The Billionaire's Kiss (Scandal, Inc) (24 page)

Callie didn’t know what to make of his request. Only a few hours earlier, he had stormed off in a cloud of anger and betrayal, and now he wanted her to stay? “What was that you said earlier about promises?”
 

“I’m serious. Would you stay for me?” he asked. He leaned towards her and kept his eyes locked on hers.
 

“If you’re serious?” she replied. “If you’re really willing to be honest with me?” That look of desperation was just too much. It told her more than any words could. Deep inside he needed her. She knew it, and in her own way, she needed him, too. I think I’d do just about anything for you.”

Callie watched the darkness lift from Logan’s eyes, replaced by that mischievous gleam she knew so well. “Anything except sleep with me.”
 

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to keep me up all night again,” she said with a laugh. And just like that, they had lapsed back into their comfortable back and forth.
 

“Tell me the truth,” Logan said. “Would that be pity lust?”
 

“I don’t think that exists,” she said.

“Not for lack of trying.” While Logan’s words were playful as ever, he still looked tired, emotionally worn.

“I thought we were having a moment,” Callie said, “and now you’re just trying to get me in bed again.”

“Oh, it doesn’t have to be in a bed. Pretty much any flat surface will do,” he said.

Callie couldn’t help but laugh.
 

“I am serious though, and I know I haven’t earned that trust yet, but I will prove it to you. I’ve never been anything but honest with you, Callie.”

“I know,” she said. She looked away from him for a moment and out over the endless sheet of water that spread out before them. “So how do we get out of here?”

Logan looked down at the oars. “Same way we came. We just have to turn around. We’re not really that far out. Half an hour, and we’ll be back in sight of land.”

“Do you want help?” Callie asked.
 

“Logan smiled. “Yeah, I ‘d like that. Carefully move this way, and you can row with me.”
 

“What, side by side?”

“No, you’ll have to sit on my lap. Come on, I’ll give you a rowing lesson.

Callie leaned over the bench and positioned herself in front of Logan, sitting down just on the edge of the bench between his legs. She leaned back into him, pressing her back against his chest. She could feel his sweat and his heat. His muscles were hard beneath his shirt. Callie spread he arms along his until she reached the oars. She grabbed the handles and started to row.

Slowly, with Logan guiding her movements, Callie turned the boat around. He moved with her, keeping his palms against the back of her hands. She felt his hot breath against her neck. As she and Logan rowed, tensing their muscles with each stroke, Callie became more and more aware of her body. She fit so perfectly in his arms, and with his slightest touch, every inch of her being felt alive. With Logan against her, she felt powerful, she felt connected with him in a way she could never describe.
 

The wind picked up as they gained speed, racing faster and faster toward the shore. Little by little, the sounds of land started to filter back through the dense fog that hid the shore from sight, but those sounds were still faint compared to the rhythmic rise and fall of Logan’s breath in her ear. She could hear them though, the waves lapping on the beach, cars and trucks driving somewhere beyond sight. The closer land felt, the harder she rowed. She wanted to get back to shore. She wanted to be the one who brought Logan back. With each heave of the oars, each hard pull, she felt her anger and guilt washing away. Something else was taking its place, something stronger and more urgent. She wanted to turn around and kiss Logan again, but she knew she should wait until they reached solid ground.
 

When the the hull finally slid onto a short, sandy beach, Logan placed his hand on Callie’s shoulder. His palm was so warm and firm against her skin, and she felt his touch radiate through her body. Then he leaned in and kissed the back of her neck. The warmth and thrill of his lips rolled through her body, and she knew she needed.
Him
.

Callie stepped out into the shallow water. The cold seawater soaked into her pants up to the knee as she helped pull the boat onto shore. As the waves swelled against the shore, Logan hopped out and pulled the boat up onto the thin strip of sand in front of what looked to be a long, wide lawn. “Where are we?” Callie asked. The fog was thick, and it was raining. She could barely see in front of her.

“Does it matter?” Logan asked. “No one will see us.” He kissed her, and the warmth of his kiss rolled through her body. She pressed her tongue against his and felt a rush of desire rise up from deep within her core. This was different than before, more tender, more intimate. Callie didn’t just want this; she needed it. She ached to feel him seal his body against hers.
 

Together, they stepped onto the shore, and their motions melted blurred together in Callie’s mind as Logan wrapped his arms around her. Together, they tumbled down into the grass and the mud. He kissed her again. She felt his desire and excitement growing stronger as he slid his lips against her skin. She needed to get his clothes off.

She reached for his collar and pulled hard, ripping off the two top buttons of his shirt. The sound of the threads giving out thrilled her, and she fumbled with the remaining buttons before he pulled the shirt off completely. He was covered in a sheen of sweat, and as she placed her hand on his chest, she felt his heart beating hard and fast. Callie ran her hands over his muscles and traced her fingers over his ribs as she reached down for his hips.
 

Logan pivoted and leaned over her, pressing himself against her as he kissed her passionately, working his tongue against hers, biting her bottom lip before kissing her neck and sending new waves of warmth through her body. He reached down and pulled Callie’s jeans down her thighs, his strong fingers pressed firmly against her soft skin. She trembled in anticipation and fumbled with his belt before finally pulling him free. Logan lowered himself into position. She felt his muscular thighs against hers, and she felt the heat of his erection as he pressed himself against her.

She was delirious with anticipation, and wanted nothing more than to feel that fullness, that connection. She pulled her shirt off over her head, and he brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her again. He whispered, “I need you,” before pressing his lips to hers. Callie let out a little whisper of delight as she felt the warmth of his kiss. Then Logan reached down and spread her thighs apart as he pushed himself inside her. Callie moaned as Logan sank into her core, filling her with overwhelming pleasure.
 

She wrapped her legs around him and rocked back and forth with the force of his thrusts. Logan kissed her cheek as he sped the tempo, racing his body against hers. Again and again, she listened to his breath rise and fall, gaining momentum as she tried to keep pace with him. Sweat broke out across her body, and the heat deep in her core began to spread through her body, thrumming inside her, echoing through every inch of her body.

Callie slid her hands up and down over the tense muscles of Logan’s back and shoulders, finally digging her fingers into his back and bracing herself against him as the pleasure grew even more intense. She raked her nails against his skin as she felt orgasm start to rise up inside her. She kissed his neck and moaned against his chest, closing her eyes and focusing on the intense bliss rolling through her. She was so close. She tensed herself and rocked her hips against his faster, sliding one hand over his hip to pull him harder against herself and running the other through his hair to pull him in for one last kiss.

As soon as his lips touched hers, he pushed himself even deeper inside her, and Callie cried out as she climaxed. The pounding bliss inside her body crested and crashed through her, throbbing in her veins and scorching her lungs. She gasped and moaned again as satisfaction rang through her, filling her mind with a wonderful fog of contentment. She hadn’t even noticed that Logan had finished too, and had pressed his cheek against the cool earth as he tried to catch his breath. “That was unbelievable… I’ve never felt anything like that,” he said between several breaths, he rolled over and lay next to her, holding his hand over his chest.

Callie leaned back and slowly ran her arms through the wet grass like she was making a snow angel. The cool mist felt great against her skin, almost as good as Logan’s warmth. “So what do we do now?” She asked. As much as she enjoyed lying there with Logan, she had no idea where they were, and she was fairly certain that her happiness would last no matter where they went next. But every moment they lay there was another chance for someone to stumble across them. A shiver ran through her body as she imagined what would happen if the wrong person saw them lying there, undressed on the shore.

Logan kissed Callie’s shoulder. “Aside from recovering?”
 

“Yeah, I mean what do we do now? Where do we go. Does this mean everything’s ok between us?”
 

Logan sat up and scratched his chin in a caricature of deep thought. “I think you should woo me,” he said.

“Woo you?” Callie asked.

“Yes. Sweep me off my feet.” He was smiling again.
 

Callie didn’t know what to say. “I mostly meant I wanted to know how we could get back to your house.”

Logan looked around. “Oh, when you meant situation, I thought you were asking how I can grow to trust you again. The answer to your question is easier. We’re not far away. I recognized the dock down the shore. If I’m not mistaken this house is empty at the moment anyway. The owners put it on the market at the beginning of the summer. Not many people are looking to rent a ten thousand square foot mansion these days. See, if you look into the distance where the house is, you won’t see any lights. Don’t worry. I’ll get you home unnoticed.” He stood up and pulled his clothes back on. He tossed her her jeans, they were soaked up to the thigh. “I’ll have you back in no time.”

They rowed in silence. Callie looked out into the fog wondering how she had allowed herself to lose control over her feelings again. She had been angry with Logan for running off without telling her what he was doing, and then she was angry with herself for being so hard on him. Then of course, she lost herself in her attraction to him, her need for his touch. She wondered if he had been serious about wanting her to woo him.
Did he really expect her to bring him out on a date?

“What was all that about wooing?” Callie asked as Logan rowed the boat the final few meters to the dock. “Haven’t you been the one wooing me?”
 

Callie grabbed onto the dock as Logan started to tie up the boat. “Yeah,” he said, “and I was doing a good job of it. Then you broke my heart.”
 

“That’s a little dramatic isn’t it? Do you really expect me to court you?”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m secure in my masculinity Do you really think I can’t handle being the object of affection for a while? I think it sounds like fun. Go ahead, make me fall for you.”

“You’re serious?” Callie asked.

Logan raised an eyebrow. “When am I not serious?” He stepped up onto the dock and held a hand out to Callie. She gazed into his eyes as she pulled herself out of the boat.

“I don’t know, 90% of the time.”
 

“Oh,” he said, “right. Well, I’m serious this time.” He shook his finger at her and said, “I expect big things from you, Ms. Haven.”

Now that they were back at the mansion, Logan was acting like nothing had really changed. He was joking with her and holding his hand against her side, and everything just felt right. Callie knew it wasn’t. “What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“Dinner, maybe, dancing. Get enough liquor in me, and who knows, you might just get lucky.”

“Is that right?” Callie asked. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Could be right, could be the perfect amount of wrong. You could always try to get me to cry again and see where that gets you.”

“Are you planning on living up to that reputation of yours?”

“If I tried, would you let me?” Logan said.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I might have to lure you into my bedroom and tie you up.”
 

“Then my reputation does precede me.” Logan kept his eyes locked on hers and gave Callie a wink. She couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head. As Logan looked at her, his expression grew serious again. “Look, I have a hard time trusting people,” he said. “If it weren’t for your little speech up in New Hampshire about this meaning something, I’d probably be halfway across the Atlantic looking for some way to escape my feelings for you. I just want you to know that I want this to work. I think we really have something, and I think we could have even more.”

“I do too.”
 

“Good, then you’ll think of something wonderful for our date tomorrow.”
 

“Something you’d like or something I’d like?” Callie asked.

“If this is going to work, it should be something we both enjoy. I want to know the real you. You don’t have to hide anything from me. I need you to know that. And, if you can’t think of anything to do, you could always bribe me.”

“What do you get the man who has everything?” Callie said.

Logan looked up and down Callie’s body. “I don’t have everything yet.”
 

“I have a hard time believing that. You have a yacht, a mansion, a thriving business, and I can’t think of a single thing in this world you couldn’t afford.”

“What if it’s something that can’t be bought?”

“You sound like you’re starting to come around to my way of seeing things. Are you ready to admit that true love is possible?”

“I was very careful not to make that our bet. Our terms were simple: I bet that you would introduce me to the unhappy old people, and you’ll do so once you realize that I’m right about love and marriage and all the rest of it.”