Just One Night (Black Alcove #2)

by Jami Wagner

  Number one, finish this list.

  Chapter Five

  Logan

  No matter what it takes, Sara and I are meant to be together and we will be. I’m not going to let her father get in our way. I know he deliberately kept me at work until almost midnight on our last night together, but his plan failed. The only thing keeping us apart now is my dumb ass. I haven’t moved to get out of my truck.

  I watch as her bedroom light flicks on and off through her window. She’s probably running in and out, checking to make sure she looks just right. I texted her a half hour ago to ask if I could pick her up, even if it’s late. She texted “yes” right back, and I know she’s most likely been doing whatever she does to make herself look beautiful. I just wish she knew she didn’t have to do any of it. She’s beautiful no matter how hard she tries. Inside and out. That’s why she deserves better than me, but my selfish ass won’t let her go. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to her that I am good enough.

  I let out a deep breath, open the truck door, and finally get out. I look up to see her standing in the window of her second-floor apartment. She smiles and waves to me before disappearing. I only make it up one flight of stairs before she meets me. With her hair pulled to the side, a sweater that hangs off one shoulder and some black leggings, she looks incredible. Then she blushes and my heart starts to pound faster. I’m one lucky guy.

  “Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to kiss me? You won’t get to anytime you want anymore, so you better do it as much as you can tonight,” she says. Her smile falters just a bit, but I know she’s trying her hardest to stay positive. Still, she’s right. I don’t want to waste any time. There’s nothing gentle about the way my lips crash against hers. Her mouth opens instantly and I slide my tongue inside.

  When the main door opens and voices fill the stairwell, we pull apart. Without saying a word I place her hand in mine and guide her down the stairs behind me. I open the passenger door for her to get in and then jog around to my side. The truck roars to life and I head down Main Street.

  I turn on the radio to a low volume, but neither of us speaks a word. This is another thing I love about Sara. She doesn’t always have to be doing something or talking when we’re together. Being together is enough for her and it’s more than enough for me.

  I turn on Wind River Road and Sara beams at me from her side. I want to be alone with her tonight, and outside under the stars far away from town is the perfect place to be.

  I pull up near the meadow where our senior class used to hold parties, the same meadow where we had our first kiss, and my body relaxes. Luck is on my side because the entire place is deserted.

  I park the truck and walk around to open her door. She jumps out and places another kiss on my mouth. Her hands wrap around my waist as she pulls me into her. It takes everything I have to stop her. Our physical attraction is equally intense as our mental one.

  “Let me get the tailgate down and lay out some blankets. Then we can pick up where we left off.”

  Nodding her head quickly, Sara opens the back door to my truck and grabs all the blankets I brought with me. This isn’t the first time we’ve been out here, and by this point, we have a routine. I grab the pillows and then flip the tailgate down. Sara climbs up quickly, laying out every blanket and stacking the pillows just the way we like them. She isn’t wasting any time.

  “I have one more thing,” I tell her and disappear into the truck. I grab the flowers I brought with me and return to the back where I find Sara resting back on her elbows.

  “Oh, Logan, those are beautiful.” She smiles, taking the flowers from my hand so I can climb up beside her. I bunch the pillows up at the back of the truck and pull her into my arms. With a kiss to the top of her head, she relaxes into my chest.

  “Why can’t life be like this? Relaxing, happy … carefree,” she says almost whispering.

  “Because if life were all those things, we would take them for granted. We want those things because we have to work hard to earn them.”

  Her arms lay over my stomach and she squeezes me. When Sara leans her head back, I take this moment to pick up where we left off. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to her, because I do. But right now, I want to feel normal. Like a guy who finally got the girl and things are perfect. Not the guy who finally got the girl and she’s moving.

  My lips graze hers, and everything inside my heart says take it slow because even though I will see her again, I don’t know when that will be. I told her I’d make the drive to Rockland, but if I’m honest with myself, this position at the bar is going to take a lot of time and effort. I want her to see that I’m dedicated—that I have goals just like her. My mind on the other hand, is screaming to touch every inch of her skin. Yelling for me to make this moment the best I can make it. Tonight’s going to be the last memory she has before she leaves, and I have to make it count.

  Sara

  I find it a little strange that whenever Logan and I get into the perfect make-out session, my back always seems to be rubbing up against something painful. There are exactly six blankets below me and I can still feel the steel of the truck underneath me as I’m underneath Logan. I find it even stranger that I still don’t care. I’m loving every minute of it. The way his body feels against mine. The way his hips grind into my body. The way he tastes like wintergreen, smells like fresh cut hardwood, and the sounds he makes when I move with him. A moan from him sets my entire body on fire.

  I do, however, care about this damn multitasking brain of mine.

  I’ve never been a relationship kind of girl. Then again, Logan’s last official girlfriend was me during high school. But still, balancing the focus between Logan and work is something I already know is going to be difficult. Right now, my mind is screaming “work comes first,” but my heart is beating “Logan comes first.”

  “Hey, beautiful.” Logan pulls away and gazes down at me. “I think I lost you there for a second.” He forces a half smile, but I can see in his eyes he knows exactly where my mind has been. “It was like kissing a statue. My lips were moving, but yours weren’t.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat and look away. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. You know how my mind works.”

  “I do.” He sighs. “Were you thinking about me or work?”

  Logan removes the leg nestled between mine and lies on his hip. Resting on his arms, he keeps his body facing me and leaves his eyes fully focused on mine.

  “Both,” I answer.

  “And what we’re you thinking?”

  “That I want this bar, but I want you, too, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do it.”

  Another sigh slips past his lips. He’s already frustrated with me. Maybe we should just date when I get back at the end of the summer.

  “Logan, right now—”

  “—is the perfect time to date. Sara, I know you haven’t grown up in a family with parents who loved each other, but neither did I. We are Sara and Logan. We are the best when we are together, and we’re made for each other. We’ve never had to date for me to see this.” His hand rubs the small of my back.

  He’s right. We’ve always been flirty together, and I’m happiest when he’s around. That just never occurred to me until I left last summer.

  “You know that, I know that, the whole world knows it. You won’t be gone forever, and I will do everything I can to see you when time allows it.”

  It honestly feels like my heart just grew a little bigger from his words. I want to cry and can already feel the tears sneaking their way out. I take a deep breath and blink them away, but the attempt is gone when Logan releases me from his arms and props one knee up in front of me. He then holds my hand in his.

  “Sara Connelly, you are stubborn, driven, brilliant, and beautiful. These are a few of the reasons I want to be in your life. I know you love your career and I know you want this bar. I also know you want to be a part of my life, too. I would never make you
choose between either of those things.”

  “Logan—”

  “Wait, I’m not finished.” He kisses my forehead. “I, too, want to be successful and I want that with you. I know how hard you’ve worked, and I promise you I will live up to your expectations at the BA. However, I do have one thing to ask of you.”

  If your heart could stop and beat a million times in one second, my heart is doing that right now. My hand is shaking in his as I wait for him to continue.

  “Will you promise me that no matter how overwhelmed you are, you will call me, text me, anything, before you give up on us? You have to trust that we will work. I want to give this a real chance, but I don’t want either of us to give up anything for it. Selfish I know, but—”

  “Yes!” I shout without even thinking twice about it. “I can promise you that.”

  I hug him then and kiss him because I clearly have a lot to learn about relationships and I’m going to learn with Logan.

  Chapter Six

  Logan

  Sara squeals against my lips as I step inside her apartment and close the door. I’ll never get over that sound. She slowly drops to her feet, never letting our lips part. My intentions were to walk her home, since she lives in the building next to mine, and be a gentleman with just a good-night kiss. But Sara has plans of her own and I’m not doing anything to stop her.

  There’s no hesitation as Sara’s small and delicate fingers tug at my waistband and unbutton my pants. She tugs the zipper quickly, pulling my jeans down just a bit. “I want these off,” she says hungrily before meeting my eyes with a fiery blaze in her own. I’ve never seen her look at me like this. We’ve had sex before—in high school and once before she left last summer. It was amazing, mind-blowing sex, but something tells me things are about to get even more exciting.

  I release a growl of frustration as I grab her hand and pull her toward her bedroom. Somewhere along the way, she kicks off her shoes and lets go of my hand to remove her sweater. She never was the type to waste time. I stop her before she can pull it over her head and hold her arms down at her sides. “Don’t,” I say, and she inhales at the deep tone of my voice. “I want to be the one to remove your clothes.”

  Her body trembles and goose bumps cover her perfect, soft skin. I let her arms go and she backs up until she reaches the bed. In one step I’m in front of her, pushing her back and letting my body gently land on top of hers. I use my knee to kick her legs apart until I can settle my hips between them. At the contact of our bodies, Sara moans and, if possible, I grow harder in my jeans.

  “Stop teasing me, Logan. I want you and I don’t want to wait.”

  She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I swiftly remove her shirt, and in seconds our pants are gone too. Placing myself back between her legs, I reach to her nightstand and grab a condom.

  “Hurry,” she breathes beneath me.

  I tear the packet open quickly and roll it onto myself. In one move, I’m inside her. She inhales as I exhale. I move slowly, soaking in this moment and the way she feels around me. Her uneven breathing and a nudge from her heel at the crease of my back makes me move faster. I do exactly as she asks until we both reach that moment of release together.

  Sara

  Saying goodbye to Logan when I left for Europe was so much easier. We weren’t an item then. Yeah sure, we hooked up, which totally freaked me out because I didn’t realize I could fall so hard for someone and then two weeks before I left I thought I was pregnant—something Logan doesn’t know. False alarm, of course, but that scare was the last straw to make me run. But right now, I don’t feel that way at all.

  I can’t peel my eyes away from the gorgeous man lying next to me. His soft, tan skin. That blonde hair I used to think was too long, but now, this close up, is perfect. If it’s possible for a man to have long, dark lashes, he has the best ones. His bare and toned chest rises as he takes slow, steady breaths, and his lips part slightly. God, I could fall asleep to that face every night and have such sweet, sweet dreams. Hopefully, they would be active ones, but then again, I could just wake him up and make those dreams real.

  “Babe, why aren’t you sleeping?”

  He reaches an arm over and pulls me toward him. When I’m close enough that I could just pucker my lips and kiss him, he opens his eyes. A spark comes from them and I try not to blink as I look back. I’m going to miss him more than I even knew possible. My heart feels like it’s being squeezed dry just thinking about it.

  “You’re beautiful, and I’m crazy lucky to be here with you.”

  “Hey”—he kisses my forehead—“that’s my line.”

  The smile that tugs at his lips matches exactly how I feel.

  God, could he be any cuter?

  “You know,” I tease, “those are some sexy words, Mr. Parker.”

  “Indeed they are, Ms. Connelly.”

  “Well, what—”

  “That’s enough talking,” he says, grabbing my hips and pulling me until I’m sitting on top of him. Not putting our clothes back on is really paying off right now. With a hand on each side of my face, he sits up to kiss me. As he leans back, I go with him, never letting my lips part from his.

  * * *

  “I should probably get going. It’s already five, and your dad would be disappointed if he knew I kept you up all night before you left.” Logan reluctantly moves out of bed and starts to pull on his boxers.

  I watch but don’t say anything.

  “Sara, if you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be gone anytime time soon.”

  I love the way he says my name.

  “Well … that’s okay with me. Maybe I don’t want you to go just yet.”

  Logan tosses his shirt onto the floor and his muscles flex when he leans onto the bed and crawls over me. I start to push the sheets away, letting him know what I want, but he quickly presses his hands down around me, tucking me into the sheet. Once he has me tight enough, he starts to tickle me. I can’t move because my arms are pinned under the sheets and he’s now sitting on my legs.

  “Stop it,” I shout between laughs. I try to sit up and twist or turn out of his hands, but he is too strong for me. “Please, please, I’ll do anything just stop, stop it, please.”

  “Anything, huh? I may have to take you up on that offer. But right now, I really should be going.” Logan moves off the bed. He’s dressed and pulling on his shirt the second I get out bed. I walk straight past him to the bathroom. I’m fully aware I have no clothes on and so is he.

  “Sara, I’m warning you. Keep taunting me, and I won’t be able to resist you.”

  “I’m not exactly sure I want you to,” I tell him and close the door right before he reaches me. Taking a deep breath, I lean against it. Goodbyes have never been a strong area for me and doing them in a new relationship is definitely out of my comfort zone. I grab my robe and swing the door open. Logan’s still standing there.

  “I really do need to go.” He kisses me long and hard. “Call me when you get there.”

  I nod, watching him leave.

  I’m pretty sure calling him definitely should come before finishing that damn list.

  Chapter Seven

  Sara

  It’s been two weeks and I’m going insane. Logan hasn’t had a chance to make good on that plan to take a weekend off. Fortunately, the bands are bringing in more than the usual BA crowd, so Logan has been spending a lot of time hiring more help. I love that Logan is making sure the BA isn’t short-handed, but I hate how much of his time it takes up. Phone calls can only go so far. And I especially hate how much the thought of not seeing him is taking up more room in my brain than this bar.

  My father is keeping busy, too. His role in this new bar is nice; I haven’t seen him lend a hand in years. The new task for me is hiring an assistant manager. He was against it at first, but when he noticed how busy I’ve been, he came around.

  For a while I thought he was seriously losing his mind, expecting me to open this place all on m
y own. He called me an hour ago and told me I had better get to work now because I have three interviews this morning. Three. There aren’t even any tables or chairs, except a few barstools, for me to sit at while I conduct these interviews. No artwork or anything on the walls. The paint is still trying to dry. I thought I’d at least have another week or more to get that stuff in here before I started interviewing.

  On the plus side, the sooner I hire someone, the easier it is for me to go home this weekend for Kelsey’s birthday, and the sooner I go home, for good, the sooner Logan and I can be together.

  I pass a coffee shop, an accessory store, and a vintage dress shop on my way to work. All places where I’ve become a regular customer. I have to hand it to my father, at least he picked a part of town I would enjoy. Having everything I love in a one-block radius is amazing. Only one thing would make this better: Logan.

  We talk almost every day and it’s great, but seeing each other would be better. I promised him I would be there for Kelsey’s party. I feel a bit guilty for already planning to spend most of my weekend with Logan and less time with my father. He has to expect this though, right? I mean, I am growing up and this is what grown women do—we branch off and become our own person.

  I pull my phone from my purse to send Logan a quick text. If everything goes as planned, I can leave this Friday by noon. I let out a little giggle, and there’s definitely some pep to my step as I type what I think is a flirty message, but before I can hit send, I run into a brick wall. Or at least what I thought was a brick wall. I panic and hit the ground hard with my knees in an attempt to save my phone. I’m too late. My cell hits the cement and the cover breaks away from the phone. The screen is shattered, and no matter how many times I press the power button, it won’t turn on.

  “Aren’t those type of cases supposed to be life-proof or something?” A deep voice says from above me. I don’t look up. My main form of contact with anyone is gone. How am I going to talk to Logan now? How am I going to contact my dad, or what number will I give the interviewees? Unless this guy giving me some speech on life-proof cases works for a cell phone company and has a new phone for me, his opinion is the last thing I need.