Free Fall

knees before her and tugged down her leggings.

She had on a peach camisole and a matching thong that made him groan as he leaned in to press his mouth to her.

'Logan-'

She choked that off with a gasp when he yanked down the thong and stroked her with his tongue. Her fingers fisted in his hair as he urged her legs farther apart. The sight of her spread and vulnerable to him, revealing how aroused she was, drove him mad. He sucked her into his mouth. Her head thunked back against the door, her hips undulating in time with his tongue until she shuddered and exploded with abandon.

He groped for the pants he had over a chair, and the condom in the pocket. Lily would have slid weakly to the floor if he hadn't surged upright and caught her in time. 'Hold on to me.' He gripped her hips, groaning when she wrapped her legs around his waist. 'Hold on.'

'I am. I will.' Her fingers dug into his shoulders. 'Now, now, now.'

He couldn't catch his breath, helpless against this vicious need for her. He struggled to get his sweats down and the condom on, and then finally, finally, thrust into her, burying himself to the hilt.

There was no holding back after that, not with her gripping him like a tight, wet, loving fist, not when she began to spiral again, convulsing around him. He felt himself drowning in her, drowning without a lifeline, letting go more completely than he ever had, and not caring as he buried his face in her hair and exploded so hard his toes curled. He had to slap a hand against the door, his arm rigid and quivering as he fought to maintain balance enough to hold them upright.

Exhausted, Lily's body relaxed and her head fell to his shoulder. 'Mmm…'

Yeah, mmm. Somehow he found the energy to dump her on his bed, where they held on to each other and slept like the living dead.

Chapter 11

At dawn, Lily tiptoed out of Logan's room and quietly shut the door, then leaned back against it.

She had to get to work.

Or so she told herself.

Much better than thinking she was actually using any sort of avoidance technique, which she abhorred.

Aw, hell, she was using an avoidance technique. She closed her eyes and saw Logan again, looking gorgeous and rumpled all sprawled naked across his bed. She'd spent a good five minutes looking her fill before sneaking out into the hall, where she'd hopefully get to her own room and change before anyone realized she was still wearing yesterday's clothes-

'You taking up room cleaning now?'

Lily's eyes flew open and met the gaze of the one person she'd have liked to avoid this morning.

Gwyneth.

'Hey.' Lily ran her hand down her undoubtedly wild hair. 'What are you doing up so early?'

'Well, I'm not tiptoeing out of a guest's room looking like I've been ravished all night long, that's for certain. I wanted to get a head start on the receivables, but a guest needed an extra blanket and I just happened to get the call. Did you even look in the mirror?'

Lily tugged at her sweater.

'I'm talking about the love bite on your neck.'

'Back off.' But she put a finger to the spot on her neck as she moved past her sister.

Gwyneth grabbed her hand. Lily whipped around, prepared for battle, but in her sister's gaze was a soft worry. 'Lily-'

'Not here.' Lily glanced at Logan's door. 'Not here.' She started walking to her room. Gwyneth followed. 'I'm taking a shower,' Lily warned. 'Alone.'

But when she came back out of her room fifteen minutes later, her sister was leaning against the wall waiting for her. 'I heard what you did yesterday for Pete, how scary and dangerous the rescue was. We have people for that-you no longer have to dangle off cliffs for a living.'

Lily began to walk toward their offices. 'I happen to be good at it.'

'You have different responsibilities now. Bigger ones. You should have let someone else go.'

'Really?' She stopped in the still-dark common room. 'One of our employees?'

'Hell, yes. They're trained and paid for it-it's not a crime if there's a rescue and you're not involved. But it's over and done, and you're safe, so I can let that go. There's something else.'

She meant someone else, of course. Logan. His name floated in the air silently between them.

'You shouldn't be sleeping with a guest, Lily. You shouldn't be-'

'I don't have time for the 'shouldn't be' lecture.' She began walking again.

'Is that what you think I'm doing? Giving you a lecture?'

'Don't do this. Don't do that. Don't, don't, don't…'

'It's never stopped you before. Look, I love you, you know I do, but-'

'But. Love always comes with a damn but.' And she'd spent too many years chafing at the restraints, pretending not to care that she met exactly no one's expectations. 'Maybe I'm tired of you not seeing me. I've grown up, Gwyneth. Years ago. Open your eyes and see it. I can handle this. I am handling this.'

Gwyneth just shook her head, and Lily wanted to scream in frustration. If this was love, it weighed a ton. Was it any wonder she'd never even attempted to find such an emotion in her own relationships with men?

'There's a staff meeting today.'

Lily drew a deep breath but it didn't help. 'I know, I set it up.' She entered the office wing, then stopped in surprise.

Sara and Matt sat on Carrie's desk, making out. It didn't look easy, what with the baby in the way and the desk full of paperwork, but Matt had his arms possessively and protectively around his wife and a big hand spread wide over her belly.

That gesture scraped at a spot in Lily's stomach. No matter how crazy Sara was, or how laid-back Matt was, they were so in love, transcending all the dissention and discord around them to become this…this unit in a way that was both alien to Lily and yet somehow so goddamn attractive it made her throat close up.

'Oh, for God's sake,' Gwyneth said. 'Get a room.'

Matt lifted his mouth off Sara's and grinned. 'We would, but that's how we got into trouble in the first place.'

Sara put her hand on his jaw and smiled up at him as if he was her entire world.

Lily sighed. It was cute. Beautiful, even. But not the world she'd chosen for herself. 'Why is everyone up so early?'

'I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon.' Sara patted her belly. 'I came in to get my stuff done.'

'And I drove her in.' Matt smiled into Sara's eyes.

'Oh, goody.' This from Gwyneth. 'No more kissing on the desks.'

Lily rolled her eyes, but her mind was still on what Gwyneth had said about risking herself. She looked at Sara and Matt, so wildly in love, and wondered if she was this gone over someone, would she still want to go on the crazy rescues? And if the worst happened, and she died…would she go with no regrets?

She loved her life, and would have sworn she gave it her all, without holding back.