by Faith Starr
“Take me with you.” He hardened inside me. I continued to buck and rock my hips over his.
My body felt light, tingly, swollen, plus all the other melt-in-your-mouth and succulent sensations women should feel when reaching climax. Yet Logan took me even higher. A tidal wave of ecstasy ripped me apart at the seams, my body combusting over him, tremors of elation bringing me to heights I never thought I’d reach.
Holy shit. I collapsed on top of him, panting heavily. He stroked my back, our skin glistening with perspiration.
“Now that’s what I call a good morning.” He sounded somewhat muffled, his mouth buried underneath my hair which had come loose. He brushed it off his face.
I leaned up so I could see his beautiful eyes. We observed each other.
He broke the trance by speaking. “We should probably get dressed or else Brian will come bang the door down. I myself don’t want him seeing you in your birthday suit.”
Bummer. Not the part about Brian seeing me in my birthday suit. I didn’t want that either. The part about me and Logan having to get dressed to leave the ranch.
Lethargically, I crawled off him and went to the bathroom to shower. He followed closely behind and joined me under the spray.
“Ready to go home?” He rinsed his hair.
“No. Kate’s honeymoon has been awesome.”
He chuckled. “I agree. Let’s hear it for Kate.”
“In the end, she got married at a shotgun wedding in Vegas, had a mini honeymoon, and I got a free and kick-ass vacation at a beautiful ranch.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Do you think you’d feel the same way about the trip if the two of us hadn’t run into each other?”
“Are you fishing for a compliment, Mr. Trimble?”
“From you, I’ll take any and all I can get.”
“Then the answer is, no, I wouldn’t have had as much fun. To be honest, I would’ve probably left when she did if I had to stay here by myself.”
“Too much excitement for you?”
“Oh, you’ve given me plenty of excitement. I’ve had more action this week than I have in years.”
His ears perked up. “Say what?”
I brushed him off. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I would, actually.”
Things unexpectedly turned serious. Me and my big, stupid mouth.
“Let’s just say things have been quiet between the sheets, unless you count me using my hand or a vibrator action.”
His eyes perked up as much as his ears did. “That’s hot. Now look what you’ve gone and done.” He pointed to his growing erection.
His insane testosterone level was off the charts.
He guided my chin up to meet his gaze. “All kidding aside, how quiet?”
I sucked in my lower lip, nibbling on it, the topic not one I wanted to have a Q and A session about. I flipped the question in his direction to give me some breathing room from the insecurity taking over me.
“How about you? From what you’ve told me, you bed-hop on a regular basis.”
He shrugged. “I’m not going to lie and say otherwise. The opportunities presented themselves, and I took advantage of them.”
Christ. He came clean about his sluttiness as if he’d merely binged on Oreos late at night. My insecurity morphed into self-protectiveness. “Am I another one of those opportunities?” I felt somewhat hesitant of the answer he’d give me but breathed a sigh of relief when he shook his head.
“You’ve never been an opportunity, Drew. You’ve always been a privilege.”
Could he make me swoon any more? How was I supposed to respond to something so mushy?
I guess I didn’t have to because he leaned forward and kissed me.
“You’re nothing compared to the women I meet on the road, baby. Far superior. All they’re after is money and a story to share with their friends.”
“Then why do you play along?” I didn’t get it.
“As I said, they offered, I agreed. No strings attached.”
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed he had become such a playboy. Again, self-doubt made its presence known. In a few short weeks, he’d be right back on tour with the same trashy women propositioning him.
“Your turn. Tell me about the past boyfriends you’ve had since me.”
Would slinking out of the shower go unnoticed?
A breath of encouragement was mandatory prior to voicing my reply. “There haven’t been any.”
The admittance felt worse than I thought it would. I washed my face so he couldn’t see it, not wanting to admit I had put a steel barrier around my heart to protect it from ever getting broken again.
“Hey, look at me.”
Sorry, buddy, not this time. I didn’t budge, so he physically spun me around. Ugh!
“What?” I was unable to hide my defensiveness.
He held his hand up in surrender. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
Dammit. I rolled my eyes because if things progressed between us, he’d find out sooner or later anyway.
“I did date, Logan.” I hated to sound so pathetic.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Did you fuck the guys?”
“That sounds cheap. I’m not cheap, and you know it.”
“I didn’t say you were. In fact, you’re far from it, on the opposite spectrum.”
His comment appeased me, so I continued to participate in the conversation as an adult would, even though my inner teenager felt pissed and wanted to argue with him.
“Aside from the one-night stands I told you about, I slept with one other guy. I dated him for several months but ended it.”
“And why’s that?”
“Now I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Enough said. Can I ask you one more question?” He held his finger up, giving me puppy-dog eyes.
Against my better judgment, I gave in.
“Fine. Shoot.” A bit of sass revealed itself in my tone.
“Did you love him?”
“No.” I slumped my shoulders in defeat.
Meanwhile, his eyes lit up with all kinds of elation. Jerk.
“So that means I’ve been the only man you’ve ever loved?”
How cocky could he possibly be?
“I’m glad you’re so pleased.”
I sighed at the pathetic reality that he’d be the only man I’d ever love, period.
“How about you? Have you been in love again?” I couldn’t face him because if he answered yes, I’d be crushed.
Hmm. The tile on the wall could use a bit of bleach.
He guided my chin in his direction, forcing me to look at him. “Only you.” He planted a soft kiss on my lips. I melted against him.
So with all the women he’d fooled around with, I had been his only love to date.
Resting my head against his chest, I wore a huge smile, delighting in the feel of his warm, sturdy body holding mine. My mind also delighted in knowing things could possibly work out for us in the end after all.
23
Logan
We dressed for breakfast. Drew had forgotten to bring clean clothing, so we made a pit stop at her cabin where she dressed and packed up the few things she’d brought with her to the ranch. We headed back to my cabin with her suitcase in tow. I packed up my stuff, basically throwing dirty clothes into a plastic bag, since I had lived out of my duffel.
Of course breakfast had ended when we reached the dining hall.
Susanna put her hand out when she saw us. “Really?”
She got a heartwarming smile from me, the same one that won her over year after year.
She served me and Drew but gave me a loving hug first.
“Be good to this girl, Logan.” She peered in Drew’s direction. “She’s a keeper. Much better than what I see you with online.”
Susanna followed me on social media?
“You’re like a son to me,
so I keep tabs on you, the same as I do with Brian and Layla.” She patted my back.
Warmth filled me. Sadly, my own mother didn’t feel the same way.
Her words were acknowledged with a nod.
Drew and I sat at an abandoned table. I ate all the hearty food Susanna had piled on our plates—omelets, pancakes, fresh fruit from her garden, and potatoes with onions. Well, I ate mine. Drew didn’t eat much. In fact, she hardly touched anything on her plate.
“You okay?” I shoveled another bite of pancake into my mouth.
“Yeah. I’m not much of a breakfast eater. You sure seem to be.” She watched as I continued to dig in to my scrumptious food.
“Actually, I usually only have a cup of water with a protein bar or something else light in the mornings because I can’t work out on a full stomach. It makes me nauseous. But Susanna’s breakfast looks and smells too good to pass up. Besides, I don’t plan on working out any time soon unless it’s with you in a bed.” I winked.
She chuckled. “Enjoy your breakfast, stud muffin.”
“I’m enjoying sitting here with you right now.”
“You’re sweet.”
After we finished, well, after I finished—Drew broke down and had a cup of tea—we exited the dining hall. Brian informed us we had to head to the airport in a few.
Other guests were already piled in the van. I knew Brian would reserve two seats in the front row for me and Drew.
We hustled back to my cabin to retrieve our bags. He pulled up in front of my cabin and we loaded our stuff in the back of the van with all the other guests’ luggage. My guitar case remained firmly in my grasp, the same as when I’d arrived.
The ride to the airport felt shorter than the ride to the ranch because I had Drew tucked underneath my arm. Layla, Brian, and I chatted during most of the trip. Drew slept, her head resting on my shoulder.
My adrenaline rose the closer we got to the city. As recharged as I felt spiritually, I wasn’t quite ready to get back into the craziness of my life.
Once at the airport, we said our farewells to Layla and Brian as well as the other guests. Two of the teenage girls from the ranch asked for a goodbye hug. Drew beamed on the sidelines when I gave each of them one.
We checked in with an attendant. Drew’s baggage required tagging. I planned on carrying my bag on board. I knew how to travel light, clearly Drew didn’t.
We had about an hour and a half to kill, so we sat our asses down at the semi-crowded terminal. I brought my phone to life and switched it off airplane mode, so not happy to face the music.
My cell took me aback, lighting up like the Fourth of July, an explosion of text messages and missed calls rapid firing on the screen, most of them, if not all, from the guys and Camilla. Something was definitely up. I didn’t know who to reach out to first. I figured I’d go with Joey via text in case the shit had hit the fan, which in all probability it had. I also didn’t want others around me hearing my conversation with him.
Joey: Seems someone had a good time.
Sarcasm filled the words he’d typed.
Logan: I did, always do. What do you mean by seems?
Joey: Have you not seen the pictures posted on the net yet?
No, I hadn’t seen any pictures because I had been isolated from the Internet world over the past week and wanted to disconnect from all forms of social media, period.
Logan: What pictures are you referring to? I’ve been in the middle of nowhere for a week.
Joey: Is the girl in the pictures who I think it is?
What the fuck? How did he know about me and Drew, if she was in fact the girl he referred to?
Logan: What girl?
Figured I’d play stupid and ask.
Joey: The girl at the ranch you’ve been touchy feely with, the one from your past who you used to be in love with, if I’m not mistaken.
Double what the fuck? My adrenaline surged. Joey knew Drew all too well, which meant whatever pictures he spoke about displayed her face clearly enough for him to recognize her.
Logan: Where are the pictures posted?
Joey: Where most of our fans post pics.
I searched Steam to see what action I had missed out on. The wind almost got knocked out of me when I saw not one, but picture after picture of me and Drew. Some had the two of us locking lips. Others had us strolling hand in hand around the ranch.
Who took the pictures?
I scratched my head, contemplating the thought. The Addison family made it a top priority to respect my privacy. They would never set me up for anything like this.
That was when it hit me. It had to be one of those teenage girls. How they uploaded pictures when the Internet service at the ranch sucked ass was beyond me. What pissed me off more was that Susanna had specifically asked the guests not to take pictures of other guests without prior approval. In all my years visiting the place, I’d never once had an issue of my privacy being violated. I guess things were changing with the recent popularity of the band. My one place of escape and solitude had now been tarnished.
How was I going to tell Drew about this, and when? I didn’t want paparazzi eating her alive, and they took pleasure in doing just that when they saw me with women in pictures, usually multiple women over short time spans. Entertainment reporters had a field day with me.
Logan: I see the pictures now. I’m screwed, man.
Joey: Did you and Drew have this secret get-together planned all along?
Logan: No. Sheer coincidence, if you can believe it. A great one too. I’m not going to get into it now because I need to tell Drew about the pictures before someone else does. Don’t know how she’s going to handle it. Camilla left me multiple voice mails. Is this what they’re about?
Joey: Yeah. She called me repeatedly, telling me you were purposely avoiding her calls because you didn’t want to deal with the media while on vacation. I assured her you had relatively no Internet service at the ranch and the little you did have, you didn’t take advantage of. You went there to ride solo, except this time. LOL. I have to say, I can’t wait to hear the details. This is the last sort of drama I expected to transpire. Usually your visits to the ranch remain under the radar. Drew? I can’t believe it. She looks good, but then again, she always did. A word of advice-I’d call Camilla prior to takeoff. She probably wants to do damage control.
Logan: I hear you. I’ll speak to you when I get back in town. How’s your trip with Teva going?
Joey: Amazing. We’ll be back in a few days. Camilla wants all of us to meet up before we head to NYC for the video shoot.
Logan: Very well. Enjoy the rest of your vacation. Sadly, I might be in need of another one in the near future.
Joey: LOL
At least someone found humor in my situation. I, for one, didn’t.
Drew strolled toward me, coffee cup in hand. She had gone to get some while I texted Joey. I hoped she wouldn’t toss the hot liquid on me when she heard the terrible news.
She frowned upon seeing me. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She sat next to me, her body in my direct line of sight.
“I have to tell you something.” I glanced at the evil device resting in my hand, figuring it would be better to show her rather than tell her.
Her eyes narrowed and she bit her bottom lip. Time to get the big reveal over and done with.
I held the phone between us so she had a good view of the screen. I scrolled through the four or five pictures taken of us at the ranch.
She shrugged.
Shit, she didn’t understand the meaning or magnitude behind my sudden show-and-tell.
“Where did you get those pictures?”
“My gut is one of my fans took them at the ranch and posted them online. They’re all over the net. The guys and my manager have blasted my phone with messages and texts about them.”
The cup trembled in her hand. I reached over to steady it. I didn’t want the hot liquid to spill on her.
&nbs
p; When I saw my gesture didn’t resolve the problem, I retrieved the cup from her.
“You mean to tell me these pictures are out there for the entire world to see?”
I hated to agree but didn’t want to lie. I nodded. She covered her mouth with her hand, her disbelief clear as day.
“Tell me what you’re thinking?” This type of shit typically didn’t bother me. I had accepted it as part of my life, pretty much ignoring the bad and taking pride in the good. But now someone I cared about had become involved. That didn’t sit well with me.
“Too many things. I guess the main one is that I don’t want any slanderous comments made about my character. I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to experience something so life changing.” She sighed heavily and rubbed her palms on her pants. “Did you just find out about this?”
“Yeah. When I turned my phone on and saw the shitload of messages from the guys and my manager, I knew something had happened. I texted Joey, and he informed me about the pictures.”
“Maybe I should check my phone too.” She dug inside her purse but paused. She placed it on her lap instead, where she resumed rubbing her palm back and forth on her pants. “On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t.”
“The good news is nobody knows you by name.”
“But people who know me will recognize me. And how long will it take before my name is next to the pictures?”
She had a point.
“Let me call my manager. She’s good at sorting this type of shit out.”
If Drew continued to rub her hand against her pants, she would burn a hole in them by the time our flight took off.
I offered her some coffee. She shook her head, rejecting it. I set the cup on the ground next to my chair and covered her hands with mine to stop them from fidgeting. I dialed Camilla’s number with my free hand.
