“Yes!” Tara arched beneath him, willing him deeper still.

“Say you need me.”

“God, yes!” Never, ever had she experienced this incredible rush to pleasure or felt closer to the man giving it to her. “I need you, please, Logan . . .”

Incredibly, he hardened even more, his thrusts became piston-fast. He stared down into her eyes as he slid his hand between their bodies and settled his thumb right in her clit. “Come with me.”

There was no stopping her orgasm. It was a brilliant surge of sensation charging through her system, swelling into something enormous, transcendent. She held her breath as every molecule in her body converged in the center, spreading not just from her pussy, but seizing up her chest until it radiated down every nerve. Even her fingers and toes tingled. The pleasure burst, splintering her into a million pieces as she felt Logan jolt, grip her hands tightly, then shout out his own release, hot and liquid inside her.

For a long moment, her body pulsed, unable to stop the reactive shaking. Logan released her hands and wrapped his steely arms around her, dragging her against his slowing heartbeat. She threw her arms around his neck and clung. She’d never required someone for her next breath the way she did Logan in that moment. God, she’d been hoping to bring them both closure, but now he felt like a part of her . . . so necessary to her existence.

No, it was a mirage, her delusion left over from the pleasure. It would fade. It had to.

“Cherry?” he breathed heavily, his gaze fixed on her as he pushed stray tresses from her face. “You okay, baby?”

“Fine.”

But she wasn’t. Tears lurked under the surface. He’d broken her wide open again, persuaded her to give to him again some deep part of her she scarcely understood. Tara swallowed back the tears.

“No, you’re not.” Concern spread across his face. “Be honest with me. Let it out.”

She shook her head. “I just feel . . . raw, Logan. I don’t know what I expected, but . . .”

It wasn’t to feel as if she’d been turned inside out and ripped in two.

“It was everything to me, baby. Whatever you think, know that. Please believe me when I say I want to hold you all night and assure you that I’m going to be here for you as long as you’ll let me.”

Tara’s sigh trembled, and Logan frowned. She tried to send him a reassuring smile. The truth was, she was utterly overwrought. It had been naïve of her to think that either of them would get over a dozen years of pining in one night. Maybe their sex had been explosive because it had been so long and they’d needed each other so desperately. Maybe if she just . . . gave herself over to whatever it was they had for the next week, this thing would burn itself out and they could go on with their lives.

Maybe.

“It was important to me, too.” Whatever she said to him, she wasn’t going to lie. “Being with you again is better than anything I imagined.”

“So you’ll let me hold you tonight?”

How could she say no? The truth was, she craved feeling close to him as much as he seemed to need to hold her.

She nodded, tears welling up. “Yeah. That would be perfect.”

Nearby motel—Saturday morning

“Would you care to explain why you left me a voicemail canceling dinner last night at the last minute and why I couldn’t reach you all night long?” Tara’s stepfather, Adam Sterling, asked in her ear, his voice unnervingly calm, at five thirty the next morning.

Tara sighed. When Logan had popped in the shower a few minutes ago, she’d taken her phone off vibrate, only to realize her stepfather had left her nine messages since seven last night, each one more concerned than the last. His question weighed on her mind, along with her broken engagement, the terrible turn in her case, and everything she’d done between the sheets last night.

Logan had awakened her twice more during the night to make love to her, once rolling her to her stomach, cupping her sensitive breasts and pinching her stiff nipples until her pussy flowed wet for him. He’d pushed inside and rode her with a desperation that had her clawing the sheets and gasping his name. Then, just an hour ago, he’d slid into her again and awakened her with molasses strokes and a devastating smile.

“Tara?” Her stepfather’s voice rang with concern. “Where have you been? Are you all right, princess? Tell me what’s going on so I can help.”

She was going to have to tell Adam something about why she’d broken things off with Brad and moved out or else he’d keep badgering her. She stuck to the factual. “Brad and I called it quits yesterday. It’s better for both of us. I’m fine, just tired.”

“He called me to tell me that you’d ended the engagement. I want to hear your side of this.”

Oh, crap. What exactly had Brad told Adam? Her stepfather had loathed Logan when she’d merely been his tutor. After he’d broken her heart, protective Adam had hated him with a vengeance. She didn’t want to imagine his reaction if Brad had told him that Logan was back in her life. She had to hope that since Adam hadn’t mentioned it, neither had Brad.

As a grown woman, she should be able to tell the man who had raised her through her teenage years that she was working with Logan. But Tara didn’t want to rehash the ancient argument with Adam, especially if he thought that Logan had had a hand in ending her engagement. Besides, whatever Logan said, he’d likely be out of her life in less than a week. Telling her stepfather the truth served no purpose except to worry—and rile—him needlessly.

“Tara, please. You’ve been missing all night, and I’ve been frantic. What’s going on? Why did you suddenly break up with Brad? Are you all right?”

Maybe. No. Tara wasn’t really sure. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m sorry. I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Our breakup was sudden, but I’ll be fine.”

“Really? I’m concerned about you.”

Adam had always been concerned. True, he’d always been busy. Lately, more so. Adam simply wasn’t the sort of man to show much outward affection, but he’d always been there when she needed him.

“Everything will be all right.”

Her stepfather sighed. “Where are you? Do you have a place to stay until you can find a new one? You’re always welcome to move back home.”

“Thanks, but I’m good. I found a decent motel for a few days near my latest assignment. I’ll find a new apartment afterward.”

“If you’re sure. Tell me what happened with Brad.”

“It’s this case,” she finally said, choosing her words carefully. “The mission is to retrieve my friend Darcy. You remember her, right?”

“Of course. She’s spent a few Christmases with us. Sad that her parents died so horrifically.”

“Yes. She went undercover inside a sex ring based in Florida. I’d like to snuff the ring and nail the bastard who runs it. So I’m getting some training to go undercover myself to this ‘adult’ resort. You’ve always said missions are taxing, and that sometimes you have to give yourself over to them. Brad couldn’t handle it.”

“You’re taking a field position?” He didn’t sound pleased, but she could do this.

“This is more like an audition. I volunteered, and my boss agreed because I fit the right age and . . . characteristics. And he knows how badly I’d like to make a difference in this case beyond analyzing the papers shuffling across my desk.” She shrugged. “We’ll see how it turns out. It’s demanding; I’m managing.”

“What are you training for?”

This was where the explanation was going to get hairy. “To be a sexual submissive. Before you say anything, don’t worry. I can handle it.”

“What?! This is the big leagues.” The worry in her stepfather’s voice deepened. “Princess, I don’t want to see you get hurt. Drop the case, go back to Brad, and work out your issues, please. He loves you and he’s good for you. He’ll give you everything you need.”

No, Brad wouldn’t. Last night with Logan had proven that. Sex wasn’t everything, but the needs he was unlocking inside her weren’t just those of her body. The intimacy that she and Logan shared resulted from some deep, organic bond—a connection she’d never felt with her ex-fiancé.

And she’d discovered over the last two days a certain . . . pride that she was learning to submit. Tara knew she wasn’t perfect, but was doing pretty well at living up to Logan’s demands. Even more, she’d done it on pure grit. Somehow, obeying him made her feel stronger. As powerless as she’d felt as a child without a home, as a teenager with a broken heart, as an agent wondering if she was ready for field assignments, this made her feel damn capable.

“No, he won’t. He wants me to quit my job.”

Adam sighed. “Would that be so bad? Field work will consume your life. Take it from someone who’s been there.”

Of course Adam knew. The fact that he’d rarely come home during some of those years and often been absent mentally had caused Adam’s separation from her mother. He’d only changed after her mother had died suddenly in a single-car accident.

“I thought you’d be proud of me, following in your footsteps.” Tara was somewhat hurt that he wasn’t and pushed back. “Now that I don’t have anyone to come home to, the job taking over my life is a nonissue. Really, it’s for the best.”

“It’s dangerous.” He sounded almost frantic to get that point across.

“And I love you for caring. I need to catch these people, for them—and for me. They’ve got Darcy, and I want her back.”

“If you won’t listen to me as a father, listen to me as a retired agent. What you’re heading into is going to be ugly.”

“I know. And I know you don’t want to think about me in danger. But I’d appreciate your support. I need it.”

“Damn it, I was never good at saying no to you.” He sighed. “You want to talk about what’ve you got so far?”

Tara gnawed on her lip. This was against protocol, but Adam had been a damn good agent with a stellar track record in the field. That track record was one of the factors that allowed Adam to retire early and open his own security consulting firm. He traveled the world now, helping clients learn to stay as safe as possible. He made oodles of money doing it. She could benefit from his experience. And if using him brought Darcy home safely, Tara had no problem bending rules.

She filled Adam in on the case. “We have almost nothing on the ringleader, not even a name. This guy’s greedy, and he doesn’t care who he has to step on. He’s got connections in hellholes all over the world.”

“Makes sense,” Adam agreed. “I’ll tell you what else I’ll bet is true: he’s got a kink no one knows about, maybe it’s BDSM or a serious hard-on for little girls. Whatever it is, he’s figured out how to monetize it. My guess is that we’re looking for an educated white male between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five. Someone affluent, who travels easily. Maybe someone who speaks multiple languages.”

“I thought as much. We’re definitely dealing with someone who has no conscience and no heart. I need to catch this dirtbag.”

“When do you leave?”

“Agent York and I are scheduled to travel to one of his resorts on Wednesday. It’s on a private island off of Key West. I’ll check in with you if I can. I don’t want you to worry.”

Adam smiled wryly. “You know me too well. Who’s training you, anyone I know?”

“Non-Bureau contractor.”

Not for a million dollars would she tell Adam the truth. He’d only start on a pointless diatribe, ticking off all the reasons he hated Logan. And Tara wasn’t sure what she’d say. After his revelations and the toecurling way he’d made love to her, she wasn’t sure how she felt.

On the way to Club Dominion—Saturday morning

Logan glanced across the cab of his truck at Tara. As close as they’d been last night, as responsive and tuned to him as she’d been, his Cherry was now someplace else mentally. And he didn’t like it one bit. Did she think that he’d be pacified with one night of sex? Was she feeling guilty that she’d spent the night with him hours after breaking up with her fiancé?

“What’s running through that pretty head?”

She smiled wanly, looking tired. “The need for coffee.”

He accepted her deflection for now. Maybe she was just processing and needed space. But she’d kissed him so wholly when he’d awakened her—then seemed like a completely different person once he’d emerged from the shower.

“I’ll fix you up before we start working. Anything else bothering you?”

Tara slanted a glance his way. The shrug she gave him was one of the fakest gestures he’d ever seen. “No.”