She soaked his hand and mouth and still he wanted more. He circled her clit with his thumb and dragged in a deep breath. “Izzy.” She shuddered and he had to focus on her and not his throbbing cock that wanted inside of her. “Fuck, yes.”
“God, Logan.” Her voice was barely more than breath.
“More.” He bit the inside of her thigh and she jumped. “Izzy, mine,” he said against her skin. Her head was thrown back, every muscle vibrated. He scrambled up to cover her, to take a ride into the middle of that storm.
He sunk into her slowly as he slid his arms under hers to cage her in. She surrounded him. Legs and arms locked around him as he pressed her into the mattress.
Gentle left the building with each rasping cry of his name. He drove into her, desperate to leash the madness that happened when she touched him, when she called out his name with such sweet torment. When her nails scored his back, he pushed harder, demanded more. He rolled his hips and choked out her name as he finally came.
Face buried in her neck, he tasted salt and let her jasmine scent drive him back from the edge. He slowed the force of his thrusts as his body tried to catch up with the force of his release.
With a shaking hand, he pushed her sweaty bangs out of her face. “Iz?”
“Call back later. Izzy’s died by orgasm.” She let out a shuddering groan. “What the hell kind of Wheaties have you been eating while I was gone?”
He laughed into her neck. Thank God. He’d lost it a bit at the end. Christ, she dragged him to the brink. “Should I say I’m sorry?”
“God, no. You just can’t do it that way every time or we’ll never leave the house.”
He propped himself up on his forearms. “Bad thing, how?”
She laughed, then groaned as he shifted between her legs. “Well if you gotta go, orgasm’s gotta be the best way, right?”
“Definitely.” He rolled off her and the blast of cool air made him hiss.
She blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m ruined.”
“As you should be.” He sure as fuck was.
“What are my chances of getting a huge omelet with cheese and bacon?” She groaned and his beaten cock twitched anyway. “Yeah, bacon.”
“Relatively good.” If those were the noises he was going to get.
She turned her face toward him. “How good?”
“I think I actually have that in my kitchen.”
“If you loved me you’d make me one.” She blew a sweaty hank of hair out of her eyes.
“Is that right?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I do love you.”
She dragged the sheet up and rolled onto her side, facing him. “So, yes on the omelet?”
He sat up with a groan. “Don’t think this is going to work every time, babe.”
“Oh, it will.”
He paused and looked over his shoulder. He had a strong suspicion she was right. That smile was going to get him into some serious trouble. He couldn’t help but smile back as he dragged his jeans on and headed for the living room.
He’d just cleared the French doors and was halfway into the kitchen when she called out his name. He pulled down the omelet pan with a shake of his head. “What?”
“Can you do me a favor?”
“I’m passing up a post-sex coma to make you breakfast and you want another favor?” Her laughter floated through his apartment and his hand stilled on the pan’s handle. God, he didn’t think he’d ever hear such a sweet sound again.
“It’ll just take a second.”
With an exasperated sigh, he went back into his room. “What?”
She peeked out of the blankets. “I just need you for one second.”
He leaned over her, pressing his knuckles into the mattress beside her. “Too cold? Want something to drink?”
She crooked her finger and he lowered to her. She snaked her arm out and dragged him into a hot, mind-bending kiss before pressing her face in to his neck then up to his ear. “I love you, Logan.”
He fell to his knees beside the bed. He tried not to let it matter. It was enough that he was able to have her there and finally tell her how he felt, but fuck, he’d wanted to hear her say that. He cradled her face in his hands. “Again.”
Her heavy-lidded topaz eyes sparkled. “I love you.”
“I love you, Logan,” he corrected.
She bit her top lip, the smile stretching across her face. “I love you, Logan.” Her voice went low and sinful. She reached out, her fingers sliding down his belly to the button of his jeans. “Whoops. I think your jeans may have a defective button. You should definitely take care of that. You know, take these off or something.”
He laughed into her mouth and rolled them back into the wrecked sheets.
The omelet would wait.
∞ ♦ ∞
Isabella sipped her coffee as she looked out over the city. Logan was on the phone with his manager and from the level of pacing and growls, she didn’t think the conversation was going well.
“Are you fucking shitting me? When do I have time to do that, Charlie? I’ve got mixing to do next week.”
He paced the room, picking at the edges of a catalog, then moved to the remote and turned on the television on mute and put on some sports channel. He sat on the edge of the couch and watched for a moment before rolling his eyes and collapsing back on the couch to stare at the ceiling.
Whatever Charlie said, Logan didn’t like. He pulled the phone away from his ear and put it on his chest before swiping his hand down his face then replacing it. “No.” He glanced at her, then stood up. “Let me call you back.”
Bella leaned her shoulder against the window. She’d actually managed to get dressed for the first time that day. Again, she’d inherited one of his shirts, but at least she had a bra and underwear on this time. Even managed socks and jeans. The fact that it was about twenty degrees outside killed the whole walking around naked thing.
Except for Logan.
He seemed to be perpetually in a pair of jeans or workout shorts with just a t-shirt. His long, bare feet were far more distracting than they had any right to be. The last day held a domesticity that she didn’t quite know how to deal with.
She and Logan had been colleagues, lovers, and strangers in between. They clicked on a level she’d never had with anyone, but the easy intimacy still threw her off. It felt perfect and odd at the same time.
“I don’t like that look in your eyes.”
He grinned at her then snagged her hand and dragged her into the living room. “Work is seriously going to kick my ass. I gotta get to a studio. The one that I love working in is home.”
“Here?”
“No. Winchester Falls.”
“Oh.” She sat down on the couch. They’d been purposefully avoiding talking about anything since the whole love word had been thrown all over the place like confetti. It was pretty and brought joy, but damn, did it leave a mess.
And it sure as hell wasn’t going back in the bag.
Nor did she want it to.
“I want us to go back together.”
She crossed her arms over her stomach. Since he’d left, he hadn’t had to deal with the fall out of their love life being town gossip. Or, the magazine fodder for that matter.
“It’s my home, Iz. Yours too.”
She nodded. “Yes. I know.” And God, she missed it. More than she thought was possible.
“I know I’m not exactly the best relationship material, but I want us to make it work.”
Those words had given her hope a few months ago. But less than twelve hours after he’d said it, there had been nothing but pain. And she knew in her head that there were a lot of extenuating circumstances, but…
She swallowed. “I want that, Logan. But you got to walk away after—well, after the last time.”
His eyes met hers. His earnest bottle green gaze bore into hers. “I made a mess last time. I get that.”
“Do you?” She stood and it was her tu
rn to pace. “I couldn’t even walk into the diner without fourteen-year-old girls talking behind their phones and tablets. Sometimes laughter, other times they were staring at me because of those pictures.” She rubbed her arms. “I run a business, Logan.”
She’d looked like a fool.
Pride was a hard thing to win back. And the entire town thinking she’d been with a man that cheated on her openly had left her raw. And worst of all, she felt stupid. And for her, that was a far greater offense.
He came up behind her, curling his arm around her waist. “I wish I could take it back.” Cheek against her temple, he held her tightly against him. “Because that’s one thing that I could have controlled.”
She turned. “What?”
“I’m not going to lie to you. I told you I wouldn’t ever again.”
She stepped back.
“No.” He twisted his fingers with hers. “No, don’t do that.”
“You said you didn’t do anything with Lindsey.”
“God, no. No, there’s been no one but you since the moment I saw you in that barn. I tried. I did everything I could think of to erase you. Liquor was my worst offense, but even that couldn’t do the trick.”
She let him draw her into his arms. He curled one around her back, the other was simply a hand on her shoulder, his thumb caressing her throat and jawline.
“I wanted to make you hate me. It was the only way I could think of to keep you safe.”
“I don’t understan—wait. Did you put that picture out there?” She twisted away from him. He came after her and she stumbled back. “No. Don’t touch me.”
“It worked, right? I thought I had no chance with you again. My only focus was to protect you.”
“So you made me look like a fool?”
“It probably would have gotten out there anyway. There were way too many reporters and paparazzi in Winchester Falls. But one came to me, wanted a payoff.” He caught her wrist and held her in front of him. “I didn’t give it to him.”
Shock and anger made her lash out. “This is what you live with?”
That made him let her go. The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Every day.”
She pushed her hair out of her face. Her skin buzzed from contact with his. Even now she wanted to turn and go to him. But God, knowing that the press would come after them all the damn time… That he knew that—and used it on more than one occasion—staggered her.
She slid into one of the club chairs. “I don’t know, Logan.” The words came out in a whisper. She hadn’t wanted to actually say them, but they came tumbling out anyway.
He crouched in front of her. “I wish I could promise it wasn’t going to happen again. That the papers won’t twist words and pictures, even an innocent moment at dinner. They print more fiction than fact.” He slid his fingers into her hair, tucking a lock around her ear. “I’m sorry. I won’t sugarcoat my life. You need to know all of the ugliness too. Sometimes it sucks.” He searched her face and whatever he saw there made him lean back on his heels. “I’ve lived more than twenty years in the public eye.”
Dammit, he was so beautiful and yet had more baggage than fifteen people put together. She cupped his jaw. “I don’t come from anything like that. My parents are academics. Both of them professors at Brown.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Well, I guess that’s where the books come in.”
That was about all she had in common with her parents. “We’re not close. The idea that I sell and trade books makes them uncomfortable.”
“Oh, well I’ll be a treat.”
“You want to meet my folks?”
“Babe, I want to go home and learn everything there is to know about you. I want to meet your folks, all of your friends, I want to have coffee with you every morning and curl into bed with you each night. I want it all.”
She sat back in the chair. Being with Logan wasn’t just bending her life to include one extra person—which was hard enough—but it included his fame too.
He gripped her knees, his long fingers kneading the tops of her thighs. “It’s a lot to think about.”
“I think that’s what I need. A little time to think. Can you give me that?”
He nodded. “I have to go down to my manager’s office in Manhattan. I’ve got to hash out some things with my manager.”
She grinned up at him. Even through the uncertainty there was something between them. This connection that made her want more. But would it hold?
Impulsively, she hooked her finger through his pinkie and dragged him back. “Logan, I…”
He pulled her up out of her seat and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her nose into the hard planes of his chest. She was still getting used to this new size of him, but sort of liked it. The familiar sandalwood and vanilla scent hugged her as effectively as the man.
“I get it.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m still going to fight you if you want out.” Then he took her mouth. Unapologetically carnal, he opened her up and tasted every inch of her mouth then pulled away to hover over her ear. “Now that you’re back in my life I won’t let you go so easily.”
She nodded and let him walk away from her.
He stopped at the door. “Sarah is downstairs.” He lifted a finger. “Don’t give me that look. Nothing’s changed there. I still don’t know what’s going on with Aimee. I love you too much to let anything happen to you.”
What was she supposed to say to that? “I’m trapped here, then?”
He shook his head and pulled a set of keys off the hook by the door. “This is my extra key. The code to the alarm changes daily.”
She took the key and scooped up her phone. They’d already exchanged cell phone numbers.
“Today is 1927—no, memorize it.”
She looked up from her phone. “What?”
“Welcome to the security-conscious life you now lead. 1927ef4. Say it.”
“Logan, I can remember that.”
“Say it.”
She huffed out a breath and recited the same numbers and letters back to him.
“Good. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Well, that was a new side to him. From sweet and hot, to pit bull. Not sure she was a fan of the pit bull part.
A minute later she was at his closet. She needed to walk.
She snapped hangers across the bar until she found a heavy leather bomber jacket. It was too big on her, but it would keep her warm. She snagged a scarf from a box at the bottom of the closet. That would help with the too-wide collar.
She collected her wallet and phone and followed him downstairs. Sure enough, Sarah was sitting in the lobby with a bored look on her face as she flicked through her phone.
“Want to get out of here?”
Sarah looked up. “Yes.”
“Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“How do you feel about Italian?”
“I have good feelings.”
Bella laughed. “Me too.”
CHAPTER NINE
Bella tucked her phone into her pocket. That was her third text in two hours. Logan continued to check in after he’d gotten home to find her missing. She dragged Sarah into a few shops to boost her supplies.
She enjoyed Logan’s scent on him, but for her? Yeah, she needed her own. Not to mention his shampoo situation left a lot to be desired. Millionaire rockstar that he was, the guy still used drugstore-level product.
Surprisingly, Sarah was pretty style-conscious and didn’t complain. She’d gotten an inkling with the Michael Kors clothing she wore, but the rest of her wardrobe consisted of boring black.
They’d spent an amiable couple of hours shopping and eating before she couldn’t put off going back to the apartment any longer. For the last few months she’d convinced herself that Logan was the biggest mistake of her life.
Now, the future was ahead of her and all the happy scenarios in her head included Logan. The idea of a part-time man in her life was the only thing that held her bac
k. She had to share him with his fans, which was fine. The career part she understood. Her business was time-intensive and required a little travel. The last few months were by design, not her regular life.
At the time she’d needed the distraction and she’d used work. Logan’s life included the road and she knew there was a very big part of him that loved it. How did she fit in there? Sure she could visit him for a week here and there, but Between the Lines kept her busy.
Her thirties had arrived and the idea of a family wasn’t part of her distant plans anymore. She wanted something different than she’d grown up with. Her family wasn’t close. Career was the one goal in her household. Getting published in the academic trades, scholarly pursuits, and a mausoleum-esque household hadn’t made for a warm childhood.
Nic and Adam had brought fun and family into her life. They’d shown her what it was like to love openly, what a family sounded like when laughter and food and children were a part of it. They’d shown her how to be messy and crazy.
For the first time in her life she’d finally gotten a taste of that larger than life, crazy love, and it was because of Logan. She owed it to them to at least try. When she picked up the pace, Sarah gave her a look.
“Time to head back to the apartment?”
She nodded. “I think we’re going to be headed to Winchester Falls.”
Sarah winced. “Back to small town USA.”
“Yeah, but it’s home. God, I miss it.”
“I can’t believe you left all this to go there. I’ll never figure it out.”
“Maybe once we get settled back at home you only have to come with me when I need to travel.” She couldn’t see the need for a guard on her there.
“We’ll see.”
Bella hiked her shopping bag higher on her shoulder. They crossed Broome Street and took a right onto Mercer. Inside Logan’s building there was a new guy at the front desk. But evidently Sarah had already met him. They nodded a greeting.
“I think we’re in for the night.”
Sarah pushed the button on the elevator. “I’ll see you upstairs then head back to headquarters.”
“Wow, no arguments?”
“Mr. King doesn’t like a detail on him, just you.”
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