To Make You Feel My Love

by Tina Rose

  Alana was a no nonsense kind of girl. She learned from her parents mistakes, and wasn’t about to repeat them. Due to her parent’s indiscretions and one-night stands, she never had a relationship with her father. That, and the fact that he had spent the last eighteen years of her life in prison for the death of her mother. She had lost both parents in one night with her mother’s death and her father’s conviction. She worked extremely hard to get where she was. No, Alana wasn’t about to let bad decisions ruin her life. She had a five-year plan. Save her money, buy a house, meet the right guy to marry and start a family.

  They finally pulled into the parking lot of the Paradise Yacht Club. A man and woman opened the door and you could hear someone slurring the words to Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks. The doorman was an older gentleman in his forties. He had a beard that was in desperate need of a trim, and held a cigarette between his lips. He wore an old black Stetson cowboy hat and a red western shirt, rolled up to his elbows.

  “My, my, don’t we look fine tonight ladies,” he said looking Alana up and down, slowly, as if he were removing her clothes with his eyes. The thought made her shudder. She thought twice about wearing the low cut black tank top, with rhinestones outlining the neckline, but it had looked nice with her designer jeans with large sparkly stones on the back pockets. She decided to wear it against her better judgment. Now, seeing the way he was staring at her, she regretted the decision.

  “Shut up Lou!” Becky said. She was a regular at the Yacht Club, and was familiar with the man.

  “Ah hell Beck, you know you’re sexy,” he laughed

  They paid their cover charge and entered the building. The cigarette smoke was so thick it burned Alana’s eyes. The music was blaring. Every seat in the building was taken. There was a blend of people, some in western wear, and some in T-shirts and holes in their jeans with baseball caps on. Some of the women wore shirts that showed a little more cleavage then Alana thought was necessary. Since it was bike week, there were a lot of bikers there, with leather vests covered in patches. Not the sort of people Alana had imagined would be at a place called the Yacht Club. Then again, she didn’t know what kind of people she would have expected. She didn’t go out much because there wasn’t much time for fun in her life. That’s the way she wanted it, or at least that’s the way she made it.

  There was a tiny stage to the right of the bar that was cattycorner and barely had enough room for the karaoke machine and DJ, let alone the five drunken women who were doing their best rendition of Redneck Woman. There was a small area being used as the dance floor where more inebriated women were lined up, arms around each other’s shoulders, swaying back and forth to the song. Some held their beer bottles up in the air to honor those singing. Oh dear God, please tell me I won’t end up like that by the end of the night, Alana thought to herself.

  They made their way to the bar and Becky bought the first round, a lime beer and a shot of Patron for each of them. Although Alana enjoyed going out for drinks with friends, she rarely had the opportunity to party because of the long hours spent nursing and helping her Aunt Penny. She filled her life with work, work and more work.

  The building wasn’t very big. To the left were several pool tables. Each one had a low hanging light over it. There were racks along the walls with pool sticks and mounds of white chalk. Neon beer signs adorned the walls. Men were standing with one foot propped up against the wall, or sitting at the small round tables with bar stools and covered in empty bottles and ashtrays.

  Scanning the place, checking for seats, she spotted him. He didn’t quite fit in with the rough and rowdy bunch he was with, but he certainly stood out in the crowd. He wore a tight navy t-shirt, and she could see his muscles moving beneath the fabric of the shirt. And lord have mercy did he fill out his jeans. She wondered what he would look like out of those clothes. He hadn’t tucked the shirt, but his belt buckle was visible each time he raised his arm for a drink from the long neck bottle in his hand. He kept his fingers tucked into the front pocket of his jeans, and he smiled and laughed with his friends at something one of them said. His smile was contagious and she smiled as he smiled. She couldn’t help but lick her lips as she looked him over and watched his muscles move. Was the alcohol already making her warm inside, or was it something else?

  * * * * * * * *

  “See man, I told you, after a few beers and a couple hotties you won’t need a physical therapist,” Dusty said with a devilish smile. “They’ll have you stretched out in places you didn’t know you even had.”

  “You might need a sex therapist though!” yelled Mike, another close childhood friend of Logan and Dusty. He had always been fun to hang with, and Logan was enjoying the company of his old friends.

  They all laughed, and Logan thought about the disgustingly perverted stories Dusty told of his sexual escapades with various women on his regular trips to Paradise Beach. He smiled thinking Mike was probably right. Logan enjoyed being in the company of a woman, but he had never wanted to live the life of a porn star, unlike Dusty

  “Or an infectious disease doctor!” laughed Troy, one of Dusty and Mike’s work buddies who came along for the weekend. They had heard Dusty’s wild tales as well.

  “Now that’s the truth!” Mike laughed and pointed the end of his pool stick at Dusty’s crotch. “That damn thing might rot off yet.”

  “Watch out now,” Dusty said, covering his groin with a hand and looking defenseless, “He’s sensitive, you’ll scare him.”

  Logan took a long pull from the bottle and scanned the room. That’s when he saw her. She was staring right at him. Was she licking her lips? Nah, he shook his head, she had probably just taken a drink. He nodded at her and smiled. She smiled back and turned to talk to the women at the small table by the bar.

  God, she was beautiful. Her hair was straight and caramel colored, with blonde highlights that hung between her shoulders. She wore a black tank top that displayed just enough cleavage to make you want to see more. Her breasts were plump, and her skin was tan. The tank top and her jeans didn’t quite meet, leaving a gap just wide enough to see her flat stomach and the outline of each hip. The jeans fit her snug all the way down to her ankles. She had a petite little frame, and her ass, oh her ass made him lick his bottom lip and catch his breath.

  He continued to watch her until she finally turned her head just enough to see him staring at her backside. Her smile widened as her eyes met his and she turned her head back to the girls.

  “I’m empty,” Alana said, “I’ve got this round, be right back.” She turned to see if he was still looking at her. He was. Oh shit, she smiled to herself. Was he really looking at her? She made her way to the bar well to order three more lime beers and shots of Patron. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. And he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

  “Hey, I’m going for another round, you guys good?” Logan asked.

  “Nah man, grab me another beer,” Dusty said. “Now watch me make the money shot,” he said to Mike and Troy, hitting the cue ball.

  Logan made his way over to the bar, never taking his eyes off her. He didn’t hear the song that was playing in the background or all the loud voices stirring around him. He didn’t even hear the drunken off key karaoke singer. All he heard was his heartbeat getting louder with each step as he came closer to her. When he finally made it to the bar, he tipped his head to the bartender and ordered two Bud Lights. He lightly bumped his elbow against her arm, then looked up to see if he had gotten her attention. He had.

  “Excuse me,” he said. He couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off his face. What the hell was wrong with him? It was like high school all over again, trying to get the nerve up to ask Nikki Hammonds to the prom. Their eyes met again. Her eyes were sparkling sapphire blue with flecks of turquoise, like nothing he had ever seen. They sparked in the light like the fire in a diamond. She literally took
his breath away. He had traveled to some exotic places and seen some beautiful women, but none held a candle to her.

  Not able to form coherent words, she just smiled at him. She couldn’t speak. What was he doing? Had he bumped her arm on purpose or was she reading too much into this? She couldn’t look away from his beautiful light hazel eyes. His hair was a light brown, very short and clean cut.

  “You, uh, enjoying yourself?” he finally broke the silence. Obviously he wasn’t very good at this.

  “I am…” she said looking down at the bar to break the spell he had over her. She shook her head just a bit to remind herself it wasn’t a dream. She had only had one drink so far so she knew she wasn’t drunk. But there was a heat rising throughout her body.

  “You?” she asked back.

  “I think it might be getting better.” He smiled, trying not to look at the crevice between her breasts. Did he say that? Where the hell had that come from?

  She could feel the heat moving up her neck to her cheeks. He moved his arm just the slightest so he could touch hers again and it felt like electricity running through her whole body. She nervously laughed.

  “You think so?” she asked. She took a look at his physique. She could see the shape of his biceps through the shirt. She didn’t know what cologne he was wearing, but it was a fresh, clean spicy scent that made all her senses aware of his presence. Her nipples began to harden. What was coming over her? She had never been attracted to a stranger in her life. It wasn’t part of the plan.

  He felt her hunger as she eyed his arms and chest, and felt a twitch in his groin. He had never been this attracted to a woman, ever. But there was something about this woman that made his groin ache.

  “What’s your name?” he asked in a husky voice.

  “Alana. Yours?”

  “Logan.”

  “Well, Logan, it’s nice to meet you.” The way she made his name roll off her tongue sent a sensational chill down his spine. Wondering what else she could do with that tongue, he got a slight shiver.

  “The pleasure is all mine, Alana.” He couldn’t help but take a look at her plump, tan cleavage. A fine mist of sweat was covering it and glistening in the light. He unconsciously licked his bottom lip.

  Alana was pleasantly flattered and turned away before he saw the cheesy grin she was wearing on her face. Maybe Becky had been right in the outfit she had picked out for her to wear. She was like a giggly little schoolgirl. Giggly? Really? Seriously, who was she?

  At last, the bartender slid her drinks to her. Realizing she couldn’t carry all the drinks by herself, he saw his opening and quickly took it.

  “Hey, let me help you with those.”

  “You sure you don’t mind?”

  “Oh, honey, I am sure,” he said with a southern drawl he hadn’t used in a long while. Now he knew he spent way too much time with Dusty, and grinned to himself.

  Alana led the way back to the table. How he made it there without spilling a drink was a miracle, because he couldn’t take his eyes off her ass. She had the sexiest walk he had ever seen. She took long strides that made each cheek roll and bounce as she moved. Dammit man, he needed to pull it together!

  They finally made it to the small table where the two other women were sitting on barstools. Becky was surprised to see a man following her friend. Alana had found a man, in a bar? And what a man he was, a fine specimen indeed!

  “Damn girl, what did you find, and where can I get one?” Becky said with prodding eyes. She ogled Logan’s body with an X-rated look in her eye, raising her eyebrows in approval of what she saw.

  “Oh my God, mm hmm.” Ella turned around to look at Logan too. “Whoa, are there anymore of you here?” she said, as she started scouting the room.

  “You two stop! Damn, I can’t take you anywhere,” Alana said. She looked at Logan with apologetic eyes. She mouthed I’m sorry to him.

  “It’s all good,” he laughed. “Do you guys want to shoot some pool? My buddies are over in the corner. We already have a table.”

  The ladies looked in the direction Logan was pointing and saw the guys. They were all nice looking. Mike was a bit shorter than the other two, with short dark chocolate brown hair, dark skin and a muscular build. He wore a black sleeveless T-shirt that showed off his dark tan. Troy was tall and lean with strawberry blonde hair. He was wearing a western cut button up shirt and cowboy boots. Becky and Ella’s eyes met with huge smiles.

  “Hell yes!” they said simultaneously.

  * * * * * * * *

  No surprise Becky and Dusty had an immediate connection. They seemed to be two peas in a pod. Becky was average height, not skinny, with curves in all the right places. She wore her chestnut brown hair short around the ears because she hated mornings, and said the short hair was easier to fix before work. Most days, it looked like she rarely even brushed it, much less styled it. Tonight it was in cute spikes, set off by the large glittery hoop earrings she wore. Her tight jeans and red tank with thin straps over a red satin bra left little to the imagination. Dusty was tall and thin, but you could tell he did physical labor for a living. He had brown hair that was wavy and lay on his neck.

  “Damn Logan, you dawg, you know how to get another round,” Dusty gave a catcall, and shamelessly looked the girls over. Logan was quick to put an arm around Alana’s back and make the introductions. She liked the feeling of his big strong arm around her. Dusty obviously took the hint. He headed straight for Becky and Ella. Although Ella was the more attractive of the two women, with long reddish brown hair, green eyes and an athletic build, Becky was the one who was always the life of the party. Dusty seemed to be more drawn to Becky, and vice versa. Within minutes, they had their hands all over one another, laughing and making sexual innuendoes.

  “Well ladies, welcome to the night of your lives.” Dusty put an arm around each of them as if to keep them all to himself. “Let the games begin.”

  Logan ordered another round, and Dusty got the next. They were all chatting and talking about where they grew up and what they did for a living. While Dusty, Troy and Mike had the other two girls occupied with some insane story of their life on the farm, Logan ushered Alana to a corner table next to the pool tables. She sat on a stool in the corner facing Logan.

  “Are you having a good time?” he rubbed her hand with the back of his index finger. He was looking at her mouth as if he wanted to devour her. Her heartbeat was so loud in her head she could barely hear his words.

  She licked her dry lips and tried to answer, but all she managed was a nod of her head. Their fingers were rubbing together now. He raised his other hand to her face and moved a loose strand of her caramel colored hair from her cheek. He cupped her face in his hand and brushed the pad of his thumb across her cheek making her heart beat even louder. All she wanted was for him to kiss her, but her mind kept telling her to stop, she didn’t even know this man. “I want to kiss you,” he said gazing in her eyes.

  “What’s stopping you?” she asked in a shaky voice, barely managing to get the words out, despite what her mind was telling her.

  “I don’t want you to think that’s the kind of guy I am.”

  “What kind of guy are you?” she tilted her head to the side.

  “Not the kind that meets a girl in a bar and can’t keep his thoughts straight.”

  He stroked her hair, looking at her whole face now.

  She chuckled. “Me either.”

  “I know you’ll think this is a pick up line, but I’ve never met anyone I’ve wanted to kiss as bad as I do you.”

  “Is it a line?” she looked at his mouth, licking her lips.

  Without further hesitation, he leaned in, brushing his lips against hers. She felt as if she couldn’t breathe. He took his time kissing her, using the tip of his tongue to trace her bottom lip. S
he opened her mouth and met his tongue with hers. She could taste the fresh beer on his lips, and it tasted delicious. The heat intensified throughout her body. She spread her knees apart inviting him to move in closer. She could feel him against her leg, growing beneath the zipper of his jeans.

  This wasn’t happening, was it? She didn’t behave this way, especially out in public. Surely it was the alcohol that had her head spinning, her heart pounding.

  Their kiss deepened. Raising her hands up to his chest, she could feel the heat coming from his body, the muscles twitching beneath her palms and his heart pounding. She heard a slight moan catch in his throat. She couldn’t help but smile, feeling a sense of accomplishment that he was just as turned on as she.

  He cleared his throat finally. “I think I better stop now,” he said, but wasn’t moving away, “while I can still control myself.” He leaned his forehead in against hers, and gently kissed it as he pulled away. “I could very easily become addicted to you.”

  If he only knew, she thought. If he only knew.

  “Hey y’all gonna play or what?” Dusty made his way over to them, putting his arm around his friend’s shoulder, and pulled Logan out of the corner. “I’ve made a friendly wager with these here ladies that they couldn’t refuse,” he said with a mischievous grin.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The morning light was peeking through the small crack between the drapes on the windows. Alana blinked her eyes open and yawned. She saw a familiar room and shut her eyes again. Then it hit her. She shot up out of the bed. What the hell! She was in one of her aunt and uncle’s hotel rooms.

  She jumped from the bed and gasped, covering her mouth to hide the sound. Uncle James was going to kill her. Looking over at the other queen size bed she saw Becky and Ella curled up next to some guy. Wait, that wasn’t just some guy that was Dusty, Dusty Richards from last night.

  Now it was beginning to come back to her. She slowly turned around to see him. There he was, in all his splendor, Logan Montgomery.