Rogue studied the people gathered around the fight ring. There was a sexual energy pervading the air and the women were sizing up Logan like a side of beef. She knew as soon as he entered the ring and strutted his stuff they would be throwing themselves at him.
There was a change in Logan too. Today, on the ferries and at the island, he'd been annoyed at the closeness of the crowds. But now when a woman pressed up against him, he took some pleasure in it. Rogue flushed at the sudden realization that Logan had probably found a sex partner at the fights more than once.
Maybe that is why he worked his jaw earlier when she asked to come with him. He hadn't originally planned to bring her? True they had kissed, but she'd made it clear to him when they first met that she wasn't that kind of girl.
Logan had gone out of his way to plan for her day off. What if she was ruining his plans for the night, but he felt obligated to bring her. She got his attention. "Logan, if you're wanting to hook up..." She held her breath, Rogue wondered if this was how Persephone felt torn between whom she'd always been; but willing to embrace the role offered her. Rogue knew she'd never be the kind to hook up for a quickie, however for Logan she would be willing to bend her self imposed rules.
He almost choked on his beer. "No...not here."
"Why not?" she asked. She'd seen some beautiful women eyeing him.
He shrugged. What could he tell her? There fights were the fights. The atmosphere was always highly charged. "Not safe. The women here are almost always with someone. Most of this is a game you don't want to guess wrong at."
She leaned in closer so she wouldn't have to strain to hear. "But you've hooked up before? One night stands?" After having seen the looks random women had given him all day, she was curious how far it went.
His eyes slid from surveying the crowd to her, his heart twisting a little. He needed to be truthful, because she deserved to know that his past was sordid when it came to women. And that wasn't who he was anymore, not since meeting her. "There was a time that it wasn't uncommon." She couldn't handle the intensity of his gaze and glanced away. "But that was a long time ago."
Logan didn't participate in the first two fights; instead he told Rogue what to watch for in a fighter. "Where's the forty you're always carrying around, trying to give to me?" She pulled the two twenty dollar bills out of her pocket. He pointed to a man who was the center of a cluster of people. "That's Tony. Give him the money and tell him that you want to put it on Dog's boy the first two fights."
She nodded. "What about the rest of the night?"
"After that let it all ride on Wolverine."
Rogue gave Logan a perplexed look, but sought out Tony and gave him the instructions.
Dog's boy won the first two fights as Logan had predicted with each opponent not lasting past ten minutes. It was fast paced and the rules were almost anything goes. Logan told her biting and eye gouging were the only two things strictly forbidden.
Tony started calling competitors for the next rounds. Logan straightened up and handed Rogue his jacket.
"Are you fighting the Wolverine?" she asked, because if he was, why had he told her to put the money on the man he was fighting. Logan was not the kind of man to take a dive, or at least she didn't think so.
"No, I'm not fighting him," he stated with a wide grin. She would find out who Wolverine was soon and he wanted to see her reaction to that bit of information.
He pulled his t-shirt off over his head in one smooth motion. Rogue flushed and had to check to make sure she wasn't drooling. She knew from riding behind him today that he had no flab, but this was beyond what she'd imagined.
Logan strode toward the makeshift-fighting ring. He stepped up on the platform when Tony announced Wolverine. Ignoring the crowd, Logan flashed a fierce smile at Rogue when her eyes widened in surprise.
She was fascinated by the change in Logan. He became surly in a way she'd not seen him before. Brutal came to her mind, …no that wasn't right. There was a wildness to him, but he wasn't cruel. Logan was in command of the entire fight.
The fights would go on for a couple more hours, but Logan stepped down early. As he passed Rogue on his way to the back, he told her to go collect her money. She found Tony, who was dismayed that Wolverine had stopped when there were still more bouts planned. Without counting it, she stuffed the bills into Logan's jacket.
Rogue then made her way to the partition she'd seen Logan disappear behind moments before. The area served as an improvised washroom for the fighters. There were some basic first aid supplies and an old large sink basin with a water barrel and spigot suspended above it.
Logan was using a bar of soap to clean up. He set the spigot to a slow stream and lathered his hands; expanding the foam up his arms over his chest and back, saving his face and hair for last. He was quick and thorough, and Rogue got a small thrill thinking of her hands slipping across his body. Earlier in the week it had been his hands she'd visualized doing this to her in the shower. She wanted to know if he would this quick with her? Or would he take his time?
He leaned in further letting the water spill over his back, she watched as the suds slipped down his sides and fell into the basin. Hugging his shirt and jacket closer, she inhaled the scent of him to add to the sight before her. Rogue shifted uncomfortably, hoping he wouldn't be able to detect her arousal.
She stared at him for a minute more before speaking. "Tony's not pleased."
"I expect not." He said after rinsing the soap from his head. "But he's not responsible for getting you back to the motel so you can get some sleep before you have to work tomorrow."
She tossed him one of the towels beside the sink. "I can make my own way back."
Logan knew she was capable of getting back to the motel on her own, but that wasn’t the point. They had started the day out together and he wanted to finish it the same way. He wasn't going to drop her like a hot rock; there was nothing and no one else more important to him at this moment.
He took his shirt and pulled it on. "Nah. It's not everyday I get to accompany a beautiful lady back to her motel room." The way he smiled at her almost made her believe him. Rogue doubted she was the only woman Logan had ever taken to a motel, however she was positive she was the first woman who was going to bed without him. "Besides, it's best to not let them think I can fight all night."
They walked away from the warehouse in silence. It was a short walk to the motel; they passed empty buildings and a few vacant lots. This part of town had little going on at this time of night that wasn't illegal.
Rogue didn't know what to say about the fights. There was a certain appeal to the show of masculine power. The entire warehouse had been full of energy. She'd had a hard time taking her eyes off of Logan when he was fighting.
He had more skill than most of the fighters. The majority were local toughs that he held back with and still won. The last match had been with a soldier. Logan had put more effort into that fight. He'd taken a good beating and as he washed up at the warehouse she'd noticed a few spots that would bruise. He'd talked before about healing faster, but she wondered how fast it was if she saw bruising on him.
Logan turned them down a narrow alley between an apartment building and an old storefront. This way would cut two blocks off their walk and bring them up to the backside of the motel. The alley was clean with only a dumpster and a few empty boxes stacked beside it. Rogue could see the fire escapes overhead, plants and laundry hanging from them, filling what little space that was there.
They were halfway down the alley before she finally said anything. "Wow. I mean...wow." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and caught his smile. "You're good."
Logan took an odd bit of pride in her noticing, but shrugged it off. "It's a way to blow off steam."
Rogue stopped in her tracks, turning to face him. "Steam? That's one word for it." She'd tried to pretend the atmosphere had no effect on her, but her body was still buzzing from it. The feeling was more intense than what she'd felt from being on the motorcycle.
Logan was radiating a seductiveness she couldn't deny. All of her sense were aroused and directed at him and she wanted to know how much of that he could pick up with his heightened senses. Could he tell that she wanted to do more than hold his hand? Wanted to let him do what he pleased to her, multiple times?
She was positive she was sizing him up like one of the women from the warehouse. In return his eyes were dark with desire. She reached out, placing a hand on his chest to find that his heart was beating as fast as hers. "Can you hear my heart?"
He could hear her heart racing to match the pace of his. He could smell her sweetness; her alluring arousal he'd ignored all evening, thickening. No verbal answer would do; instead his smile took on a feral edge. He stepped toward her, closing what little space there was between them. Instinctually, she stepped backward right into the brick wall of the alley.
One hand was already at her waist pushing up her shirt; the other hand was resting on the wall by her shoulder; effectively caging her in. His voice was soft and husky. "You can tell me no."
There was no force in his voice, he was sincere and she knew if she told him no he would stop and they would walk on to the motel. Unable to speak Rogue simply nodded her understanding.
She slid her hand up his chest to hook behind his neck and pull him down for a kiss. His lips were soft and yielding to her probing compared to his strong hand that cupped her breast. She gasped when he rubbed her hardened nipple between his finger and thumb. His other hand had moved to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him.
Rogue pushed his leather jacket out of the way and desperately pulled at his t-shirt to get at his chest. She wanted to slide her hands along the hard planes of his muscles. He was tense, holding back with her as he had with his opponents at the fights.
She broke their kiss, her breathing ragged, leaning her head back against the wall. It had been a long day and she should be careful. She didn't need to let her power slip beyond her control. But the way he was nipping and kissing his way down her neck, she was reluctant to stop.
Logan thought back to earlier this week when he'd heard Rogue in the shower. He remembered the sounds she'd made and wanted to see if she would make them again for him. This time he didn't want to watch, he needed to be an active participant. Though he remembered her comment about not being that kind of girl and he hoped he wasn't pushing too far, too fast.
His stubble grazed a sensitive spot at the hollow of her neck. She hissed from the sensation and he growled in return. The growl was low and needy, reverberating through her.
"Wait." He pulled away, but only a fraction of an inch. His was panting and the small puffs of hot air inflamed the skin still damp from his kisses. It was not helping her regain control.
Taking several deep breathes, Rogue found her inner balance, pushing stray thoughts she'd picked up from him to the side. When she was ready again, there was one of his memories that would not go away.
"You can hear me when I shower?"
"Yes." He was rooted to the spot, holding himself perfectly still. She knew he wanted to hear her make those sounds, the ones she'd made in the shower, for him. It was a bigger turn on then she expected. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked.
Hell no she didn't want him to stop, but how did she tell him so she didn't sound too eager or like a girl that did sexual acts in alleys all the time?
When she took too long to answer, Logan moved his hand away from her breast and lifted his head to meet her eyes. Senses still dulled from the fight, he was having difficulty defining exactly how much of this was Rogue's arousal and how much was his. He'd not taken her out with the intension of her owing him any sexual favors for the day's activities. His head was still clear enough to know her hesitation could mean a reluctance to continue.
She could feel him drawing away from her. "I..." she began, tugging up her shirt to reveal her bra. Rogue thought there was something else she was going to say, but he'd began to trace the lace of her bra with his finger.
She watched intently as he pulled the fabric down to expose her breast to the night air. His fingertip circled her nipple causing her to make a small noise in the back of her throat. It was all the encouragement he needed to replace his finger with his tongue.
As good as it felt when he took her nipple into his mouth, she knew the little noises she was making weren't the sounds he wanted to hear. She boldly undid the button on her jeans and guided his hand further down her belly. His strong fingers tangled themselves in her curls, caressing her wet folds. She moaned into his ear, which only spurred him on.
This was not the kind of thing she imagined when she was in the shower. Nothing in her life before Logan would have lead her into an alley with a man who she was willing to let put his hand down her pants.
Although she had been bold a moment ago, she couldn't find the courage to do more than fondle his erection through the denim of his jeans.
His thumb was rubbing her clit with a finger teasing her opening. She gripped his shoulder, bucking into his hand as her body began to tremble. His mouth left her breast to cover her mouth, swallowing her moans as she came.
Rogue stood or rather leaned heavily on Logan to catch her breath. She felt exposed, even though his body protected her from the view of any prying eyes.
Overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed by the day and what they'd just done. It had been perfect and now she wanted to cry.
He instantly straightened her clothing and cradled her in his arms. She was amazed at what he could pick up through smell. Her tears had only begun to threaten to spill over when he reacted. She rushed to beat him to the next part. "Don't apologize."
"Alright." He was resting his chin on her head. "Are you okay?"
"Yes! It's...it's been a long day. Wonderful, but long and I'm tired." She tugged at his jacket. "This is a first for me." Her cheeks burned from the flush that stole across her face. He kissed her forehead, a gesture that was not only comforting, but also oddly romantic.
Their walk the rest of the way to the motel was quiet. When she stopped at her room she peered over her shoulder at him. He was working his jaw muscle; he did it every time he was thinking of what to tell her.
"I forgot my key."
It took him off guard. Recovering quickly, he said, "Get out your I.D."
He showed her where on the doorjamb to put her card and how to put pressure on the doorknob. When she tried, nothing happened. "Put your shoulder into it, Darlin'."
She raised her eyebrows at Darlin'; it was starting to become a habit, but it still gave her a warm feeling and she liked the sound of it. Doing as she was told, she gave it a second try and popped the lock. "I don't want to know how you knew my lock would do that."
He looked at her innocently.
"I'll see you.." She checked out her watch. "...in a few hours."
"You bet."
Turning to enter her room, she glanced back at him. "Logan..." She bit her lip, should she ask what was weighing heavily on her mind. "You and I...we..."
He stepped toward her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "We're good, Rogue."
She placed a hand on her tingling lips. "Marie."
"Marie," he repeated in a hushed whisper.
She scurried in her door before he could detect what saying her name like that did to her.
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