Bidder - An Auctioned to the Billionaire Romance (Criminal Passions Book 2)

by Layla Valentine

  If she remembered correctly… aha! Her fingers brushed against the condom wrapper, which she pulled from the bag with victorious flare.

  Back with Logan, she ripped the wrapper open, but instead of putting the condom on him right away, she lowered her head and took the tip of his length into her mouth. He moaned as the first inch slid between her lips. Hearing him satisfied had the muscles between her legs clenching with longing.

  Wrapping a hand around his girth, she took her time bobbing and sucking. His fingers found her hair, where they kneaded and twisted strands.

  “Terri,” he gasped. “I need you now.”

  She didn’t need to be told twice. Sitting up straight, she rolled the condom onto him. Their hands linked together, she nestled her hips against his. He slid into her perfectly, his girth stretching her.

  Hands and hearts intertwined, she rocked against him, riding the waves of passion. They moved as one, in perfect rhythm. It was as if they’d been made to be in each other’s’ arms.

  Another orgasm built with blinding force, bursting through Terri almost as fast as it started. Logan’s breath quickened, his muscles tensing. He drew her close, their lips locked as they exploded together.

  She collapsed against his torso, cheek pressed to chest, and gathered her breath. Logan’s arms went around her, a comforting cocoon.

  They stayed like that for a long time, listening to the distant sounds of traffic, birds singing in the backyard, and the music their breathing created.

  Everything was perfect. So perfect, all Terri could do was laugh.

  “What gave you the giggles?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry.” Still laughing, she sat up and covered her mouth with her hands.

  Grinning, Logan rolled onto his side and propped his head in a hand. “Well? Are you going to tell me what’s up?” He made a face. “Don’t tell me it was that bad.”

  “Stop.” She playfully swatted his shoulder. “It was amazing, and I think you know that.”

  “Okay. So don’t keep me in suspense any longer. Tell me what you’re laughing at.”

  “All of this.” She waved her hand around them. “Life. How you think your path is going in one direction, and then all of a sudden you blink and it’s headed somewhere else.”

  “A good somewhere else?”

  “A wonderful somewhere else.”

  She reached for him, but he was one step ahead. Taking her by the hand, he drew her down into his arms. Terri closed her eyes, snuggling her head in the spot below Logan’s chin.

  “I want you to be happy.” He kissed the top of her head.

  She drew out of the embrace just enough to look at him. “I am happy.”

  “But whatever else it is you need or want, let me know. Okay?”

  She traced her fingers along his lip. “I want you.”

  “But that’s not all.”

  “I want to see Bryce brought to justice. To see a real dent taken in the human trafficking industry. To… I don’t know.” She shook her head. “To do something more.”

  “And you’ll do it.” He gazed at her with fire in his eyes.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  He didn’t so much as blink. “I knew from the moment I saw you how determined you are. You don’t stop until you get what you want.”

  “Yeah?” she whispered.

  “Yeah.” He brushed hair from her face. “Lucky me, I get to be with a girl that passionate.”

  “Oh, I can be way more passionate than you think.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep.”

  She jumped back on top of him, but he was quick. A heartbeat later, she found herself on her back, Logan pinning her to the bed.

  “Gotcha.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek.

  Chapter 27

  Logan

  “Hold on.” Terri reached over and adjusted Logan’s silk tie. “There. It was a little crooked.”

  “Thank you.” He smoothed the front of his suit jacket. “How do I look?”

  “I might be a little biased, but good enough to eat.”

  “Oh, really?” he growled, pulling her close to him.

  “Stop.” Terri giggled. “We’re about to go out front. You have a ribbon to cut, remember?”

  “I haven’t forgotten.” He looked out the window of the three-story building, at the crowd and journalists lining the icy sidewalk.

  The Morning Light Center for Survivors of Trafficking had come together in almost no time at all. Its creation seemed meant to be. After a couple days of discussion following their return from Zurich, Terri had mentioned her desire to help women right away.

  And so, they’d found this building, newly vacated after a clothing store and computer offices above it had closed down. Their vision was a simple but powerful one: provide resources and emergency housing for women fleeing human trafficking.

  “I can’t believe we’re here.” Terri gulped.

  He squeezed her hand. “Thanks to you.”

  “Thanks to you,” she corrected.

  He smirked. “How about we agree that it’s the result of a team effort?”

  “Miss Lane, Mr. Denton.” Jay, one of Logan’s assistants, appeared clutching his tablet and phone. “They’re ready for you.”

  “Let’s do this.” Logan squeezed Terri’s hand one more time, and together they walked through the doors and to the temporary podium between the building and a big blue ribbon tied to two trees.

  The crowd clapped and whistled at their approach, and Terri ducked her head.

  “They love you,” she murmured.

  “No.” He pressed his hand to the small of her back. “It’s you they’re here to see.”

  She made a face at him like she didn’t buy that, but he knew otherwise.

  Bryce’s arrest and impending trial had quickly become big news, with Terri’s identity and role in the drama impossible to hide. Though she’d shied away from interviews and appearances, choosing to focus on opening their nonprofit, the world hadn’t forgotten about her.

  They stepped up to the podium, where Terri delicately cleared her throat. The crowd fell silent, the only sounds being from the few cars rolling by on the quiet street.

  “Thank you for being here today,” Terri began. “It’s an honor to stand in front of you. Especially considering this dream has come to fruition in less than a year.”

  She paused and glanced at Logan.

  “I could go on and on, but I think keeping things succinct is best. As you might know, the intention of Morning Light is close to my heart for personal reasons. Its birth is a dream come true, and it’s all thanks to this man right here.”

  Her gaze cut to Logan, and there was a saucy whistle from somewhere in the crowd.

  “And all of you.” She spread her hands at the people assembled in front of them. “Your support has meant so much to me. It’s made me feel less alone and strong. It’s my sincere wish that Morning Light will give to women what you have given to me: hope that things can get better. Thank you.”

  The crowd erupted in cheers. Logan’s turn to speak arrived, and he offered up some thanks to the city and compliments aimed at Terri. Really, though, his little speech was nothing compared to hers. He’d long ago figured out that she was the star. Good thing he was more than happy to stand at the edge of her spotlight.

  The talking part over, they answered a few questions from journalists, cut the ribbon together, and shook hands. Terri smiled the whole way through, genuinely seeming to love the experience.

  A familiar head winding through the crowd caught Logan’s attention, and he waved at Charlie.

  “Hey,” Charlie puffed. He sounded like he’d jogged there—which was no surprise. The man was constantly rushing from one appointment to the other.

  “Hi. We’re almost done here.”

  They had plans to go out for a drink after the ribbon cutting, and for more than one reason.

  That same week, after a lengthy trial, Bryce had been sentenced
to the rest of his life in prison. His two co-owners of the ring, one Vietnamese businessman and one media mogul from France, had met similar fates. The trials had been covered the world over, making it into the news every week for the last six months.

  “She looks like she’s in no rush.” Charlie nodded at his sister.

  She kept on shaking hands and talking, but once she caught sight of Charlie she politely excused herself from the conversation and made her way over to him and Logan.

  “How long have you been here for?” she asked.

  “Er…” Charlie rubbed the back of his neck.

  “It’s okay. I know you came as soon as you could.”

  “I promise I’ll watch the whole video later.”

  “No need.” Logan draped his arm around Terri’s shoulders. “Turn on any station and you’ll see Terri on the news. People love her.”

  At that, she blushed and rolled her eyes. “Let’s get that drink.”

  The crowd had already started to disperse, so it wasn’t rude for them to take the opportunity to leave as well. Logan’s driver waited with the car idling, and the three of them piled into the backseat.

  “Where to?” Charlie asked.

  Logan and Terri looked at each other and shrugged.

  “Anywhere,” Terri said.

  “Yeah, wherever is fine,” Logan added.

  Charlie made a face. “You guys seriously don’t have a preference? What, you never go out?”

  Logan caught Terri’s eye. To hide her grin, she covered her mouth with her palm. Meanwhile, he wondered just how inappropriate it would be to touch her knee in front of Charlie.

  “We don’t go out much,” Logan said.

  There was a long pause, and then Charlie groaned. “You two. Ugh. I don’t need to know any more.”

  “We didn’t say anything,” Terri protested.

  “I can read between the lines.” He shook his head and shuddered. “We’ll go to this new gastropub that’s supposedly a hit.”

  “Okay.” Logan settled with keeping his arm around Terri’s waist. The knee grab was probably a bad idea.

  If he stopped to think about it, he could probably count on his hands the number of times they’d gone out to restaurants and bars the last half year. In addition to his regular work, they’d been busy opening Morning Light, but it wasn’t only that. After long days spent out, either apart or together, all they usually wanted was to enjoy each other’s’ company.

  Primarily naked.

  As it turned out, after getting back from Zurich, Terri had never truly gone home. They’d stopped in there to pack up her things once her lease expired a couple months later, and that had been that. She lived with Logan, exactly where she belonged.

  “There it is,” Charlie said after directing the driver back into the heart of the city.

  They climbed from the car and walked between the snow drifts on the street. The long shadows that had marked the ground when they’d finished the ribbon cutting had given way to full night and the cold sliced through Logan’s jacket.

  Inside the pub, though, it was the opposite. Warm, bright, and welcoming. They took a seat at a wooden table in the back, shrugged out of their coats, and sighed with pleasure at making it to such a cozy spot.

  “Drafts?” From his booth, Charlie picked up the beer menu. “We need to have drafts at a place like this. Problem is, there are about fifty choices, and none of them I recognize.”

  “Uh-oh,” Terri teased. “This place is too fancy for him.”

  He stuck his tongue out at her. “No, it’s not.”

  Logan chuckled. “Has anyone ever told you two it’s like you’re kids when you get together?”

  “Only Mom and Dad,” Terri said. “And just all the time.”

  With the privacy of the table now on his side, Logan squeezed Terri’s knee. In response, she shimmied even closer to him.

  Months together and he swore he was more into her every day.

  A waitress arrived and took their drink order, glancing at Terri more times than was necessary. Even as she walked to place the orders at the bar, Logan saw her shoot a look back at their table.

  “You’re that girl who got away from the traffickers,” the waitress said when she returned and put the pints down.

  Terri’s mouth dropped. “Oh. Yeah. I am.”

  It wasn’t the first time she’d been recognized, but every time it happened she was genuinely shocked.

  “Wow.” The waitress pressed her hand to her heart and blinked back tears. “Your story is so inspiring. My mom sent me that article about you.”

  “Really?” Terri blushed. “I didn’t do anything special by—”

  “But you did,” the waitress interrupted. “It’s a hard thing to talk about, much less be, like, a face for, you know? And you’re doing it. You’re doing it for every woman.”

  Terri’s eyes had turned misty, too. “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you, doll. Now, tell me what I can get you all for dinner.”

  “That still feels so weird,” Terri said once the waitress had left.

  “Get used to it.” Charlie’s face shone with pride. “You’re a hero.”

  “Me? What about you guys?”

  “Eh.” He lifted a shoulder.

  “I guess we helped a little,” Logan added.

  “Oh, stop it,” she said on an eye roll. “None of this would have happened without the two of you. Speaking of which…”

  “Uh-huh?” Charlie raised his eyebrows.

  “Now that I have the two of you together, there’s something I’d like to share.” She wrapped her hands around her pint glass, milking the moment of all the suspense it could give.

  “What?” Logan shifted to face her more directly.

  “You both know that it’s really important to me to have a direct path in life, to feel like I’m making a difference.”

  Logan nodded. The center they’d just opened was supposed to provide all of that for her. It twisted his heart to think that perhaps it didn’t, but if she needed something more than he understood, he’d get that. Not only that, he would do everything possible to help her achieve her goals.

  Terri’s cherry-red lips turned into a smile. “Okay, so I’ve spent a long time really sitting on it, and… I’m applying to law school. I want to be a human rights lawyer.”

  “What?” Logan cried with such force that the people in the next booth looked over.

  “Awesome.” Charlie slapped the table.

  “That’s so cool, babe.” Logan wrapped her in his arms and kissed the side of her head.

  “Thanks, guys, but I haven’t gotten into school yet.”

  “You’ll get in,” Charlie said with complete assurance. “Even if you didn’t have a bachelor’s in paralegal studies and years of experience, you’re basically the walking poster board for human rights. Every law school will be tripping over themselves to get you to pick them.”

  “Thanks, Charlie,” she mumbled. “I hope that’s true, because I’d like to stay close to home.”

  Logan was quick to jump in. “If you picked a school that wasn’t close, that would be okay, too. I’d fly in to visit you.”

  “I know you would.” She squeezed his knee. “But truly, I don’t wanna go far. Chicago is my home. That being said, if I get into school, I won’t have the time to be as involved in Morning Light as we planned. I still want to help run it, but I’d need to find a manager.”

  “No problem.” He laced his fingers with hers. “All of these things are good problems. We’ll work them all out.”

  “Wow.” Charlie guffawed. “We’re having quite the week, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah.” Terri dropped her head onto Logan’s shoulder. “We are.”

  Bryce was behind bars. The trafficking ring was broken up. Thanks to the high-profile case, Charlie’s career was on an upward trajectory. Terri was making happy plans for her future.

  And what had Logan been doing?

  For the most part
, waking up every morning and thanking God for his amazing life. His days of shady, backroom business were behind him. With a great woman by his side and more purpose than he’d ever imagined he could find, every day unfolded as if by magic.

  “A toast.” Charlie raised his glass.

  “To all the good things to come,” Terri chimed in, clinking her pint glass against his. “May they never stop.”

  As Logan clinked his glass against hers, he caught her eye. “Oh, I have a feeling they never will.”

  Epilogue

  Terri

  Terri sat in the passenger seat, running her fingers over the edges of the unopened envelope. She’d checked the mail right as they were leaving the house, and the return address from the University of Chicago Law School made her almost faint.

  She didn’t know if she was being annoying or not, sitting there messing with the envelope but never getting up the nerve to open it. To Logan’s credit, he hadn’t said anything about the letter during the drive to Girard. And it was a three-hour trip.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous,” she said as they cruised into Girard’s city limits.

  “I can open it for you, if you like.”

  “Thank you, but I think that would make me even more nervous. I’m gonna have to do it myself.”

  With that, she slipped the letter into her purse. It could be dealt with later. Today was about fun and family.

  “I didn’t call Mom or Dad,” she said, suddenly realizing she’d forgotten to do exactly that. “Shoot. They like to know when to expect people.”

  “It’s okay. I called them.”

  She turned in her seat to gawk at him. “You did? Wait. That’s not who you were talking to in your office this morning, was it?”

  “Would it be bad if I was?”

  “No.” She thought about it for a moment longer. “No, of course not. What were you talking about?”

  “Donna’s garden.”

  “Oh, boy.” Terri laughed. “That’s a conversation that can last hours.”

  He pushed his fingers through his golden hair. “Yeah, and your dad wanted to get in there, too. He kept telling her to hand over the phone. He wanted my advice on the cuts of meat he picked for today.”