An Innocent In Paradise

Five

He found her late the next morning, sitting in an overstuffed rattan chair in the shady portion of the terrace. She wore dark glasses and a light pink sweater and was sipping something thick and red.

“Is that a Bloody Mary you’re drinking?” he asked.

Grace looked up at him and tried to smile, but it was a bit shaky. “Dear God, no. No alcohol for me, thank you.” She stared with suspicion at the concoction, then back at Logan. “It’s something Joey mixed up. Supposed to be good for me because of my…um, hay fever.”

“Hay fever.” He grinned. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?

“All right, fine,” she said, pouting. “I’m a little under the weather. But it’s all your fault.”

He barked out a laugh. “My fault?”

“Of course.”

“This I’ve got to hear.” He sat in the chair next to her. “How is your hangover my fault?”

She turned slowly in her chair and faced him. “I was investigating ways to improve my job performance last night.”

“Ah. And in order to improve your skills at carrying drinks, you got drunk, apparently deciding to carry those drinks on the inside. And since I’m the boss, it’s my fault.”

She frowned briefly. “Exactly.”

He chuckled. “That’s a new one.”

She hunched a bit lower in her chair and glared at him. “It’s true.”

“Sweetheart, nobody said anything about you having to drink the same stuff your customers order.”

“But I thought it would be good to know how the different drinks taste. That way I can give advice to people who ask for recommendations.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, but it doesn’t excuse Dee from overserving you.”

Grace grabbed his arm. “Don’t you dare yell at Dee. She’s my friend.”

Logan’s eyes focused on her soft hand on his arm. “I have no intention of yelling at her.”

“Oh. Good.” She pulled her hand back. “It’s not her fault anyway. She didn’t realize what a lightweight I am.” She looked away. “Neither did I, I guess. And the drinks were in such tiny glasses, I never thought about how much I might be drinking and…”

The vulnerable look on her face almost did him in and he decided to change the subject. “Grace, do you remember seeing me on the beach last night?”

She frowned again, avoiding his gaze as she licked her lips. “I have a vague memory of that.”

“Are you sure it isn’t more than a vague memory?”

“Why?” she asked, turning to look at him. “Did I say something ridiculous? Should I apologize?”

“Of course not. You were on your best behavior. We had a nice conversation about the moonlight.”

“Oh, good,” she said with relief.

“And then you asked me to kiss you.”

She cringed. “Oh, no.” Then, taking a deep breath, she said, “Apparently I shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near liquor without a keeper. I’m so sorry if I embarrassed you.”

“You’re kidding, right?” He regarded her intently. “The only thing I’m sorry about is that you were too tipsy to take the next step with me.”

She flashed him a look he couldn’t read because of those dark glasses blocking her eyes. But she seemed to dwell on his words, letting them sink in. He hoped so, anyway, because he intended to take that next step as soon as possible.

“What are you thinking, Grace?”

She cleared her throat. “Nothing much.”

He scooted his chair closer to hers. “Are you thinking about that kiss? About what else we could share?”

She didn’t answer, but he could see a faint blush rise on her pale cheeks.

“Because I’m thinking about it,” he said softly, touching her shoulder with his fingers, then trailing a path up her neck and along her jawline. “I can’t stop thinking about it. I want you in my bed, Grace, wrapped up in nothing but me. And once we’re in bed together, I’ll take my time with you. I want to touch and feel every inch of your body with my hands and my mouth and tongue. I want to make you feel everything I’m feeling. I want to make you hot. I want to make you scream.”

Her breath shuddered out and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She swallowed hard and murmured, “Oh, God.”

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Say when, Grace. Tonight? Say the word and we’ll be together. Tomorrow night? I won’t wait much longer. I’ve got to have you soon.” Then he bit her earlobe and soothed the bite with his tongue. “Yes?”

“Yes.” She let out a soft moan. “Soon.”

“Good.” He touched her cheek, then stood. His body was tight and hard and he knew he’d suffer for an hour or more because of this little seduction scene. But it had been worth it. Even with the dark glasses covering her eyes, Logan could tell she had been as affected as he and that was, after all, the point. Right?

Smiling, he turned to leave. “You have a nice day, Grace.”

She watched him walk away and had to resist the urge to call the hotel doctor. Her heart was stuttering so wildly from his incendiary words-not to mention that nibble on her ear-that she wasn’t sure it would ever calm down again.

“Wow,” she whispered. The man was potent. Maybe too potent. Because now she had to ask herself, was she ready for someone like Logan Sutherland? She had barely dated in the past ten years and after the debacle with Walter, she’d lost some confidence in herself as a woman. Of course, Logan’s flattering words over the past few days had gone a long way toward helping her get some of that confidence back.

He’d also confused her completely. A few days ago, he’d made it more than clear that he didn’t trust her. Lately, though, he seemed to have changed his mind. And today… She shivered again, then winced when her head pounded in response. Why had he chosen today of all days, to tell her he wanted her in his bed? She had been in no mental shape to argue him out of it. She certainly would have, she consoled herself, if she’d been able to.

But no, even she didn’t believe that.

The memory of his mouth at her ear, his warm breath on her skin, made her feel nearly boneless with the want rampaging through her.

So now the question was, did she trust him enough to, well, allow him to do all those things his whispered promise had suggested?

Just thinking about giving herself up to him caused ripples of lust to waft through her stomach and roam even lower.

Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted him so much, she could barely sit still. She’d never felt this way about a man before, not even Walter. And she had trusted Walter!

“That proves you’re a dunce,” she muttered. She had trusted Walter and he had betrayed her, so how could she base her feelings for any man on the amount of trust she felt for him? She couldn’t, so she might as well throw caution to the wind and do what she wanted to do. And, right now, all she wanted to do was Logan Sutherland. Heck, if she couldn’t have trust, she would settle for lust.

“Yes,” she murmured with a cautious smile. “Soon.”

“He didn’t mean it,” she muttered to herself that night in the bar. She refused to be disappointed, chalking it up to her own naïveté when it came to men.

After garnishing four mai tais with pineapple chunks and maraschino cherries, Grace carried the cocktails over to one of her tables and passed them around to her customers.

She’d been on duty for four hours already and Logan hadn’t shown up. After seeing his imposing presence in the bar every night for the past week, she was a little frustrated that he wouldn’t show up tonight. Especially after propositioning her that afternoon.

If he didn’t appear, should she go to his room? But what if he was with someone? Oh, God. She needed to forget he’d ever mentioned anything to her. Forget he’d whispered all those provocative suggestions in her ear. Forget the smoldering lust she’d been suffering all day.

He’d obviously been teasing her.

But why? Was he trying to set her up for a fall? If she came on to him, would he have his excuse to fire her? Was that his plan? If so, it was sneaky and mean.

It wasn’t as if she wanted to work in the bar forever, but she had friends here now and she still cared about doing a good job. She had at least another week or two of spore collection before she would feel right about leaving, so she needed to protect herself against the possibility of losing her job.

So it was settled. She wouldn’t act on her attraction to Logan. She’d already behaved like an idiot with one man. She didn’t need to do it again. Walter had been handsome, too, although nowhere near as gorgeous as Logan. And look where her attraction to him had gotten her.

At least she and Walter had had something in common, for whatever that was worth. She and Logan, on the other hand, had nothing in common. He certainly had no interest in spores-that much was clear. Wasn’t it important to have shared interests? What if he asked her about herself and she mentioned her fascination with biological dispersal and meiosis in the sporangium? His eyes would glaze over and he would zone out.

Of course, Grace was used to people outside of the lab dozing off when she began waxing microbiological. She could handle the general disinterest, although, privately, she didn’t understand why the whole world wasn’t utterly captivated by the subject of Allerian spores and their regenerative properties. But she really didn’t want Logan to do the zone-out thing with her. She wanted him to look at her and see more than a scientist. She wanted him to feel the same pulse-pounding desire that had been charging through her all day.

When she found herself staring out the window near the last table she’d served, she shook herself back to reality. She really needed to concentrate on her job or she’d find herself on the next plane off the island.

Back at the bar, she collected a larger order of ten drinks and arranged them on a tray. After a few deep breaths to keep her nerves at bay, she whispered the words that always helped relax her. “Helium, argon, xenon.”

Positioning her feet on the floor and flexing her leg muscles as Clive had taught her, she lifted the tray in one smooth movement onto her shoulders. Then she blinked. “Wait, neon comes before argon. And Krypton comes before… Oh, dear.”

She steadied the tray and began to walk carefully toward her next table. She would have to take extra care with her drink trays tonight because she was obviously flustered. Otherwise, she never would’ve mixed up the order of noble gases in the periodic table. She forced herself to concentrate as she crossed the room, talking to herself as she walked. “Now where was I? Oh, yes, krypton, xenon, radon. Now the alkali metals. Lithium, sodium, potassium-”

“Looking good, Gracie girl,” Dee said with a wink as she passed her in the aisle between tables.

“You, too, Dee.” Grace grinned. She’d never had a friend like Dee before, someone who was smart and funny and so much fun to talk to. Grace’s closest friend in Minnesota was Phillippa, and while they had a good time at work together, Grace didn’t have many friends outside of the lab. Not a friend like Dee, anyway. She hadn’t known her long but already felt so close to her.

Grace didn’t know what she’d do without Dee, once she went back to Minnesota. They could email, of course, but that wasn’t the same. The thought depressed her enough that she had to put it out of her mind. For now, she would think positively. She was here on the island because of the spores, of course, but Dee was near the top of her list of best reasons to come back to Alleria someday soon.

Grace made it to her customers’ table and back to the bar before she realized she’d forgotten to name the rest of the alkalis.

What was wrong with her? It was a good thing she’d gone back to her room to rest for a few hours that afternoon. Lord knows how much more loopy she’d be tonight without that nap. She vowed never to overindulge again, knowing what a mess it made of her memorization skills, among other things.

A low-level buzz stirred its way through her system and Grace turned around to see what was causing it.

Logan.

Glancing around, she realized nobody else in the room was taking an interest in his presence but her. Where in the world had that buzz come from? She didn’t know, but her insides were tingling and the pale hairs on her arms were standing up.

He stood a few feet inside the doorway and stared at her with an intensity that nearly had her knees collapsing. As she gripped the edge of the bar, he jerked his chin toward the door. Did that mean he was leaving?

“I’ll take over your tables,” Dee whispered in Grace’s ear as she took hold of her drink tray. “Go.”

Her friend nudged her away from the bar and Grace stumbled toward the door where Logan stood waiting. The bar crowd became a vague shadow and the raucous laughter faded to a soft drone. All she saw was him.

Heart pounding, she met him at the door. Were his eyes always that compelling, she wondered. Or was tonight special? Was there something more in the way he looked at her? She saw the tension in his features and knew he was experiencing everything she was. The sexual pull between them was off the charts, no matter what periodic table she might use to try to define it.

But oddly, Grace had zero interest in quantifying anything that lay between them. The fact that their feelings for each other existed was enough. The look in Logan’s eyes said it all. He’d come for her. He’d meant what he said. He wasn’t setting her up for a fall or trying to fire her. He wanted her. And in that moment, all her earlier worries dissolved. She knew she was safe with him.

He took her hand and they strode out of the bar side by side. She gazed up at him and thought, well, not exactly safe. She was in over her head. She knew it. She’d never been with a man like Logan Sutherland before and barely knew her next move. But she was a genius, after all, so she would surely figure it all out soon.

And if not, she would never let him know it.

Her scent enveloped him and fueled his craving for her. Logan had almost stayed away tonight, thinking she’d come up with some excuse to refuse him. But in the end, he had to see her. It didn’t mean anything. Couldn’t mean anything. It just meant that he needed a woman and she was the one his body happened to require.

It barely registered that some of his staff were watching him. He’d noticed Dee taking Grace’s tray, knew they were friends and he was grateful for it. As for the others, if his behavior stirred up any gossip among them, they would have to get over it.

As Grace walked toward him, he was pitifully glad he’d come. Her thin sarong was backlit by the lights of the bar and Logan could see the outline of her gorgeous legs as she sauntered toward him. His gaze was riveted to the apex of that silhouette, the subtle brush of those slender thighs as she moved closer, the curvaceous shape of her hips, the subtle rise and fall of her breasts that seemed to signal her own need.

She’d worn her dark red hair loose tonight and it fell in bouncing waves over her shoulders. He wanted to gather it in his hands and bury his face in those lustrous locks while he lost himself in her hot core.

It took every bit of control he had-control that slipped with every step they took together-not to lead her into the nearby utility room, pull off her bikini bottom, thrust himself inside her and quench this hunger. But the cold wall of a janitor’s closet wouldn’t do for their first time together. He intended to spend a long, long time savoring her-and for that, he wanted complete privacy. And a damn strong mattress.

They entered his suite and he wasted no time. As the door clicked closed, he flipped the lock, then turned and lifted her into his arms, giving in to the need to hold her again as he had the night before. With her pressed against him, he could recall all over again the feminine softness of her body skimming his hard chest.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her head against his shoulder as he moved quickly through the front salon and into the bedroom. Once there, he covered her mouth in a hot, devouring kiss that she met with equal fervor. Then he placed her gently on the bed and watched as her eyes searched his face and her arms reached out for him.

“Come to me,” she said. It was the first time she’d spoken since he’d grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar. Now, as he stared hungrily at her lips glistening wet from their kiss, he knew he was about to reach the end of his famous control.

Kneeling on the bed, he straddled her, took hold of both her hands and pulled her arms up over her head. The action caused her breasts to thrust out for his pleasure. He reached behind her back to untie her bikini top, then slipped it over her head and tossed it aside. He stopped and took a moment to gaze at her exposed, perfect breasts.

“Gorgeous,” he muttered, taking both breasts into his hands to mold them gently, using his thumbs to stroke her rosy nipples to stiffness.

He bent to take one nipple into his mouth, sucking gently, licking and teasing it with his teeth and tongue. Then he switched his attention to her other breast, plying her sensitive nipple with sensual nips and licks until she moaned deep within her throat. She was writhing beneath him now and he slid himself up to claim her mouth in another kiss so heated, it could end things here and now if Logan didn’t force himself to step back and slow down.

He untied the knot of her sarong and pushed it aside, then slid his fingers under the edge of her bikini bottom, seeking her most intimate spot. When he slid one finger inside her, she groaned in need.

“Tight,” he murmured. “And so hot.” He eased another finger in, then moved both fingers out and back in again as her flesh grew even more heated and moist with her need.

“Logan,” she whispered. “Please.”

Her hair moved in waves around her head like a dark red halo and her intoxicating taste and scent filled his senses. As her sweet body twisted against him, tempting him beyond the edge, his mouth sought hers blindly, renewing his claim on her. His hard length pressed against her, demanding entry.

“I need to have you now,” he said, barely recognizing the uncivilized rumble in his voice.

“Yes, yes,” she urged him.

He jumped off the bed and quickly removed his clothes. Reaching into the top drawer of his dresser, he grabbed a condom and slipped it on.

Then he returned to her, yanked her bikini bottom down and threw it across the bed. Grasping thick strands of her hair in his hands, he urged her to meet his gaze. “I want you too much, Grace. It’ll have to be hard and fast this first time.”

She nodded, her eyes glazing with desire. “Yes.”

“Finesse will have to come later.”

“God, yes, just touch me,” she demanded, lifting her mouth to cover his in a kiss so laced with sweet passion it brought an unfamiliar ache to his chest; and it forced him to ease back on his relentless urge to lose himself inside her.

Instead, he kissed her again, meeting her sweetness with his own demanding assault on her mouth, her lips, her tongue. Finally, though, that kiss, as deep as it was, wasn’t enough to stay him any longer. He broke free, pulled his head back and stared down at her.

“Look at me,” he whispered. “I want to see you lose control with me.”

She complied and he stared with masculine satisfaction at the fierce glimmer of heat and need in her eyes. Holding her gaze, he plunged into her with one strong thrust.

She gasped and her eyes widened in shock.

“What the hell?” he shouted, then grimaced as he fought to hold himself completely still.

“Don’t stop,” she insisted, wrapping her arms around his waist. She lifted both legs, resting her thighs against his hips, and that movement beneath him was a sensual wave that threatened to consume his last ounce of brain-power.

But Logan forced himself to stop anyway, his eyes locked on hers as he struggled to speak. “You’re a virgin?”

“That’s not really important right now,” she said tightly, and raised her hips to urge him deeper inside her.

“But…the G-spot,” he uttered, resting his forehead on hers as he focused every ounce of his energy on keeping perfectly still. “What about when you-”

“Can we discuss this later?” she said, and wound her legs around his to keep him bound to her.

“You’re killing me,” he said with a groan.

“Don’t make me,” she said through clenched teeth.

“When did you get so pushy?” he said, biting back a grin as he reached out and smoothed a strand of hair away from her cheek.

She sighed. “Nobody warned me that men talked so much during sex.”

He laughed despite the awkwardness of the moment. “Fine, but we’re going to have a long talk afterward.”

“I figured we would.”

He began to move again, slowly at first, then with building speed. He tried to keep his strokes long and smooth in order to ease inside her without causing too much pain. But when she skimmed her hands across his back and locked her legs around his waist, he lost whatever last bit of control he’d managed to maintain thus far.

She matched him move for move and her heart pounded in rhythm with his. He pushed harder, pumped faster as they both climbed higher, his need igniting more and more with every thrust.

She rocked against him and Logan drove into her with savage delight, stroking and gliding as she urged him on. Then, with a sudden sharp intake of breath, she uttered his name and shattered beneath him.

Logan watched her surrender in his arms and an innate need to join her overtook him. Thrusting harder, faster, deeper, his breath grew ragged as he used every muscle in his body to push again, then again, until an explosive wave of pleasure engulfed him and he was hurled over the edge with Grace.

Exactly where he most wanted to be.