Voyages
Chapter Fifteen
Shadowlady
robbijo2000 at yahoo dot com
R
Romance
Archive: Yes please, pretty please with cherries and sugar ribbons on top.
Summary: Rogue takes a holiday and meets a stranger.
Continuity: Post X3 but ignoring Jean and Xavier's deaths (and his resurrection)
Author's Note: Thanks so much to Jenni for the beta and the great ideas…
The sight of the small single story rancher style house had Rogue slowing the truck. She was torn between anger and fear. Fear that she’d misread Logan, and that he wouldn’t believe her, that he’d still see her as a child and not the woman she was. Anger at the thought that he’d played her like an instrument. He’d made a fool of her, used her feelings toward him to use and humiliate her. A sort of lesson if she thought about it that way.
Parking the truck, she walked up the steps. Rogue wiped her hands on her hips nervously. She knocked on the door, only slightly surprised to see it swing open at her touch.
“Hello?” Rogue walked further into the house, closing the door quietly. The décor was more suited to an elderly couple than to Logan, and she wondered what was going on.
“Hey.” Logan’s soft tone had her whirling to face him. He leaned against the doorjamb, his face expressionless. A slight tension filled his body as she moved toward him, but he remained silent and still.
“Did you have fun?” Rogue asked softly, a hint of anger in her voice.
“Fun?”
“Humiliating me? Taking what I said and having a good laugh at it. You must have had quite a few the way I went on about how great you were.”
“I’ve never laughed at you.”
“No. Just managed to get on a ship where I can’t walk away from you and then trying to seduce me into letting go.”
Logan shook his head. “That wasn’t it. I needed a chance to show you.”
“To show me what?” Rogue hissed, circling the room with short, choppy movements. “That I’m not more than a foolish little girl in your mind?”
“You’re a woman, not a child.” Logan replied softly. “I needed you to see what we could have. You had to choose us, choose me. I wasn’t… I won’t force you into a situation that you don’t want.”
“I had to choose?” Rogue shouted at him. “Funny, I didn’t see *you* making a choice. All I see is you lying to me for weeks! For what? Some sort of lesson to show that you can make me insane?”
“No.” Logan straightened slightly. “To show you what kind of woman I see when I look at you. To show you that whatever we have is your choice. If all you want is my friendship than you’ve got it, but…”
“But?”
“But if you want more… if you want me, all you have to do is say so. What happens between us is up to you.”
“Don’t put it on my shoulders, Logan. I’m not the one that dressed up like some ‘Scott-wannabe’ and seduced you into…”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. I kissed you and I couldn’t stop myself, okay? I wanted you to love me. To prove to yourself that the man I am, the wild, untamed drifter is what you want. I’m never going to be that man, Marie. I’ll never wake up one morning and find that I’m a rich man with nothing better to do than go through life making decisions that affect other lives.”
“Funny, you seemed…”
“Think about it, Marie. Everything I told you, every syllable, every word, was all about you. I told you what was in my heart in the only way I could. If I’d tried here the entire mansion would have had their noses stuck in it. I made a choice to show you how I feel without the influence of Xavier and his money. I wanted you to see what you could have with someone like that…and to want me enough to look past the trappings.”
Staring at him, Rogue shook her head. “You lied to me.”
“No, I didn’t. I never lied. Not once. I hid who I was from you to let you make your mind up. I let you listen to your heart. If it hadn’t worked…if you’d chosen one of them, it would have killed me but I would have let you go. The whole voyage was about discovering what was in our hearts. I tried to love you, that’s all.”
Biting her lip, Rogue turned her head to stare at the wall. “I feel so used, Logan…”
“You’re not used. I would never do that. I know I have a lot of ground to make up and I’m willing to beg if I need to. I’ll swallow my pride and do whatever you want of me. Just don’t let your anger distract you from what I tried to do.”
Rogue stared at him. There was honesty, trust in his gaze. She could clearly see that he loved her, he wanted her. Beneath that though she could see the fear, the uncertainty, and she knew deep inside that he hadn’t wanted to hurt her. He’d done what he had to make a point, and it had come at a cost he wasn’t too sure he could pay. He’d done the only thing he could. He’d let her make her choice based on what was in her heart and mind…not on what he said.
Logan watched her thinking, a knot forming in his stomach. Perhaps he’d pushed her too far, too fast. He’d conceivably lost his only chance with her and that hurt. Could he walk away from her now? If he had to, he’d do it. He’d find the strength somewhere inside and do whatever it took to make her happy.
Stalking up to him, she watched him brace himself for a blow. She stared at him for a split second more in silence. “Damn you.” Standing on her toes she pressed against him, kissing him with the passion she’d long denied herself.
Moaning softly at the way his arms wrapped around her, she pressed closer to him. Her arms tangling around his neck, her fingers buried in his hair.
“Don’t leave me,” he whispered between kisses. “Please. Let me love you.”
“Yes.” Rogue whispered, kissing him again. Her hands tangled in his hair as he grabbed her ass and pulled her flush against him. Moaning at the feel of the heat from his groin, she wiggled in his grasp. She arched against him, making both of them groan at the pleasure washing over them. “Make love to me, Logan. Make me yours.”
Scooping her into his arms, he headed down the hallway. Nudging the door to a bedroom open, he kicked it shut and silently offered another round of thanks to the Monroe’s for the never ending generosity.
Moving carefully, lovingly, Logan set her down next to his bed and smiled. He traced a finger over her face, his gaze followed his finger. The platinum streaks around her face reminded him of how precious her life was to him.
“What?” She asked softly when he simply continued to stare at her.
“I couldn’t live without you, Marie. I’d do whatever I had to in order to keep you safe. I want you to know that.”
“Come on. I’ll protect you.” She could clearly see the desperation, the fear that clouded his gaze and offered the only thing she could to show him she had made her choice.
“You promise?”
Rogue smiled softly at his question. She remembered when she’d asked him that, remembered just what it meant to both of them. “I promise, Logan.”
Chuckling, Logan bore her to the bed. He’d show her with his hands and mouth just how much he worshiped her. First, though, he had to prove a point. Reaching past her, he pulled open a dresser drawer and pulled something out.
“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” He whispered, sliding from the bed and disappearing into the bathroom.
Resting on her elbows, Rogue frowned at the thud from the bathroom. Logan couldn’t be so shy as to want to undress in the bathroom, so what was he doing? A moment later, she smiled through her tears as she realized what he’d done. He’d read her deepest, darkest fear and responded to it.
Holding out her arms, she sobbed softly as he moved into them. “I love you, Logan.”
“I love you too.” He murmured, his lips already working on her throat, his hands easing her clothes from her body. “I’m gonna prove it to you, darlin’, every day for the rest of our lives.”
Staring into his eyes, Rogue nodded, “Just so you know, I’m still pissed about your little game.”
“Be pissed. Be furious. Hit me if you want. Just don’t ever leave me.” Logan whispered brokenly.
“Never.” Rogue moaned softly before pulling him back into her arms and kissing him senseless.
“So what else did you buy on your trip?” Logan asked, lazily tracing hearts on her upper arm.
“I’ll show you when we get back to the mansion.” Rogue giggled and glanced at where his silk encased hand rested on her flesh. “When did you get this?”
“I had it made in Greece. I figured I’d have to prove that your skin wasn’t an issue if you ever forgave me for my little demonstration.”
Rogue laughed. “It’ll go real well with the ones I bought in Australia.”
“Do tell.”
“I’d rather show you.” Rogue replied turning onto her back in his arms. “I’m never going to let you go, Logan. I want you to know that.”
Logan smiled and kissed her gently. “Just wait until I show you what else I have for you. For us.”
“Oh? What?” Rogue asked as he moved, climbing out of bed and padding to the dresser in all his nearly-naked glory.
A moment later, Logan closed the drawer and hurried back to the bed. Crawling across it, he settled next to her and smiled, “Marie, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you hold my hand until we’re too old to remember what life was like without the other in it?”
Rogue gasped, her hand flying over her mouth as she stared at the simple engagement ring that sat nestled in blue velvet. “Yes, Logan! YES, YES, YES!”
Laughing together they fell back amongst the tangled bedding, their arms wrapped tightly around each other.
“We’ll go back to the mansion tomorrow. And then we’ll go home to Rocky Mountain House.” Logan whispered in her ear. “Tonight, tonight, I want to hold you.”
Rogue nodded. “Sounds good, Logan. Sounds very, very good.”
“You, uh, have any guesses on how that bunch is gonna react?” Logan asked as he kissed her shoulder.
Rogue giggled. “Oh, yes. I can see it now. They’ll act like they were the ones that came up with the idea. Be all in our faces and business…”
“Oh God.” Logan groaned amid Rogue’s laughter.
Tomorrow was going to be hell and he knew it. Somehow though, he was looking forward to it.
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