Katie’s bare feet didn’t appreciate either the hot pavement of the parking lot or the bare wood of the walkway that led down to the beach.

She was too upset to even register the discomfort though.

Her body was still throbbing with pleasure and excitement, but her brain had managed to catch up. She couldn’t help but scream silently, over and over again, that it was Logan she’d been kissing that way.

Logan.

Kissing.

Desire.

Passion.

Need.

Logan. Her friend.

She’d never imagined feeling that way about him, and she was almost dizzy with the aftermath and rising bewilderment.

How had that even happened? They were supposed to just be friends.

She’d reached the sand and was looking down to make sure she didn’t step on any of the big shells that were scattered throughout the beach. She had no idea that Logan had followed her until he’d reached out and turned her around to face him.

“Katie,” he panted. He’d obviously been running to catch up.

She just stared at him. There was no way she could force her swollen throat to form words.

Logan’s face was damp, and his hair was practically sticking up straight. One of her hands had been running through it just a minute ago. “Katie,” he said again.

She shook her head, trying to indicate that she couldn’t say anything yet.

He seemed to understand her. With a nod, he put a hand on her back and turned her so they could walk along the beach.

Although she was brutally aware of Logan’s tense body beside her—his lean, hot, hard body that she desperately wanted to touch again—she made herself concentrate on breathing deeply and calming her frantic mind.

This was too important.

Logan was too important.

They had to talk about this, or their relationship would be damaged forever.

The afternoon sun beat down on her face, and the sounds of other beachgoers filled in the background of the scene. Seagulls were circling nearby, attracted by what looked like french fries spilled out on the sand about twenty feet ahead of them.

But none of that mattered nearly so much as what she could possibly say to Logan.

When her breathing had mostly returned to normal, she tried out her vocal chords. “I’m… I’m sorry I ran. I just panicked.”

“I know.”

“I… It wasn’t because I didn’t want to be with you. It was just because I was scared.”

“I’m glad.” His face was perfectly controlled, no emotion evident at all except the continued urgent searching of his eyes.

She cleared her throat a couple of times and stared ahead of her, at the seagulls circling around the fries. There must have been at least thirty birds now.

Finally she said, “Where did that even come from? I never thought…”

“I know you didn’t.”

“We’re friends.”

“Yes.”

She had to turn her head to look at him now. His face was still unnaturally composed. “I…” She had to start again when her voice broke. “I think I need to sit down.”

“My family’s beach house is just up there—about ten houses up. It’s empty right now. We can go there.”

She squinted, recognizing the big, sprawling, white house in the distance. “Okay.”

They walked in silence over the sand until they’d reached the walkway leading up to the back of the house. There was a privacy fence surrounding the patio and pool, and Logan keyed in the combination to the lock on the gate.

They walked across the concrete patio, Katie wincing at the heat on her bare feet. Then they sat down together on a bench swing in the shade near the back entrance to the house.

Logan didn’t say anything. He was waiting for her—she knew.

She had no idea what in the world she should say.

Finally she managed, “So was that just a fluke?”

“I don’t think so,” he said softly, roughly, after a brief hesitation.

She turned to gaze up at his face. “Then what…” She trailed off, completely incapable of speaking when a fire ignited in his eyes.

A fire. Hot, urgent, overwhelming.

Her breath caught in her throat when he cupped her face with one hand and leaned down into a kiss.

This one was gentler than the one in the car, but it was just as eager, just as hungry. Her body thrilled with the sensations as she immediately gave herself over to the embrace.

This was right.

It was so incredibly right.

It was better than anything.

Her arms wound around his neck as he eased her body closer to his. Their positions on the swing were slightly awkward, and Katie whimpered in frustration as she couldn’t feel his body against hers the way she wanted, needed.

Logan seemed to feel the same way because, never releasing her lips, he lifted one of her thighs and pulled her over so she was straddling his lap, pushing up her skirt so she could fit snuggly against him.

It was so much better this way. Her chest was pressed against his, her groin aligned with his. Pleasure pulsed deeply as her arousal built and pulsed even more as she felt that he was already hard against her.

He wanted her. So much. His body was making that very clear.

And it just made her body want his even more.

“Katie,” he murmured against her lips, tangling his fingers in her hair.

She made a sound in response, but it wasn’t any sort of word. The throbbing pleasure filling her was overwhelming her ability to speak.

“Does this feel like a fluke?” he continued, that same delicious rasp in his voice.

“No,” she gasped when he began to trail kisses down her neck. “This feels… this feels…”

She let out a helpless moan when one of his hands cupped her breast, his thumb fondling her hard nipple through the thin fabric of her dress.

“Fuck, Katie,” he muttered. “You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

There was no way not to love the sound of those breathless words, how utterly sincere they were. She tried to grind herself against his erection to answer the growing ache between her legs.

She grabbed his head and leaned into another kiss, this one harder, more urgent, hungrier. She couldn’t possibly hold herself back. Every inch of her body and every beat of her heart wanted to do this, wanted to do even more.

She was never so uninhibited—kissing him so shamelessly on the patio of a beach house—but there was nothing she could do to control herself.

She was clawing at his shirt, trying to feel his bare skin beneath it, when Logan pulled away with a groan.

“No,” she whimpered, reaching for him again. “I want to—”

“I know,” he panted. “I know. But we need to talk for a minute, because if you don’t want to do more than this, then we need to stop now. I’m on the verge of losing it completely.”

She stared at him dazedly.

“What do you want, Katie?” he asked, taking her face in both his hands and holding it like it was precious. “Tell me what do you want?”

“I want you,” she admitted. “I want this. All the way.”

His groan this time was one of relief as he carefully helped her off his lap. “Let’s go inside then. We can use a bed, and I can hopefully scare up some condoms.”

Condoms.

She was so far gone that protection hadn’t even crossed her mind.

Her arousal was throbbing uncomfortably as Logan keyed in another code at the back door and they entered the house. It was clean and nicely decorated, but it smelled slightly closed up.

She didn’t care.

“Wait here for a minute,” he said, disappearing down a short hallway and turning a corner.

She stood next to the stairs until he reappeared a minute later, holding a few condom packets in his hand.

“Thank God,” she breathed, pulling him into another kiss as soon as he reached her.

This kiss was just as hot as their earlier one, and once they’d started, they couldn’t stop. Soon she was half sitting, half lounging against the steps, and Logan was on top of her. She rocked up into his body, wrapping one of her legs around him so they could get even closer, so she could feel him even more. Her skirt was brazenly hiked up around her waist, but she didn’t even care.

“There are beds here,” he mumbled, kissing his way down her neck and unzipping her dress at the same time.

“No time for beds.” She was tugging his shirt out of his pants, trying to get it off him without ripping off the buttons. The edges of the steps were hard against her back and bottom, but she didn’t even care.

Nothing mattered but getting Logan inside her as soon as possible. Right now.

He had more luck with undressing her than she had with him, and soon he was pulling her dress off over her head. She paused from his shirt to unclasp her bra, and then she cried out helplessly when his face lowered to take one nipple in his mouth.

Jolts of pleasure overwhelmed her. She arched up into him as he suckled and kept making loud, embarrassing sounds as he tongued her skillfully.

“Katie,” Logan murmured thickly, finally releasing her breast as he slid off her panties. “You have no idea how much I want you.”

If he wanted her even close to how much she wanted him, his desire would be pretty damn intense. She had to give up on his shirt and instead focused on undoing his trousers and freeing his erection. That was obviously the most important task at the moment.

He was big and firm and warm in her hands when she managed to pull his hard shaft out of his underwear and pants, and she stroked him eagerly.

He moaned, his body jerking dramatically.

It was thrilling how much he wanted her, how good she was making him feel.

Logan Anderson.

Her friend.

Responding to her this way.

Then he removed her hands. “Sorry. Any more of that and I’m going to embarrass myself.”

She giggled, sliding her hands under his shirt so she could stroke his skin.

He tore open a packet and rolled on a condom without wasting any time, and then he pulled her thighs apart so he could position himself between them.

She heard herself murmuring, “Yes, yes, yes,” over and over again as he nudged her arousal, found her entrance, slowly edged himself inside her.

Both of them moaned when he’d fit himself into her completely. She held on to him tightly and wrapped her legs around him, the discomfort of the steps only fueling the hotness of their position.

He braced himself above her and finally started to thrust.

She could tell he was trying to go slow and steady, but he seemed incapable of it. His arms were shaking visibly, and he was grunting softly with each pitch of his hips.

She bucked up against him, urging him on by gasping, “Faster, Logan. Harder. I need it harder.”

His face reflected relief as he intensified his rhythm, pushing into her urgently, almost roughly.

It was exactly what she wanted. The coil of pleasure at her center was growing stronger, tighter. And she cried out loudly when the orgasm broke in powerful waves, overtaking her body.

He bit back an exclamation as her body clamped down around his. He pushed into her a few last times before he let go too.

They held on to each other until the spasms of their release passed, and then Logan lowered his head to the crook of her neck, panting against her damp skin.

“Oh God,” she gasped, her fingers still clenched in the fabric in the back of his shirt. “Oh God.”

“Yeah.” He still didn’t raise his head. He might not be able to do so yet.

She loved how heat radiated off his body, how relaxed he felt against her now.

She was the one who had made him this way.

After a minute, the discomfort started to catch up with her. She unwound her legs and tried to stretch her back. “I can’t believe we couldn’t even make it to a bed.”

He chuckled and heaved himself off her, helping her stand up too. “We can make it to a bed now if you want.”

She smiled at him, excitement spiraling up again, despite the hard climax she’d just had.

She wasn’t ready for this to end yet. She wanted more.

“Bed sounds good to me.”