Logan's Salute

Chapter 15

Kristin's POV

"You look amazing!" Kristin says to Gabriella when picking her up at her house that night. The sun was busy setting, leaving the sky with lovely reds, blue and orange. Gabriella was wearing a royal blue, snug fitting dress that Kristin lent her earlier that day from her wardrobe. It was a dress Matthew bought her when they were in France a few years ago on one of Matthew's business trips. She often joined Matthew on his trips as the doting wife, but this trip was special, as she wanted to visit her sister at their home in Cannes. Paula recently had her baby at that time and Kristin wanted to meet her little niece.

"This old thing," Gabriella said with a little chuckle. Kristin joins her in her humour. Gabriella had her hair up on the sides with curls flowing down her back. The dress was off the shoulder and had a mid-thigh slit on the left leg. Gabriella does have a beautiful figure and the dress suited her well.

"You look gorgeous as well, Krissy," Gabriella says, eyeing her admirably.

"Thank you," Kristin says with a broad smile. Kristin was wearing a stunning deep red dress with lace sleeves and bodice. The skirt of the dress was not body fit, but flowed all the way down to her feet, hugging her body as it flowed. Her neckline was not plunging but hugged her bosom beautifully. Her back was the show stopper, as it was basically bare, showing off her sculpted back. Kristin was wearing her hair up to show off her diamond necklace and earring set, Matthew insisted she wear that night.

"Remind me again, why am I doing this with you?" Gabriella asked, re-applying her lipstick.

"So that I can leave when I want to," Kristin says, as she takes the turn off for Platterkloof from the N1 highway.

"And what if I want to stay longer?" Gabriella asked. Kristin smiles in silence.

They pull up in front of the house fifteen minutes later. Kristin rings the bell and the butler opens up.

"Good evening, Mrs. Gabriels," he says as the two women enter.

"Good evening, Charles," Kristin says. "You remember my friend, Gabriella. She co-owns the B&B with me." Charles turns his attention on Gabriella as he greets her.

"Yes, of course," he says with a very polite bow. "Good evening, miss Gabriella. I do hope you are well."

"I am, thank you, Charles," Gabriella says with a smile.

"Charles," Kristin says to the man, adding, "can you please ask someone to park my car. I am already late, so I didn't want to anger Matthew further by driving the car to the garage." Charles nods and takes her car keys.

"I am so glad you realise that you are late!" Matthew's voice made Kristin's blood turn to ice in her veins. Both Kristin and Gabriella turned around to face their host. Matthew looked dapper, dressed in a three-piece black suit, with a matching bowtie. His light brown hair was neatly combed and his green eyes appeared blue as his gaze flashed over Kristin. Feeling somewhat subconscious of his eyes on her, Kristin tugs at her dress.

"At least you look amazing," he says and places a kiss on her cheek. "You smell good too," he whispers in her ear, causing the hair on her neck to stand up.

"I am to blame for our tardiness tonight," Gabriella said. Matthew drags his gaze away from Kristin to look at her.

"Well, well, Gabriella," Matthew says, allowing his gaze to flash over her. "I must say, that dress does make you look almost like a proper lady." Gabriella pulls a face and takes a step towards him. Kristin instinctively pulls her back.

"Not tonight, Gabs," Kristin says to stop Gabriella from physically attacking him. "Shall we make our way to the living room and wait for the guests there?" Kristin asks as she turns back to Matthew.

"Let's," Matthew says and leads the way. Gabriella and Kristin follow him.

"What can I get you to drink?" Mathew asks over his shoulder, as he walks to the bar, at the far end of the living room.

"A gin and tonic for me, Matthew," Kristin says and looks at Gabriella, who came to a stand still at the entrance of the room. Gabriella was awestruck by the magnificent room and did not answer. "Gabs!" Kristin says, snapping her back to reality. "Drink?" She asks Gabriella.

"Oh, yes," she says, walking over to Kristin. "Brandy for me, please, with ice."

"Make that two," another male's voice says. Kristin's gaze follows the sound and notices Matthew's father entering. "Good evening ladies. Please, do sit down." The man said, that sounded more like a command than a suggestion. Gabriella eyes Kristin before taking the other man up on his offer.

Matthew's father had short, salt and pepper hair, with a matching beard and still as handsome as ever. Kristin eyes him as he introduces himself to Gabriella, realizing that he had never met her. When Gabriella said her surname, he stiffened.

"Are you related to the Logan's of Sydneyvale?" He asks her.

"Yes," she says with a smile. "I am the youngest daughter and sister to Johnny."

"Johnny?" He repeats.

"Logan!" Kristin says and sits down beside her. Matthew's father stares at Gabriella for a while before moving away from her as if she would infect him with her germs. Kristin finds his behaviour odd and watches him closely as he approaches his son. They begin to chat in low tones. Unable to hear what they are saying, Kristin returns her attention to Gabriella.

"Be careful around that one," Kristin says to her softly. Gabriella frowned at her words. "He is very charming, but his bite is worse than his bark."

"Don't you mean it the other way around?" Gabriella asked.

"No!" Kristin says.

"One gin and tonic," Matthew appeared in front of them, passing Kristin her drink. "And one brandy on the rocks." Gabriella takes her drink and nods her thank you.

"So, what brings you here?" Matthew's father asked, directing his question at Gabriella.

"Kristin invited me," Gabriella says, politely. He eyes Kristin and then looks back at her.

"You are friends?" He asks.

"Yes, father," Matthew says, sounding irritated. "Gabriella and Kristin are not only friends, but business partners as well. They have been running the B&B's together as well as their little bistro and takeaways."

"So, you are the partner?" The man asks and both ladies giggle. "Did I say something funny?"

"It is just funny that Matthew has never told you where he has been investing his money for the past fifteen years," Gabriella says, and Matthew's father looses all the colour from his face. He gave his son a look that would kill the devil himself.

"Mr. Deveroux and his lady friend, Natasha," Charles announced. Everyone in the room turns their focus onto the couple at the door.

Natasha was stunning. She was clothed in a baby blue satin dress that flowed, hugging her assets beautifully, with a plunging neckline and sunken back. Her hair was up in a bun, displaying her elegant neck, which draped a beautiful titanium necklace with a baby blue stone and matching earrings. Her look was flawless. However, Connor's piercing gaze was drawing her attraction, with his striking blue eyes that seemed staring straight into her soul. Gabriella looks at her and then back at him with the same shocked expression Kristin was wearing.

Matthew eagerly walks over to the couple and greets them. He turns back and looks for Kristin, who is supposed to be at his side. Kristin was frozen in shock. She believed that Connor was no longer part of her life. Clearly, she was mistaken.

"Kristin," Matthew calls her name, snapping her out of her daze. Kristin stands up and walks over to them with wobbly knees. Matthew smiles at her as she approaches. "This is my lovely wife, Kristin!" Matthew announces to Natasha, who eyes her with curiosity.

"Kristin, this is Natasha, Connor's assistant!" Matthew says.

"Don't I know you?" Natasha asks, with her American accent coming through strongly, as she extends her hand. Kristin squints her eyes, not sure if the woman was joking or if she really did not recognise her from earlier that day. "I am normally good with faces, however, you I can't place." Kristin looks at Connor and then back at Natasha in silence. He also remained silent.

"Er, and I am Gabriella," Gabriella said, hurriedly making her way to Kristin's side.

"Gabriella," Natasha says and looks at Connor. " Your name is also familiar."

Matthew gives Natasha a look as he speaks again. "Maybe you spoke to her when you made the arrangements at the B&B?" Natasha shakes her head with a blank expression.

"No, I spoke to a lady by the name of Christine," Natasha says, and her gaze returns to Kristin.

"Then you spoke to my wife," Matthew says, placing his hand on Kristin's slim waist. Kristin smiles gently in silence as Natasha seems to be inspecting her appearance.

Connor looks at Natasha and smiles, saying, "I am sure you remember Mr. Gabriels, senior?" He leads her past the two ladies and straight to the owner of the place. Matthew's father smiles brightly at Natasha as she approaches.

"Yes, now him I do know," she says. "Good evening, Mr. Gabriels." She says and extends her perfectly manicured hand. Matthew's father very charmingly takes her hand and kisses it.

"Please, call me Mark," he said in a tone Kristin had never heard before. This gave her an indication that he was flirting with Natasha. Natasha giggled like a little school girl as he continued to talk to her in low tones. Kristin slowly makes her way back to the comfortable couches, as her knees still feel wobbly from the shocking entrance of Connor and his date.

"Can I get you a drink, Connor?" Matthew asks. Kristin then notices that Connor was busy making his way to where she was. He eyed Kristin before answering.

"Yes," he says, adding, "a whiskey, neat." Matthew makes his way to Natasha and offers her a drink as well. Connor's eyes remained on Kristin as she sat silently.

"Relax," Gabriella said in a reassuring voice. Kristin smiles up at her, but she still feels nauseous. "You look sick!" Gabriella makes her observation.

"I think I need some air," Kristin says, placing her glass down on the table nearby.

"Come, let me help you," Gabriella says, and helps Kristin exit the room, onto a terrace overlooking Table Mountain and a magnificent sunset. Kristin takes a few deep breaths, as she stands holding the rail for dear life. "Can I get you anything?" Gabriella asks her.

"Some water, please," Kristin says breathlessly. Gabriella hastily disappears into the house, leaving Kristin alone. Slowly, Kristin closed her eyes and took many deep, cleansing breaths. The fresh air was wonderful as the warm breeze kissed her bare back.

"Are you okay?" Kristin heard Connor's voice ask. Her grip on the rail tightens and she opens her eyes. She heard him move closer, causing her to tense up more. "What's wrong?" His voice was full of concern.

"Please, I prefer to be alone," Kristin says feebly, but meant for it to be a demand, rather than a plea. Her shaky voice seemed to draw him closer. Soon, she felt his warm hand on her naked back and she shuddered at his touch.

"Let me help you," he says in a soothing voice. Kristin turns around to move away, but her legs fail her and she feels herself sink down. Connor catches her as she tumbles, pulling her up against his frame. Kristin grabs his blazer at the collar in utter desperation. Slowly she looks up and finds his face inches away from hers. Connor's eyes were fixated on her lips as his touch played havoc with her body. She was so weak she could not stand. "I, er..." He utters gruffly. "Think you should sit down." He finishes his thought. Kristin tries to stand, but is unable to find the floor. Her legs were dangling and her mind was soaring.

"You need to let me go," she says softly.

"What if I don't want to let you go?" Connor asks in a low whisper. Kristin opens her mouth to speak and Connor captures her lips with his. His kiss was sensual and oddly reminded her of Logan. Unknowingly, Kristin slips her arms around his neck, melting her body with his. The kiss was just a few seconds, but it felt like eternity.

Connor slowly pulls away from her and says, "You will be the death of me!" His words made her look up at him. Suddenly, she saw Logan in front of her. She gasps and stares up at him in confusion.

"Logan?" She says softly. Connor winces.

"I swear, finding water in this place is li," Gabriella says as she returns and stops dead in her tracks as she finds Connor and Kristin in an intimate embrace. "Get away from her!" She demands and tugs at Kristin's arm, in an attempt to free her from his arms. "Don't you ever listen? You really know how to screw up everything, don't you, Johnny!" Gabriella freezes and Connor shoots her a look.

"What?" Kristin asks softly. "What did you just call him?"

Connor then makes eye contact with her, releasing her slowly. His hands were still on her body, as if ensuring she would not fall again. Kristin stands successfully and releases his blazer, glaring up at him.

"What did she just call you?" Kristin asks, reaching for her head. Suddenly, everything was spinning. "I, I think I am going to throw up." Kristin leans over the rail as nausea hits her like a wave.

"Here, drink this," Gabriella says and passes her the water. Kristin takes the glass, sips it and eyes them suspiciously. Connor turns away from Gabriella and her, walking to the other side of the terrace. Gabriella sideglances him suspiciously in silence.

After finishing the water, Kristin says, "Something is going on here, and I have a right to know what it is!" Gabriella and Connor eye each other and say nothing. "Gabs?" Kristin says and Gabriella shrugs and drops her head. "Connor?" Kristin says as she turns to face him. He had his back to her with his hands on his hips and his jacket open. He also remained silent. "I swear if you don't tell me now, I will scream!" Kristin says, with emphasis on the last word.

"I told you we should have said something to her," Connor says as he turns around to face them.

"If you could have just learned how to control your urges, we could have avoided this!" Gabriella says, and folds her arms across her chest like a naughty little girl.

"Guys!" Kristin says. Both Gabriella and Connor turned away from her. "Fine! I will just...," Kristin begins to walk to the house as she speaks. Connor leaps ahead and places himself between her and the house.

"Wait, Kris," he says, sounding defeated. "I will explain."

"Don't you do it!" Gabriella said in objection. Connor shoots Gabriella the same look Logan gave his sister when she was out of line or irritating him. This made Kristin gasp. When Gabriella quiets down, he looks at Kristin again.

"I wanted to tell you yesterday," he says with his kind eyes. "but Gabriella thought it to be a bad idea. She was protecting you, I see that now." Gabriella walks to the door and stops to look at them.

"I'm leaving," Gabriella says, adding. "I refuse to be a part of this."

"We came together!" Kristin says.

"I will take an Uber!" Gabriella says before she walks off.

"What is going on here?" She asks him. Connor places his hands on her shoulders and she enjoys the heat of his hands on them.

"I know this is not going to make much sense, but," he says and stops. Connor looks around suspiciously and pulls Kristin to the far end of the terrace, away from the house. Connor makes eye contact and says, "I am Logan." Kristin looks at him with disbelief.

"What?" She asks.

"I am John Logan," he says, still holding her gaze. Kristin begins to shake her head and he places his hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. "Kris, it's me."

"You are insane!" Kristin began to shout. Connor coaxes her to speak softer.

"It is me!" He says. "We had our first kiss in the parking lot of Camps Bay, right after you caught Matt with Lisa on the school premises having sex." She looks at him in disbelief. "Months later, when my father died, we made love for the first time on that same beach."

Kristin looked at him and frowned in confusion. How could he know that?

"Here you are," Natasha says as she makes an appearance on the terrace. "Matthew sent me to announce that dinner is ready." Connor glances at Natasha and smiles.

"Great, I'm famished," Connor says and looks back at Kristin , who stared at the terrace floor in silence. Connor extends his arm to her and says, "Shall we?"

Kristin lifts her gaze to look at his outstretched arm and then glances at Natasha before speaking again. "I don't understand!" She says softly.

"Dinner is ready," Connor says to her. "Aren't you hungry?"

"No!" She says, feeling like the wind was knocked out of her. "I need to think!" She storms off, still trying to comprehend what has happened.

"Kristin," Natasha calls after her and she stops at the entrance. "What perfume do you wear? It is very familiar, but I cannot, for the Iife of me, place it." Kristin looks at her with confusion.

"It is Chanel No. 5," Kristin says, grabbing her head. "My sister lives in France and sent me a big bottle for Christmas. It is all I ever wear." Natasha chuckles and turns to Connor with a smile that does not reach her eyes.

"That is it, yes," Natasha says. "I know I have smelt it before. Lovely scent, indeed." Kristin glanced at Connor before leaving. His gaze was fixated on Natasha.

Tears sting her eyes as she leaves them alone on the terrace. She re-enters the house, she walks past Matthew and his father and calls out for Charles.

"What is wrong?" Matthew asks as he walks after her to the front door.

"I am not feeling well," she says as they stand and wait at the door. "I might be coming down with something." Charles then makes his appearance. "Bring me my car, please," she says to the butler and he scurries away to do as she asks.

"If you are not feeling well, then maybe you should stay!" Matthew says. "I can prepare a room for you tonight. This house is your home as well as mine. I was hoping that we could..." He reaches for her at this moment and Kristin snaps.

"When are you going to get it into your head, Matthew!" She shouts. "I will never sleep with you! Ever!!" Matthew's father, Connor and Natasha walked in at that very moment, along with Charles and her car keys.

"Here you go, madam," Charles says and passes her the key. "She is already parked in front." Kristin eyes Connor, Matthew's father, Natasha and then Matthew. Matthew was noticeably upset.

"I am sorry if I have ruined your evening," Kristin said quietly. She turns round and leaves the building. Her eyes well up with tears as she drives off.

Connor's POV

Connor smiles inwardly at Kristin's words, just before she left. He knows that Matthew must have tried over and over again to have s*x with her through the years, but he knows now that she has not allowed him even once near her. That made him happy.

Natasha turns to look at him and shoots him with a look of contempt. Their brief argument on the terrace clearly was not done either, but all Connor wanted to do was follow Kristin to ensure she was okay.

Natasha hardly spoke to him after that. She basically handled the other two men with her wit and charm. She always had a way with the male s*x. That was her gift. Leaving Connor to mull over the day's events, including what happened that night.

His thoughts drift off to the conversation he had with Steve earlier that day, as it is one of the reasons he acts cold towards Natasha. Steve was only reaching South Africa within the next week. He was busy in Stockholm, with the good doctor, for the seminar that is taking place in the coming week. Connor then realized that the mole might be Natasha. She does have all the resources. Steve also made it clear that he informed no one of his plans, confirming what Connor suspected.

Connor watches her as she spins her little web, causing Gabriel's men to swoon over her. Matthew forgot about Kristin after the second bottle of whiskey. His father, however, kept things pleasant, but Connor knew that Mr. Gabriels senior was not going to leave his son alone, after Kristin's little outburst.

Natasha only speaks to Connor on the drive back to the Radisson.

"Did you sleep with her?" Natasha asks.

"Who?" Connor asked, knowing full well who she was referring to.

"Chanel no. 5," she says with confidence.

"Does it matter?" He asks, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I know you can be an ass sometimes," she says through her teeth, adding, "but, my goodness, Connor! The woman is married! And that also to our potential mark!" Connor recalls telling Natasha he suspected Matthew of the latest bombing scenarios in Iraq. This happened before he called Steve.

"I didn't sleep with her," he says.

"Lair!" She screams at him. Connor pulls into a driveway and drives to the entrance of the hotel. He comes to an abrupt stop, making his tyres screech and turns to face her.

"I don't need to lie!" he says. He was fuming with anger. "You and I were never a permanent thing! We had s*x, and it was great, but I never once told you that we were exclusive! Now, get out!" Natasha looked at him with an expression he had never seen before. She looked shattered.

"Where are you going?" She asks him softly.

He silently faces the front.

"You are going to her, aren't you?" She says. Connor does not answer. A concierge opens the door and helps her out. Connor continued to face forward. He places the car in gear and drives off. Connor continuously tries to contact his sister but only gets her voicemail. He drives to Kristin's place first, in the hope he can talk to her. After barely locking the door of his car, Connor takes long strides up to the front door and rings the bell.

"Hi," Blake answers the door. "What are you doing here so late?" Connor then checks his watch. It was eleven fifty four.

"Why are you still up?" Connor asks him, noticing he's dressed in jeans and a jacket.

"Connor?" Gabriella called from inside. Connor frowns as Blake steps aside and Gabriella steps forward. She was also dressed in jeans and a jacket. "Is Kristin with you?"

Her words made his stomach drop.

"No!" He says. "I came here to talk to her! She's not home?"

"No," Gabriella said.

"Did she come home after?" Connor stops and glances at Blake, who looked very worried about his mother.

"Oh, no," Gabriella said, wiping her red eyes. It was obvious that she had been crying. "I mean yes! She came over to my place, about ten minutes after I got there."

"Then what happened?" Connor asks.

"We argued," Gabriella says and glances up at Blake. He just stood and listened, constantly checking his iPhone. "She stormed off, but when I arrived here, Blake said she was in a state and left after saying some odd phrases about my brother."

"What else did she say?" Connor asks, addressing the question to Blake. "Any small detail will help." Connor uses a calm voice to not get them too worked up.

"When she left she said she needed to think," Blake says, shaking his head. "I made her some tea, but then she took her car keys and drove off! I have no idea where she is!"

"I do," Connor says and turns around to leave.

"I am going with you!" Blake says and follows Connor.

"No, son!" He says, stopping the boy. "I promise I will bring her back in one piece. Look after your aunt, she needs you. Okay?" Blake looks at him for a while and then nods.

"Give me your phone," Blake says, and Connor does as he says. Blake punches his number onto the phone and passes it back to Connor. "Please, call me when you find her. My ma is not taking any of my calls." Connor pat's Blake on his back and watches the boy walk back into the house.

Connor drives crazy and reaches his spot, on Camps Bay, in less than an hour. The parking lot had more young couples, Connor notices as he makes his way to the beach. It was darker there, so he used the torch on his phone to guide him. He walks up to the familiar spot and finds her sitting on the rock, with a blanket covering her. They make eye contact and she stands up as he approaches. Her face was unreadable in the dark.

"What do you want from me?" She shouts at him. Connor stops halfway up the rocks. He stared back in silence. "I want to be alone! Please, just leave me alone!" He heard the desperation in her voice and she sat back down, sobbing. Connor takes this opportunity to move closer to her.

As he reaches her, he goes down on his knees in front of her as she continues to cry. Very gently he reaches for her. She looks up as he touches her. Her face filled with pain and tears. His heart went out to her, so he wiped her face with his naked hands. She just stared back at him as he cleaned all the tears and mucus from her face. His gaze becomes fixated on her kissable lips and he quickly leans in and kisses her. She at first did not kiss back, but as soon as he deepened his kiss, she placed her arms around his neck.

Connor slips his hands inside the blanket and around her midsection, happy to find that she was still wearing the red dress he admired her in earlier. His hands touched her bare back, loving the feel of her skin. She moans softly as he caresses her. Aroused by her reaction, Connor moves his kisses to her ear and then her neck. Very carefully, he coaxes her back onto the rock and places his body onto hers. He licks, nibbles and sucks her neck, making her whimper with pleasure. Her hands gripped his head. Connor gently slips down her dress from her shoulders and she pulls her arms out, exposing her beautiful bosom. With a groan, Connor captures a very erect n****e, teasing her relentlessly. Kristin gasps as he does this. He moves from one to the other, cupping them lovingly. Kristin arches her back with pleasure. When she begins to writhe beneath him, he pushes his arrousal up against her. Connor kisses her again before removing her dress completely. Then he swiftly moves down between her legs. He slips her panty aside and captures her very soaked core with his lips. Kristin gasps and reaches for his head. Connor laps up every drop of her nectar as she writhes beneath his lips. Kristin, soon, shudders with a scream, clutching desperately at his head and ears. Connor continues to drink her nectar and feels her go limp beneath him. She still moaned with pleasure when he kissed his way back up her body, stopping to tease the n*****s of her heaving breasts. She was breathless.

"You still taste good," he says with a gruff voice. He kisses her and she kisses him back. Still very much aroused, Connor strokes her intimately, getting her ready for his entrance. Like clockwork, she becomes aroused again. Connor frees himself and slips within her. A deep groan escaped his lips. Kristin clutches at him, offering herself to him willingly. He captures one of her n*****s with his lips as he starts a slow rhythm, moaning with each thrust. She felt so good around him that he almost lost control right there, but he arched his back with a deep groan and just held it. Kristin lifts herself up and captures one of his n*****s and licks it. Connor then grabs her tight, holding her in place and groans aloud as he quickens his rhythm, soon exploding within her. Kristin arches her back as he does this, and follows his lead. Connor drops onto her soft body and nestles in her neck, breathless. Kristin echoed his moans and breathing. His heart was pounding in his chest as he laid on her.

"I missed you," he says and lifts himself out and off her, to lay beside her. Connor glanced at her and watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed heavily. Her naked body was beautiful in the moonlight.