"Logan-" Under him, she writhed, her hands in his hair still fisted tightly, her belly quivering as he made his way down her torso, her ribs, nipping her as he went, soothing the little love bites with his tongue. When he got to her ski pants, he unfastened them, kissed the bare skin he found there beneath her belly button and then tugged the pants off her hips, exposing yellow satin panties. Wet yellow satin panties. With a groan, he lowered those, too, and stroked a finger over the trimmed, soft hair between her thighs.

Beneath him, she fought to open her legs, but the pants and panties at her thighs kept her captive. "Logan, please."

"I will please," he promised and swept his tongue over her, into her.

Whatever she'd been about to say caught in her throat as again he danced his tongue across her, and then again and again, until she began to come.

And still he stroked her with his tongue, slowly now, bringing her down with soft kisses until her muscles trembled wildly but loosely, until she let go of her tight fistfuls of the sheets at her sides. He rose up to his knees, removed her pants and lifted her hips, spreading her so that he could sink in deep.

A total and complete homecoming, he thought, as her moan melded with his. He cupped her face, sank his fingers into her hair, loving that she didn't close her eyes but met his as they took each other, fast now, hard, too, gasping with each thrust, letting out wordless demands and cries of pleasure as they breathed each other's air. There was a look in her whiskey eyes that gripped his heart and held on as she cried out and began to come again, freeing him. He watched her go over as fiercely as she did everything in her life, her eyes open and opaque on his, shattering with utter abandon, taking him with her. Always taking him with her.


***

Much later, they took a shower together. Lily took great pleasure in Logan's long, leanly muscled body, all wet and gleaming.

Luckily for her, he appeared to feel the same way. His soap-covered hands ran over her shoulders, digging into the knots there, then dallied at her breasts, tugging lightly on her nipples, making her knees wobble. "We'll kill each other," she murmured, and he laughed softly.

"Yeah, but what a way to go."

He had her there. His magic hands turned her away from him, lifting her arms to the tile wall at about shoulder height. "Stay," he whispered in her ear and glided his hands down her spine, over her b uttocks, down her legs and then back up again, between her thighs now.

Already halfway to orgasm from the feel of his big, warm, soapy hands stroking her drenched body, she thrust back against him, the breath sawing in and out of her lungs, thinking, Now, now, now, please now.

"Mmm, I love your body, Lily."

"Just don't stop."

"I don't intend to." As the water rained over them, washing away the soap, he nibbled at the back of her thigh, lightly bit the curve of her butt, all while playing her with those hot, knowing fingers. She strained toward him, both perplexed and furious that he could so effortlessly hold her there on the edge. Damn it, Logan."

Surging up, he whipped her around, pressing her between the cold tile wall and his hot, wet body to thrust himself home. "I want you." Chest heaving, he pressed his jaw to hers. "I always want you, it's never enough."

Never was a terrifying word, and the right one, and all her temper drained. "I know. J know." Steam rose around them so she had to blink to see him clearly as she cupped his face.

Eyes fierce and impossibly dark, his broad shoulders and back protecting her from the pounding water, he began to move, gripping her hips with his hands as he destroyed her with long, hard strokes. He took her mouth, pulling back only to whisper her name, just her name, and from inside an emotion banked, swelled as he emptied himself into her. And with pleasure and need and love spreading to burst within her, she followed him over.

Chapter 14

Logan woke up to someone swearing like a sailor. Lily. She tossed her walkie-talkie to a chair and stalked the length of the room naked. From what he gathered, the weather was the "son of a bitch."

He sat up and looked outside. Pure white, halfway up the windows. "Wow."

"It surprised everyone," she said. "Even the weather forecasters. We've got harsh winds, heavy drifts of up to four feet over the icy snow we already had. Of course, the two days' worth of sun we had first didn't help-fresh snow over ice is never good." She came back to the bed and shook her head, looking lean and toned and beautiful. "It's rare, but we're shut down. Totally shut down. Now I've got patrollers worrying about avalanches, people whining about not being able to get here, a chef freaking out because the food didn't get delivered, guests not able to get out-" She broke off and looked at him as it dawned on her-he was one of those people who wouldn't be able to get out. "We'll get you to your flight," she said quickly, and began shimmying into a pair of pants. "Don't worry." She wasn't looking at him now, instead getting dressed as fast as she could.


With a sigh, he got out of the bed and went to her. She stared at his throat, then ran her finger over the skin there. "I left a mark," she said softly. "I bit you and left a mark."

"Then I'll have something to remember you by."

Her face went carefully blank.

He tried to draw her close but she danced back, shaking her head as she finished getting dressed.

"No regrets, right?" She smiled. "Just fun. Look, I've got to go. I have to get out there."

"I can help."

"No, you've done too much for us. For me."

"Maybe I like to." Again, he tried to pull her close but she was having none of it.

"I'll let you know when you can get out." She grabbed her shoes and shut the door behind her.

"So brave." He sank to the bed and pulled on his clothes. "And such a damn coward at the same time." One last time, he looked around at Lily's bedroom, at the rumpled bed where they'd made love. Everything inside him ached, but he left the room without looking back.

In the common room, a fire warmed the hearth. People milled around, talking softly in the early morning, staring out the windows in disbelief at the amount of snow that had fallen the night before.

The light outside had shifted from a dark predawn glow to a sort of gauzy gray light as the sun strained but failed to get through the layer of clouds and snow.

Gwyneth was there, moving through toward the offices with a clipboard in her hand. He stopped her. "Can I help?"

Looking a little frazzled, she managed a smile, a you get Mother Nature to take a nap? No? Then just enjoy."

He pulled on his jacket and headed outside. There he found Lily organizing a crew to clear the walkways and parking lot. Much to her dismay, he grabbed a shovel. "Hey," she said, already shaking her head. "You don't need to-"

"Stop it. I'm here. I'm helping."

She stared at him for a long moment, then apparently decided she couldn't change his mind, and they all got to work. It took hours, removing snow as it continued to come down. They didn't talk, they couldn't, there was no opportunity. But Logan was painfully aware that if it hadn't been for the storm, he'd have been already gone.

By midday, they finally began to get ahead of the snowfall. Exhausted and starving, they took a break for lunch.

Sitting in the cafeteria at a couple of long tables, they all consumed mass quantities of calories to refuel after the heavy work. Lily sat at the table with a clipboard, dividing up new assignments, when Sara came waddling through. Lily lifted her head and glared at her sister. "Why the hell are you here?"

"Last I checked, I work here." Sara smiled, but sighed when Lily didn't give. "Okay, so we never left last night. After Matt's shift, the snow was already too bad, so we just stayed over. Don't worry, Mama, I didn't go out in this."

"See that you don't." Lily pointed at her belly. "And don't even think about going into labor, do you hear me?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

"I mean it, Sara."

"So do I." Because Lily was still just scowling at her, Sara moved in and hugged her tight. "Don't worry, no delivering any babies for you, not today. You have enough to worry about with people stuck trying to get here, or stuck trying to get out, Aunt Debbie included. Matt's worried about getting his supplies. Oh, and speaking of my husband, do you know where he is?"

Lily looked over the faces at the table and frowned. "He was helping clear snow, and then said something about Debbie wanting a snowmobile ride. I'll check."

"Don't worry, I'll radio them."

When she'd gone, Lily used her phone to get the latest weather report, then stood up and addressed her staff. "Okay, listen up. The highways are still closed, including the 80 from the summit to Verdi. Snow's still coming down, obviously, thick and wet. Sierra cement, our favorite. According to the radar, we should get a break in an hour or so for a while, enough to open the 80 for a bit, anyway." She looked at Logan, and he knew she was thinking about him getting to the airport. "At that time, people will be able to get out, and the new guests in. Expect mass confusion and grumpiness from all corners."

"Even yours?"

Lily lifted a brow at Chris. "Want a double shift?"

"Jeez, just kidding." Chris lowered his cap and went back to shoveling in food.

Lily pushed away her untouched tray and moved to leave, but Logan grabbed her hand. "Come on, sit down and eat."