Out of Control
Chapter 2

“Is anything wrong, Margaret?”

Logan Knight had stepped onto his grandfather’s porch to see the older woman standing at the base of the tree dividing their property, staring up toward the sky as though looking for a sign from God. He was going to leave her alone until he heard her talking. Then curiosity got the better of him.

“Oh, thank goodness you came along when you did, dear,” she began in a tone that told Logan she was worried sick about something. “My granddaughter climbed up the tree to rescue my cat and now

it appears she’s stuck up there too.”

Logan glanced up and nearly had heart failure. Never mind that the kid had climbed high enough to break her neck if she should fall, but he was gazing at a pair of the best looking legs he’d seen in a long while. Long, shapely and tanned all over, disappearing beneath a pair of shorts that from his viewpoint didn’t do much to hide the shapely swell of her… He quickly slammed the brakes on where his thoughts were heading and averted his eyes. Damn, how old is Margaret’s granddaughter?

“I’m so worried my little Libby is going to fall,” Margaret said next to Logan, drawing his attention back to her. It was about that time he noticed several nearby neighbors, including his own grandfather, heading in their direction.

His glance returned to the girl in the tree, most of her body blanketed by a thick fall of red gold hair.

She’d climbed higher, and higher still was the cat she was trying to rescue. He thought about his

healing injuries and hesitated for only a second, and then began to climb. Saving cats wasn’t all that exciting, he’d had to do it once or twice.

Experience reminded Logan that most felines came down when they were good and ready. But he couldn’t just stand by and not do anything when it involved a kid, no matter what his doctor told him. He didn’t call out to Libby as he moved closer to her, knowing that if he did he could scare her into falling.

But he no sooner stopped directly beneath her when the cat spotted him and then all hell broke loose.

The cat went ballistic. Logan heard the kid scream. His heart stopped when he saw her lose her balance and begin to fall backwards. He didn’t have time to waste. In a lightning fast move he shoved himself up and over her body, catching her with his own and pinning her against the tree.

“I’ve got you, honey!” he rasped, grabbing the limb over their heads and bracing himself for her full weight. The impact of her slight body sent a rivet of sharp pain through him, but Logan ignored it and held fast.

“Please don’t move.” He grated low in his throat and closed his eyes, fighting a wave of unexpected dizziness. He needed a moment for the pain to subside.

“What? Who…” She ignored his plea, wiggling around until she was facing him. His arms effectively held her trapped against the trunk of the tree, and at that moment Logan didn’t know what was worse, having her backside against him, or her breasts.

“Where did you come from?” she asked breathlessly in a surprisingly adult tone that immediately sharpened Logan’s instincts.

In the blink of an eye he came to the realization that Margaret’s granddaughter was anything but a kid. The womanly curves pressed against him were a testament to that and instantly wiped away the guilt of his earlier thoughts. He tried to chuckle but it came out like a g***n. “I don’t think now is the time to discuss the birds and the bees.” His eyes captured hers, and Logan was reminded of someone, though he couldn’t think who.

“It’s a good thing you showed up when you did. I was about to fall.”

Logan’s gaze roamed over Libby’s pretty peaches and cream complexion, sliding down her slender throat and exposed collarbone before smoothing over her nearly naked shoulders. He tried not to

look but failed miserably, lowering his eyes to take in the swell of her breasts above the tank top.

“Your grandmother said you were stuck up here.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Her breasts, outlined so enticingly against the tee-shirt style top, were perfectly round. Her nipples were hard little crowns, pointing at him as if accusing him for being in that state. Damn! Logan felt something hot uncoil in his gut and realized it was arousal. The feeling moved to his c**k. He inhaled deeply to try and calm down but all that did was fill his lungs with her warm, subtle fragrance.

“Well, I was doing just fine until you showed up and scared Rufus,” Libby pointed out, glaring up at the contented feline above them. “Thank you for saving my butt.”

As if knowing the two humans were displeased with him, Rufus suddenly went into action, hissing and crying threateningly like any cornered cat. Sensing what he was about to do, Logan leaned further into Libby. Shielding her with his body and taking the brunt of the angry cat as he scampered over them, continuing down the tree. Grunting in pain, Logan closed his eyes and sucked in his breath.

“Are you okay, Logan?”

No, he wasn’t okay. Besides Rufus using his shoulders and back for a ladder with those sharp claws, a pain of another nature shot through his body when his chest came in direct contact with Libby’s soft breasts and those pointed little nipples. It had nothing to do with the healing scars from the serious burn he’d received several months ago and everything to do with l**t.

He hadn’t been with a woman in months. He clenched his teeth and tried to ignore the full-blown arousal throbbing between his thighs.

“Logan?” A soft voice persisted, more concern in it than desire, which only showed that Libby was nowhere near the same state as he was at the moment.

He clenched his teeth and tried to think about anything that would kill the burning rush heating his b***d. Being flush against Margaret’s shapely granddaughter reminded him of that fact. It also reminded Logan why he was living there. It wasn’t just his body that needed healing. Not once in the three months he’d been at Cypress Glen had he felt the urge to have s*x. But then, until now he hadn’t come across anyone under the age of sixty.

“You’re beginning to scare me, Logan. I thought you were rescuing me,” Libby remarked with humor in her voice.

Logan’s eyes flew open. Not because he wanted to reassure Libby, but because it suddenly dawned on him that she’d called him by name. And not for the first time. “How did you know my name?”

He didn’t recall any introductions between them. Something flickered in her lovely moss green eyes. The longest, thickest lashes he’d ever seen on a woman effectively shut him out, falling against flawless skin that made him want to reach up and see if it was as smooth as it looked.

“Ah, didn’t you tell me?” She didn’t sound so sure, and she wouldn’t look him in the eyes.

“No.” Logan leaned away from Libby as much as he could without falling out of the tree before she became aware that he was aroused. Two nights ago at the bar down the street he’d had a woman

plastered against him during a dance, and it hadn’t affected him in any way. Why now, and with her?

“Well, I, ah, must have heard Gram mention you. That’s right; you’re Mr. Knight’s grandson, the fireman.” She smiled, finally raising her catlike eyes.

Yeah, Logan supposed that made sense. He swallowed hard, falling headfirst into those innocent orbs before lowering his gaze to take in Libby’s full bottom l*p. As though knowing how he was responding to her, she proceeded to dampen it with the tip of her small, pink tongue. Damn, this isn’t good.

The urge to press his mouth to hers to see if her lips tasted as sweet as they appeared took him by surprise. With his luck she’d probably give him a shove that would send him tumbling to the ground, undoing months of rehabilitation and therapy.

“Are you two going to spend the day up there? Rufus came down half an hour ago!” Margaret’s voice cut through Logan’s thoughts, effectively dousing his hard-on and any notions he had about kissing Libby.

For a moment he’d actually forgotten where they were.

“Maybe they’re both stuck up there now!” someone chimed in, getting a good laugh from the gathered crowd. “Need help getting down, Logan?”

Logan glanced down to see about twenty neighbors standing around the base of the tree, all staring up at them with huge grins on their wrinkled faces. It didn’t take much to amuse the elderly and his grandfather was no different.

“Do you think it’s safe to go down?” Libby questioned, her eyes dancing with amusement. “They look pretty hungry.”

They looked like sharks circling a dying whale. His gaze returned to hers, his mouth twitching. “Don’t you trust me to protect you?”

Libby’s smile grew wider. “You are a big, strapping fireman,” she said as though reminding herself. “I guess it will be okay, as long as you don’t toss me over your shoulder or anything.”

“Come on then. I’ll keep you between my body and the tree and we’ll take it one step at a time.” She didn’t as much as blink. “I promise not to let you fall. Just do me one favor.”

“And that is?”

“Let me control our movements.” Logan was thinking about the tender scars lining his chest. If she jabbed him in the wrong place the pain could very well send them both crashing to the ground. He

waited for her nod. “Good, now turn back around so you’re facing the tree again.”

As Libby did as he asked Logan arched his back to give her room. He was still holding onto the thick branch over their heads and when she was finally facing the trunk again he relaxed against her

slowly. He realized as soon as Libby’s bottom brushed against his fly that he should have thought it through. Now it was too late. All he could do was clenching his teeth and close his eyes as a

moment of heightened pleasure spiraled through him.

“Frightened?” he asked when Libby caught her breath and stiffened. Had she felt something too? A breeze came from nowhere, sending the long silky strands of her hair whirling

around them and binding them together.

Libby shook her head and Logan released a sigh of relief.

“Good. Now, just follow my lead.”

Climbing down turned out to be the longest journey of Logan’s life. Every step of the way, every movement, made him sharply aware of Libby’s lithe body brushing against his front, keeping him aroused to the point of pain. The light fragrance of her hair as it whipped about his face continuously teased his senses with something clean and mildly sweet. Innocence that screamed of wildness, and heaven.

“Are you okay?”

Her concern produced a chuckle from Logan that had little to do with humor. She wasn’t a kid; she had to know the state he was in. And her soft, barely audible gasps didn’t go unnoticed either.

They told him she wasn’t unaffected by their close proximity. He resisted the urge to rub his hungry flesh against her, just to see what her response would be. Then squashed the idea by remembering they

were little more than strangers.

It was a miracle they made it to the ground in one piece, even if they did fall the last few feet.

Miscalculating the distance, Logan jumped, advising Libby to follow suit. All he knew was he had to get

away from her and that was the quickest way he could think of. Only before he knew it he was on his back, and she was on top of him. The breath hissed through his teeth and he shut his eyes, feeling a

hell of a lot more than a little discomfort on his chest. He thought about flipping Libby on her backside and planting one on her lips, but he couldn’t move. And besides, they were surrounded by a dozen or so curious on lookers.

“Is he dead?” someone asked in a bored voice that didn’t sound very concerned.

“I can’t tell if he’s breathing,” someone else commented.

“Your granddaughter looks comfortable though, Margaret.”

“He’s okay, just had the wind knocked out of him.” The closeness of his grandfather’s voice revealed he was near to where Logan and Libby lay beneath the tree. “You okay, boy?”

Logan grunted, praying that by the time he opened his eyes they would be all gone. Libby was squirming like an eel out of water and a man could only take so much. Her movements weren’t doing anything to diminish his hard-on and her hands seemed to be everywhere at once. His eyes bolted open and he growled in a voice that only she could hear. “Stop moving, damn it!”

Maybe he did come off a little hard but a mixture of s****l frustration and pain ruled his emotions.

Libby’s eyes opened wide and she stilled instantly. “I was just trying to replace a safe place to put my hands,” she said in a hurt tone.

“That isn’t the problem, baby,” Logan explained roughly.

Something in his tone must have gotten through to her because all too soon she was blushing with embarrassment. “Oh.”

“Libby dear, hurry and get off Logan, he looks like he’s in pain,” Margaret rushed.

At that point Logan’s hands fell to Libby’s waist and he quickly and easily lifted her off his body and set her on the ground next to him, then jumped to his feet.

“You okay?”

“Just peachy,” Logan responded, nodding at his grandfather but glaring down at Libby, who was smiling sweetly up at him with all the innocence of the child he’d first thought she was.

There was something about her that still nagged at him, and when she glanced away Logan was certain it was because she sensed his perplexity. Is she afraid of something? Her somewhat guilty actions proved she was and he was determined to replace out why.

“Goodness, Libby, that’s the third time this month you’ve had to go up that tree for Rufus,” Lois from across the street said, not realizing what she’d just divulged to Logan. He reached down for Libby’s hand and tugged her to her feet. Why hadn’t he noticed her around before now?

“That’s how I get my exercise,” Libby joked, yanking down the back of her shorts as though it just occurred to her they were too short. “Maybe now Gram realizes he’ll come down on his own.”

Logan watched her movements, noticing how her back arched when she reached behind her, causing her perky little breasts to jut forward. Her wild hair stopped just short of the flare of her slim h**s, gleaming with fire now that she was standing in the direct sunlight. He fisted his hands, fighting the urge to slam them in his pockets. Afraid that if he moved anywhere near that zone it would only bring attention to the bulge behind his zipper.

“Well, I’m still not convinced he would have come out of that tree without a little persuasion,” Margaret joined in, bending to scoop up the old cat, which immediately began to purr.

Her gaze flew to Logan. “Thank you for rescuing Libby.”

“I didn’t need rescuing,” Libby insisted, her glance daring him to rebuke her. But Logan had already heard enough to realize that her grandmother had set him up. The question was, why?

He smiled at Margaret anyway, never one to question the actions behind someone old enough to know better. “It was my pleasure, Margaret. Anytime.”

Libby’s mouth fell open and someone chuckled. The small crowd started to disperse now that the excitement was over. Logan had been staying with his grandfather long enough to know that anything out of the norm was considered thrilling and thus worthy of careful consideration. Gossip traveled like wildfire among the elderly in a tight-knit community. By coffee hour next Monday everyone in the community will have heard about the episode between the fireman and Margaret’s lovely granddaughter. By evening time they’ll be engaged. He scowled at the thought.

He’d been engaged once and that was enough.

“Don’t forget bingo tonight, Margaret,” a plump woman who reminded Logan of Mrs. Claus said as she pulled herself into a golf cart. “And bring your friend with you, what was her name again?”

Margaret made an impatient sound. “You forget everyone’s name, Ruby, it’s—”

“They’ll be there,” Libby cut in, shooting her grandmother a look Logan found very interesting. He stood there and surveyed them for a long moment, trying to figure out what the deal was, and then shrugged deciding he didn’t care. He turned to catch up with his grandfather, who was walking back to the house.

“Logan, wait! Your back!”

He should have kept walking, but it wasn’t Libby’s voice shouting at him, it was Margaret’s. And Logan had been raised to respect his elders. Dismissing the amused look his grandfather shot him, he

sighed reluctantly and turned around. “Yes, ma’am? What about my back?”

It was his grandfather who replied with a startled sound of concern. “Looks like Rufus used you for a sharpening post, boy. You’ve got b***d all over your shirt.”

“Come to the house so we can doctor you up,” Margaret insisted. Her tone left no room for refusal. She didn’t wait for his reply either, just turned and started walking. “Those scratches have to be tended to at once.”

She disappeared through the front door before Logan could insist that he could take care of them. He knew the “we” included Libby and he didn’t know if he could stand being around her much more that day. He exchanged glances with his grandfather, looking for an ally.

The old man just grinned and shrugged. “Might as well give in and go. I’ve lived around Margaret long enough to know she’s a pistol when riled. And believe me; you don’t want to get on her bad

side.”

Logan wanted to ask his grandfather to go with him but swallowed the childish thought. His gaze went to Libby, who was standing there smiling at the whole exchange. She’d slapped her hands on her shapely h**s, her eyes flashing with bold amusement that warmed his b***d and at the same time scared the hell out of him. At that moment he’d like nothing better than to wipe that seductive grin off her pretty face.

“What are you afraid of?” she had the nerve to ask.

What was he afraid of?