Page 1 of Consuming Logan

Chapter 1

The problem with weddings was they required patience. Logan Masters never acquired the skill, especially when applied to his woman. He wanted Ava as his wife—now. But family had swept them up in a tidal wave of pre-wedding plans. Begrudgingly, he had come along for the ride. Ava seemed exhausted by his mother’s acrimony and the barrage of matrimonial decisions, sleeping more than her usual eight hours. Maribelle believed his fiancée a poor addition to the Masters dynasty. In truth Logan’s heart condition ran deeper than blood ties. He coveted the woman in his arms more than maternal approval, more than the air in his lungs.

Per his usual, Logan awoke a few minutes early just to watch Ava sleep. Outside, gentle winds from an approaching May shower rattled the hollow chimes hanging from the porch below. The street lighting peeked through the shutters, brushing hazy kisses of light across shapely legs atop the covers. Unfettered by the noise, Ava snuggled closer, curling into the hard planes of Logan’s chest. Her heart-shaped face, an array of soft lines with fairy-like features, scrunched and then relaxed. She shifted again and he glanced at the digital clock on the oak dresser.

Four-forty.

In the quiet of the morning, Ava Elaine Walters, registered nurse, US Navy lieutenant, and all-around sexy goddess belonged to him. A selfish indulgence in which he kept the outside world at bay, enjoying an inner contentment only experienced through the love of a good woman. Like an erotic portrait, she lay in beautiful stillness in his arms. Like a gentle wave, his hungry gaze flowed over smooth golden skin, caressing the feminine contours and soft swells draped in a triple-string lace negligee. His pulse raced remembering the sound of her cries as he pleasured her. She lured him, a siren welcoming a sea-weary sailor to shore. No other woman commanded his attention.

Only Ava.

He’d known she would be his that first day she stepped into the pediatric unit. Of course, that was before their breakup and Ava’s Navy commissioning. They’d announce their wedding date tonight in a lavish formal affair at the Tower Club. Then, in four long months, she’d walk down the aisle, place her delicate fingers in his, and say, I do.

His prize.

Lifting his hand, he tucked a stray ringlet behind her ear. “I love you,” he whispered.

Eyes hidden behind sweeping lashes fluttered open, their honeyed glow reminding him of the approaching sunrise.

“Love you too,” she murmured, before her lids slipped closed.

He dropped a kiss to the crown of her head. Thick cinnamon curls tickled his nose before flowing like silk ribbons across his abdomen. Content with his place in the world, he inhaled her vanilla scent, relaxing when the sweet floral undertones and rich chocolate notes filled his nostrils.

“You have five more minutes.”

“Ugh,” she groaned, slinging one arm over her head. “I need to get my butt up and work out.”

“That’s my job,” Logan teased. Encircling one arm around her back, Logan settled his large hand on her derriere. Ava had gained a few pounds since returning home. “Besides more cushion for the pushing is good by me.”

Tilting her head back, she cracked open both eyelids. A silly grin appeared before she gave him a playful once over. “Seriously,” she smirked, “do you always have sex on the brain?”

“Let’s see,” he said, making small circles on her bare hip. “I have a Y chromosome.”

“There’s that,” she said, collapsing back onto the pillow of his bicep.

He chuckled. “And, I’m breathing.”

“A definite plus because I have no intentions of taking it easy on you, old man.”

Four years earlier at the mention of the eight years between his and Ava’s age her parents had wanted him to stay clear of their middle daughter. It was as impossible then as it was now. He refused to consider a life without Ava at his side. Which fed into his worry—maybe concern was a better word, about Ava’s solemn attitude about tonight. A bride-to-be should be excited. Though she ignored many of his mother’s attacks, he knew the rejection hurt.

“You have jokes.” He twisted settling his weight between her spread thighs. “Getting lost inside you is my last thought at night. And, the first every morning.”

Reaching up, Ava rubbed her hand against his morning scruff. “That’s a good little doctor.”

Like a well-trained tiger eager for attention, he pressed in closer. She loved stroking his facial hair, so he’d kept the lumberjack look. His woman cuddling him liked a rescued pussycat was definitely a win-win in his book.

“I’ve got the opposite of little right here,” Logan growled, grinding his massive erection into her damp center. The blood in his veins hummed where they touched. Ava's fingers curled in the bed sheets, and the pulse at her neck hammered with the rhythm of his heartbeat. He delivered a sharp nip to her neck, the act both primitive and possessive.

“Hey,” she objected, fingers trailing over the love bite. “Someone might see that at work.”

With a grin, he looked down in admiration at his visible mark and the telltale heat spreading across her flushed skin.

“Goal accomplished. They’ll know you belong to me.” Running his tongue over the barely-there red mark, he chuckled when Ava shivered at the contact. He wanted to possess her for always. Protect her forever. “You like it,” he growled, his tone filled with a masculine arrogance.

“You love it,” Ava retorted, caressing his bulge.

Indeed, he did, especially when she used soft hands to deliver firm strokes. Logan dropped a possessive hand to the back of her neck. Lust-filled eyes regarded him beneath long inky lashes. Her smile, when it appeared, was slow, tempting, and inviting.