Your Captivating Love (The Bennett Family Book 2)

by Layla Hagen

  “Your wish is my command.”

  He enters me slowly, inch by inch. As I take him in, my inner walls clench around him with delight and protest.

  “Fuck, you’re big,” I say, leaning my head back.

  He kisses the exposed side of my neck. He pulls out then slams back into me hard. Logan makes love to me in a maddening rhythm, flicking my nipples with his fingers.

  “This is so good, Nadine.”

  Feeling his hot breath against my earlobe is amazing. Feeling him inside me is almost too much to bear. My entire body is on fire, desperate for release. Logan drives into me even harder, dropping one hand to my clit.

  “I’m so close,” he whispers, circling my clit until my legs buckle. I grasp the railing even harder, moving my other hand behind me to grip his neck. A crushing pressure forms inside me, threatening to undo me. Oh, God. I will come so hard I might pass out. When he starts widening inside me, my thighs quiver.

  “Logan—”

  “Now!”

  I come harder than I ever have, tremors overcoming me as we both ride our orgasms out. Afterward, Logan holds me in his arms until I calm down, kissing my shoulder gently.

  ***

  “Let’s wrap this up for today,” Logan says as we dress. His shirt is finally dry, and he puts it on.

  “More than agree. I can’t even feel my body.”

  Logan grins, running a hand through his hair. “Now, that’s not only because of the work, is it?”

  I fold my arms over my chest, enjoying the banter. “Not sure. I do recall doing something equally exerting that was also fun.”

  Logan puts one hand on the side of my ear. “What else could be at fault for it?”

  “You’re going to make me say it out loud, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah. That big ego you keep hearing about? I need to feed it with something. So, tell me.”

  “Can’t remember. I guess I need to be reminded.”

  “Challenge accepted.” He kisses my forehead. “I want us to head home first.”

  “Let’s go,” I say.

  “Let me check something before we leave.”

  “Okay.” He goes to the front room while I remain in the bathroom, freshening up. When I join him in the front, he’s pacing around the room, sporting a frown.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I have bad news. The floor is rotten.”

  “No.” I freeze. “The owner said there was no need for ground renovations.”

  “He lied so you’d sign without bringing a specialist to check the place. I was rather suspicious when he told you to sign right away. In all my years of business, whenever someone gave me an ultimatum, there was something fishy going on.”

  “I checked the place, but it didn’t even cross my mind that he was lying to my face.”

  “I can have your contract canceled, and I can make that moron very sorry, just say the word.”

  “No.”

  Logan narrows his eyes. “That wasn’t the word I expected.”

  Massaging my temples, I calculate a few things. “Even with this roadblock and his lie, this is still the best deal I can find. The location is excellent and...”

  “Fine, keep the location,” Logan hisses through gritted teeth. “I can still make the asshole sorry.”

  “I’ll give him a piece of my mind when I see him. Please, don’t get involved, okay? I can handle this.”

  Logan still shoots daggers with his eyes, but I hold his gaze until he nods. “I know this is a setback.”

  “Setback” is an elegant way of saying I’m screwed. Depending on what caused the rotting in the first place, and how far the damage extends, this will delay my ability to open the store for a few weeks, if not a month, even with Logan helping. That means another month where I only have costs with the rent and no revenue. One step forward, two back. Story of my life. Can’t catch a break. If there’s an asshole within a hundred-mile radius, I’ll find him and let him scam me. I might as well take this as the warning sign it is: I should concentrate on my business one hundred percent.

  “I’ll be all right” is all I say out loud. “I always am, eventually. I’ll figure something out.” Like how to survive on even less money.

  “We’ll figure something out together, okay?” Cupping my cheeks, he kisses my forehead. “Let’s go home now.”

  “I really should sleep at my place tonight. I don’t have anything to change into for tomorrow.”

  “We’ll go to your place so you can pack some things, and then we’ll go to my apartment, okay? Nadine, let me take care of you. I don’t want you to be alone. Besides, I still have a challenge to fulfill. I must remind you why you’re sore. Can’t very well do that if we’re not in the same place. Or do I have to use the ‘extra sleep’ card again?”

  I laugh. “Great. Now you have an even stronger card than extra sleep. Extra sex.”

  Two thoughts war within me. One is that I should keep my distance from him, go back to my apartment, and draft out a fight plan for the next few months, taking this setback into account. The other thought is that I can’t possibly face being alone in my crappy apartment when the alternative is spending the night with this amazing man. Under Logan’s stubborn gaze, the second trail of thought wins. I’ll stop overanalyzing this and just enjoy it, for however long it lasts.

  “Let’s go.”

  ***

  We take a short trip to my apartment. I intend only to grab clothes for tomorrow, but Logan makes me pack for several days.

  Once we return to his apartment, he instructs, “Go into the bedroom and strip.”

  “Well, that was straightforward.” I can’t help smiling the entire time I undress in his bedroom. I expect him to burst inside any minute now. Instead, he tells me to step out of the room and come in the bathroom. Sex in the tub. That sounds very appealing. Opening the door to the bathroom, I can’t believe my eyes. There’s a bubble bath waiting for us.

  “I prepared a hot bath for you.” He emphasizes the word you, while his eyes travel hungrily up and down my body. “Relax in it while I make you dinner.”

  “Logan, I... Wow.”

  “Told you I’d take care of you.”

  Feeling my eyes beginning to sting, I turn around, pretending to concentrate on the bathtub. I’m used to taking care of others, not the other way around. Logan’s setting the bar pretty high for any man who’ll come after him.

  When I slip inside, I relax almost instantly.

  “This is perfect.” I sink deeper in the water, watching Logan. His hair is wet, and he smells of mint shampoo or shower gel. “This could even make me forget that I’m only having you to myself for half a day tomorrow.”

  “I can—”

  “Don’t you even dare mention canceling on your parents.”

  He said that he usually visits his parents on Sunday afternoons, and I don’t want him to change that for me. “Now, go and leave me alone. You’re disturbing my relaxation juju.”

  He smiles. “Fine.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to join me?” I ask seductively.

  “Nope. I’ll get my share of you later. I’d like to make it to the bed with you this time around.” He winks before leaving.

  I enjoy the bubbles and wonder if I’m making a mistake by spending time with Logan. He’s wonderful, of course, but my track record with men is proof that I should thread carefully. Should I stay over today too? I run my hands over my thighs, remembering how he made love to me. This man is talented in bed—or, well, in the shower. The things he made me experience were out of this world. He’s a true charmer out of bed too. He’s slowly winning me over—helping me, making me laugh, and spoiling me. Oh, what the heck. Why should it be a mistake to give in to a man who treats me like a princess? I can let him rock my world, even if it’s just temporary.

  By the time I finish with the bath and step out into the living room, I decide not to overthink this. I will simply let this amazing man woo me.

  I find
him in the kitchen. He changed into a fresh pair of jeans. These, too, hang low on his hips, fueling my imagination.

  “Whatcha cooking?” I ask him.

  “Tenderloin beef with mango salsa.”

  “Wow, this sounds fancy.”

  “Nothing but the best for the lady. I must impress you enough so you won’t have second thoughts about staying over tonight.” He glances at me from the corner of his eyes.

  “I was thinking about that in the tub. How did you know?”

  He turns to me. “I could tell you were afraid this is moving a little too fast.”

  “Is it?”

  He smiles. “Maybe, but who cares? As long as we’re happy, I don’t see what the problem is. I’ll be honest. I don’t know where this will lead, but let’s not worry about that. Being around you makes me happy. Being inside you makes me even happier.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “You’re such a man.”

  “And proud of it. Do I make you happy?”

  “Very,” I admit. “You spoil me.”

  “Glad you approve, because I plan to spoil you a lot more.”

  We fall into silence and, as I watch him proficiently cook, an unwanted truth slips out of my mouth. “No one’s cooked for me in years, even before I moved to college.”

  “How come?” he asks with a frown.

  I fold my arms over my chest, preparing to back out of the conversation because I haven’t talked about this to any man I’ve dated. Instead, more truth slips past my lips.

  “Mom was sick all the way into my high school years.” I can tell him the whole truth, can’t I? He won’t judge. “She suffered from clinical depression, but didn’t receive treatment until I was a high school sophomore. They were desperate years. I felt like the adult in our house most of the time.”

  His grip on the panhandle tightens. “Your dad?”

  “Left when I was five.”

  I don’t feel overwhelmed, the way I always do when I remember those hard years. Instead, I’m relieved. I tend to loosen my tongue when I’m around Logan. I trust him more than I’ve trusted another man, and that scares me.

  “Now I understand,” Logan murmurs, pushing the pan away from the stove before turning his attention to me.

  “What?”

  “Why you don’t accept help easily.”

  “I do—” I catch myself. “I really don’t, do I?”

  “Nope.” He smiles brightly, his delicious dimples making an appearance. “You don’t trust people will stick around, or follow through on their promises. But don’t worry, I’m more stubborn than you are.”

  I appreciate his light, playful tone and that he isn’t prodding me with more questions.

  “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

  “Sure. Can you give me some plates? They’re in the cabinet behind you.”

  I take out the plates and, when I turn around to Logan, I catch him in a compromising position.

  “You’re checking out my ass, aren’t you?” I ask him.

  “Guilty.” Grinning, he adds, “In my defense, you have a fine, fine ass.”

  After dinner, we start kissing in the living room, never making it to the bedroom.

  This man will turn my world upside down.

  Will I survive it?

  Chapter Ten

  Nadine

  Waking up in Logan’s bed instantly brightens my morning. We only eat a quick breakfast then head to the store.

  “How long can you stay today?” I ask on the way there. “Until you leave for your parents’ house?”

  “Oh, I don’t have to go anymore.” Logan peers at me cheerfully.

  “What? No, Logan.” I come to a halt, elbowing him. “Sunday is your family day. I don’t want you to miss it.”

  “I’m not going to miss it. Now, move your delicious ass or we’ll be late, and last I checked, you had a million things on your to-do list.”

  “Don’t mock my to-do list. It’s the only thing keeping me afloat. And coffee. Let’s not forget coffee.”

  “I don’t even get an honorary mention?”

  “I’ll consider putting you after coffee.”

  Logan’s mouth forms an O. “You’ve wounded my pride.”

  “You’re distracting me from your family thing. What did you do? Why don’t you have to go?”

  “Hurry up, you’ll see.”

  Closer to the store, he adds, “Remember what I said about not overthinking our relationship?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. Hold on to that, because I’m about to introduce you to my parents.”

  “You—huh?”

  I sneak glances at Logan as we walk, but he doesn’t show signs of wanting to continue the conversation. I focus on the birds chirping all around us instead, wondering how they can be so energetic and cheerful in the morning. I’ve always envied them.

  When we arrive at the store, I see exactly what Logan meant. His entire family plus Ava is camping in front of my shop, carrying toolboxes and wearing rags.

  Ava and Pippa wave at me.

  “We arrived a few minutes too early, but the shop across the road has excellent coffee,” Ava says.

  “The cupcakes are also yummy,” Pippa adds.

  My cheeks turn red. Now I understand why Logan was in a hurry.

  “Let’s get introductions out of the way, shall we?” Logan says. “Nadine, this is my mom, Jenna, and my dad, Richard.” I shake hands with his parents.

  Logan looks exactly like his father; they have the same tall, muscular build and dark eyes. His mother is small and there’s something very feminine about her, even though she’s wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Alice is her spitting image. “You already know Pippa and Alice.” Both of them smile at me. “This is Summer.”

  Summer is a beauty. To her sides are two of the brothers I haven’t met.

  “And these are—” Logan begins.

  “Blake and Daniel,” I finish for him. He frowns as everyone walks into the store, except for the twins and us.

  Blake cracks a smile. “Ah, we don’t even need an introduction.”

  “Our reputation precedes us,” Daniel says.

  “You’ve met?” Logan asks doubtfully.

  “Ava showed me a family picture,” I say.

  “And out of the gazillion Bennetts in it, she remembers us,” Blake says. “You have fantastic taste.”

  “I beg to differ,” Daniel says. “She would’ve had great taste if she went out with one of us. Instead, she chose Logan.”

  The twins grin and, even though their appearance is nothing alike, their grins are similar. Daniel winks at me, and I decide to play this for all it’s worth.

  “There are some delicious male genes in this family,” I affirm, and Logan growls.

  Seemingly satisfied with having gotten their brother riled up, the twins enter the store.

  “Delicious genes, huh?” Logan asks, encircling my waist.

  “Easy, caveman. You’re so territorial. They’re your brothers; we were messing with you.” After a pause, I add, “What is everyone doing here?”

  “Well,” Logan starts, “remember how I told you I have a family thing today?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And you needed major renovation help, so I decided to ask them if they’d like to join us here. That way, you have a renovation team, and I spend the day with you and them. Everybody wins.”

  Biting the inside of my cheek, I look inside the store as the family mills around. “I’m not sure how much of a win it is for them. I mean, I’m sure they had way better plans for their Sunday.”

  “Nadine, relax.” He takes my hands in his. “My family loves to help. I’ve told them about you and—”

  “When did you tell them about me?” I ask suspiciously.

  “While you were in the tub last night. Also, I told them about the rotten floor. We’re going to fix it.”

  “Thank you for doing this,” I tell him. Mentally, I calculate how much time this one day will s
ave me.

  As if reading my mind, Logan says, “That'll cut your work time.”

  “Yes. Maybe I can even open before Christmas. Ohhh, I can’t wait to decorate my store.”

  “You have a miles-long to-do list, and the first thing on your mind is Christmas decorations?”

  “Hey, a girl needs to have her priorities straight.”

  “Indeed.”

  “How can I thank you for doing this?”

  “Mmm, I can think of a few ways. I’ll whisper them to you tonight when we’re alone. Now, let’s work.”

  Once inside, Logan says, “Listen up everyone. Nadine will tell you everything that needs to be done, and then we’ll divide the work among us.”

  I tell them everything as quickly as possible. While I list the tasks, the Bennetts exchange glances, pointing at each other, already dividing everything among themselves. I have a feeling they’ve done this before. While I’m certain the older siblings had to shoulder a lot of the physical work at the ranch, that need wasn’t there anymore when the twins and Summer grew up. Yet they all look ready to work. I can’t believe my luck to have them on my side. After taking a punch at every turn, this seems almost too good to be real.

  “You don’t worry, Nadine,” Mr. Bennett tells me. Putting a hand over my shoulder, he adds, “We’ll take care of this together. Everything will work out.”

  I blink, staring at my hands, my eyes stinging all of a sudden. What must it be like to grow up with a dad—a family—you can count on?

  “It’s a good thing we each brought a toolbox,” Sebastian says, pointing at the twins and his dad. “That way, there’ll be no waiting time.”

  “You each have a toolbox?” I ask, my eyebrows raised.

  “Men and their toys,” Pippa says. “Don’t try to understand.”

  “I brought no toolbox, just my humor,” Summer chimes in. “I can’t hit a nail to save my life, but I can crack jokes.”

  “You’re not wiggling your way out of this, little sister,” Pippa admonishes her. “You’re here to work, not entertain.”

  “I’m happy to do work if you find something that won’t put me at risk of cutting my fingers,” Summer retorts.

  Within seconds, Pippa finds Summer a job cleaning the back room. “No danger of harming yourself here, Summer.”