Trusted Bond

on your own
    clothes?‖
    I shivered in anticipation.
    He bent and buried his face in my hair. ―God, I missed your smell.‖
    I felt like warmth and heat and happiness was radiating off me. I
    wondered if I was glowing.
    ―Look at me.‖
    Trusted Bond

    165

    When I tilted my head back, he bent and captured my lips with his
    hot, wet mouth yet again. The kiss was slow and sensual, deep and
    possessive, because I belonged to him and he was letting me know it, feel
    it. The second he tried to ease back, to break another kiss, I caught his
    bottom lip with a tender bite to keep his mouth on mine. My arms, which
    were wrapped around his neck, tightened, and his that held me close did
    the same. The noise in the back of his throat, the deep, sexy growl, made
    me smile.
    ―C‘mon,‖ he rasped, chuckling against my lips. ―Let‘s go to the
    room.‖
    The way he opened the door and peeked out, checking both ways,
    reminded me of a little kid sneaking around. He was adorable, and when
    he tugged my hand, ready to run, I smiled at him.
    ―What?‖
    ―I bet you were the cutest little boy ever,‖ I sighed, uncaring that I
    sounded like I was drunk just looking at him.
    He scowled at me before he yanked me forward.
    We raced up staircases, through enormous rooms, down dimly lit
    halls that smelled of scented jasmine oil from countless lamps. I heard the
    footfalls of guards and servants that we never saw, heard voices close and
    far away, echoing in the halls as we ran down winding narrow stairs and
    long corridors. We flew by carved statues of gods and goddesses and ran
    over richly dyed carpets. There was armor and weapons displayed on
    walls, and then we were suddenly outside in a lush garden. We didn‘t
    break stride to gaze at the enormous moss-covered fountain or peer into
    the many small reflecting pools but sped by, down stone steps to an
    archway that led back indoors.
    Finally, we arrived at the suite of rooms that quartered Logan and his
    family, and I was shoved through a door and heard it bolted behind me.
    Walking around, I surveyed his accommodations. The room was richly
    furnished with ornately carved chairs with deep crimson cushions, a
    multicolored carpet embroidered in intricate designs, and a mahogany
    canopy bed draped in mosquito netting.
    I was going to say something, make a comment about how much
    better I felt in his room than I had in mine, but I didn‘t get a chance.
    Logan grabbed me and yanked me into his arms. He held me so tight, so
    still, his face pressed down into my shoulder.
    166

    Mary Calmes

    ―Logan—‖
    ―Shut up.‖
    I smiled as I twisted my arms free of his viselike embrace and
    wrapped them around his neck.
    ―Just let me hold you,‖ he sighed, and I felt his warm breath on my
    face. ―I feel like I haven‘t seen you in years.‖
    ―I tried so hard to get to you,‖ I barely got out, my voice cracking,
    breaking.
    ―I know you did,‖ he told me, stroking my hair over and over, lulling
    every little last bit of fear out of me. ―Let‘s get you in the shower.‖
    The bathroom was enormous, the shower so big that it needed no
    doors; the drain, in the center, built at a slight dip, did not allow the water
    to ever pool. All the shower jets were removable, so they could be
    positioned anywhere or held in your hand. Logan turned them all on us
    gently and then held one in his hand to wash me. He shampooed my hair,
    massaged my scalp, and after he rinsed it, combed conditioner back
    through with his fingers. My eyes were closed as I enjoyed being taken
    care of, loving the feeling minutes later of being scrubbed from head to toe
    with a lathered bath sponge.
    ―You know you can‘t actually wash everything away, right?‖ I
    teased him, my eyes drifting open.
    ―Yes, I can,‖ he assured me, sliding the sponge across my
    collarbone, my chest, down my abdomen and lower until it gently glided
    over my shaft. ―Clean you up, take you back to bed… make you forget we
    were ever apart.‖
    ―Is that right?‖
    ―Oh yes,‖ he said, pulling on my arm to turn me around, my face in
    the spray. ―I‘m going to make you forget that I couldn‘t protect you.‖
    ―No,‖ I sighed, turning back around to face him, my hands going to
    his face. ―You don‘t have to ever worry about that. I never feel safer than
    when you‘re with me. Never.‖
    The pain was suddenly there, visible and heartwrenching, on his
    face.
    ―Logan,‖ I said, smiling, leaning my head on the