The Mighty Quinns: Logan (6 page)

“Hauling a trailer is a lot harder than it seems,” he said, tipping his head. “Oh, now, that feels fine. Right there.”

Sunny continued to work at the knots in his neck and shoulders, and he lost himself in the feel of her hands on his body. When he was completely relaxed, she slipped back into the water and sank down in front of him.

She reached down to touch his shaft. Logan sucked in a sharp breath and watched her. Her touch was like a powerful narcotic, making him forget all truth and reason, bringing him to the point of complete surrender.

“I’m not sure that the managers are going to appreciate what we’re doing in their pool,” he whispered.

“I’m sure people have done worse,” she said, grinning. A moment later, she submerged and ran her tongue along the length of him, before bobbing back to the surface and sending him a wicked smile. Then, she floated away from him and stepped out of the pool. “Are you going to come?”

“I think I’m just going to sit here for a spell. I don’t want to embarrass myself if we run into any other campers.”

“Suit yourself,” she murmured. Grabbing her dress, she turned and walked toward their site, the water from her hair running down her body, her skin gleaming. Logan groaned softly when she reached back to unhook her bra.

Wincing, he got out of the water and snatched up his clothes, holding them in front of him. When he got back to the campervan, he noticed that the lights inside had been turned off. He opened the door and stepped inside, and in an instant, she pinned him against the wall.

Grabbing his clothes from his hands, Sunny tossed them aside, then twisted her fingers in the waistband of his underdaks and pulled them down over his hips. He barely had time to take a breath before he felt her warm mouth on his rigid shaft.

A gasp slipped from his lips and he braced his hands on the back of the passenger seat, stunned by the wash of sensation that nearly overwhelmed him. Logan closed his eyes, his body dancing on the edge of sublime surrender.

Holding his breath, he tried to regain control, to focus on something other than what her lips and tongue were doing to him. His heart slammed in his chest and the world seemed to blur all around him. The need to surrender could only be denied for so long. And when he finally felt that he’d reached his limit, she slowly stood, then pulled him over to the bed.

He quickly stripped off the lacy undies, tossing them to the floor. When they fell onto the bed, their bodies met, skin against skin, limbs tangling. It was as if she were made just for him, every perfect part of her designed for his touch alone.

And when she sheathed him and he buried himself deep inside her, Logan knew that there was something extraordinary happening between them. The most improbable emotions surged up inside of him as he looked down into her beautiful face. He’d known her for a day, yet he was already hopelessly infatuated with her. And to his complete and utter surprise, he wasn’t afraid to admit it to himself.

Though all of this would come to an end in a few weeks, for now, Logan was going to enjoy Sunny while he could.

3

S
UNNY
SAT
DOWN
on the edge of the bed, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to Logan’s shoulder. She loved to watch him while he slept. There was a perfect peace about him, so different from the simmering energy he gave off when he was awake.

She wondered if she’d ever really know what went on inside his head. Usually, she had a man figured out by the time he took her to bed. Most of the men she knew had been a simple mix of ego and desire, satisfied to have one need stroked, ecstatic to have both tended to.

But Logan kept his ego in check. And she was just beginning to understand the depths of his desire. For him, it wasn’t just about physical pleasure. When they were in the midst of making love, theirs was a deeper connection, a bond that grew stronger with every minute they spent together.

She stared down into his face, carefully taking in each perfect feature. He was a virtual stranger, and yet she felt as if she’d known him her whole life. If she weren’t so cynical about love, she might actually believe that was what she was feeling. But after watching her parents’ marriage fall apart, she’d vowed never to indulge in that particular emotion. This was just an infatuation, a wonderful, playful crush that would probably end the moment their trip did.

Sunny sighed. As romantic as this little getaway was, she’d do well to keep it all in perspective. Sure, he made her feel good about herself—he made her believe there was at least one person in the world who really cared about her.

But she’d been with other men. And she’d always found a way to destroy whatever affections they’d had for her when she grew bored or frustrated with the relationship. Though she couldn’t imagine that happening with Logan, her own history told her the time would come just as sure as night followed day.

Sunny held the cup of coffee near his nose and softly called his name. “Wake up,” she said. “Time to get up.”

He opened one eye, then the other, and pushed up on his arm. “You got coffee?”

“I took some money out of your wallet. I hope you don’t mind.”

He raked his hand through his rumpled hair. “No. Well done, you.” Taking the covered paper cup from her hand, he leaned over and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Morning.”

“Good morning. You slept well.”

“I did,” he said. “Thanks to you and that massage you gave me. I was knackered after all our activities.”

Sunny reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. “You needed the exercise. After sitting on your arse all day.”

“I do appreciate that you’re watching out for me.”

The coffee was strong, and Sunny sipped at it as she glanced around the interior of the campervan. “You know, this wouldn’t be such a bad place to live. I mean, if you got it all fitted out and bought some supplies. You could just travel all around, see things you never saw.”

“I’m not sure a girl like you would be comfortable living out of a campervan.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

He paused. “I’d think you’d want the comforts of home. Running water, hot showers? A big soft bed.”

“Those kinds of things don’t make you happy.”

“What does make you happy, Sunny?” he asked.

She wanted to admit that it was him, but her feelings were still too new to believe in them. “Good coffee,” she said. “And a hot man. Or is it hot coffee and a good man?”

He sat up and crossed his legs in front of him, pulling the sheet over his lap. “I used to live in this campervan. When I first bought the ranch, the house was a wreck. The roof leaked, there were birds living in the kitchen. It took me quite a while to make it habitable.”

“I’d like to see your place sometime,” she said.

He smiled tightly. “Sure. Sometime.”

“I mean it.”

“It’s nothing like your place, Sunny. You live in a castle, I live in a cardboard box.”

“Are you really that preoccupied with money?”

“I’m practical. And realistic. Money makes everything easier. It buys access, it smooths the way, it provides comfort and security. You can’t deny that, can you?”

She shook her head. He was right. She’d always taken her father’s wealth for granted. Having every little need catered to had turned her into a vapid and self-centered child. When she looked in the mirror lately, she didn’t really like what she saw—a woman with nothing to call her own.

Sunny stood up. “All right, then. Perhaps later we can talk about religion or politics.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back down on the bed, capturing her mouth in a long, sweet kiss. Maybe she wasn’t sure who she was. But she knew who Logan thought she was, and seeing herself through his eyes made her feel better about herself. He wanted her, he needed her, and she got the sense that he might just be falling for her.

“We should probably get on the road,” he said. “We still have to pick up Tally from the vet’s place. And we’ve got a long day ahead. I want to get to Cobar tonight, and with a long drive tomorrow, we’ll be able to reach Adelaide. Ed gave me the name of a horse breeder about an hour outside Adelaide. I’m thinking we might stay a few days and give Tally a chance to recover a bit.”

“All right, let’s get going,” Sunny murmured, her lips soft against his mouth.

“Or maybe we could go back to bed for a bit.”

“Are you saying I wasn’t enough for you last night?” she asked.

“I’m saying I’m never going to get enough of you, no matter how much time we spend in bed.”

She set her coffee cup down and flopped back on the bed with him, turning to face him and look into his eyes. “Tell me the truth,” she said, nerves twisting and tightening deep inside her.

“The truth,” he said.

“Do you think less of me because we...because I seduced you without even knowing you?”

“No,” he said, cupping her face in his hands. He brushed a kiss across her lips. “No, not at all. I wanted to be with you. But I’m not sure I would have had the courage to make the first move.”

“You don’t think I’m...you know...the village bike?”

He chuckled. “No. I thought you were a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. And I still think that about you. You’re not afraid to live life, Sunny. And when I’m around you, I’m not afraid, either.”

“You’re a very kind man, Logan Quinn.”

“And you’re a very beautiful woman, Sunny Grant.”

They came together for a long, sweet kiss, Logan dragging her body against his, his hands searching for bare skin beneath her T-shirt. When he found her breast, he teased at her nipple with his thumb, drawing to a hard peak. Sunny closed her eyes and moaned softly.

What was it about this man that made him so irresistible? He was real and true, possessed of an inner resolve that she found so admirable, the kind of man a woman could depend upon.

When she was a teenager, she’d dreamed about her own personal Prince Charming, a man who would rescue her from all of her fears and insecurities. But as she grew older, the cynicism began to set in. She saw the worst that love could become in her parents’ horrible marriage and she stopped believing in fairy-tale endings.

But maybe she’d given up too soon. She was only twenty-six. That was far too early to harden her heart. “Come on,” she said. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we get where we’re going.”

“Maybe I don’t want this trip to end,” he said.

Sunny crawled off the bunk and grabbed her coffee, then slipped into her spot in the passenger seat. She pulled out the map. “How long is this trip?”

He followed her off the bed, standing in the middle of the campervan completely naked. The sight of his perfect body sent a delicious shiver through her. “From here? About four thousand kilometers. When we get to Adelaide, we’ll be about halfway there, give or take a few hundred kilometers.” He reached down to pick up his shorts.

“Stop,” she said.

He glanced up. “Stop?”

“Just let me look before you put your clothes on. It’s going to be a while before you take them off again.”

He chuckled. “Once we get out of town, I could strip down and drive starkers if that would please you.”

“Oh, yes,” she said. “That would be lovely.”

With a laugh, he pulled on his shorts and a T-shirt, and found a pair of trainers for his feet. Then he slipped behind the wheel.

“What, no underdaks?” she asked.

“If you refuse to wear knickers, then so can I.”

Sunny leaned over and kissed his cheek, then pointed out the windscreen. “Once more into the breach, dear friend,” she cried.

“Shakespeare.
Henry the Fifth,
isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Sunny paused. “‘There’s nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility.’” It was the perfect description of him, she mused.

“All right,” he said, glancing over at her. “Prepare to be schooled. I happen to be a Shakespeare expert. I’ve got his complete works somewhere in this campervan.”

“We had to memorize all kinds of quotes in high school,” she said.

“The benefits of a posh private school?”

“Hey, I learned how to kiss boys and smoke cigarettes in private school.”

He grinned. “All right then. I’ll want to be hearing about that a bit later.”

* * *

T
HE
DAY
’
S
DRIVE
HAD
been long, the past two hours south of Bourke spent on a narrow strip of sealed road that cut a straight line through the Aussie outback.

They pulled into Cobar at seven in the evening and found another caravan park. But this time, they kept Tally with them. Once they had their site, Sunny helped Logan take her out of the trailer. He attached a long lead to the filly and Sunny patiently exercised the filly on an expanse of grass, softly speaking to her as the horse made a wide circle around her.

It was easy to forget that they shared a love of horses, but now, watching her work with Tally, he had to admire how she focused on the task at hand. He was seeing a whole different side of her, not the brazen sex goddess that he’d come to know from their nights together, but a professional, with a depth of knowledge much greater than his own.

He was sorry he hadn’t called Ed first when he’d decided he’d have to sell the filly. He could have almost handled parting with her if he knew the horse was going to someone like Sunny. She would love and appreciate Tally as much as he did.

“Look how beautiful she is,” Sunny called. “It’s like she’s got feathers for feet. I’d love to see her jump. Have you trained her at all?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“She just looks so graceful. I hope your buyer appreciates what he’s getting.”

He watched them silently. Why not just sell her the horse? His loss would at least be tempered by the knowledge that the filly was in the best possible hands. But he wasn’t even sure how to back out of the deal. Papers had been signed, money had been exchanged.

He’d taken a third, eight thousand dollars, as a down payment, but that had already gone to paying bills at the ranch. He had nothing to return to the buyer. Logan shook his head. Never mind the fact that he was driving across Australia to deliver her.

“I saw a restaurant just down the road,” Logan said. “I’m going to walk over and grab us something for supper. Is there anything special you’d like?”

“A cheeseburger,” she said. “And a chocolate malt. And see if they have pie. Or cake. Something yummy for dessert. And a bag of crisps would be good, too. I think we finished the crisps this afternoon.”

“That all?”

“Biscuits for my horse,” she said.

“Your horse?”

She glanced over her shoulder. “I can dream, can’t I?”

“I have biscuits in the trailer,” he said.

“That’s all, then,” she said, shooting him a smile. “Hurry back.”

The street was quiet as he walked over to the restaurant, a slight chill in the air. He drew a deep breath and looked up at the first stars twinkling in the midnight-blue sky.

Of all the things he’d expected on this trip, Sunny hadn’t even been a glimmer in his mind. And here she was, the best traveling companion he could have hoped for. He felt content, completely satisfied by life. And one of the hardest things he’d have to do—selling Tally—would be made easier by her presence.

The roadside restaurant was nearly empty when Logan entered. He sat down at the counter and grabbed a menu, then recited the order for the waitress. He had a cup of coffee while he waited, taking the time to think back over the events of the day.

He’d never been on a family holiday. His parents had never had the extra money to waste on a special trip. Occasionally, his mother would take Logan and his younger brother somewhere exciting. Once they spent the day at the zoo and another day on the beach. He imagined that his road trip with Sunny might be something like the typical family holiday.

They’d sung songs to each other and played trivia games, they’d told silly childhood stories, and she’d quoted Shakespeare from the book she found in campervan. And then, there were times when they were just quiet, watching the scenery pass by, lost in their own thoughts.

The waitress delivered their dinner, packed in two paper sacks. They still had cold drinks in the cooler, purchased along the route that day. He got to the door, then remembered Sunny’s request for dessert and returned to the counter. “How much for the rest of that chocolate cake?” he asked.

“You want a half a cake?” the waitress asked, eyebrows raised.

Logan nodded. “My girlfriend loves chocolate.”

“I don’t know. There’s probably six pieces there. I’d say twelve dollars?”

He laid out the cash and waited as she packed the cake into a box, then tied it with a string. It wasn’t much, but he knew it would please her. And for some reason, he felt the need to do that more often. Wasn’t that part of romance, making those tiny gestures?

When he got back to the caravan park, Tally was grazing on a clump of hay out of the rack on the side of the trailer. Sunny had filled a bucket of water and clipped it next to the hay. The horse looked up at him as he passed, blinking silently. “You’re a pretty girl,” he said.