He grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the edge of the bed, grasping her panties and drawing them down. Her tank went up next, followed by her bra, baring her breasts. And then his mouth was on her neck, licking and sucking it before moving to her nipples, the scratchiness of a day’s growth of beard across her skin only making her writhe with pleasure.

She wanted him, and the clock was ticking down to her departure. She wasn’t going to wait when her need was so great. She wrapped her legs around him, loving the weight of his body on top of hers, the way he surged against her, making her body quiver in all the right places.

“Logan, please.”

He grabbed a condom and put it on, then slid inside her, holding himself off of her with his hands as he lifted, then thrust deeply. She swept her hands over his muscled arms and shoulders while he drove within her, then rolled his h*ps over the most sensitive spot until she arched, crying out for more.

And when he gave her more, she splintered, so ready for him, so needy for this moment that she couldn’t hold back the orgasm that rushed through her like an eruption of the sweetest pleasure. Logan cupped her behind and held her close while he shuddered with his release. She held tight to him, licking away the salty sweat on his neck as he rode it out.

Panting, he pressed a kiss to her brow. “Now you need another shower.”

“It’s summer. I can always use another shower.”

He smiled down at her, kissed her, then dragged her up and into his bathroom. She grabbed one of the hair clips she stored in his drawer and stepped into the shower, washing quickly, then stepping out while Logan took his shower. She dried off and got dressed, then went downstairs and poured another glass of tea.

Martha showed up a few minutes later to find Des sitting at her same spot at the island.

“Did you find something to wear?” she asked.

“I did. Sorry I was gone so long. Where’s Logan?”

“He went up to shower.”

“Uh-huh.” Martha gave her a strange smile. “Well, Ben’s starting the grill, so we’ll get the salmon going.”

“Great.”

Logan came down a few minutes later and gave her a sexy half smile.

“Ben’s going to grill the salmon,” she told him.

“Okay.” He bent to kiss her cheek, then whispered in her ear. “You have a hickey on your neck.”

Her eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her neck as she pivoted to look at him. “Seriously?”

“Would I joke about something like that?”

“Uh, excuse me. I’ll be right back.” She dashed into the bathroom, and sure enough, there was a mark at the bottom of her neck. And more spots than that, obviously because he hadn’t shaved before they made love. Dammit. So much for thinking they had pulled something over on Martha. No wonder Martha had given her that knowing smile.

She came back out and Martha was busy setting the table, so Des dove in to help.

Nothing was said about the mark on her neck. Thank God. She was certain Martha wholeheartedly approved of her relationship with Logan, but she didn’t think she’d survive discussing her and Logan’s sex life with a woman she considered Logan’s mother figure.

Ben brought in the salmon and they ate. Logan and Ben spent most of dinner discussing something cattle-related, while she and Martha were focused on the wrap party, so she didn’t get to listen in to Logan’s conversation. But Des knew Martha was a little nervous, especially since the press was going to be in attendance.

“It’s not those jerks that have been hanging out at the gate for the past couple of months, is it?”

Des shook her head. “No. These are press correspondents from various reputable outlets, unlike paparazzi who are just looking to take photos and sell them to the highest bidder.”

“Okay. I don’t like those paparazzi people.”

“I don’t either, Martha.”

“What kinds of questions will the press people ask you?”

“They mostly ask about the movie, though more often than not they segue into personal relationships. It’s like they can’t help themselves. But we choose to answer the questions we want to. And they’re limited to being on set only the first hour. Then we kick them off so we can relax without worrying about every word we say and every move we make being scrutinized or misinterpreted.”

“Oh, that’s good. So you can have fun.”

“Exactly.”

After dinner, she helped Martha with the dishes, then said she had to go get ready. Logan walked her out.

“I’ll see you there?”

He pulled her close. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

She laughed. “You sound thrilled.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Okay.” She kissed him, then climbed into the SUV and drove back to the set to get ready for tonight. For the first time in a long time she was actually excited.

Tonight, after the party, she was going to tell Logan how she felt about him.

And then they’d talk about where they went from here.

With a renewed confidence, she went to figure out what she was going to wear.

Chapter 22

MARTHA INSISTED LOGAN dress up. Which for Logan, meant his clean jeans and a dress shirt, and his newest boots. That was as good as it was going to get.

Martha wore her nice slacks and a pretty blouse, and she made Ben wear his khakis. They drove separate cars in case Martha and Ben wanted to leave before he did.

When they got out of their trucks, Logan turned to Ben. “Right after this, you can go to church, seeing as how you’re already dressed for it.”

“Shut up,” Ben said, frowning and tugging at the collar of his button-down shirt.

“Enough, Logan. We have to dress nice. And I can’t believe you wore jeans.”

“It’s a wrap party. On the ranch. Not exactly the Academy Awards, Martha.”

“Still, It wouldn’t kill you to dress up for the girl, would it?”

He looked down at his white button-down shirt and dark jeans. “I wore my new jeans and my best pair of boots.”

Martha rolled her eyes. “Come on, boys.”

Though as they passed through the security gate, Logan noticed most of the set was gone, replaced instead by billowing white tents and a wood floor. And lots of food, drinks, and waiters.

Fancy.

There was already a crowd of people, too. Some pretty dressed up. Okay, so maybe he was underdressed. Then again, no one was going to be interviewing him, so he could fly under the radar. This was Des’s gig, not his.

There was some kind of champagne fountain, and a bar set up where people could get drinks, and a whole buffet of all kinds of food Logan couldn’t even identify.

“Wow,” Martha said as they walked past the buffet table. “If I’d known there was going to be food like this, I wouldn’t have bothered to make dinner.”

“I can still eat,” Ben said.

“Of course you can. All right, let’s grab a plate, and then we’ll go find a table in the corner somewhere where we can observe and I can sneak photos. You coming, Logan?”

“I’m going to see if I can find Des. I’ll catch up to you later.”

They waved him off and went in the opposite direction. Logan stopped at the bar and grabbed a beer, which he didn’t have to pay for. Nice. He took a long swallow, and after today, the cold brew tasted great. He wandered around, seeing a crowd and a lot of noise, so he went to investigate.

And there she was, in the middle of a throng of press. Des was dressed in something red and sparkly—and short, her legs looking sexier than he had ever seen because she also wore killer high heels. Her hair was curled and partially piled up, and she had makeup on—not on-the-set makeup, but getting-her-picture-taken-by-professionals kind of makeup, with her lips all glossy and kissable.

He’d never seen anyone look more gorgeous.

“So tell us, Desiree, how did the shoot go?”

“It went well. Colt and I worked incredibly well together, as always.” She turned to the side, and the dress bared her shoulders, and her back. All of her back.

Christ. She was just . . . So. Damn. Sexy.

“And how did you handle the Oklahoma heat? It’s one of their hottest summers.”

“I managed just fine. There’s a lot to like about the land here. And with all the trees, there’s plenty of shade.”

“But we heard the shoot was pretty brutal. No trees on the barren landscape of Quazena, the post-apocalyptic planet where these scenes were set.”

She turned and smiled at the cameras, and the effect was devastating. “That’s true. But the crew takes very good care of us, and Theo Winfield is a very generous director who doesn’t overwork his actors.”

Logan wanted to laugh. Des was the one who was generous, considering how much of an as**ole Theo was. Theo should consider himself lucky she hadn’t thrown him under the bus and told the press what a womanizing, cheating prick the guy was.

“Any on-set romances brewing? Like between you and your costar, Colt Stevens?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “Colt and I have been friends for many years. That’s all it’s been between us, though I feel we have wonderful chemistry on film. You’ll see that when Lost Objectives releases in two weeks. I hope you’ll all be there to see it. It’s a great movie. I think it’s one of Colt’s finest performances.”

Des was in her element, fielding questions easily, deflecting those she didn’t want to answer without insulting the press.

This was what she was born to do. She took his breath away. No wonder she loved this acting thing so much. Not only was she good at sinking into a part, but there was a glow about her when she was the center of attention. Not that there was an ego involved, because as far as he’d seen, she didn’t have any. But she was an entirely different person now that she was dressed up, fielding questions, and talking about her craft.

The press ate it up, snapping pictures, asking her questions, and surrounding her.

She was a goddamned movie star.

And as he watched her playing to the press, he realized he had no choice.

He had to let her go. She no more belonged in his world than he belonged in hers.

The thought of it caused an ache in his chest, as if someone had reached in there and snatched out his goddamned heart.

Maybe they had. Des had.

He’d thought tonight they could talk about a way that they could possibly make this relationship between them work. Because he couldn’t imagine her leaving this ranch and him never seeing her again.

But now, watching her tonight, he realized she would never be satisfied with someone like him, living in a place like this. The L&M ranch could never hold her, would never make her happy.

They might have fun for a little while. Just like his mom and dad had. But eventually, she’d be gone, craving the limelight and adventure, needing more than dust and cow shit and miles of nothing but land.

This wasn’t the life for her.

And he wasn’t the right man for her. She needed someone like Colt, who dressed up nice and made movies like she did and looked good standing next to her. Not a dusty cowboy who knew nothing about this business.

When she finished with the press, she stopped and said hello to a few people, then made her way over to him.

“You look good,” she said. “I want to kiss you, but the press is still here and I don’t think you want to be on the front page of some entertainment website tomorrow.”

“No, I don’t. And you look gorgeous.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“You really know how to handle the press.”

“Thanks. Years of experience in learning what to say and what not to say. And typically, they ask the same types of questions over and over again, so it’s just a matter of knowing the right answers.”

“You did well.”

“Did you get something to eat? They catered in a bunch of fancy food.”

“I’m still full from dinner.”

“Okay. Once the press leaves, I want to talk to you about something.”

“Yeah, I want to talk to you, too.”

She grinned. “Hopefully it’s the same thing.”

He doubted it, but still, he didn’t want to ruin the high she was obviously on, so he smiled at her. “I’m going to let you mingle with the important people. I think I’ll track down where Martha and Ben wandered off to.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit?”

“Yeah.”

He started to wander off.

“Logan?”

He stopped. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for coming tonight. It means a lot to me that you’re here.”

He nodded, gave her a smile, and walked away.

Her sweetness, her trust in him, that was going to kill him, knowing what he was going to do later.

DES WAS SO tired of smiling for the cameras, of having to answer the same questions over and over again about the movie and her personal life and whether or not she’d talked to James lately and how she and Colt were getting along and if they had started up a romance. It was like the press had a wish that every leading man and leading lady who were single were going to have a romance. She understood it was a Hollywood thing, but how many times did she have to tell them that she and Colt were just friends? She was ever so grateful when the press’s time was up and they were escorted off the property.

The best part of tonight was that Tony had come to be here with Colt. It was the beginning of the two of them being together in the open. Colt had decided he wasn’t going to make some grand announcement, he was just going to start being with Tony, living with him, and at some point in an interview, he’d mention how long they’d been together as a couple and leave it at that. And then maybe it wouldn’t be such a big thing if he didn’t make a big thing of it.