Page 28 of Perfect Persuasion (Love’s Second Chance #2)

Her eyes flew open and she blinked drowsily, an adorable look of confusion marring her features. “Logan? What took you so long?” Claire’s voice was husky with sleep and too damn sexy for his peace of mind.

“I was working,” he said, forcing his voice to be as curt as possible.

“Working? Why?” She sat up, a red line running across her right cheek where it had been pressed to the pillow. It shouldn’t have been endearing to him, but somehow it was.

“The usual reason. I had work to do.” Logan’s gaze slid inexorably to the neckline of her dress. As she leaned toward him it gaped, giving him an enticing view of creamy cleavage. Damn, damn, damn.

He stood abruptly, towering over her, determined to cling to his anger. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to apologize.” She frowned, her lips pursing in a way that made it impossible for him to look at them without wanting to kiss her. “Derek let me in and we were talking. I think I must have fallen asleep on him after a while.”

“His ego will live to see another day,” Logan assured her dryly.

Her impossibly blue gaze met his. “But will yours?”

“Jesus.” The word felt torn from him. “You have to know this is different.”

She nodded and tossed back her blanket, standing before him. She was so petite that he still towered over her like a bear. “I’m sorry. You have every right to be angry with me, but I want you to know why I didn’t tell my mother about you.”

He plastered a careless smile to his face. “Don’t bother. It’s obvious.”

“I don’t think it is.”

“Well I do,” he growled. “So if that’s all you have to tell me, then I see no reason for you to stay.”

“Logan, don’t shut me out,” she pleaded, those eyes riveting him.

The tenuous thread of his civility snapped.

He raked her body with a hot look, deliberately lingering on her breasts.

Her nipples hardened, forming stiff peaks beneath the thin layer of her dress.

She’d changed, he noted, to a billowing dress that made her look like a goddess.

The knowledge that he had such an instantaneous effect on her made him even harder than he already was.

“You have two choices, Claire,” he told her, just barely keeping himself from grabbing her up and taking her straight to his bed. “You can walk out the door and go home, or you can stay here tonight. But if you stay, it’s on my terms.”

She watched him warily, and he could almost see the wheels spinning in her mind. She didn’t know what to expect from him. Hell, he didn’t know what to expect from himself these says.

“What are your terms?”

A feral grin curled his lips. “I think you know.”

Claire swallowed, her eyes widening, pupils dilating. “Oh.”

“You’re still standing here,” he pointed out. It took all the willpower he possessed to keep himself from reaching out to her. But he refused to bend tonight.

“I know.”

Satisfaction, primal and heady, unfurled low in his belly. “Then you’re willing to abide by my terms?”

She licked her lips, drawing his attention back to her sexy mouth and tearing a groan from him. “Yes.”

“Come here,” he commanded.

Claire obeyed, moving closer to him, stopping when their legs brushed tantalizingly together.

Logan’s every pore screamed for him to take her right there, on the floor or the sofa, whichever they reached first. But the tiny portion of his mind that had retained its sanity reminded him that he couldn’t, not with Derek staying in the guest bedroom.

So he scooped Claire up in his arms instead and headed for the door.

She squeaked and began squirming. “Logan. Put me down. I’m too heavy.” He ignored her, so she continued protesting. “The television’s still on.”

“Screw the TV.” He didn’t break his stride.

“Logan.”

Logan spared her a glance. “If you keep yammering, you’ll wake Derek.”

That effectively silenced her until they reached Logan’s bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind them and set her on her feet. “Take off your dress,” he ordered without preamble.

“Logan,” she objected. “I want to talk about what happened.”

“No talking.” He had her exactly where he wanted her now, and he wasn’t interested in impediments to having her. Repeatedly.

“But—”

“No buts. My terms, remember?” He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her intently. “Now take off your dress.”

Claire’s lips tightened and he could discern from her expression that she was rethinking her compliance.

But in the end, she seemed to realize that what was about to come was inevitable for both of them.

She placed her hands on her thighs and clenched the fabric of her dress, bunching it.

Inch by inch, it raised, revealing an ever mouthwatering expanse of silky-smooth ivory legs.

His mouth went dry. The hemline continued its northward crawl, unveiling the tiny scrap of her red satin underwear.

She paused, the expression on her face suddenly hesitant. “Logan, I—”

“Go on,” he said, tone impassive. Logan knew her little belly was at the root of her trepidation, but her fears were groundless. He wanted her just as much and she remained every bit as beautiful, if not more so, now that she carried his child. He’d told her as much. She didn’t believe him.

But when this night was over, there would be no more doubts left in her mind.

Claire began raising her dress again, making his fingers itch to take her hem in his own hands and yank the damn dress right over her head.

Instead, he forced himself to remain calm and still, a silent observer.

Soon, the indentation of her bellybutton was revealed, along with the upper swell of her belly and the lower swell of her breasts.

Though they were concealed beneath a red, lacy bra, Logan knew their every curve.

He knew how they rose and fell with each ragged breath she took when she was aroused, or when she was angry.

He knew the pink-peach tint of her nipples and the way they hardened when he simply looked at them, the way she moaned when he sucked them.

At last, the tops of her breasts came into view, their lush, white skin begging for his kiss, for his touch.

Logan tamped down a growl that rose in his throat.

Damn it, but the path he had made for himself was proving nearly impossible.

He’d never been harder in his life and he hadn’t even touched her yet.

Christ, if he didn’t get things moving soon, he’d explode right there before he so much as kissed her.

Claire pulled the dress over her head, balled it up in her hands and tossed it to him. It arced between them with a seductive swoosh, barely giving Logan enough time to catch it. He smiled at her. “Come here.”

Claire shook her head leisurely, her blonde hair twirling about her bared shoulders. “No. If you want me, you’ll have to come to me first.”

Ah. She wanted compromise. If there was one word in the English language that managed to piss him off more than “compromise,” he didn’t know what it was.

Logan liked when things went his way and only his way.

Above all, he hated giving in. Tonight was supposed to be about regaining his control, not about once again bending to appease Claire.

She owed him for today, and he intended to collect his payment.

Many times over, if he was lucky enough.

“I want you,” he told her, not budging an inch. “But you want me more.”

Her eyes sparked with fire. “I do not.”

His grin grew wider. “Do too.”

“You’re being childish.” She plopped her hands on her hips, an action that only served to thrust her breasts out like tempting offerings.

He allowed his gaze to slide down to those offerings, lingering on them. “Then why are your nipples already hard? And why are you breathing so quickly?”

“Logan.” Her voice held a note of chastisement.

“You’re blushing. Did you know that when you blush, it even spreads to the tops of your gorgeous breasts?”

“Logan.”

“Come here, Claire,” he ordered again, holding out his arms to her. “You know you want to.”

Of course she wanted to. He could read as much in her expressive face. But she also didn’t want to give in to him, that much was clear in the stubborn set of her chin. To win, he would have to play dirty. Literally.

“If you don’t want to come to me, I guess I’ll just have to tell you what I want to do to you.

” He released an aggrieved sigh. “First, I’m going to kiss you.

Everywhere but on your lips. I think I’ll start with that sensitive spot right behind your ear, then move down your neck to your collarbone, your shoulders, your wrist. Then your belly, then I’ll tug down those sexy red panties and—”

“Logan,” she abruptly cut off his musings, throwing herself into his arms before he could continue. He pulled her closer to him, her soft body tantalizingly curving into his. She tilted her head back and he noted she was still blushing. “You really are an exasperating man.”

He flashed her another grin that was far more lighthearted than he truly felt. “I do my best.”

Her eyes grew serious. “I’m sorry.”

Her simple words hit him like a fist in the gut. “Damn it.”

He didn’t want to listen to her explanation because he didn’t want to soften toward her again.

What he really, really wanted more than anything else was to get Claire into bed and have mind-numbing sex with her all night long.

Holding on to his anger felt good. It helped him to put everything into perspective.

But if she started talking, he knew without a doubt in his mind that he would let her sway him.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it, Logan, but I do,” she insisted, reaching up to cup his face. “I hurt you and I owe you an explanation.”

“Fine.” He turned his head to the side and kissed her palm. “But give it to me tomorrow. When I’m not about to screw your brains out.”

“Logan.” This time, her tone was indignant. Good. He wanted to distract her.