by Layla Hagen
Chapter Seventeen
Logan
I can’t fall asleep, even hours after I put Nadine to bed. The doctors checked her at the hospital, assured me she’s in perfect health, but exhausted, and still in shock. I brought her home, put her on the bed, and prepared her a bath. When I returned to the bedroom, she was already asleep. I didn’t have the heart to wake her up, even though she still smelled of danger: smoke and burnt wood.
I try to sleep, but it evades me, so I simply lie next to her, her small body nestled against me. If I’m honest, I don’t want to sleep; I have the irrational fear that something will happen to her if I don’t watch over her. I’ve never been more afraid in my entire life, from the moment I saw the smoke until the doctors cleared her. The minutes I waited for Nadine to come out were paralyzing. I wanted to go in and save her, and no one would let me. I was powerless to protect her, and I hated it.
Nadine shifts, draping an arm and half her body over me. I wrap both arms around her, holding her as tight as I can, hoping I won’t wake her up. Some things I can’t control, but I’ll control everything else I can. This woman is mine, and I won’t let anyone or anything harm her again.
***
Nadine
I know something’s off the second I open my eyes. I stink. That’s when I remember: the fire, the hospital, and Logan.
Logan... I bolt upright.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he says from a recliner in front of the bed.
“Not so gorgeous today.” I point to my clothes, then at the disheveled bed. “Oh, my God, I made a mess out of your bed.”
“We’ll wash the sheets.” Rising to his feet, he walks over to me, putting one knee on the bed. Cupping my cheeks, he kisses my forehead. “I’m so glad you’re awake. How are you?”
“Much better now after a full night’s sleep.” To be honest, I still don’t feel completely okay. I have never been more scared in my life than I was yesterday. The fear seems to have seeped into my bones, and I think it’ll remain there for a while.
Inspecting him, I notice he has deep circles under his eyes. “But you’re tired.”
“I couldn’t sleep all night.”
“Why?”
Logan smiles. “I couldn’t let you out of my sight. I just wanted to look at you and be sure you’re okay.”
Speechless, I smile back.
“Come on, let’s clean you up.” Logan takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom, where he proceeds to undress me. He’s done this many times before, taking off my clothes gently or with passion, but now it’s different. He moves as if he’s afraid he might damage my skin by undressing me.
“I'm all right, Logan. I just stink.”
He frowns as he removes my last piece of clothing. “The doctors said you might still be in shock.”
“I’m not,” I argue, even though I suspect that the lingering fear might be related to shock. I step into the shower and Logan watches me while I wash, his eyes never leaving mine. There is nothing sexual in his gaze; it’s raw and powerful, and brings me a sense of safety as I try to wash off the fear.
When we step into the living room a while later, the full impact of what happened last night hits me as Logan shoves a cup of coffee in my hands.
“Was anyone hurt?” I ask in a strangled voice, fighting to keep the panic away. Logan seems to have noticed the shift in my mood. In a fraction of a second, he sits next to me on the couch.
“No. The firemen evacuated everyone before the staircase collapsed, but the building burned down.”
I swallow hard, lowering my eyes to the cup in my hands. “Define ‘burned down.’”
“Everyone will have to relocate, and nothing inside could be salvaged. All your boxes burned up, Nadine.”
“No.” The word comes out in a single strangled whisper. “That was half of my inventory.” The very expensive inventory I paid for upfront. I didn’t have renter’s insurance. I couldn’t afford it. One of the reasons I chose this building was because they didn’t require such an insurance. “This is going to ruin me for good.” Not daring to look up, I try to run the numbers in my head, grasping at straws for how I can make this work.
Logan puts his hand under my chin, trying to lift my head. I stubbornly keep my stance.
“Nadine—”
“I can’t lose everything again. Not this time.” There is no way I can make this work with half the inventory gone. Starting from zero again is unthinkable. Another thought chills the breath in my throat. Last time I lost everything, Thomas bolted. Losing Logan? That would break me for good.
“Nadine—”
“After all this,” I whisper.
“Nadine. Stop.”
I wince.
“You’re not alone, Nadine.”
At this, I eye him, baffled.
“I’m the man who loves you, and I want to take care of you. I won’t take no for an answer. I made an appointment with a friend of mine at the bank. We’re seeing him first thing on Monday morning about a loan so you can make up for the burned inventory. Also, as of now, you’re officially living with me. We should go shopping so you can replace whatever clothes you still had in your apartment. Mind you, I’d love for you to go around naked all the time, though I’d rather you don’t go naked outside.”
He says all this with a determined smile on his face.
I’m still hung up on the first part of the sentence. “You love me?” I repeat slowly.
“Yes.” Logan looks at me expectantly, but I remain silent for a long minute. Or maybe several long minutes as I process everything. Logan loves me, and not only won’t he leave me, but he also wants to fight through this with me and help me. He’s not like Thomas, or Dad. Part of me knew this, of course, but another part suspected that if things got awful, he’d bolt.
“If you’re not going to say anything, things will get really awkward, really fast,” Logan says in a light tone, though I detect unease in it. “No pressure or anything.”
I burst out laughing, tearing up slightly. “I love you. Of course I love you. Hearing you say it just felt so surreal.”
“I can say it as often as you wish. Don’t do the silence thing again. It freaked me the hell out.”
I climb in his lap, straddling him on the couch. He leans back, settling his hands on my hips. I move a strand of hair from his eyes, caressing his chest. I want to touch him everywhere.
“Ah, Logan Bennett, afraid of something. Who would’ve thought?”
“I was afraid last night,” he says in a low voice. “I don’t want anything to ever happen to you. While I couldn’t sleep, I thought of various ways to keep you safe. One of them was to have you with me at all times.”
I grin. “That’s not caveman behavior at all, you know.”
“I don’t care, as long as you’re safe.”
“I’m safe now, with you.”
He pulls me into a kiss. As his lips capture mine, it dawns on me that he doesn’t only make me feel safe, but also cherished and appreciated. This man is perfect, and I can’t believe I was lucky enough to find him.
“I need to be inside you, Nadine,” Logan growls. He peppers my neck with kisses, his hands on my thighs.
“I need you too.”
A bolt of heat courses through me, from my chest to my groin. My whole body needs him with desperation. We won’t make it to the bed. I know this because he undoes the cord holding my bathrobe together, then pushes said robe to the ground. When he lets his gaze roam over my breasts, I feel more naked than ever. After this morning, there is no part of me Logan hasn’t seen. He has seen me at my best, and at my worst, yet here he is, worshiping my body with kisses.
Not for the first time, I believe Logan can read my thoughts. He can see through me. Cupping my face in his hands, he says, “I don’t want you to ever think you’re alone again. Whatever happens, I’m with you. I’m your guy.”
“You’re my guy,” I whisper back.
Desperately wishing to touch his body, I pull
his shirt over his head, baring his perfect chest and hard abs. I lick my lips and run my hands over his taut skin, from his nipples down to the button of his jeans. He flashes a wicked smile while I unbutton his pants, clumsily pushing them past his ass, together with his boxers, freeing his gorgeous erection. He pulls my upper body to him, hugging me tenderly, burrowing his head into my neck. Abruptly, he stands up, and I wrap my legs tightly around him. His erection presses against my clit and the length of my entrance, sending delicious shivers along my nerve endings. I’m about to commend him on his self-control for wanting to lead us to the bedroom when he puts me on my back on the couch. My hips surge forward, but he shakes his head.
“Not ready yet.”
Rising to his knees on the couch, he parts my legs, exposing me further to him. Under his heated gaze, a rush of wetness pools in my already slick center.
He caresses the skin on my thighs while he peppers my sternum with kisses, deliberately avoiding my breasts even though my nipples are hard buds from the anticipation. He lingers on my navel, his tongue nuzzling around. Need spears through me; I arch my back involuntarily as it overtakes my body.
When I can’t stand it anymore, I whisper, “Please.”
“Please, what?”
“Touch me.”
“Show me how you want me to touch you, Nadine.”
My eyes widen, heat rushing to my cheeks. I drop one hand to my mound, keeping the other one around my breast.
“You’re beautiful,” he says in a deep baritone voice. “So beautiful. I won’t ever let you go, I promise.”
“I love you.” The words are binding and liberating at the same time.
He watches me with a hungry expression, his eyes growing darker by the second. His breathing becomes more labored as he rips the foil of a condom package and rolls the condom on.
I expect him to lose control any second now, and make love to me hard and fast. My entire body needs his unrestrained passion. But when he touches me, his fingers tread lightly and carefully, as if he’s afraid of hurting me. Time to show him I’m in perfect condition.
As he positions his erection at my entrance, I push myself against him without restraint. Breath whooshes out of me from the impact.
“Nadine.” He grips my hair, tilting my head back, gaining better access to my neck. Logan makes love to me unrestrained and uncontrolled, sliding out of me and slamming back in again and again.
On a moan, he pushes his hand between us, circling my clit. It drives me crazy, igniting a need for release. I spread my legs even wider, frantically moving to meet his wild thrusts. The tension inside of me builds to an impossible high before I explode, clinging to him. His grunts of relief fill the air seconds later, and then he shifts off me before collapsing on the couch.
We remain silent, lying on our backs, for several long minutes before a ring at the door startles us. Hurriedly, I put on my robe.
“Are you expecting someone?” I ask. “Your family?”
Logan leisurely rises from the couch, putting on his jeans and shirt. “No, it’s Pippa dropping off some things for you.”
“I’m not following.”
“I texted Pippa while you were sleeping, asked her to go shopping for you.”
I narrow my eyes. “You said we were going shopping.”
“Did I say that?” The corner of his mouth lifts, mischief dancing in his eyes. “What I meant was I asked Pippa to shop for you.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I tap my foot, trying very hard to feign being upset with him. “You did that before talking to me?”
“Guilty.” He puts up his hands in mock surrender. “I’m sure you’ll like what she bought for you.”
Unable to contain my smile, I shake my head. “You’re awfully self-assured, you know that?”
“That’s my middle name.”
He gives me a quick peck on the cheek before rushing to the door. He returns a few seconds later with about a million shopping bags.
“Errrr... I swear I told Pippa to buy you only essential things. She went way overboard,” Logan says.
“She’s a lot like you, then. Why didn’t you ask her to come inside?”
“I asked my family to back off today. After I told them about the fire, they all wanted to drop by to make sure you’re okay. I insisted they shouldn’t even call you today.”
“Why?”
Logan strides across the room, closing the distance to me. When he’s right in front of me, he says, “I want to have the whole day just for us.”
Chapter Eighteen
Nadine
On Monday morning, at seven o’clock sharp, we’re at the bank.
“Thank you for meeting us on such a short notice, Finn,” Logan says after the introductions are out of the way.
“Anything for you, Logan,” Finn replies. “What are friends for?” Turning to me, he states, “I understand you need a loan large enough to pay back the debt you incurred to buy the inventory that burned, as well as to replace that inventory?”
“That’s correct.”
“I will analyze your financial documents as soon as possible, Nadine. I’m sure we’ll find a way to grant you the loan.”
“It’s a big loan,” I say.
“He’ll find a way,” Logan reassures me, putting his hand over mine. I suspect he’ll all but coerce poor Finn into finding a way. After fighting alone for years, having Logan here with me, supporting me, feels surreal.
I appreciate that he didn’t offer to outright pay my loan, which I wouldn’t accept on principle alone, but letting him help me won’t change anything between us. I hope.
“Thank you,” I say. “To both of you.”
***
The rest of the day is crazy. With Logan’s ban on calling lifted, all the Bennetts call me within half an hour in the morning. Three of the bloggers have already posted about me over the weekend, and I’m over the moon. They have glorious shots of the girls and the address of my shop.
Within the first hour of opening the store, I have three customers. One of them specifically asks to see my designs. Mine. I nearly trip over my own feet trying to impress her.
“I’ll try this one,” she says. “I’m so lucky that Flirty Flo featured you. She’s my go-to blogger.”
I’m the lucky one. I help her put on the dress, which hugs her curves gorgeously, but it needs something more to achieve perfection.
I fetch the magic weapon and, holding it up, I say, “You’d be even more stunning if you put this bra beneath it.”
Smiling, the woman takes it from me. Several minutes later, she steps out of the changing room. “You were right. I’ll buy them both. You have a real knack for this.”
“Thank you.”
“My sister told me to let her know if your stuff is as good as it appeared in the pictures. I’ll tell her it’s even better. Expect her sometime this week.”
I grin as she leaves. This was my dream, to see people leave my shop with smiles on their faces, feeling a little more fulfilled than they did before they walked in. The customer keeps her promise—her sister pops into my store the next day, buying a dress too.
I sell nine of my designs over the course of the week. I won’t take over the world anytime soon, but I’m beyond happy. There are people out there wearing my stuff. People I’ve never met before.
On Friday afternoon, Pippa calls me. “How’s our superstar?”
I chuckle. “I’m hardly a superstar, but I’m doing pretty damn good if I can say so myself.”
“I’ve read every blog post. They loved you.”
“Yeah.” I can still hardly believe it. “How are things on your end? Is the show driving you crazy already?”
“Funny that you’re asking. Things are not so great.”
“How come?”
“I fired the designer who was supposed to dress our models.”
I gasp. “But the show’s one week away. Why did you fire her?”
“He was being a diva and was
driving everyone nuts, trying to boss us around. I wanted to be fair, but I’m not stupid. It’s our show, not his. His dresses are the background drop for our jewels. He was acting as if this was his private show.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Depends on you. Our fate is in your hands.”
“Not following.”
“We’re in desperate need for a new designer for the show.”
“Okay, but how—OH.” Oh. Wow, no way. “Pippa Bennett, are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”
“I believe I am.”
I can practically hear her smile on the other end. It takes me a few seconds to process it. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“Wow, you’re so enthusiastic, you’d think I asked you to marry me.”
“What do you need from me?”
I write down everything Pippa requests. I was lucky none of the dresses I designed burned up, just the ones I bought. Well, lucky because Logan stepped in to help me out with the bank. I haven’t heard from Finn yet, but I hope he calls soon and that my loan will be approved, because I need to make some payments to cover my old debt right away. I went back to see the building, and it’s a lost cause.
Not in a million years did I want to rely on a man again. Then again, I didn’t expect Logan to stick around either. He proved me wrong, and it felt so right.
“Can you come by the office after you close the shop?” Pippa asks.
“Sure, but won’t it be too late for you?”
“It’s show week. Everyone’s practically sleeping here.”
“All right. See you in a few hours. Thank you so much, Pippa. I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”
“No need. But you can make it up to Logan. He was the one who told me that you might be a perfect fit for us months ago. I just didn’t want to be unfair toward our current designer, but he asked for it.”
“He did, huh? Anything else Logan’s done without telling me?”
