I nodded, thankful she was going to be all right and appeared to be letting me off the hook. With an apologetic hint of a smile, I stepped out of the room and inhaled a full, deep breath. Feeling a little lighter, I headed to the waiting room, but was stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of Jax leaning against the nurse’s desk.
His smooth charm was evident from across the hall—not to mention how easily he seemed to have put the on-duty nurse under his spell. Her blush was bright, her expression almost as awkward as the doughnut-shaped pillow in her hand.
“Let’s go—now!” I snapped through his laughter, storming over and snatching his arm. I tugged him toward the double doors that led to the outside.
Jax’s teasing was the playlist of the ride as he drove me back to the apartments to retrieve his car. He was driving a flashy black Porsche I’d never even known Logan owned. Ignoring him had turned out to be the best defense.
“Good luck, Buffy the Bitch Slayer,” he snickered as I climbed out. “I’d love to be there to watch you explain all this to my brother, but unfortunately I’ve got plans tonight.”
I glanced back. “Logan will believe me that it wasn’t on purpose. He knows me.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that. I just know that you’ll look hilarious, all nervous as you try to explain it.”
He had no idea what he was talking about. I could tell Logan without freaking out. It was Oliver I was worried about, and that was what had me wracked with anxiety.
My eyes narrowed to slits. “We’ll see. And you watched Buffy? A little before your time, wasn’t it kiddo?” I taunted.
Jax’s grin grew wider. “Ever heard of reruns? I grew up with a sister who watched anything with a so-called tough girl, and Buffy was smokin’ hot. Filled my spank bank with screen shots of that chick!”
I slammed the door, feeling how I always did when I left Jax: disgusted and irritated.
When I arrived back at Logan’s around seven, I still hadn’t found the right words to explain to Oliver what’d happened. The air was thick and sweet with the aroma of Italian food. I followed it to the kitchen, where Oliver sat at the table and Logan stood in front of the stove.
“There you are.” Logan turned around.
“Hi, Cassie!” Oliver called out, hard at work on a paper in front of him.
“How was your day?” Logan asked, pulling me into him.
“Good.”
His brows knit together at my hesitance. Yeah, I was nervous—embarrassingly so.
“Jax said you borrowed his car. I thought you’d have taken one of mine. They’re much safer. He always has his buddies working on his, and I don’t trust them.” Logan brought me in closer and placed his lips over mine for a quick kiss.
“Hopefully my car will be back soon,” I said, brushing our mouths together again. He smelled like home and everything else I loved.
“It will,” he murmured.
With my lips parted slightly, I stroked my tongue over his bottom lip before stepping out of his hold, earning me a wicked smirk at my tease.
With a smile, I walked over to Oliver, who was writing his numbers. I ruffled his soft curls as I sat beside him at the table.
“You have lovely handwriting,” I praised, watching his concentration on the number ‘8’.
“Thanks! Daddy says so too.”
I smiled over at Logan, who was busy at the stove once again but wearing a much larger grin than he’d had on when I walked in.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Logan said a few moments later as I watched Oliver focus on the number ‘9’. “Why don’t you go wash your hands, Oliver?”
“Not done yet.” Oliver drew an almost-perfect circle for the number ‘10’, then dropped his pencil. “I’ll be back. Don’t write on that, ’kay?” he said, pointing to his paper.
I held up my hands, smiling. “Promise.”
Once he was out of the room, I almost shrieked as Logan lifted me from my chair and backed me up until I hit the refrigerator. His mouth covered mine, ravishing it while his hands slid under my ass and yanked me upward. His tongue caressed my own while my legs wrapped around his waist, my ankles locking at his back.
As his lips trailed down my jaw and away from my lips, I panted, “I missed you, too.”
A growl was his only reply. His teeth seized my breast through the fabric of my shirt and lightly bit my nipple, which peaked at his demanding touch. Just as I became lost in my desire to have him right then and there, he dropped me to my feet abruptly and turned back to the stove. Oliver reentered not even a second later, rubbing his hands together.
“All clean!”
I stood there, struggling to catch my breath as Logan moved back over with a wicked smirk. “Excuse me, sweetheart. I need to get the milk.”
“Huh?”
A twinkle gleamed in his eye, and suddenly he was pulling me toward him—not for another go, but to gain access to the refrigerator.
“Oh, milk, right,” I said, composing myself.
He pulled it out and placed a kiss to my cheek. “You smell delicious. Promise me you’re mine the rest of the night,” he whispered.
“All yours,” I mouthed. The man had impeccable hearing. Maybe it was a parent thing.
Feeling giddy, I sat back at the table with Oliver. A few minutes later, Logan appeared with plates full of steaming-hot pasta and placed them in front of us. We ate together, enjoying each other too much for me to think of dampening the mood with details of my afternoon. I decided that as soon as Oliver went to bed, I’d tell Logan what happened with Natasha.
Despite multiple protests, I managed to load the dishwasher after dinner. The doorbell rang just as I finished, and my heart sank at the thought of Natasha showing up.
I stepped out of the kitchen to find Logan helping Oliver with his coat and Hilary and Caleb standing in front of the door.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you guys up to tonight?”
“Taking the little man out to see a movie,” Caleb explained. Logan shimmied Oliver’s hat down over his ears.
I stood staring at Hilary, willing her to look at me. It didn’t work.
“How’s Scout doing?” Caleb asked, glancing at Hilary then to me. It was obvious he knew something was up—especially given the sidelong glance he shot Logan. The tension in the foyer was thick, and there was no way they didn’t feel it.
“He’s in good hands with your brother,” I said, my voice monotone.
“Right.” Caleb and Logan exchanged another look.
“I’m ready!” Oliver squealed, rushing to the door.
Hilary followed him without a single word to me.
“Well, I guess we’ll see you in a couple hours.” Caleb looked at Logan, and I could’ve sworn the words he spoke didn’t match the silent discussion between them.
“No candy!” Logan’s voice boomed with warning.
“I know. We got this.” Caleb placed his hand on Hilary’s back. “We can handle a little tot, can’t we, baby?”
She paled, and I hoped I was the only one who noticed. She nodded her head in an awkward haste while pulling on an almost-painful smile. I wanted to run over and hug her, sit her and Caleb down, and force her to confess and tell him the truth. But instead, I watched as she opened the door and led Oliver outside in a rush.
“Have fun, you two.” Caleb threw me a wink then shut the door, leaving Logan and me alone in the house.
It was in that moment I realized we were really alone in his home for the first time all week—which meant Logan had plans for us. And I knew they’d be in his bedroom.
But first, I needed to tell him about Natasha.
He moved toward me with smooth, determined steps and took my hands. “Alone at last.”
“Lucky us.” I balanced up on my tiptoes to kiss him, but his head moved back.
My brows raised in surprise. Did he just dodge my kiss?
“First, you have a few things to tell me.”
Oh, crap.
“Logan, I was going to tell you the moment I got here. I just didn’t want to say anything in front of Oliver.”
He said nothing. He knew, and was waiting for my explanation, so I gave it. And Jax was right—I did look ridiculous.
My hands flew about as I rattled it all off. “I was helping her with boxes, but one was really heavy, and I—I tried to hold it, but then she said...well, she—she made a joke, and the box slipped.” My voice rose. “I swear it was an accident. I tried to grab it, but it was too late. She went down the stairs. But the doctor says she’ll be fine, that it’s just a bruise.”
I blew out a stream of breath. My shoulders deflated as I waited for him to speak.
It felt like eternity before his mouth twisted up. “I knew all that already. I was talking about what’s going on with you and Hilary.”
“Oh.” Double crap! “So you’re not mad at me?”
His finger trailed down my chest to my stomach. “It was an accident. Why would I be mad?”
How could he be so cool about it? “How did you find out?”
His lips pressed to my cheek and he whispered, “Nothing happens that I don’t know about. I’ve told you already.”
“Jax.” I sighed. Of course.
He took my hand and led me to the living room, where he sat on the sofa and pulled me onto his lap to straddle him. With both his hands sprawled against my back, he held me close, my breasts to his cheek.
“Actually, Natasha had given the hospital my information as her emergency contact.”
I wrenched back. “You were there?”
He shook his head, his face impossible to read. “No. I told them not to call me again and gave them Jax’s number.”
“And he told you what happened?”
“No. That I discovered from Caleb. Luke heard the commotion when the ambulance came, and one of his neighbors said he saw it happen.”
I wondered if that was when he asked Caleb to watch Oliver for a few hours—his reason to get me alone to hear my side of the story.
“Does Oliver know?”
One hand moved to my chin while the other pressed the small of my back as he drew me in and placed his lips over mine. The kiss was gentle and quick.
“No, and he won’t ever find out.”
I tugged away. “What? Either she’ll tell him, or he’ll see her like that.”
“She knows better. He will find out she fell and got hurt, but not that you had any part of it.”
“Logan—”
“Tell me, what did she say to you? What so-called joke was it?”
I squirmed in his lap, gnawing at my bottom lip as I muttered, “Your sex swing.”
“What?” His forehead creased.
“I asked why the box was so heavy, and she said it had your sex swing in it.” Mortified, I dropped my head against his chest, unable to look at him while I waited for his laughter.
But it never came. Instead, he lifted my chin, his eyes holding not a shred of amusement.
“You believed her?”
“No! I mean, I don’t know…it just shocked me,” I admitted.
“Well, a bruised ass was deserved then. So tell me, what else did you two discuss while you were there?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.” His voice lowered. “She’ll use you, Cassandra—your kindness. She’s not like you.”
“I’m not an idiot!”
“No, but it was foolish of you to let her talk you into helping her.”
Now I’m pissed. “She didn’t talk me into anything! I went to her and offered to help.”
His lip quirked up, but it wasn’t in a smile. “Don’t you get it? Natasha living in the same building as Luke, one of my closest friends’ brothers? Her happening to need help the same moment you were there? That’s not a coincidence.”
“You’re paranoid!” I attempted to move off his lap, but he locked his hands around my wrists.
“No, I see clearly what she’s trying to do, but I won’t allow it.”
“And what’s that?” I spat, angry that he’d think me meek enough to be controlled by her.
“She’s using you.”
“She can’t. I’m not blind, Logan, but I’m also not a bitch, and I won’t let her turn me into one. I’m sorry she hurt you, and it kills me that she walked out on Oliver, but I won’t treat her like trash. Oliver deserves better—and she deserves a chance to make it right with him.”
“What?” Logan pushed himself up to his feet, all but tossing me aside. “Deserves a chance?” His scowl was hard and set on me.
“She’s his mother. You can’t ever change that.”
“Maybe not, but I sure as hell won’t make it easy for her. If she really wants to prove herself, then she’ll do it by finding a job, accepting she and I are never going to be together, and spending time to get to know her son—not trying to manipulate the girl I love.”
I stepped into him and placed my hands on the scruff of his cheeks, forcing his sneer to soften.
“And I love you, and I love Oliver—more than I ever thought I could love anyone. You’re both…”
Words failed me. A soft sigh escaped as the depth of my emotions and our connection settled in. “You’re part of me, and I’ll never let anyone hurt either of you ever again. I’ll protect your son with my life. But for him, I’ll also try to understand his mother—try to give her a chance, because he deserves to have a mother in his life. Don’t punish him for her mistakes.”
Silence hung between us. He closed his eyes slowly as my hands slipped down and wrapped around him. He held me flush against him and buried his face in my hair.
“You really are an angel.”
“No, I’m just a woman in love. And nothing will change that.”
Chapter Fifteen
Frozen
Logan and I lay on the sofa, utterly satisfied. Our naked limbs were tangled together, bodies covered in sweat, clothes strewn across the room. His fingers stroked my hair, my back against his front. I was thankful for his oversized furniture that accommodated us perfectly.
“Before I forget, your car is parked safely in your driveway,” Logan said, surprising me.
I smiled to myself. “Thank you.”
We lay in silence a while longer before he spoke again.
“How was Scout?” he asked, kissing the shell of my ear.
“Good. He likes Julia,” I said in a tranquil whisper.
He tensed. “Julia? I thought Luke was watching him.”
I perked up at the subject at hand, remembering the inquiry Logan had coming and relieved he’d seemed to forget his own about Hilary. “He is, and Julia’s helping.”
“So their Valentine’s date went well, I take it.”
“She didn’t say anything to you?” That didn’t surprise me.
“Not a word, but she rarely does.” His hands added relaxing pressure to my scalp. “I wish she’d focus more on school than boys.”
I relished the massage, but needed to hold my wits. “He likes her—a lot.”
“What’s not to like? My sister’s a doll.”
Before I could say anything, he added with a snicker, “Most of the time.”
A smile curved my lips as I rolled onto my stomach. Half resting over him, I placed my chin in my hands, my elbows against his chest. “She told me about Larry.”
His hands stilled just as they found my back, and after a moment’s pause, he replied, “Our dog?”
“Of course. Is there another Larry?” I teased.
“I was a child, and I hardly remember half the stuff Lawrence goes on about. That’s the only reason Julia even knows about the so-called imaginary friend, which I’m sure she told you about given your tone.”
“I think it’s charming.” I traced my finger over his nipple.
“Liar.”
My giggle couldn’t be contained. “You had an imaginary friend! What’s not cute about that?”
“Can we change the subject, pleas
e?”
“No.” I dipped my head and ran my tongue over the ripples of his abs.
“You’re impossible.” He moaned as I continued my ministrations.
“And you are adorable. So what was he like?”
“I don’t remember, but our dog was awesome. He was a Great Dane, and terrified everyone that came by—kid or adult.”
I lay there enjoying the sound of his husky voice washing over me. The moment was too tender to disrupt it with a firing squad of questions about Mark and Julia, but my curiosity got the best of me.
“So did anything else happen today that I should know about?” Logan asked.
“Actually, your sister said something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Did she now?”
“What did you do to Mark?”
His carefree expression dropped. “Do?” He laughed, but it was humorless.
“You forced him to break up with her?” I knew he wouldn’t lie to me, but I was on edge with disappointment.
“No, I did nothing but help the guy.”
My eyes squinted in confusion. “And how did you do that?”
“I pulled a few strings and got him a job in his field that pays triple what he was making before and could lead to a lot of new doors opening for him in the future.”
That wasn’t what I was expecting.
“I don’t understand. Why would that—”
“The job is in Africa,” he added, looking bored.
“Oh.”
“So you can see why my sister wasn’t happy. But nobody forced him to accept the offer. He made his choice.”
“You dangled gold in his face. Of course he took it. Who wouldn’t?” I scooted down and sat at the end of the couch.
“I wouldn’t.” He sat up, gripping my shoulder and turning me to face him. “If given the choice between money and you, I’d choose you without a second thought.”
“Because you have money! Mark doesn’t. You can’t even compare the two. And you only did this because he hurt me. It had nothing to do with Julia.”
“Believe it or not, I’d rather be poor with you in my arms than the richest man alive without you.”
Damn it. How could I hold on to my anger when he said things like that?
He pressed his lips to my shoulder.