“What is it?”
“I’m daydreaming.”
“About Fin?”
“No.” But Myra smiled.
“Did you see him glaring at Logan?” Tara’s question sounded innocent enough, but Liz knew better.
“Was he?”
“Don’t play dumb to me. What is going on with you two?”
Liz stood and tried her best to hide the heat flooding her cheeks. It didn’t work.
“Oh my God, he kissed you again, didn’t he?”
A rebuttal died on her lips.
“Lizzy, why didn’t you tell us?”
“What’s there to say?”
Tara rolled her eyes. “How about, when? Where?
How far did it go?”
“My God, I think we’re fourteen again.”
“Give it up. We’re all sisters here.”
“We’ve had this discussion before, Tara. Fin and I barely get along.”
Tara folded her arms across her chest and sent her a knowing smile.
“We fight all the time.”
Tara’s eyes slid to Myra. Together they said nothing and at the same time, everything.
“It’s chemistry. Nothing else.” Bubbling over in the flask, chemistry. Spontaneous combustion, chemistry.
“You hated chemistry.”
Liz shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “Fin’s attraction to me would end the second either of us gave in.” Liz knew his type.
“Are you going to give in?”
Good question. “Maybe I should. Scratch the itch and move on.” The plan held a certain appeal, kind of like addressing the elephant in the room in order to get around it.
“Hmm.”
Liz’s gaze settled on her sister’s smug look.
“What?”
Tara put her hands in the air in mock surrender. “I didn’t say anything!”
But you thought something.
Chapter Seven
Liz stepped out of the kitchen, nearly falling over Logan in her path. “I’m sorry.”
“’Tis I who’s in your way, my lady.”
“It’s Liz.” She didn’t think she’d ever get use to people calling her my lady.
Logan’s brow rose, resulting in Liz wondering if she should have given him the freedom to call her by her given name.
“Such a wonderful name, Liz.” Logan lifted a hand and brought it up to her cheek.
For a minute, Liz stood in absolute shock. It had been so long since a man, other than Fin, had taken interest in her on a physical level that she didn’t see it coming. But with Logan’s blatant stare and her lack of backing away, the man took it as an invitation and moved closer. Liz retreated and let her smile fall.
“I should check on my son.”
Logan dropped his hand, but not his cocky smile.
His frame rivaled Fin’s, wide shouldered and narrow hipped. He was completely easy on the eyes, and in another life, Liz would welcome his advance. Now, she simply saw a man who wasn’t Fin.
“Ye have a fine son. It must be difficult caring for him on yer own.”
“Simon makes it easy.”
“Yer pride in him shows.” Logan’s gaze dropped to the bodice of her dress, his thoughts clear for her to see. The modern woman in her wanted to suggest the man talk to her face and not her br**sts, but thought that maybe she was a being a bit harsh.
Considering everyone was making such a fuss over him, Liz said nothing.
“I should check on him.” Liz lowered her eyes and stepped toward him, hoping he’d move. For one brief moment Logan didn’t. On a sigh he pivoted, giving her very little room to walk around him.
She felt the weight of his stare on her back. She wanted to be pissy about his attention, but her ego had her smiling.
“What’s so funny, Elizabeth?”
Fin’s tone stopped her cold. “Fin?”
His eyes bored into hers and they were not happy.
Behind her, she heard Logan’s retreat. Once the door closed, Fin reached out, took her by the elbow, and pulled her into a vacant room.
The minute they were alone, she tried to tug her arm away from Fin, but found his iron grip impossible to escape.
“What is wrong with you?” he spit.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Being alone with a man who isn’t your kin leaves room for rumors.”
Liz felt every breath he took, and they came quickly. His angry eyes searched hers.
“You’re not my keeper, Fin.”
His jaw clenched and he took a step closer.
Liz swallowed and backed up. Only the wall stopped her from moving farther. The predatory glare in his eye sent a shiver down her spine.
“Logan’s attention shouldn’t be encouraged.”
Fin was jealous. And ticked. The combination took her back.
“He’s only flirting, Fin.”
Verbalizing what they both saw brought a flash of emotion over his features. “Does it please you to have his interest?”
His knee brushed against her long skirt. The heat off his body bearing down on hers brought tiny sparks of awareness all over the surface of her skin.
“It doesn’t suck to know someone desires you,”
she managed.
Fin dropped her elbow and placed his palm on the wall behind her. His other hand brushed along her face with one long knuckle. His touch was slow, calculated. He bent forward until his breath touch her cheek. She couldn’t control leaning into to his touch any more than she could control the need to swallow.
“I’ll be happy to give you more attention, Elizabeth,” his words whispered over her lips, hovering, waiting, until finally they met. The spicy taste of liquor swept into her mouth with his tongue.
His massive frame leaned into hers scorching everywhere they touched.
Every coherent thought fled and Liz arched into him with a whimper. This was good. So very, very good. Her body felt alive with excitement and anticipation of where he would touch next.
His hand slid down her waist, kneading her flesh through the cloth. Fin lifted her skirt until she felt his rough fingers touch bare skin. His fevered kiss continued, never letting her up for air. Liz wrapped her arm around his back and pressed closer.
The proverbial elephant in the room was definitely being talked about now, maybe not talked about so much as explored.
Fin moved his lips to the side of her neck. A sharp nibble on the lobe of her ear shot straight to her core and had her writhing with desire.
“Is this the attention you need? Is this what you want?” His words still sounded angry, but his mouth was touching her in a place she hardly remembered was there.