The Mighty Quinns: Logan (5 page)

“Cool,” she said. Sunny dialed her home number and when Lily answered, she quickly explained her dilemma. In the end, the housekeeper agreed to express her wallet and credit cards to her father’s business office in Adelaide. After spending a few days on the road in the campervan, she’d treat Logan to a comfortable bed and a hot shower.

“All right,” she said to Lily as she scribbled down the office address. “And if it’s not too much trouble, can you just gather a few nice things for me to wear? Some summer dresses. And my lavender-scented lotion? And—” Sunny paused. She’d learned to do without the creature comforts. She could certainly last a little longer. “That’s all.” She hung up and handed the phone to Logan, who was watching her suspiciously. “What?”

“Lavender-scented lotion? Is that what you were wearing last night?”

She nodded. “It’s my favorite. And it’s really hard to find. It’s French.”

“I like the way you smell,” he said.

Sunny crawled out of her seat and settled herself on top of him, her backside wedged against the steering wheel. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she bent close and gave him a long, deep kiss. “ We’re going to have fun. I promise.”

He smoothed his hands beneath her shirt, sliding his palm along her torso until he cupped her breast. She wasn’t wearing a bra. “Maybe we should have bought you some underwear.”

“I brought underwear,” she said. “I just don’t like to wear it. It gets in the way.”

“Of what?”

“Of your hands on my body,” she whispered. Sunny bent close and brushed her lips across his, teasing with the tip of her tongue. A tiny smile curled the corners of his mouth. Though she was just getting to know him, she’d already decided he was the sweetest guy she’d ever met.

He was so humble and genuine and he didn’t try to be anything but himself. She’d known far too many men who spent their energy trying to impress. He had a quiet confidence that she found incredibly attractive.

For a long moment, they lost themselves in the kiss, Sunny wriggling against him until he groaned in protest. But then a loud bang interrupted them and they turned to see a security guard standing outside the driver’s-side door.

“Move along now, folks,” he said.

Sunny giggled as she crawled back to her own seat. Logan started the ignition and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. She opened the box of biscuits and slowly munched on one as she watched the traffic.

“Are you going to offer me one of those or are you going to eat them all yourself?” Logan asked.

“I was thinking about eating them all by myself. Why, do you want one?”

“I could eat one,” he said.

“I’ll give you one if you answer a question,” she said.

“What kind of question?”

“A personal question. Before last night, when was the last time you were with a woman?”

“Tim Tam first,” he said, holding out his hand. Sunny gave him one of the biscuits. “I had a beer at the local pub the night before I left and I believe Becky Pelson was the barkeep.”

“You slept with the barkeep?”

“No, you asked when I was last with a woman. As I recall, she was the last until I met you.”

“Oh! Waste of a Tim Tam! You cheat.”

“I can’t be held accountable for your poor phrasing,” he said with a grin. “If you give me another biscuit, I’ll answer the question.”

She handed him a Tim Tam. “Honest answer.”

“It’s been a while,” he said. “Probably about six months. I’m not sure, exactly.”

“You don’t have a woman in your life, then?”

He glanced over at her. “No. I wouldn’t have spent the night with you if I had. I’m not that kind of bloke.”

“I know,” Sunny said. “I can tell that about you. You’re one of the good ones.” She handed him another biscuit.

“Will you answer a question from me?”

Sunny nodded. She knew what he’d probably ask, but for some reason she wasn’t afraid to reveal anything to this man. They had a lot of kilometers in front of them and plenty of time to get to know each other. She wasn’t sure what would happen at the end of the trip, but there was no reason to play games. “All right.”

“Was it me that you wanted last night or were you just looking for a warm body?”

“It was you. When we were standing by the fence watching Tally, you were nice and you didn’t judge me. I was just really tired of people judging me.”

“Why would they judge you?”

“Because of what happened in London?”

She didn’t see any change in his expression. “Ed told me about it. Everyone has bad days, Sunny.”

“Well, I picked a very bad day to have a bad day. Washed out of the qualifying round in show jumping. I was supposed to win a gold medal. Instead, I embarrassed myself, my horse, my father, all my coaches and the entire country.”

“You’re human,” Logan said.

“Yeah. I keep telling myself that, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

He pointed to the package of biscuits. “You want to ask more questions? I’m still hungry.”

As they headed west, they traded questions, learning more about each other with each kilometer that passed. And with their lighthearted conversation, Sunny was able to put her troubles behind her and just relax. There were no expectations between them beyond an enjoyment of the scenery that passed and the company they kept.

* * *

T
HEY
STOPPED
FOR
the night near Moree, a small town in the heart of the black soil plains. Ed had given him the name of a local veterinarian who’d worked at one of the equestrian centers in Brisbane before starting a practice of his own. He had a spare stable for Tally, and once she was fed and bedded down, Logan unhitched the trailer, and he and Sunny headed into town.

They bought dinner from a Thai restaurant, then found a small park along the river, sitting at a picnic table near the water. They opened the bottle of wine Sunny had purchased and shared the prawns and noodles, eating with the single fork that he had in the campervan.

She’d changed into a pretty cotton dress, her arms bare and her body beneath the same. He couldn’t help but think about how simple it would be to pull the dress over her head to reveal her silken skin.

He’d tried not to let himself become infatuated, but there was just something about her he found irresistible. It was so easy to forget that they’d just met. Already, there was an ease between them, as if they’d been friends for years.

Though he’d known a lot of women, he’d never really been able to figure them out. But Sunny was like an open book to him. He could look at her and tell exactly what she was thinking. Not that she really kept her thoughts to herself. She had an opinion about everything, from his driving to his taste in Thai food to the way he wore his hat.

Logan stretched his legs out in front of him and took a long sip of his wine. He reached over and slipped his fingers through the hair at her nape, then pulled her into a quick kiss. “I’m glad you fell asleep in that bunk. I’m having a lot more fun than I ever thought I’d have on this trip.”

“I thought I annoyed you,” she said.

“No. You don’t annoy me.”

Sunny took a bite of the noodles and stared out at the river. “Do you really want to sell her?” she asked.

Logan took a deep breath and shook his head. How many times were they going to talk about this? “No, but I really don’t have a choice. Sometimes you’re forced to make the hard decisions. If I want to keep my ranch, I have to sell her. And that’s what my business is, Sunny. Raising and selling horses. If I get attached to every horse I raise, I’m not going to make any money.”

“She should be ridden. And trained for the ring. She’s big and beautiful, too beautiful to use just for breeding. I could make something of her. I could train her.”

“I assume she will be ridden,” he said, forcing a smile. “It’s fine. She’s going to a good place. And I’m glad you decided to come along. If you weren’t here to distract me, I’d probably be a basket case by the time I got to Perth.”

“How long have you had your ranch?”

“Five years. I used to make big money as an investment banker. I worked real hard for four years and saved all my money to buy the ranch. It isn’t much, but it’s mine. And the bank’s.”

“I can’t imagine you in a suit and tie,” she said. Her brow furrowed into a frown. “Wait. Give me a second. All right, yes I can. I bet you were quite the handsome man.”

“I am quite the man now,” he said. “Even without the suit and tie.”

She handed him the carton of noodles and took a sip from her own wine. “You know what I’d like to do? I’d like to find a spot where we could park and build a campfire. I saw a sign for a caravan park. We could get a spot and maybe they’d have a shower?”

“I think we can do that,” he said. He’d been wondering about finding them a motel room for the night, but camping sounded like much more fun. “Grab the wine. Let’s find a spot.”

When they got back out to the street, they found the sign and followed it to a large caravan park on the south side of the town. The park featured a special attraction in the town of Moree—hot mineral springs and thermal baths.

“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” Sunny said. “Now I wish I had my bikini. I wonder if Lily has sent my things yet.”

“I’m sure they probably have a spare that you could borrow,” Logan said.

They paid the fee for the site and got things set up, hooking up to the power and opening all the windows to the late-evening breeze.

It was almost nine when they strolled over to the thermal pools. The park was quiet. It was still early in the season and the middle of the week, so the campground was nearly empty. Sunny sat down on the edge of one of the smaller pools and pulled off her shoes, then let her legs dangle in the hot water.

She looked up at him with a smile. “I feel healthier already. I think I’m going to have to go in.”

“Do you have anything on under that dress?”

She shook her head. “Nope. But no one will see. It’s dark and there’s no one around.”

“Did you bring anything you could swim in?”

“I suppose I could just wear my underwear.” Sunny grinned at him. “Would you go get my underwear? I put it in the drawer next to the bed.”

He pointed at her, giving her a warning glare. “Leave that dress on until I get back.”

Logan strode back to the campervan. Once inside, he picked through the skimpy bits of lingerie that Sunny had bothered to bring with her. There was nothing even remotely close to a bikini amongst the lace and silk panties and bras.

It felt odd picking through her underthings. He barely knew her. In truth, he wasn’t even sure what she was to him. His girlfriend? His lover? If he were forced to suddenly define their relationship, he had no idea what he’d say.

Logan picked out a black bra and a pair of red undies that looked as if they’d at least cover part of her bum. When he got back to the thermal pool, he noticed her dress, tossed into a heap beside the water. “I thought I told you to wait,” he said.

She turned and folded her arms on the edge of the deck. “I couldn’t. The water looked so nice. And we’re all alone here.”

Logan’s gaze drifted along her naked body, the sweet curves of her backside, her slender legs barely hidden by the rippling water. He’d been in a heightened state of desire all afternoon and evening, just barely able to contain himself whenever he touched her or even looked at her. But now, seeing her body, so incredibly beautiful and distracting, he felt his desire bubble over into a very distinct reaction.

“Put these on,” he said, holding out the bra and undies.

“Don’t be a prude, no one can see me.”

“I can see you,” he said.

A wicked grin curled the corners of her mouth. “I want you to see me. I’m actually trying to seduce you.”

“Yeah? Well, I’d have to be an idiot not to realize that.”

“Come in,” she said. “The water feels wonderful.” She held out her hand and he caught a glimpse of her naked breasts. “Wear your underdaks if you don’t want to get naked.”

He held out the lingerie then dropped them into the water. “I’ll come in when you put those on.”

Reluctantly, she pulled the undies on, then struggled with the bra. “I could use some help.”

He squatted down next to the pool and, with fumbling fingers, he hooked the back of the bra. Touching her sent a current through his body, setting every nerve buzzing. Smoothing his hands over her shoulders, he leaned close and pressed his lips to the curve of her neck.

She spun around and floated away from him, watching him from the far side of the small, round pool. “Come on,” she said.

Logan glanced around. What the hell...the place was practically empty. He tugged his T-shirt over his head, skimmed his cargo shorts over his hips, kicked off his trainers and stepped down into the warm water. Her gaze fixed on his crotch, on the growing erection that pressed against the soft fabric of his underdaks.

“You’re trouble,” he murmured, sinking down into the pool.

She came over to him and slipped her arms around his neck. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re looking for?” she asked. Sunny wrapped her legs around his waist, then kissed him, her lips lush and ripe, the taste of her like the most exotic fruit.

He’d never put much thought into kissing. It was a great way to lure a girl into bed, but beyond that, it was nothing more than foreplay. But now Logan realized that he’d just never been kissed by Sunny Grant. Like everything she did, she kissed with reckless abandon, holding nothing back.

“Isn’t this where we started?” he murmured.

“No,” she responded. “We started in the paddock with that beautiful horse.”

“We did?”

She nodded. “From the first moment I saw you, I was...interested.”

“When did you decide to seduce me?”

“When I saw you staring at my ass,” she teased. “I knew you were seducible.”

“And now? You better have something planned for me now, Sunny.”

She boosted herself up on the edge of the pool and motioned him over. “Turn around and sit.” When he did, Sunny began to massage his shoulders. “You really should let me do some of the driving. You wouldn’t get so tense.”