Mad Enough to Marry - By Christie Ridgway Page 0,39

couldn't expect the impossible. Just tell him ''not tonight.'*

Straightening her shoulders, she took a few resolute steps forward, then halted again when she suddenly reaUzed exactly why he was so silent.

He wasn't lying in wait after all.

He was lying on the floor, sound asleep.

Bemused, Elena moved closer to stand over him. From this distance and with her vision more accustomed to the three-quarter darkness, she could clearly see that his thick eyelashes were fanned against the chiseled angle of his cheekbones. His face was relaxed, and though it didn't look any younger or less masculine in repose, Logan asleep appeared less... worrisome.

Without a qualm, she took the unprecedented opportunity to study him. What a secret pleasure it was, to look at him to her heart's content without fearing she was giving anything away.

She let her gaze wander past his closed eyes and

his Straight, mascuUne nose to his so-interesting mouth. It was a wide mouth with full Ups, that even in sleep seemed to be on the verge of smiUng. An answering urge kicked up the edges of her own Ups as she took in his square chin roughened by a hint of stubble. The whiskers there would gUnt like gold if the Ught was brighter.

His pulse beat steadily against his neck and she looked past it to the wedge of curling, dark-gold hair she could see between the spread edges of his open shirt. The fabric framed the heavy, masculine swells of his pectoral muscles and she stared at them, fascinated.

Heat sparked low in her belly then trickled downward. She thought she could see his heart beating too, pulsing against the skin at the center of his breastbone.

Without thinking, she bent toward it, wanting to put her mouth on it, her mouth on him, there.

His eyes still closed, Logan suddenly jerked, his arms flinging outward.

Gasping, she jumped back, but his hand still smacked her calf then settled onto her foot. With a half murmur, half groan, he settled back into sleep.

Elena sighed. He'd have plenty more to groan about if he spent any more time on the floor. She tapped her foot to jiggle his hand. **Wake up."

He didn't do anything but breathe more deeply. Sighing again, she hunkered down, making sure to tuck her knee-length black skirt under her behind, and shook his shoulder. *'Logan. Logan, time for bed."

His eyes slowly opened, then even more slowly focused on her face. '*Wuz I dreaming or'd you say *timeforbed'?"

She decided against answering. *'Come on, big guy, get up."

His hand slid up her foot to circle her ankle. It felt hot against her sheer, nude-colored stockings. "Don't want to get up," he murmured, his lashes driftmg down again. **Too tired."

She frowned. '*Logan."

"Not moving," he answered, eyes still shut.

"You can't stay here all night."

He made an agreeable sound, but his muscles didn't shift.

"Logan..."

"Too tired," he murmured again. "Too tired to get up the stairs."

Shaking her head, she released another sigh. "Come on," she cajoled. "If you go upstairs you get a kiss good night."

One golden-brown eye creaked open. "From who?"

She grimaced. "Me, I suppose."

Dark lashes swept down. "Naah."

"For goodness sake," Elena spat out crossly, suddenly annoyed with him. Here she'd been almost afraid when she saw him, thinking he wanted her so badly. Now a promise of her kiss couldn't budge him!

She set her purse and tote bag on the floor and grabbed him under the arm. "You can thank me tomorrow." Then pulling, she half-rose.

**Whoa, whoa," he protested, but she threw her weight backward in order to haul him up. Just when it seemed as if she'd lose the battle and topple to the floor herself, he got to his feet.

''Persistent Uttle thing, aren't you?" he grumbled, blinking sleepily and looking rumpled and ridiculously attractive. "Can't you leave a guy alone?"

Elena propped her hands on her hips and glared. She was going to smack him, she really was, because she'd come home exhausted, and yet now there was definite electricity pulsing through her veins. Blame it on the brief adrenaline rush when she'd thought to avoid him, or the surge of lust from the pleasure of looking at his sleeping form, or the punch of energy needed to move his much bigger body.

Whatever the cause or causes, it meant another sleepless night, her mind buzzing with thoughts of kissing him, touching him, finally being with him.

If she never experienced a good night's sleep again it was going to be all his fault. She flung her arm toward the stairs and pointed. **Just