“Seriously, how much schnapps did you put in there?” Abby asked, pointing to her empty cup. “Are you not feeling it?”
“Uhhh, no.” Paige’s cheeks turned a bright pink as she shook her head. “Mine was a virgin.”
“What? Why? Did Brendan knock you up again?”
“Yeah.” The smile that had been on Paige’s face moments before was nothing, nothing, to the one that was now on her face. She was beaming brighter than Abby had ever seen before.
“Seriously?” Abby couldn’t help reflecting the sheer joy radiating from her friend.
“Damn right I did.” There was no small amount of pride in Brendan’s voice.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” She grabbed a pillow and lightly smacked Paige’s legs with it.
“Because we were discussing you. We were going to get there eventually.”
“Agh!” Abby moved across the couch to sit next to her best friend. The two women embraced, holding on to each other for a good long while. “I’m so happy for you,” Abby said as she pulled back. There were tears in both of their eyes. “When did you find out?”
“I just took the test last week.” Paige reached up and wiped at her eyes. “My mom and Brendan’s grandmother know, but we aren’t telling anyone else until we get past the first trimester.”
“Planned?”
“Yeah.” Paige nodded.
“When are you due?” Abby asked as she moved back to her end of the sofa and settled in among the pillows.
“October.”
“New Year’s resolution?”
“Something like that.”
“Story for later?” Abby didn’t hesitate to keep up with her line of questioning.
“Hmmm, I think so. Because we need to focus on your current situation.”
Abby let out an exasperated sigh. “There isn’t anything to focus on. It can’t go any further.” She grabbed a pillow and pulled it into her lap, tracing the pattern as opposed to looking at Paige.
“Why the hell not?” Paige asked as she nudged Abby’s foot with her own.
Abby looked up and took another deep breath. She let it out slowly before she spoke. “You know why not. I’m putting my career at risk, my reputation. And for what? Sex? I’ve never been this reckless before.”
“I think there’s something to be said for that.”
“What? That when I’m around him I lose all of my sense along with my clothes?”
“I was going to say that you really like him, but what you said works, too.”
“Ugh, Paige, what am I going to do?” She buried her head in the pillow and groaned.
“Not hide,” Paige said as she nudged Abby’s feet again.
Abby pulled her head from the pillow and focused on her friend. “Why not? Wouldn’t that be easier?”
“Because hiding isn’t like you. And I’ve never known you to go for the easy route. Case in point, the first guy that’s really caught your attention in years is for all intents and purposes off limits.”
“I was doing just fine until I realized he was interested, too.”
“And why wouldn’t he be? Hello, you’re Abby Freaking Fields. Publicist extraordinaire. You’re amazing, brilliant, beautiful, and kind. Plus you have fabulous taste in shoes.”
“I need to come visit you more often. You give a girl a serious boost to her confidence,” Abby said as she fluffed her hair and preened.
“I’m being serious!”
“So am I!” Abby laughed.
“Brendan!” Paige called out. Her husband appeared in the doorway a second later, drying his hands on a towel. “What do you think, babe?”
He tossed the towel onto his shoulder as he leaned against the jamb and looked at them. “I’ve always liked Logan as an athlete. He keeps his head down and doesn’t make an ass out of himself. He has no patience for the paparazzi, but to be honest, I don’t think that I would, either, if there was a camera constantly in my face.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“But after meeting him, talking to him,” Brendan continued, “I think that he’s a pretty cool guy. He came over here to see Dale with no benefit to himself. The fact that he didn’t turn it into the Logan Show is impressive, and something you don’t see all that often. He made it about the kid and not even remotely about himself. That right there says that he’s a man of integrity.”
“He is that.” Abby agreed.
It was a fact that the man had been difficult to deal with, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have standards. It was something she wished more people knew about him. It wasn’t about exploiting him—at least it hadn’t been for her, she wasn’t sure what he’d dealt with before she’d been hired—it was more about the public knowing there were athletes out there who were more than capable of not making asses out of themselves.
It was a feat to be sure.
“I will say this, though, if he hurts you, he’s going to lose a lot more than a fan.” The serious look on Brendan’s face was not to be messed with, and Abby was touched by his words.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” He nodded before he pushed off the wall and went back into the kitchen.
“I’m not encouraging you to do something stupid,” Paige said. “Really I’m not, and if I hadn’t seen you around him, met him in person, I’d tell you to tread cautiously. But there’s something about him, Abby, something about the way he looks at you, that I don’t think you should ignore.”
Yeah, Abby was beginning to think she was at the point where she couldn’t ignore it. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t wanted him to kiss her out on that porch. Lying if she said his hands on her body hadn’t been perfection. But his touch this afternoon had been nothing to what she’d experienced last night, his palms sliding over her bare skin, his mouth on her breasts.
“You said he’s intensely private, right?” Paige asked, bringing Abby out of her very dirty thoughts. “Do you think he would ever say anything about a relationship with you to the public?”
“No.” Abby shook her head. “I don’t think that he would.”
“My question to you is this: do you want to see where this could go? If it’s more than just sex?”
“Yes.” Abby was shocked at how quickly the word fell from her mouth. She blamed the alcohol. And Paige. Somehow this was her best friend’s fault, too.
“Okay, so what do we do now?” Paige asked.
Well, wasn’t that the question of the day?
Chapter Four
Round Two… and Three… and Four
Logan sat at the bar of the Sleepy Sheep, a smorgasbord of beers laid out before him. Shep had filled up six different tasters and laid them out on the counter.
“All of these are your own brews?” Logan asked as he picked up the darkest one on the very end.
“Four of them are; the other two are local.”
Shep had given Logan a tour of the brand-new brewery that had been built on the side of the bar. Two large shiny tanks were currently set up for production, but there was definitely more space to work with. Shep had plans for at least four more tanks; he just needed to make the money first.
But he was apparently well on his way because his beer was selling like crazy, and as Logan made his way through his sampler, he understood why.
“Holy shit, this stuff is phenomenal. Can I get a full glass of this one?” he asked, holding up the red in his hand.
“That’s one of my favorites, too. It took me a couple of batches to get the flavors just right, so I named it after my wife.” He smirked. “That’s the Complicated Redhead.”
“That so?” Logan asked as he eyed the remainder of the beer. Well, wasn’t that interesting?
He’d met Shep’s wife Hannah earlier when he arrived at the Seaside Escape Inn. She’d been more than accommodating as she’d gotten him settled into his wing of the inn. They were in the process of remodeling the three-story building into different apartments. The entire bottom floor was Shep and Hannah’
s house, but the other two floors had been divided into six different sections.
Two of the apartments were done, and they were quite remarkable with their massive windows looking out on the Gulf Coast. Wooden floors stretched out throughout the rooms, stunning bathrooms boasted of Jacuzzi tubs and separate walk-in showers, and an assortment of antique furniture mixed in perfectly among brand-new pieces.
Hannah went around showing the completed rooms to Logan, pointing out all the work that Dale had done. The colors he’d picked out, the tiles he’d laid, and so on.
“He’s a very talented kid. And it means a lot that you came. Thank you.” She’d stretched up and given Logan a kiss on the cheek before she left him to settle in.
He hadn’t seen her complicated side, but he had no doubt that she’d probably given Shep a run for his money. He had a feeling if there was a drink named after Abby, it would be called the Runaway Red… or something like that. He tipped the glass back and downed the last of it.
He wondered if it was the red hair that made them so complicated… or was it the fact that they were just women in general?
He wasn’t sure and he couldn’t stop his brain from puzzling over that fact as he sipped on the fresh beer that Shep had poured him.
Because really, why did he care so much? His relationships over the last few years hadn’t been very deep, not shocking as he was pretty hesitant to let anyone new into his life. He’d been burned bad with Cassidy and then losing Madison… unbearable.
So yeah, he didn’t do serious. It made it that much easier when it ended and he moved on.
So why, why, wasn’t he ready to move on from Abby?
* * *
Abby stared at the dark blue door in front of her for just a moment before she lifted her hand slowly, her knuckles rapping against the solid wood.
She was standing on the second floor of the Seaside Escape Inn. It was a massive building with the Gulf of Mexico stretching out behind it. She couldn’t see the ocean as the sun had set hours ago, but she could hear the churning waters beyond the sand. The moon was absent and there were no stars in the sky, the storm clouds blocking everything out. Icy rain fell from the sky and she shivered, burrowing farther into her jacket.
She knew that Logan was back at the inn, as Hannah had texted Paige that he and Shep had returned twenty minutes ago. She still couldn’t believe she was standing outside this door, waiting for him to open it.
She knew exactly what was going to happen when he opened said door. She might as well start unbuttoning her jeans now, really. Though, him doing it for her might be a little bit more fun.
Or a lotta bit.
Abby’s entire body tensed as the handle rattled and the door opened. But the sexy grin spreading across Logan’s face as he looked her up and down had all of her tension melting away into the freezing air around her. She’d be surprised if she wasn’t making steam.
He looked good in his jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt. Comfortable as he stood in the doorway, a bottle of beer in his hand.
“Red?”
“I’m not quite ready to return to reality.”
“That so?” he asked as he reached up, running his hand through his hair in that carelessly sexy way that very few men had ever been able to pull off with her.
He pulled it off in spades.
“That is so.” She nodded, taking a step forward and pulling the beer from his grasp. He let go of it and used his now free hand to reach out.
“Good,” he said as he ran his palm around her waist and to her back, where he pulled her into the foyer and more importantly into his body. He closed the door behind them, shutting out the cold dark night.
She tipped the bottle back, letting the cold drink wash down the last of any and all of her doubts.
“I like your hair like this,” he said as he reached up and gently wound one of her curls around his finger. She’d pulled her hair down from its customary twist when she’d gotten back to Brendan and Paige’s earlier that night. When the up-do had been released, her hair hung around her shoulders in loose curls.
“And these jeans are pretty fantastic.” The hand at her waist was moving down. He slid it to her bottom where he squeezed lightly. “I’ve never seen you in anything besides business clothes.”
“That’s not true.” She shook her head as she took another pull on the bottle of beer. “Last night you saw me in lingerie… and then nothing at all.”
“You make a valid point.” He pulled the beer from her hands, tipping it back and finishing it off before he put it on the table next to the door. “And now it’s my turn to make my point.”
And just like that Abby was pushed up against the wall of the entryway, Logan’s mouth covering hers. His hands were working under the material of her sweater, warm against her skin as his fingers traced their way up to her breasts. His thumbs rasped over her nipples, and the moan that escaped her mouth couldn’t be helped.
He shifted, and in that moment he made his point quite clear. His erection was pushing into her belly.
“You’re staying the night, Red.”
Not a question but she felt the need to answer anyway. “Yes.”
Logan’s hands dropped to her thighs and he pulled her up in one swift movement. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her through the apartment. She guessed he was taking her to the bedroom; she wasn’t exactly sure as her mouth was glued to his.
But she was confirmed right when he laid her down among all of the soft bedding a moment later. Her legs were still wrapped tightly around him, and as she hadn’t loosened her hold on him in the slightest, he had no choice but to follow her down.
She reveled in the weight of him pushing her down into the mattress. It was freaking glorious. The only thing that would make it better would be if they were both naked. Well, she might as well start on that right now.
She grabbed at the back of his shirt, pulling at it with what might have been a little too much gusto.
“Need to get this off,” she whispered against his mouth as she continued to work it. But as their bodies were wound so tightly together, it was a struggle.
And the struggle was real.
He pulled back and grinned down at her. “Overeager much?”
“You better believe it.”
“Drop your legs,” he said as he kissed her lips.
She did, and he pulled back, kneeling on the bed between her legs. He reached behind to his back, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling it up and over his head. He threw it over his shoulder and paused for just a moment as he looked down at her. She took the opportunity to let her eyes rake over his body. Her fingers itched to touch him, but she kept her hands on the bed, waiting for his next move.
He reached for her and ran his hand down one of her thighs, past her knee and calf, to her ankle where he pulled her foot from the bed. She was wearing fur-lined moccasins and he slipped one off her foot before he held it up for her to see.
“This isn’t part of your usual fanfare, either. I like seeing this side of you, Red,” he said before he tossed the shoe over his shoulder and repeated the process with her other foot.
When her feet were both bare, she placed them flat on the bed, lifting her hips just slightly as she adjusted herself.
Logan licked his lips as he reached out and pushed the hem of her sweater up, exposing her lower belly. He ran his fingers across her bare skin, tracing around her belly button before he dipped lower to the top of her jeans.
He unsnapped the button before he lowered the zipper. She raised her hips as he grabbed the top of her jeans and shimmied them down her legs. They were on the floor in a matter of seconds.
“God,” he groaned as he stared at her panties. There was just a scrap of cloth in the front, and then three strings on each side ran around her hips and to the back.
Before Abby had the chance to say or do anything, Logan was lowering himself onto the bed, pushing her thighs apart with his shoulders.
He kissed the very top of her panties before he trailed his lips down. Then he opened his mouth on her, finding her clit with his tongue through the fabric.
Her eyes closed and she melted back into the bed, giving in to the sensations of his mouth working her over. Her hands came up, her fingers running through his hair. A moment later he pushed the fabric of her panties to the side, and when his tongue touched her flesh she couldn’t stop herself from tightening her grip on him. Nor could she stop her hips from coming up off the bed, seeking more.
And he gave more.
A lot more.
He kept going for the next few minutes, with skill she’d never in her life experienced before now. The orgasm that overcame her was all-consuming. Her legs shook. Her body arched. And the room was filled with her panting his name.
Panting.
He brought her down slowly, his mouth not pausing from its ministrations. Her hands loosened from their death grip in his hair and fell to the bed. She opened her eyes and it took her a second to focus.
Logan kissed the inside of her thigh before he moved up her body. He placed open mouth kisses along her belly.
“You smell good everywhere. Everywhere.” His lips brushed her skin, the warm touch of his breath washing over her as he pushed her sweater up past her breasts. He ran his tongue underneath the swells, pulling at the thin fabric with his teeth.
“I need you naked,” he murmured right before his mouth opened up on a fabric-covered nipple.
Abby had no idea where the strength, or energy for that matter, came from. Hello, he’d just destroyed her with his mouth. But she pulled her legs up again, wrapping them around his waist and rolling.
Now she was the one looking down at him, and she couldn’t help grinning at the man beneath her.
What was she going to do with him?
* * *
The move had caught Logan off guard and that was the only reason he was currently on his back. There’d been no doubt in his mind that he could’ve stopped Abby from rolling him over. He guessed he had about eighty pounds on her, so it wouldn’t have been all that hard.
But why would he have stopped her? A beautiful woman had all but mounted him, and he’d be lying if he didn’t have images of her riding him long and hard. But he was going to let her call the shots, and as she looked down at his body, he knew she had plans.
Undressed Page 4
