Life After: The Complete Series

by Julie Hall

  I’d gone to Hell and back for this guy. I wanted to collect my reward . . . with interest.

  A lazy smile spread over his mouth, and his lids dropped to half-mast. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I pulled back and lifted my eyebrows. “Ma’am? What am I, a zillion years ol—”

  Oh.

  A warm pair of lips cut off my rant, and I wasn’t upset about it in the least. Mmm, yes.

  My body flooded with warmth. Every nip of his lips and change of position spiked my heart rate until an electric current zipped under my skin, energizing my molecules and enhancing my senses.

  I needed this. I needed to get lost in this moment and forget this world or any other realm existed.

  I curled into Logan’s embrace and slid a hand into his gloriously thick and soft hair. With my other hand, I grasped his bicep as if to hold him in place.

  He growled low in the back of his throat, and with a grasp on my waist, he pressed me even closer. I liked that. His other hand made a slow trek from the hair beside my ear—probably the only non-crusty strand—down the side of my face, to rest in a light embrace at my neck. His thumb played lazy circles with my pulse point.

  But I wanted more.

  Despite the gentle touches, the soft press of his lips, and the light nips at mine, the fear that this—or any other time—could be our last time together stirred a frantic sort of panic in my gut.

  If this was all I was going to get with Logan, I wanted as much as he would give me.

  I made a sound of protest at one of Logan’s toe-curling yet tender kisses. Moving even closer, I scooted to my knees and pressed my lips more firmly against his. A silent demand.

  Logan tried to slow things down again, but I wasn’t having it. Now both my hands were buried in his hair, and I was kissing him like there was no tomorrow . . . because I wasn’t sure there would be.

  There was only a slight hesitation before desire overcame Logan’s sense of propriety, and he hauled me against his chest in a savage move.

  Yes, the beast inside me whispered even as a soft voice cautioned me to slow things down.

  I pushed the voice away. Desperation released the beast from its cage. There’d be no hesitation from me.

  What had started out sweet and innocent was quickly moving toward unrestrained passion. I didn’t care. Scratch that, I did care. I wanted it.

  I dragged a hand from his hair down his neck to settle on his arm, unconsciously searching for warm skin. When my other hand reached the bottom of his shirt, I slipped it underneath. A shudder ran through his body, and the next thing I knew I was on my back. But not in the way I had anticipated.

  Logan had broken our kiss and pushed me back onto the mattress. He held both my hands in his against the sheets but away from his body. With his arms straightened and his body to the side, he’d moved as far from me as possible while still holding my wrists immobile. His breathing was as hard and erratic as mine. A cobalt ocean churned in his eyes.

  We just stared at each other. Me wondering why he had stopped. And him . . . Well, I had no idea what he was thinking. His gaze searched my face erratically, and his features were drawn and pinched, almost as if in pain.

  “Wh-what?” I asked. “Why did you stop?” I didn’t miss the breathy tone in my voice.

  Logan squeezed his eyes shut and then pushed away from me, sitting back against the head of the bed. He shoved a hand in his hair and then fisted it for a moment before letting it go.

  When he opened his eyes, they didn’t meet mine right away. I propped myself up on my elbows to watch him. Cocking my head, I scooted back to a sitting position. The sharp pain of rejection pierced my chest. He was a guy. Why the heck had he just stopped us?

  Logan finally looked back at me, and I licked my lips, tasting his familiar peppermint sweetness.

  He slammed his eyelids shut again with a groan and shoved another hand roughly into his hair.

  “Can you please not do that right now?” he asked. Just the deep sound of his post-kiss voice made my heartbeat spike again.

  “Do what?”

  His growl was followed by a reverse head-butt to the wall. “You’re killing me. You know that, right?”

  I grinned like the Cheshire cat. I found getting under his skin very satisfying. I made a move toward him again, but he put up a hand to ward me off. Did he really not know me by now? Like a hand gesture was going to deter me. Ha!

  I grabbed his arm and used it to pull myself closer to him. His eyes and chin snapped down so he was facing me.

  “I wasn’t done with you yet,” I said as I pulled him in closer, my eyes already shutting. Any second now, I’d get a second taste of heaven. But then the world tilted, and pain shot through my butt as it hit an unforgiving surface.

  What the what?

  My eyes snapped open, and I blinked several times.

  I was on the ground.

  With one very sore backside.

  I looked up. Logan peered over the bed with an expression that was simultaneously angry and sheepish—an emotional mix that had to be hard to pull off.

  “What was that?” I shouted at him. “And ow, by the way.”

  Getting to my feet, I rubbed the sting out of my tush. I think I bruised my tailbone.

  I eyed one of the chairs, but sitting might hurt, so I jutted out a hip, crossed my arms over my chest, and glared at Logan instead.

  The big jerk.

  He rubbed his eyes with his fingers and then covered his face with his hand. I spotted a smile he couldn’t quite cover.

  “That was rude.” I landed a fist on my hip as I pointed an accusatory finger at him.

  He opened his fingers to peek at me and bit his lip to keep the smile from getting too far out of control.

  “You better not be laughing at me right now.” I crossed my arms back over my chest and attempted to stare him down.

  A full belly laugh escaped his mouth and I widened my eyes in disbelief.

  I. Am. Out.

  I spun on a heel and marched to the door.

  “Good luck saving yourself the next time you end up in a super stinky realm. I’m probably going to smell like rotten eggs for a week because of you,” I grumbled on my way out—too quietly for him to hear the full sentence, but I was confident he’d picked up the gist.

  A strong hand caught my arm and spun me back around, sending me tumbling into a warm chest.

  This is more like it, the beast inside rumbled. I told it to shut up.

  “Now, Audrey, come on, be reasonable.” There was still a healthy dose of mirth in Logan’s gaze and words.

  I struggled against his hold, but the defiance was halfhearted at best.

  He brought his other arm around and locked me in place. The urge to nestle into his warmth rode me hard. The man had just dumped me . . . literally.

  “When have you ever known me to be reasonable?” I muttered. Wait a minute, I’d just insulted myself. Logan one. Audrey zero. “I mean, don’t try to be cute with me now. It’s not going to work.”

  His brows lifted. “It’s not?”

  “No.” I shook my head and caught a glimpse of red-and-pink streaks. Argh, this hair.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” But I refused to meet his gaze.

  “Well, that’s good. Because that means you won’t be affected if I do this.” He placed a gentle kiss on my temple.

  “No, not at all.”

  “Or this.” He brought his face down and nuzzled the spot behind my ear before placing another soft kiss on my skin.

  Not responding to that one took a herculean effort. My throat dried up, and so I just shook my head while a quiet chuckle vibrated through Logan’s chest.

  “Perfect. That means I can do this as well.” He slid a hand up and cupped the back of my neck.

  I was caught in his spell without even knowing it had been cast. Obediently, I tilted my head back with only the slightest pressure from his hand. His lips grazed my neck before nibbling on the sensi
tive skin and finally placing a scorching kiss below my ear.

  The shudder that wracked my body was completely involuntary. I’d closed my eyes without even realizing it.

  Logan’s breath touched the shell of my ear as he whispered, “You can’t kiss a guy like you did before and not expect him to lose control. We don’t have to rush. We have eternity together now.”

  His words doused all the warmth and passion coursing through my body. My eyes popped open, and without thought I wrenched from his hold.

  We didn’t have eternity anymore. I didn’t even know if we had another full day.

  Logan’s brow pinched, but he let me go. The confusion on his face was clear, but he was a smart guy. He knew I was hiding something. His gaze roamed my face as he tried to pick apart the enigma. Like I was a puzzle that needed to be solved.

  “Audrey, what’s wrong?”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

  “If you’re worried I don’t want you, that couldn’t be further from the truth. But I don’t think it’s wise to get too . . . close until we’ve officially and therefore permanently bonded. We can have a short engagement period if you want; it doesn’t really—”

  “Engagement? Wait, what are you talking about?” I stumbled a step, and the back of my knees hit one of the chairs. I wobbled for a moment before regaining balance.

  He reached out to me again, far more agilely than before, which made me think he’d been playing me in the beginning. I sidestepped his advances.

  My head started to pound under the pressure of the secrets stuffed inside.

  “You know our bond can only lead to one of two places”—Logan held his hands up in front of him as if to show me he was keeping his distance—or else he was treating me like a spooked animal—“and I think it’s safe to agree we’re on the same page with how we feel about each other.” His gaze pierced me. “This bond is not going to dissolve, Audrey. We both know that. I just thought, considering”—he gestured to the crumpled bedding with his hand—“considering that, you wouldn’t want to wait.”

  A hysterical laugh bubbled up my chest and burst from my mouth. A crazy sound I tried to shove back down my throat but failed. Oh gosh, is it getting hot in here?

  “You expect us to get married because we made out?” My eyes were wide, and I started sucking in too much air. “That’s nuts.”

  My emotions were bouncing around like a pinball, and I wasn’t even sure if my reaction was because the idea of being bonded permanently freaked me out or because now it could never happen.

  Hot mess . . . inside and out.

  I glanced at the door. I’m not sure why. Maybe I was subconsciously looking to make a quick escape.

  “Now, Audrey.” My head jerked up. Logan had moved several feet closer to me, his voice annoyingly calm. “You know people don’t get married here.”

  “Married, mated, soul-bound for eternity”—I waved a hand in the air—“who cares what you call it; it’s all the same thing.” Except marriage was ‘till death do you part.’ This was a way bigger commitment. Like I was going to let some overzealous hormones make that decision for me.

  Oh gosh, did it even matter? I’d be gone soon anyway. Separated from Logan . . . permanently. I didn’t even have a choice anymore. We’d never be whatever we were meant to be.

  I started sucking in air like I was drowning. And in a way I was. Drowning in the folly of my foolish actions.

  I held a hand out to ward off Logan’s slow and steady advance. If the bond was doing the same thing to him as it was to me, he was probably itching to have me back in his arms. This bonding thing was seriously whack.

  My breathing accelerated. I gulped air between phrases, panting like a dog in the desert. “I just need . . . a minute . . . to process.”

  Logan’s face hardened, and he advanced on me anyway. I backed up until my rump bumped something. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the bed. I yelped and jumped away from it, stumbling into the side table and smacking my shin in the process.

  I bent over to rub the bruised limb while still sucking air as if I could inhale all the oxygen in the room. I started to see black spots around my vision and lost track of Logan.

  Warm but firm hands took hold of my shoulders and forced me to sit in a padded chair. Right now what I needed was a padded room.

  Logan’s face appeared before mine as I tried to blink away the black spots. He’d crouched in front of me and filled my hazy vision.

  “Audrey, love, I want you to take one deep breath and hold it for the count of two before releasing it.”

  Did he just call me ‘love?’ Something went a little melty and gooey inside. Did he say something else? Oh shoot, black spots are blocking out his perfectly formed face. Man, he has perfect bone structure.

  I pitched forward. My stomach leaped to my throat, but with a grunt, Logan caught me before my face became acquainted with the floor. I held on to consciousness with both hands but felt it slipping through my fingers.

  My back rested against something soft, and I was pretty sure I was horizontal. I blinked rapidly at my diminishing vision. Cobalt orbs were all I could see clearly.

  “You know if you’d listened to me, you wouldn’t be passing out.” Logan’s words, full of soft vibes, were missing his usual sarcastic bite. “But I appreciate the effort to make me feel like your rescuer again.”

  A gentle pair of lips kissed my forehead before my vision winked out completely.

  15

  Awkward

  Naps were amazing. I loved naps. They were so magically awesome I wanted to marry them and have a nice long relationship with them.

  My body buzzed with energy even as I snuggled into the soft bedding. Something warm and solid was at my back. Some sort of heated pillow?

  Mmm, I like.

  With eyes still closed, I shifted closer to it and nuzzled a second heated pillow beneath my head.

  “Finally. She’s alive,” a campy male voice announced.

  “Oh, don’t wake her just yet. They look so cute together. I feel like I need to capture this with a camera.”

  Wait. What?

  “You know how mad she’s going to be when she wakes up and finds out you’ve all been staring at her sleeping. Especially with her hair all crazy-like.”

  That male voice rumbled along my back and shifted my warm pillow. I cracked an eyelid.

  That’s not a pillow; that’s an arm! Which means . . .

  I grabbed the top blanket and hauled it over my head. Jerking myself away from Logan’s arm and the side of his body, I armadilloed into a ball beneath the covers.

  “I hate you all.”

  “What was that?” Kaitlin asked. “You love us the most and think we are the best? Oh, so sweet! We love you too.” She blew loud kisses at me from the other side of my makeshift blanket shield. She was the worst.

  Tremors from Logan’s direction started to shake the bed, reminding me that I was very much still lying next to him . . . in front of our friends.

  Letting my legs lead, I slipped out of bed and then army-crawled beneath it. The room was silent for several heartbeats.

  “Did I just see my granddaughter slide out of your bed and sneak under it?”

  I slapped a hand over my mouth to hold back the groan. When did Romona arrive? I thought only Kevin and Kaitlin were in the room with us.

  “Yes, yes you did,” Kaitlin supplied helpfully.

  “Um,” Logan cleared his throat. “Romona, I’m so glad to see you’re up and moving around already.”

  “Yeah, sure you are.” Romona’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Care to explain to me what Audrey was doing in your bed . . . and now hiding underneath it?”

  I covered my eyes with my hand as if that would transport me out of this situation.

  Silence blanketed the room.

  Logan cleared his throat. “It’s not what you’re thinking. Audrey was just—”

  “Oh, it’s exactly what you’re thinking,
” Kaitlin cut in.

  “Kaitlin.” Logan’s voice was a sharp censure.

  Only their feet were visible to me, so I couldn’t read their body language. But I knew Logan was both uncomfortable and annoyed.

  I think I’ll stay here for a while longer.

  I snickered.

  “I heard that, young lady.”

  I pressed my lips together and covered my head with my arms. Stay very still and quiet, and they’ll forget I’m here.

  “Logan, I’m waiting.” Romona’s foot tapped a quick staccato against the glossy floor.

  “Well, Audrey got a little upset about something and started to hyperventilate. I couldn’t calm her down, and she passed out, so I put her somewhere more comfortable.”

  Way to make yourself look like a hero, buddy. I rolled my eyes.

  “Why was she hyperventilating?” Romona asked. There was a note of genuine confusion in her voice.

  “I’m not sure. One second she was fine, and then she just freaked out.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I shouted from my hiding spot.

  “You’ve got something to add down there?” Logan thumped on the bed, and a spring knocked my head.

  I shot the offending mattress the evil eye and rubbed my head.

  “You said we were going to get married.”

  Logan let out an exaggerated sigh. “Audrey, be reasonable. And I already told you people don’t get married here.”

  I flipped on my back and punched the mattress as hard as I could in the limited space I had, hoping I’d managed to hit part of his body.

  “You still don’t spring a commitment of that magnitude on someone. You take your time and work up to it.”

  “Where’s the popcorn? This is getting good.”

  “Shut it, Kaitlin,” Logan and I said in unison.

  “Oh cute, they’re synchronizing now.”

  “Kaitlin,” we both yelled.

  “I think there’s some popcorn in a vending machine down the hall,” Kevin piped in, “but no way am I leaving now. This is like watching a movie in 4-D.”

  “Logan,” Romona went on completely ignoring Tweedledee and Tweedledum. “You asked to spend eternity with my granddaughter without talking to me first, and in that brutish manner? Is she not worth more to you than that?”