《Auctioned By The Ceo》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¡°The theme of the evening will be ¡®Violence is never the answer¡¯.¡± Hannah finished her presentation with as much flourish as she could muster, considering the stunned silence that made the room fall as R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only silent as a morgue. "That''s insane. You''re supposed to be making thepany money, not costing them a fortune." James from finance piped up, his ridiculous put-on posh ent grating on her nerves like it always did. Why he felt the need to adopt that around the new CEO was beyond her. By the looks of Logan Bryce, he hadn''t exactly spent any time in the posher circles. Hannah had done her homework on the new boss. While he kept his private life under very close wraps, it wasmon knowledge that Logan was a self-made man. Brought up in the East End of London, he''d worked his way up the corporatedder. An innate knack for investment had made him rich quickly, and nowadays he made his business taking overpanies, making them better and selling them for profit. As luck would have it, Premiere Events had slid onto his radar, and they all had to fight to keep their jobs. He¡¯d said he wanted extraordinary proposals, and she thought she¡¯d delivered. So, she was willing him to look up and at least acknowledge her existence. However, his head remained bowed over her written reports the entire time she¡¯d been speaking. His rapt attention could¡¯ve been a good sign had she not recognized her personnel file. No doubt he was plotting how best to sack her, and she¡¯d just given him the perfect ammunition to do so. "Well, let''s not be too hasty in that assessment, James." Monique, who¡¯d delivered a wless proposal for the wedding of a minor royal prior to Hannah, smiled her sharine sweet smile and leaned forward to give everyone around the conference table a good eyeful of her boosted cleavage. Predictably Logan''s gaze shifted to the wanton disy of the other woman''s wares and stayed there. Monique and Hannah had been friends of sorts before this takeover and the every-person-for- themselves-scramble to keep their jobs, which Logan Bryce had forced on them all. For that reason alone, Hannah ought to dislike him, but the opposite was true. She was far too aware of him as a man. Everything about him intrigued her. He stood at well over six feet, with a shock of messy ck hair which was too long for the usual executive type. ck eyes, which seemed to have the ability to look right into your psyche. Add muscles, which strained against the fine cloths of his tailor-made suits, and Logan Brycemanded attention wherever he went. He bought and soldpanies like other people changed their clothes, and everyone had been in a flutter of apprehension when he¡¯d purchased Premiere Events. No one more so than Hannah, who¡¯d been here ever since she¡¯d left school, had worked herself up thedder, and was damn proud of her achievements. If they meant there had been little room for romantic encounters, then so what? They didn¡¯t make little battery-operated friends for nothing, after all, and Hannah was on very intimate terms with hers. Who needed a man? Then Logan happened¡­ Every time she looked at him, her thoughts went down decidedly naughty avenues, which no doubt had a lot to do with hering up with this auction n in the first ce. Still, if he sacked her, she would at least sleep better at night and not be gued by erotic dreams of hisrge hands all over her body. ¡°An auction would be fun, especially if the staff joined in. I dare say we would garner a lot of attention if we put you on the auction block, Mr. Bryce.¡± Monique tittered inughter like some darn schoolgirl with a crush, and Hannah rolled her eyes. Really, could she be any more obvious in her attempts to get into his good graces and his pants? Thoserge hands of his tightened on the papers he held, and Hannah couldn¡¯t tear her gaze away from the way his knuckles whitened. ¡°I¡¯m not for sale, Monique. Nor would I expect any of the staff up there unless they wanted to be.¡± His deep, gravelly voice held an edge of steel and disapproval, which settled straight in Hannah¡¯s lower regions. Lordy, that voice. If it was possible toe from the sound of a man¡¯s voice alone, then Logan¡¯s would definitely fit the bill. Sex on dangerous legs, that was her new boss. If the rumors were to be believed he discarded women with the same speed he soldpanies. The man was a yer for sure, another reason to leave her fantasies where they ought to be¡ªlocked away in her head. Logan ran a hand through his hair. His shirt sleeve raised just enough to reveal the edge of an intriguing tattoo under his cufflinks. Hannah idly wondered how many he was hiding under the veneer of the business executive. She could just as easily picture him on the back of a motorcycle. Jeez, there I go again with the inappropriate thoughts. Focus! ¡°Tell me, Ms. Watson, are you willing to auction yourself off for this charity?¡± Logan focused his attention on her, and that internal pep talk she''d just given herself evaporated like mist on a summer''s morning. Okay, maybe it had been better not being under his focus because the unwavering stare made her feel like his prey about to be devoured by the lion. "I ¡­ that is¡­" Hannah gave up trying to talk past that huge lump in her throat and made a grab for her ss of water instead to lubricate her rusty vocal cords. Logan''s eyes crinkled up at the corners as though he was amused by her, and that thought spurred her on. "Of course not. That would be inappropriate, and I''m not for sale either." She pulled her shoulders back and straightened her spine for good measure. Unfortunately, that action made the already stretched fabric of her sensible white blouse tighten further and the button gave way. Naturally, his gaze immediately dropped to the girls, and Hannah hastily flung her arm over her bust. Damn her naturally big boobs and the over generous curves in all the wrong ces Mother Nature had decided to bestow on her. Men only ever saw her boobs first. Add to that her naturally blonde hair and fairplexion, and she''d always had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. Sure enough, the odious James sniggered at her ill-timed wardrobe malfunction. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. I would bid on you for sure, little Hannah.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Herck of height was another bone of contention, but before she could as much swing around to re at James, Logan intervened. ¡°Need I remind you of our rules on sexual harassment, Mr. Herringey? Ms. Watson would be perfectly within her rights to lodge aint.¡± Hannah barely bit back her gasp of astonishment, while James turned a very unbing shade of green. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything, and ¡­ well, she hase up with this idea, so what¡¯s a man to think other than¡ª¡± "Other than that Hannah made a perfectly valid, and I have to say a unique, proposal in aid of a very good cause." Logan interrupted the other man, and it was beyond gratifying to see James squirm in his seat. Beads of perspiration gathered on his forehead, and he visibly swallowed. Served the little weasel right. Every woman in the firm knew to stay out of reach of his wandering hands. It was good to know that those days seemed to be over under the new CEO. "That was what you were going to say, right, James?" The head of finance opened and shut his mouth in a very good impression of a fish out of water, and then settled for a tight nod. ¡°Yes, of course, sir, but you can¡¯t seriously think this a valid proposal. Such an event would leave us running at huge deficit, and¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± That one word sliced through the air with the force of a whip, and everyone jumped, especially as it was apanied by Logan¡¯s fist pounding the conference table. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and then addressed Hannah again, as though he hadn¡¯t just scared them all half to death. The rumors about his temper were true then, and that should really kill any attraction she felt to him dead right there. Having grown up with the threat of violence hanging over her and her sister, thanks to her mum¡¯s string of abusive boyfriends, Hannah shied away from any male prone to a temper. ¡°Forgive me, do you need a moment to¡­¡± Logan waved in the general direction of her chest, and Hannah fought the immediate blush which crept into her cheeks. Damn her fair skin. "Yes, thank you." She mumbled the words and, turning her back onto the room, hastily fixed the button back in ce. Monique rolled her eyes when Hannah turned back around, not that she had any chance to respond to the other woman''s silent sneer because Logan continued. "Like Ms. Watson quite correctly pointed out, sometimes you need to invest to gain theter benefits. With the government''s drive to raise awareness of the rising issue of domestic violence, this is a timely and worthwhile proposal that I am happy to support. Hannah, you will be project manager for this. Monique, you will be her assistant. James, I expect that you will make avable the necessary funds to Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ensure this event is a great sess." He paused, looked around the room and smiled. When his dark gazended on her, Hannah had to remind herself to keep on breathing. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you to make this a sess.¡± "Yes, sir." Try as she might she couldn''t project her voice past a breathy whisper, and his smile deepened, turning sinful. Hannah¡¯s traitorous body reacted like a puppet on a string. Her nipples firmed and pushed against the confines of her cotton bra, and she squeezed her thighs together to relieve the ache between her legs. Lord help her, if he ever truly turned on the charm, she would be putty in his hands. No doubt he knew his way around a woman''s body, and judging by his darkening gaze he knew exactly what effect he was having on her. Damn the man and her wayward libido. He reached under the table as though he was adjusting himself, and that thought did absolutely nothing to calm down the rapid beat of her heart. ¡°Very well then, go. Make it happen, all of you.¡± Hannah didn¡¯t need to be told twice. She legged it away from him and the sinful temptation her boss represented, as fast as her wobbly legs could carry her. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Logan smiled to himself as he approached the Savoy¡¯s Lancaster Ballroom several weekster. No expense had been spared for this event, and little Hannah had done thepany proud. Not only had she secured an impressive number of celebrities willing to allow themselves to be auctioned off, it seemed she had changed her mind about being on stage herself. He¡¯d been surprised and, if he was honest with himself, somewhat irritated when he¡¯d seen her on the auction list. Ever since her passionate delivery of a proposal clearly very dear to her heart, and her subsequent wardrobe malfunction, his body responded to her nearness with the predictability of a teenage boy¡¯s. It was irritating and ufortable in equal measures. He was an experienced man for fuck''s sake, and that brief glimpse of creamy flesh spilling over the top of a sensible cotton bra shouldn''t have had the power to wake up his libido with the force of a roaring lion. That''s exactly what it had done, however. It had taken a hell of a long time for his erection to subside, which meant he''d had ample time to sit in that chair and peruse her proposal in some detail. Like her personnel file had suggested, Hannah Watson was a hardworking, trustworthy individual, a real asset to the firm. Too bad the previous owner¡ªa chauvinistic asshole, the worst Logan had ever had the misfortune to associate with¡ªmade it a habit to promote only the males of thepany. Add to that the underlying air of sexual harassment, and one of his first tasks of CEO had been an overhaul of the policies on equal employment. Logan might be a ruthless bastard when it came to the he appreciated hard work and loyalty when he saw it, and Hannah had all those things in spades. A little dynamo who hid her curves under sensible work attire that made a man itch to discover whaty beneath. Not that Logan was that man. No, with the current shitstorm in his private life, thest thing he needed was to get entangled in any sort of romance. And little Hannah Watson definitely was the happy ever after type, or so he had thought until she''de up with this proposal. Maybe the little dove held a naughty side after all. He swiped a flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and perused that list in his hand again. She was definitely on there, so maybe he could finally use this opportunity to get her out of his system. His breath stalled in his lungs when he spotted her. She seemed to be in a heated discussion with Monique. He was well aware that the other woman''s nose had been put out of joint when he''d made Hannah her superior for this project, and there didn''t seem to be any love lost between the two women now. Seeing them seemingly engaged in a discussion over the auction list gave him pause for thought. Monique had been in charge of the print outs, so it wouldn''te as a terrible surprise had she put Hannah on that list out of spite. While that was a sackable offence in its own right, and one he would deal with once this auction was over, it also yed right into his hands. Damn, the little dove looked good enough to eat. Gone was the sensible attire, and in its stead, was a vision in red. The dress hugged every one of her curves, and while it hid more than it concealed, the cut-out back showed off acres of creamy skin. She left her long blonde tresses loose, and they framed her face in soft waves and tumbled halfway down her back, ying peekaboo with the graceful curve of her spine. A wide band of fabric held the gown together in the middle of her back, a concession for a bra to support her ample rack, no doubt, and his mouth watered at the thought of sampling those curves. A thigh-high side slit revealed surprisingly long pins for someone so small, and the fuck-me stilettos on her slender feet would look damn good flung over his shoulders as he ate out her sweet little pussy. All that leashed passion he sensed in her would make for an explosive time in the sack no doubt, and he suddenly couldn''t wait anymore. Some folks were dancing, and it would be the perfect excuse to hold her in his arms and to test her response to him. Monique¡¯s eyes widened, and the heavily made up brte stered a fake smile on her face when she spotted his approach. ¡°Mr. Bryce, so good to see you here. I thought you weren¡¯ting?¡± Hannah swung round, and he caught the full re of her expressive eyes before she lowered her gaze and murmured her own greeting. He didn''t miss the flush of anger on her pale cheeks, or the way her breasts heaved with her sharp inhales. The little spitfire was wired all right. "Have I interrupted something, here?" he asked. Monique shook her head. "Of course, not. There was a simple misunderstanding with the scheduling, which I shall now sort out. Do excuse me, and Hannah was just telling me how much she loves to dance." Monique had the audacity to wink at him and then teetered away to have a word with the Master of Ceremonies. Hannah growled under her breath, furying off her in waves so palpable his dick gave up any pretense of behaving himself. Thank God for well-tailored trousers and the cover up his tuxedo jacket afforded. "She is too much," Hannah finally said, and she shook her head when he offered his arm f or her take. "No, I can''t dance. I''ll just step on your toes, and I need to stop her. She put me on that sted auction sheet, and¡ª" This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. His finger over her lush lips stopped her tirade, and this time her skin bloomed in the instant blush of aroused woman, as he leaned in and whispered in her ear. ¡°Hush now, little dove, you need to rx. The turnout is excellent. You should be very proud of yourself. As for being auctioned, think of the charity and all the money you could personally raise. Now sway with me. We¡¯re attracting attention.¡± Hannah bit back what sounded like a very udylike swear word, when she seemed to realize that he had maneuvered them onto the dance floor. She made a grab for his shoulders when he slid his hand along her back and rested it on her skin, just above the line of her dress. A telltale gasp escaped her when he drew her in closer, and she no doubt noticed his erection. Logan began to move, and she followed, even as she shivered in his arms. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 "Rx, you''re shaking like a leaf. Surely dancing with me is not such an abhorrent thought?" Amusement tinged his deep voice, and Hannah drew a shuddering breath into her lungs and shook her head. ¡°No, sir,¡± she whispered. ¡°Good, because I¡¯ve been wanting to do this ever since I spotted you in this dress. You look stunning by the way. Now, trust me, little dove, and just let yourself go. This will all work out just fine, you¡¯ll see.¡± A snort was her answer this time, but she did follow his lead and soon rxed in his arms as the magic of the dance worked in his favor. He twirled her around the dance floor in ever faster moves, and when she stumbled it gave him the perfect excuse to pull her in even tighter. It was torture and bliss all rolled into one as her soft curves fit against the hard nes of his body, as though she was made just for him. A far too fanciful thought but with her short puffs of breath hitting his jaw, it seemed fitting. Logan rested his chin on her head, and something like a whimper escaped the woman in his arms, as she sank into his embrace. All too soon the dance was over and the strange bubble they¡¯d been in evaporated. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Thank you for the dance, sir, but I¡¯ve got duties to attend to, so please let me go.¡± ¡°Logan, please. Surely, we¡¯re familiar enough after that dance to be on first name terms?¡± A shiver went through her, and she shook her head. ¡°I beg to differ, sir. We only danced, in full view of everyone, so that¡¯s hardly¡ª¡± ¡°I could arrange for a more private dance, if you prefer, sweet Hannah.¡± Hannah scowled and pushed him away with surprising force for someone so small. ¡°No.¡± With that, she turned and left him standing on the dance floor. "We shall see about that, little dove." Logan murmured the words to her departing back and did what he came here to do, originally,work, while he kept an eye on his prey. It took every ounce of self- control he possessed to not march over and nt his fist in James Herringey''s podgy face when the man cornered her a short whileter. While Logan was too far away to hear what the other man was saying to her, it was damn obvious Hannah didn''t appreciate the man''s advances. Her bodynguage practically screamed ¡°get off¡±. Theplete opposite of how she¡¯d been in his arms. No doubt, having seen her on the auction sheet, the guy was trying his luck. The thought of anyone bidding on her and winning the right to spend time with her made that never far away ball of fury in his gut tighten. His hands fisted into balls, and he took deep breaths to control the red mist which had clouded his younger years. It was the sole reason why he''d agreed to this event truth be told. It wouldn''t do to lose his temper here. That never achieved anything, and he didn''t want to be responsible for another young woman lying in aa. One was one too fucking many. He shook his head to clear it of those dark thoughts. Remnants of the nightmare that had been and was his life. Things he could never atone for in a million lifetimes. The Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the auction. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, now that we¡¯re all nicely warmed up, let¡¯s get on with the real reason why you¡¯re all here. Who would like to go home with a date tonight?¡± Loud cheers rang out, James''s one being one of the loudest, and Hannah looked as though she wanted to be anywhere but there. She slowly inched away from the other man, and, arms wrapped around her middle, watched the proceedings with a deep frown pulling her brows together. ¡°We¡¯ve had somest-minute additions to this list, so without further ado, let¡¯s begin. First up for auction is none other than our Deputy Mayor. Let¡¯s all put your hands together and wee her to the stage.¡± The assembled crowd of London¡¯s finest erupted into apuse, and Hannah joined in without much enthusiasm. Oh, she was far too easy to read, carrying her emotions on her face. With everything else in his private life going to hell in a hand basket, he could do with a distraction. She didn''t know it yet, but little Hannah was at his mercy, and before the night was over she would be his, the waters when you got involved with someone at work, but the terms of the auction were crystal clear. She was his for twenty-four hours only. Plenty of time to discover the truly passionate woman he sensed underneath the professional mask she wore. Plenty of time to get her out of his system. That was the only reason she''d been upying his thoughtstely. Once he''d sampled the delights of her submission he would be able to move on. He always did, after all, and he had no reason to think this time would be any different. It had simply been too long since hest gotid. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 ¡°Next up for auction is the delightful Ms. Hannah Watson.¡± The Master of Ceremonies¡¯ announcement shook Logan out of his thoughts, and he smirked at little Hannah¡¯s reaction. If ever there was a woman who shied away from the limelight, which now quite literally shone on her, it had to be her. His little dove looked so pale and fragile under the spotlight trained on her, it made him want to march over there, wrap her up in his arms and take her away from all this spectacle. That impulse alone should have made him abandon his n. Logan had enough emotional entanglements waiting for him at home, but the thought of anyone else gaining the right for herpany rooted him to the spot. "Up youe, Ms. Watson. I should add that we owe tonight''s splendor to the fair hands of thisdy. I have it on good authority that this whole event was Ms. Watson¡¯s brainchild, so let''s put our hands together to show our appreciation, shall we?" Thunderous apuse apanied Hannah''s progress onto the stage, and not unlike the nickname he''d bestowed on her, she appeared ready to take flight. Her crystal blue eyes looked too big for her heart-shaped face, and even across the room, he could see the wild stato of her pulse in her neck. Her impressive rack strained against the confines of her dress, her breath appeared toe in short gasps, and she looked on the verge of a panic attack as the bidding started. Logan hung back, silently amused at the way the bids stepped up rapidly. It seemed he wasn¡¯t the only one in attendance tonight who appreciated a real woman when they saw her. He barely bit back a ¡°Going once, going twice, for five thousand pounds on the lovely Hannah. Do we have any more?¡± The Master of Ceremonies raised his hammer onest time and waited. Just before he brought it down Logan intervened. ¡°Ten thousand!¡± A collective gasp went through the assembled crowd, and Hannah dropped her head and appeared to be praying for divine intervention. Monique gave a very good and most unattractive impression of a goldfish¡ªhe really would have to deal with here Monday morning¡ªwhile the silver-haired guy, who had driven the bids up thus far, threw Logan a nce, and then shook his head at the Master of Ceremonies. ¡°Sold for ten thousand pounds to none other than Logan Bryce. Thank you for your generosity and Logan slowly made his way across the room, and by the time he reached the stage some color had returned to his little dove¡¯s cheeks. In fact, she positively vibrated in fury, and, sure enough, when he drew close and nudged her chin up with his forefinger, the furious look in her eyes would have felled a lesser man. Too bad for her that her outrage only served to make him harder. It would be such fun, indeed, to tame the little spitfire in front of him. ¡°Shall we get out of here, little dove?¡± he asked. ¡°How dare you? I¡¯m not going anywhere with you. You¡¯ve set this up, haven¡¯t you? Well, you¡¯ve had yourugh at my expense. I will not do this. I can¡¯t. I¡¯m not for sale, damn you.¡± The words, delivered in a hissed whisper for his ears only, brought with them more of the subtle flowery scent he''d noticed earlier. It wasn''t a fragrance he could ce. Certainly not one of the more cloying, expensive perfumes he was used to from the women in his acquaintance. Hannah''s scent was all her. Fresh and light, it brought to mind meadows in the summer breeze, like the kind his brother and he had yed in when they were children. Long before Rick had been responsible for beating his wife into a pulp. Long before Logan''s own and far too painful brush with the women''s refuge. ¡°Are you not, my dear? Yet, here you are, to all intents and purposes mine for the next twenty-four hours.¡± He blocked the hand poised to connect with his cheek easily enough, and pulled Hannah away and off the stage and their fascinated audience. ¡°Now, now, little dove, violence is never the answer. Isn¡¯t that the motto of the evening?¡± Hannah kicked his shin, and he cursed under his breath as pain shot up from that abused part of his body. She looked utterly mortified at her action, as confirmed by the words tumbling out her mouth. ¡°Jeez, let me go. This isn¡¯t me. I¡¯m sorry I kicked you, but for God¡¯s sake enough of this.¡± Amusement reced his annoyance, and he chose to wind her up a bit more. ¡°That¡¯s the oddest apology I ever heard, I have to say.¡± He didn''t release his grip on her wrists. Instead, he marched her backwards until her back hit the wall, and using his considerable body mass crowded her in. ¡°It also changes nothing, and, besides, do you really want the charity to lose ten grand, because you don¡¯t trust yourself in mypany?¡± He grinned at her outraged gasp. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t renege on your donation?¡± The breathy question shot straight to his groin, and he shifted to relieve the ache in his balls. ¡°Maybe not, but are you really willing to take that risk, little Hannah?¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. She opened her mouth to no doubt chew him out some more, but whatever she read in his expression stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t stop protesting now. It¡¯s rather amusing to see you fight this thing between us.¡± ¡°What? There is no us. Let me go. I¡¯ll scream.¡± That breathy moan of a reply wouldn¡¯t disturb the wings of a butterfly, but it made him even harder. He dipped his head and whispered the next words into her ear. ¡°You don¡¯t really want me to let you go, do you?¡± She gasped in answer. Hot little puffs of air ghosted across his jaw, further testament that she wasn¡¯t as unaffected as she¡¯d like him to think she was. Hannah bit her lip, and the hand she had poised on his chest to push him away curled into thepels of his tuxedo, instead, and raising herself up on tiptoes, she reiterated in kind. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± His big shoulders shook in silentughter, and she arched away slightly to re up at him. It only made his amusement deepen. ¡°I mean it. Let. Me. Go.¡± She entuated every word with a tug at his jacket. He did just that, and she would have stumbled had he not put a hand out to steady her. The minute she got her bearings on the killer heels she wore, he released her, stuck his hand in his trouser pocket and pulled out a key card. ¡°Fine, have it your way, little dove. If you change your mind this is the key to my suite.¡± He held it out to her, and when she took it smirked down on her. ¡°Be very sure this is what you want, however.¡± He leaned in and dropped his voice to that growly whisper guaranteed to get to thedies. ¡°Let¡¯s be absolutely clear about what I want. If you choose to use that key, you¡¯re mine to do with as I see fit, little dove.¡± He paused and traced the outline of her lips with his thumb. The urge to kiss those plump lips drove him hard. What¡¯s more she wouldn¡¯t resist him. The subconscious way she leaned into him, parted her lips, and her little tongue darted out to touch the tip of his digit told their own story. Such a fucking turn-on. However, there were too many people milling about, and they¡¯d given the gossipmongers enough to hark on about. He smiled and cupped her jaw instead. ¡°I don¡¯t do love. I don¡¯t domitment, and whatever you decide will have no bearing whatsoever on your standing at work.¡± He nodded when she couldn¡¯t seem to help her tiny jerk of reaction. ¡°Neither will I renege on my donation. I¡¯m not that guy. However, I would very much like to fuck you, my sweet. No strings, no promises, just one night of fun. And it would be fun, that I can promise you. So¡­¡± He withdrew his palm slowly, and Hannah shivered at the loss of contact. ¡°Over to you, Ms. Watson.¡± Chapter Two Oh, the man¡¯s arrogance was infuriating and arousing in equal measures. The feminist in her wanted to tell him to take a hike, but her inner hussy did her haven¡¯t-had-a-good-shag-in-ages jig, followed by the I¡¯m-so-going-to-getid-tonight dance. ¡°I¡ªthat is¡­ You can¡¯t speak to me like that.¡± Hannah tried her best to ignore her raging hormones and attempted to re up at him. Having to crane her neck to do so rather spoiled the effect she was going for here. Not so much righteous indignation at his proposition as pure, flustered, ¡°take me, I¡¯m yours¡± female. Judging by the knowing smirk he wore, he knew exactly what lustful thoughts were bombarding her brain right now. Namely the two of them rolling around silk sheets, sweaty limbs entwined. Then again, he might be the type to tie up his women, for all she knew. He certainly gave off that dominant vibe in spades. ¡°Can¡¯t I, little dove? I think you find I just did, and why beat about the bush? I want you. You want me. We¡¯re two consenting adults, so let¡¯s not pretend.¡± He bent his head so that his far too tempting mouth was hovering mere inches over her lips. ¡°Tell me you¡¯re not wondering about what I meant by fun, sweetie, and are getting nice and wet on whatever you¡¯re imagining I might do to you.¡± Hannah opened her mouth to protest, but nothing but a very unbing squeak came out. Logan simply smiled and held out his arm for her take. ¡°Think about it. Either way, I need to make my goodbyes, so, shall we?¡± The gentlemanly move was so at odds with what he¡¯d just said to her, she ced her hand on his forearm without thinking, and he led her back into the ballroom. The fact he headed straight toward Monique wasn¡¯t lost on her. In her heels, she had trouble keeping up with his long strides, and that was the only reason she carried on clinging onto his arm like the proverbial limpet. At least that¡¯s what she told herself. This whole thing was unreal, and if it wouldn¡¯t have made her look like aplete lunatic, Hannah would have been tempted to burst into hystericalughter. Not least, because Monique looked as though she was sucking lemons rather than sipping a flute of the finest champagne money could buy, as Logan approached her. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 No expense had been spared for this auction at Logan¡¯s insistence and the finance department¡¯s not so silent consternation. It had given Hannah a much-needed boost at the time to know that her far too sexy and overbearing boss was behind this project every step of the way. Clearly, he¡¯d decided that this auction was beneficial for business, and if she¡¯d learnt one thing about him in thest few weeks of very much being on his radar it was that for this man business was everything. He pursued an avenue he was interested in with ruthless determination. Judging by the ridiculous amount of money he¡¯d spent on securing her at the auction and his subsequent refusal to let her wriggle out of it, he had now set his sights on her. Hannah wasn¡¯t at all sure she wanted to be histest acquisition, as it were. No, that was a lie. She had to face up to the truth at least in her head. Her body was more than up for the idea of getting to know her boss on a far more intimate level, if only he wasn¡¯t her boss. Things in the office would be awkward enough as it was with everyone thinking she¡¯d slept with him. The little devil sitting on her shoulder smirked. You might as well do it then. No one will believe you haven¡¯t, let alone Monique. Hannah ignored that insidious voice trying to lead her down the path of sinful temptation and took refuge in her fury over Monique¡¯s underhandedness instead. Far better to think about that than to wonder what Logan Bryce would look like naked. Grief, stop it, already. Think about the trollop instead. She knew full well what the other woman¡¯s n had been, namely to humiliate Hannah in front of everyone. Well, that had rather spectacrly backfired on her. When she drew face to face with her nemesis, Hannah knew her smile was as fake as Monique¡¯s. Logan pulled her closer into his side and slid his hand down her back slowly in a far too arousing disy of familiarity and ownership. Monique¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Hannah could almost see the malicious wheels turning in her head, as she dipped her head in acknowledgement. ¡°Hannah.¡± ¡°Monique.¡± She tried in vain to shake off Logan¡¯s hand. All she achieved was for his hand to slide slower, and she swallowed a gasp when he tapped her butt just once. What on earth was he ying at? They were in full view of anyone. And why was his caveman act such a turn-on? ¡°I take it you will be all right to oversee the rest of the evening, Monique.¡± Logan¡¯s deep voice held that note of censure, which only served to rev Hannah¡¯s hormones into yet more of a frenzy. The effect his voice had on her was really rather ludicrous. Seeing Monique snap to attention as though a bee had crawled up her bony backside to sting her, did wonders for Hannah¡¯s fra gile equilibrium. She wasn¡¯t the only one affected by the man¡¯s sheer presence then. ¡°I, yes, of course, sir, but you¡¯ve put Hannah in charge and¡ª¡± ¡°And an admirable job she has done tonight. She¡¯s also now off the clock, which means I expect you to step in. This will not be a problem, I take it?¡± One dark eyebrow rose in an elegant arch, when Monique seemed on the verge to disagree with him, before she snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. The look she angled Hannah¡¯s way from under her fake eyshes sent a shiver of unease down her spine, however. Hannah nudged her chin up and stared the other woman down. Bring it on, bitch. She sensed rather than saw Logan tense beside her. Naturally, he¡¯d picked up on the undertones. That man never seemed to miss anything work rted, and even though they weren¡¯t in the office, he was still paying attention. ¡°Good. Also, report to HR first thing Monday morning, will you, Monique? They will have something to give you.¡± Monique pulled in a sharp breath, and the champagne flute slipped out of her fingers. The fine crystal bounced at her feet, and the expensive bubbles floated on the top of the luxurious carpet for a few seconds before they were absorbed. ¡°Careless, I suggest you¡¯ll be more careful in future.¡± Logan¡¯s voice was almost a snarl as he continued. ¡°Actions always have consequences, my dear, as you¡¯ll find out. Don¡¯t for one second believe I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been going on.¡± Monique made a rough sound at the back of her throat at this unmistakable threat, and Hannah almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Before she could say or do anything, however, Logan had propelled them through the thinning crowd, and out of the double doors. The Master of Ceremonies announced another victim on the stage, and when they were safely out of sight Hannah wrenched her elbow out of his grasp. ¡°Will you stop manhandling me, and what was that back in there?¡± Hannah inwardly flinched at the breathy porn star impression of her usual voice. Jeez, focus! She might as well hang a big sign around her neck saying, ¡°Fuck me¡±. While that idea definitely had merit, and the mere thought of a tangle in the sheets with her boss meant her knickers were in serious danger of giving up any pretense of disguising her arousal, she hated being this obvious. And, hello, he¡¯s your boss. This will not end well. Get a grip. Logan stopped his forward movement, and she swallowed hard when his full attention settled on her. Even with her high heels on he still towered over her by a good head, and she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze when he stepped right into her personal space like some sort of avenging dark angel. The very air seemed to leave the room, and the world narrowed to just the two of them under his focus. ¡°I¡¯d have thought that was obvious, little dove.¡± Lordy, the way he dropped his voice on thosest two words and his gaze grew more intense ¡­ selfbustion seemed a real possibility right now. From somewhere she found her backbone and her voice. ¡°If it was I wouldn¡¯t be asking, would I, and I have a name. You might want to try using it, Logan.¡± She hadn¡¯t really meant to put quite such a flippant intonation on saying his name. His jaw tensed, and his eyes shed in something akin to silent fury, which really shouldn¡¯t make her heart beat faster, but did so nheless. Considering she knew firsthand the damage a man¡¯s temper could do, she ought to be already running away from him. Instead she found herself unconsciously leaning toward him, seeking his presence and his protection, which should have been an oxymoron. She was an independent, sessful woman, for goodness¡¯ sakes, so why then did she have that insane urge to Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. submit to him in all ways? The horrifying thought that she might be more like her mother after all didn¡¯t sit well with her, but she couldn¡¯t think about that now. Besides, if she chose to indulge in the horizontal shimmy with this man, it would be her choice. A world of difference from the fucked-up rtionships her mother had indulged in at the expense of her children. Hannah only had herself to answer to, and she could and would do as she pleased. With that in mind she inhaled deeply and barely suppressed a groan. It should be illegal for any man to smell so damn good. Logan held her pinned in ce with his sheer presence for what felt like ages, but could have only been seconds, before he gave a shortugh. The action broke the tension between them, and softened the harsh angles of his jaw, which was already beginning to sport the first evidence of stubble. How much stubble would he havee morning, and how would it feel on the tender flesh of her inner thighs? Hannah fought and lost the battle of holding back the immediate heat invading her face, and a dimple appeared in his cheek as a genuine smile transformed the man in front of her. He looked altogether more approachable and if possible even sexier. ¡°Now, I do wonder what you were just thinking to cause such a pretty blush, little dove. And for the record I call you that because you remind me of one.¡± It was Hannah¡¯s turn tough. Okay, that strange honk she managed to produce made her sound like a constipated goose, but really. He was so full of shite. She chose to ignore the way her heart stepped up into country dance and her hormones were shouting ¡°yee-haa¡± to boot. This man was a yer, she knew that, and this was no doubt one of the lines he spun women all the time. A darn good one, but a line nheless. That eyebrow of his came up again¡ªhow did he do that to such devastating effect¡ªand what¡¯s more who knew so much could be said by that one move? ¡°Nothing, I was thinking nothing, other than spare me the lines. Besides, I¡¯d have thought I¡¯d be more of a round pigeon than a delicate little dove. Either way, those birds have sharp beaks, and I¡¯d hate for you to have anything important pecked off.¡± Logan froze, and she knew she was in trouble when he stepped back and let his ck-eyed gaze slowly roam over her body. He stayed the longest at the girls, of course. Naturally, her nipples took that as an invitation toe out to y. Good grief almighty, they might as well get out little white gs, signaling their surrender. As for the rest of her erogenous zones ¡­ she was discovering a few she didn¡¯t even know she had under his silent assessment. When she couldn¡¯t stand the silence anymore, she blurted out the next words. ¡°Cat got your tongue now? And stop staring at me as though you¡¯ve never seen a woman before. It¡¯s¡­¡± Whatever she was going to say fled her mind because Logan brought his arm around her waist and pulled her flush into his body. On any other man that move would have earned him a dressing down. With him, however, pressed as close to every one of his hard muscles as it was possible to be while still fully clothed ¡­ well, what was she doing again? ¡°Enough, little girl. Know this, if you were mine you¡¯d have just earned yourself one hell of a sore ass for talking to me like that.¡± He pulled back slightly and grinned at her far too telling gasp. ¡°Bear that in mind when youe to see meter.¡± With that he turned and walked away. Before her hormones had stopped sighing, he¡¯d disappeared, and Hannah did the only thing she could do to save face among the curious nces she was attracting. She turned back to the ballroom. While he¡¯d said she was off the clock, this was her baby, and she would see this through. She didn¡¯t trust Monique as far she could throw her, and as the other woman was more than likely going to be firede Monday morning, there was even more likelihood that she was going to do something else to sabotage the event. Then again, after her brush off maybe Hannah would find herself out of a job. Even as she thought that she dismissed the idea. Logan had a reputation for being ruthless, but never unfair, and he didn¡¯t usually get involved with someone at work. He didn¡¯t get involved, period, had spelled his terms out for her most sinctly in fact, so why was she hesitating? If he could turn her on this much by simply talking about sex, what would the real thing be like? Fun, he¡¯d said, and she had no reason to disbelieve him. It hadn¡¯t been said with any of the usual swagger men put behind such statements. No, he¡¯d simply informed her as though he was telling her what the weather was like. As for his threat to spank her ass¡­ Jeez, if she got any wetter she¡¯d leave a stain on her dress, and she had her answer. No wonder she felt so drawn to him. The dratted man was a walking, talking, advert for every one of her sexual fantasies. Hannah made a beeline for thedies¡¯ room to freshen up andpose herself, and the flushed woman who stared back at her in the mirror ¡­ was that really her? Good grief, if she got this worked up just by hearing him talk about the things he wanted to do to her, she would never survive an actual sexual encounter. With a sigh, Hannah nced at the key card she¡¯d shoved in her clutch bag. He would appear to be staying in one of the river view suites. Of course, he was. While she¡¯d booked many of Premiere Events¡¯ rich clientele into such amodations, she¡¯d never stayed in one. Not that she would be staying now. This was, in effect, just a one-night stand. No strings attached sex with a man who set her pulse askew with just one nce. Would she even be debating this with herself were Logan not her boss? Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Logan shrugged out of his jacket, flung off his tie, and threw both items across the living area of his suite. It was tempting to send the tray of champagne, strawberries, and hors d''oeuvres the same way. How satisfying would it be to see the bottle smash against the wall, disfiguring the fine work of art on disy there. That painting mocked him with its disy of light and hope for the future depicted by the couple walking hand in hand towards the sunset. Who did shit like that in real life anyway? So-called love neversted. He poured himself a generous measure of Macan 21-year-old, malt whisky, and stared out at the unparalleled view of London¡¯s skyline this suite afforded, while he dow ned the liquid in one go. The burn down his throat proved a wee distraction from the dark mood Rosamunde¡¯s phone call had ced him in. What did a man have to do to get decent help these days? This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. References meant diddly squat it seemed, and while he was more than aware how difficult the situation at home was, he sure as fuck didn¡¯t need constant reminders. What he needed was curvy little Hannah under him, so that he could lose himself in her sighs and moans while he tortured her with pleasure. Thoughts like that were not helping his current state one iota. While his hard-on had considerably lessened during that fraught telephone call, just picturing Hannah in that sinful dress brought his cock back to full speed in record time. So not what he needed, especially as it was getting damn obvious that she wasn¡¯ting. The auctions ought to be finished by now, and even if she had gone back in the ballroom to oversee¡ªand knowing her work ethic that was no doubt what she had done¡ªshe ought to have knocked on his door by now. Face it, Logan, you¡¯re losing your touch. Logan scowled at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, while he rubbed his dick in an effort to get some relief. There was only one thing for it. With Hannah being a no show and his having no appetite to go cruising for anyone else to keep himpany tonight¡ªhe wanted the curvy blonde, damn it¡ªhe¡¯d have to take matters in his own hands. Logan turned the rainfall shower on, stripped off his clothes, and stepped into the walk-in enclosure. Making good use of theplimentary shower gel, he slicked his hands, grasped his rock-hard dick and pumped. Not enough, not by any means. Eyes closed against the hot spray, he fisted himself harder, faster, and bit back a grunt. In his mind¡¯s eye, it was Hannah he saw, on her knees in front of him, her long blonde tresses darkening under the water, her dress appearing transparent as her lush lips wrapped around his shaft. Yeah, much better. ¡°That¡¯s my girl, suck me good.¡± Logan grumbled themand out loud, and fantasy Hannah hollowed out her cheeks and sucked hard. Pleasure surged through him, hot, hard, immediate, and he grunted his approval as he syed his fingers and alternated the pressure on his dick. It wasn¡¯t his fingers he saw behind his closed lids, but Hannah¡¯s. So real was his fantasy that he heard her soft gasps and moans as she fondled his balls, and worked the base of his shaft while her head bobbed up and down on his dick. With one hand braced against the tiled wall, he chased the orgasm that was fast building at the base of his spine, until the ng of metal forced his eyes open. Through the haze of steam fogging up the enclosure a shadowy outline, looking remarkably like his fantasy, watched him. Logan groaned, slid the door open, and stared right into Hannah¡¯s wide eyes. Well, fuck. ¡°Should I leave you two alone?¡± Hannah pointedly looked from his cock¡ªstill enclosed in his fist¡ªto his face and back again. The sassyeback would have worked, were it not for the breathy quality of her voice and the flush which stained her pale skin. How long had she been standing there, watching him? It was beyond tempting to simply carry on, but now that she was here, he wouldn¡¯t have to pretend anymore. Hannah attempted to pick up the towel rail, which had fallen to the marble floor, and had no doubt been the noise which had alerted him to her presence. He smirked when she promptly dropped it again. The resounding ng echoed around the bathroom, and Hannah took several steps back until the wall stopped her. ¡°Damn it, I just ¡­ fuck.¡± The softly delivered curse meant his cock, which had somewhat deted at the interruption, surged back to life in his hand, and he turned off the shower with a grin. He didn¡¯t bother to cover up¡ªshe¡¯d seen it all already¡ªand stalked toward her. Besides, he was rather enjoying the way she was eating him alive with her eyes. The wet footprints he was leaving behind would be dealt with by housekeeping. ¡°Has your mother not taught you to knock on doors, little dove?¡± He pped both hands on the wall next to her face, as he growled those words, and Hannah flinched. Something akin to regret, almost pain, shed over her expressive face before she narrowed her eyes and did her best to re up at him. ¡°I did knock.¡± Logan smiled and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡± He dropped his voice on purpose to rattle her a bit more, and sure enough she rose to the bait. ¡°Yes, really, it¡¯s hardly my fault you didn¡¯t hear me because you were¡­¡± The most endearing blush stained her pale skin, as she seemed to struggle for the right words. ¡°Because I was what, little dove? Don¡¯t be shy now, tell me what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Hannah made the cutest sound at the back of her throat, something between a growl and an exasperated huff, and rolled her eyes. ¡°Because you were too busy ying p the donkey with your schlong.¡± ¡°Schlong?¡± Logan didn¡¯t know whether to be amused or offended at having his cock referred to thus. ¡°Yes, what would you call that?¡± She nced down at said appendage and attempted to cross her arms. No doubt to hide her body¡¯s far too obvious reaction to him. It made him even harder, eager to lose himself in her soft body and to finish with her what he¡¯d started on his own in the shower. She identally grazed his cock with her arm in her attempt to hide her hard nipples from him. Like e suck me¡± beacons they pushed against the satin of her gown, and made Logan¡¯s mouth water with the need to taste them. How responsive would those little nubs be as he rolled them between his fingers, sucked them in his mouth, and bit down? Would she like that nip of pain, find it as much as a turn-on as he did, or would that be one step too far for sensible little Hannah? Not that she looked very sensible now with her dted pupils, and the fine sheen of arousal coating her skin. Her heart beat an uneven stato at the base of her throat, and a groan escaped her full lips when he ran his nose along that sensitive area and inhaled. Her sweet scent, made more potent by her arousal, called him to bite down, to mark her in the most primitive of ways, but he couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t do that without her consent. To give into his darker desires was a two-edged sword, one he couldn¡¯t allow himself to unleash, not now, perhaps not ever again. Certainly not with someone who worked for him, and with the hearing hanging over his head, he wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize his sess there. He owed udia that much. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Logan pushed those thoughts down with the same ruthlessness that had made him so sessful in the corporate world. They had no business here, not with sweet little Hannah his for the taking and his being so revved up that innocent skin on skin graze of her arm on his cock was almost painful. Predictably, that part of his anatomy jerked. Giving into the demands of his body, he pulled back slightly, took her hand, and wrapped her slender fingers around his shaft. Another one of those cock-hardening moans came from the woman he was holding a not so reluctant prisoner against his bathroom wall, and he tipped her chin up with his other hand to read her expression. ¡°I would call that my cock, and unless you really do want me to spank that delicious, round bottom of yours, I suggest you do something to help him out.¡± Her digits tightened around his shaft, and Logan swallowed his grunt of pleasure. ¡°Like this, Sir?¡± Her whispered question and the snarky intonation she put on that title made his dominant side roar. She couldn¡¯t know what that did to him, and soon he was past the ability to think, because the feel of her little fist sliding up and down his hard dick, the little mewls she made as though this was a huge turn-on for her, too ¡­ fuck it, he was in real danger of shooting his load right there and then, and that just wouldn¡¯t do. He wanted toe inside her tight little pussy the first time around, before he imed every one of her other willing holes. Logan fisted his hand in her hair and pulling her head back growled his instructions. ¡°Enough.¡± He pulled Hannah¡¯s hand off his dick and nted his lips over hers. Her tiny yelp in response to his rough handling granted him ess, and he pushed his tong ue inside her mouth, while he angled her head just so. When her hands slid up his shoulders and she pushed herself against him, he lost what little restraint he had and kissed her in earnest. He tongue- fucked her, in a very good imitation of what he was aching to do with his cock, while he ground his hips into her soft belly, and, grasping a generous handful of her luscious ass, pulled her tighter into him. Hannah did not disappoint in her response. She kissed him back with the same feverish desire that coursed through his veins. The need to fill his lungs with oxygen forced him to break the kiss, and, panting, he rested his forehead on hers. ¡°Let¡¯s take this to the bedroom. I need to be in you, woman. Tell me you want that, too.¡± He pulled away just enough to read her expression, and the sight of her kiss-swollen lips, her pale skin already marked by his emerging stubble was the hugest fucking turn-on so far. Still, he had to be sure she was on board with this, so he forced himself to wait for her response. When none was forting, other than the sounds of her rapid breathing, he tugged her hair again, a little harder this time. Tears sprang into her azure eyes, but she also clung tighter and bit her lip. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. It makes me want to bite you all over, right after I turned your backside raw for not Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. answering me straightaway.¡± If that was possible her eyes grew even wider. She whispered something that he couldn¡¯t quite catch over the roaring of his own heartbeat in his ears. ¡°What was that? Speak up, little dove, or I shall take your silence as consent. After all, you dide and see me, and I warned you what would happen if you did.¡± He pulled her plump bottom lip between his teeth and bit down. Hannah gasped and jerked, and he pulled back and licked that tiny drop of blood away. Her life¡¯s essence exploded on his taste buds, made him hungry for more. ¡°Tell me you¡¯re mine for tonight.¡± Hannah groaned, wrapped her long legs around him, and clung. ¡°Yes, God, so help me, I am.¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Hannah¡¯s heart just about stopped at Logan¡¯s reaction to her whispered reply. One minute she was an active participant in this frantic exploration of each other, the next, he¡¯d flung her over his shoulder like a sack of spuds. The breath whooshed out of her lungs, not that she would have managed to utter a protest anyway, because the p to her ass robbed her of the ability to do anything but squeak. ¡°Ow.¡± The shoulder she was flung over moved as though the dratted man wasughing at her, and two more swatsnded on her butt as Logan started to walk out of the bathroom. ¡°Hardly, little girl, but I can make them hurt if you¡¯d like me to. You¡¯ve had thising, so take your punishment like a good little girl, and I may just reward you.¡± Two more quick swats followed, which left her butt on fire, and then¡ªoh good grief, she was so going tobust¡ªhe slid his hand up her inner thigh and cupped her pussy. She barely suppressed a groan, and there was no way he would miss how embarrassingly wet his caveman treatment of her had made her. ¡°I¡¯m not five.¡± There, that almost sounded convincing, even as her breath hitched anew, when he slid what felt like one finger under the stic of her underwear. ¡°You can¡¯t do that. I ¡­ oh God¡­¡± With unerring precision that calloused digit had found her clit, and her internal muscles clenched in response to the circr motion he subjected that bundle of nerves to. ¡°I¡¯m very aware of that, little dove, but you are a very naughty girl, are you not? So wet for me already.¡± Hannah bit her lip to stop herself from crying out and demanding he put his oh so talented fingers back to her sensitive flesh, when he withdrew them. A door opened and shut, and then she flew through the air onto the hugest and softest bed she ever had the fortune to be thrown onto. Then again, had she ever been manhandled like this? And perhaps most importantly, would she have let anyone else do this? Logan moved her with such ease, as though she weighed no more than a feather. With such utter confidence, as though it was his God-given right to do so, and wasn¡¯t that the biggest turn-on yet? Like the bad boys she liked to read about in her secret collection of romance novels¡ªthe ones no sane, liberated woman ought to want, yet couldn¡¯t help but lust after¡ªhe seemed determined to take his pleasure. Sure enough, before she¡¯d even stopped bouncing he was on top of her. His considerable bulk pinned her to the mattress, further reiterating how much she was at this man¡¯s mercy. When he wrapped her long hair around his fist and pulled her head sideways to make her look at him, the heated intensity in his eyes stoked her own internal mes of desire. She licked her lips, and time stood still when his gaze dropped to her mouth. The most sinful smile lit up his features, and then he rolled off her. Before she could mourn the loss of his body heat, he¡¯d straddled her legs, and taking her arms pulled them up R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only the bed until her fingertips touched the ts of the headboard. He curled her fingers around the structure, and growled his instructions. ¡°Leave them there, or I¡¯ll have to tie them.¡± Oh, good lord. He wouldn¡¯t, would he? He dropped a kiss on her exposed shoulder and ran his stubble roughened jaw along her neck. Hannah couldn¡¯t help her involuntary shudder in response, and she felt him smile in the butterfly kisses he delivered in between words. ¡°So beautifully responsive. Trust me, my sweet little Hannah?¡± Now there was a multi-million-dor question, if ever she heard one. The hugely turned on part of her wanted to scream, ¡°Yes¡±, but the sensible, wary part of her won out. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she whispered. ¡°Good girl, you¡¯d be fool to say yes.¡± Jeez, when he called her a good girl in that deep voice,ced with approval and barely concealed lust, she simply melted inside. What in the hell was that all about? Things like that only happened in books not in real life, surely? Yet she couldn¡¯t dispel the very real need that blossomed inside of her to hear him call her that again. ¡°Let me rephrase that question. Do you trust me enough to know that I¡¯ll only have your pleasure in mind?¡± Chapter 10 Chapter 10 His voice dropped even lower as he said that, and she held her breath when he started to tug at the zipper, which held the top part of her dress together. Cool air greeted her overheated skin with each agonizingly slow pull. The sp for the strap across her back was next, followed by her bra closure, exposing her back entirely to his gaze. Logan sucked in a harsh breath, and she could almost feel the weight and heat of his stare caressing her body like a physical touch. Then hisrge hands were on her skin, following the curve of her spine, applying just the right amount of pressure to rx her muscles. She jumped when he swatted her butt a few more times in quick session, until her ass felt like it was on fire. Hannah tightened her grasp on the headboard, grateful for something to hold onto, because far from the humiliating experience this should be, something entirely different was happening to her. ¡°I expect an answer when I ask you something, little girl.¡± Logan slid her dress up until it was bunched around her hips, and pulled her knickers down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what you want me to say to that. I ¡­ oh ¡­ damn.¡± Hannah¡¯s words came out in gasps, because he¡¯d graspedrge handfuls of her butt cheeks, and squeezed. The resulting zing of pain shot straight to her pussy, and she bit her lips to stop herself from moaning in delight. More of her arousal coated herbia, permeating the air with the scent of her need, which should have been mortally embarrassing. His harsh inhale and the gentle, yet insistent way he ran his fingers through her pussy lips and murmured his approval left no room for doubt, however. ¡°Never mind, my sweet Hannah, your body tells me all I need to know. Here, taste how wet you are for Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. me.¡± A tug to her hair brought her head up, and before she could even grasp his intentions he¡¯d pushed two of his fingers, slick with her arousal, into her mouth. She should have been shocked at his actions. It should have felt strange to taste herself, but the opposite was true. It was the hottest thing yet, made doubly so, by the heat in his gaze. She wrapped her tongue around his digits, and sucked. His cock jerked against her hip, a hard ridge, which told its own story. Surely, any minute now, he¡¯d flip her over and bury that thick shaft inside of her. Her internal muscles clenched in anticipation of his taking her. Would he be gentle or fierce? Not that it would matter either way. She was so ready for him, he would slide right in and she might welle on the spot. The ache between her legs intensified at the thought of his pration, and she squeezed her thighs together. The p to her butt hurt¡ªreally fucking hurt. She¡¯d have bitten down on his fingers, had he not pulled them out of her mouth, so she red at him instead. ¡°What the hell was that for?¡± Another two, just as hard swats left her behind on fire, and took her breath away, because he straddled her legs again and ran hisrge hands all over her butt. Oh, that felt way too good. A kiss between her shoulder des and his softughter traveled over her skin, as he continued to kiss his way south, while massaging the fiery globes in his hands. Waves of heat, of desire, radiated out from her ass to every one of her erogenous zones. Logan abandoned her backside after delivering one more spank right where her butt met her thighs. Hannah screeched in surprise when he flipped her over, pushed her knees up to her chest, and then buried himself between her thighs. ¡°There¡¯ll be no getting off without my say-so, little dove, that¡¯s why.¡± He growled the words into her sensitive flesh. The first lick of his tongue stopped any protests she might have had, because he didn¡¯t stop there. With the same unerring precision and knowledge of her hotspots that he¡¯d already demonstrated, Logan went to work. He suckl ed, and licked, nipped, bit and swiped his way along and into her pussy with breathtaking finesse. Her hips jerked upwards without any conscious effort on her part, as she instinctively sought to increase the friction he created between her thighs, and she fisted her hands in his hair to anchor him to her, as her orgasm hovered just out of her reach. A little bit more, just¡­ ¡°Please, don¡¯t sto¡ª¡± Her plea tuned into a yelp when Logan bit down on the inside of her thigh. The zing of pain should have cooled her ardor, but the opposite was true. Her clit contracted, and she panted her need toe. So, damn close, if only. Lord knew what he was doing to her, but instead of pushing her over that delicious edge, Logan withdrew. He untangled her fingers from his hair, and yanked her arms back above her head, while he crawled up her body, pinning her back onto the mattress. Hannah couldn¡¯t move, could barely breathe under his weight. With her legs either side of his hips, hisrge cock pressed against her mound. So close, yet nowhere near enough where she wanted him to be. ¡°Did I tell not tell you to leave your hands up here?¡± He growled the words, while flexing his hips, and the tip of his erection slid through her wet folds. They both groaned at the contact, and yet more of her arousal left her channel. ¡°So fucking wet. Tell me how much you want my cock, little Hannah.¡± He flexed again, and Hannah screwed her eyes shut, pushed her feet into the bed, and lifted her hips. Wet as she was that move meant he slid right into her waiting body. She gasped as her muscles tightened around his shaft, struggling to ept him, truth to told, even as the first quivers of her impending release rippled through her. ¡°Fuck, don¡¯t move. I have to ¡­ fuck.¡± Logan¡¯s hoarse words sounded ripped from him, as he pulled in a harsh breath. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Hannah forced herself to rx around him, and he slid in even deeper. His hands tightened around her wrists to such a degree she would no doubt have bruisese morning. Right now, here in this moment, with them joined as intimately as two people could be, however, she didn¡¯t care. Nothing mattered but the fierce look in his dark eyes as he red down at her. She should have been afraid, but the danger she sensed, just made this encounter more thrilling. Hannah never took risks, but with his cock jerking inside of her, growing even bigger when she clenched and released around him, and Logan¡¯s sharp exhale, she didn¡¯t care. She¡¯d caused that look on his face, the loss of control, the clenched jaw, and the tremor which started in his arms and traveled down his body. His six-pack quivered with his ragged breathing, and his buttocks clenched under her calf as she slid one leg up his. ¡°Jesus, woman. I haven¡¯t. We need protection.¡± Those words alone should have been enough to make her stop this, but the gravelly cadence of those words, forced from his lips, as he threw his head back and pushed in even deeper, as though he couldn¡¯t help himself urged her on. ¡°No need ¡­ clean ¡­ on pill ¡­ trust you¡­¡± ¡°Thank fuck for that.¡± Logan bent his head and kissed her, while he pulled out and rocked back inside of her. Hannah¡¯s cry of pleasure was caught in his mouth as he pushed in and out of her with increasing speed that left her breathless. She lifted up to his thrusts, helpless to withstand the maelstrom of sensation he subjected her to. When he released her hands, grasped her hips and got to his knees, the changed angle of his thrusts sent her over the abyss into an orgasm so intense she screamed. Logan cursed and pumped faster, while hetched onto one her nipples and sucked. The added stimtion prolonged the trembles wracking her body, and when he added his thumb to her clit, Hannah climaxed once more. Logan pushed her over that edge time and time again, while he pummeled into her like a madman. The wet sounds of their coupling joined their moans and grunts, the bed shook, and Hannah could only hang on for dear life as Logan yed her body like the master he was. Not an inch of her skin was left untouched by his lips or hands, as he whispered filthy words into her sweat-slicked skin, which made the multitude of releases he wrung from her burn even hotter. ¡°So fucking good,e for me again, girl, that¡¯s it.¡± Logan thrust deep, and stayed there, while he pushed one slick digit through her butthole. The forbidden nature of it caused the most intense release yet, and Hannah bucked and screamed, dimly aware of his pulling out of her. Hot sshes of his seed hit her belly and boobs, while she shook This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. helplessly in aftershocks and the world faded away a little. When she could breathe without sounding like a steam train and she opened her eyes, it was to see Logan watching her. ¡°Wee back, sweetheart.¡± The self-satisfied smirk which kicked up his full lips should have been annoying, but with her body still quivering in aftershocks, she had to give him that. Lord knew this man knew his way around a woman¡¯s body. ¡°Did I go somewhere?¡± She grimaced at the breathy quality of her voice, and Loganughed. ¡°Not really, but that was pretty fucking intense. You¡¯re good?¡± There was an underlying tenseness to that question that made her heart beat faster, not least because he traced the outline of one erect nipple with his finger while he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m more than good. That was¡­¡± She shook her head and swallowed the words, not really wanting him to get an even bigger ego than he already had. Not that he looked all that confident right now. A shadow crossed his features, made his jaw tighten, and he sat up abruptly and stalked away to the en- suite. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± As odd as his behavior was, Hannah didn¡¯t mind too much, not when it afforded her the perfect view of his excellent physique. There really wasn¡¯t an ounce of fat on that man. He was all hard nes and cut muscles, which rippled as he walked, and just like she¡¯d suspected he¡¯d had several breath-taking tattoos. An angel¡¯s wings spread across his back, and she followed the intricate detail down to the lean hips and the delectable butt, which clenched as he strode away. Myriad of smaller tattoos also covered his arms, and when he reappeared a short timeter with a washcloth in one hand, she saw he had some more across his pecs, too. Naturally her gaze strayed down his front to his groin, and she swallowed a groan. She knew he was big, had the sore bits to prove it, but seeing how impressive his cock was even in its semiid state made everything down south tingle anew. His eyes shed in barely disguised amusement when he caught her checking him out and then heated, as he approached the bed. ¡°You keep looking at me like that, I¡¯ll want to fuck you again, and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re up for round two yet. I was hard on you. Here, let me.¡± The bed dipped, and Hannah gasped as he ran the warm cloths over her boobs, taking the evidence of this earlier action away with every swipe. Her nipples hardened and her breasts grew heavy under his ministrations. ¡°You have the most amazing curves, little dove, do you know that?¡± He murmured the words, while he ran the cloth lower, across the quivering skin of her belly, until he reached her mound. Hannah didn¡¯t even try to hold in her groan when he wiped gently between her legs. His breaths got harsher, and his shaft thickened and lengthened, next to her thigh, the tip of it already glistening with his arousal. Logan froze when she grasped his hardness and squeezed slightly. ¡°Fuck, don¡¯t do that. Unless you¡¯re willing to follow through.¡± His voice, all raspy and heavy, sent shockwaves through her, and she smiled up at him. ¡°What if I am?¡± she asked. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Logan¡¯s eyes narrowed, and some of the previous tension he still held in his shoulders released. A sinful smile kicked up the corners of his mouth. He threw the washcloth on the floor, and putting both hands behind him leaned back to presumably give her better ess to the goodies. And what goodies they were. Her mouth watered with the need to taste him, to give back some of the pleasure he¡¯d wrung from her, and to see him lose control. Hannah loved going down on a man. There was such power in that act. Never did she feel more in control than on her knees in fron t of her lover with her lips wrapped around his shaft. Logan swore softly when she slid to her knees in front of him, and kissed the tip of his erection. His dark, spicy musk called her, and his cock jerked in her hand when she ran her tongue over the bulbous head and licked away the drop of pre-cum. Salty, yet not at all unpleasant, it made her eager to taste more of him. Logan¡¯s powerful thighs tightened under her fingertips, and hollowing out her cheeks, she went down on him as far as she could before she gagged. ¡°Fuck yes.¡± His growled curse was all the encouragement she needed to keep going. When she added R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only her teeth to graze his shaft as she came up, Logan¡¯s hands went in her hair and tugged. The slight pain made her more determined to see him fall apart. She worked the bottom of his peen with one hand, while she deep-throated him and massaged his heavy balls with the other, and swallowed the first tiny spurts of his cum. That¡¯s when he finally let go. Fists buried in her hair, he thrust his hips and took over. ¡°I¡¯m gonna ¡­ fuck ¡­ so good ¡­take this for ¡­ yes.¡± The pulse along his dick warned her, as much as the words he forced out, and Hannah ckened her jaw and took what he gave her. Logan came with a deep throated roar, which made her pussy vibrate in answer as he emptied himself down her throat. She eagerly swallowed, pleased with herself, and when he at longst stopped jerking, and pulled her off his shaft, she grinned up at him. ¡°I do believe we¡¯re even now,¡± she said. She should have known that statement was akin to a red g waved at the bull, because Logan grunted his annoyance, and before she could even blink she was over his knee and his hand connected with her ass. ¡°You think so, do you? Have I not made it clear what happens when you sass me in the bedroom, my sweet little dove? Let me remind you then.¡± Every swat ramped her need up higher, especially when he alternated hard swats with soft caresses, and slid his fingers through her sopping wet pussy. ¡°Such a naughty girl. Come for me now, my sweet.¡± As revved up as she was Hannah didn¡¯t need telling twice, not least because he pushed two fingers inside her channel and curled them in just the right way to drive her wild. Her internal muscles mped down, and she flew head first into a climax so intense she saw stars as she gushed for him. By the time the room came back into focus, she was in back in bed tucked into his side. ¡°Now, we¡¯re even, minx.¡± Logan kissed her, a gentle meeting of lips, which meant the world to her. His gentleness proved her undoing, and she allowed herself to drift off safely cocooned in his arms. It would be so easy to read more into this, but she was only his for the night. She had to remember that. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Logan jerked awake with a frown. The soft weight of Hannah¡¯s delicious curves warmed his side, and the even puffs of her breaths across his jaw told him she wasn¡¯t the reason for his sudden alertness. His little dove was fast asleep, worn out no doubt, after their earlier sexcapades. His cock jerked to life with a speed that left him rather lightheaded as all his blood pooled in his groin. So much for fucking her out his system. Having tasted her submission, made ten times sweeter by her usual fiery nature, he wanted to do it all over again. When was thest time he hadn¡¯t woken up itching to get rid of the woman in his bed? Come to think of it, when was thest time he¡¯d actually allowed himself to fall asleep with any of the women he¡¯d bedded? Logan¡¯s frown deepened, and then he heard it. A child¡¯s sniffling, muffled cries, followed by a tentative knock on the doors to his suite. What the fuck? ¡°Want Papa ¡­ I scared ¡­ Mummy¡­¡± Little Rhia¡¯s heartfelt cries¡ªa sure sign she¡¯d had another one of her nightmares¡ªmade his chest tighten, and galvanized him into action. She oughtn¡¯t be here at ¡­ fuck, four in the morning. What in the hell was Rosamunde thinking, bringing her here at this hour, when he was with¡­ Logan swallowed another curse, mindful of the still sleeping woman in his bed. He carefully extricated himself from her delectable grasp, hastily shoved his legs into the old joggers he used for his time at the gym, and stalked out of the room. Another, much louder knock made the wood buckle, and this time he did swear out loud. He yanked the door open and came face to face with a disheveled, grumpy looking guy, who most definitely shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near Rhia. This asshole reeked of cigarettes and the unmistakable odor of sex. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Logan¡¯s growled curse had no effect on the other guy, other than to make him smirk. Not that he was paying him much attention because Rhia leaped across the threshold and Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. wrapped herself around his leg in a bear hug. Her little body shook in fear, and his joggers were instantly soaked through with her tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, she wouldn¡¯t stop crying, and I did try and ring you, but you didn¡¯t answer, so I had to bring her here. This is Jack. He drove me. Jack, that¡¯s Logan Br¡ª¡± ¡°Never mind the fucking introductions. What the hell are you thinking dragging her across town at this time of night?¡± Rhia clung tighter, and Logan pulled a deep breath into his tight chest, when her sobs got louder. It wouldn¡¯t do to lose his temper in front of the little girl. She¡¯d seen more violence in her short life than any child should ever be subjected to, but damn it all to hell and back. He wanted to hurt someone, something, to make them pay for this mess. None of this was Rhia¡¯s fault, however, and he forced his clenched fists to uncurl and patted her dark curls. ¡°There, it¡¯s okay, munchkin. Everything will be fine.¡± Tearstained, big blue eyes, ringed by long dark eyshes, so reminiscent of her mother stared up at him, made his guilty heart clench in pain. Grief, remorse, and utter terror as raw and immediate as it had been the night this girl¡¯s world had been turned upside down by the power of a man¡¯s fists. He somehow managed to twist his lips into the semnce of a smile, and she stopped sniffling and popped her thumb in her mouth. She didn¡¯t relinquish her ko bear impression on his leg, however. Behind him a door opened, and Hannah¡¯s soft gasp piled yet more guilt on his head. ¡°Well, hello there. Seems we interrupted something here, Rosa, babe.¡± Hearing this stranger address his little dove like that, and the insolent sneer as he appeared to look Hannah up and down made Logan¡¯s good intentions fly out of the proverbial window. ¡°Hannah, go back inside. This doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± He flicked a nce over his shoulder and groaned. If this got out the papers would have a field day, because as adorable as Hannah looked wearing nothing but his shirt, she also looked like a thoroughly fucked woman. From the whisker rash on her neck, to the faint finger marks around her delicate wrists¡ªfuck, I left bruises¡ªto the disheveled hair, the kiss-swollen lips, and the blush that stained her pale skin, she practically screamed ¡°had passionate sex¡±. ¡°You.¡± He looked back at the other man. ¡°Don¡¯t get to look at what¡¯s mine.¡± He fought the urge to nt his fist in this Jack¡¯s insolent face, and addressed his ipetent nanny instead. ¡°As for you.¡± He ran his gaze over Rosamunde¡¯s appearance. The itty bitty little skirt and low-cut blouse she was wearing were most definitely not suited for looking after Rhia. Neither had they been the clothes this woman had been wearing when he¡¯d left her in charge of the little girl. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re fired.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Rosamunde reared back as though he¡¯d hit her, and little Rhia started to cry again. ¡°What? I haven¡¯t done anything wrong. You can¡¯t do that. She wouldn¡¯t settle, and you didn¡¯t answer your phone. What else was I supposed to do? This isn¡¯t fair.¡± Her voice rose to a shrill whine, which went straight through Logan¡¯s skull. Visions of wrapping his hand around her throat, of closing off her air supply to make her shut up bombarded his brain, not helped by Jack piping up. ¡°Of course, he can¡¯t do that, babe. You have rights. I know who you are, and I have friends at the papers. They¡¯d just love to know the great Logan Bryce shagged up with some bimbo while his little girl needed him, so ¡­ argh ¡­ what the fuck?¡± The imbecile¡¯s nose gave a very satisfying crunch under Logan¡¯s knuckles, and he weed the resulting pain that shot up his hand. Rosamunde paled and screeched, which made Rhia abandon her hold on his legs. She darted under the coffee table, hands over her ears, and Logan¡¯s gut churned. Fuck it, now she looked frightened of him. As for Hannah, hands on hips she red at him, and then grabbed hold of the box of tissues, walked over and handed them to a groaning Jack. ¡°Here, use those, and for the love of God, stop screeching, woman. You¡¯re scaring the little girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scaring her. He ¡­ he hit my boyfriend. How dare he? We¡¯re gonna sue. I¡¯m gonna fight this. They warned me at the agency. Said he had a temper, but fuck this. You don¡¯t get to sack me. I quit.¡± Logan shrugged and stared the woman down. ¡°Be my guest. Don¡¯t expect me to pay you a penny, though. You were supposed to look after her, not use your time to have it off with the likes of him.¡± He snarled the words, satisfied to see them have the required effect, because the sorry excuse for a nanny gasped and took several steps back dragging her whining boyfriend with her. It wasughable, really, the fuss the guy made. At worst his nose was broken, hardly that big a deal. Logan had broken his more times than he could count in his ill-begotten youth. Adrenaline still soared through his veins, and he wanted nothing more than to get into a proper fight with the asshole. Not that he would. All mouth and no fucking trousers, clearly, because this Jack almost ran down the corridor. Logan cursed at the curious bell boy who appeared from the lifts, no doubt wondering what all themotion was about, and mmed the door shut. Rhia jumped, hit her head on the coffee table and promptly burst into renewed tears, while Hannah swore under her breath. The look she threw at him made him take a step back. If he¡¯ d thought he¡¯d seen her angry before, he hadn¡¯t seen anything yet. Little Hannah positively vibrated with fury, as she got right into his personal space and hissed at him. ¡°Jesus, Logan, I have no idea what the hell is going on, and I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t want to know, but control your temper. The poor girl is terrified. Look at her.¡± Seeing Rhia cower in fear should have been an instant bucket of water over his emotions, yet the opposite was true. It made him want to go after his unwee visitors and do some real damage. This was all their fault, damn it. Hannah¡¯s hand on his chest stalled his forward movement. Fuck, he¡¯d had his hand on the door handle. What the hell was wrong with him? Get a grip. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Hannah¡¯s whispered question got through the rage, which still had him in its firm grip, and he shook his head to clear it. ¡°Rhia.¡± ¡°Okay, stay away from her and get yourself under control. I¡¯ve got this.¡± He wanted to protest, this was nothing to do with Hannah after all, but seeing her crouch down so that she was eye-level with Rhia, and the tender smile she offered the terrified munchkin rooted him to the spot. Hannah reached out to touch the ear of the bedraggled looking floppy rabbit Rhia carried around everywhere. ¡°Hey, there, my name is Hannah. Who are you?¡± Rhia stopped crying, clutched her rabbit a little tighter to herself, and watched Hannah with red-rimmed huge eyes. ¡°What¡¯s that, I¡¯m silly, and you can¡¯t speak? Well, you¡¯re right, of course, but I bet you can talk to little Rhia here, right?¡± Hannah smiled at Rhia and then made a big show of cocking her head as though she was listening to something only she could hear. She pped her hands andughed. Rhia frowned as though Hannah had lost the plot, and maybe she had. Logan sure as hell didn¡¯t know what she was up to, but it seemed to be working at least. Rhia¡¯s tense little shoulders rxed slightly, and the death grip she had on Mr. Hoppy lessened somewhat. ¡°Yes, I think you might be right there. I just bet he does a grand job of looking after Rhia.¡± She continued to give a good impression on listening to someone. Rhia looked over to Logan, and he shrugged. A tiny smile formed on Rhia¡¯s cupid mouth, and when Logan nodded, she held Mr. Hoppy up. ¡°Mr. Hoppy wants to know who you¡¯re talking to.¡± Rhia¡¯s voice came out low and thready, but at least she was talking. Hannah sat down on the floor, giving him a tantalizing sh of her bare bottom in the process, and Logan swallowed a groan. He should rot in hell for noticing how satisfyingly red that skin still was, and her slight wince as her butt made contact with the luxury carpet shouldn¡¯t please him. Not at all. Nor should it make his palm itch to repeat that experience, before he buried himself balls deep back inside of her. Further proof if ever he needed any that he was indeed a perverted bastard, not fit to be around a child, like Rhia¡¯s grandparents imed. His mood darkened further, and he pushed those thoughts away, and concentrated on the magic that was happening right in front of his eyes. After everything she¡¯d been through Rhia didn¡¯t trust easily, yet Hannah coaxed a genuine smile from her when she started talking. ¡°Ah, well, nice to meet you, Mr. Hoppy, by the way.¡± She reached out to take one of the stuffed animal¡¯s paws, and gave it a good shake. Rhia giggled, and the tense ball of emotion which churned in Logan¡¯s gut slowly unraveled. ¡°I had a rabbit just like you when I was growing up. He sits on my bed at home, and when I listen really hard, I can hear him. He was just telling me how brave your Mr. Hoppy is, and what a good job he does looking after you. He¡¯s worried about you though, because it¡¯s reallyte, and you should be in bed. Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Hoppy?¡± Hannah smiled at the stuffed animal, and Rhia sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t like sleeping.¡± She hugged the rabbit closer, and her little bottom lip wobbled. Hannah looked toward Logan with a query in her face, and he slowly edged closer. ¡°She has bad dreams.¡± Rhia shuddered and nodded. ¡°I see, well, we can¡¯t have that. You know what always helps me to chase away the bad dreams?¡± Hannah asked as she got to her feet. She looked around the living area of the suite as though she was searching for something. Her gaze stopped at the writing bureau, and she walked across to pick up the pen and paper. ¡°I write the bad dreams down. I know you can¡¯t write yet, but perhaps you can draw them. Once I¡¯ve done that I rip the paper into lots of little pieces and flush it down the loo, and bingo. They¡¯re gone, for a little while at least.¡± She approached the coffee table Rhia was still sitting under and held out her free hand. Rhia looked from that hand to Logan and back again, and when he smiled at her, she took Hannah¡¯s hand and finally came out from under that table. ¡°Thatt¡¯a girl. Here, you sit right here on the couch and start drawing. I¡¯m just gonna talk to your daddy out there. Is that okay?¡± Hannah pointed to the veranda, which afforded breathtaking views over London at night, and then helped Rhia hop onto the settee. Seeing her tiny form on that huge, antique couch made him swallow. She shouldn¡¯t be here, should never have had to deal with any of that, as she bowed her head and started scribbling on the notepaper. ¡°K, I draw.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, munchkin.¡± Not caring about his audience, he stepped over and dropped a kiss on her curls. Rhia dropped everything in her hands and wrapped her little arms around his neck in a stranglehold, which tore at his heartstrings. He didn¡¯t deserve her love, but he would damn well make sure she was safe. He hugged her back, murmuring nonsense, and when she let him go and picked up the paper and pen again, he joined Hannah on the balcony. Arms wrapped around herself to no doubt stay warm againstR¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only the cool night air, she whirled around to face him, when he pulled the doors shut behind him. She nced toward the settee, where Rhia¡¯s head remained bowed over the notepad, and then fixed her expressive eyes on him. Oh, yes, she was still utterly furious with him, and his cock jerked in his joggers. Now was so not the time for sex, but it seemed that particr part of his anatomy had a mind of its own around Hannah. It didn¡¯t help his current state one iota that, with the light spilling out from the suite behind her, she might as well not have been wearing anything ¡°You better have a good exnation for all this, Logan. What in the hell is going on?¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Hannah¡¯s hands cramped in the tight grip she had on his shirt in an effort to not take the man by his impossibly big shoulders and shake some sense into him. Not that it would have done any good, even if she¡¯d managed to do that. Without her heels, she only reached mid-chest on him, and the coldness of the balcony was slowly seeping through the soles of her feet, adding to the shivers she didn¡¯t seem to be able to shake off. Now that the immediate adrenaline rush was wearing off, she felt the cold even more out here, but she could have hardly had this discussion in front of his daughter, and she was so not going back in that bedroom. Logan sighed, ran a hand though his messy hair, and stared out over the city view. Damn the man. Even having witnessed his temper, the violence he exhibited toward that admittedly vile man, she still wanted him. Great sex had to be addictive or something, but this right here, that little frightened girl, feverishly drawing on that couch, that was far more important than scratching any itch, and she wanted, needed answers. The silence stretched between them, heavy and oppressive, until she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Damn you, talk to me. Why is your daughter sitting on that couch, clearly terrified out of her wits, or is that none of my business, too?¡± Thatment flung over his shoulder, when she¡¯d first walked out into this mess, still stung, and Hannah hated the wobble in her voice. ¡°Rhia is not my daughter.¡± Logan didn¡¯t look at her when he said that, his voice so deep and raw,ced with pain it took her breath away. His white-knuckled grip on the railing and the way his whole body had tensed were other indications of his mental state, which made her want to reach out to him and offerfort. She resisted, however, taking refuge in the righteous anger that bubbled up inside her at his lying to her. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s your daughter. She calls you Papa, for fuck¡¯s sake, and besides she¡¯s the spitting image of you apart from her eyes. I¡¯m assuming they¡¯re her mother¡¯s. Where is she by the way? What the hell happened to that little girl, and you best tell me the truth or I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡± Logan interrupted her, and she took an involuntary step back at the fury behind those few words, as he addressed her. He looked as angry as he¡¯d been when he hit that guy, not that he hadn¡¯t deserved it. She could still feel the other man¡¯s lecherous gaze running over her, and bile rose in her throat. That look and his apanying words had made her feel so dirty, as though she¡¯d been caught doing something she shouldn¡¯t. Which simply wasn¡¯t true. There were no rules against sleeping with your boss, and gah, she was such a fucking clich¨¦. How had she ended up in this position, freezing her butt off on a balcony at the Savoy, facing down her furious boss while wearing nothing but his shirt? Her back hit the rough stone of the wall, and she swallowed hard when he closed the distance. One hand either side of her head, Logan crowded her in, and her traitorous body responded to his nearness with predictable results. At least she wasn¡¯t cold anymore, not pressed against him as she was, so close that she could feel him harden against her belly. Logan inhaled sharply and rested his forehead on hers. ¡°Why do I still fucking want you this much?¡± It wasn¡¯t a question that required an answer. It sounded more like a plea, and echoed her own frustrating emotions so clearly that her anger fled. ¡°Your daughter, she¡­¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t continue, because his entire body tensed, and a deep animalistic growl came from the big chest she was pressed against. ¡°For thest time, woman, she is not my daughter.¡± He pulled back just enough to re down on her, and there was no denying the sincerity of his reply. Hannah swallowed, licked her lips, and nodded. ¡°Fine, if she¡¯s not your daughter, then¡ª¡± ¡°She¡¯s my niece, Hannah.¡± He pulled away and stared back out over the view. ¡°I have an identical twin brother. He¡¯s currently rotting in prison for having beaten her mother into aa, so it falls to me to look after her.¡± He paused at the gasp, which Hannah couldn¡¯t help but utter, and gave a short, grim He nced into the suite, and Hannah followed suit. Rhia was still drawing. Her little tongue hade out in her concentration, and Hannah¡¯ eyes filled with tears at the horror of the situation, an echo of her own past. At least she¡¯d had her sister. Poor Rhia¡¯d had no one. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Logan swung back around, and the grief edged in his features took her breath away. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± she responded in kind, not at all sure what he was getting at. ¡°This is why I don¡¯t make a habit of telling people. They¡¯re always fucking sorry. Why? You¡¯re not the one who used his fists on her mother. You¡¯re not the one who should have seen thising. You¡¯re not the one who ignored the bruises he saw, believed the excuses, and didn¡¯t step in until it was too fucking do this now.¡± Logan¡¯s voice broke, and in a move so fast she never saw iting he punched the wall behind her. The dull thud and his apanying grunt of pain should have scared the bejesus out of her, should have made her run far away from him, but instead she grasped his fist and dropped a kiss on the swollen and bleeding knuckles. ¡°Then don¡¯t, and stop hurting yourself. You¡¯ll only scare her more than she already is, and it won¡¯t change anything. Trust me, I know.¡± Logan made a rough sound at the back of his throat and pulled his hand away. He flexed it few times and winced. ¡°You should put some ice on that,¡± Hannah said. ¡°I should do a lot of things.¡± He closed himself off again. She could almost see the bricks going up around him, as he stared off into the distance. ¡°None of this is your problem, Hannah. You didn¡¯t sign up for this, so I¡¯ll call you a cab or something. I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing, Logan Bryce. Besides, no doubt my dress is ruined, and if you think for one minute that I¡¯ll be doing the walk of shame out of here in that dress, and at this hour, you¡¯ve got another thinking.¡± His lips quirked up into the semnce of a smile at her outburst. ¡°What are you going to wear then? Leaving in my shirt will cause even more tongues to wag, I wager.¡± Some of his usual arrogance returned with that statement, and Hannah breathed a silent sigh of relief. ¡°I know that. I was more thinking that the butler service thates with these suites will be able to go and procure some jeans and a top for me once the shops are open. Lord knows, I¡¯ve dealt with the bills for that sort of thing often enough for some of our more illustrious clients who stay here, so I can¡¯t see This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. any reason why I shouldn¡¯t take advantage of that for myself. And then, there¡¯s Rhia. I promised her we¡¯d flush those bad dreams down the toilet, and she looks as though she¡¯s done.¡± Sure enough, the little girl looked up at that moment and gave an almighty yawn. ¡°She looks exhausted,¡± Logan said and then opened the doors and strode back in the living area, leaving Hannah no choice but to follow. ¡°All done, munchkin? Let me see?¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Hannah¡¯s heart gave a rather suspicious bump, seeing the two of them together, bend over whatever the little girl had drawn. The resemnce really was uncanny. Logan¡¯s jaw tightened, and that sh of pain was back when he nced up from the paper and looked at Hannah. She stepped closer and bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from reacting when she saw the drawing. As childlike as it was, there was no mistaking the emotions behind the drawings. A smaller figure was on the floor, a rather menacing lookingrger figure on top, and the paper had holes where the biro Rhia had used had gone straight through the thick note pad, showing the force she¡¯d used. A force that was echoed in the wide splodges of ck which spread out from the figure on the floor. Hannah swallowed past that huge lump of emotion lodged in her throat when it dawned on her what that must represent. She fell, rather than sat down on Rhia¡¯s opposite side and blinked away tears. Rhia traced those splodges and hugged her beloved rabbit closer with her free hand. ¡°Is that what you dreamed about, sweetie?¡± How Hannah got those words out she would never know, and she saw Logan¡¯s thighs tense in her peripheral vision. He was taking deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth, as though he was struggling to hold onto his emotions, and her heart reached out to him. None of this could be easy for him, yet he was here, looking after his niece, while dealing with his own demons. ¡°Daddy hurt Mummy. Always hurts ¡­ hear her scream in my sleep.¡± Logan shot to his feet then, and Rhia jumped. Her thumb went back in her mouth as she watched him pace to and fro like a caged lion. Hannah shot him a warning re, and he stopped that pacing and muttering and got to his haunches in front of her. He took Rhia¡¯s little hands in his. ¡°Shall we try what Hannah said? Rip up this bad dream and flush it away?¡± Rhia gave a tiny nod, followed by another huge yawn, and he scooped her up in his big arms. ¡°Well then let¡¯s do that. Will you do the honors, please?¡± Hannah, too, rose and smiled at the wide-eyed little girl, as she ripped the piece of paper in half. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡± By the time they¡¯d made a big production of tearing the drawings into gazillions of pieces, and helped Rhia flush everyst piece down the toilet, she was falling asleep in Logan¡¯s arms. The gentle way he carried her through to the spare bedroom, tugged her under the covers, and dropped a kiss first on Mr. Hoppy¡¯s head and then hers¡ªclearly a well-established part of their bedtime routine¡ªmade Hannah want to cry in earnest. Rhia looked so terribly small and fragile in that big bed all by herself. When Logan didn¡¯t seem to want to leave her, Hannah made herself scarce and made her way back into the living area. The bowl of strawberries and the bottle of champagne, still somewhat cold in its cooler, called her, and she helped herself. The bubbles exploded on her tongue, and she was in the process of biting into one of the lush fruits when Logan reappeared. His tense features rxed when he saw her, and he grinned. Azy, far too dangerous to her hormones smile, as he stalked across the room to her. ¡°Ah, I¡¯d forgotten all about those.¡± He tugged the half-eaten strawberry out of her hands and popped it in his own mouth. ¡°I had all sorts of wicked things nned for those.¡± Hannah knew her own mouth had fallen open, but really, what was she to make of that? A cry from the room Rhia was sleeping in broke the sexually charged moment. Logan made a move back to the room, but nothing further was heard, and he stopped, uncertainty written all over his features. ¡°Leave her. I think she¡¯s still asleep. She¡¯ll eventually stop having these. I¡¯m assuming she¡¯s having counseling?¡± Logan sighed, abandoned the champagne, and poured himself a far too generous measure of whisky. He downed the amber liquid in one go and poured himself another. ¡°I¡¯d go easy on that. You want to hear her if she has another nightmare, right?¡± The ss stopped halfway to his mouth, Logan swore, and then mmed the heavy crystal back on the sideboard with so much force Hannah was surprised it didn¡¯t break into smithereens. ¡°Fuck it.¡± He turned around, parked his butt on the edge, and crossed his arms over his chest. It exposed another tattoo on the underside of his arm. udia followed by a broken heart. With sudden insight, Hannah kne w just who that must have been, and stepping closer, she ran her fingertip over the ink. ¡°Her mother?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, I had it done after ¡­ well, when it became apparent she wasn¡¯t going to wake up. They turned off her life support, but she confounded everyone by breathing on her own. It shouldn¡¯t be possible with the amount of damage her brain sustained, yet there it is. So, now she¡¯s caught in limbo, and we wait.¡± It was on the tip of her tongue to say how sorry she was again, but the bruised knuckles of his hand stopped her. He wouldn¡¯t appreciate empty titudes, and that¡¯s all that would be. ¡°Is there any chance she might wake up?¡± she asked instead. Logan shrugged and shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s defied the odds so far, but I can¡¯t see how. There¡¯s always a slight heart rate elevation when I bring Rhia to visit her, so we think she has some awareness, but who the fuck knows?¡± A heavy silence fell between them, and it was Hannah¡¯s turn to sigh. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Sorry, I promised you a night of fun, and you get all this.¡± Hannah offered him a wobbly smile. ¡°It was fun, and this isn¡¯t your fault. It really isn¡¯t.¡± When he didn¡¯t answer her, just ran his injured hand through his hair and grimaced as though he was in pain, Hannah rolled her eyes. The ice in the champagne bucket had melted, but this was the Savoy. Aware of his quietly watching her, she marched over to the phone and pressed the button for reception. ¡°Yes, hello, I¡¯m ringing from Logan Bryce¡¯s suite. Could you please bring up some more ice, urgently? Oh, and a clean hand towel? I know it¡¯s the middle of the night, but¡­¡± A politeugh came down the phone line. ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem at all, madam. Anything else we can help you with?¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Oh, to heck with it. In for a penny in for a pound and all that. ¡°Actually, yes there is. Could someone purchase some jeans and a in t-shirt for me when the shops are open, please. Size 14, petite lengths in the jeans.¡± She threw Logan a nce, somewhat embarrassed at having to say her size in front of him, but the man had explored every inch of her already. He knew full well she wasn¡¯t a stick insect model type, and he seemed to like her body well enough. Sure enough, his gaze grew heated as he ran it slowly over her body, and Hannah ended the phone call rather more breathlessly than when she started it. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for the clothes of course.¡± Logan shook his head. ¡°Not a chance. The state of your dress is my fault, after all.¡± Hannah wanted to argue, but the knock on the door stopped her. Logan strolled across to open it and then stepped aside to let the tired looking bellboy push in the trolley containing arge bucket of ice and several folded hand towels. ¡°Just leave it there, thank you.¡± Logan walked over to the chair which held his tuxedo jacket, pulled out his wallet, and handed the youngster a bill. ¡°For your time.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The young man who couldn¡¯t be a day over eighteen, bowed, nced at Hannah, blushed, and hightailed it out the room. Logan¡¯s amusedughter washed over her, as she stepped up and wrapped a generous handful of ice in one of the towels. ¡°I do believe the poord didn¡¯t know where to look, not that I can me him. You look hot in that shirt ¡­ ouch.¡± Hannah pped the ice on his hand with much more force than was necessary, and grinned up at him when he red at her. ¡°You are full of shite, Logan Bryce. Now hold still and let the ice take down the swelling.¡± Logan grumbled something and tugged her hair behind her ear with his uninjured hand. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°And you, sweet little Hannah, have a decidedly bossy streak.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t you forget it.¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 A much morefortable silence fell between them, while Hannah fussed over his hand. The woman constantly amazed him. He would have expected her to hightail it out of the suite the minute Rhia had been asleep, yet here she was taking care of him. She wasn¡¯t stupid or reckless, so he could only assume that she deemed him not to be threat. His hopeful mood evaporated like mist on a summer¡¯s morning, when she pulled his hand under the light of the sidemp to presumably see it better. ¡°There, that¡¯s better. The swelling has gone a down a lot. You might just be able to use that properly tomorrow. Seriously, don¡¯t go around bashing walls. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡± He could hear the teasing note in her voice, and sure enough she was smiling when she looked up at him, a smile that faltered as she took in his expression. Logan turned her hand over and locked his jaw as the extent of her bruising became visible under the light. He traced his thumb over that digit¡¯s imprint left behind in her pale skin, and shook his head. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± The thump to his chest with her free hand took him by surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. That¡¯s nothing, and I bruise far too easily anyway. I rather like them.¡± He reared back, sure she must be having him on, but Hannah traced the remnants of his possession This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. on her skin and sure enough her lips curved into a fond smile. ¡°I know, it¡¯s not politically correct and all that jazz, but I liked you going all caveman on me. Trust me, if I hadn¡¯t I¡¯d have told you. And before you ask, no, I can¡¯t exin why, and it doesn¡¯t really matter, but these are the fun kind of bruises. Trust me, I know the difference.¡± Her voice wobbled on thest few words, which added to the bad feeling he was having about all this. ¡°Meaning?¡± He didn¡¯t mean that one word toe out quite so forcefully, and, sure enough she jumped and took a step away from him. Logan cursed under his breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. He was so fucking tired of all this shit. ¡°Forgive me, I just need to know that you¡¯re truly okay with this. I didn¡¯t mean to¡ªFuck.¡± He stopped talking and downed that measure of whisky after all, the burn down his throat a wee distraction from the churning unease in his gut. Hannah sighed and stepping closer took that ss off of him. ¡°I¡¯m okay with this, truly.¡± She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, when he looked at her, a sure sign that she was mulling something over, and then she straightened her shoulders as though she¡¯de to a decision. She looked toward the closed to door of Rhia¡¯s room and nodded. ¡°She¡¯ll be okay, too, you¡¯ll see. It will take time, but with your love and stability she¡¯ll get over the nightmares.¡± Logan snorted in answer. ¡°You assume me to be capable of love.¡± Little Hannah rounded on him, hands on hip, and he swallowed a groan. She had no idea how beautiful she looked when she got all riled up like this. It made him want to fuck her all over again, but with his niece sleeping fitfully mere yards away, he really would be a bastard on act on that impulse. Besides, Hannah was his employee, and they¡¯d muddied the waters enough. It was best to end this right here and now. Especially as he got the distinct impression that losing himself in her luscious body again would only give him ideas. He shouldn¡¯t crave a repeat experience so soon. Rather than fuck her out his system, he seemed to have achieved the opposite. What the fuck was that all about? Usually, once he¡¯d fucked a woman he couldn¡¯t wait to get rid of her. What made Hannah so damn different, other than the somewhat fraught circumstances of Rhia¡¯s arrival, of course? That had to be the reason why he felt so out of sorts. All the more reason to distance himself. Morning couldn¡¯te soon enough all of a sudden. ¡°Don¡¯t be an ass, of course you love her. That much is obvious, and she loves you, too. You just need to find the right nanny for her. Why does she have one anyway? Surely, she¡¯s old enough to go nursery. There¡¯s an excellent Montessori one not too far from work. I think she¡¯d thrive there. Not cheap, but money is hardly an issue for you.¡± She nced around the opulent surroundings of his suite with a smirk, and he shrugged. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that.¡± Hannah rolled her eyes at him, a move which made his hand itch to spank that insolence out of her, but he didn¡¯t have the right to do so. She might consent to some erotic fun in the bedroom, but out of it was an entirely different matter. Even more reason to distance himself, because this woman made him wish for things that could never be. ¡°Clearly not. Seriously though, it worked wonders for my sister. She¡¯s thirteen years younger than me, and well, I¡¯ve been looking after her since she was born. My mother¡­¡± Her voice hitched, and she didn¡¯t look at him when she continued speaking. ¡°Let¡¯s just say she wasn¡¯t much of a mother. I managed to get Sarah into our local Montessori with the help of the social workers, and she thrived there, away from the violence at home, you know.¡± All the puzzle pieces clicked into shape in his head, he blew out a breath, not at all sure what to say to that, so he simply nodded. ¡°Anyway, it could have been worse. Her good for nothing boyfriends never hit Sarah, at least. I didn¡¯t fare quite so well, but I learned pretty quickly to stay out of the way. Wardrobes were our friends, too. We used to pretend we escaped to Narnia.¡± He swore under his breath, and his fingers itched anew to do some real damage on her behalf, but that wouldn¡¯t achieve anything. Instead he crossed his arms over his chest and forced himself to simply listen. He owed her that much, and he instinctively knew that she didn¡¯t talk about this often. ¡°I left home with Sarah the minute I turned sixteen. Got a job at Premiere Events in the mailroom of all ces.¡± Sheughed and nced his way. ¡°Then I¡¯m sure you know that, after studying my personnel file.¡± Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Logan grinned and shrugged. ¡°I was very impressed by that resume by the way. It¡¯s how I knew this auction idea of yours would work. Of course, I didn¡¯t n on this.¡± He gestured between them and rather enjoyed the way Hannah¡¯s cheeks turned pink. ¡°So, this wasn¡¯t all just an exercise in getting into my knickers then?¡± she asked. Logan threw his head back andughed. ¡°No, though once I saw you up for auction I had to have you.¡± He sobered and tapped her nose. ¡°Just for tonight, of course. I meant what I said about this having no effect on our standing at work.¡± Hannah blew out a breath and nodded. ¡°Right, well, it¡¯ste, or should that be early? We should probably get some sleep. I¡¯ll be out of your hair the minute they bring me my clothes in the morning.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush.¡± Even to his own ears the words sounded hollow. Hannah must have thought the same because she shook her head. ¡°Oh, but there is. I wouldn¡¯t want Rhia to get the wrong idea. We both know what tonight was, so let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± Logan nodded, surprised and irritated by the pang he felt at her words. It was usually him delivering the speech. Hearing her sum up what they¡¯d shared as though it was nothing out of the ordinary grated. Then again, for all he knew she did this all the time. He had no idea about Hannah Watson¡¯s private life, and his previous assumptions about her had been all wrong. The thought of his little dove indulging in an active sex life, quite possibly of a kinky sort, made his blood boil. It wasn¡¯t like him to be possessive, and he was all too aware of the double standard, but fuck him. ¡°What happened to your mother, I mean?¡± The minute he asked that question he wanted to take that back, because Hannah¡¯s face dropped. What the hell was he doing, asking personal questions like that? ¡°Forget, I ask, it¡¯s none of my business, after all, and you¡¯re right, we should get some sleep. You can use the main bedroom. I¡¯ll stay with Rhia. That way I¡¯ll be on hand if she has another nightmare.¡± Hannah nodded. ¡°That sounds a good n. As for my mother, she went the way most addicts go. Died of an overdose.¡± He whistled through his teeth, and she shrugged. ¡°It was always going to happen, well that, or she¡¯d have been beaten to death by one of her boyfriends. If I had a penny for every time she thought herself ¡®in lurve¡¯.¡± She mimed quotation marks around those two words and winced. ¡°Every new one was going to the ¡®the one¡¯. Beyond ridiculous really, but she did do me one favor. It cured me of looking for love. Lust, well that¡¯s true enough. Not sure I believe in love anymore.¡± A wealth of hidden pain came through with those words, and Logan shifted on his feet. This was all a bit too close to home, but it sure as hell exined her reaction to his situation. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s all ancient history. I couldn¡¯t help her, but I saved my sister.¡± Her face lit up in a smile. ¡°She recently graduated, is a teacher at that school I mentioned by the way, so ask after Sarah Watson if you decide to go down that route. Tell her I sent you, and she¡¯ll get Rhia in. They usually have long waiting lists, but they always make room for special cases, and you know, they need a new roof. It leaks, so I¡¯m sure a generous donation will help to persuade the head teacher to find a space, too.¡± She winked at Logan, and heughed. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Money talks and all that, right?¡± ¡°Right, anyway, that¡¯s enough of my sad story. If I don¡¯t see you in the morning, thank you for ¡­ well you know.¡± There she went with that endearing blush again, but before he could say or do anything, she¡¯d walked away. The click of the bedroom door sounded too loud in the quiet night air, and Logan did the only sensible thing he could do under the circumstances. Joined his niece and tried his best to forget all about little Hannah Watson. Morning couldn¡¯te soon enough for Hannah. After tossing and turning for hours she gave up on sleep the minute the sun crept above the horizon. Having made full use of the shower, she felt marginally better, even if the faint marks left on her tender butt gave her renewed palpitations. As did the state of her dress, and her knickers. The dress was indeed ruined. She doubted even the best dry cleaners could get those stains out. Then again, she would never have worn it again anyway, not with all these memories attached. It was bad enough that she would have to face Logan back at worke Monday morning. Knowing what the man looked like underneath his suits, and having experienced what he could do with his body, and thoserge hands ¡­ she grew wet all over again. Hannah stared at her reflection in the mirror while she scrubbed her knickers in the sink, and sighed. Face it, girl. If it wasn¡¯t for Rhia, you¡¯d be jumping his bones again in an instant. The urge to check up on both man and child was like a thorn in her side, but that wasn¡¯t her ce. So, instead, she used the hair dryer to dry her underwear, and having helped herself to some instant coffee, she waited for the knock on the suite door. Fortunately, neither Logan nor Rhia stirred, before the butler service delivered fresh clothes with a polite smile. Suitably clothed and impossible heels in hand, she made her way downstairs and into a cab without further incident. She highly doubted her return to work would be as uneventful. Having spent Sunday quietly pottering about her t, and not thinking about her far too sexy and enigmatic boss¡ªnone of her business what he and Rhia got up to today¡ªMonday morning came all too soon. It was with a certain amount of trepidation that Hannah approached the office. Ignoring the knowing smirks from those who had been at the auction proved easy enough, and she breathed a far too audible sigh of relief, when she saw Logan¡¯s office was empty. It wasn¡¯t like him to not be in at the crack of dawn, but then again, he was probably busy sorting out suitable childcare for Rhia. Sarah had been surprised at Hannah¡¯s phone call to alert her to the possibility of Logan needing a nursery space for his niece. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s something. Thanks, sis. I¡¯ll let Aubrey know in the morning. Perfect timing, too, because we¡¯re losing a major benefactor, as he¡¯s moving back to Saudi. So, if your boss does ring, I¡¯m sure we can find the girl a ce. How did you find out about his niece anyway? Come on, spill. I mean I¡¯ve seen the pictures, but¡­¡± Sarah had giggled down the phone, and Hannah had wanted the ground to swallow her up. ¡°What pictures? What on earth are you talking about?¡± ¡°Chill, sis, I¡¯m just pulling your leg, and I forget you don¡¯t read the papers. George has just been winding me up about it, saying I should have inveigled an invite out of you. Congrats, sis, the auction seems to have been a huge sess, and all the Sunday papers have covered it. I take it your job is safe now?¡± ¡°Right, yes, of course.¡± Hannah had rolled her eyes and crossed her fingers behind her back, even though her sister couldn¡¯t see her. ¡°As for my job, I guess so. How is that illustrious fianc¨¦ of yours anyway? We must get together soon. I haven¡¯t seen either one of you in ages.¡± Sarah hadughed, and George had shouted a hello down the phone. At least her sister had her love life sorted out. Her fianc¨¦, George Manning, was a hardworking, no-nonsense builder, who worshipped the ground Sarah walked on, and they were saving up to get married sometime next year. ¡°Well, whose fault is that? I get your boss is a ve driver, a very handsome one from what I can see in the pictures, but ya know, live a little, girl.¡± Hannah smiled, recalling that conversation now, a smile that slipped when a furious Monique appeared at the desk next to hers. ¡°He¡¯s not going to get away with this.¡± She bashed things about in the process of emptying the contents of her desk into the box she¡¯d ced on top of it and red at Hannah. ¡°This is all your fucking fault.¡± Hannah reared back at the sheer vitriol behind that statement. Face contorted into an ugly caricature of her normal self, spittle flew out of Monique¡¯s mouth as she addressed Hannah. ¡°Now, listen up, I¡¯ve juste in, and I¡¯ve no idea what on earth you¡¯re going on about, so¡ª¡± ¡°Juste in, your fat ass. What? Too busy getting another shag in with the boss, were you? I see he isn¡¯t in ei ther. Fucking asshole, can¡¯t even sack me to my face. He had HR do it, and those Neanderthals are to escort me off the premises.¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Monique swung her stapler through the air, and for one horrifying minute, Hannah thought she was going to throw that office implement at the two somber looking security guards, who were indeed standing watch by the office entrance. The older one of them, Sean¡ªHannah stopped to chat to the sweet old guy every day on her way in¡ªshe loved hearing him talk about his grandkids¡¯test antics¡ª winced at Monique¡¯s outburst. Poor Sean had worked here even longer than Hannah had and was due to retire soon. He so didn¡¯t need this on a Monday morning. His younger sidekick, whose name escaped Hannah right now, a new addition to the team, employed by Logan himself, stepped forward. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to physically remove you from the premises right now, you¡¯ll start behaving. Your conduct is unbing.¡± He crossed his arms over his massive chest, and Hannah swallowed hard. There was no doubt in her mind that he would follow through on that threat, but Monique took no notice. ¡°Hah, that¡¯s rich, my conduct? I¡¯m not the one who got herself a promotion by sleeping with the new boss. That would be all Miss Goody Two Shoes here.¡± A collective murmur went around the open n office, and Hannah wanted the ground to swallow her whole. This was exactly what she¡¯d been afraid of happening. ¡°How dare you, Monique. I won that proposal fair and square, and if you¡¯re being sacked you only have yourself to me for your conduct at the auction. Last time I checked falsifying records was a sackable offence. You didn¡¯t think of that when you decided to put me on the auction block, did you?¡± ¡°Hah, as if you cared about that. Just gave you another in with the boss, or is this where you going to tell me he forked ten grand out just for the privilege of holding your fucking hand? Admit it, you slept with him.¡± It was on the tip of her tongue to refute that notion, but that would have been a lie, so Hannah reined in her temper and turned her back on the raging woman. ¡°I¡¯ve got work to get on with, and I shan¡¯t dignify that with an answer.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s the truth, that¡¯s why. Get off me, you oaf.¡± Hannah did her best to block out the other woman¡¯s ranting and raving, which carried on all the way out the office. She could still be heard through the open windows, once she was on the street, and Hannah R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only groaned under her breath. ¡°Well, that was enlightening.¡± Rosemary, who had been PA to the previous boss for thest twenty years, and had retained her position under Logan, smiled at Hannah once themotion had died down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, none of us really think that. You¡¯re one of the hardest working employees here, and it was about time that got recognized. Say what you will about Mr. Bryce, he recognizes and rewards talent when he sees it. Monique isn¡¯t the only one who got called into HR first thing. Herringey from ounts got a dressing down, too, from what I can gather, so rx. This will all blow over. You¡¯ll see.¡± Hannah smiled back at the older woman, and nced at Logan¡¯s empty office. ¡°He won¡¯t be in today for personal reasons he said.¡± Rosemary¡¯s exnation didn¡¯t make Hannah feel any better about the situation, and her unease only grew as the week wore on and there was still no sign of Logan at the office. Lord only knew what was going on. His continued absence had nothing to do with Rhia, at least. Sarah had been gushing down the phone about the little girl and Logan¡¯s extremely generous donation, which had earned the mite a ce straightaway. Money most definitely did talk, and for once Hannah was d that it did. That little girl needed some stability in her life rather badly, and there was no one better equipped than Sarah to help her. ¡°She¡¯s a sweetheart, and she¡¯s finally stopped calling me Hannah. Is there something you¡¯re not telling me about you and your uber-handsome boss, who by the way has been asking a lot of questions about you, too?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to tell, and what do you mean, what sort of questions?¡± Sarah¡¯s giggle down the phone had done sweet FA to calm Hannah¡¯s growing indigestion, whenever she thought of Logan Bryce. ¡°Oh, just the usual, did you have a boyfriend type of questions? I didn¡¯t tell him anything private, don¡¯t worry. But he likes you.¡± Hannah had done her very best to dismiss that notion. If he liked her that much, then why wasn¡¯t he at the office? It was almost as though he was avoiding her, which was ridiculous. So much for this not affecting their working rtionship. When he did eventually swan in four dayster, she was in the middle of a phone call with one of their most important clients. How she managed to keep talking and make any sense at all was something of a miracle because Logan made a beeline straight for her, red when he saw she was busy, and all but snarled his instructions at her. ¡°My office, asap. Finish that call.¡± When she shook her head, and mouthed the client¡¯s name at him, he growled under his breath, yanked the phone out of her hand, and ended the phone call for her. ¡°Logan Bryce here. Hannah will have to call you back. Something¡¯se up.¡± He mmed the phone back on its receiver so hard, it bounced straight off again with an ominous internal rattle. ¡°Rosemary, get maintenance on that.¡± Logan ran a hand through his hair, which made the dark strands look even more messy, and grasping Hannah by the elbow yanked her out of the cubicle. ¡°I said my office, Hannah, unless you want us to have this conversation in full view of everyone.¡± His fingers dug into her arm with enough force to leave bruises, and Hannah swallowed nervously when his brooding attention settled on her. He looked¡­ Well, he looked awful, truth be told. The deep purple smudges under his eyes indicated a man who must have gone days without proper sleep. He had at least three days¡¯ worth of beard growth on his jaw, and as for his clothing¡­ Hannah had never seen him in anything but immactely tailored suits at the office, yet he was in scruffy jeans and a stained t-shirt, which clung to his muscled torso and showed off his tats to the world. No wonder the office had fallen silent. Never mind his odd behavior, the way he looked would be enough to send tongues wagging anew. Damn the man. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 ¡°Stop manhandling me and I¡¯lle. What on earth is the matter with you?¡± She hissed the words to him under her breath, all too aware that everyone was staring and she was adding fuel to the rumor mill, but she wasn¡¯t just going to let him drag away from her desk like some caveman. Regardless of the fact that her heart leapt in excitement at seeing him, and she wanted nothing more than to smooth away that deep frown line over his eyes, as he continued to glower down on her. Logan inhaled sharply, looked around as though he was just realizing they had an audience, and released her. ¡°Move, Ms. Watson. We have things to discuss.¡± He stalked away from her and mmed the door to his office shut behind him. The whole structure wobbled, and a picture frame fell off the wall next to his partition. ¡°Goodness, what on earth? You best follow him, but are you going to be all right, my dear?¡± Rosemary¡¯s concerned voice shook Hannah out of her Logan-induced haze, and she forced a smile on her face for the older woman¡¯s benefit. ¡°Yes, of course, I will be.¡± As she knocked on his door and heard his holler toe in she wasn¡¯t at all sure of that fact, however. She rather felt as though she was entering the lion¡¯s den, about to be torn to shreds. Chapter Six Hannah looked parts terrified, parts furious, when she stepped through that door. She also looked good enough to eat. Now that he knew what exactly she was hiding under her sensible work clothes, his hands itched to strip her out of that blouse and to reacquaint himself with her lush curves. A body which had haunted his dreams ever since that night, and despite the mess he was dealing with right now, had him waking up hard and horny when he did manage to sleep. He had n¡¯t jacked off this damn much since his teenage years. The damn woman had bewitched him. Sure enough, his cock rose to greet her the minute her sweet, flowery scent filled his office. ¡°Finally, what took you so long? Shut the door, will you.¡± He grimaced at the rough timbre of his voice, and reached to adjust his dick away from the zipper of his jeans. If she noticed his state, she made no mention, just shut the door and faced him hands on hip. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m here. What in all that¡¯s holy did you think you were doing out there? Lord only knows how I¡¯m going to smooth things over with Jenkinson and Co. now. They¡¯ve been dithering about signing back on again as it is, and you treat him like that? Seriously, what in the ever-loving hell¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Logan brought his clenched fists down on the desk, and Hannah visibly jumped. She didn¡¯t back down, however, but took a step closer, pped both of her hands down on the mahogany surface, too, and got right in his face. The action afforded him an unrivaled view down her blouse, thanks to her having left the two top buttons loose for once, and he groaned. ¡°If you can¡¯t behave in a sensible manner, then I¡¯m leaving.¡± She straightened back up and would have made good on that threat, had he not sped her wrists in his hands and held on. Her pulse jumped under his fingertips, and her gasp was music to his ears. She did still want him then. That would work in his favor when he made his proposal. And that was all this would be. Business. Logan prided himself on achieving his goals with the minimum amount of fuss, and Hannah was a means to an end. One that he had every intention of enjoying, but a necessary move regardless. All he had to do was make her see the advantages for her. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Let me worry over Jenkinson. Let him walk for all I care. There¡¯s plenty more like him in the shark pond.¡± Hannah yanked on his hands and rolled her eyes. ¡°Easy for you to say, but I worked hard on that ount and¡ª¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll work equally as hard on another one, if he decides to walk, which I highly doubt. The man is all bluster, and besides, I have a different business proposal for you.¡± He released her this time, and Hannah straightened slowly, almost warily, while she regarded him through narrow eyes. ¡°Good to know you still care about Premiere Events. Seriously, where have you been? You said that night wouldn¡¯t affect our working rtionship, yet you sack Monique, put Herringey on notice, and then stay away leaving me to deal with all the gossip. And if that wasn¡¯t enough.¡± She nced out at the office crowd, just about visible through the partially drawn blinds, and sighed, before she turned her back on them. ¡°You then march in here, looking like this, manhandling me in front of everyone, and damagingpany property to boot. What in the hell are you thinking? Or were you thinking at all? That night might not have meant anything, and lord knows I don¡¯t expect you to dere your undying love or any of that nonsense, but don¡¯t I deserve to be shown some respect? Damn you, Logan, this just confirms what everyone¡¯s been saying. I¡¯ve worked too hard for this to all unravel now, because of you.¡± Her voice started to wobble on thest few words, and she wrapped her arms around herself and blinked as though she was on the verge of tears. Seeing her this upset made him want to leap to his feet, wrap her up in his arms, and kiss her senseless. His little dove wouldn¡¯t appreciate that one bit, though, and it would start their negotiations on entirely the wrong footing. So, he stayed put instead, stapled his hands in front of his face and raised his eyebrows. ¡°When you¡¯ve quite finished berating me, need I remind you of the fact that I am your boss, and strictly speaking talking to me like that, could get you reprimanded by HR?¡± Hannah opened her mouth as though to let rip¡ªshe certainly looked furious with the flush in her cheeks and her little frame positively vibrating in front of his eyes¡ªbut she mmed her mouth shut and settled for ring at him. If looks could kill, he¡¯d have to pick out his coffin. Logan smiled to himself, and Hannah threw her hand up in the air. ¡°You are too much. If I didn¡¯t need this job, I¡¯d hand in my freaking notice. You know what? Have it. This is not going to work out, is it? What¡¯s so damn funny, Mr. Bryce?¡± ¡°Nothing at all. I was just thinking that I¡¯ll dly ept your resignation, because you certainly won¡¯t be needing this job. My wife does not have to work.¡± Chapter 22 Chapter 22 It was rather satisfying to see her lips move silently, and to hear her sharp intake of breath, as he rounded his desk, and one hand on her shoulder, pushed her down into the chair facing it. ¡°Sit down, Ms. Watson, before you fall down. Surely that idea is not that abhorrent? We know we¡¯ll be Rhia. My solicitor is of the opinion that my single status would go against me in the hearings, and then there is the small matter of my ex-nanny and her boyfriend. He¡¯s threatening to press charges, and as I refuse to be ckmailed by him, that will be another dark mark against me. Marrying a respectable young woman like you will negate all of that, especially with your history. My temper can¡¯t be that bad, right, if you¡¯re willing to marry me. We¡¯ll have to pretend to be love¡¯s young dream, of course, but the auction and all the gossip since will work in our favor there. I¡¯ll simply pretend I fell in love at first sight and this was a whirlwind romance.¡± He paused, aware of how perfectly still Hannah had be. Were it not for her uneven breaths, and her pulse beating erratically at the base of her throat you¡¯d have been forgiven to think she¡¯d turned into a statue. Logan frowned. This wasn¡¯t going at all like he¡¯d envisaged it in his mind. While he hadn¡¯t expected her to fall at his feet, this non-response was odd. ¡°You¡¯ll be handsomely reimbursed, of course. There are certain privileges with being Mrs. Logan Bryce.¡± The resulting p to his face packed punch. Fortunately, he managed to block the next one, as Hannah¡¯s fury unleashed on him. ¡°How fucking dare you? I told you before I¡¯m not for sale.¡± **** Logan¡¯s astonishment at her outburst would have beenical had she not been at the receiving end of this colossal joke. And it had to be a joke. He couldn¡¯t really expect her to go along with this, could he? ¡°When did I ever say you were, Hannah? This is a simple business transaction. I need a wife. You¡¯re single. We¡¯re a good sexual match, so having to appear as though I can¡¯t keep my hands off of you will not require a lot of acting. Here.¡± He took her hand and ced it firmly on his groin. His dick twitched at the contact, and he smirked at Hannah¡¯s sharp intake of breath in reaction. ¡°This is what you do to me. I can¡¯t get you out of my freaking head, and I don¡¯t want to. Not until this thing between us burns itself out, and it will. In the meantime, we can have some fun, and ensure Rhia gets to stay with me and not¡­¡± Hannah yanked her hand out of his grasp, and Logan swore under his breath. ¡°Don¡¯t make this about Rhia. Don¡¯t you dare do that. Of course, she¡¯s going to stay with you. Who else would step up? You¡¯re family and¡ª¡± ¡°Not the only one. Rhia¡¯s grandparents are the Lord and Lady Franningham and outstanding pirs of society, if you ignore the fact that they¡¯re cold-hearted snobs. If they got hold of Rhia, she¡¯d be shipped off to boarding schools and ignored all her life like udia was. I¡¯d hate to see the light in her eyes dimmed, because she¡¯d had to conform, or be disowned like her mother was for taking up with the trash¡ªthat would be me, by the way.¡± He smiled grimly at her sharp intake of breath. ¡°Not that we were ever anything more than friends, but I was a bad influence, of course. The tattooed biker from the wrong end of town. How dare Iy a finger on their precious daughter, right?¡± Hannah smiled at this confirmation of her secret fantasies, and Logan stopped talking and frowned at her. Btedly, she realized what he must be thinking and rushed to correct him. ¡°I¡¯m not smiling at that. They were clearly asses, just the fact you owned a bike.¡± She didn¡¯t continue, far too aware of the blush stealing into her cheeks. ¡°Meaning, little dove?¡± His voice dropped to that growly whisper which was a sure-fire signal for her hormones to do theire-to-mama-dance. She couldn¡¯t hide her body¡¯s involuntary shiver as the never far away sexual tension between them jumped to life like a spring released from its box. ¡°Nothing, nothing at all, and stop it.¡± Hannah pushed him back¡ªwhen had he gotten so close?¡ªand he perched his butt on the desk in front of her. When he crossed his arms over his chest and cocked that darn eyebrow, she simply melted inside. Damn his arrogance and the effect he had on her. ¡°Need I remind you what happens to naughty little girls who don¡¯t answer my questions?¡± He dropped his voice further to that deep, gravelly whisper which acted like a live wire straight to her libido. ¡°I¡¯m not ¡­ you wouldn¡¯t ¡­ we¡¯re in the office, for God¡¯s sake.¡± Hannah was painfully aware that her protests came out far too feeble and porn star breathy like, but, jeez ¡­ if he kept this up she¡¯d have to start carrying around spare knickers. ¡°I have just proposed to you, woman. Do you honestly think being at the office would stop me from putting you over my knee? I can do anything I damn well please with my fianc¨¦e.¡± He smirked at her sharp intake of breath. ¡°Especially as the mere thought of my hand on your delicious butt makes you wet.¡± Hannah opened her mouth to deny that ridiculous notion, and his smile grew all kinds of sinful. ¡°Deny it all you want, my sweet, but your body gives you away.¡± He reached across and flicked his fingers over one and then the other nipple, and Hannah gasped. Those traitorous little nubs hardened, strained against the confines of her bra, and she barely resisted the urge to squeeze her thighs together to relieve the ache in her pussy. Her internal muscles clenched under his mocking scrutiny, and if she got any wetter, he would be able to smell her arousal.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 With as much dignity as she could manage, Hannah somehow managed to stand. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree, Mr. Bryce, and tal king to me like that at my workce is akin to sexual harassment. I¡¯m just going to go and pretend we never had this conversation.¡± She got as far as opening the door, before he was on top of her. One hand on the door, he mmed it shut, and the other hand on her abdomen pulled her back into hisrge frame. His hot breath ghosted across the sensitive skin of her neck, and she swallowed a moan at the feel of his long, hard erection pressing against her back. She couldn¡¯t move, could scarce breathe, because his mere presence overpowered her. Traces of the cologne he wore, yet clearly hadn¡¯t applied this morning, mixed in with the virile essence of unkempt male. The predator under the guise of the gentleman, who she had no doubt would make good on his promise to spank her ass right here in the office and damn the consequences. That really shouldn¡¯t be such a huge turn-on, and had he carried on like this, she may well have managed to resist him, but he nuzzled into her neck, and she could feel the tension in his body. The sheer desperation in which he held her, breathed against her skin, and rested his head against hers. ¡°Please, stay. I need you. We need you.¡± That gruff plea and the admission which he ground out through clenched teeth, did her in. There was a world of hurt behind those few words. ¡°I can¡¯t lose Rhia.¡± Images of the little dark-haired cherub flooded her mind, and Hannah swore under her breath. ¡°I told you not to make this about her. It¡¯s not fair, she¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°But this is all about her, don¡¯t you see?¡± He released her, and bereft of his body heat, Hannah shivered. Her hand tightened on the door handle, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to use it and turned around slowly, to see him slumped back behind his desk. Her heart ached, seeing him this dejected, as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. ¡°Fine, exin this to me then. Why are you so set against Rhia going to live with her grandparents?¡± His head shot up, and the silent anger in his dark gaze made her stomach flip over. ¡°How about the fact that Rhia has no idea who the fuck they are? They disowned udia, told her never to darken their door again. She still extended the olive branch, invited them to the wedding, and then Rhia¡¯s christening. I told her not to bother, they would nevere, and they didn¡¯t, of course. Rick, he¡­¡± He trailed off, ran an unsteady hand through his hair, and shook his head. ¡°From what I can gather that was the first time he hit her.¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t help her jerk in reaction, and Logan¡¯s smile in answer didn¡¯t reach his eyes. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Rick didn¡¯t want Rhia christened at all. He hated anything to do with church, so much so, that he robbed udia of her dream of the big white wedding¡ªthey got married at Gretna, I kid you not.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s ¡­ did they elope then? Do folks still do that?¡± Loganughed. ¡°She was pregnant by then, and she wanted to get married before she showed, so my asshole brother convinced her this was the best way. It was shabby and cheap, but she was happy at least. Me, I could have strung him up. So many better ces to get married quickly, but I digress. I talked him into the christening. Stressed how important it was to her, and he seemed okay with it. Little did I know that he was venting his frustrations privately on her with his fists.¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes filled with tears at the scenario he was describing and the weight of guilt which made his voice hoarse. ¡°You¡¯re not responsible for your brother¡¯s actions, you know. You couldn¡¯t have known he¡ª¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± That one word sliced through the air like a whip. His hands clenched around the armrests of his leather chair in a white knuckled grip, and he blew out several long breaths, before he rxed his hold. ¡°We both have a temper. His has always been more vtile than mine, or rather, he never really took the time to control it. Rick thrives on confrontation. Then again when you fight for a living, you have no reason to rein in your temper. He was a rising MMA fighter, until¡­¡± Logan stared in the distance, and Hannah cleared her throat. ¡°I see¡ªwell, I don¡¯t see. I don¡¯t follow that. Never saw the point in watching men pummel each other for sport.¡± Logan made a rough sound at the back of his throat, and Hannah couldn¡¯t stand the distance between them any longer. Rounding the desk, she sat on top of it, and put her hands over his. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t mean you should have seen thising. Plenty of fighters who don¡¯t go around beating up women.¡± Logan¡¯s hands clenched, the tension traveling up through her fingertips almost too much to bear as he grunted. ¡°I know that, but I still should have seen thising.¡± Hannah rolled her eyes, and gave those tense digits a squeeze. ¡°How? Jesus, yes, he was your brother, and she was your friend, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should have known. I¡¯ve met enough abused women and men for that matter in my time volunteering for the shelter to know they¡¯re very good at hiding things.¡± He pulled his hands out from under hers and regarded her through narrowed eyes. ¡°You volunteer? At the shelter?¡± Hannah nodded, and he rolled his shoulders and shook his head. ¡°Why do I not know about this?¡± The question appeared aimed at himself than Hannah, but she answered it anyway. ¡°No one knows, apart from the people involved, and I¡¯d like to keep it that way. Folks only ever jump to the wrong conclusions. At best, they make me out to be some form of saint, and I really am not.¡± Her voice caught as her painful memories chose that moment to make a chokehold reappearance on her vocal cords. Damn it, not now. Logan shot to his feet, drew a cup of water from the water cooler in the corner of his office, and handed it to her. ¡°Here.¡± Hannah smiled at him, and took some much-needed sips of the cool liquid to get rid of the frog in her throat. ¡°Thank you, like I was saying, I¡¯m no saint. On the flip side, I don¡¯t need to see the pity in people¡¯s eyes when they assume I must have some form of tragic history. As though I would ever let a many as much as a finger on me, let alone hit me. I had enough of that as a child.¡± Logan¡¯s shortugh stopped her tirade. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not strictly speaking true, is it, little dove? We both know you enjoyed me doing much more thanying a finger on you.¡± His dark eyes glittered in barely disguised amusement, and while her heart leapt in relief that he¡¯d lost some of his earlier despair, she also wanted to thump him. That thought brought her up short. She wasn¡¯t a violent person, abhorred the concept, and yet, he seemed to be bring out the worst in her. He was just so darn infuriating. What was it about this man in particr, which got under her skin? Well used to taunts, she ought to be able to shrug it off, treating his suggestive and at times downright lewd behavior with the icy contempt it deserved. Any other man would have received the cold shoulder treatment, but Logan ¡­ she couldn¡¯t ignore him. Maybe it was the glimpses of a tortured soul, the shared hurt of a violent past, or maybe it was simple lust. Maybe that was indeed all that was at y here, and if that was the case, then perhaps she ought to stop fighting it. ¡°That¡¯s not the same, and you know it. I gave my consent, and it was¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to continue, and besides there was no need to. Even now curls of desire unfurled in her belly, made her breathing hitch and her breasts ache for this man¡¯s touch. If he made a move now, she wouldn¡¯t, couldn¡¯t stop him. A vague sense of disappointment filled her when Logan pulled back, seconds before the knock on his door made her jump and scramble off his desk. She hastily took a seat in the chair facing him, and picked up a notepad and pen¡ªan action which earned her a shortugh from Logan¡ªbefore he bade the person on the other side of his door toe in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Bryce,¡± ire Jackson, thepany¡¯s HR manager entered and looked at Hannah with a frown . ¡°I was told there might be a problem here that needs my intervention.¡± Logan steepled his hands in front of his face, and smiled. It didn¡¯t reach his eyes, and the fine hair on Hannah¡¯s arms rose at the expression on his face. Her stomach twisted at the barely concealed anger she sensed in him. ¡°Now, why would you think that, Ms. Jackson?¡± His voice held an edge of steel, his disapproval of the other woman¡¯s interruption like a visible wall he erected around himself, and ire took a step back. ¡°Forgive me, the other staff ¡­ well, they were concerned, and it is my duty to look out for all the staff, so if Hannah is having some sort of disciplinary action taken against her then I need to be here.¡± She straightened her shoulders, lips pressed into a firm line, and Hannah¡¯s estimation of her grew. It was certainly true that HR always tried their best to amodate everyone. Logan shook his head, nced at Hannah and smirked. Her stomach clenched in worry of what he might do next. ¡°Your professional interest is duly noted, ire, but I can assure that any disciplinary action I wish to take with my fianc¨¦e is none of HR¡¯s concern.¡± He held Hannah¡¯s gaze, daring her to disagree with him, and it was on the tip of her tongue to refute that notion, but his tense shoulders stopped her. He nodded once when she didn¡¯t reply, and focused his attention on a flustered looking ire instead. ¡°If that is all?¡± Chapter 24 Chapter 24 ¡°I ¡­ that is ¡­ right. I guess congrattions are in order?¡± ire looked at Hannah for confirmation, and she forced a smile on her face. ¡°This is all a bit sudden, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You should know by now that I don¡¯t waste time in securing what I want, and I wouldn¡¯t call it sudden,¡± Logan interjected. ¡°Hannah and I have been in a rtionship for some time. With the rumor mill going into overdrive, we decided the time was right to go public to reassure all these concerned people that our private life is just that and has absolutely no bearing on what happens here at work.¡± He paused, got to his feet, and opened the door for ire in a clear dismissal. ¡°If that was all?¡± ¡°Right, yes, erm, congrattions again. Have you set a date yet?¡± ire asked. ¡°Of course, you can expect Hannah to need some time off at the end of the month. I¡¯ll let you know exactly how many weeks. I don¡¯t n on a long honeymoon, but I do want to spend some time with my new wife.¡± He nced at Hannah when he said that, and the heated intensity in his dark gaze took her breath away. Okay then¡­ Her core temperature just went up several degrees at the promise in those dark eyes. Try as she might she couldn¡¯t find the outrage she surely ought to be feeling at his underhandedness in just announcing their engagement, yet all she felt was an odd sense of rightness. ¡°Right, yes, congrattions again. Will you make an announcement?¡± ire asked, and Logan raised an eyebrow in contempt. ¡°Right, none of my business, I get it. Shall I tell the staff then, or¡­¡± Logan looked toward Hannah, and, somehow, she got her voice to work. ¡°If it shuts up the gossip, then by all means do, though it¡¯s really no one¡¯s business, is it?¡± The other woman smiled, a genuine one this time, and a heavy silence fell between Logan and her, when the door snicked shut behind her. Hannah kept her gaze firmly rooted to the floor, not trusting herself to not erupt into hysterics of some sort. That moment had passed after all. If she was going to object to this crazy n then she should have done so when Logan dered their engagement, not now when the proverbial horse had bolted and was running around the office holding up a banner for all to see. His trainers appeared in her vision first, and then his deep sigh ghosted across her face, as he cupped her chin and tilted her head up. ¡°You could look less like a woman about to go the gallows about this.¡± He smiled as he said that, but the fingers on her chin trembled and tension radiated off hisrge frame in almost palpable waves. ¡°Thank you for agreeing by the way.¡± Hannah wrenched her chin out of his grasp and red up at him. Or tried to at least. It wasn¡¯t arrogant Logan she saw, however, but a man who looked tired beyond belief. For that one brief moment, she saw beyond the mask he wore to the bone-weary, desperate man underneath. ¡°You didn¡¯t exactly leave me much choice, did you?¡± Logan shrugged and sat back down on the desk. ¡°Perhaps not, but I also knew that little spitfire Hannah would have nopunction at tearing me down a strip, if she didn¡¯t want to do this. You do want to do this, right?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The slight wobble in his voice made up her mind. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to marry you. Why would I? I do want to help Rhia, however, so I will.¡± His jaw clenched in response, the only outward sign of his emotions. ¡°Right, let me guess, you want a generous divorce settlement to¡ª¡± ¡°How fucking dare you.¡± Hannah shot to her feet, interrupting him, and his eyes narrowed in silent scrutiny of her. ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight. I¡¯m not doing this to get at your money. I¡¯m doing this for Rhia, because that little girl needs stability, and being shipped off to live with grandparents she¡¯s never met isn¡¯t going to give her that. And because I know how the system works, and I know your solicitor is right, damn it. It shouldn¡¯t matter that you¡¯re single, but you¡¯ll be in a much better position to be looked on favorably if you¡¯re married or at the very least in a stable rtionship. So, yeah, I get that, and I¡¯ll be your trophy wife, but don¡¯t think for one goddamn minute there is any other reason for me to agree to this. I want a prenup, stating exactly what we can expect of each other, and I don¡¯t want a penny of your money once this farce of a marriage will be over, do you hear me?¡± She got closer to him in her outrage, and gasped when he buried his hands in her hair, and kissed her. Had he been forceful she probably would have been able to resist him ¡­ maybe ¡­ but this wasn¡¯t a rough or demanding kiss. No, this was a slow, tender onught on her senses, as he ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth requesting entry, varied the pressure and angle of his full, soft lips across hers, until she couldn¡¯t help but kiss him back. He grunted his approval when she opened for him, and then everything else ceased to matter but the feel of their tongues sliding together, as Logan took the kiss deeper. Her hands fisted in his shirt, and his roamed to her ass, lifting her higher to make this whole process easier, as heat seared between them. Desire, need, lust exploded in her belly, consumed her, erasing thest remnants of doubt. No matter what happened between them in this so- called marriage she¡¯d agreed to, they would have this, this overwhelming passion, which made Hannah act sopletely out of character, yet she couldn¡¯t bring herself to care about that. She wanted him, he wanted her, and the rest could go hang. By the time Logan eventually broke their kiss with a soft bite to her bottom lip, they were both breathing heavily. Hannah blinked as reality set back in, surprised that the windows of the office hadn¡¯t steamed up with the heat they¡¯d created between them. ¡°Fuck, I want you.¡± Logan¡¯s guttural response made her insides clench in need, even as he gently pushed her back into the chair, and then rounded the desk with the bow-legged walk of a cowboy. Amusement bubbled up inside of her, mixed in with pride that she was responsible for his current state. The long, hard imprint of his arousal tested the buttons of his jeans, and Logan winced as he sat down and adjusted himself. He looked across at her with a wry grin. ¡°Some things are best left to our wedding night, though, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± He smirked at her sharp intake of breath, and Hannah wiggled on her chair. ¡°We don¡¯t have to wait? I mean¡­¡± The heat in his gaze seared her like a physical caress. ¡°No, we don¡¯t, but I find anticipation makes the eventual consummation so much sweeter. Besides, you¡¯ll be my wife. That makes things different, and I think your time would be better spent getting to know Rhia, don¡¯t you?¡± Hannah¡¯s heart gave a lurch at those words. It almost sounded like the real thing, but he didn¡¯t mean that. He just wanted to present a united front to make this whole thing look real, as confirmed by his next words. ¡°You¡¯ll also need to meet my mother, and udia. I know she doesn¡¯t respond, but she needs to know you¡¯ll be helping me to take care of her little girl.¡± His voice thickened with emotion, and Hannah nodded. ¡°Of course, your mother?¡± Logan sighed. ¡°Is alive and well, if rather fragile, and confined to her nursing home. She forgets things easily these days, which is a blessing in disguise in lots of respects.¡± His jaw clenched, and Hannah fancied she could hear his teeth grind together. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know the whole story. All she does know is that udia had an ident, which means I¡¯m looking after Rhia.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hannah took a deep breath and fought the instinct to reach out to him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she ask after ¡­ you know ¡­ your brother?¡± Logan¡¯s short humorlessugh sent chills down her spine. ¡°There are advantages to his being my identical twin. I simply let her believe I¡¯m him, when she confuses us, which happens more and more these days.¡± He smiled grimly at Hannah¡¯s sharp intake of breath. ¡°That must be¡­¡± ¡°Fucked up?¡± Logan asked. ¡°Sure, but it beats having to exin to her that one of her sons is in prison for beating his wife.¡± He stared into the distance and then smiled. ¡°She¡¯ll love you by the way. Mum is always on at me to settle down and to find myself a nice girl.¡± He mimicked quotation marks around those two words. ¡°Too bad nice girls never held much interest for me¡ªuntil now.¡± ¡°Because this nice girl is a means to an end, right?¡± Hannah said, hating the slight wobble in her voice. What the hell was that about? She knew what she was agreeing to. This was a business deal for him with added sexual benefits. He made that perfectly clear, and that¡¯s all she wanted, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Yes.¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t help her jerk in response, and Logan sighed. ¡°Wou ld you rather I lied?¡± ¡°Of course not, we both know what this is.¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Knowing what this engagement was and actually living with it were two very different things, as Hannah discovered in the next four weeks of frantic activity. Logan had been true to his word. He hadn¡¯t touched her in any sexual way, the result of which being that Hannah was slowly climbing the walls of sexual frustration, not least, because it seemed wrong to avail herself of her little purple friend. While Logan would never know what she got up to in the privacy of her bedroom, it seemed disloyal somehow, which should have been a ridiculous notion. Besides, she wanted him, not some stic dildo. The more time she spent in hispany, the more she wanted him, and not just sexually. A dangerous road to go down, for sure, but she couldn¡¯t help but like this Logan. While she knew his attentiveness to her in public was an act, designed to make folks believe they were indeed love¡¯s young dream, it would be all too easy to be swept away by the fantasy. Not helped one iota by the expensive, yet understated diamond ring Logan had put on her finger, three days after that conversation in the office. They¡¯d been due to attend a charity ball, the first of many she was to attend with him over the month of their engagement, and he¡¯d pulled that ring out of his jacket pocket, as they pulled up outside the grand stately mansion this particr event was being held at. ¡°Here, you need to start looking the part, especially as you¡¯ll have the dubious pleasure of meeting Rhia¡¯s grandparents tonight. They usually ignore me, but, under the circumstances, they¡¯ll be sure to want to meet you, if only to hurl insults your way.¡± He¡¯d thrust that little velvet box at her almost carelessly, as though it didn¡¯t mean anything, and she might have believed him, had it not been for the white knuckled hold he¡¯d had on the seat of the limo. She was starting to read him pretty well, and that was not only a tell for his temper, it also showed his emotions, emotions which he tried to hide from the world atrge. Only with Rhia and his mother¡ªthat had been another emotionally charged meeting¡ªdid he ever let his guard truly down. The frail old woman had weed Hannah with open arms, and she smiled recalling that meeting now. ¡°Come here and let me take a look at you, my dear. My, you¡¯re a sight for sore eyes. Never thought I¡¯d see the day that boy of mine would settle down. Not like Rick. Where is Rick? Logan, is he here, too? It¡¯s been ages since I¡¯ve seen him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just outside, Mum. He¡¯ll be here in a minute. Let me go get him, while you chat to Hannah.¡± He¡¯d dropped a kiss on his mother¡¯s hand and disappeared. When he¡¯d re-entered the room, he¡¯d ruffled up his hair, and taken off his jacket, and there had been quite a swagger in his walk as he¡¯d approached the old woman. ¡°Mama, there you are. Damn that brother of mine for hiding you away. See you met his bird. Cute, isn¡¯t she? If I wasn¡¯t happily married¡­¡± Hannah had to swallow hard to keep herposure as Logan had pretended to be a brother he despised to save his mother pain, and when they¡¯d eventually gotten out of there, and Rick had disappeared she hadn¡¯t known what to say to Logan. ¡°That was¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say to that.¡± Logan had shrugged, and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. It keeps her happy, and that¡¯s all that counts. Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff, Hannah.¡± But it had been a big deal, just like the engagement ring had been. Hannah held it up to the light, and smiled at her sister¡¯s soft exmation behind her as she entered the room. ¡°Wow, you look stunning. That sex pot husband to be of yours will not know what¡¯s hit him when he sees you walk down the aisle like that.¡± Sarah, looking utterly radiant in her soft purple bridesmaid¡¯s dress, smiled at her, while little Rhia, dressed in matching colors and holding a basket of rose petals jumped up and down, an act which dislodged several of them. ¡°Careful there, sweetheart, you won¡¯t have any left to scatter at this rate. Doesn¡¯t Hannah look pretty?¡± Rhia cocked her head to one side, and made a big show of studying Hannah, which made the grown- ups in the room, including the wedding nner, who¡¯d been responsible for getting Hannah ready this morning,ugh out loud. The middle-aged, kindly woman had been another surprise which Hannah had not seening, though perhaps she ought to have done. Logan was so much more than he first appeared, after all. When he announced that they were to be married at the end of the month, she had expected nothing more than a quick registry office wedding, and instead she found herself here at Duchray Castle¡ªa freaking castle¡ªcould he have made this any more perfect?¡ªon the morning of her wedding in the most stunning surroundings, about to be Mrs. Logan Bryce. If she didn¡¯t think it would make her look like a lunatic, she¡¯d have pinched herself to make sure she wasn¡¯t dreaming all this. Even the contrary Scottish weather was behaving itself. While they¡¯d woken up to a fine drizzle, or a dreich morning as the locals called it, the sun had broken through the clouds, and it promised to stay dry for the ceremony. Hannah could see them setting up chairs on thewn by theke, where she was going to take her vows in just under an hour. ¡°Mama Hannah looks velly pletty.¡± The slight speech impediment that came out when Rhia was nervous or excited made Hannah smile through her tears, and she turned away topose herself. The make-up artist would kill her if she ruined her work, and she didn¡¯t want Rhia to think she¡¯d doneExclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. anything wrong. While the little girl called Logan Daddy Logan all the time, this was the first time she¡¯d bestowed such an honor on Hannah. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she just.¡± Sarah¡¯s voice sounded choked, as though her sister, too, had to fight to keep hold of her emotions. ¡°Well, we have grown up things to discuss, so go with Margaret and make sure everything is ready downstairs, will you?¡± ¡°Yes, I could do with some help.¡± Margaret agreed, and Rhia whooped in delight, before the click of the door signaled their departure. Sarah wrapped her arms around Hannah from behind in a bear hug, which made holding in the tears even more difficult. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare cry. You¡¯ll make me start, and the we¡¯ll look a right mess.¡± Sarah¡¯s murmured admonishment had the desired effect, and Hannahughed. Sarah released her, snatched a tissue from the box by the mirror and dabbed at Hannah¡¯s eyes. ¡°There¡¯s that¡¯s better, no harm done, but jeez, could she be any cuter?¡± Hannah sniffed and nodded. ¡°I know she amazes me, but a lot of that is down to her favorite teacher, you know. I wonder who that might be?¡± Sarahughed and shook her head. ¡°As, she¡¯s a sweetheart, who makes it easy. You¡¯d never guess what she¡¯s been through, and that bossy fianc¨¦ of yours is so good with her.¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Hannah didn¡¯t trust her voice work, so she simply nodded. ¡°You know, I was dubious about this wedding, but this¡­¡± Sarah opened her arms and twirled around the room. ¡°You¡¯re getting married in a castle for flip¡¯s sake. Just like we always dreamed we would, when we were little, you know, when our knights came to rescue us.¡± Sarah frowned, no doubt remembering why she wanted a knight to rescue her, and Hannah pulled her back into a hug. ¡°That was a long time ago. And you know, I have to say it, Logan is no knight.¡± She let her sister go and smirked at her reflection in the full mirror. ¡°And I sure as hell am no damsel in distress.¡± ¡°Maybe not, but you¡¯ve got to admit the venue is awesome. Did you tell him it had always been your dream to get married in a castle?¡± Sarah asked. Startled at the question, Hannah turned back round to look at her sister. ¡°No, I assumed he¡¯d asked you. After all, you always had your heads together whispering about wedding ns, or so it seemed.¡± Sarah sniggered and tapped her nose. ¡°Never you mind what we were whispering about, but no, I didn¡¯t tell him. This was all Logan¡¯s ide a. All I did know is that he wanted it to be somewhere different and special.¡± Sarah pursed her lips, and Hannah could almost see the wheels turning in her sister¡¯s head. Ever since she¡¯d told Sarah about this wedding and the reasons behind it, Sarah had insisted that there must be more to it than that, but then her sister was a hopeless romantic. Hannah, however, was a realist, and while her heart might have leapt in joy when she realized where they were getting married, it was all for show. To make them look real in the eyes of the authorities, that was all this was. Nothing more and nothing less. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh nothing.¡± Sarah grinned. ¡°I know you keep saying this is all for show yadda, yadda, yadda, but I¡¯ve seen the way he watches you. That man is just about ready to eat you alive with his eyes most of the time, and you¡­¡± Again, with the pursed lips, which were starting to irritate the ever-loving heck out her. ¡°I what? Spit it out, already, I know you¡¯re dying to. And if Logan gives that impression it¡¯s only because he¡¯s horny. We haven¡¯t had sex since we got engaged so ¡­ oh what now?¡± She frowned at Sarah¡¯s knowing smirk. ¡°I bet that wasn¡¯t your idea, was it? And it sure exins why you¡¯re so ready to bite my head off. How can you even keep your hands off that hunk?¡± ¡°Sarah!¡± Hannah didn¡¯t quite pull off her outraged hiss, if Sarah¡¯s growing amusement was anything to go by, and she knew her own cheeks were ming. Damn her propensity to blush at the drop of a hat. ¡°What?¡± Sarah shrugged onece covered shoulder and grinned. ¡°Just because I¡¯m engaged doesn¡¯t This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. mean I can¡¯t look and appreciate another man¡¯s fine physique, and your future husband is packing in all the right ces. I bet he knows how to use it all, too, right?¡± Hannah simply shook her head at her incorrigible sister, and Sarah giggled. ¡°Seriously, though, think about it. And this whole non-sex thing until you¡¯re married? Really, does he strike you as a man who would willingly forego that for any lengths of time? He wanted this wedding to be special, and there¡¯s only one reason for that, if you ask me.¡± Hannah¡¯s heart skipped a beat at the certainty behind her sister¡¯s words, even as the rational side of her brain instantly dismissed that crazy notion. ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong. Logan doesn¡¯t do love, he made that perfectly clear, which is fine by me. I¡¯m only using him for sex, anyway, or at least I will be once we¡¯re married.¡± Sarah burst outughing, and Hannah followed suit, ¡®cause, really that sounded ridiculous when you thought about it. Once they got their merriment under control, Sarah shook her head. ¡°Yes, well, believe that, if it makes you feel any better, but I know you. You¡¯ve got a soft heart, and lord knows if ever there was a man who needs the love of a woman it¡¯s Logan. Just be careful. I can see you getting hurt, and we both know that emotional scars run far deeper than physical ones, and some might never heal.¡± Hannah opened her mouth to refute that silly notion, but the words of denial stuck in her throat. She took the ss of fizz Sarah handed her, and frowned at the bubbles. ¡°There¡¯ll be no danger of that, I can assure you, sis.¡± The liey like a brick in the bottom of her stomach, and made the excellent champagne taste like sawdust as she swallowed. Come what may she had to guard her heart. She could do this, right? Logan straightened the cuffs of his monkey suit for the umpteenth time, and scowled at the elderly registrar. Where the fuck was his bride to be? It didn¡¯t take that long to walk down the castle steps and make her way into the garden where the ceremony was to be held. The photographer aimed her camera into his face, and he flexed his fingers against the urge to wrench that piece of equipment out of her hands and throw it into the stream which formed a smallke. An idyllic setting the brochure had said, and he supposed that was true. The way Hannah¡¯s eyes had lit up in silent joy, when they¡¯d pulled up the long gravel drive yesterday afternoon had certainly been worth the organizational nightmare to get them all up to Scond and everything put in ce in just under a month. It had given him a far too suspicious glow inside to know he¡¯d made her happy. He wasn¡¯t going to examine his motives too closely, that¡¯s for sure. This was a means to an end, that¡¯s all. Admittedly one with pleasurable side benefits, or at least it would have those once little Hannah was finally his. What had possessed him to instigate the no sex until they were married rule, anyway? He needed his head examined, but he hadn¡¯t wanted to muddy the waters. If the one night of sex which was indelibly imprinted on his brain was anything to go by, he¡¯d lose himself in her soft body at the detriment of all else, and Logan had needed his head in the right ce for this all to work out. So far, so good. The prenup his solicitor had drawn up was as watertight as one could make these things, and as per Hannah¡¯s request¡ªone that still didn¡¯t sit right with him¡ªshe would leave the marriage with nothing more than the clothes on her back. Maybe that¡¯s why he seemed addicted to seeing that joyous light in her blue eyes. If she was determined to not avail herself of his money, he could spoil her a little in other ways. Like the engagement ring. He¡¯d chosen the deep sapphire, set in a cluster of priceless diamonds and tinum, because it reminded him of the color of her eyes. Not that he¡¯d been foolish enough to mention this to her. That would give her entirely the wrong idea. Logan had resented the ache in his chest when he¡¯d all but thrown the box at her. That moment shouldn¡¯t have meant anything more than making sure she wore the required jewelry to make them look real. Her gasp of surprise and the way she¡¯d looked up at him, blinking away tears¡ªLogan cursed under his breath¡ªit had stirred emotions he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge. It had started a seeming deep-seated need to make her happy, to see those expressive eyes light up in joy and hope, and it felt damn good to know that he was the reason for that smile. A smile she¡¯d hitherto bestowed only on Rhia. ¡°Rx, she¡¯ll be here soon. It¡¯s the bride¡¯s prerogative to bete.¡± George, Hannah¡¯s sister¡¯s fianc¨¦ and his best man by the sheer necessity of having to keep things in the family, pped him on the back and grinned. ¡°And wipe that scowl off your face. This is supposed to the happiest day of your life, yet you look like man about to face the gallows.¡± Logan shook his head, made a nonmittal grunt, and forced his tight shoulders to rx as he looked around the select few people who¡¯d been invited. His side of the guests looked far too empty. His solicitor and his wife, a few business clients, chosen specifically with future deals in mind¡ªit always helped to butter them up¡ªand the empty slot where his mother ought to be. Unfortunately, she was recovering from a nasty chest infection, and thus unable to attend. Hannah had urged him to postpone the wedding a couple of weeks, but Logan couldn¡¯t afford that luxury. The custody hearings were looming, and he knew his every move was under scrutiny by the authorities. While he¡¯d been granted temporary custody of his niece¡ªas per the terms of udia¡¯s living will, a fact which still astonished him¡ªher grandparents had started a vicious battle to smear his name. This wedding was damage limitation of the highest order, and it had to work. While he was far from suitable daddy material, he owed udia this much. The wedding march started up, and George¡¯s low, appreciative whistle raised the fine hair on his neck. Even without that warning of his bride-to-be¡¯s approach, he¡¯d have known Hannah was near. The breeze kicked up, bringing with it the scent of her light perfume, and inhaling deeply, he turned around. He blinked at what he saw. Rhia came first, her little face screwed up in concentration, as she clutched her basket to her chest and threw handfuls of rose petals on the red carpet that had beenid to form the makeshift aisle. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Hannah came next, her gaze trained on Rhia, an indulgent smile kicking up her soft lips as she followed the little girl, while her sister made up the rear of the little parade. And that¡¯s as far as he took in the surroundings, because his little dove chose that moment to look up and hold his gaze. Her eyes widened, and her smile grew, while the photographer¡¯s rapid click signaled her capturing every moment of the happy bride¡¯s arrival. And fuck him six ways ¡®til next Sunday, he had to give it to Hannah. She yed her part well. From the bouquet of wildflowers which she held in her trembling hands, to the gossamer veil which fell over her face, and skimmed the top of her impressive cleavage, where her breasts shook with her rapid breaths, she looked every inch the happy, expectant bride. The strapless gown she¡¯d chosenplemented her curves beautifully. Cinched in at the waist, thecy cream fabric fell to the floor in gentle waves, and ended in a small train that made her look taller than she was. ¡°Wow, just wow. You¡¯re one lucky son of a bitch, Logan.¡± George¡¯s murmured exmation didn¡¯t require an acknowledgement, even if he had been able to get his voice to work. Right now, the mere act of drawing air into his suddenly constricted lungs seemed an impossible task to achieve, as Hannah drew next to him, smiled, and handed her bouquet to a beaming Sarah. Rhia grinned, hopped from foot to foot, and then grasped Sarah¡¯s free hand and stood to one side. ¡°Hey.¡± Hannah¡¯s soft whisper as she addressed him shot straight to his groin, and he barely suppressed a groan. Talk was impossible, so he simply inclined his head and forced the semnce of a smile on his face. It must have worked, because Hannah kept on smiling and turned to face the registrar, who started his spiel which would end in them bing man and wife. Not that Logan really heard what the man was saying. This close to Hannah, with her scent tickling his nostrils, and the knowledge that this woman would soon he his and his alone, his inner caveman woke up with a roar. Logan had never been the possessive type¡ªhe didn¡¯t hang around one woman for long enough to get possessive¡ªbut Hannah was different, had been from the first moment she¡¯d registered on his radar, which was why he¡¯d kept his dist ance at first. He should have stayed keeping his distance truth be told, and now ¡­ well now he felt the noose tightening around his neck. For the first time, he doubted himself. Hannah deserved so much more than to be tied to him for his convenience, and as result he hesitated when it came to saying his vows. ¡°Mr. Bryce?¡± The concern in the registrar¡¯s voice finally registered as did the utter stillness surrounding them. He could hear the stream bubbling over the rocks, George clearing his throat, as he stared at him, eyebrows raised, the sound of Rhia sucking her thumb, as though she, too, felt the sudden tension, and he pulled a much-needed breath into his lungs. Some of the panic floating around his system, threatening to strangle him passed with that breath, and his frantic heart rate slowed with each in- and exhale he managed to do. ¡°Are you all right, Mr. Bryce? Do you need a moment?¡± ¡°Come on, buddy, pull yourself together.¡± ¡°Logan, look at me.¡± Hannah¡¯s voice, an urgent whisper in his ear pulled him back from the brink, and the ce came back into focus, and with it the weight of dozens of using eyes. ¡°Are you okay? Have you ¡­ changed your mind?¡± Hannah voice hitched on thatst part, and Logan shook his head. The concern in her blue eyes¡ªgenuine worry for him¡ªworry that he didn¡¯t deserve hit him in the chest with the full force of sledgehammer, and he shook his head again, more forcefully this time. ¡°Of course not, let¡¯s get on with this.¡± The registrar¡¯s frown deepened, but one stare from Logan and he picked up where they¡¯d left off and this time Logan¡¯s voice rang out loud and clear. Hannah¡¯s responses were quieter, but no less sure as she pledged her life to him, and in no time at all the registrar announced them to be man and wife. Logan didn¡¯t wait for permission to kiss his bride. Lifting the veil out of the way, he pulled his wife¡ªChrist, I have a wife¡ªflush into his body and nted R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only his lips over hers. Her surprised gasp gave him entry, and he poured all of his conflicting emotions into the kiss. One that grew evermore passionate as Hannah responded in kind, kissing him back with the same ferocity that thundered through his veins, the need to mark her as his, to im her, until nobody would doubt that this woman was his. That this, here, the passion they shared, at least was real, unlike this pretense of a wedding born out of necessity. Logan ground his erection into her belly, and Hannah whimpered, drew even closer to him, as his hands found her ass through theyer of her wedding gown and he yanked her up higher to take the kiss even deeper. Wolf whistles and the thunder of apuse eventually broke through the cloud of pure lust and desire that held him in its grip, and he released his wife with a smirk. Her eyes fluttered open, she inhaled sharply, and her kiss-swollen lips broke into a tentative smile, as he looked up at him. ¡°We did it.¡± He nodded at her whisper, and keeping his arms around her waist gave a mock bow at the assembled guests. More apuse, a back p from George, a hug from Sarah, and with Rhia attaching herself to his leg in the monkey hold she was so fond of, they signed the register to make this whole thing official. The inevitable pictures took ages, and Logan¡¯s jaw ached in tune with his rock-hard dick by the time they were finally finished. Being this close to Hannah, as the photographer made them pose in more and more revealing poses, was torture and bliss rolled into one, but eventually they were left on their own while the rest of the guests traipsed back up to the castle to start the celebrations. The wind kicked up, and Hannah¡¯s veil went flying off into the distance to be snared at the top of a tree, and she giggled. ¡°Whoops.¡± ¡°Whoops indeed, but I guess you won¡¯t be needing that anymore, Mrs. Bryce.¡± ¡°I guess not.¡± Hannah shivered as the wind picked up even more and the sun disappeared behind menacing clouds which rolled across the mountain range. Logan scowled at the darkening sky, and tugged her along. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here. Let me ask you something. How badly do you want to join the circus in there?¡± He gestured to the castle, where lights spilled out of the function room, and the music started up. Hannah pulled a face, and he had his answer. ¡°Well, we¡¯re expected to sit through all that, so we best¡ª¡± ¡°Not go? Good, I thought you might say that. Give me a second.¡± He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit George¡¯s speed dial. The man answered on the third ring. ¡°Yo, Logan, what¡¯s up? Hurry your asses in here. It¡¯s gonna piss it down, and they¡¯re waiting on you guys to bring the food out.¡± Logan smiled at Hannah¡¯s confused expression, and shook his head. ¡°Tell them to serve without us, and have fun. We won¡¯t being. I have the sudden urge to start my honeymoon right now. Margaret has the details of where we¡¯ll be. You and Sarah are still okay to look after Rhia, right?¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28 He ignored Hannah¡¯s gasp, and George¡¯s sharp intake of breath. ¡°Yes, of course we are, but you can¡¯t just not turn up. Your guests¡ª¡± ¡°Are only there for the free food and booze anyway, you know that. They¡¯ll be fine. Put Rhia on the phone for me, will you?¡± ¡°What the fuck, sure, man, but is Hannah okay with this? I mean. Ow, what was that for, baby? Okay, here, Sarah wants to talk to you.¡± Sure enough, there was rustling, as he handed the phone over, or more urately had the phone wrenched from his hand if he knew his new sister-inw, and then Sarah¡¯s amused voice spoke in his ear. ¡°Might have guessed you¡¯d pull a stunt like that. Give your new wife a kiss from me and don¡¯t you worry about Rhia. It will be our pleasure to look after her.¡± Her lighthearted giggle made him grin, especially as Hannah¡¯s frown deepened, and she held her hand out for the phone. He shook his head and hit the loudspeaker button instead. ¡°You¡¯re on speaker now, Sarah. Tell your sister not to worry. She looks ready to argue with me, and she should know what happens to her when she does that.¡± He raised his eyebrows, and Hannah closed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Logan, seriously. Ignore my impossible husband, Sarah.¡± Another one of those terribly infectious giggles came down the line, and sure enough Hannah smiled and rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I will. That sounds like all sorts of delicious fun is right in your future. You¡¯ll have to fill me in on the gory details when you¡¯re back in London, sis.¡± Hannah turned an endearing shade of pink, and Logan was hard pushed to contain his amusement. ¡°Sarah, stop it.¡± She nced up at him and shook her head. ¡°You know full well I won¡¯t tell you anything.¡± ¡°Phtt, more¡¯s the pity. Herees Rhia now. Hey, sweetie, say goodbye to Logan and Hannah. You¡¯ll see them when theye back from their holiday.¡± More rustling and then Rhia¡¯s soft voice came through the line. ¡°You¡¯re going away?¡± She sounded so small and lost, it almost made Logan abandon this impulsive idea, but before he could respond, Hannah did. ¡°Only for a little while. We talked about this, remember? You¡¯ll have lots of fun with Auntie Sarah and Uncle George, and Logan and I will be back before you have a chance to miss us. I¡¯ll phone every day to see how you¡¯re doing, okay?¡± Logan¡¯s chest tightened at the emotion in his new wife¡¯s voice. Rhia had blossomed under Sarah and Hannah¡¯s care and lived for the nightly ritual of Hannah¡¯s phone call to wish her sweet dreams. He should have known that Hannah would know the right words to put his niece at ease with their sudden departure. Already her nightmares had lessened, and she dropped off to sleep much easier than she ever had done since Hannah had be part of their lives. No doubt Rhia woulde even more out of her shell, once Hannah lived under the same roof as they did. The thought of having ess to Hannah¡¯s delicious body twenty-four seven made his dick twitch in need. He needed this over with, and he needed to be inside his wife ten minutes ago. ¡°K, bye then.¡± Rhia still sounded lost, but he couldn¡¯t dwell on that now. After all, this whole marriage thing was for her, and they needed to do this right. No doubt word of their unorthodox behavior would make it back to Lord and Lady Franningham in no time¡ªthose two seemed to have their spies everywhere¡ªand while they wouldn¡¯t approve at all, at least they couldn¡¯t use this against him. If anything, it proved the validity of their marriage, not that it was the driving force behind his rash decision to be alone with Hannah. No, that was pure lust talking and the chance to finally rid himself of his self-inflicted blue balls syndrome. ¡°Love you, sweetheart.¡± Hannah¡¯s words brought a lump of emotion to his throat, and as a result his voice was hoarse when he added his own goodbyes to Rhia. ¡°We¡¯ll see you soon, munchkin. Be good now.¡± ¡°Yes, Daddy Logan.¡± There went another sucker punch to his gut. He didn¡¯t deserve that title, should never have had it bestowed on him, if his asshole of a brother had kept his temper in check. He ended the phone call, cutting Sarah off mid talking and turned his phone off. He wanted no distractions. With that in mind he stuffed all those painful thoughts back into the box they belonged in, and addressed his new wife. ¡°Shall we?¡± Chapter Eight The twinkle in Logan¡¯s dark eyes proved Hannah¡¯s undoing. He looked like a naughty schoolboy right now, bunking off lessons, and in truth she felt like that, too. As the first drops of rain fell out of the darkening sky, she screeched and, holding onto his hand, ran with him. ¡°Where are we going?¡± She gasped, breathless after her sprint in the far too tight corset, as they stopped outside his Jaguar. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise, you¡¯ll see. Get in before you¡¯re soaked through.¡± A p of thunder made her jump, and she wasted no time to get into the car. The minute she did, the whole sky lit up in lightning, and Hannah screamed. Logan mmed the door shut, started the engine, turned the heating up, and shrugged out of his suit jacket. He looked even more sexy without it, the waistcoat entuating his broad shoulders. When he undid the cufflinks and rolled the sleeves up, exposing powerful forearms, desire curled low in Hannah¡¯s belly. Another loud roar of thunder shook the car, and more lightning forked against the sky. She couldn¡¯t help her flinch or the white-knuckle grip on the dashboard in response. ¡°Rx, sweetheart, we¡¯re perfectly safe in the car.¡± Logan¡¯s deep voice in her ear, his hot breath against her neck as he leaned across and nibbled her earlobe, while he slowly uncurled her fingers from their death grip on the dash, worked its magic. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, little dove. Trust me.¡± It hit her then with a jolt almost as powerful as the thunder rolling across the Scottish countryside. She did trust him, and she rxed into his embrace as he smiled at her. The interior of the car filled with warmth, but even if it hadn¡¯t her rising internal temperature would have chased away the tremors on her damp skin. This close to him in the confines of his car, there was no escaping his overwhelming presence, his raw masculinity, coupled with that hint of danger that drew her like a moth to the me. His damp hair glistened, and a drop of rainwater fell off the end and ran along his nose, down to the full lips, which she couldn¡¯t wait to taste again. He licked that drop away, and she bit back a moan. ¡°Jesus, woman, if you don¡¯t stop looking at me like that, I¡¯ll take you right here and now, and fuck who might see us.¡± She gasped, and those lips of his kicked up into a sinful smile, exposing even white teeth. His chiseled jaw already sported the first evidence of stubble, and she clenched her thighs together to relieve the ache in herher regions. She remembered what that stubble felt like all too well, and it had been over a month since they¡¯dst had sex. ¡°What, my little sweet dove? No protest.¡± His voice dropped further to that deep, dark, sexy as all out growl, and she shook her head. ¡°No, just I don¡¯t think we could, even if we wanted to, not with me in this dress.¡± Logan¡¯s deep sensual chuckle rolled over her, pulling her further into his spell, as he ran the knuckles of his hand over the swell of her breasts. Her breaths grew shallow, and he murmured something under his breath that she couldn¡¯t hear over the sound of her blood rushing in her ears. ¡°I look forward to peeling you out thoseyers once we get to our tower.¡± That piqued her interest, as he put the car into drive and started to move down the long drive and out of the forest the castle was in. ¡°Tower, as in a real tower, like this castle?¡± she asked. Logan nced at her, deftly avoided a pothole, and smiled. ¡°Better than that, this one is medieval and retains many of its original charms. Don¡¯t worry, I arranged for all our clothes, etc. to be sent on ahead.¡± He nced her way again, and the heat in his expression took her breath away. ¡°Not that you¡¯ll need many clothes once we¡¯re there. In fact, keeping you naked the entire time has definite appeal.¡± He winked at her, and sexually charged silence fell between them. Really, what could she say to that? Logan nced her way asionally, and when she didn¡¯t say anything, flicked the cd yer on. Mellow jazz music filled the space, and Hannah sighed and rxed into the plush heated seating. ¡°That okay? Or you can choose something else.¡± Hannah smiled at theplex man she was now married to and shook her head. ¡°No, this is perfect. I just hadn¡¯t had you pegged for a jazz man,¡± she said. Her gaze lingered on the tats on his arms, and Logan gave a shortugh. ¡°Let me guess, you had me pegged as heavy rock metal?¡± ¡°Guilty as charged, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She bit her lip, and Logan¡¯s gaze snared on that movement, before he R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only turned his attention back to the winding country roads. ¡°I, of all people, should know not to judge people by appearances.¡± Logan shifted up a gear, as they hit a straight stretch of road, and frowned. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Hannah attempted a nonchnt shrug, and the man next to her growled. A proper, deep animalistic growl, which made her clit tingle in need and forced a gasp from her. ¡°Really, girl. Do we have to start our honeymoon with a punishment?¡± She jerked, and she knew her mouth had fallen open at his statement, while her insides did the merry God-yes-please-dance. ¡°As much as I enjoy turning your ass red, I had other ns, but if you insist on being naughty, I guess it¡¯s just as well I packed my favorite paddle.¡± He fixed her with a stern nce before the road took his attention, and Hannah barely resisted the urge to fan herself. ¡°A paddle?¡± Her question came out as a cross between a squeak and moan. How attractive, not. Logan merely shrugged, and she forced the next few words out past the sudden lump in her throat. ¡°Are you into all of that then? I mean the whole spanking thing is hot, but¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to continue, all too aware how little she really knew about him. ¡°Not really. I dabble, that¡¯s all. Like you say it¡¯s hot in the bedroom. I¡¯m rather a dab hand at ropes, if that¡¯s something you¡¯d like to try, but I don¡¯t need it, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking of me. It just adds some spice, that¡¯s all, if my partner is into some kinky fun, shall we say.¡± The unspoken question hung between them, and Hannah swallowed hard at the wickedly sexy images that immediately bombarded her brain. ¡°Ropes sound fun,¡± she finally said, and Logan¡¯s hand tightened on the steering wheel. ¡°Good to know, little dove, but I still need an answer as to what you meant by your originalment of not judging people by their appearances. There¡¯s a story there, and as we have a good hour¡¯s drive ahead of us yet, I want to hear it. Spill, or so help, me, I¡¯ll pull over in the nextyby, bend you over the hood of my car, and spank that butt of yours until you do tell me.¡± Hannah shifted on her seat and shook her head. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± Another of those dark looks and she had her answer as surely as the verbal confirmation he gave, ¡°Try me, Hannah.¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± her murmured response made himugh, and she reluctantly opened up. ¡°It¡¯s just, I wasn¡¯t exactly popr in school.¡± Logan sighed. ¡°Is anyone, really? I suppose some folks are, but they seem few and far between.¡± Hannah nodded and looked him over. ¡°I bet you were.¡± Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Logan¡¯s self-deprecatingughter filled the space between them. ¡°Hardly, I was ate developer, shall we say. Rick was always taller than me, so yeah, I guess he was the popr one. I was his little runt of a brother, the butt of the school jokes, because I¡¯m the older twin by five minutes.¡± He shook his head and growled again. ¡°I caught up of course and yeah, still not popr. Folks were afraid of me most of the time, especially once I joined Rick in the boxing ring, but this isn¡¯t about me. You were telling me your story.¡± Hannah knew a dismissal when she heard one but even that little glimpse into his childhood made her feel closer to him. Logan wasn¡¯t a man to share confidences, and that he had told her this much, meant far too much to her. Remember, none of this is real. Surely, if she repeated that mantra in her head often enough it would eventually take root and squash those little insistent seeds of hope that refused to go away. Like weeds they came back time and time again, no matter how hard she tried to pull them out. This wedding was a means to an end, that¡¯s all. Logan put on his indicators, and to her horror started to pull into ayby and slowed down. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She grimaced at the high-pitched tone of her voice, but, surely, he wouldn¡¯t. ¡°I told you what would happen if you didn¡¯t talk so¡­¡± ¡°Jesus, fine, I¡¯ll tell you. Please, just drive.¡± Logan crawled along for a few meters, before he elerated, and indicating right, joined the A-road again. ¡°You weren¡¯t popr, because¡­¡± he prompted. ¡°Well, we moved a lot for starters. It¡¯s hard always being the new girl, especially when you have to wear a secondhand uniform that doesn¡¯t fit properly. Forget when people find out who your mum is. I used to hate hering to parents¡¯ evening. She always smelled of booze, and she was an embarrassment, you know.¡± She risked a nce at his closed off profile, and he nodded just once. ¡°I can¡¯t say I know. My mum always tried her best for us. It was more us who turned into an embarrassment for her, or rather a constant worry. We both got into trouble a lot, when we were younger.¡± He shrugged, but the white-knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel told its own story. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Hannah thought it wisest not to probe that hos¡¯ nest too much, and carried on with her own sorry tale of woe. ¡°Well, thing got even worse when I hit puberty. Unlike you, I was an early starter, and these girls started growing when I was nine. It was a nightmare. No girl wants to be the first, especially when they wouldn¡¯t freaking stop.¡± She nced his way again, and predictably his lips had curved into azy grin. She thumped his arm, and heughed. ¡°Sorry, I guess I get that, but I love your girls as you put it. You have a spectacr figure, Hannah. Don¡¯t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.¡± While his words filled her with a warm glow she shook her head. ¡°Thank you, I think, but that doesn¡¯t ring true when you¡¯re surrounded by prepubescent boys, trust me. It was a nightmare, especially when I grew hips and thighs and all the rest of it. Not only was I the poor one, now I was the fat chick with two left feet, too. Everyone else got taller, and I stayed small and round. Still, what doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger and all that. I very quickly learned to ignore them all and just concentrate on my studies. So now, they could add teacher¡¯s pet to the insults they¡¯d hurl my way, but the prom was the worst.¡± She pulled a much-needed breath into her lungs, and as though he knew she needed the reassurance Logan reached across and squeezed her hand. ¡°Go, on what happened? Though, remembering our prom I can guess. Teenage boys are bastards at the best of times, and teen girls.¡± He withdrew his hand and gave an exaggerated shudder, which made Hannah giggle. ¡°Yeah, that. I had the hugest crush on that boy, and he actually asked me to dance at the prom. I was so excited, of course, I got even clumsier than I normally am, and let¡¯s just say I ended up t on my ass. Everyone wasughing, and pointing, and if that wasn¡¯t enough, I found out he¡¯d only done it on dare. To see whether he could get into my knickers.¡± ¡°Fucking wanker.¡± Logan¡¯s murmured swearing made herugh again. ¡°Yeah, I can see that now, but back then it stung. I guess I should be grateful that my embarrassing dance moves saved me from that ultimate horror. They nned to film it all, had it all set up, you see. Such a sted clich¨¦. Anyway, that¡¯s my tale of woe. It took me a long time to feelfortable in my own body after that, but I got there eventually. I¡¯ll never be a model stick-insect type men seem to like, but I¡¯ll do, I guess.¡± The p to her thigh came out of nowhere, and she jumped. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°That was for doubting yourself. I heard that wobble in your voice, and just so we¡¯re clear.¡± His voice dropped an octave, and Hannah¡¯s stomach fell to her boots along with it, because really, that was just so damn sexy. ¡°I and countless other men appreciate a woman with curves. Personally speaking, I love something to hold onto when I fuck. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not attracted to thin girls. All shapes and sizes are beautiful in their own ways, but it¡¯s what¡¯s inside a person that counts.¡± Hannah was tempted to argue that, but his attention was taken up by joining the Motorway, and visibility was horrendous due the weather conditions, so she kept quiet. While Logan was an excellent driver, he didn¡¯t need the distractions. Besides, the steady movement of the car soon had her fighting a yawn. She hadn¡¯t exactly slept well the night before¡ªtoo nervous about her imminent nuptials¡ªso the Perhaps she could just close her eyes a little¡­ Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Logan smiled to himself when he looked across at his far too quiet, and it would seem fast asleep any other woman he would also have been pretty pissed that she found hispany socking that she dozed, off, but this wasn¡¯t just any woman. She was his wife. His hands tightened around the steering wheel as the full meaning of that one word sunk in. While their ceremony hadn¡¯t been a religious one¡ªneither one of them were believers¡ªhe had still pledged himself to her, promised to love, cherish, and be faithful until death did them part and all that crap¡ªand he would do his best to keep to those vows for as long as this marriage had tost. It¡¯s the least he could do, considering that she¡¯d agreed to marry him for the sake of Rhia. He knew he wouldn¡¯t stand a snowball¡¯s chance in hell of gaining permanent custody of his niece, not with the judge most likely to be appointed for the hearing being an old-fashioned coot, who was a firm believer in old family values. His wide tinum wedding band caught his eye, and he smiled again, when he recalled Hannah¡¯s surprise at the matching wedding rings. She had the cutest frown when she mulled something over, and he was fast bing addicted to see it appear. That and the way her whole being lit up when she was happy. A man could lose himself in that happiness, crave it even. Logan frowned at the direction his thoughts were taking, but it was only natural to care for one¡¯s wife, right? He wasn¡¯t apletely heartless bastard, after all, and it would make life decidedly ufortable if they didn¡¯t at least rub along. While he¡¯d known howpatible they were sexually, this pleasant rapport they¡¯d established between each other was a wee, if unexpected, surprise. Unlike most of the women of his acquaintance, Hannah seemed to be exactly who she said she was, a trait she shared with her sister, and George. It had been one of the main reasons why he¡¯d asked George to be his best man. The straightforward, no-nonsense builder had been surprised at being asked, but as Logan had pointed out, he couldn¡¯t exactly ask his twin. He¡¯d been best man at Rick¡¯s wedding, was godfather to Rhia, and he¡¯d always assumed Rick would one day do the same for him. Bile churned in his gut, and he changed to the fastne and put his foot down. This self-examining one¡¯s feelings wasn¡¯t doing him any good. The sooner he got them to their tower, the sooner he could lose himself in his wife¡¯s soft body and forget the rest of this fucked up world existed for a while. By the time they finally reached Peebles, Hannah stirred. The blush that crept into her cheeks when she realized she¡¯d dozed off lightened his mood considerably. ¡°Back with me, I see. We¡¯re nearly there now. Look up there.¡± He gestured up the hill toward Neidpath Castle. Overlooking the river Tweed from its vantage point up high, the ancient, L-n rubble-built tower house would have made the perfect wedding venue, had it not been hired out to a film crew for the summer. Hannah gasped when he told her as much. ¡°As they haven¡¯t started yet, however, I managed to snare us this tower. Coming up right about now.¡± Sure enough, the tall building rose in front of them. Even with the incessant rain still pouring down, it made an idyllic setting. ¡°Wow, that really does look ancient.¡± Hannah¡¯s breathless observation made him grin. ¡°I¡¯m assured it¡¯s mostfortable inside while maintaining its original charms. Let me just go and get it opened up. Everything ought to be ready and set up for us by now.¡± He reached across her into the glove box to pull out the set of keys he¡¯d procured ahead of time, jogged across the rain-soaked stone steps, and breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened effortlessly. Blessed warmth greeted him, and he could hear the crackle of the open fires. Good, they¡¯d followed his instructions then. Leaving the door ajar, he jogged back to the car, and yanked open the passenger door. ¡°Ready to make a run for it, little dove?¡± he asked. The incredulous way she looked him up and down, and then gestured at the rain, which wasing down much faster now, made him smirk. ¡°It¡¯s only water, and I promise I¡¯ll warm you up once we get in there.¡± He swiped his rain-soaked hair out of his face with one hand and held his free hand out for her to take. When she did, he pulled her out of the car, and the heavens truly opened. They were soaked through to the skin by the time they made it up the stairs. Rather than bitching about it, Hannah wasughing when he swung back round to look at her. Jesus, she was beautiful. Head raised into the deluge, arms outstretched, she looked like a virginal offering to the gods, and he took a moment to simply drink in her. The expertly applied make up had been washed away by the rain, her hair hung in bedraggled ringlets around her face, and the sinful wedding dress had been rendered transparent. Mud stters marred the train and skirt, not that Hannah seemed to care, because she twirled around a few times, before she faced him with a huge grin. ¡°Are we going in or¡ªyikes, Logan, put me down, I¡¯m too heavy ¡­ mph.¡± Logan shut up her protests by the very expedient method of kissing her, while he carried his new bride over the threshold. A firm kick ensured the door shut behind them, and with a few more steps, he blindly crossed the boot room and set her down next to the enormous stone sink. Only then did he break the kiss, and smiled at her. ¡°We need to get out of these wet clothes, wife.¡± With that he stepped back and unbuttoned his waistcoat. His shirt was next, and both items of clothing ended up on the stone floor with a sodden st. He kicked his shoes and socks off and having pulled off his trousers and boxers they, too, ended up in soggy pile on the floor, next to Hannah¡¯s high heels, which appeared to be the only item of clothing she¡¯d divested herself of so far. His cock, always at half-mast around her, surged into full life seeing her perched on the sideboard, eyes wide, little teeth nibbling her bottom lip as she ran her gaze all over his naked body. A rosy flush spread across her skin despite the wet clothing she was still wearing, and her breasts were in serious danger of spilling over the top of her dress. ¡°At the risk of sounding like a bad clich¨¦, one of is wearing too many clothes still, and it¡¯s not me, sweetheart.¡± He stepped closer, the caveman in him roaring in delight at the fact that she didn¡¯t seem capable of tearing her gaze away from his dick. That organ strained up to his navel, bobbed in tune to his steps, and pointed straight toward her like a homing beacon. ¡°I can¡¯t get out of it by myself.¡± Hannah¡¯s needy whisper made him even harder. She made a grab for his shoulders when he stepped up to her, yanked her dress up and her legs apart, and stepped right between them. Fuck him from here to next week, she was wearing sheer stockings and a garter belt. He¡¯d died and gone to heaven, clearly, because the silky feel of her legs as she wrapped them around his hips was torture and bliss all rolled into one. Logan pressed his forehead against hers, and pulled some much-needed breath into his lungs, while he fought for control. It had been too long, and this close to his prize ¡­ fuck, he could smell the sweet aroma of her arousal and his hand wandered up her thighs of their own ord. The contrast between the silk and the softness of her skin further did him in as she raised her hips, and clung. ¡°Please, I ¡­ yes.¡± Logan slipped his fingers under the stic of the tiny bit ofce that covered up her pussy, and grunted his approval at the wetness which greeted him. Her fingernails dug into his skin, and Hannah jerked when he slipped one long finger into the tight sp of her body. ¡°Hmm, what have we here, Mrs. Bryce. Is this all for me?¡± He pulled back slightly to see her expression. Head thrown back, eyes shut, Hannah¡¯s breath came in short gasps that turned into a long drawn out moan when he added a second finger and thrust those digits in and out of her channel, curling them until he found that little raised patch he was looking for. Hannah went wild in his arms when he did. Arms and legs sped around him, she rode his fingers. It was beyond hot to see her chasing her release with such utter abandon. He trailed kisses down her throat, licked across her magnificent chest, and using his teeth yanked the top of her corset down. One of her heavy breasts fell out, her nipple hard and begging for his touch. When Logan sucked that cherry red nub into his mouth and bit down, Hannah tensed and tumbled over that edge. Her internal walls squeezed his fingers, and she gushed her arousal over his digits. Incoherent sounds came from his girl¡¯s lips, as she continued to jerk in the aftershocks of her release. Logan released his hold on her breast, grazing his teeth along that stiff peak, and Hannah tensed some more. ¡°God, I love how responsive you are, little dove. I need to be in you.¡± Logan ground the words out through clenched teeth, withdrew his fingers, grasped hold of the delicatece in his way, and tugged. The fabric gave way with an audible rip, and he had clear ess to her sensitive flesh. ¡°Yes, Logan, I¡­¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Whatever else she was going to saw was lost in her sharp inhale as he yanked her butt off the sideboard, and end of his shaft in one hand, ran the tip of his erection through her wet slit. He bumped the engorged bundle of nerves on the top of her hood. Hannah dug her fingernails into his skin, locked her thighs around him, and ankles crossed behind his ass, lifted up just enough so that he could impale himself inside of her on the downstroke. Like a warm, wet fist her internal muscles closed around him, and they both groaned as he grasped hold of her butt cheeks and propped her up against the wall. The couple of steps required to achieve that, lodged him even deeper inside of her, and Logan saw stars. ¡°Christ, I won¡¯tst five minutes this time.¡± A giggle erupted from the woman is his arms, and his dick jerked as she mped down at him at the same time. He squeezed her butt, and lifted her off him, until only the tip of his length remained at her entrance. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 ¡°Are youughing at me, girl?¡± He pulled her back down his length, locked his knees, and started to thrust in earnest. Laughter turned to moans, and Logan lost the ability to do anything but feel, as Hannah went over that edge before him. The rhythmic ripples along his shaft sent him, too, into the abyss of pleasure. With his head buried in her neck, he thrust in deep and stayed there, roaring out his pleasure, as his dick twitched inside the tight sp of his wife¡¯s body. Legs like jelly, they gave way, and he allowed them both to slide down the floor, until they ended up in an undignified heap of limbs and wet clothing on the stone floor. How long they stayed there, he would never know, but eventually the cold creeping into his butt and the shivers wracking his bride got through to his mush for brains that impromptu fuck fest had left him in. His softened cock slid from her silky embrace. He caught Hannah¡¯s moan of denial in the kiss he gave her, until the shivers which appeared to wrack her body brought him to his senses. ¡°Forgive me, you¡¯re frozen. Let¡¯s get you out of this.¡± Hannah wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms, but Logan was a man on a mission. He ignored her protests, and having pulled her off the floor, picked her up again as though she weighed no more than a feather. He hushed her protests with a shake of the head, and firm admonishment to watch herself, as he started to climb the winding, narrow, wooden staircase. She clung on tight, ducked when he told her to, and got a fleeting impression of several charming, rustic rooms before they reached the top of the tower. Logan appeared barely out of breath, and she had to marvel at his strength as he set her on her feet inside one of the most delightful bedrooms Hannah had ever seen. It was dominated by the king size wooden bed in the middle of the room. A rollover old fashioned bath stood in one corner, next to a wooden chest of drawers, on which several fluffy bath towels were piled. She recognized her suitcase in the corner of the room, and her gaze traveled upwards over the myriad of beams that crossed the ceiling. The warm colors of the d¨¦cor were reflected in the deep red and brown hues of the bedspread and added to the whole, rustic feel of the room. ¡°Here, wrap this around your shoulders, and I¡¯ll run you bath.¡± Logan flung a towel around her shoulders, and she sank into the fluffy material with a grateful sigh. While it was considerably warmer up here, her wet dress chilled her skin now that the aftereffects of her earlier orgasms had worn off, and she felt bereft without Logan¡¯s warm body surrounding her. Much to her dismay he wrapped a towel round his hips, which spoiled her view somewhat, but the byy of his muscr shoulders and back, as he made short work of running her that bath provided more than enough ogling material. The angel tattoo across his shoulder des almost appeared toe to life, and Hannah swallowed her sigh. Theirs might not be a love match, but to be married to this hunk, and to have the right to ogle his physique whenever she chose to, let alone the fantastic sex were more than enoughpensation. Logan smirked when he caught her checking him out, and gently tugged the towel out of her grasp. ¡°Let¡¯s see how this works, ah, turn around for me, sweetheart.¡± His warm hands on her damp skin left shivers of awareness in their wake, as he slowly and carefully peeled her out of her dress. The sodden material fell to the floor, and Logan pulled in a sharp breath when she stood in front of him in nothing but her corset and stockings. She suppressed a giggle when he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a plea for divine strength. Her amusement fled the building, however, when he pulled her close and she felt the hard evidence of his arousal against her back. She grew wet for him all over again, and groaning, Logan ran his hand through her pussy lips. ¡°Such a fucking turn-on, but I promised to warm you up, so the bath it is.¡± ¡°Spoilsport, there are other ways, and we have this lovely big bed right here.¡± She panted her reply, because he¡¯d turned her again to face him, and the way he was tenting that towel while his dark-eyed gaze devoured her made her tingle all over. She took a step back until her legs hit the side of the bed, and she fell backward. His gaze immediately zeroed in between her legs, and she deliberately opened them wide. ¡°Fuck, yes, open them wider. Let me see that sweet cunt.¡± Logan¡¯s dirty words pitched her need for him higher still, and the most sinful smile spread across his face when sheplied. ¡°Beautiful. Put your heels on the bed, hold onto your ankles and let your knees fall open. Can you do that for me?¡± His voice changed, took on that deep, dark delicious edge, which she simply couldn¡¯t resist. As awkward as this position felt, it was also hugely exciting. ¡°That¡¯s my very good girl. If you could see how wet you are for me. Your little hole is clenching as I speak, and you¡¯re lovely and pink, so eager for my cock, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, please fuck me again.¡± Lord only knew where those words came from. Hannah had never been one for dirty talk in sex, but with this man staring down at her it simply felt natural to give into her darker fantasies. ¡°I have real problems holding this though. Perhaps you ought to tie me up to help me, Sir?¡± Logan¡¯s sharp intake of breath told her he approved, as did the dangerous glitter in his dark eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that in the bedroom unless you¡¯re ready to give up total control to me, little dove.¡± ¡°Please, Sir.¡± She put extra emphasis on that title, and when he smiled and nodded she released the breath she hadn¡¯t been aware of holding. ¡°Very well then. If you need out of the ropes, or anything hurts, say red. Got that?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± How she managed to get that response out past the lump of excitement lodged in her throat she would never know. Oh my God, he gave me a safeword and everything. ¡°Good girl. I¡¯ll be right back. Don¡¯t move now.¡± She heard the smirk in his voice, then the sound of a zipper being opened, and in the next instant he was back with her. Her breath hitched, and she couldn¡¯t help her shiver of need when she showed her the red rope. He hovered the end of it over her belly, and she sucked in a breath at the tickling sensation. ¡°Ticklish, are we, little one? Ropes can be used for all sorts of things, sensation y being one of them, but tonight I¡¯ll just tie you up as per your request. Close your eyes for me. This will be so much better if you do.¡± He slid the rope through the folds of her pussy, and Hannah¡¯s eyes fluttered shut without any conscious effort on her part. God, that felt way too good. ¡°Good girl, I¡¯m gonna tie you up now. Remember to call red if you have to.¡± The first tug of the hemp against her skin made her heade up, and her eyes fly open. Seeing his dark head bent between her legs, his warm, even exhales ghosting across the exposed skin of her inner thigh, was a visual stimulus all on its own. Logan clearly knew what he was doing, as he ran his fingers under the rope to ensure it wasn¡¯t too tight, and he checked the knots as he went. He looked up as though he sensed her watching him, and smiled. ¡°Do I have to blindfold you, little dove?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Hannah hastily shook her head and screwed her eyes shut. ¡°Much better, girl. Now just rx and let yourself feel the moment.¡± Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Hannah pulled a face at first, but he was right. Without her vision, the feel of the rope sliding across her skin became a sensual dance. By the time he had her hands and wrist securely tied to her ankles, she was so aroused that the slight air discement against her pussy made her clit clench in need. ¡°Ah, my poor little dove is so very needy, but first things first, this corset has to go. I want nothing between us this time when I fu¡ªmake love to you.¡± Her eyes flew open at that deration, and the heat and admiration in his gaze as he looked down on her made her heart turn into a jackhammer, not least because he held a pocket knife in his hand. ¡°Rx, I¡¯ve got this here in case I need to cut you loose quickly, and it¡¯s also rather handy for this. Hold still now.¡± He put his hand between her skin and the corset and started to cut away theces. Every well-ced slice of the knife pitched her arousal higher, and by the time he cut her free of the corset, she was in danger of hyperventting. Logan smiled, grasped her breasts and pushing them together,vished attention on them. ¡°I fucking love these, and at some point over the next week, I¡¯ll fuck them, but for now.¡± He sucked both nipples into his mouth until she was a panting, pleading mess, and then worked his way down her body, delivering little bites, which made her jerk and gasp. Each time he soothed the sting away with his tongue, and when he finally, mercifully reached her pussy, one swipe of his talented tongue was all it took for her to explode. Hannah was pretty sure she screamed, while Logan ate her out as though he was a desperate man deprived of nourishment for too long. He kept up his attentions until thest of her tremors had abated, and then slowly kissed his way back up her body, before he kissed her, while he slid in deep inside of her. So very deep. She could taste herself on him, and as he set up a slow push and retreat rhythm between her legs, she kissed him back with all the wealth of emotions his slow,nguorous lovemaking evoked in her. This was more than just sex, as he rocked in and out her, and she was powerless to do anything but let him take the lead. With that loss of power came peace and pleasure. God, so much pleasure, as her orgasm red anew. Logan broke the kiss, grasped her butt cheeks, and tilted her slightly, so that every slow thrust hit that sweet spot inside of her. She mped down on him, making him groan, but he would not be hurried. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Please, I need, God, you¡¯re killing me.¡± A dark chuckle was her only response, and he pulled all the way out, leaving her hanging. ¡°Please, Sir.¡± ¡°Hush now, my sweet. We¡¯re doing this my way.¡± He looked down as he pushed back in with a grunt. ¡°So good. Seeing your greedy little pussy swallow my cock is such a turn-on. Knowing that you can¡¯t do anything but take me, and let me set the pace.¡± He flicked a nce up her body, and Hannah lost herself in the intensity of his gaze. On and on he pushed her driving her crazy with the slow coupling, as the pressure built to unbearable levels. ¡°Please, I need to ¡­ please.¡± Logan¡¯s face contorted, and she knew the exact moment it became too much for him, too, because he clenched his jaw, set his thumb on her clit, and growled. ¡°Thene for me now, baby.¡± His hips flexed, and she flew over that edge with him as he increased his speed, stiffened and kept himself buried deep inside of her. Heat bathed her insides, and Hannah gave herself up to the sheer force of an orgasm that didn¡¯t seem to want to end. When she finally stopped trembling and gasping for air, she was free of the ropes, and Logan was slowly removing her stockings. How odd that she had forgotten all about those. ¡°There you are, my sweet, up youe now. Your bath awaits.¡± Sure enough, when he helped her off the bed it was to find the bathtub filled with steaming bubbles. Hannah wasn¡¯t at all sure her wobbly legs would support her, but she needn¡¯t have worried, because Logan stepped into the bath with her. The water sloshed over the side, soaking the bath mat on the floor, and Hannah winced as the water made contact with her soreher regions. She tried to wriggle away, but with his legs either side of hers, she couldn¡¯t, so she gave in and leaned back against his broad chest. ¡°That¡¯s my girl. You rx now and let me take care of you.¡± He picked up a sponge from the side of the bath and ran it up and down her arm. Hannah pulled in a sharp breath when she noticed the crisscross pattern the ropes had left behind on her skin, and Logan¡¯s hand froze. ¡°Do you mind?¡± he asked. She heard the concern in his voice loud and clear, and felt the sudden tension in the big body surrounding her. ¡°Not at all, they¡¯re beautiful.¡± She twisted slightly to enable her to see him, and the approval in his silent eyes gave her a warm glow inside. Especially when he kissed her nose. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, Mrs. Bryce.¡± His voice sounded odd, as though he held in his emotions, and Hannah sighed in happiness and turned back round again. ¡°If you say so, Mr. Bryce.¡± Logan growled his annoyance, and sheughed. They stayed in the tub until the water ran cold. Hannah shooed him away to get dressed, and aughing Logan disappeared downstairs to rustle them up some food. Having donned one of the sheer nightgowns and matching robe she¡¯d purchased specifically for her honeymoon, Hannah, too, made her way back down the narrow staircase. She could hardly believe her eyes when she stepped into the living room. A roaring fire was lit, and Logan had arranged what looked like an indoor pic in front of it. A very upscale pic to be sure, with a bottle of champagne cooling in ice, and a selection of mouth-watering cold and hot dishes. ¡°How on earth?¡± She gestured to the goodies on the plush rug and sank onto one the cushions Logan had thrown on the floor. He passed her a flute of champagne, clinked his ss to hers, and shrugged. ¡°I could pretend I¡¯m a whizz in the kitchen, but that would be a lie. Suffice to say the housekeeper left those for us in the fridge, and there¡¯s plenty more delights in the freezer. We don¡¯t have to set foot outside at all unless we want to.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± His earlier words of keeping her naked all week flooded back into her conscience and heated her cheeks. ¡°Yes, oh. You should know by now that I mean what I say.¡± Logan fixed her with one those looks. Dark, intense, and promising a myriad of sinful delights toe. She took a long swallow of her champagne, and Logan barked a shortugh. ¡°You¡¯ll enjoy them I promise, and I shall not insist on keeping you naked, if you wear delightful clothing like this.¡± He skimmed his knuckles over nipples which hardened immediately and tried their best to poke holes through the sheer fabric. ¡°Now eat, the night is young, and I have every intention to make love to you again right here in front of the fire.¡± And that was exactly what they did. It set the standard for the rest of their honeymoon. As Hannah woke up on thest day of their stay at their tower, she left a softly snoring Logan in the bed. She made her way to the kitchen and smiled to herself, as she passed all the various ces they¡¯d made love over thest fortnight. Logan had proven himself to be an inventive, passionate, and generous lover. While dominant in the bedroom he let her take the lead in other things, namely the excursions outside of the tower. From bike rides to hikes around the countryside, and a shopping trip to Edinburgh they¡¯d done it all. They¡¯d bought some truly Scottish mementos in Edinburgh to bring home to Rhia, Sarah, and George. A little kilted doll for Rhia. Shortbread, toffee, and a tartan shawl for Sarah, and a dram of whisky and more haggis then he¡¯d ever be able to eat for George. Just like they¡¯d promised FaceTiming with Rhia every night had be a daily ritual. Seeing the easy interaction between Logan and his niece, and how much the little girl seemed to being out of her shell, had made Hannah fall a little more in love with the wee bairn, as they said over here, and her impossible uncle, too. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Hang on, what? No, no, no, that wasn¡¯t part of the n. She couldn¡¯t have fallen in love with her husband, could she? She set the coffee machine to work while staring out of the window, desperately trying to talk herself out of this sudden and most unwee insight. It was useless however. ¡°Ah, here you are, up early, my sweet. I clearly have to work on my technique, if you have this much energy in the morning.¡± Logan¡¯s strong arms came around her, and her breathing hitched when she realized he was naked and very much aroused. He nuzzled into her neck, and his warm breath raised goosebumps on her skin as he whispered in her ear. ¡°Morning, Mrs. Bryce, you robbed me of our morning cuddles, but here will do just as well.¡± He dropped his voice, and her traitorous body simply melted for him. She could never resist him, even less now that her heart beat only for him. He nudged her legs apart, and slowly ran his hands up her inner thighs taking the hem of her negligee with him. He groaned when he found her slick folds, and Hannah shut her eyes and gave herself up to the instant tingles his fingers created as he yed her body like the craftsman he was. More of her arousal coated his fingers, and his breathing grew harsh. Hannah, too, had a hard time pulling oxygen into her lungs as she felt the silky tip of his erection slide through her sensitive flesh. A gasp escaped her lips when he pushed into her body, iming her in one smooth, long thrust, which filled her utterly. A hand between her shoulder des pushed her forward, and she rose on tiptoes as he started to move. In this position he went deep, awakening nerve endings in over sensitized tissues, still swollen from their nocturnal activities. Logan wrapped his hand in her hair and tugged her head back, his mouth next to her ear, as he whispered dirty words, which shouldn¡¯t be a turn-on, but were nheless. The soft sounds of their bodies pping together as he upped the pace added anotheryer of sensory overload, which meant she flew into the pleasurable abyss, at record time. Logan, too, groaned and stiffened, his head resting between her shoulder des as he pumped his essence inside her body. ¡°Fuck, yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t help the tears from falling, as he pulled out of her, and reached across for the tissues to clean her up. His gentle ministrations did her in, and she couldn¡¯t hide the fact she was now openly crying. ¡°Shit, did I hurt you?¡± Logan spun her around, and the concern on his handsome face was too much. ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing. I just need to¡­¡± She pushed him away and fled to the rtive sanctuary of the bathroom. Not that itsted long, because Logan followed her, and the door fair shook under his fist pounding against it. ¡°Damn it, woman, let me in. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing, please, just go. I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡± Another, much louder thump made her jump and fear for the hinges, before he withdrew. ¡°Fuck this.¡± The fury behind those two words twisted her insides, and she mped her hand over her mouth to stop the sobs from escaping. How on earth was she ever going to survive the next few weeks, knowing that she loved him? It made her want so much more, so much that she knew he wasn¡¯t prepared to give. Chapter Ten R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Logan scowled at the locked door, stalked back downstairs, and nted his fist into the wall. Not that the act of violence achieved anything, other than bloody his knuckles. The tower¡¯s walls were ancient and had withstood much more than one man¡¯s fury. What the ever-loving fuck though? Just when he thought he had his wife all figured out and they were getting along swimmingly, she pulled this stunt on him. Logan snatched a pair of his joggers of the back of the kitchen chair and grimaced as his injured hand protested yanking them up his legs. He trotted over to the kitchen sink, turned the water on and held his hand under the stream. Rivulets of crimson water collected in the sink, the evidence of his own stupidity not helping his mood one little bit. A soft gasp behind him alerted him to the presence to his errant wife. ¡°What on earth did you do?¡± She was next to him in seconds, the weight of her breast resting on his arm, as she pulled his hand out from under the water, and bent over it to examine it. He tensed when she probed his knuckles¡ªthat fucking hurt¡ªbut he made sure none of that showed in his face while he ground out a surly answer. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Leave it be, woman.¡± Hannah flinched, but whatever had possessed her to burst into tears like that must have passed, because she red up at him in way that she hadn¡¯t done since the early days of their strange rtionship. While a part of him was d to see her ire, the other, confused, wanting to make this better for her part¡ªand what the fuck was that impulse about?¡ªached to hold her in his arms and for her to open up to him. He liked it far better when they were on the same page. He should have known that easy rapport wouldn¡¯tst. Jeez, two weeks into their marriage and they were at loggerheads already. Hannah gave him an unexpected shove that forced him to take a step back. ¡°This.¡± She deliberately poked at the broken skin, and smiled grimly at his wince. ¡°This is not nothing. Now sit your impossible ass down and let me bandage that up for you. What on earth were you thinking? Oh, let me guess you weren¡¯t thinking. Damn stupid oaf a man.¡± There were other words he didn¡¯t catch, his attention too taken up by the high color in her cheeks, as she kept on berating him and the stupidity of men in general. At least, she¡¯d lost the haunted, fragile look she¡¯d had earlier. The one that even now made his cock shrivel and want to hide. A novel experience around her, for sure. That part of his anatomy was usually raring to go at the mere whiff of her perfume in the air. A damned nuisance it was, too, but nothing, nada, zilch, just this ache in his gut he didn¡¯t know what to do with. When she¡¯d finished her first aid, she nced at him, and would have left him sitting on the kitchen chair has he not grasped hold of her wrist and tugged her down and over hisp. ¡°Logan, no.¡± Arms and legs iling she tried to get off him, but she was no match for his superior strength. He trapped her legs between his, and holding both of her wrists in in his uninjured hand behind her back, he used his bandaged one to rain a series of swats on her ass. ¡°Let me go, dammit, no.¡± Each swat turning her backside red sent a shockwave of pain up his hand, but he was determined to get answers, and this seemed the most expedient way for him to get those answers. ¡°No, I will not. Not u ntil you tell me what all those tears were about earlier.¡± Another few swats on her behind stopped her struggles, and he knew the minute he got through to her, because she went limp across hisp. The sweet scent of her arousal perfumed the air between them, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn¡¯t gotten this all wrong. Logan stopped to massage the by now red-hot globes of her ass, and a sniffle came from the woman across hisp. ¡°Please, enough, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Logan delivered onest yful swat across both cheeks, and then helped her to sit on hisp. He tucked her hair behind her ears better to see her expression, and dropped a kiss on her nose. ¡°So, talk, what the hell was that about?¡± Hannah shrugged. ¡°It was nothing, I told you. I was just being silly.¡± Logan didn¡¯t even try to hold in his irritated grunt, and Hannah jumped and shot him a wary look. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that whole lot of BS. We agreed we would be honest with each other, did we not?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He had to strain to hear her whispered answer. ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t just nothing, was it? Or if it was then it was a much of a nothing as my punching that damn wall over there.¡± He gestured to the offending part of the tower, and Hannah smiled and shook her head. ¡°That was just in stupid, Logan.¡± He grunted a nomittal reply and grasped her chin to make her look at him. Some incredibly raw emotion flitted across her expressive face¡ªone he couldn¡¯t put a name to¡ªbefore she blinked and the moment passed. ¡°It really was nothing, bar my silly hormones.¡± She dropped her gaze to his corbone and kept it there. ¡°I¡¯m due on soon, and I always get tearful around that time, and you know, it just hit me. This is ourst day here, and we have to go back to reality, and I guess I¡¯m just worried how that will all go. And then there is the looming set of hearings about Rhia, and yeah.¡± She briefly nced up at him and offered him a wobbly smile. It didn¡¯t reach her eyes, and Logan got the distinct impression that she was not telling him everything. Oh, he believed her worry about Rhia, sure enough. How could he not when it was a constant bile inducing twist in his own gut? Not winning permanent custody of his niece didn¡¯t bear thinking about, but it became harder and harder to stuff that thought back in the box where it belonged. The truth of the matter simply was, that he could. That all this could be for nothing and there was nothing he could do about it. Being this helpless wentpletely against his nature, but he could no more force the judge to vote in his favor than he could coerce the truth out of his wife. He was missing something here, and until she told him what that was, he would have to pretend he believed her. As tempting as it was to pummel her backside until she told him the real reason for her tears, he wasn¡¯t that guy. He wasn¡¯t his brother, dammit. Hannah still wouldn¡¯t look at him, and Logan sighed. ¡°Fine, if you insist that¡¯s all it is. Talking of Rhia we best get going. That way we might make it home on time to pick her up from school.¡± That suggestion brought Hannah¡¯s head up in a genuine smile that made his chest feel tight. ¡°You think we can?¡± At his nod, she pped her hands together and scrambled off hisp. ¡°What are you waiting for then? Let¡¯s get packed,e on.¡± She dragged him back to the bedroom, and the irony wasn¡¯t lost on him. Still, a man couldn¡¯t be jealous of his niece, right? Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Logan discovered several things over the next few weeks as they settled into married life back home. It was perfectly possible to be jealous of one little human dynamo cock-blocker. After the third morning in a row, when his preferred method of greeting the day¡ªmaking love to his wife¡ªwas interrupted by Rhia bouncing into the room, he stopped trying. Attempts to convince Hannah to install a lock on their bedroom door were vehemently opposed by his wife. ¡°We can¡¯t do that. What if she has one of her nightmares and sleepwalks? What will she do with a locked door? She¡¯s only just starting to feel secure.¡± Logan had grudgingly conceded Hannah had a point. Besides there were new joys to be found in simply spending time with Hannah and Rhia. Much to his surprise, he enjoyed their family get-togethers immensely. They were a wee balm to the shit that Lord and Lady Franningham threw his way on an almost daily basis. At least the courts had agreed for now that granting the couple ess and introducing a still traumatized Ria to grandparents she¡¯d never met before were not in her best interest. Hannah had been by his side at that particr hearing, a quietly seething tower of strength who had torn a strip off the Franningham solicitor when he¡¯d dared to call into question the validity of their marriage and her own introduction to Rhia. ¡°With all due respect, that is entirely different. And more to the point, where are your precious clients? If they¡¯re that concerned about their granddaughter, then where have they been for thest four years of her life? Tell me that. Why aren¡¯t they here, pleading their case in person, huh? The truth of the matter is they don¡¯t know the first thing about Rhia. They were never interested in her or her mother. They don¡¯t even bother to visit the hospital, and throwing money at the situation is not going to help. Being there is what counts. If that was my daughter in aa I¡¯d be there every day, trying my utmost to bring her out of it, like Logan has done, and he continues to do, even though it looks increasingly doubtful that she ever will, and they have the audacity to question his ability to be a father to Rhia. They¡ª¡± ¡°Enough, Mrs. Bryce,¡± Judge Hanson had interrupted her. ¡°While I apud your spirited defense of your husband, this hearing isn¡¯t about his suitability, but what is in the child¡¯s best interests. I¡¯ve read the psychological assessment on her, and on this asion, I concur with her counsellor¡¯s rmendation that it would set Rhia¡¯s recovery back, if she were to be subjected to the stress of being introduced to her grandparents.¡± Hannah had breathed a sigh of relief, and Logan had barely resisted the urge to fist pump the air. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean the situation isn¡¯t fluid. I¡¯ve yet to receive full evaluations on Mr. Bryce and indeed you, Mrs. Bryce, and until I have them and can consider all the evidence in front of me this matter is far from settled.¡± Those ominous words came back to haunt him now, when he saw the strange car on the drive. They¡¯d been warned that an unannounced home visit was imminent, and Logan had sworn down the phone when Hannah had called him at work. Having caught the same nasty virus that had kept Rhia off nursery for thest few days, she¡¯d sounded exhausted and on the verge of tears. He hadn¡¯t wanted to leave either one of his girls that morning, but the meeting he¡¯d now been called out of anyway, had been too vital to miss. Now, well now it would cost him a shit ton of money, as the deal would go to thepetition. Of all the days, they had to send someone to investigate the home environment it had to be today, when neither one of them was in best form. He forced himself to not m the front door shut behind him, and scowled when the little munchkin didn¡¯t appear to wrap herself around his legs like she usually did. As she was much better than she had been, she must be taking a nap, which was probably just as well, because the words drifting into the hallway made his blood boil. ¡°I see. I¡¯m very sorry you¡¯re not feeling well, but this really cannot wait. What is taking Mr. Bryce so long? I have to say I¡¯m surprised he went to work at all with you in this state. I take it workes before all else?¡± The ingratiating tone of what sounded to him like false sympathy set his teeth on edge. He forced himself to unclench his fists and take several deep breaths, while his little dove intervened. ¡°Not at all, I mean, yes, he can be ruthless in business. He has to be to be sessful, but he¡¯s not like that in his private life. He had to attend this meeting. The whole takeover of a newpany d epends on the oue, and if you must know I insisted he went this morning. I¡­¡± A coughing fit stopped her exnation, and Logan had heard enough. ¡°I¡¯m here now, Ms.¡ª¡± He spared nothing more than a cursory nce to the middle-aged woman perched on the edge of his leather recliner. Notepad in hand and a thick file by her side, she regarded Hannah over the edge of her silver-rimmed sses, and gave Logan a perfunctory smile in greeting. Not that he took any notice because his attention was taken up by Hannah. Jesus, she looked even worse than she had in the morning. ¡°Hey, babe, here, I¡¯ve got you.¡± He sat down next to his little dove and gently tapped her back to help with the cough. Her skin felt mmy and feverish to the touch, and when she looked up at him her eyes held that zed look indicating she was indeed running a temperature. He handed her a ss of water and swore under his breath when her hand shook too much to take it. ¡°Jesus, woman, you should have called me back sooner. You should be in bed.¡± He scowled at her, ignoring their far too interested audience, as he held the ss to Hannah¡¯s chapped lips to encourage her to take some fluids. ¡°I should call the doctor back. This can¡¯t be right. Rhia wasn¡¯t this ill.¡± He dropped a kiss on Hannah¡¯s damp forehead, shocked how hot she felt. ¡°These things often hit adults far worse than they do children. Your wife exined Rhia caught a nasty virus from nursery. It¡¯s the time of year, I¡¯m afraid. You¡¯re not the only one of my families to be suffering.¡± The social worker stood up and held out her hand for Logan to take. Her smile dropped when he ignored the proffered appendage and turned his back on her. She could go sing, for all he cared. He was far more concerned about his wife right now than social niceties. ¡°Have you taken some paracetamol at least?¡± He knew his voice had taken on an edge, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. In his peripheral vision, he saw that damn social worker sit back down and scribble something in her notepad. No doubt that he was an arrogant oaf, living up to his reputation. Hannah nodded and rested her head on his shoulder in a trusting gesture, which made his chest tighten anew. Jesus, if he lost her¡­ Cold sweat ran down between his shoulder des, and he adjusted their position so that his girl was now sitting on hisp. Raised eyebrows from the crone across the coffee table, and a murmured protest from Hannah. He ignored both, and once Hannah was into her notepad. ¡°Make this quick, will you? You can see how ill my wife is. I¡¯m sure there must be rules against barging into someone¡¯s house and interrogating them, when that person is ill.¡± Hannah shook her head and tried to say something, but Logan ced his finger over her lips to stop her. ¡°Hush, baby, no more talking. Just rest. I¡¯m sure I can answer all the questions, Ms.¡ª¡± He paused and raised an eyebrow in query at the woman across from them. ¡°Mrs. Offrey, and please rest assured that I¡¯m not here to interrogate anybody. Believe it or not, I¡¯m on your side.¡± She frowned at Logan¡¯s snort in answer, and Hannah tensed in his arms. ¡°Please, Logan, just listen to her. I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Another coughing fit shook her small frame, and Logan tightened his hold on her until it passed. Then he grasped her chin to tilt it up and brushed his lips over This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. hers. Fuck the audience, he needed that connection right now, to feel her tentative smile at his actions, and to know she was with him. He¡¯d doubted that at times over thest few weeks. Oh, in bed, at least, she was just as responsive as she¡¯d always been, but when she didn¡¯t think he was looking he¡¯d noticed the inherent sadness that clung to Hannah like an invisible cloak of impending doom. It made him uneasy. Logan wasn¡¯t one to second-guess his actions, but he found himself doing that more and more. It wasn¡¯t a feeling he relished, because the world just didn¡¯t seem right when Hannah wasn¡¯t happy. Fuck knew why that bothered him as much as it did, but he needed her to be happy. So, he stopped the angry words aimed at this Mrs. Offrey¡ªwords which were burning a hole in his gut, and would no doubt earn him another ck mark¡ªand nodded at Hannah. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m listening. Mrs. Offrey, exin to me how you¡¯re on our side. All I see is a woman looking into my private life and making assumptions.¡± Hannah tensed again, and Logan scrubbed a hand over his face. Grief, he was tired. Neither one of them had slept well in days, ever since Rhia had first fallen ill, and now this shit. To give the social worker credit, she didn¡¯t appear to take offense at his growled words. A small smile yed around her lips, and she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m only doing my job, Mr. Bryce, and an intrusion into your privacy is an unfortunate aspect of this.¡± Logan barked a shortugh in answer to that matter of fact statement. ¡°Maybe you need to find another job then.¡± Mrs. Offrey inclined her head, and a sliver of genuine amusement showed in her gray eyes. ¡°Believe me, I hear that a lot. And at times, I do wish I had a different job, but the children keep me going. Someone has to look out for their bests interests and¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that? Why the fuck do you think I took Rhia under my care after what my dick of a brother did? She¡¯s my goddaughter, and I¡­¡± Jeez, why was this so difficult to put into words? Hannah¡¯s small hands snaked around his neck, and she kissed his clenched jaw. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Logan, we know you love her.¡± It was on the tip of his tongue to refute that notion. Love didn¡¯t exist, did it? He cared for Rhia, of course, he did. She was part of his family, his flesh and blood, so to speak, but he¡¯d taken her on out of a sense of duty. Out of guilt over his brother¡¯s actions, not because he loved her. His life had been going along just fine without the addedplication of a little traumatized girl. Mrs. Offrey scribbled something else in her notepad, and nodded. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 ¡°I must say the change in Rhia since she has been ced with you has been remarkable. She really is a delightful little girl. I was very impressed with how much more confident she was when I visited her at her nursery. So, you see, I¡¯m not here to find fault with your parenting. It¡¯s clear to me that you love your niece and your wife.¡± Hannah tensed in his arms, and he scowled at the woman making these ridiculous assumptions. Not that she took any notice, just prattled on. ¡°So that¡¯s a very good start, but I need to cross all the T¡¯s and dot the I¡¯s, especially as this has now turned into an adoption case.¡± Still reeling from the woman¡¯s assumption that he was in love with Hannah, he almost missed thatst part of her statement. ¡°Excuse me, what?¡± He grimaced at the hoarse quality of his voice, and Hannah struggled upright. Clearly this was news to her, too. ¡°Yes, as of yesterday, your brother renounced all of his parental rights.¡± Hannah gasped and slid off his ¡°The fuck he did? I¡¯m gonna kill him for sure, this time.¡± Hands fisted by his side, he paced to and fro in his living room, as the red mist descended. Toote he noticed the deathly quiet which had descended upon the room. Hannah didn¡¯t look at him, and the social worker¡­ fuck, fuck, fuck. He was ruining this. ¡°Daddy Logan?¡± Rhia¡¯s sleepy, hesitant voice pulled him back from the brink, and he forced a smile on his face for her benefit. With her dark curls all tousled from sleep, her trusty stuffed rabbit under one arm she stood in the doorway, thumb in mouth looking at him. ¡°Hey, munchkin, you awake?¡± She nodded, popped her thumb out, and looked at Mrs. Offrey. ¡°Mummy Hannah sick, so Daddy Logan and I gonna look after her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, little one.¡± Mrs. Offrey smiled at Rhia and patted the seat next to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down with us? We were just talking about you.¡± Rhia screwed up her little nose and made her way across the room. She didn¡¯t sit next to the social worker though, but threw her little arms around Hannah instead, and hugged her close. Something inside Logan¡¯s chest cracked open seeing those two heads together. He tried to rub the ache away, but it wasn¡¯t working. Maybe he was having a heart attack. Wouldn¡¯t that be the icing on the fucking cake of his life? Rhia whispered something to Hannah that he couldn¡¯t catch. Whatever it was had to do with him because both of his girls looked his way. Hannah shook her head. ¡°Of course not, Rhia.¡± ¡°What are you two whispering about this time?¡± He aimed for a light tone but his voice came out cracked, and he frowned. What the fuck was that about? He was losing the plot. ¡°Yes, I would like to hear that, too.¡± Hannah nced at Mrs. Offrey when the other woman sent that query into the room and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.¡± ¡°Little dove?¡± This time he had no problems at all to project his voice with all the authority he was going for. Probably far too much of his remaining anger showed, because that damn social worker started scribbling in her notepad again. Hannah sighed, and hugged Rhia closer. ¡°Rhia just asked me if you were angry because she gave me her nasty germs.¡± Logan reared back and shook his head. ¡°Of course not, munchkin.¡± He stepped over to them and ruffled Rhia¡¯s curls, before he held his arms out. After a momentary hesitation Rhia all but jumped at him. Hannah copsed back against the settee, and his chest started to ache again. Maybe he should see the doctor and get himself checked out. This couldn¡¯t be normal. ¡°Not your fault at all, but those pesky germs. Besides, you do a fantastic job helping me look after Hannah, and you know what? We really ought to tuck her back up in bed. Gonna help me do that, munchkin?¡± ¡°K.¡± Rhia squirmed to be put down, and pulled at Hannah¡¯s hands to get her off the settee the minute her little feet hit the carpet. ¡°Come on, Mummy.¡± Mrs. Offrey gasped, Hannah¡¯s eyes went wi de, and Logan¡¯s damn heart felt like it was about to burst out his chest bone. The only one who didn¡¯t seem at all perturbed by what she¡¯d just said was Rhia herself. ¡°Daddy, help me.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Another punch to the gut, right there. ¡°You heard Rhia, Mr. Bryce. Do take care of your wife. I have all I need for today, anyway. Regarding the other matter, we were discussing before¡­¡± She paused and pulled a leaflet out of her thick file. ¡°This will exin what will happen next. Also, the person in question has stressed that the child this concerns ought to stay where she is.¡± Logan shut his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, it was to see the other woman smiling at the three of them. ¡°There is still a lot of red tape to wade through, and evidence to collect, but I¡¯m reasonably certain this matter will be resolved with the best interests of the child in mind, and that will always be a ce where she is loved and cared for.¡± Mrs. Offrey stood up, gathered up her belongings, and extended her hand. This time Logan took it. ¡°It was enlightening to meet you in person, Mr. Bryce. Mrs. Bryce, I hope you feel better soon.¡± She smiled at Hannah and then got to her haunches to address Rhia. ¡°You look after your new mummy now, won¡¯t you, sweetheart?¡± ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± Rhia mumbled her reply, and Mrs. Offrey straightened up. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll see myself out. Good luck, all of you.¡± With that she strode from the room and it was only with the click of the front door heralding her departure that it shook Logan out of his temporary stupor. ¡°Right, you heard thedy. Let¡¯s take care of you, Mrs. Bryce.¡± Chapter Eleven Hannah was dying. In fact, she had to be dead already and burning in hell. That was the only exnation for the shivers that wracked her body, the stabbing pain in her throat, and the way she was coughing her lungs up. Then again, would she have need for lungs if she was dead? And would it hurt this much to breathe? She forced an eyelid open and promptly shut it again. Hmm, maybe not hell. Surely that would be dark and red, not this bright light that increased the pounding in her head. From somewhere a deep voice registered, and that annoying beep which sounded like a jackhammer in her head got faster, more insistent. She whimpered at the pain. Make it stop. Please make it stop. ¡°Nurse, get your ass in here now. She¡¯s waking up, and she¡¯s in pain.¡± Chapter 36 Chapter 36 That voice again, rough, gravelly, with that deepmand which sent a flurry of activity around her. The hairs on her arms rose in response to the air discement around her. Maybe she was in heaven, and she was floating? She flinched as something cool touched her forehead, and tried to turn away, but that just made her head thump even more. ¡°Hush, little dove, lie still. Let the nurse take care of you. You¡¯ll feel better soon.¡± That sounded like Logan, but that made even less sense. If it was him, he didn¡¯t sound like himself at all, all choked up and just, well odd, as though he cared, and she knew he didn¡¯t. Not in the way she cared about him, not in the way she needed him to. Tears rose behind her closed eyelids, as she drifted back off to sleep. Every time she struggled back to consciousness that crushing weight on her chest got heavier, as she recalled what led up to her being here, in this hospital bed. She finally realized that¡¯s where she was, hooked up to machines and with oxygen tracks under her nose. Hospital made so much more sense than dying. If only she could remember why she was here. She¡¯d been ill, she remembered that. Rhia¡¯s virus, the visit by the social worker. Logan¡¯s fury at hearing his brother This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. had to all intents and purposes abandoned Rhia, and his utter bafflement when she¡¯d said he loved Rhia. Hannah woke up with a start, silent tears running down her face. That horrible weight on her chest had gone, atst, but her heart was breaking in two. With a clear mind came the realization what she had to do. To stay in this marriage, when Logan would never return her love, it hurt too damn much. Rhia was getting too attached to her as it was. That moment she called her Mummy¡­ Priceless and yet so painful, because she could never be her mummy. She would have to end this charade. Oh, as far as the courts were concerned, they would stay married. There was no way she would jeopardize his chances of gaining full custody of Rhia, but she couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t live with him anymore. More useless tears spilled out of her eyes, and she made an ineffective swipe at them with her hand. Hard to do with the cann stuck in the back of it. She followed the line leading out of it and forgot to breathe a moment. There slumped in a chair sat Logan. Head at an awkward angle he was fast asleep, and he looked¡­ Wow, he looked awful. Was that the suit he¡¯d worn the day of the home visit? Why was he still in that, however many dayster? It had to have been days, because he sported an almost full beard on his jaw. Deep purple smudges marred his usually evenplexion, and ¡­ she sniffed. There was a definite not so pleasant odor in the room. She struggled to sit up, to see him better when a cool hand on her shoulder stopped her. ¡°Easy there, now, let me help you.¡± The whispered words came from a Health Care Assistant, Lucy, ording to her nametag. The young redhead smiled at her, grabbed the button to work her bed, and Hannah slowly rose in a more upright position. The shift in position made the room spin, and she closed her eyes until the dizziness passed. ¡°There, is that better? I¡¯ll check with the nurse to see if we can get rid of these.¡± She touched the tracks under Hannah¡¯s nose and smiled. ¡°The drip will have to stay in for a while until you¡¯re strong enough.¡± She nced across at still sleeping Logan. ¡°You had that man of yours worried. He hasn¡¯t left your side since you were brought in, and at times I thought he¡¯d get himself thrown out. He¡¯s got a bit of a temper, hasn¡¯t he?¡± She winked at her, and Hannah croaked a weak confirmation. ¡°Here, slow sips, lubricate those vocal cords. You¡¯ve been out of it for days now.¡± She held up a cup with a straw, and Hannah managed a few sucks. Lukewarm water had never tasted so good. ¡°Days?¡± she asked. ¡°But I can¡¯t have been. I had a cough and sore throat, that¡¯s all. This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Lucy sobered, picked up her medical chart at the end of her bed, and ticked something off. ¡°Well, it might have started off like that, but it developed into pneumonia, and that brought on sepsis. Had your husband not brought you in when he did, it could have been really nasty. As it was, it took a rather aggressive cocktail of drugs to get the sepsis under control, but you¡¯ve been on the mend for the refused to leave, and you know I¡¯m really d you¡¯re awake, ¡®cause he¡¯s starting to smell a bit ripe, if you catch my drift.¡± She grinned at her, and clipped the notes back to Hannah¡¯s bed. ¡°A nurse will be in to assess you properly soon.¡± With that she left to let Hannah digest this information overload. At least she now knew why she felt as weak a kitten who¡¯d been run over by a truck and lost eight of her nine lives in the process. It didn¡¯t exin Logan¡¯s continued presence though. His foot slipped, and Logan jerked awake. ¡°Fuck, what ¡­ you¡¯re awake?¡± He shot to his feet as though he¡¯d been fired from a cannonball, but that wasn¡¯t what made her heart turn over in her chest. It was the tears in his eyes, and the careful way he grasped hold of her hand, raised it up to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to it that did her in. His beard felt rough against her skin, and tickled at the same time. Apletely inappropriate giggle rose from her chest. Okay, so it sounded more like the squeaky wheel of the janitor¡¯s bucket, currently passing by outside her open door, but Hannah was d she could produce that much of a sound. Logan lifted his head and regarded her through narrowed eyes. ¡°And she giggles. Giggles.¡± He growled low in his throat, and Hanna h¡¯s heart missed a few beats, especially as he didn¡¯t look angry. His eyes softened as he looked down on her, and then he perched his butt on the side of her bed, dipped his head and kissed her. It was a mere brush of his lips over hers, gentle, yet oh so tender, as he breathed words she never thought she would hear him say. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 ¡°I missed you.¡± He kissed her again, firmer this time, his tongue demanding entry. The minute she opened for him he swooped in, kissing her with so much heated passion she started to cry again. Logan broke the kiss, swore under his breath, and kissed the tears off her face. That just made her cry harder, and Logan pulled away and scrubbed his hand over his face in a move so achingly familiar, it This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. hurt to see. As per usual he was utterly baffled by her disy of emotion, or so she thought, until he swiped moisture off his own face. ¡°Fuck it, I¡¯m messing this all up. I didn¡¯t mean to make you cry. For the love of God, will you stop doing that, woman. I don¡¯t like it, especially if you¡¯re crying over me. Believe me, I¡¯m not worth it.¡± When she didn¡¯t stop, he climbed on the bed, pulled her unto hisp, and held her. It felt so good to be back in his arms that for a few precious moments Hannah allowed herself to think that everything would be all right after all. That they could be a proper little family. Eventually, she managed to pull herself together and pushed away from him. He let her, brows drawn together in a frown, those dark eyes of his assessing her. His jaw clenched, and his hands pulled into fists at whatever he read in her expression. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be on here.¡± She whispered the words, utterly incapable of projecting her voice with any conviction. ¡°It¡¯s against hospital rules, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Fuck the rules. I never much cared for them, and I sure as fuck am not going to start now. Jesus, woman, do you have any idea how worried I¡¯ve been over you? Well, do you?¡± He red some more, and before she could do as much as shake her head, he continued. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t, why would you, but for the love of God, don¡¯t you ever, ever, do that to me again, do you hear?¡± Hannah found her voice at that incongruous statement. ¡°Sorry, if my being ill inconvenienced you in any way. Maybe you should have put that into the contract I signed. Wife is not allowed to be ill under any circumstances.¡± She managed to get off hisp, as she spat those words out. ¡°What the fuck are you on about?¡± Logan looked so perplexed, hurt almost at her words, but she refused to take them back, even though she knew she was being unfair. ¡°You insisted on that damn thing, not me, and it¡¯s irrelevant now anyway. This whole adoption thing could go on for years, with udia remaining in aa, and that¡¯s after we¡¯re granted permanent custody.¡± There it was, the real reason why he was here. Even though she knew that, hearing him say it out loud broke her heart into a gazillion pieces. Hannah had never really understood that, had always thought it a clich¨¦, but it sure felt like that right now. ¡°Of course,¡± she murmured. ¡°Rhia. It¡¯s always been about her, hasn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t do it anymore. I can¡¯t live a lie, Logan.¡± There, she said it. ¡°What on earth are you talking about? Of course, it¡¯s been about Rhia, but you love her, so how is that a lie?¡± Again, with that utterly baffled look that made him look a lost little boy rather than a grown man in his ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± Hannah swallowed past the lump of unshed tears in her throat. ¡°Just go. Go home, have a shower, live your life. You really don¡¯t need to be here pretending anymore.¡± She shut her eyes to block him out, and turned to her side, anything to not see him leave. Sure enough, the bed dipped as he got off it. There was movement and then nothing. She counted to twenty in her head just to make sure he was really gone and gasped when she opened them again. Logan hadn¡¯t left. He stood in the doorway to her room like some sort of avenging angel, all dark and silently furious. He¡¯d never looked sexier, and she¡¯d never loved him more, as he pinned her in ce with the burning intensity in his gaze. Chapter 38 Chapter 38 ¡°I¡¯m going to assume the drugs you¡¯ve been under have addled your brain or something, because if I believed you meant any of that rubbish you¡¯ve been spouting, I would take you over my knee and spank your butt right now.¡± He smiled grimly at her sharp intake of breath. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a lie. I wouldn¡¯t do that now, you¡¯re not well enough, but so help me that ass of yours will be red raw when you¡¯re fully back to health. I made a vow at our wedding, in case you¡¯ve forgotten, little dove. To cherish and protect you in sickness and health, so where all that you being an inconvenience nonsense ising from I do not know.¡± He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to say something. ¡°No, you said your piece. Now it¡¯s my turn, and you bloody well listen, woman. I know our marriage started off out of necessity, and had you been any other woman it probably would have stayed that way, but you¡­¡± He took a step closer, and dragged a deep, almost desperate gulp of air into her lungs. ¡°You¡¯ve challenged me from the first moment I really saw you. Do you have any idea how long I had to sit in that bloody conference room to wait for my boner to go down, all because you popped one damn button on your blouse?¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t help but smile at that, and his lips, too, quirked. ¡°Well, do you?¡± She tried for a shrug but that move hurt her chest, so she settled for shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s just lust, and you can¡¯t base a marriage on that.¡± Logan growled and took another step until he stood over her, still ring and oh so angry, but she sensed it wasn¡¯t directed at her but himself. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been telling myself that lie ever since, almost believed it, too. But you, little dove.¡± He took her hand back in his and ran his thumb over the back of it in small, absentminded circles. ¡°You insisted on showing me how wrong I was. Every time you pulled me up on my stupidity, made me face my past and forced it down my throat that Rick turning out the way he has wasn¡¯t my fault. Every time you cried at some stupid happy ever after in one of those Disney ros you watch with Rhia every Saturday afternoon. Every time you made her smile, you stood up for her against the assholes that call themselves her grandparents, the way you were with my mum¡­¡± His voice cracked, and he dropped her hand. ¡°Jesus, Hannah, don¡¯t you see? You of all people, with your upbringing, you still believe in love. Oh, I know you said you didn¡¯t, but I knew even then that you did.¡± He paused and cupped her face. ¡°When you smile, truly smile I mean, your whole being lights up. It draws me in like ma, makes me want to see that smile again, to be the man who puts it on your face. You never were a convenient wife, sweetheart, but you¡¯ve always been my wife, my little dove, far too fragile and honest and pure for a bastard like me, but so help me, I need you. Rhia needs you. Hell, when they said you had sepsis, and weren¡¯t responding to treatment at first¡­¡± He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, she saw sheer terror reflected back at her, and something else. So much deep emotion the broken pieces of her heart slid back together, one hoarse word he muttered at a time. There was no doubt in her mind that he meant them, as he talked her through the days she¡¯d lost. Days filled with despair and ultimately love. She listened in awe as he told her of Rhia singing to her, once she was allowed to see her, of Sarah and even big George in tears, because they couldn¡¯t be sure she wouldn¡¯t be left with some sort of permanent damage, and the sheer relief when she turned a corner. ¡°So, you see, we simply can¡¯t live without you. I can¡¯t live without you. I love you, you damn stubborn woman, and I refuse to let you walk away from us.¡± He crossed his arms over his chest, and red at her. At least she assumed he was ring. She couldn¡¯t really tell because he¡¯d gone all blurry through the tears she was once again shedding. He moved then, pulled her back in his arms, and she clung to him as she somehow managed to get the words out he needed to hear. ¡°I¡¯m not stubborn. You are, and I love you, too, so much.¡± The arms holding her so carefully tightened around her in stranglehold for a few far too fast beats of her heart, before he released her and kissed her. This kiss stole her breath, her soul, and all the parts in between as the world tilted and righted itself again. Repeated throat-clearing finally broke through the bubble of utter happiness surrounding her, and Logan released her with his usual cocky grin. Lord, was she d to see that. ¡°Jeez, man, put the woman down. I¡¯m sure behavior like that is illegal in a hospital, you know.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. George¡¯s deep, amused baritone bounced off the walls, and warmth spread through Hannah¡¯s being when she saw all the people she cared most about in the whole wide world were here in her hospital room. George carried a bouquet of flowers, and grinned from ear to ear. A teary-eyed Sarah held onto Rhia¡¯s hand, and as for Rhia¡­ Sheunched herself across the room the minute Hannah looked at her. Logan helped her onto the bed, and Hannah buried her face in the sweet-smelling curls of the little girl who¡¯d been at the center of all this, and who was in part to thank for bringing her and Logan together. ¡°Mummy all better now?¡± Rhia asked when Hannah released her. ¡°Not like my old Mummy?¡± Her bottom lip wobbled as she said that, and Hannah wished with all her might she could make that better for her. ¡°Hannah will be fine, munchkin, don¡¯t you worry. You have to promise me something though?¡± Logan tapped Rhia¡¯s nose, and she nodded eagerly. ¡°You have to help me make sure we keep this one, okay, and we¡¯ll keep visiting your¡­¡± He hesitated as though not sure what to say. ¡°Sleeping Mummy?¡± Rhia helpfully suggested, and he nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll make sure we keep visiting her, because you know, she might not wake up, but she¡¯ll want to hear all about you growing up, won¡¯t she?¡± Rhia mulled this over for a bit and then nodded. ¡°Not see nasty Daddy though?¡± she finally asked. Logan¡¯s jaw clenched, and Hannah saw the silent fury in his dark gaze as he nced at her. ¡°No, munchkin, you don¡¯t ever have to see him again. No one is going to hurt you, not on my watch, deal?¡± He held up his hand, and Rhia eagerly high fived him. Of course, the reality of their situation wasn¡¯t quite as easy. It took Hannah some time to fully recover from her hospital stay, for starters. There were also several more hearings and a nasty expos¨¦ in the papers to ovee¡ªRosamunde and her boyfriend spouted a whole lot of crap as Logan had refused to pay them off¡ªbut in the end, it all worked out. The day they left court officially permanent legal guardians of Rhia was only surpassed in happiness by the day a little stic stick showed the following. Pregnant. The End The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!