With her free hand, she reaches up and wipes away the tears that have escaped from her eyes.
She looks at Logan first and he whispers, “I love you,” before she turns her attention to the rest of the group.
Tears streak down the faces of her sisters, Joseph, and Amy, though Jameson continues to show spurts of anger in his features, the questioning eyes and scowl evident on his face.
“Even the second time hearing it isn’t any easier,” Joseph says gruffly.
The family all seems shaken by her background, except Jameson who seems to be studying her closely.
“It’s okay, please. Don’t feel sorry for me. If I hadn’t gone through all of that, then I wouldn’t be here today with all of you and your wonderful family.”
“You’re our family, too,” Sydney says as she envelopes Avery in her arms, the warmth of her embrace radiating through Avery’s body.
They sit around the table a bit longer exchanging a few stories, but mostly Avery relaxes with Logan and takes in all that surrounds her. It’s amazing how easily they were all able to bounce back from the news of their father having an affair and another child. But it’s easy to see and feel all the love in the room. Avery glances at Logan and he smiles, but she knows he feels as out of place as she does. They both grew up in broken homes and have never felt the kind of compassion that currently zings through this room.
Until I met him.
She tightens her hold of his hand and leans into his body, tilting her head towards his ear as he exchanges a joke with Austin.
“I love you, Logan.”
He turns in her direction and kisses her softly.
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” he echoes.
Joseph and Amy rise from the table, bringing the family’s attention to their stance.
“We’re getting a bit tired so we wanted to say goodnight to everyone. But first I want to thank all of you for welcoming Avery with open arms, though I never expected anything less. Avery, you may already have plans, but we would love to have our entire family with us at Thanksgiving in a few weeks,” Amy requests.
“I’d love to. I’ve never had a traditional Thanksgiving. Oh, I’m excited!” Avery peeks at Logan once more and finds notes of disappointment skimming in his eyes. “Amy, would you mind if Logan came too?”
“Oh no, Amy; I don’t want to intrude on your family’s day,” Logan rushes, embarrassed by Avery’s request.
“Nonsense of course you’re coming. You’re important to Avery and Austin and that makes you family. And no arguing.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ok then. Boys you should head out, too. I believe you’re all on duty tonight.”
They all grumble at the table and Avery arches her brow towards Austin in question.
“We’re all volunteer firefighters just like our dad. The town isn’t large enough for its own firefighters, except for dad who runs the department.”
“Oh, I had no idea. That’s very admirable of you all.”
He nods and as he scoots his chair from the table, the rest of the Connelly clan stands as well.
“So, how do you feel?” Jameson asks as they leave the restaurant.
Logan is walking ahead with Austin, most likely inquiring about the school rebuild and Avery walks behind the group.
Jameson’s question takes her by surprise and her confusion is detectable when she nervously replies,
“What do you mean? Of course I’m happy to meet all of you; I’ve never had a real family like this before.”
Wrapping his large hand around her arm, he halts her movement.
“No, Avery. Don’t let them fool you. How does it feel to destroy a family just so you can have one?”
And then he stalks off, anger seeping from his body in his rigid stance.
“Don’t listen to him, Avery. He’s upset. Growing up he never liked surprises.”
Avery turns towards the voice coming from the private room they just exited, that’s when she notices Amy’s petite figure shielded by the door.
“I’m sorry, Amy. I never considered how this would affect your family. I was too wrapped up in the notion of meeting my father and spending time with him.”
Amy steps forward, out of the shadowed weight of the door.
“Avery, you’re a special girl that deserves to be in the lives of her father and siblings. Don’t forget that your father and I have searched for you since the day we knew you existed. There was never any question that we loved you and wanted you to be a part of our family. Jameson and the others are just struggling to understand how the father they grew up with could be this man, who in their eyes, cheated on their mother. But, sweetie, it was never like that and I’ll speak with them to make sure they understand that, too.”
“I just never expected for any of this to happen, you know?”
“I know. You’re a smart girl with a kind heart, always putting others ahead of herself.” She looks off down the hall, towards the exit and smiles. “I think you’ve met someone that understands you and wants you to have everything your heart desires. They way that man looks at you reminds me of how your father looks at me.”
Avery follows her gaze and smiles when she sees Logan heading their way.
“I love him.”
“He loves you, too. Logan’s a good man and a good friend to Austin. We can’t wait to welcome him to the family,” she says as she pets Avery’s cheek lightly, a hidden gleam in her eyes, before she slides past Logan and heads toward Joseph.
“Hey, babe. Everything okay?”
Looking up at his handsome face, his chiseled jaw line, two-day scruff, Avery can’t help but release a contented sigh; Jameson’s comment forgotten for the time being.
“Everything is perfect.”
AVERY TRAILS BEHIND LOGAN into the house, her mind seemingly elsewhere. He didn’t want to bring up the interaction he witnessed between her and Jameson. Logan could tell her brother said something that upset her, he could see her eyes widen and her chest expand in a sharp intake of breath from the other side of the restaurant, but Austin assured him that Jameson just needed time to adjust to the thought of the man he loved and respected fathering another child.
She follows Logan into the bedroom where she promptly settles on the chair in the corner of the room, shoes left on the floor and her knees brought to her chest. She’s in self-protection mode.
Logan walks to the chair and kneels in front of her, bringing her feet to rest back on the floor.
“Tell me what’s bothering you. I know you’ve got something on your mind.”
He waits for her to answer, but she continues to look outside, avoiding eye contact with him.
“Avery.”
“Fine,” she says, taking a deep breath and then turning her beautiful eyes on him. “Do you think I’m destroying their family?”
“No way. Why would you say that?” Logan asks angrily, then after a second he realizes what Jameson must have accused. “Avery, listen to me. You did not destroy their family - your family. Jameson just need time to adjust, they all do. But you’re their sister and there isn’t anything they can do to change that.”
She nods solemnly and whispers, “You’re right.”
“Of course I am.”
Logan rests on both of his knees and tugs her hands so that she stands before him; her small frame bringing her pelvis to eye level. He reaches down and trails his fingers lightly up the soft skin of her legs, and over the soft material of her dress. Placing his hands on her hips, he turns her in his arms so that he has a glorious view of her backside. Reaching up, he tugs down the zipper of her tight dress and guides the material down her arms, letting it pool at her feet. Her breath is coming at heavy pants and Logan can hear each intake of hollow breath.
Taking a moment Logan sits back on his heels and memorizes her beautiful body - every curve, every freckle, every divot in her skin.
Kneeling tall once more he traces a path down her slender back, parallel
with her spine. When she shivers at his touch, Logan has to suppress a chuckle. As hard as she fought him in the beginning, her body beckons him closer, always responsive to his touch.
He swirls a finger around her hip and maps a route around one of her plump cheeks before trailing the finger up the crease of her behind.
“Logan,” she murmurs heatedly.
His finger traces the crease downward and follows through to the moist and heated center that eagerly awaits his touch. Logan’s other hand grips her hip harder and he slides his finger across her slick folds, a gasp escaping her lips. A rush of heat expels onto his hand when he grazes against her clit, her body shaking in anticipation. His finger slides down her inner thigh, lightly skimming her delicate skin. Unable to hold back his need to taste her, he leans forward and gently bites the round skin of her cheek before licking it to soothe the wound. Her groan of delight signifies her approval. No longer capable of resisting, Logan removes his hand from her hip and applies pressure between her shoulder blades, silently commanding her to bend forward. She grips the arms of the chair and bends at her waist, showcasing her glistening folds that yearn for more of his touch.
Logan glides his fingertips back up her leg and strokes the skin closest to her hungry core, but makes no move to contact the area that craves his attention.
“Logan,” she moans huskily, her body longing for more of his touch.
“You want me to touch you, baby?” he inquires, his voice giving away how turned on he is, seeing her bent over before him, completely bare.
“Mmmm, I want you to feel how turned on I am, Logan. I need you to touch me.”
Logan complies, the scent of her desire penetrating through his shield. A finger slides through her wetness, caressing the plump folds and applying pressure to her exposed button of pleasure with his thumb. Logan’s other hand, desperate to feel her warmth, glides two fingers inside her warm channel, coating themselves in her heat.
Powerless to control his appetite Logan removes his hand from her core and licks around her center, her desire blanketing his tongue. His hand again takes over and thrusts two fingers deep inside her core, causing more shutters to pulsate along her body. His lips settle around her unprotected bundle and he flicks the sensitive nerves with his tongue, eliciting a few gasps, before sucking the button into his mouth. As he continues to push his fingers in and out of Avery’s channel, he can feel her womb begin to quake, her eruption springing forth. Logan doesn’t lessen his movements, but he takes his free hand and searches for the untouched area of her body. His thumb finding the puckered skin and he applies gentle pressure to gain a slight entrance.
As expected, the new intrusion of pleasure ignites her fire and she explodes on his fingers, wetness seeping onto his hands and face and as her ripples of desire continue. Logan laps at her sweetness, his need to prolong her orgasm uncontrollable as the screaming of his name echoes around the room.
When the rippling of her inner muscles subsides, Logan pulls her down to sit limply in his arms. She opens her tightly shut eyes and gazes at him hungrily, her craving evident. She cups the back of his head in one of her hands, pulling him close, and seals their mouths together. With her back to his chest, he uses his legs to spread hers wide, exposing her wet center. Logan grips one of her breasts roughly with his hand, pinching her nipple between his fingers. His other hand slides through her folds one more, before sinking deep in her hot dripping channel.
“No more, Logan. I need you inside me,” she groans as Logan continues to penetrate her with his fingers.
“I am inside you, sweetness,” Logan sarcastically replies as her hips buck against his hand, her sexual need growing by the second.
“I need to feel your cock inside me, Logan. Please.”
He spreads her legs wider as he rubs the heel of his hand against her swollen clit. Avery’s head leans back against his shoulder and he uses the opportunity to nip at her jaw line.
Against her neck, Logan allows his heavy words to float to her ears.
“One more, baby. One more and then I’ll fuck you as hard and fast as you want, for as long as you want. You own my dick, babe. I can’t wait to thrust in you - to feel my cock wet with your hot juices.”
She bucks faster against his hand, controlling her movements, but when Logan reaches up with his free hand and slides her nipple between his fingers she convulses around him - once again screaming his name.
Logan lifts her into his arms in her unconscious state and lays her gently across his bed. He bends her knees and spread her legs wide, opening her center to his view. Quickly removing his clothes, he tosses them haphazardly towards the corner of the room.
Joining her back on the bed, Logan rests on his arms above her as he takes one of her taught nipples in his mouth, savoring their flavor. Avery’s eyes immediately open, gazing at his mouth as he makes love to her breast. He rocks his hips against her core, sliding through her wetness and coating himself in her honey. Every time the tip of his penis passes over her inflamed clit, shutters wrack her body.
Still resting on his elbows, Logan moves up her body and melds their lips together. Unwilling to hold back any longer, he thrusts his erection to the hilt, her body encasing his shaft, as he mimics his movements with his tongue in her mouth. He moves slowly at first, wanting to savor the feel of being inside her tight body. She responds to his kiss, dancing her tongue with his in an intimate tango. Avery wraps her legs around his waist, rocking her hips with the hope of increasing his speed, but he maintains his rhythm, her body quenching his thirst at each plunge.
A tingling begins in his spine and he has to fight to hold off the release building in his body. Logan growls when Avery removes her lips and bites his shoulder.
“Yes, Logan,” she cries, her nails digging into his back, her body on the verge of ecstasy. “Fuck me, Logan. Please. I need you to let go and fuck me.”
At the sudden outburst, Logan thrusts twice into her deep and hard and then pulls out of her completely. Her howl of disappointment is mirrored by the selfish rock of her hips seeking his cock.
“You want me to fuck you?” Logan inquires, as he slides only the tip of his cock into her greedy center, sliding right back out before she can grip him tight. “You want me to sink my cock in you so deep and fast that you feel me when you walk tomorrow? Is that how bad you want me to fuck you?” Logan asks as he repeats the same movement.
She mewls at each penetration, desperately clawing at his back, wanting him to worship her body.
His need for release is as rampant as her own and he twists her on the bed so quickly she has no time to react before he pulls her hips up, bringing her to her knees, and plunging deep inside.
They cry out in unison - the pleasure overwhelming.
His erection submerges far inside her body; the connection between Avery’s body and his own no longer decipherable. He watches as his cock slides in and out of her center, coated in her heat, each movement reciprocated by her body.
Before long they’re connecting at a frenzied pace, each of them spiraling towards release. He twists his hand in Avery’s dark hair and yanks her head back so that he can taste the sweetness of her mouth. He uses his other hand to graze her nipple before turning his attention onto her clit. Swirling a pressured touch on the exposed nerves, she cries out against his mouth, her core clamping down on his shaft. Logan grips her hair tighter in his hand, his rhythm soon forgotten as he pounds frantically against her backside, using her tensed inner muscles to ignite his explosion. Soon Logan finds himself pulsating against Avery’s body, his seed spilling far within the confines of her womb.
As she makes to rest fully on the bed, Logan slides from her core, his essence leaking from her.
“Damn, that’s hot. Me dripping from you like that.”
“Hmm,” she says sleepily. “Reminds me where you’ve been.”
“Fuck yea it does.”
Logan steps into the bathroom and grabs a washcloth, running it under warm wa
ter, intent on cleaning up his mess.
Lying naked under the covers with Avery is one of the best feelings in the world. Knowing she is safely wrapped in his arms, guarded from the rest of the world.
With her back to his chest, Logan uses the arm that was wrapped around her waist to push the hair away from her delicate face. He leans over and gazes at her closed eyes and her lips that are pursed in sleep.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
His lips move on their own accord and he places a gentle kiss below her ear on her jaw line.
“I love you, Avery,” Logan whispers.
As he settles back on the bed, she turns in his arms and returns his gentle kiss.
“I love you too, Logan,” she responds, pressing her warm body against his.
Her radiant smile is enough to show that she means every word.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I was close, but not quite there yet.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she says as she bends her leg slightly, placing her bent knee over his straightened leg.
In return he bends his leg and places it between hers. She tilts her head grazing her lips over his in a soft kiss, her hand sliding up his shoulder into his hair.
“Logan,” she murmurs as she pulls a breath away, “I will be forever thankful that you showed me that I didn’t need to be scared of you - or to be scared of love. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you in it.”
Coming Alive: Welcome to Carson, Book One Page 19
