Crashing Together (Silver Bay Book 2)

by Amelia Judd

  Standing over her, slick with sweat, hair rumpled and gloriously naked, Logan looked so damn hot she wanted him again. At least her mind did. Drained of all energy, her body needed recharging before it could do anything remotely strenuous.

  “Take a load off. You earned it.” She grinned and patted the empty space beside her.

  Logan scanned her body from head to toe and then back to head again. He shoved a hand through his surfer-boy hair, muttered a curse, and strode from the room.

  “Huh?” Kat propped herself on her elbows and stared at the empty door. “Guess you’re not feeling as relaxed as I am,” she called to the other room.

  A moment later, Logan returned. Still shirtless, he’d pulled his jeans on but left the zipper and snap of his fly distractingly open. Eyes focused on the prize, Kat didn’t notice the fuzzy red throw blanket in his hand until he tossed it over her.

  “Did I look chilly?” she asked.

  “We need to talk, and I can’t think straight when you’re naked.” He began pacing the small room refusing to meet her gaze. “Are you sure—”

  “Yes,” she interrupted with a grin.

  He stopped pacing and looked at her. “You didn’t let me finish. When I tell women I’m only good for the short-term, they tend to think they can change my mind. It’s like I’ve issued some sort of challenge.”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not interested in changing you.”

  Shaking his head, Logan kind of sighed and kind of laughed. “Never met a woman like you before.”

  “Thanks.” She clicked her tongue and winked. “You’re pretty darn special yourself.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “So … you and me, we’re okay?”

  She gave a throaty laugh. “Oh, big guy, we’re way better than okay. We were frickin’ phenomenal. Of course, you may be a one-hit-wonder,” she added, tilting her head and studying him with an exaggerated expression of consideration. “For all I know, the charge-down is the only really great move you’ve got.”

  “Tiger, all my moves are ace.”

  Amazingly, Logan’s deep, gravelly voice stirred to life the parts of her body he’d just completely exhausted.

  “Yeah?” she asked, peeling the blanket away and chucking it to the floor. “Prove it.”

  His eyes flared and a wicked grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “Glad to, darl.”

  By three in the morning, Logan had utterly convinced Kat of his exceptional abilities. But that didn’t stop her from demanding more proof at five and then again at eight. After all, there was nothing wrong with conducting a very thorough investigation.

  Chapter 11

  KAT pulled her car to a stop alongside Hannah’s efficient sedan and Claire’s luxury SUV. Par for the course, both of her sisters had beat her to Sunday-night dinner at their parents’ house. Before climbing out, she touched up her makeup and smoothed down her hair, then checked her reflection in the rearview mirror.

  Damn. Her smug smile, languid expression, and glowing skin embodied the look of a thoroughly satisfied woman.

  No way would her dad ever notice, but her mom was incredibly perceptive. If she walked in to the family dinner looking all Kat-that-got-the-cream content, her mom would be on to her in a second. Yeah, she’d told her sisters about her short-term dalliance with Logan, but the thought of sharing the news with her mom made her squirm.

  How did you tell a parent that since Logan and she had buffed the kitchen countertop over a month ago, their time together had turned into one big session of marathon sex, or a bangaroo as Logan called it? Talk about a frickin’ awkward conversation.

  Not that she and Logan only had sex. To be fair, they talked a lot, cooked together, walked along the beach, and went out to dinner. She helped him with SAS, and he helped her train at her crappy gym. But before or after—and sometimes both before and after—any of those things happened, they usually tangled limbs, as Hannah would say. So far they’d done it on every surface in the cottage they felt confident would hold them, and a few they weren’t so sure about.

  Oh, hell. A stupid smile spread across her face from just thinking about him. All this time with Logan had dulled her sharp edges. Next thing she knew, she’d trade in her favorite black leather high-heeled boots for a pair of flowery ballet slippers. And even worse, all that sex was releasing so many feel-good hormones into her system, she couldn’t work up a full head of steam, or even a little spark of irritation, about losing her edgy ’tude.

  She climbed from the car and headed toward the house. Time to face the facts. Being with Logan made her happy—happier then she could ever remember being. All her joy-filled thoughts and blissful sighs of the past few weeks were wearing down her tough outer shell.

  Grimacing, Kat thunked her palm against her forehead. Joy-filled thoughts and blissful sighs? Had she actually strung those frickin’ words together in a sentence to describe herself?

  “Shit.” She had it bad.

  She pushed open the side door and stepped into her parents’ mudroom. About two point two seconds later, Cosmo charged through the doorway to greet her with a full-body wag and a giant stuffed giraffe clutched in his mouth.

  “Hey, boy. Did you bring me a present?”

  The moment she kneeled down to pat his head, he dropped to the floor and flopped onto his back—belly proudly displayed for her to scratch.

  “Pulling the old bait-and-switch, huh?” She chuckled and gave his belly a few good rubs before climbing back to her feet. “Come on, boy. I’m already the last one here. We better join the party before Dad gives me another lecture on punctuality.”

  She walked through the spacious kitchen tricked out with the best of everything. She loved her parents—and it was none of her business—but they spent their money on the weirdest shit. Did a ten-thousand-dollar refrigerator keep food any colder than a thousand-dollar one? Nope. Sure, it looked prettier, but come on … Ten grand for a frickin’ fridge?

  Still shaking her head, she crossed the two-story great room that always smelled like lilacs, her mom’s favorite scent, and spotted her parents and Claire out on the patio. Thankfully, the heat wave had passed, which meant they could be outside without the fear of melting into a puddle of sweat, and there was no prettier place to be outside than at her parents’ place.

  Set amid a forest of rolling hills on a secluded stretch of shore, the Bennett estate sat on the best piece of real estate within a hundred miles. Kat stepped onto the patio, the gentle breeze of the beautiful August evening rustling the leaves and swirling her hair around her shoulders.

  “For the record, I’m not late.” Grinning, she tapped the time displayed on her mobile phone. “See? I’ve got two minutes to spare.”

  “Kat, dear, I’m so glad you could make it to dinner.” Her mom placed her glass of Chardonnay on the large, extravagantly set patio table and pulled Kat in for a quick hug. “And I wouldn’t care if you were late, as long as I can spend some time with you this evening.”

  Kat hugged her mom back. Ann Bennett was the only other Bennett woman who was as short and small-boned as her. Ann often joked the four Bennett kids lined up the same in age as they did in height. Pax being the tallest and oldest and Kat the shortest and youngest.

  “Sounds like you miss having me around,” Kat teased.

  “Of course! Logan tells me you’ve been dedicating a lot of your time to helping him with the social outreach program.” Her mom lowered her voice and glanced over Kat’s shoulder. “I wish you would have brought him to dinner tonight. I want him to know we appreciate his help and enjoy having him in Silver Bay.”

  Kat enjoyed having him in Silver Bay too. She would enjoy having him anywhere, but that was probably not what her mom meant.

  “Sorry, I forgot to ask him.” Okay, that wasn’t even close to true. She didn’t want to invite him to a family dinner until some of the lust and—dammit—affection burnt out of her system, so she’d intentionally neglected to extend her mom’s offer to Logan.


  “It’s nice of you to help, kiddo.” Claire sauntered over with a sweet smile and overly interested look on her pretty face. “Everyone at Bennett is talking about the program. You guys have done a great job drumming up excitement.” She took a sip of wine. “Considering he looks like an ad for surfboards and boardshorts, he’s surprisingly efficient.”

  “Wow. You calling someone efficient is like me calling someone a badass. You must really like him.”

  Her sister shrugged. “He’s sweet, funny, intelligent, and he works hard. What’s not to like?”

  “You forgot that he’s hotter than sin,” Kat teased.

  “Kiddo, no woman he’s ever met has forgotten that fact.” Claire grinned. “So, what’s it like living with him?”

  “It’s pretty ace.”

  “Ace?” her mom asked, looking confused.

  “Great, excellent, cool. As an adjective, ace covers a lot of territory.” Kat glanced around. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Hannah took the kids for a walk along the shore before dinner.” Her mom’s face lit up at the thought of her two grandkids. “Grace loves to collect rocks, and Ty likes to see how far he can toss them into the lake.” She turned toward Claire. “Honey, can you find them? Dinner will be ready soon.”

  “Sure, Mom,” her sister said, glancing at the ever-present, multifunctional, guaranteed-to-keep-her-on-schedule watch strapped to her slender wrist. “I’m sure the kids are getting hungry.”

  Kat’s heart squeezed as she watched Claire head toward the shore. While her divorced sis hadn’t gotten lucky in love, she’d scored big in the kid department. Grace and nine-year-old Ty were pretty much the perfect niece and nephew in Kat’s opinion.

  “Do you think Paxton and Sage will decide to marry and have a baby soon?” Her mom stepped closer. “That would be absolutely wonderful. The first day I met Sage, I knew those two belonged together. I can’t believe it took them so many years to figure it out themselves.”

  “Themselves?” Kat’s dad gave a snort as he walked closer, wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders, and raised an eyebrow. “The way I remember it, they had a little help.”

  Ann playfully jabbed her husband in the side with her elbow and looked around as if concerned about eavesdroppers on their very private estate. “Hush, Richard. I don’t care how old my children get. If they need my help, I’m going to provide it.”

  Kat studied her mom through narrowed eyes. Ann Bennett was known for her grace and composure, but right now, she looked flustered. Clearing her throat, her mom smoothed down her already smooth hair, adjusted her already perfect dress, and looked everywhere except into Kat’s eyes.

  “Spill it, Mom.”

  Turning back, her mom tipped her chin up and leveled a determined look on her. “I have nothing to spill. And even if I did, everything worked out perfectly between Paxton and Sage, so it wouldn’t matter anyway.”

  Kat chuckled and held up her hands in surrender. “Fine. Don’t tell me what you did. Just don’t go fooling around with my love life, okay?”

  Her mom nibbled on her perfectly glossed lower lip, and her eyes widened just enough to send a twinge of unease through Kat. Oh, frick. What had her mom done to look so guilty?

  Before she could press any further, Kat heard the door to the patio open and close behind her. Apparently, she wasn’t the last to arrive for dinner. She turned around to see who’d joined them and jolted in surprise.

  What the hell? Dressed in a pressed pair of black pants and pale blue shirt, John Vornado stood at the edge of the patio holding a bottle of wine.

  “John, glad you accepted my offer.” Her dad’s voice boomed with pleasure. “I’m looking forward to hearing more about your help in getting Seniors Assisting Seniors off the ground.

  “Thanks for the invitation.” John smiled in greeting. “My part is very small compared to Logan and Kat. I’m just the liaison between the organization and the school.”

  Kat walked toward him. “I didn’t know you’d be here.” She planted a friendly kiss on his cheek and took the bottle from his hand. “Let me get you something to drink.”

  “A water would be fine.”

  “I suggest something stronger,” she whispered with a conspiratorial wink.

  A smile played around his lips as he considered her words. “All right. How about a beer?”

  “Nice choice.” She retrieved a beer for John and returned a moment later.

  “Thanks,” he said, looking down at her. “Your dad just mentioned that Logan is leaving town next month. I thought he’d be here longer.”

  She ignored the pressure in her chest and forced a smile. “Logan helped my brother start a similar community-based program in Costa Rica. He never intended to stay here more than a few months.”

  “So who is going to take over once he leaves?”

  “Don’t know.” Kat glanced at her dad.

  “Actually, dear,” her dad said, looking suspiciously hopeful, “Logan thinks that you would be perfect for the job. He pointed out that you’re smart, dedicated, and are so persuasive you could—” He compressed his lips and squinted, obviously trying to remember Logan’s exact words—“sell a budgy smuggler to a wowser. Your mother and I have no idea what that means, but we’re fairly certain it’s a compliment.” He shrugged. “Regardless, we agree with him about SAS.”

  “What the fu—”

  “Katherine!” her mom interrupted with a stern look. “I know you enjoy colorful language, but this is neither the time nor place for it.”

  Wincing, Kat glanced her way. “Sorry, Mom. I got caught off guard.” She turned back to her dad. “You want me to run SAS?”

  “Yes. Logan’s told us everything. He said you’ve met with multiple members of the community and that you’re working on the logistics of creating a schedule of annual events to help the elderly—such as a multi-weekend leaf campaign in the fall to rake and bag leaves for the town’s seniors. He also said you have some interesting ideas for fundraising and that you’ve already reached out to a handful of seniors who need help.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his side. “Your mother and I had no idea you’d been helping Mrs. Dobolek. We’re proud of you, and we’d like you to officially take over when Logan leaves.”

  “Why me?”

  “Do you love helping others? Do you want to make SAS a success?”

  “Yes and yes. But I’ve screwed up my life pretty good over the last year. Remember?”

  Her mom stepped close and laid a hand on Kat’s arm. “You quit your job, and it’s taken you a while to find something that you love to do. That makes you human, dear, not a screwup. You should know, though, running a nonprofit organization takes a lot of work and offers little to no recognition in return.”

  Kat rolled her eyes. “You know I don’t care about recognition.”

  “That’s another reason why you’re perfect for the job.” Her dad dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  Oh shit. Kat could feel her nose swelling and her eyes filling. She blinked rapidly and swallowed down the lump forming in her throat. She was so not going to cry.

  “One small problem,” she said after getting her emotions under control. “I don’t know how to run a nonprofit.”

  “We should ask Logan to stay longer to help smooth out the transition. He’s such a nice young man.” Her mom beamed encouragement at Kat. “I’ve already spoken to Celine. She said he’s welcome to stay in the lake house until next summer and possibly even longer. She’s happy to have someone trustworthy and responsible maintaining the home while they’re not using it.”

  Kat’s idiotic heart expanded like a balloon in her chest at the possibility of Logan staying longer.

  “I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” her dad grumbled, bursting her idiotic heart balloon. “He’s been here long enough. Besides,” he said, turning to John, “one of the reasons I invited this young man to join us tonight was to ask for his continued help with SAS. As a lifetime resi
dent of Silver Bay, John has valuable connections and an in-depth understanding of what makes our community special.”

  “Yes, dear, but John has a full-time job.” Her mom’s smile didn’t even come close to reaching her eyes as she turned to face her husband. “Logan is able to dedicate more time to the program, and he has charmed everyone he’s met. It’s only a matter of time before he establishes firm ties to the community.”

  Kat’s gaze ping-ponged between her parents. While her dad’s expression had tightened with determination, her mom had assumed her stern I-know-I’m-right-and-I’m-not-backing-down stance. What the frick? If she didn’t know better, she’d think her parents were trying to set her up with two different guys. But they weren’t stupid enough to …

  Oh, shit. Kat resisted the urge to thunk her forehead with her palm. Who was she trying to kid? Of course, they were that stupid.

  “Mom. Dad. Stop.” She glared at each of them in turn. “I’m sure John is willing to continue helping with SAS. Right?” She cocked an eyebrow and looked at John, hating to put him on the spot, but this ridiculous conversation needed to end. Now.

  John blinked twice, then offered a genuine smile. “I’m happy to help however I can.”

  “Excellent,” her dad said, clapping him on the back.

  “And I’m sure Logan will do the same,” Kat added dryly.

  “Of course he will, dear. He’s such a wonderful young man.” Her mom smiled serenely at Kat. “Now let’s enjoy some appetizers while we wait for Claire to fetch my beautiful grandchildren and Hannah.”

  Kat waited for her parents to walk toward the table covered with food before turning to John. “Sorry about that.” She cringed. “I can help you slip out unnoticed if you want to make a run for it.”

  Restrained laughter tugged at John’s lips and lit his dark-brown eyes. “I’ll admit, the invitation to dinner came as a surprise. I haven’t seen either of your parents in months. At least that mystery is solved.”

  “I’m with Logan,” she said, keeping her voice low. “My parents don’t know that, so I’d appreciate you not mentioning it. But I thought it might ease your mind to know that I’m not trying to get my hooks into you tonight.”