She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. “I love you, Logan. I’m so sorry.”
He trailed his fingers down her cheek and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Please don’t ever doubt me again.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Ahem.” Tina sat in Allison’s chair and grinned at them. “You can thank me for this later, Allie. Right now, I think you’ve got some making up to do.”
Trent gave Logan a nod and handed him his car keys. “Get out of here, man.”
“But how will you get home, Trent?” Allison asked.
“Don’t worry about Trent. I’ll take care of him.” Tina winked.
Allison turned to Logan. “Well, it looks like they want us to leave. Do you want to come over?”
“I do.”
He stood, pulling her into his arms, and the crowd applauded. Logan raised his fist and yelled, “She took me back! Have another round on me.” The crowd roared their approval as he took her hand and led her to the exit. “Put it on my tab,” he called to the bartender on their way out the door.
She gave his hand a squeeze. “They all love you now.”
“As long as you love me, Allison, that’s all that matters.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
With Allison clinging to his arm, Logan darted through the pouring rain to Trent’s BMW. His jeans squeaked on the leather seat as he slid into the car, and Allison’s pale pink sweater clung to her curves with the floral design of her bra showing through the thin material. Christ, she looked good wet. She ran her fingers through her dripping hair and smiled at him. How he’d missed that smile.
“Do you need to stop by your house for a change of clothes?”
“No, I’ve got a bag in the car. I was going to crash at Trent’s tonight. He was worried about me.” Heat crept up his neck. How lame that must have sounded to her.
“He’s a good friend.” She slid her hand across his shoulder and ran her fingers up into his hair. “And that’s awfully convenient.”
“Yes, it is.” He bit back the question lingering on his tongue. He didn’t want to sound desperate to her. But fuck it, he was desperate. “Are we together now, Allison? Does this mean you forgive me?”
She leaned across the console to rest her head on his shoulder. “Of course it does. I was stupid. I should be the one asking for forgiveness.”
Cool relief flooded his system, and he kissed the top of her head and drove her home.
He parked as close to the apartment building as he could, and they ran for the stairs as the frigid rain pelted them from above. Allison shivered when she unlocked her door, and he followed her inside the apartment.
“I must look like a drowned rat.” She slipped off her shoes and set her purse on the table.
“No.” He dropped his bag on the floor and ran his hands up her arms, taking her face in his palms. “You look incredibly sexy.” She shivered as he wrapped his arms around her. “But we probably should get you out of these clothes.”
“Good idea.” She led him across the living room and through the short hallway into the bathroom. “We don’t want to get the carpet all wet.”
“No, we don’t.” He slid his hands down her sides and peeled the shirt off over her head. Goose bumps rose on her skin as his fingers glided along the edge of her bra.
“You’re so beautiful, Allison.” He cradled the back of her head in his hand and pressed his lips to hers. This was how it was supposed to be. Allison belonged in his arms, and damn it, he planned to keep her there.
He kissed her greedily, marveling at the way her body fit so perfectly against his. He unhooked her bra and slid it off her shoulders as he trailed his lips across her delicate skin. Kissing his way down her chest, he teased her nipples with his tongue, hardening them into pearls, and she let out a soft moan as he unbuttoned her jeans and worked the wet denim over her slender hips. She stepped out of her pants and he inhaled deeply as he took in her naked form. She was exquisite, and she was shivering.
“You’re still cold.” He pulled her into an embrace. “Let’s get you warmed up.”
She reached behind her, turning on the hot water. “Let’s get warmed up in the shower.” She stepped backwards into the stall and gave him a wicked grin.
He froze.
Showering was a ritual. Something he only did alone. Damn his fucking peculiarities. He was going to ruin the moment because of his issues. “You go ahead. I’ll watch.” He could handle watching, though his own clothes felt cold and nasty, like a layer of raw meat draped over skin. He trembled with the need to tear them off, but he couldn’t make himself move.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have this thing about my showers.” He fisted his hands at his sides. “I can’t.”
“It’s not your shower. It’s mine.”
“I know, but…”
“Breathe for me, Logan.”
“What?”
“Take a deep breath.”
“Okay.”
He inhaled deeply as she grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him into the stall. Hot water streamed over his head, and she pushed him against the wall, pressing her naked body to his.
“Keep breathing.” She took his hands and slid them around her waist while she kissed his neck.
His heart sprinted, his hands trembling as she moved her mouth down his body, licking and kissing with each button she opened. He barely felt her. His hands hardly registered the sensation of her soft skin in his grasp.
What the fuck was his problem?
He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He could do this. He had to do this. For Allison. For himself. He moved his hands over her slick, wet body, focusing on the moment. On the incredibly sexy woman who slipped his shirt over his shoulders and threw it on the bathroom floor.
“Are you still with me, Logan?” She held his gaze, dropping to her knees to unbutton his jeans.
“I’m okay.”
She never took her eyes off his as she slid down the zipper and pulled his pants to the floor, tossing the rest of his clothes out of the shower. Still holding his gaze, she wrapped her hand around his length and flicked out her tongue to taste him.
Oh, yeah. He could do this.
The warmth of her tongue gliding along his shaft made his knees weak, and when she took him into her mouth, he had to lean against the wall to steady himself. Her gaze never left his as she sucked him, and he forgot all about the routine his showers required. Only he and Allison existed in that moment; the only sensations he felt were the water raining down on him and her mouth wrapped around him.
“Oh, Allison.”
She released her hold and pressed her body to his as she slid up to meet his mouth. She was warm and wet and soft, and he needed to be inside her. Right now.
“I love you, Logan.”
“Oh God, Allison. I love you too.” He held her shoulders and gently pushed her against the opposite wall, lifting her left leg over his hip. Using his hand as a guide, he pushed inside her, sheathing himself with her warmth. She gasped when he entered her, and he took her open mouth with his, drinking in the taste of her.
She roamed her hands over his body as he made love to her, gripping him harder with each thrust of his hips. “Logan.” His name was a whisper on her lips, coaxing him to increase his rhythm. She clutched his shoulders, burying her face in his neck as she came.
The only sounds he heard were Allison’s moans and his own pulse pounding in his ears as he found his own release. He leaned against her, breathless, panting, trailing kisses up her neck to find her mouth.
When he'd caught his breath, he picked her up, wrapping her other leg around his waist and carrying her out of the shower.
She took his face in her hands and pressed her forehead to his. “What was that thing you had about showers?”
He lowered her to the ground and took a towel off the rack, patting her dry as he spoke. “I think I’m over it.”
“I’m still cold,
and it seems a shame to get another set of clothes dirty. Do you want to come warm me up in bed?”
“Do you even have to ask?” He scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. Laying her down, he climbed into bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. “Mmm…I’ve missed this.”
“Me too. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I overreacted.”
He kissed her forehead. “Don’t apologize. If I saw a picture of you with your shirt off in a magazine, I’d probably overreact too.”
“It is a very nice picture.”
“I can get you a copy.”
“Why do I need a picture, when I have the real thing right here?” She ran her hand down his body, and then climbed on top of him, straddling his pelvis.
“Mmm…That’s a very good point.”
She pressed her chest to his and kissed his neck before sliding onto her side. He glided his fingers up and down the curve of her hip and inhaled her sweet scent. There was nowhere else in the world he’d rather be than right here in her arms. And he intended to hold on to her this time.
* * *
Allison propped her head on her hand and rested her other one on Logan’s chest. Pale moonlight spilled through the open drapes, washing the room in a soft glow, the light dancing across his skin to accentuate the perfection of his features. She laid her palm on his cheek as she looked into his bright sapphire eyes. His gaze was intense, holding her eyes while his hand absently slid up and down her hip.
“What are you thinking about?” she said.
He took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes for a long blink. “I was just feeling you. I’ve been practicing turning it off, but for some reason, I can’t shut you out. You’re always present, even when I’m not focusing on you.”
“That’s because we’re so in tune with each other, I think. I’ve never been able to completely shut you out either.”
“What are you feeling from me now?”
She closed her eyes and focused on him, letting her walls slide away, allowing him in. She felt his love, pure and unconditional, but she also felt a twist of uncertainty. Of fear. “You’re unsure about us. What’s bothering you?”
He raised a shoulder and cast his eyes downward. “I’m afraid of losing you again.”
She lifted his chin and brushed his lips with hers. “You’re not going to lose me. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. In fact…” she grinned and climbed on top of him. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried. You are mine.”
He slid his fingers into her hair and pulled her face to his. “Yes, I am,” he whispered against her mouth. As he kissed her, she remained open to his emotions, felt his desire swelling inside him, and for a moment it felt like her own. She was one with him, unable to tell where her emotions ended and his began.
She needed him, and she needed to show him just how deep that need went. She sat up and straddled his groin, running her hands along the ridges of his muscles. She couldn’t get enough of him, and she wanted to touch, to taste, every inch of him. She bent down and explored his body with her lips. Her tongue. She worked her way down and back up again before lying on top of him and whispering in his ear.
“I love you so much, Logan.” So much emotion. His. Hers. She couldn’t contain it. She didn’t try. A tear slid down her cheek, and he rolled on top of her and kissed it away.
“I love you too. Forever.”
* * *
Logan lay in bed watching the peaceful rise and fall of her chest as she dreamed. The morning sun bathed the bedroom in an orange glow, and the rays reflected off her shiny blonde hair, giving it a soft, warm tone. She was so beautiful, so serene, lying there naked underneath the soft lavender duvet. This was a sight he could get used to. Waking up with Allison every morning would be pure heaven, and he was ready for it to start now.
Her eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled. “Hi there.”
“Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Wonderfully. You?”
“Perfect.”
“Mmm…” She curled into his arms and laid her head on his chest. “Do you have to go to work today?”
“It’s Sunday. I don’t have to go anywhere today.”
“Good.” She raised her head and kissed his cheek. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.”
She propped her head up on her hand and furrowed her brow. “It’s about your dad.”
He took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Why was she bringing him up now? “What about him.”
“That night you were in the hospital, and you asked him to leave…he waited for me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Did he?”
“He took me out to dinner. He said he wanted to thank me for saving you, but I knew there was more to it than that.”
Of course his father would use Allison to get to him. No surprise there. The man was a selfish prick, and he always would be. “What did he say to you?”
She blew out a hard breath and looked him in the eyes. “He’s dying, Logan. He has a brain tumor, and the doctors have given him less than a year.”
A knot twisted in his gut. “Are you sure? Was he telling the truth?”
“Yes. I read him. I found the tumor myself, before he even told me what it was. He really is trying to mend his ways. He wants to make things right with you before he dies.”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t know if he can make things right. Did you know I was ten years old when he started taking me to meetings with him? Of course, I thought it was cool getting to go to work with my dad all the time. He’d even pull me out of school if he had a big deal happening so I could feel out the other side. So I could let him know what their breaking point was so he could rip them off as much as possible.
“I didn’t realize what I was doing at first. I didn’t know how many people I was helping him hurt. How many jobs people were losing. Hell, it took me nearly twenty years to figure that out.”
“Just think about it. I’d give anything to have some closure with my father. Just one more day to say all the things I need to say. I mean, even if you tell him what you just told me. It might help.”
He searched inside for some shred of emotion about his father’s failing health, but all he found was numbness. He did care, didn’t he? He’d hated the man for so long, but he was his father. He should at least hear him out. Give him a chance. “I will. Just not now…Right now, all I want to think about is you.” He pushed his father out of his head and pulled Allison closer to his body. “There’s something I want to talk to you about, too.”
“Uh-oh.” She grinned and wrapped her arm around his waist.
“I was thinking about what to do after I sell my house, and…”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I’m going to get rid of your ghost. We’re going to get rid of the ghost. You don’t have to sell your house.”
“But what if I want to? What if I want…”
“Then you can do it after we clear out the ghost.”
What if I want to find a place with you? He grit his teeth. She wasn’t going to let up, and she wasn’t going to give him the chance to ask her the question that was burning on his tongue. He wanted her to live with him. To be with him always. To be his wife. “Okay. How are we going to do it and still keep you safe?”
She looked at him through narrowed eyes. “You mean you’ll do it? Just like that?”
“Just like that.” What choice did he have?
“Wow. I expected to have to argue with you about it.”
He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her. “I’m done arguing with you, Allison. This is something you need to do, so I’m going to help you. What’s the plan?”
She grinned and sat up in the bed, excitement bubbling all around her. “Okay. What we need is someone to ground us. I thought I could use you last time, but we’re too connected. Rather than you grounding me, I think I charged up your abilities, which is why
Lily seemed so real to you. So we need someone who’s not sensitive to ground us.”
He sat up and leaned against the headboard, resting his head against the wall. “That’s why you held on to Gage so tightly that night, isn’t it? He’s who you use to stay grounded. You need him.”
The thought of Allison needing another man had his insides twisting in jealousy. It was irrational. He knew that. But he couldn’t stand that another man could give her something he couldn’t. She must have sensed his mood, because she slid her arms around his chest and rested her head on his shoulder.
“It doesn’t have to be Gage. Yes, he is who I usually use, but that’s just how our team is set up. We’re not doing this with D.A.P.S., so we don’t have to include him.”
“Good. Who can we use then?”
She grinned. “Are you jealous, Logan?”
He shrugged and raked his hand through his hair. “A little bit. You know he’s crazy about you.”
“And you know I’m crazy about you. You have nothing to worry about. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“I think we’re going to need two people. One for you and one for me. So I was thinking about Tina and Trent.”
He laughed. “Do you think they’re up yet?”
“Knowing Tina, they’re probably still up. I can always call her and find out.”
“Why don’t you do that? And I’ll go take a quick shower and get dressed. Trent’s going to need his car back, regardless.”
He’d made it through the shower with Allison last night, but he still needed that morning routine if he was going to be at his best today. And he definitely needed to be at his best if they were going to deal with that ghost again.
Allison pushed out her bottom lip and climbed on top of him. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you? Our shower last night was awfully fun.”
He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her lips. “It was amazing. But I need to actually get clean this time. It’s one of my…routines.”
To Catch a Spirit Page 25
