The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series) (11 page)

Chapter Eleven

T
essa forced her gaze away from Logan’s penis.

“Find something you like down there, sugar?”

The grin on his face told her everything she needed to know—she was busted. “Just making sure you’re all good.” She whipped her head back toward the view.

Just shut up.

“Everything up here is good, and I’m not talking about the view.”

Getting naked to swim was definitely her first mistake. Agreeing to sunbathe nude was absolutely her second. Somehow she feared that if she looked at him again, she’d be well on her way to making her third mistake of the day. And yet, she looked at him anyway.

“I meant it looks like you have more than enough.” She took a shaky breath. Why did her words keep coming out wrong? “Room. On the blanket.”

“I’ve definitely got more than enough
room
. But if you’re worried, I’ll shift over.” As he wiggled across the blanket an inch closer, she pressed her hand to his chest, stopping him.

“Don’t,” she said, locking her eyes with his. She wouldn’t look anywhere but his face. But she didn’t need to actually look at his chest to know how outstanding it was. She could feel it beneath her palm, under her trembling fingertips—firm, hot, muscular. Everything she’d guessed, but better.

He shook his head. “I haven’t done anything. The only one doing anything is you, sugar.”

“I haven’t done anything either,” she said, indignantly.

“No, not at all. But maybe you should tell that to your fingers because that thing your thumb is doing to my nipple is maddeningly arousing.”

She glanced to her hand as if it was attached to someone else’s body. Why was she fondling his body? The tiny beaded nub of his nipple was hard and she didn’t have to wonder if other parts of his body were the same. She could see pretty well in her peripheral vision.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do.” She tried to pull her hand back, but he covered hers with his, holding it against his skin.

“Why do you keep pulling away from me when you so obviously want something else? And don’t give me your usual crap about the Dick you have back in the city, because we both know that’s a scam.”

She opened her mouth to make a smart-assed response. “I…”

What could she say? She was unbelievably attracted to him, both physically and mentally, but this wasn’t an easy situation. If they’d met while he still lived in the city, maybe it would be. But he didn’t, and it wasn’t. She couldn’t handle another connection pulling her back to Cutter’s Creek.

“Because…” There was no way she could tell him the truth—that if they were in Central Park right now instead of on a mountain in West Virginia, she’d already be straddling his lap and screaming his name. She wouldn’t have even tried to resist him.

She cleared her throat and tried to steady her nerves and stop thinking about how good it would feel to be with Logan. It wouldn’t help either of them in the long run. It would only make transitions into their news lives more challenging. They both needed a clean slate to embrace their new surroundings—him in town and her in the city—didn’t they? Having a fling now would complicate things later.

Logan’s heartbeat drummed under her palm. He didn’t have to tell her how he felt about her; she could read it all over his body language even if she hadn’t been able to see his growing hard on.

“Why do you keep fighting this thing between us?” he asked, propping himself up on one elbow and moving even closer to her.

As soon as she figured out a way to get up without him seeing her boobs, she would get dressed and put a solid boundary of clothing between them. Naked sunbathing was a stupid idea.

He was right. She was fighting the chemistry between them and damn it, she feared she was about to lose the battle. “Because I’m not interested in you that way, okay?”

Logan let her hand go and laughed. “Right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That you’re full of shit.”

She gasped. That was rude and uncalled for. “I am not. You asked for my reason and I gave it to you. I’m sorry if I hurt your precious ego, but that’s my answer.”

“You’re a terrible liar. I know you do feel this thing between us, and I’m entirely sure you want to explore these feelings more, but you’re stopping yourself. That’s the part I can’t figure out.”

“Well, aren’t you so sure of yourself. Egotistical much?”

“It’s not egotistical to call you out on lying about your feelings when I’ve been open about mine.” He motioned to where he still waited, semi-hard, looking all too eager to go the rest of the way.

Don’t look again!

Against her will, her gaze fluttered down his body to the area in question.

“See, you’re interested,” he said, confidence filling his voice.

Damn it.

“And you’re irritating,” she retorted.

“Because I’m right. And I’m willing to admit what I want.”

“Oh yeah, and what exactly do you want, Mr. I’m So Sure Of Everything?”

“The same thing I’ve wanted since Travis first mentioned his girlfriend’s annoying little sister and told me about you. The same thing I’ve wanted since the moment I almost ran you off the road by accident. The same thing I’ve wanted since I saved you from that spider—I want you, Tessa.

“I want to know why you hate it here so much when you have a family that loves you. I want to know what you think about living in the city. What it felt like to move there. I want to know how you can draw such amazing pictures yet still think you aren’t talented.”

“Really? You want to know that stuff about me?” He wasn’t only looking to get laid?

“Yep. And about a million other things I’ve wanted to ask you about in the last few days, but haven’t since you’re also so…”

She narrowed her eyes. “So what?”

“So bitchy sometimes.”

She smacked his chest and the slapping noise echoed around them, accentuating her statement. “I am not.”

“You are, but that’s okay because at least when you’re bitchy with me it means you’re talking to me. And slowly but surely I’m winning you over.”

“What do you mean, you’re winning me over? I’m not a prize to be won.”

“I mean I’ve got you here, alone, in the woods, on a gorgeous sunshine-filled day, naked. And instead of being bitchy with me as usual, you can’t keep your hands off me. You want to be here with me, like this, in this moment, even if you don’t want to admit it.”

His gaze was so intense her breath caught in her lungs, and it was as if she was underwater, fighting to get to the surface for air. His gaze hadn’t left her eyes once, and every part of her body begged for his attention.

“Ask me again what I want,” he said so softly she found herself leaning in to hear him.

“What do you want, Logan?” she asked, biting her lip with anticipation.

“You. Right here. Right now. All of you.” His fingertips stroked the back of her hand where it still rested on his chest. “And I want you to want me just as badly.”

She did. She’d been trying to ignore it, to fight it, but damn it, she wanted Logan. When she’d made the decision to skinny dip, she knew exactly what she was doing and why. As much as she needed to, she couldn’t stay away from him. Even though she knew getting involved with him had the potential to leave her hurt, she couldn’t stop herself.

“I…” She paused.

“What do you want, sugar?” he asked, wrapping his hand around the nape of her neck and lacing his fingers into her hair.

“You,” she whispered.

“It’s about fucking time you said it out loud.” He grinned and then pulled her face to his. His mouth pressed to hers and with a gasp of pure pleasure, her lips parted. He took advantage of the moment and swept his tongue across her lips before plunging inside.

Without breaking their kiss, she inched across the blanket to snuggle into his side, melting into him. The heat of their bodies together and the heat of the sun beating down combined to create an inferno around them. When the breeze blew up from the cliff, it brushed across her hot skin and left a cooling wake, making her skin tingle.

Logan’s hand snaked down her spine to settle on her ass. He caressed it and squeezed gently. With a groan, he did it again, harder. “I’ve been dreaming of touching you again since that moment in the cabin,” he said.

“I hope it lived up to your expectations.”

He shrugged. “Meh.” It wasn’t even a word, just a sound of ambivalence.

“Meh?” she questioned. “You’ve been dreaming about touching my ass and now it’s simply okay? I have a great ass. What’s wrong with my ass?” She tried to roll away, back to her side of the blanket where she obviously should’ve stayed.

His arms locked around and he grinned. Chuckling, he said, “I was only kidding.”

“Well, it wasn’t funny.”

He dragged her leg over to drape across his. The skin of her thigh tingled as he slid his hand up to her ass, caressing and kneading along the way. “It’s better than I remember. You have an amazing ass.” He smacked it and any hint of teasing disappeared from his expression, replaced instead by pure lust.

She kissed him, hard. Everything around them quieted. There were no birds singing in the trees, no breeze blowing through the branches, no waterfall in the distance. Instead there was only the sound of his breath mixing with hers, the slight whisper of his hands moving on her skin, the pounding of her pulse in her ears.

Tessa kissed his jaw and neck on the way to his chest. She paused for a brief moment to take in the gorgeous scenery of his chest and abdomen. “I don’t usually care about physical looks, but damn, you’re hot. Your pecs are like…movie star pecs. They should be famous.”

“I’ll have to find them an agent.”

She giggled. “I know you put a lot of time and effort into your body because it’s your business, and I have to say, job well done. You deserve a raise.”

He laughed. “Thanks. I work out because it’s my job and because I love it. It makes me feel good.”

She swirled her tongue across his nipple and he groaned.

“But this feels even better.”

“I’m showing appreciation for all your hard work.”

“Anywhere else you feel like bestowing your appreciation is fine with me,” he said, twining his fingers in her hair as she kissed his chest, then ribs, then belly button.

By the time she got to his waist she was greeted by his fully erect and patiently waiting for her penis. She’d thought it had looked impressive before with her quick glimpses of it, but seeing it up close…
Wow.

If personal training didn’t work out, the man should work for UPS because he knew how to carry a package. She rubbed her fingertips from tip to base, enjoying his quick intake of breath as she did. When she wrapped her hand around him and alternated between stroking and squeezing, he groaned loudly. Flicking her tongue across the tip, she paused to glance up at him. His eyes were intensely focused on her as he watched every movement. When she tasted him again, encompassing him fully with her lips, he shuddered beneath her. His eyelids fluttered closed and his head flopped back onto the blanket.

Knowing she was the source of his pleasure made her want him even more. She moved her hand and mouth in a slowly increasing pace, enjoying every second. By the time he rolled her onto her back, she was trembling with her own unmet need and desire.

He hovered over her, pinning her hands to the ground above her head, making her breasts jut up toward him. She felt alive and free and more uninhibited than she ever had before. Maybe it was the fresh air and sunshine on her naked body. Or maybe it was Logan who brought out this feeling in her, made her come out of her protective shell both figuratively and literally. Whatever it was, she hadn’t felt this way before, and she never wanted it to end.

“Are you going to stare at me or kiss me?” she asked.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to see you like this…to have you like this. I plan on taking my time while I kiss every inch of your body.”

A tremble of excitement rippled through her.

“And I’m starting right here.” He sucked one of her taut nipples into his mouth. His tongue rolled around the tight bud, then his teeth gently bit down on it. She gasped and arched into him, both wanting more and wanting him to stop at the same time. The pleasure was too good. She wanted him to do it again and as if reading her mind, he did. Every scrape of his teeth and sweep of his tongue on her skin made her want him to touch her and taste her everywhere.

He slid down her stomach and nudged her thighs apart. When his lips pressed to her most sensitive skin, she feared she might crumble apart with the shockwaves he sent coursing through her body. She moaned and grabbed his shoulders, needing something tangible to hold onto since the world had to be coming apart beneath her. With every lap of his tongue, he brought her closer and closer to the point of total bliss until she felt like she was falling off the cliff behind her. The world spun around her as he kissed his way back up her stomach to her breasts.

“That was… You were…” She tried but failed to find adequate words. “Get a… So we can…” Surely he had to know what she was saying.

“Hold on. I think I have one in my backpack,” he said, giving her nipple one last kiss before crawling away from her.

She propped herself up on her elbow, watching him, her head feeling less foggy. “What do you mean you think you have one? You’re a guy. You always have one, don’t you?”

“Well, that’s sexist,” he said, unzipping the compartments on his bag and tossing the contents to the dirt.

“But also true. Right?”

“Well, if we were at my place, I’d have an endless supply of them, of course. In fact, I’d have a big dish full of them right at the front door to give out as welcome gifts to women who decide to stop by my apartment.”

“Shut up. You know what I mean.”

“Ah ha!” he cheered, crawling back with his found treasure between his teeth. He dropped it onto her belly and grinned. “I do know what you mean. But no, I don’t always have one on me. Silly me, I thought most women would call me egotistical if I presumed that they might want to sleep with me and brought along provisions wherever I went.”