Chapter Sixteen: Touch
When you meet that certain someone
You've been searchin’ hard to find
It's a new love full of passion
That can sometimes make you blind
I don't mind being swept away
If I know right from the start
So before we go much further, girl
Can I trust you with my heart?
~Travis Tritt
Sydney, Australia
The animal within was calming, though Logan could feel it clawing at his tentative control. He wanted to raze the entire building to the ground. So far gone had he been that it frightened him. To his great surprise, just one look at that corridor was enough to bring the beast up short.
Hank came rushing toward him, followed by much more tentative footsteps. Neither girl had ever seen him really lose it. Sure, over the course of their time together he had gotten more than a little angry, but the bezerker was still someone a mystery.
Until now.
“What is it, Logan?” the blue mutant doctor questioned.
“That say “Cryogenic Storage” or my eyes goin’ bad?”
Without waiting for a reply, Logan moved toward the corridor. The lack of security on this level was strange. Either Essex was stupid or cocky. Not that it mattered very much. The second Wolverine got his hands on the masochistic doctor he was dog food.
He noticed that Kitty had pulled a bag from her uniform, obviously prepared for any situation. Both girls tucked Ororo’s files and videotapes into the bag while Hank moved toward the storage area.
“Why don’t ya look up Betsy’s files, too? She might want those.”
“Sure,” Shadowcat replied cautiously.
“Her number’s 6720904.”
“You remember numbers like that a lot?” Alison questioned as she zipped the bag carefully.
Logan shrugged. Confident that the girls could handle any trouble that might arise, he jogged in the general direction Hank had gone in. If the stolen ovum were indeed kept here, he would have to trust Beast knew what he was doing. Logan’s heart rate sped a little as he met up with his friend.
There were doors on either side of the corridor, like something out of a supermarket. Logan looked over Beast’s shoulder, noting the dozens of little chambers through the thick glass. They were numbered, as the filing cabinets were, but the look on Beast’s face did not herald good news.
“They are empty.”
His heart rate dropped so fast, Logan wondered if it stopped altogether. Hank threw one of the doors open and grabbed at the rack, seemingly unafraid of the frigid metal inside. A scowl the likes of which Wolverine had never seen on his friend’s face appeared a split second before a growl.
Each row of numbered racks had tiny holes in it, reminding Logan of Beast’s test tube container back in New York. Every rack they pulled out was completely empty.
“They moved the stored ovum. I believe, my friend, that we are still several steps behind Mr. Sinister.”
There was a deadly edge to Beast’s voice. Raising a dark brow, Logan tentatively reached out to touch his shoulder.
Apparently, that was all Beast needed.
With strength that momentarily stunned Logan, Hank put his hands on either side of the empty storage container and yanked it from the wall. Wolverine jumped back, narrowing avoiding what would have been a very long recovery period. The unit crashed to the tile floor, denting it as the sound resonated like a gunshot.
“Hey, man, breathe.”
Beast’s blue eyes were wild as he turned to Wolverine.
“What sort of monster does this?” He roared in a voice that was somewhat alien to the usually docile mutant.
“Ya finally caught up with the rest of us?” Wolverine offered with a slight smile.
“I tried to deny it,” Beast said shakily. “I thought, perhaps, that the missing ovum were simply a side effect. But what I saw on that tape... They did this to my sweet Ororo intentionally.”
Swallowing thickly, Logan nodded. “Yeah, man. They did.”
“No person with such lacking morals, with such distaste for human life should carry the doctor title. This…this is in violation of every oath we must take. It is an abomination! An atrocity the likes of which mutant kind has never seen! How? How could anyone with a soul do this?”
Startled by Beast’s emotion, Wolverine shrugged one shoulder. “I dunno, bub. But we ain’t leavin’ empty handed. Kitten got shit from the computer, we have hard files. Somethin’ in there oughta help.”
Beast turned to Logan again, despair and hopelessness still radiating from his normally soft eyes. For some reason, the often-feral mutant felt for his gentle friend’s loss. Illusions were being shattered left and right, which wasn’t easy for anyone.
Unfortunately, the girls came rushing into the corridor like the demons of hell were on their tails before he could say anything more. The bag they had was filled to bursting now. Logan could see the zipper straining.
“Cops. Lots of ‘em,” Alison said quickly.
“Hank!” Kitty practically whined. She stomped to the rather impressive hole he had left in the wall, pointing to several buzzing wires. “You dorkass.”
Beast had the grace to blush.
“Anyone got an exit plan that starts like…now?” Dazzler said quickly as Logan heard the sirens outside.
Snikt! He flashed a smile as the sound of his claws releasing resonated through the room.
“Actually, I’ve got a better idea,” Beast said softly. He pointed one long, blue finger toward a far window.
“No fuckin’ way.” Alison and Wolverine said in unison.
Kitty shrugged and made a beeline for the window washer’s apparatus hanging innocently outside. From the sirens, Logan surmised that the police were coming right through the front door of the building several stories below. The window faced east, leaving the mutants a diagonal escape route, if they managed to get down before the police surrounded the building.
Beast followed agile Shadowcat as she flipped the full bag over her shoulder so it rested against her leather-covered back. In lieu of fighting with the window lock, she merely phased through it. She popped a hand out, bringing Beast through with barely a pause.
“Man,” Dazzler groaned. “This is gonna suck.”
Wolverine grabbed her arm as the elevator dinged behind them. “Yeah, but no choice now, darlin’.”
He pushed her to the window, relieved when Kitty yanked her through the solid glass quickly. A glance over his shoulder and carefully trained ears said that the police were moving cautiously through the rows of filing cabinets.
It was a tough choice. He wanted to remain behind and eviscerate several officers. Did they know who they were protecting? He thought not, but the urge to kill was so strong in him that he could almost taste blood. Scents of fear drifted toward him like ambrosia.
A whooshing sound preceded Kitty’s head and arm reaching through the glass. Without so much as a warning, the slender girl pulled him onto the platform outside.
“Sorry,” she said quietly.
“S’ok,” he replied as Beast grabbed the apparatus controls. “Fergot I was an X-Man for a minute.”
“Yeah,” the young brunette nodded as they began a sharp decent. “I would, too, if I was in your shoes.”
He didn’t want to think about what she meant as they dropped fifty floors in fifteen seconds. While the police upstairs scratched their heads, wondering where the intruders had gone, four mutant burglars slipped unseen into the Australian night.
~**~
24 hours later
By the time Beast and Shadowcat landed the Blackbird beneath the mansion’s basketball court, the entire team was exhausted. They snapped at one another the entire way, lack of sleep, food, and proper bathing pushing them to the brink of all out war.
Amid the bickering and “Who farted?” there was an underlying tension. They all knew they would have to explain themselves to the other teammates, and what they had found was going to be hard to go through again. Logan didn’t want to contemplate what some of the other X-Men would say when they realized how badly Storm had been treated.
It was a relief to step out of the Blackbird. His duffel over one shoulder and their collected “evidence” on the other, he was first off the plane. They had only spent enough time in Sydney after the robbery to grab their bags. Should the hotel manager become suspicious, they did not want to be caught in a foreign country without the Professor’s long arm.
Wolverine didn’t want them to chance losing what had been found.
He waited impatiently for the elevator that would take him to the mansion levels, shifting the bags over his shoulders. A bath, food, and then he would sleep for a week. The others on his crusade had silently agreed that Logan should look everything over first. It was, after all, his crusade.
When the elevator doors parted, he groaned.
“Aww, ya couldn’t wait ten hours ta corner me?”
“I apologize, Logan, but I must speak with you.” Charles wheeled his chair back to make room, allowing his X-Men inside.
“Look, Dad,” Wolverine practically snarled. “I’m sorry I took the car without asking, but I didn’t crash it.”
Charles wanted to scowl at him, Logan could smell it on him. Instead, the patient mutant simply nodded. “Thank you. But that is not what I wish to speak with you about.”
“Can’t it wait? I’ve been gone three days, two of those days spent on a plane with cranky girls and a furry guy. I’m tired. I’m hungry. And I’m startin’ ta smell myself, which is never a good sign.”
“Unfortunately, it cannot.”
“Yeah, it can.” Logan snapped, stepping out of the elevator before the doors were opened completely.
He ignored Chuck’s call, brushing past several students who tried to say hello. He did wave at Artie, knowing the young amphibian would take it as a personal slight if he didn’t. Logan liked the kid, and he knew when to stay back.
As Wolverine made his way to the eastern wing and up the stairs, he found yet another waiting for him on the second landing.
“Come on, already!” He growled to no one in particular.
“We have to talk, Logan.” Betsy said as she rushed down to walk with him.
“It can wait.”
“No, it can’t,” she countered. He saw her sniff a little and grimace.
“Yeah, it will.” He told her as he marched up the remaining stairs.
“Just stop for a moment!”
“NO!” He shouted, turning to growl in the young telepath’s face. “Look, I’m fuckin’ tired. I’m really fuckin’ hungry, an’ I stink. Can’t this damn place run on it’s own for two fuckin’ days without people ambushing me the second my damn foot is inside the goddamn door?”
“Well!” Betsy crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him.
“Bets, ya know I love ya, but back the fuck off. If somethin’ in yer house done broke, wait a few hours or call a fuckin’ repairman.”
He noticed Chuck at the foot of the stairs. “Ya wanna verbally ass ream me fer goin’ off on an unofficial mission, wait till tomorrow.”
“As fer the rest of ya,” he shouted to any and all listening. “Leave me the fuck alone or I will actually start killin’ people.”
With his point made, he turned sharply to go down the hall. Every footstep felt like an eternity. He only wanted to be left alone, in his obsession-covered Cave, to recover from the mission. The beast inside of him was roaring for a good fight.
“Logan?”
“Did I not make myself clear?” He snapped at Rogue as she peered out of her bedroom door.
“Let him go, Marie.”
Betsy’s soft tone stopped the young mutant as Logan stomped toward his bedroom. He just wanted some alone time. In this house, he knew, it could be a tall order. This was insanity, though. Normally the occupants of the school gave a snarling Wolverine wide berth. It was somewhat surprising that they were so damned insistent on stopping him.
As Logan threw open his bedroom door, he dimly wondered what was so important that they couldn’t give him a little breathing room.
~**~
Ororo stepped out of the shower and toweled quickly. Someone was shouting in the hall, but she couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. Assuming it was merely students arguing over the television or a borrowed sweater, she went back to readying for bed.
No one questioned her as she returned for the last two nights to Logan’s bed. She caught up with her friends and cared for her dogs, but nighttime was spent in Logan’s private space. The Professor was still oddly formal, tension between them would take much more time to abate. She did, however, enjoy the tour through the Worthington home, sipping ice-cold beer on the back porch while watching the children play football.
She was reminded of the things she loved about this place and the people within it. Though she knew she had been happy here, she missed Alaska already. It did not help that every time she entered a room, her vision would turn hazy and she could swear Jean or Scott were smiling a greeting.
That pain was something she would never be free of.
Donning a pair of black yoga pants and a gray t-shirt, she brushed her hair quickly. Jet lag was killing her, but tonight she would likely get on the right schedule. As soon as she fed the dogs, she would tuck herself into Logan’s bed.
The last time she saw him, she had said she would lose so much of her life waiting for him. That still terrified her, the very idea that should his wanderlust kick into high gear he might drift into the night. She did not want to be alone. But time had been lost already. Perhaps, if she managed to find a shred of hope, it would not end so badly as she thought.
Placing the wet towel on the rack to dry, Ororo opened the bathroom door in time to see the one leading to the hall slam open. Her breath caught in her throat as a burly, snarling man closed it so loudly behind him that she thought the wall might crack.
He dropped two black bags to the floor, leaning his hands on the door while he tried to catch his breath. Ororo could not so much as inhale, afraid she was hallucinating again. But a heartbeat later, Logan sniffed quickly, as though he had finally scented her.
It seemed to take an age for him to turn. Her heart ached at how lost and hollow he looked. His hair was longer, falling into his eyes. He had grown a beard sometime in the last several months. Old clothing was rumpled and he seemed unable to move.
Ororo had thought of a million things she would say to him the instant he appeared. She had rehearsed lines like a professional actress, thought up the various ways this scenario would play out. But as he stood in his bedroom, staring at her across the short distance separating their bodies, her mind betrayed her.
Nothing sprang from her lips. Carefully composed apologies, pleas were lost as he simply stared at her with those dark, naked eyes. The emotion swirling in those ebony pools was too much for her to pick out what he was feeling. She managed to glance at his hands, finding them balled into fists. Was he angry that she was here? Did he want to touch her?
“Logan.”
Her love said nothing. He continued staring at her, hard and unblinking. She wished for Jean’s power for the first time, wanting to know what was going on inside his beautiful mind. Unable to do anything else, Ororo cleared her throat, trying to swallow over the tense lump now forming there.
“I can go if you want me to.” She said when her voice returned.
Logan’s jaw set. She could see one side twitch. Finally, he slowly shook his head.
“Come. Here.”
Ororo, always a bright woman, did not have to be told twice. She practically flew across the room as his arms opened. One quick hop as she neared him launched her into his waiting arms. She wrapped one of her legs around his hip to balance them as her arms wrapped around his neck.
They didn’t kiss, or even speak again for several seconds. Logan buried his face in her wet hair, his massive hands flattening over her back to hold her close. Ororo rested her chin on his shoulder; squeezing him so tightly her arms ached. His embrace was so familiar, so long pined for, that it momentarily knocked her senseless.
Wetness dropped onto her neck and shoulder, dampening her t-shirt. She had caught him off guard, with the armor he depended on down. Knowing this, she chose to not exploit it. Instead, she simply held him more tightly, gently kissing his neck.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered at last. “I’m sorry, Logan.”
“Don’t,” he choked into her hair. “It’s ok.”
“No, it’s not,” she went on, emotion flooding her voice. “I was stubborn and prideful and it has taken me far too long to realize it.”
“I don’t care,” he answered, shifting her against his chest. “I really don’t right now.”
“Shh.” Ororo soothed, running her hand through the long hair grazing the nape of his neck.
“I should tell ya,” he continued. “What happened an’ all.”
“Later,” she replied quietly. “Time for that later.”
Logan’s grip relaxed slightly. Taking her cue, Ororo slowly lowered herself to the floor, keeping her hands on Logan as she did so. His fingers found the swell of her hips and rested there, even as their foreheads met.
He was looking at her as though she would vanish if he blinked and that was his greatest fear. Ororo leaned up to kiss his lips quickly, tenderly, a silent promise that she was not going anywhere. Logan’s hands flew up to cup her cheeks, holding her in place for several more seconds.
“Yer here.” His whisper was filled with a sort of wonder.
“I am.” She replied, brushing the long locks from his eyes. “I will be wherever you are.”
He smiled softly. “We sound like one of those books Kitten’s always reading.”
Ororo chuckled. “Mmm. We cannot have that.”
“Funny,” Logan grunted as his lips brushed hers. “I don’t give a shit right now.”
Smiling into his kiss, she buried her hands back in his hair, pulling him down so he was forced to come closer. His answering smile made her heart nearly burst.
“I’d love ta continue this,” he broke off quickly. “But I stink.”
Dizzy from his tender kiss, Ororo had to shake her head to clear the fog from it. She raised a brow, then leaned forward to sniff at him quickly. Not bothered by the scent of a very sweaty man, she shrugged both shoulders.
“You smell fine to me.”
“Uh-huh, sure I do.” He cupped her face again, wrapping her in another toe-curling kiss. “Give me five minutes, ok? Don’t go nowhere.”
Ororo nodded, releasing him only when he was too far away for her hands to reach. He backed toward the bathroom, watching her until he was forced to turn away. Alone now, Ororo giggled to herself, somewhat giddy by his welcome.
Her eyebrow shot up when she spotted the shadow of two pairs of feet beneath the doorway. Hearing the water turn on in the bathroom, she quickly opened the door, startling a pair of young mutants waiting on the other side.
Marie and Bobby looked downright ashamed.
“Sorry,” Iceman said instantly.
“We brought food,” Marie offered, handing Ororo a covered tray. Bobby provided two unopened beers.
“Good. Now, run along and stop eavesdropping.” She chided them, making a shooing motion with her hand.
Both mutants took off down the hall. From their whispering, Ororo was certain they were about to run all over the mansion, telling everyone they found that Wolverine was letting Storm stay in his room.
Not bothered by the X-Men rumor mill “ which easily rivaled a knitting circle “ she put the tray of food on the bed, setting the beers on the nightstand. She stretched her arms above her head, popping her neck from side to side.
Concerned that the dogs would not get their dinner, she used the mansion’s intercom system to ask if Peter would mind taking care of them. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn the serious man was smirking when he readily agreed. Rogue and Iceman obviously moved fast.
“Ya brought the kids?”
Logan’s voice made her smile. She turned quickly, raising a brow. “Yes, your children have missed you.”
His eyes were dancing with mischief, but Ororo tilted her head to openly gape at him. His hair was wet, his body covered in steam-induced sweat. A towel was slung loosely over his slender hips. Ororo could not help but appreciate the view, especially as he ran a hand through that hair. Watching his muscles clench and release made desire thud through her veins with the power of a shotgun blast.
“Don’t go gettin’ any ideas just yet.” Logan told her as he moved back into the bathroom.
Struck with inspiration, Ororo dove for her makeup case. She removed a pair of trimming scissors and an electric razor before sliding into the bathroom with Logan. He was cleaning his ears in front of the cloudy mirror.
“What’s goin’ on?” he asked as she pushed him away from the sink.
Ororo hopped onto the counter, thankful that the space between the edge and the sink was wide enough for her backside. She crooked a finger at Logan, making him step up between her thighs. She grabbed his chin, turning his head from side to side. His hands rested on her thighs, his thumbs rubbing slow circles over her clothing.
“Do you trust me?”
At her question, he met her eyes again. He had absolutely no reason to trust her after the way she treated him. She hoped he had not lost all faith in her. The loss would be too much for her to bear.
“Yeah,” he grunted a moment later.
She held up the scissors, which earned her a raised brow. “I like the beard.”
“Do ya?” he checked his reflection in the mirror. “S’all right I guess.”
“Mmm,” Ororo waggled her eyebrows. “It looks good on you.”
She set to work trimming his beard while he tugged on a wet lock of white before twisting it with one of his irresistible fingers. Ororo wrapped her leg around his hip again, squeezing so he would stop. It was difficult to concentrate when he was touching her like that.
Half an hour later, her backside was numb, but Logan’s beard was neat. He washed his face, admiring her work in the mirror over her shoulder.
“Not bad,” Logan admitted before kissing her again.
She hummed against his lips, wrapping her arms about his neck. It seemed too easy, too right for him to have just let her back in. She supposed it had something to do with the haunted look in his eyes. Something had happened in Australia that lowered his infamous emotional armor.
Being in his room at that precise moment was something like fate.
“I need food,” Logan growled against her lips. “And sleep. But yer not goin’ anywhere.”
“No, I am not,” she agreed. “Come, I shall feed you and put you to bed, now.”
With hands linked together, Ororo led him back into the bedroom and did just that.
~**~
Something was tickling his face. Groggy, Logan brushed at the silk that was currently irritating him out of sleep. He did not open his eyes, but a quick inhale brought comforting scent. He knew that smell, but the exhaustion lingered, keeping his mind from connecting the dots.
A warm, pliable body was beside his. Something heavy was making his arm numb, but when he shifted, the heavy object scooted closer.
’Ro.
His eyes snapped open, heart threatening to beat out of his chest. Beneath his soft cotton blanket was a lithe body, outlined in the deep blue duvet. Long, white hair erupted from the top, trailing over until it covered his face.
Brushing at the hair, he pulled the blanket back carefully. Ororo was asleep on his arm, her entire body molded against his. Blinking, remembering the previous night in a rush, he flopped back down against the pillows.
Not a dream. She was really here, lying in his bed. A slow, content smile crossed his lips. Gently, he pulled his arm from under her head, laying her on the pillow. When she whimpered at the loss of contact, he shifted closer, lying on his side. She folded that humming body closer, her nose almost pressing into his.
One of his hands snaked under the blanket, resting on her lycra-covered hip. Propped up on one arm, as he had a night so many months before, Logan looked down at her. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as she slept, wondering how in the world things had changed so dramatically.
They had not explained themselves the night before. His weary mind and body could not handle it and she seemed hell bent on taking care of him. After watching him inhale his dinner, she turned out the lights, lying with him on the bed that smelled of her. She put her buzzing hands on his skin, luring him into sleep.
Nothing could have prepared him for opening the door after such a terrible few days, to see her standing in his room. Well, perhaps that was what Chuck and Bets had been trying to tell him. He didn’t really care. The surprise was exactly what he needed.
Exhaustion “ physical and emotional “ made him easily cast away every reason to send her out on her ass. He didn’t want to. He had ached and grieved for this woman for far too long to simply play the mule. If she had come here for him, she was ready to crawl. He knew, without a doubt, that he could have reduced her to tearful groveling if he wanted to.
It wasn’t worth it. For those long moments when all he could do was stare, he’d been convincing himself that it was a dream. A trick his tired mind was playing on him. Of all the things in the world, he wanted her back and here she was.
Only when she spoke did the reality cave in on him. She was too far away. She was supposed to be in his arms. That first, desperate embrace made his world spin right off it’s axis, sending him into a spiral he hadn’t known was possible. Fear that she would vanish was replaced by that warm, sated feeling she always gave him.
Still, he was afraid. He wanted to just reach out and hand her his heart, to trust her to care for it. Uncertainty and pain were his only constants, making him more than a little gun-shy. When she woke up, they would have to talk about everything that had happened in the months spent apart.
The woman in question grunted in her sleep, muttering something under her breath.
“What’s that, darlin’?” Logan whispered, nudging her cheek with his nose.
She cuddled closer, her breathing becoming shallower as she struggled toward waking.
“Want Logan.” Her murmured words made him grin.
“Right here, darlin’,” he replied. “Just gotta open yer eyes.”
As though he had shouted, two cerulean eyes popped open. She sat bolt upright in bed, almost tossing him to the floor. Unable to help himself, Logan laughed.
“LOGAN!”
She squealed. Logan laughed harder. He hadn’t actually laughed this way in so long, he felt as though a damn had burst. A heartbeat later, he wound up with an armful of Ororo. She flattened him to the bed, kissing his still-smiling lips as though her life depended on it.
“Hi,” he teased when she pulled back.
Her long, lean body was completely on top of his, ensuring they touched from head to toe. She wiggled her arms under his back to pull him closer to her. Her nose nuzzled his gently.
“Good morning,” she answered. “You are home.”
“Yeah,” he raised a brow. “Thought we covered that part last night.”
Ororo melted into him, letting his hands find their way to her back. She was humming louder than usual, like a completely contented cat. Her hair was a mess from twisting in against the pillows and her face was puffy from sleep. She was the single most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Unable to help himself, he brought one hand from her back to her face. He brushed his thumb over one sleep swollen cheek, his eyes tracing every line of the face he had missed so long.
“Before we say or do anythin’,” he whispered. She frowned slightly. “I gotta know somethin’.”
As though she read his mind, Ororo swallowed hard. “I love you. I waited here for two days trying to find a way to tell you that. We can live here or Alaska or the dark side of the moon, I do not care. I want to wake up like this as often as I can for as long as you want me.”
“Whoa,” he breathed when she finished.
Ororo smiled softly, brushing hair from his face. “I love you.” She repeated this twice, never blinking as she held his gaze.
He felt the walls around his heart, what little of them remained, crumble at the honesty in her voice.
She was watching him carefully. Logan exhaled very slowly, trying to get his emotions under control. It wasn’t like him to be so weak, so vulnerable to a woman. But he wanted this one. Her and no other.
“I love ya,” he whispered at last, earning him one of those 1000-watt smiles. “I’ll love ya fer a good, long time.”
Everything suddenly clicked into place. Ororo kissed him eagerly, shifting that long body against his. He couldn’t resist the siren call of her buzzing skin any longer. A good night’s sleep, letting his mutation repair any damage, left him energized and awake.
He smoothed his hands down her back again, easily flipping them over. Her delectable lips parted, leaving him ample opportunity to slide his tongue inside. Her taste was familiar, bringing him back to the last times he’d held her in his arms.
Unlike those nights, this one wouldn’t end with him leaving. He was staying right here, with this woman, until the world came down around their ears. No lying, no dead professors, no overwhelming fears. In this bed, at this moment, it was just them.
Trailing wet kisses down her throat, he let his hands come up. The stretchy material was brought up to reveal a wealth of smooth cocoa skin. Logan bent his head, licking his way up over the ripple of her ribcage. Ororo arched her back, making him groan, as she pulled the shirt from her body.
He took both suddenly bare breasts into his hands, rolling the dark nipples between his fingers until they hardened. The room’s temperature jumped up several notches, which made the desire already pounding through his body scream for more. Goosebumps raced over Ororo’s skin, which gleamed in the sunlight pouring from his windows.
She gasped when he took one hard peak into his mouth, rolling his tongue over it languidly. Her legs opened, giving him room to settle there. Though he already ached with arousal, he refused to hurry himself. He wanted to remember and explore her just right.
Lavishing both of her breasts with attention, he released them to continue working his way down. Ororo fidgeted against the bed, the scent of her arousal sending a jolt through his system. He found she was ticklish on her ribcage, but nipping at her smooth, flat belly made her groan. Heat flooded the room around him, making sweat bead on his forehead.
His hands hooked in the waistband of her pants so he could drag them down. He revealed her to him inch by inch, leaving no bare flesh untouched. The garment was tossed carelessly over his back, landing somewhere in the vicinity of his desk along with her panties.
Taking his time was quickly driving her insane. He wondered, not for the first time, if she had anyone else in their time apart. His own aborted attempts weighed heavily on his mind for only seconds. As soon as she gasped again, he was somehow certain there were no other women on the face of the earth.
Searching lips traced the line of her thigh, over her knee and down her calf before he moved to the other one. She was pleading with him without words. Her body twitched and quivered wherever he touched, a quiet plea for more of his attention. Giving no thought to the beast inside of him that screamed to claim her or the erection tenting his boxers, he scooted up her body until he could capture her flushed lips.
“Logan,” she whimpered when he released her, scrambling back down her body. “What are you doing?”
“Havin’ breakfast,” he answered simply as he settled between her thighs.
He heard her startled gasp, felt when she propped up on her elbows to stare at him, but he was intent on his task now. Sniffing like a canine after prey, he dipped his fingers into the patch of white covering her center. Slowly, torturously Logan leaned forward until he could taste her.
Resolve snapped in an instant. Her taste, which he had indulged in only once that first night in her bed, was more addicting than her humming flesh. He flicked his tongue over her swollen clit, rewarded when her hands gripped his hair. Setting to work on her, Logan watched her face over the swells of her breasts.
Ororo was biting her lip, arching sharply up, as though offering herself to him. Logan was forced to close his eyes when he slid a thick finger inside of her, only to have her inner walls clamp down. He wanted to be inside of her, but first he would make her shatter.
Following his instincts and her reactions, Logan moved his mouth over her expertly. Her hands fisted in his hair, pulling with every grunt and gasp that left her throat. She panted his name, begging him to take her higher. His hand worked her quickly while his tongue laved at her clit.
Part of his male pride inflated when it took scant moments to bring her to climax. He was certain, now, that she’d had no other. Logan didn’t know why, but that made him deliriously happy.
As she came down from her high, Logan suckled and nipped at her flesh, drinking her in until he felt her shivers begin to subside. Her hand fell limply from his hair as she gasped for stolen breath. Logan licked his lips as he shimmied back up her body.
“By the Goddess,” she stammered against his lips. Ororo kissed him eagerly, her tongue doing things to his mouth that made him shiver.
He wasn’t quite sure how, but a moment later she had worked his boxers off. Smiling against her mouth, Logan smoothed his hands over her legs. His lust-filled body would allow no more delays. Ororo arched her back again, shifting her hips until her soaking core met his aching arousal.
They groaned in unison, even as Logan dropped his weight onto his elbows. He deepened their kiss, letting her hands slide between them. His moan was lost in her mouth as she wrapped one delicate hand around his cock and gently pulled him closer.
Once she positioned them both to her liking, Logan thrust sharply. He entered her in one stroke, groaning her name until it was one long syllable. Ororo locked her legs around his waist, her heels digging into his backside.
Their kiss only broke when air became necessity. Logan let himself fall into her, the bliss of being inside her again too much for his brain to handle. He set a slow pace, enjoying every flutter of her muscles, every gasp, every shiver she rewarded him with. As he had wished he had six months ago, he loved her body with every move he made. She responded eagerly, her hands smoothing over every inch of skin she could reach.
Nothing felt this good. Her distinctive hum resonated through him, surrounding him until the sound and feel were reality. Her wet center brought pleasure to heights he could not remember reaching before. She took his breath away, replacing it with something else entirely.
Their languorous pace did not last very long. Soon, lust overrode love and Logan found himself unable to keep their lovemaking from escalating. The man was satisfied, but the beast wanted to claim his territory.
The searing kiss was broken when he pulled his hips back, slamming into her with enough force to scoot the bed nearly an inch. Ororo thrashed against the pillows, groaning his name. Her hands gripped his hips, urging him on when her nails bit into his flesh.
It was hard to breathe in the superheated room, but Logan didn’t feel a need to. He thrust hard into her again and again, until she was mindless from it. He snarled, nipping at her throat while she cried out. He growled her name, the animal within rejoicing when she whimpered submissively.
Tension was coiling in his belly, tighter and tighter until he thought he would snap. Ororo’s responsive body melted against his, letting him take until he broke. He climaxed unexpectedly, burying his face in the tender flesh of her neck while his body was drawn taut.
For a moment, he feared he would lose consciousness, but Ororo’s frantic breathing kept him tethered to the real world. His head was spinning, even as he limply rolled to the side to avoid crushing her under his weight.
“Wow,” said the woman beside him. “I can’t feel my legs.”
Logan chuckled. “Take a breather. I ain’t done with ya yet.”
“I was hoping you would say that.”
He was not expecting her to quickly straddle him. Though he could barely move, he returned her mischievous smile with a single raised brow. His lover flattened her palms on his chest.
“How fast is your recovery time again?”
The only answer she received was his hands on her hips, guiding her back on him. She took him inside her, smiling down at him.
“Never mind.”
