This chapter is rated M.

As Soo Ryeon walked down a corridor in the basement at Korea University, she distractedly wondered why it was so dark and deserted—the campus was usually buzzing with activity. That thought was immediately pushed from her mind when she suddenly heard a baby crying. She paused, trying to determine where the sound was coming from, and then strode decisively toward the door to a lab. An odd sense of déjà vu gripped her… Why did that lab seem so familiar to her? The Bioscience lab in which she and Dr. Lim taught was upstairs. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been in the basement… Hazy memories tugged at the corner of her mind, but she couldn't make sense of them. She pushed them aside and quickened her pace as the baby let out another loud wail. She opened the door and immediately spotted the baby in a basket on one of the lab tables. Frowning, she scanned the room and saw that no one was there. 'Who would leave a baby alone down here?' she wondered.

Soo Ryeon leaned over the basket to get a closer look. The baby's face was red, its eyes squeezed tightly shut as it cried. It looked to be only a few weeks old. Sliding her hands under its warm body, she lifted the baby into her arms, rocking it gently to soothe it. The baby began to calm, and Soo Ryeon's breath caught in her throat when its eyelids slid open to reveal the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. 'No,' she corrected herself, 'I have seen them before… they're just like…' More foggy memories struggled to form in her mind, but she forced her focus back to the baby in her arms.

Suddenly, a terrible fear gripped her. It felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. She could see no enemy, but an ominous dark presence seemed to approach her from the back of the lab. Terrified, she gripped the baby against her body and rushed back into the dark hallway. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, her frantic cries blending with the those of the frightened child in her arms. If she could just get upstairs and away from… She stumbled, her knees cracking painfully on the tiled floor as she fell awkwardly to protect the baby. Pushing aside the pain, she tried to push back to her feet, but suddenly the dark presence was upon her. Her throat tightened. She tried to scream, but there was no air…

Soo Ryeon was jolted from her sleep, sitting up in bed as she struggled to breathe. Her lungs burned, and her hands clutched her throat. Logan was by her side in an instant, pulling her fingers away from her neck.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked urgently, lifting her chin to see the fear in her eyes. He recognized the all-too-familiar signs of her haunting nightmare, a lingering effect of the attack she'd survived more than a year before. Her nightmares had grown much less frequent as time had passed, but were no less terrifying for her when they did occur. His arm circled her back, pulling her closer to him, and he rocked her gently. "It's okay, sweetheart, you're safe. It was just a dream."

As the fog began to clear from her mind, she pulled air into her lungs, relieved to feel the tightness in her throat diminishing. Logan watched her closely, rubbing her back as she calmed. She was shaking, and as the memories of her dream washed over her, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Tears trailed down her cheeks, and Logan wiped them away with his fingertips. She turned her body to snuggle more closely against her husband's chest and struggled to calm her racing thoughts.

"Can you tell me about it, Soo Ryeon?" he asked gently. Her psychiatrist had encouraged her to talk about her thoughts and feelings when she was upset. Keeping them to herself in the wake of her ordeal, in an attempt to protect Logan, had nearly broken her. She shook her head. "Come on, sweetheart. Dr. Kim said it's important to get it out in the open."

"It was the same dream, Logan," she replied impatiently. "You've heard it all before."

He tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "You haven't been this scared by a nightmare in at least six months. What are you not telling me? What's different?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she told him flatly.

His expression turned stern. "Soo Ryeon…"

"Fine," she answered roughly. "This time there was a baby. It was crying, and there was nobody else around, so I picked it up, and then… then I… he was there, and I got scared and ran."

"Then what happened?" he asked quietly.

"I was almost to the stairwell, and I fell, and I couldn't get away fast enough…" She trailed off with a whimper, and Logan pulled her into a comforting embrace and laid back down with her.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he repeated, kissing the tears from her cheeks. "I'm here with you, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. You're safe—I'll take care of you, I promise. You don't have to be afraid. I love you, baby." He was reciting the same comforting phrases he'd used again and again in situations like this, but it didn't diminish their truth. He meant every word he said.

She calmed as she laid in his arms, absently tracing her fingers along the lines of his chest. Logan slid his hand under her hair to massage her neck, smiling against her forehead as he felt her body relax. Long after her hand stilled and her breathing indicated that she was asleep, he held her close to his body. He'd promised to take care of her, and he intended to do just that.

...~«ώ»~...

When Soo Ryeon awoke the next morning, she was surprised to find that Logan was not beside her in bed. The bathroom was unoccupied, but his duffel bag was still on the dresser, indicating that he hadn't yet left for work. Maybe he went for a run, she considered. Logan took pride in his fit physique, and often met up with Yoon Cheol before or after work to lift weights, run, or play basketball in the hospital's gym.

The mystery was solved when she heard the rattle of dishes just before he pushed the bedroom door open. She gasped when she saw the breakfast tray he'd made for her, complete with strawberries, heart-shaped waffles, whipped cream, and a red rose in a bud vase.

"Oh, Logan," she exclaimed. "How thoughtful!"

Grinning impishly, he settled the tray over her lap before circling the bed to sit beside her. "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart," he murmured, leaning over to collect a kiss.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you," she gushed. "Thank you… this is so nice."

"Anything for my favorite girl," he answered with a wink. He paused to study her as she ate. "How did you sleep?" he asked carefully.

"Fine," she answered quietly. "No more dreams." Her eyes dropped as she pretended to concentrate on cutting her waffle.

"Good," he nodded. He glanced at his watch regretfully. "I wish I could stay with you while you eat, but I need to get to work. What time are you done at school today?"

"4:00," she supplied. "What about you?"

"6:00," he replied as he leaned in to kiss her goodbye. "I'll miss you today," he admitted huskily.

She smiled seductively. "I'll miss you too, but I'll definitely be thinking about the evening I have planned for you."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," he growled, leaning back in for another kiss.

She halted his advance with a finger to his lips. "No more for now," she told him. "But I'll have plenty waiting for you when you get home tonight. The anticipation will help you get through the day."

...~«ώ»~...

As it turned out, the "anticipation" that Soo Ryeon had teased him about was extremely distracting to Logan, making the day drag on endlessly. He knew she'd purposely left him wanting more, and by midmorning, he was ready to explode with pent-up longing. Two can play at this game, he thought wickedly. Pulling out his phone, he typed in a message:

Thinking about what I want to do to you tonight…

He hit the Send button and waited a few minutes, smiling as he pictured her cheeks reddening when she opened his message. Then his phone buzzed with a new message:

I hope it involves chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream… I'm starving!

Logan chuckled before writing another message:

Don't worry, I'll make sure ALL your needs are satisfied. Multiple times.

"Hey, Logan, what's up?" Logan jumped slightly and looked up to see Yoon Cheol approaching.

"Nothing much, how about you?" Logan returned, feeling his face warm that Yoon Cheol had nearly caught him sending intimate texts to Soo Ryeon.

"Valentine's Day, what can I say?" Yoon Cheol shrugged as the two walked toward the cafeteria. "Jilted lovers, depressed singles, toddlers who ate too much of mommy's chocolate… crazy morning in the ER."

Logan nodded sympathetically. He'd been working in a different part of the hospital that morning, but he'd worked enough holidays in the ER to know how they brought out the craziness in people. "Have you made big plans with the little woman tonight?" Logan asked.

Yoon Cheol shrugged. "It's harder when Valentine's Day is in the middle of the week and we both have to work the next day. But we have a dinner reservation, and I'm sure we'll find something to do when we get home." He grinned cockily. "What about you?"

"I have no idea," Logan confessed. "It's Soo Ryeon's turn to plan the date this year."

"You guys are still doing that?" Yoon Cheol marveled. After one disastrous Valentine's Day in college when Logan and Soo Ryeon had made conflicting plans and ended up in an argument, they'd decided to alternate date-planning on romantic holidays and anniversaries. Yoon Cheol remembered that night well—he'd left his own date early to comfort his distraught roommate.

"Yeah," Logan answered. "The mystery definitely adds some spice to the mix."

Yoon Cheol snorted as they walked into the hospital cafeteria. "Like you and Soo Ryeon need any more spice in your relationship. After all this time, you still can't keep your hands off her, man."

Logan's face split into a wide grin. "Can you blame me? I'm married to the most gorgeous woman in the world."

"Good point," Yoon Cheol replied good-naturedly, slapping his friend on the back.

Logan felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and eagerly pulled it out to check the message from Soo Ryeon:

I'm in a faculty meeting and you're making it really hard to concentrate.

He laughed out loud, imagining her embarrassment at having a conversation like theirs in the presence of her colleagues. He quickly typed another message:

You're making ME really hard…

He and Yoon Cheol purchased their lunches and found Yoon Hee in the crowded room, dressed in her trademark pink scrubs. Soo Ryeon's return message came as they sat down with their food. He nearly dropped his phone when he read the words she'd written:

Can't wait to feel how hard you are inside me…

Damn. It was the last thing he expected from his usually shy, reserved wife. He choked on the bite he was chewing, coughing as Yoon Cheol and Yoon Hee looked at him curiously.

"You okay, dude?" Yoon Cheol asked.

"Yeah," Logan forced out, swallowing hard. "Just went down wrong."

"It's because you guys inhale your food," Yoon Hee deduced. "If I ate that fast, I would be out of commission for the rest of the afternoon."

Yoon Cheol leaned forward with a wicked grin. "Does that mean they'd let you off work early? I'd be glad to take you home and nurse you back to health."

"How noble of you," she teased, patting his hand. "All in good time, my love."

They gazed adoringly into one another's eyes and murmured to each other, and Logan seized the opportunity to type a new message to Soo Ryeon:

Going crazy thinking about you. Are your panties wet?

Logan squeezed his eyes shut as he pressed Send. He'd started this texting game, and now he was beginning to regret it. He was so turned on by her sexy messages that the idea of waiting all afternoon to see and touch her made him want to drop his head into his hands and cry. He forced himself to refocus his attention on the couple in front of him, but that resolution only lasted until his phone vibrated once more. His hands shook as he eased it out of his lab coat and thumbed the key to open the message. A groan rumbled from his throat as he read her words:

Panties? What panties?

"I've gotta go," he croaked as he pushed away from the table, thankful for the loose fit of his scrub pants. He wasn't sure there was enough cold water in the hospital to help him now.

...~«ώ»~...

Across town, Soo Ryeon was feeling equally hot and bothered in the faculty dining room. She ached to see Logan, feel him, wrap her fingers around his…

"Soo Ryeon?" Dr. Lim's gentle voice pierced through the haze of her thoughts, and her face turned crimson as she realized what she'd been thinking about while sitting at a table with her colleagues.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she timidly asked the older man. He laughed.

"My goodness, what could you possibly have been thinking about, dear?" he teased. "Or shall I say, 'who'?"

"Um, I was… uh… thinking about my notes for class this afternoon," Soo Ryeon stammered.

"Soo Ryeon, I've observed your class a number of times, and I've never seen you get that red over a law lecture," Dr. Hwang Mi Ra grinned from across the table. She leaned back and tapped her fingers together as if she was about to cross-examine a witness. When Dr. Lim had been unable to finish his term as Soo Ryeon's mentor the previous year, he'd hand-picked Dr. Hwang to take over the job, and the three of them had developed an easy camaraderie.

"I think someone's been shot with Cupid's arrow," Dr. Lim observed with a chuckle. "And there's only one man I know that can have that effect on her."

Soo Ryeon laughed along with them, knowing it was pointless to deny it.

Dr. Hwang covered Soo Ryeon's hand with her own. "We're just having a little fun with you. I think it's wonderful that you have that kind of love in your life. You're very lucky, you know."

Soo Ryeon nodded seriously. "I do know," she told her companions. "He's an amazing man, and I still pinch myself sometimes that he chose me." The collar of her blouse suddenly felt rather tight, and it seemed like the temperature in the room had zoomed up by twenty degrees. "I… uh… think I'm going to go get ready for my lecture. Have a good afternoon." She excused herself and hustled toward the exit, missing the knowing glance her colleagues shared in her wake.

...~«ώ»~...

Logan walked into the hospital locker room at the end of his shift, sighing with relief that the interminable day was finally over. The afternoon had been torturous, and the lack of texts from Soo Ryeon told him that their sexy play had gotten to her as well. He stripped off his scrubs and took a quick shower, then pulled on dark trousers and a white dress shirt. He slipped on his dress shoes and knotted his tie. He didn't know where they were going that night, but he'd decided that he would rather be overdressed than underdressed.

"Whoa, lookin' good, Lee." Logan turned to see Coo Min Hwan at the locker room door. "Getting ready for a hot night between the sheets with the missus?"

Logan sighed. "I've told you before, Coo Min Hwan, what I do with my wife is none of your concern."

"One thing I've always wondered," Coo Min Hwan pushed on, undeterred. "Is she a screamer? I read somewhere that shy, quiet women can get pretty wild in the sack."

Logan took several steps towards his colleague, his eyes narrowed and his voice low. "I can't decide whether your perverted interest in my wife is caused by jealousy or your inane need to wind me up. It takes a lot to rattle me, Coo Min Hwan. Surely you've figured that out by now. And if you're jealous, well, you have reason to be. My wife is beautiful and smart and sexy, and she's in my bed every night. That's not going to change anytime soon, so take my advice and back off."

Logan held the other man's gaze for a few moments before turning on his heel to collect his things. Slamming his locker closed, he checked his phone and saw a new message from Soo Ryeon. Instead of the racy message he half-expected, her text was brief and businesslike:

221 Iteawon-ro.

He grinned, wondering what she had in store for their evening, and made a beeline for the hospital parking garage, typing as he walked:

On my way.

...~«ώ»~...

Soo Ryeon read Logan's message and flipped her phone shut. Then she picked up the hotel phone and instructed the room service waiter to bring up their meals. She ran nervous hands over the sheer halter babydoll she wore. It was rich purple, lavished with delicate embroidery and beading that formed a band just below her breasts, interrupting the deep plunge of the neckline. More embellishments adorned the narrow straps that tied behind her neck, and the flowing overlay of the skirt just barely covered her matching panties. Feeling self-conscious, she'd thrown on a black silk robe over it, at least for the time being.

She wasn't usually quite so self-indulgent, buying expensive lingerie and booking a suite at the Imperial Palace Boutique hotel, but she reminded herself that this was for Logan, and considering the incredible dates he'd planned for her, he most certainly deserved this and much more. Besides, they were trying to get pregnant, and mixing things up once in awhile was good for both of them. A soft knock on the door signaled the arrival of the room service cart, and the waiter dutifully unloaded the dome-covered dishes onto the table in front of the picture window that looked over downtown Seoul. The food smelled good, and Soo Ryeon's stomach growled. I hope he gets here soon, she thought.

...~«ώ»~...

Logan had no trouble finding the address that Soo Ryeon had sent him, but he frowned when he walked into the ornately decorated lobby and didn't see her there. He made his way to the front desk and waited for the clerk there to finish a phone call. As he waited, he continued to scan the lobby, wondering if perhaps he'd missed seeing his wife on his initial sweep.

"Can I help you, sir?" the woman behind the desk finally asked as she hung up the phone.

"Yes, I'm looking for my wife," he explained. "She told me to meet her here, but I don't see her…"

"What is your wife's name?" she asked patiently.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's Soo Ryeon Shim," he answered.

She smiled and handed him an envelope. He slid his finger under the flap to break the seal, and found a keycard. "Enjoy your stay, Dr. Lee," she told him with a wink.

"My stay?" he questioned before he realized what Soo Ryeon had planned. His grin could've lit up the entire lobby. "Oh, I most certainly will."

...~«ώ»~...

Soo Ryeon was staring out at the Seoul skyline when she heard the door click softly behind her. She turned to look and nearly lost her breath at the sight of the handsome man in the entry. Across the room, Logan was having an equally difficult time breathing as he took in how little his wife was wearing.

"Soo Ryeon," he started. "You look… wow. Somehow I have a feeling we're staying in this evening."

"Is that all right?" she asked, suddenly afraid he was disappointed. "We could go out if you'd rather…"

He crossed the room in a handful of strides, and gripped her upper arms firmly. "No," he insisted, his voice intense. "I've been aching for you all day. You have no idea… I've wanted you every damn second we were apart."

She rose on tiptoe, aligning her hips with the straining bulge in his trousers. He groaned, his hand moving to the small of her back to hold her in place. She touched his face. "I do have an idea, Logan, because today was torture for me too. I can't wait to be with you tonight." She teased him with a light kiss before turning back toward the table. "But first, I ordered room service…"

She didn't even finish the sentence before his body was pressing into her back, pinning her against the table. His breath was hot in her ear, and his touch burned her skin through the fabric of her robe. "If I don't have you right now, I'm going to explode." His teeth nipped at the shell of her ear. "Drop the robe."

Soo Ryeon's mouth dropped in surprise, but she grinned mischievously as she decided not to cede control yet. She rubbed her backside against his erection. "Make me," she purred.

Logan chuckled lowly. "Are you challenging me?"

She turned in his arms, lacing her fingers behind his neck. "Sounds like it," she answered. "Are you up for the challenge, big boy?"

"Hell, yeah," he growled, dropping his hands to her hips and lifting her effortlessly onto the table behind her. He pushed the robe off her shoulders and buried his face in her neck, nipping at her skin as she freed her arms from the sleeves. Straightening, he took a step back to drink in the beautiful sight of her barely-concealed curves. "Damn," he sighed. "Sweetheart, you look…" He struggled to find words to adequately describe her beauty, but then gave up, cupped her face, and kissed her hard.

She returned his fiery passion, scooting forward to the edge of the table to wrap her legs around his hips and align them intimately. His hands slid under her backside and he lifted her, never breaking their kiss as he carried her to the bed and laid her down gently. He separated long enough to strip down to his silk boxers, and then he lowered his body onto hers.

"Logan," she whimpered into his mouth as one of his hands slid down to fondle her breast. His erection ground relentlessly against her panties, and she lifted her hips to increase the pressure. "I need you."

"You have me," he whispered. His lips separated from hers and began a sweetly torturous path down her body. He untied her halter to free her breasts, and spent time licking and sucking each one, teasing her nipples into hard points. Then he continued down her stomach, pausing to suck her navel before slipping lower. His thumbs hooked the sides of her panties and pulled them down her legs and off, and his eyes locked on hers as his lips trailed slowly back up her legs. He held her gaze as his tongue dipped into her silky heat, and her hips came off the mattress as she cried out in blissful agony.

"Relax, baby, let it happen," he hummed against her. She was so wet with arousal that he knew she was not far from her peak, and when his lips settled over her clit and sucked her, she tumbled over the edge. He felt the waves of her orgasm ripple against his mouth as she plunged her fingers into his hair, holding him against her. Gradually her cries became whimpers, and he slid back up her body to hold her as she relaxed.

"That was unbelievable," Soo Ryeon finally murmured. "But I'm supposed to be in charge here, not you."

With a soft laugh Logan released her and flopped on his back. "Fine, then. I surrender to the whims of my lover."

Wasting no time, she shimmied down his body and released his shaft from the confines of his boxers. She stroked him languidly for a few minutes, teasing him as he'd done to her. He covered his eyes with his arm, getting lost in her erotic touch. When she paused, however, he sensed what she was about to do and lowered a hand to halt her.

"Stop, sweetie," he forced out. She looked up at him, confused. "I love what you're doing to me right now, but if your mouth touches me, I'll be gone, and I don't want that. Not yet. I need to be inside you."

Nodding, she slid off his boxers and lifted off the remainder of her lingerie before straddling him, aligning herself, and sinking down onto his penis. He groaned as her inner walls gripped him, and squeezed his eyes shut as she began to circle her hips and slide up and down on him. When she leaned forward, resting her hands on his chest, he seized them and pulled her down, wrapping his arms around her to hold her to him. He thrust powerfully up into her, and she cupped his face and kissed him.

"I love you so much," he murmured.

"I love you," she answered softly.

Without warning he slowed his thrusts and pushed at her hips, signaling his desire to change positions. She lifted off of him and laid down on her side, curving her body into his as he spooned her from behind. His hands held her hips as he eased back into her, and then drifted up to secure her back against his chest. She twisted her head around to kiss him, and he willingly obliged, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. As his thrusts deepened and intensified, his hand drifted down to her abdomen and he held her against his hips, increasing the depth of his penetration.

"Yes, yes," she panted. "Logan, oh…"

Feeling his peak approaching, he rolled her onto her stomach without separating their bodies. He slid his hands up her arms and linked his fingers with hers and made love to her from behind. She purred and pressed back into him, eager to please. The slide of his thick penis in her body, the beat of his heart on her back, the speed with which her own excitement built again and surged to equal his all threatened to collide in a peak of wonder when he suddenly withdrew and turned her onto her back.

"I want to see you," he groaned, weaving his hands into her hair, holding her face still. She welcomed him into her body again, looking up into his eyes. She rose to meet each thrust, feeling her climax rushing upon her, wanting it so desperately. Her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation, but Logan's soft voice pulled her back from the edge.

"Soo Ryeon, I don't want you to close your eyes. I want you to look at me while I'm making love to you. I want to see the moment when you realize there's no turning back, that I'm going to take you over the edge and put my baby inside you to love and nurture."

She nodded mutely, unable to form words as tears burned the backs of her eyes. He lowered himself completely onto her body, holding her hands as his face hovered just above hers. They panted, too breathless to kiss. His hips circled, preparing for the end, and then he drew back and plunged into her hard. Her eyes widened and she whimpered helplessly as her orgasm shook her whole body.

Three more powerful thrusts, and Logan shouted as he spilled himself into her. She clung to him, kissed his hot throat, savored his smell and the salty taste of his damp skin. She was completely at his mercy, but she didn't feel crushed or smothered. She felt safe and completely loved.

"Soo Ryeon," he whispered, clutching her tightly, his body still shuddering from the force of his release. He held her and kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, and her lips as his penis softened inside her. Finally, her eased off of her and pulled her into his arms.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Logan," she murmured sleepily into his chest.

He laughed softly and kissed her hair. "Close your eyes and rest, sweetheart. I intend to keep you up very late tonight, until I've thoroughly ravished you. The only dreams you'll have will be of me, of us, of the baby we may have just conceived."

"Mmm," she hummed, thoroughly satisfied and pleasantly sore. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," he answered.

"Dr. Lim said I'd been shot with Cupid's arrow," she told him randomly.

He laughed again. "I have been, that's for sure." He nuzzled his face into her neck and kissed her once more. "Straight through the heart. Bullseye."