiness. “It’s like scratching an itch, but it continues to itch.”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

“Why do you think it’s different with me?”

Logan stared at her, not missing a measured beat as he continued to row in the direction of a small island less than two hundred feet away tucked in a narrow inlet along the coast.