Page 9 of Hope Ignites


  And before he knew it, he'd stopped the truck in front of his favorite part of the ranch--the cabin and lake house.

  "Where are we?" Des asked, already opening the truck door and sliding out.

  He got out, too, and followed her. It was late, and it was still so damn hot you could feel it every time you drew a breath. But at least the bugs went away at night, as long as there were no lights. And here, it was as dark as it could get.

  "I come here to go fishing, and whenever I want to get away."

  She turned to face him. "So, this is where you used to bring your women?"

  "Girls. I brought girls here. I bring women to the house."

  Des took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them. He could smell her shampoo, her skin, and everything he wanted, but shouldn't.

  "And what does that make me, Logan?"

  "Trouble."

  He couldn't see her eyes here in the dark, but he felt her, could swear he heard her heart beating. Or maybe that was his. He'd never been shy about women--or about sex. He always made sure both sides knew what they were getting into. And he never made any promises, so there'd be no regrets later.

  He wasn't a promises kind of guy, and not a forever kind of guy, either. He'd seen the havoc created when a woman hated the life he lived, and he'd never bring that down on a woman. Or on himself. So, sex? Hell yeah. Relationships, or, God forbid, love? Not for him. He'd never go through the hell his father had.

  He knew the kind of women to choose.

  Des, on the other hand, was the wrong kind of woman because he didn't know a damn thing about her, or what she wanted.

  "If I'm trouble, what are you doing here with me?" she finally asked.

  "Damned if I know. Showing you the lake, I guess."

  "Come on, Logan. I think you know what you want. And what I want."

  "Why?" he asked.

  "Why what?"

  "Why do you want this?"

  She cocked her head to the side. "Do you really want me to spell it out for you?"

  "Maybe."

  He caught her smile. "I thought it was women who needed all the sweet talking and reassurances."

  "And you don't?"

  "No. I just want to have sex with you." She moved in closer, their bodies brushing against each other. "I think you're very attractive, and there's something about you that gets to me, in a moody, brooding-cowboy kind of way."

  He was an honorable man, and he had resistance down to an art form, but there was only so much he could take. And Des was hot, she smelled good, and she'd damn well spelled out for him what she wanted--and what she didn't.

  He'd be a damned fool to walk away from that.

  And he was no fool.

  He wrapped his arm around her and jerked her against him. "You sure this is what you want?"

  She tilted her head back. "Yes."

  "Okay, then."

  He cupped the back of her head and brought his mouth to hers.

  Chapter 7

  DES'S WORLD EXPLODED as soon as Logan's mouth met hers.

  He wasn't gentle. There was no finesse in this kiss, no artful, choreographed slow exploration. There was just a hungry passion of melding lips and searching tongues. It was what she'd expected, what she'd craved from him, and oh, damn, was it powerful.

  And when he cupped her butt and lifted her in his arms, she felt the dizzying heights of nirvana like she'd never felt before. His strides were quick and sure, his mouth still fixed on hers as he walked. She had no idea where he was taking her, and she sure as hell didn't care, because his hands were on her butt and her breasts were smashed against his chest.

  When she heard him walking up the steps, she pulled her mouth from his. "Where are we going?"

  "Into the cabin."

  "And here I thought we were going skinny-dipping."

  "Too many mosquitoes. Besides, there's a bed in here."

  "What? No roughing it and getting naked out on the ground?"

  "I don't like mosquito bites on my dick."

  She laughed. He kicked the door shut and released her, but kept his arm wound very possessively around her. She slid down every delicious hard-muscled inch of his body, listening to the rough sound of his breathing. In the dark like this, she couldn't make out his features, but she could hear every sound he made, from his labored breathing to his groans when she cupped the center of his universe in her hand.

  "Des."

  "Yeah."

  "I like your hands on me."

  That's what she'd waited so long to hear--that he actually liked something.

  She intended to rock his ever-loving world tonight.

  She dropped to her knees and started to undo his belt. "Then you're really going to like my mouth on you."

  Logan hadn't expected this. Or maybe he had, and that's what had held him back because he sure as hell knew he was going to get a handful of wild woman when he took on Des.

  And now, she was on her knees, unzipping his jeans and taking out his cock, putting her hands on him and blowing his world apart as she took charge.

  Not that he minded a woman taking charge, especially as it related to his dick. But he wanted . . .

  Hell, as he looked down at her, and she tilted her head back and offered up a saucy grin, he didn't know what the hell he wanted. Only that she not stop.

  And when she put her mouth on him, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, concentrating only on the sensation, the way the heat and wetness of her mouth and tongue surrounded him.

  She made him shudder, made his knees weak. And she was damned relentless, so if he didn't put a stop to this now, he was going to show her just how long it had been for him.

  "Damn, woman. You drive me crazy." He reached for her, pulling her up and taking that incredible mouth of hers in a hard kiss, unable to get enough of her. She moaned against his lips and he drove his tongue inside, licking against hers.

  She reached down and grasped hold of him, and he nearly lost it as her smooth, soft hands surrounded him and began to stroke. She was like a demanding wildcat, and it was time he took control. He pulled her ponytail holder out and threaded his fingers into the thick softness of her hair, then wound it around his hand and tugged her head back so he could lick along her neck.

  He thought he'd distract her from the stranglehold she had on his cock. Instead, she tightened her hold, gripping him tighter, stroking him deeper.

  "Des, stop."

  She let go and lifted her head to stare at him. "Why?"

  "Because you're too damn good at that, and I don't want to come before I'm inside you."

  Her lips curved in a sexy little smile he wanted to kiss right off her face. "Well . . . good to know." She wrapped her hand around the nape of his neck and drew his mouth toward hers.

  She was demanding, and he liked that she wasn't shy at all. He scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom, depositing her onto the bed. She slipped off her tennis shoes and popped the button of her jeans, while he toed off his boots and shrugged out of his jeans.

  He liked watching her undress, the way she shimmied out of those tight jeans she wore, leaving her in just her shirt and underwear. And then she made quick work of her top, which left her wearing only her matching very sexy black bra and panties.

  He took off his socks, pulled off his shirt and dropped his boxer briefs, then climbed onto the bed, pushing her onto the mattress.

  "Hey, I'm not naked yet," she said as he loomed over her.

  "I know." He bent and pressed a kiss to the swell of her breast, his lips lingering over the softness of her skin. Then he went lower, grasping the material of her bra into his mouth, taking her nipple with it.

  "Oh," she said, arching into his mouth. "This would be so much better if we took my bra off."

  He ignored her, sucking the material--and her nipple--into his mouth. He nibbled with his teeth, a little harder than he normally would if there hadn't been the barrier of satin and lace.

  Des moan
ed, and cursed.

  "Dammit, Logan."

  His name floated out as a whisper as she grabbed his head and pulled it up.

  "Yeah."

  "Let's get this bra off. I want your mouth on me. On my skin, sucking my nipples."

  Again, that blatant honesty of hers that seared him, that made him desperate to possess her in the most primal of ways.

  He lifted her only long enough to undo the clasp on her bra. He pulled the straps down her shoulders--with her help, since she seemed to be in a big damn hurry to get the bra off.

  God, she was beautiful. With only moonlight streaming in from the window of the cabin, her skin shone a pale silver glow, her nipples dark against the light of her skin. Her breasts were small, and as he cupped them in his hands, his thumbs brushing over the peaks, she lifted into his touch.

  "Yes. That's exactly what I wanted."

  He leaned over her and took her nipple into his mouth. She was like silk, and seemed so fragile, so small next to him. He tried to be gentle, but that's not what she wanted.

  "More," she whispered, her tone breathless as he grasped her breast in his hand and deepened the draw of her nipple between his lips. Her answering moan was his gratification. Passion made him slip his hand behind her back and use his teeth to tease her.

  "Oh, God, Logan. Do that again."

  Her nipples were sensitive, and that rocketed him to new heights. He was hard, heavy, and ached to be inside her. But he loved the feel of her skin, the way her nipples beaded and tightened inside his mouth. He loved the way she writhed against him with every flick of his tongue across the taut buds. And when he laid her down flat on the bed and kissed his way along her ribs, making his way down her very tight stomach, she leaned up on her elbows to watch him.

  Des was ever curious, and so present, not content to be passive. Whenever she could, she reached down to touch him. And when he kissed her hip bone and began to pull her panties down, she drew in a breath.

  Here, she was beautiful. Hell, everywhere she was beautiful. How could he have ever thought she was too young? She was most definitely a woman. And as he spread her legs and put his mouth on her, she cried out like a woman, arching her sex against him, demanding he pleasure her.

  She tasted sweet and tart, and he licked the length of her, listening to the sounds of her moans that made his cock turn to steel and his balls draw up. He watched her every move, listened to every sound she made, taking her in as she shuddered.

  He was going to explore every inch of her tonight--over and over again. And then he was going to slide inside her, and he already knew it was going to be as damn good as he'd been imagining since the first time he met her.

  Des's breath caught. She felt like she was in space, weightless, hovering above the covers. Yet every nerve ending was so tight with tension she felt as if she might burst at any second. Logan had one very talented tongue, and he used it to tease and torment her right to the very edge of reason.

  She grasped the sheets, holding on tight as Logan mastered her. She was so close, but the sensations were so delicious she held back her impending release, wanting to savor every second.

  The beard stubble on his chin was rough--delicious as he rubbed it across her sex and thighs. She had known it was going to be like this. These were no practiced moves by an actor. He was a real man who was going after what he wanted. And what he wanted was to make her come.

  She tried to resist, to enjoy these sensations that bombarded her senses, but Logan was relentless, and she couldn't hold back the tidal wave of her release as it swept her away, catapulting her over and over until she cried out with the sheer pleasure of her orgasm.

  And when she fell, completely satiated, Logan was there, gripping her hand as he kissed his way up her body, still possessing her in a way that had taken her breath away.

  Her face was flushed, her entire body fused with heat as she smiled up at him. "You're very good at that. I might want you to do that to me four or five or maybe six more times tonight."

  His lips curved. "I can do that."

  "And I hope to God you have condoms somewhere here in this cabin, because you need to be inside me right now." Her body pulsed with need, still so very aware of him and what she wanted to do with him.

  "Yeah, I have condoms. I wouldn't have brought you here otherwise." He went into the bathroom and came out with a box of them.

  "Well, aren't you prepared?"

  "Like a boy scout."

  "So . . . you bring a lot of women here?" she asked as he opened the box and pulled out a condom.

  "Nope."

  Surprisingly, she believed him, and she didn't believe the crap slung by most of the men she knew. Logan didn't seem like the kind of man who lied. He was too straight up and brutally honest.

  She lifted up on her elbows and watched as he tore open the wrapper and fit the condom over his cock, the whole time his gaze roaming over her body.

  She'd never thought her body was anything spectacular. She kept in shape by running, knew she had to look good in front of the camera, so she worked out. Fortunately, she had a good metabolism, but otherwise, she didn't care much about her appearance. But the way Logan looked at her made her feel deliciously sexy. And when he grabbed her ankle and dragged her to the edge of the bed, his hands sliding over her legs, she'd never felt more like a woman. A woman desperately wanted by a man.

  There was a raw hunger in his eyes she wanted to tap into, that barely leashed passion she'd seen the first time he'd looked at her. She tried to sit up, wanted to kiss him, but he pushed her back down on the mattress.

  "Not now. I need to be inside you."

  Okay. Obviously a take-charge kind of man in the bedroom. She lay back as he crawled onto the bed and pushed them both to the middle of the mattress.

  Then, he kissed her, tunneling his fingers into her hair and covering her body with his. And when he slid inside, her breath caught. He took it slow and easy, framing her face with his big, rough hands, tangling his fingers in her hair and moaning against her lips until she wanted to die from the pure pleasure of it all.

  It was an onslaught of sensation, and she didn't know what to appreciate first--the way he moved so expertly inside her, the way his tongue mimicked his movements, slowly, so deliberately sensual, or the way it felt to feel his strong, steely body on top of hers. All she could do was wrap her legs around him, lift into him and hang on for the ride of her life.

  She swept her hands along the corded muscle of his forearms, moving up toward his shoulders. He was hard--everywhere--and as he broke the kiss and stared down at her, she felt his strength as he moved within her, as he lifted his torso from her and used his lower body to grind against hers in a way that caused her to gasp.

  She dug her nails into his arms. "Oh . . . that's good. Do that again."

  He did it again. And again, rolling against her, using his body to give her the ultimate pleasure.

  "You'll make me come if you keep that up."

  His lips curved into a wickedly sensual smile. A smile that made her reach up and trace her fingers across his bottom lip.

  "That's the idea, Des. For you to come."

  She shuddered and lifted against him, demanding more of that sizzling delight that arced through her like a compelling drug.

  She could easily get addicted to the way he made her feel, to this languorous sensation that drove her to dizzying heights.

  But as his thrusts deepened and her breath caught, she couldn't hold back. He nestled down on top of her and cupped her butt, drawing her closer to the magic that entwined them together, that made them one. She swept her hands over him, held on tight and released with a gasp, drowning in the waves of pleasure that swamped her over and over again.

  That he went into the abyss right after her only served to prolong her orgasm, as if she was riding the crest, only to be flung into the crashing waves once again with Logan. The way he gripped her, his mouth fused to hers as he shuddered with his release was the swe
etest ending to this amazing dance.

  They stuck to each other, both sweat-soaked as they caught their breath. He kissed her neck and swept his hand across her ribs, gripping her hip and clenching it like a lifeline.

  Yeah, she needed a lifeline right now because that had been amazing. She had known it would be good with Logan, but this whirlwind had been unexpected. That he didn't immediately get up and create distance between them, that he instead drew her to his side and leisurely explored her body with his fingers? Now that was a surprise.

  "Well . . . that was okay for a start," she finally said.

  He let out a deep laugh and cupped her breast, using his thumb to brush across her nipple. "Good to know there's room for improvement."

  Her breath caught, surprising the hell out of her that any part of her was capable of renewed arousal. Apparently, she was more than ready for round two. And judging from the erection poking at her lower back, so was he.

  He was like . . . superhuman.

  "What time do you need to get back on set?" he asked while nuzzling her neck.

  She shivered. "I have an early call. Like six a.m."

  "Me, too. I have to work cattle at dawn."

  She wriggled her butt against his quickly hardening cock. "So we have plenty of time for round two then."

  He turned her over to face him. "Don't you need to get some sleep?"

  "That's the makeup department's problem tomorrow. Don't you need to get some sleep?"

  He grinned down at her. "I've been riding horses since I was four years old. I can do that with my eyes closed."

  "Then I guess it's no sleep for either of us tonight." She wound her hand around his neck and pulled him closer for a kiss.

  Chapter 8

  "YOU LOOK LIKE shit."

  Des followed Colt off the set after finishing their scene. "Thanks, Colt. I know."

  After their third scene of the day, and she couldn't even count how many takes Theo the dictator had put them through, Des was exhausted. No sleep the night before hadn't helped, either.

  Not that she was going to complain about that. At all. And okay, they'd finally fallen sleep around four a.m., after several bouts of some very robust, very intimate lovemaking. Logan had cradled her against his chest, telling her he needed a few minutes to recover and then they'd go for round five. Or was it round six? She'd lost track somewhere around the time they'd headed into the tiny kitchen to grab something to drink and he'd ended up bending her over the counter.