He kept his face stoic and his body relaxed, but what the hell was he supposed to do now? He wanted to look—badly—but that seemed ungentlemanly. Sure, she’d taken off her clothes, but even so. He’d dared her. She’d surprised him with the bra, and he’d looked before he could stop himself. But not now. Keeping his gaze on her face might kill him.
Then she’d be able to escape.
If that was her plan, it was shockingly good. If his cock got any harder, he’d have a stroke. Maybe there was an aneurism in his head about to go. The pressure attacking him made it seem possible.
If he threatened to tie her to the bed, she’d probably hold out her wrists. The woman was a rebel. If he threatened to spank her, something he’d truly enjoy at the moment since he’d had to run through a storm to find her, she’d probably bounce right at him and plant herself over his knee.
He winced. It was possible one of his balls had just exploded.
“What now?” she asked, her voice throaty.
His chuckle was pained, and he couldn’t mask it. Well. If she was being direct, he could do the same. “How about we forget we’re enemies and spend the next several hours on one of those beds? A détente of sorts.” Then he held his breath.
Her chin went back and her eyebrows rose.
Good. He’d finally surprised her.
She bit her lip, looked at the bed, then back at him. “Then what?”
Holy fuck, she was considering it. “Then we go back to…this.” Wait a minute. What the hell was he doing? Sam was in danger—and who knew where. Before Logan could take back the offer, she was sizing him up.
“Well, I would like to give it a shot,” she said, licking her bottom lip.
His dick jerked. He tilted his head to the side. “Sex with me?”
“Yes. Sex. Always wanted to try that.” She tossed the panties over by the fireplace. “All right. Do you know what you’re doing?”
His mouth went dry. Wait a minute. She hadn’t just said what he thought she’d said, had she? He shook his head. “You—you haven’t, I mean…”
Amusement curved her pretty lips. “No. One of the laws of our people.”
“And it’senforced?” he coughed out, his ears burning.
She lifted a shoulder. “We follow the laws. I mean, there has been talk of a revolution, but then the dimensions started to disintegrate because of the Seven and we’ve had to concentrate on other issues.”
The female was a virgin. “Man, sweetheart.” He tossed the bra over with the panties to dry. “You don’t want to waste that on me.” His body cooled fractionally. “I wouldn’t waste it on Niall the asshole, either. You want that to be special.” He’d wanted to fuck her hard and fast until neither of them could think. That wouldn’t do now.
She rolled her eyes, her body illuminated by the fire. “It’s not a spiritual thing, Logan. It’s a law, one most of us don’t like and had planned to change anyway. You made an offer, and I accept.” She shoved her wet hair away from her face. “But I would like a few moments to myself if you don’t mind. Where’s the bathroom?”
“Outside,” he said automatically. “Around the side to the left. It’s just an outhouse with a mirror.” He’d scouted the entire place before coming inside.
She held out a hand for the quilt, and he gave it to her, his mind spinning.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered, heading to the door, wrapping herself tight.
He watched the door close. No. They couldn’t do this. Not a chance. The second she returned, he’d let her down gently. Yeah. That was it. Man. His head hurt all of a sudden. He stoked the fire, making warmth spread through the entire room. Then he checked the bunks to be sure they were sturdy enough for the two of them to get some sleep during the storm.
Then he looked at the door. The woman was probably scared to death.
Sighing, he headed for the door and walked through the damn storm. Rain slapped him, mildly cooling his desire. The wind pierced his wet underwear and pissed him off. He’d nicely explain that she needn’t worry and that it wasn’t going to happen. Then he’d figure out how to get her to reveal Sam’s location. Finally, he reached the outhouse.
It was empty.
* * * *
The quilt protected her from the wind and rain, but it hampered her movements. Mercy pulled it up higher on her legs to give herself more freedom to run. Logan would expect her to head back to the soldiers so she could teleport away if one of them was conscious. Heck. If one of them was still there.
So the smart thing to do would be to run in the opposite direction.
