She kicked off her sandals and slid out of her capris. “Come here and make love to me, Logan.”

She heard the low rumble of a growl somewhere deep in his chest, but he jerked his T-shirt over his head and unzipped his pants, toeing out of his boots at the same time. Soon, he was beautifully, gloriously naked, and she looked her fill.

He grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the edge of the bed, grasping her panties and drawing them down. Her tank went up next, followed by her bra, baring her br**sts. And then his mouth was on her neck, licking and sucking it before moving to her ni**les, the scratchiness of a day’s growth of beard across her skin only making her writhe with pleasure.

She wanted him, and the clock was ticking down to her departure. She wasn’t going to wait when her need was so great. She wrapped her legs around him, loving the weight of his body on top of hers, the way he surged against her, making her body quiver in all the right places.

“Logan, please.”

He grabbed a condom and put it on, then slid inside her, holding himself off of her with his hands as he lifted, then thrust deeply. She swept her hands over his muscled arms and shoulders while he drove within her, then rolled his hips over the most sensitive spot until she arched, crying out for more.

And when he gave her more, she splintered, so ready for him, so needy for this moment that she couldn’t hold back the orgasm that rushed through her like an eruption of the sweetest pleasure. Logan cupped her behind and held her close while he shuddered with his release. She held tight to him, licking away the salty sweat on his neck as he rode it out.

Panting, he pressed a kiss to her brow. “Now you need another shower.”

“It’s summer. I can always use another shower.”

He smiled down at her, kissed her, then dragged her up and into his bathroom. She grabbed one of the hair clips she stored in his drawer and stepped into the shower, washing quickly, then stepping out while Logan took his shower. She dried off and got dressed, then went downstairs and poured another glass of tea.

Martha showed up a few minutes later to find Des sitting at her same spot at the island.

“Did you find something to wear?” she asked.

“I did. Sorry I was gone so long. Where’s Logan?”

“He went up to shower.”

“Uh-huh.” Martha gave her a strange smile. “Well, Ben’s starting the grill, so we’ll get the salmon going.”

“Great.”

Logan came down a few minutes later and gave her a sexy half smile.

“Ben’s going to grill the salmon,” she told him.

“Okay.” He bent to kiss her cheek, then whispered in her ear. “You have a hickey on your neck.”

Her eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her neck as she pivoted to look at him. “Seriously?”

“Would I joke about something like that?”

“Uh, excuse me. I’ll be right back.” She dashed into the bathroom, and sure enough, there was a mark at the bottom of her neck. And more spots than that, obviously because he hadn’t shaved before they made love. Dammit. So much for thinking they had pulled something over on Martha. No wonder Martha had given her that knowing smile.

She came back out and Martha was busy setting the table, so Des dove in to help.

Nothing was said about the mark on her neck. Thank God. She was certain Martha wholeheartedly approved of her relationship with Logan, but she didn’t think she’d survive discussing her and Logan’s sex life with a woman she considered Logan’s mother figure.

Ben brought in the salmon and they ate. Logan and Ben spent most of dinner discussing something cattle-related, while she and Martha were focused on the wrap party, so she didn’t get to listen in to Logan’s conversation. But Des knew Martha was a little nervous, especially since the press was going to be in attendance.

“It’s not those jerks that have been hanging out at the gate for the past couple of months, is it?”

Des shook her head. “No. These are press correspondents from various reputable outlets, unlike paparazzi who are just looking to take photos and sell them to the highest bidder.”

“Okay. I don’t like those paparazzi people.”

“I don’t either, Martha.”

“What kinds of questions will the press people ask you?”

“They mostly ask about the movie, though more often than not they segue into personal relationships. It’s like they can’t help themselves. But we choose to answer the questions we want to. And they’re limited to being on set only the first hour. Then we kick them off so we can relax without worrying about every word we say and every move we make being scrutinized or misinterpreted.”

“Oh, that’s good. So you can have fun.”

“Exactly.”

After dinner, she helped Martha with the dishes, then said she had to go get ready. Logan walked her out.

“I’ll see you there?”

He pulled her close. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

She laughed. “You sound thrilled.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Okay.” She kissed him, then climbed into the SUV and drove back to the set to get ready for tonight. For the first time in a long time she was actually excited.

Tonight, after the party, she was going to tell Logan how she felt about him.

And then they’d talk about where they went from here.

With a renewed confidence, she went to figure out what she was going to wear.

Chapter 22

MARTHA INSISTED LOGAN dress up. Which for Logan, meant his clean jeans and a dress shirt, and his newest boots. That was as good as it was going to get.

Martha wore her nice slacks and a pretty blouse, and she made Ben wear his khakis. They drove separate cars in case Martha and Ben wanted to leave before he did.

When they got out of their trucks, Logan turned to Ben. “Right after this, you can go to church, seeing as how you’re already dressed for it.”

“Shut up,” Ben said, frowning and tugging at the collar of his button-down shirt.

“Enough, Logan. We have to dress nice. And I can’t believe you wore jeans.”

“It’s a wrap party. On the ranch. Not exactly the Academy Awards, Martha.”

“Still, It wouldn’t kill you to dress up for the girl, would it?”

He looked down at his white button-down shirt and dark jeans. “I wore my new jeans and my best pair of boots.”