I led Marie past another silent hallway. Down the back stairs. Through the den to the readin' room. Bingo. Small round room, bookshelves to the tops of the vaulted ceilings. No windows. One door — that locked. I'd know. I put the lock on it myself a few months back. This was one of my favorite rooms at the school. Private. Quiet. Don't get much traffic. Low bench seat that hugged the curved walls all the way around the room. Fuckin' cherry sound system. Primo Chinese silk carpet. Red. I heard it was a gift from Gumbo. Which makes the idea of havin' Marie on it all the better.

I gave Marie a long look. That hat she was wearin' was givin' me ideas. We needed music. Somethin' good. Jazz maybe. Blues. Somethin' with soul. I wanted to see her move. Hell, I wanted to feel her move.

Now, for as much as I'm the kind of man who hasta make his own fuckin' luck, when I clicked on the radio, it was pure serendipity. Blues Traveler. Run-Around. Couldn't be any more perfect. She'd been givin' me the fuckin' runaround since Laughlin City. We both chuckled. It felt good. Things were still pretty fucked up between us, but once we were both on board with gettin' together, things usually clicked pretty good. Easy. At least until after. I guess we'd come far enough that we could laugh a little about it now. It also felt good because the mood was lighter, without the desperate edge we had last time.

I cranked it up. Way the hell up. That sweet harmonica wailed. Marie tipped my hat and gave me a sexy look from under the brim. I know an invite when I see one. She's one helluva dancer, too. Not in the usual style, though. She don't know the latest steps and she needs a strong partner, but she sure can move. Feels the music with total abandon. All sensual and wild. She's graceful but there's a power in her. She's real strong for a woman. I like the way she moves with me, confident in her body but receptive to direction. She dances like she fucks and it makes me crazy.

I pulled her closer and put her back to my front. Left my hand on her belly and ground against her ass as I used my chest to move her forward and the hand I had on her stomach to keep her right with me when I straightened. Kissed her neck. Her sweet scent was growin' stronger as her body warmed.

Why you wanna give me a runaround?
Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up
When all it does is slow me down?

We both smiled at the chorus. "Didn't slow me down, honey."

"Much."

I chuckled at her sass and nuzzled her ear, flickin' my tongue over that spot I know drives her wild. She shivered in my arms and we rocked rhythmically, She was all fire and smoke, movin' with me so sweet.

But I want more than a touch, I want you to reach me
And show me all the things no one else can see
So what you feel becomes mine as well...

Was this our song or what? The chorus came again and she giggled when that fat bastard wailed 'runaround'. I smacked her ass and growled in her ear. "No more runnin' me around now, baby."

"No, no more, sugar."

Not tonight, anyway. She melted into me.

I held her tighter. The song ended. Another came on. I was too wrapped up in her to pay attention to the words this time. We kept on movin'. Hot and heavy. Rubbin' and grindin'. Foreplay more'n actual dancin'. I broke a sweat. Parted from her long enough to pull my tank off and she followed my lead, peelin' off her shirt and tossin' it aside with a dirty wink over her shoulder as she put my hat back on. Jesus. That hat on her... Pretty little skirt and a sheer black bra. I'd looked down her front plenty, but all that long, wild hair of hers hid a lotta skin. I hadn't gotten the full-on front view yet, but the back view was fuckin' doin' it for me, bub.

With a growl, I pulled her back to me. The music pounded on. Our bare feet slid sensuously over the thick silk rug. My chest slid against her back. Sweaty and warm, we gave ourselves over to the music.

I don't know how long we moved together like that. Long enough that my temples were wet and wisps of her hair clung to her neck. We didn't stop until we were both breathin' hard and ready for somethin' more satisfyin' than the grind of sweaty, half-clothed bodies. I finally lowered the radio and we shared a laugh as a muffled, "Fucking finally!" echoed from somewhere far away.

I turned her in my arms and sucked in a deep breath as I got my first good look at her. Christ. I'd already seen the faint bruise I'd left on her wrist, but it was nothin' compared to the colorful bite mark I'd left on her breast. Even through the sheer black bra, I could see the smudges of purple ringed in green. Fuck. I knew I hadn't been gentle with her that night on the beach... but Jesus, I hadn't imagined a mark like that. I was shocked — but there was some part of me that liked seein' my mark on her more'n I should. It made me remember what her skin felt like under my mouth. It made me want to put my mouth on her again and fuck her and own her until — well, I dunno what comes after that.

She saw where I was lookin' and color rose on her cheeks but she didn't look away from me. "It looks worse than it really is." She touched my shoulder where she'd bitten me too. The mark was long gone, but I still felt it. She'd claimed me too. At least for a little while.

"Jesus, kid." I covered her breast with my palm and kissed her as gently as I could with the blood rushin' so wild under my skin.

"Please don't say you're sorry."

I didn't because I wasn't. What we did that night was wild and a little out of control but it was beautiful too, and I wouldn't change a single bit of it. Not even to take away the marks. Maybe especially not to take away the marks. "I'm not sorry," I paused to kiss her again, pullin' off the hat and tossin' it away so I could kiss her more deeply. Part of me wondered if anyone else would see it before it faded; a thought that was disturbin' on a number of levels.

Still, I wasn't about to spend this night thinkin' on 'what if' when I had her in my arms. I planned on enjoyin' the hell out of her company tonight. I kissed her slow and deep, toyin' with the strap of her bra but not slidin' it down just yet, mostly because I knew she wanted me to. Like I said, I like her all riled up.

I deepened the kiss and fit her hips to mine, hands on her ass, rockin' her into me. I swallowed her little moans, smilin' into her mouth as I felt her fingers clutch at my shoulders. She nipped my chin and moved to my neck, swirlin' that wicked tongue of hers on that shivery spot under my ear, all the while purrin' in her throat at what my hands were doin' to her.

Her mouth left my neck for a moment. "Logan?"

"Mmmm...?" I answered her but I didn't stop playin' with her wild hair, or stop teasin' her nipples. She's real sensitive, real responsive and I love the little sounds she makes when I really get her goin'.

"You know... the beach. You gave me what I wanted—" her breath hitched as I pinched her nipple. "Tonight I wanna give you what you want." At her words, a wave of heat passed through me so strongly that I swayed on my feet. "Tell me?" Little kisses down my neck. "Please?" Jesus. A slideshow of carnal possibilities played behind my eyes. Blood roared in my ears and I felt it pound between my legs.

"You sure you really want me to, honey?" I'm no Boy Scout. I've been around; seen and done more than most people have ever even heard about. Compared to me, she's still a kid even with all the shit in her head. I wonder if she considered that before askin' the question. Probably. It don't matter anyway. Even with all the wild things I've done, there's only one thing my mind keeps returnin' to.

"I'm sure." Her voice was breathless and husky. Already anticipatin' my next words, I shifted her, pushin' my leg between hers and helped her ride my thigh as we kissed; a kiss she broke to whisper against my mouth, "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure, sugar."

I nodded and caught her wrist, bringin' her hand between my legs and pressin' it hard against the hard bulge just under my buckle. "I want your mouth here." I thrust a little against her hand; the animal was ridin' me pretty hard. That was what I kept seein' behind my eyes. It was a powerful image. Her on her knees, suckin' me.

Swallowin' me.

I wouldn't ask for that, but I still wanted it. Wanted as much of me inside her as I could get. Wanted to share that intimacy with her. It was somethin' we hadn't done at the beach or in my bed or any of the other handful of times we'd been together. Both of us had been too desperate to fit our bodies together. Usually hard and fast from behind; a little rough. A little wild. Tonight it felt like we had all the time in the world to savor each other. "I want you to suck me." Crude words, but I said them the way they felt inside and they sounded real soft in my ears. I felt her smile against my skin.

She reached for me and I stopped her. I fingered her remainin' clothes lightly and told her about the image in my head. Told her how I imagined her. That I wanted to see her beautiful body naked and kneelin' in front of me. Eyes wild as hell and that full, red mouth wet and open. That I wanted to watch her pretty face as she sucked and kissed on me. That the thought of her dark hair teasin' over my skin made my hands shake. I told her other things too, things only for her ears.

I love that kind of sex, especially when it's with a woman I care deeply for. It's only happened once or twice, but when my heart's involved, what excites me ain't the act as much as the connection between us, learnin' about her as she touches me. I love women. I love touchin' 'em and bein' touched by 'em. An exchange of intimate secrets. That's what I wanted with Marie. It's discoverin' the secrets that unlock each other that's always been the best part for me.

There was a softness about her that made me want to dive inside her and learn all her secrets, but I promised her I wouldn't. I wanted to take my time with her, to enjoy the slow revelation of each other's secrets over time. We're both too screwed up for anythin' more right now.

Marie's one of the most hedonistic women I've ever met. I expected to enjoy it. I didn't expect to feel… savored. But that's the only word to describe it. Everythin' she did was not only designed to make me feel good, but to show me that she got pleasure out of pleasurin' me. That she liked the way my body looked wearin' nothin' but her hands and mouth. That she liked the way I felt; soft skin, crisp hair, solid muscles, thick hard cock. That my scent turned her on. That the sounds I made as she sucked at me drove her wild. That she was as eager to taste me as I'd been to taste her.

So pretty, kneelin' naked on that red carpet. What I remember most is that she was smilin' as she touched me. Well, that and the fact that she took her time to discover me with all her senses, returnin' to those things that made my breathin' change and my hands clench.

I was already hard when she touched me. At first, she simply held me in her hand, nothin' more than that. She grinned and whispered to me that she could feel my heartbeat. She nuzzled me. I saw her chest rise as she breathed me in, heard her hum of pleasure as she blew warm air over me. Jesus, fuck. That was good. But not nearly enough.

Her hands stroked. Her tongue licked and when she blew again, it felt cool, not warm. She kissed the drop from the tip and held my eyes as she milked another from me and kissed that one away too, teasin' the head with little flicks of her tongue. That was a wicked thing she had goin' on there. Wicked.

My hips arched, pushin' me closer to that sweet mouth of hers. "Christ, darlin'. Suck me..." I shuddered when she did. I slipped my fingers into her hair and braced my legs, leanin' back into the door as she suckled, teasin' me with lips and tongue and teeth. Windin' me up. My hips were rockin'.

"Oh, God..."

Breathin' deeper now. Faster. Beginnin' to thrust. She sucked harder, swirlin' her tongue, grazin' me with her teeth, not teasin' now. Coaxin'. My hand cupped her nape, needin' that connection. That intimacy. Her hand slipped between her legs and returned, caressin' me with slippery strokes behind my balls.

"Unngh... Jesus!" Openly pantin'. Felt it rise in me. "Close, I'm close, honey..." She didn't stop. I didn't either. Couldn't. That sweet suction. Her fingers strokin'. Pressin'. She hummed around me, hand on my ass shovin' me in deep. White implosion. I came. Hard. Shoutin'. Her name? Cursin'? I wasn't sure. She swallowed around me, her hand on my stomach rubbin' soothingly as I rode it out. I sank to my knees after. And you want to know the best part? The fuckin' best part?

She was smilin' when she reached for me.

She held me while I caught my breath, still takin' me in with all her senses, even now. It made me even more aware of my own. The feel of the soft carpet under me. The scent of leather from the books. The scent of her arousal, sweet and earthy in this enclosed place. The sound of our breathin' in the quiet room; mine harsh and ragged, hers deep and heavy with unspent passion. The contrast of her dark hair fanned over my fair skin. It tickled. The taste of her in my mouth. She was still smilin'. I could feel it against my neck.

I rolled her under me and smiled back, slidin' my hand between her legs. She was closer than I thought. My smile got bigger. I put my lips to her ear and told her exactly how good she'd just made me feel. How much I liked what I saw. How her swallowin' me down made me come so damn hard. It was dirty and crude and honest. She came on my fingers, gaspin' my name against my throat as she did. Gotta fix that in my head. Somethin' to take with me. To keep me warm on the road.

I pulled the cushions to the floor and got comfortable, leanin' back against the bench as I guided her over my lap and held her against my chest. It wasn't sexual, just intimate. For the first time, she didn't run after. We talked a little between rounds – and there were plenty of those – conversations sparked by the hundreds of titles that lined the walls above us and by the things that had happened between us this week.

When we opened that door again, I still didn't know all her secrets, but I knew a few... and had given up a few of mine too.

Before we left I put my hat back on her head and kissed her goodbye, slow and deep. She knew what it meant, and what it didn't. She sauntered off without a backwards glance, hips swingin', and I watched her go. Walkin' this time, not runnin'. Goddamn devil in the details. It only made me wanna get in the wind that much faster. I had no idea what I'd do if she came to me and stuck her hands under my shirt, stone cold sober.

Fuck it all. We knew whatever we had was stronger than both of us. Hard people like the Rogue and me, we make our own way, right or wrong. Sometimes the choices we make are wrong as fuck, and sometimes they work out okay, but either way, they always seem to end us back here.

Serendipity, dumb fuckin' luck, or maybe just goddamn stubbornness. Hard to tell which, but as the motorcycle revved between my legs, I knew sooner or later we'd find out.

Feedback is love. :)

Author's Note: Sorry for the posting delay y'all. I've had the black plague/red death/flu. I'm still under the influence of some pretty amazing cough syrup, so read at your own risk! Heh.

Okay, so the bunnies are biting and the question is, if the little bastards cooperate, is anyone interested in hearing about what happened between them at the beach… and then later at Logan's place? Just wondering.

Up next: The Gift. There's just something about getting away on vacation that makes it easier to give in and do all the things you'd never dream of doing back home…

The Gift is just a little three-parter… and then hopefully I can wrestle all these naughty bunnies into submission and get the first chapter of Shine Against Me posted.

Fingers crossed!