Leaning in, I kiss her. “That’s more than fine with me. Anyway, are you hungry? I sure as hell am."
“Yeah, we should probably order in. When I went to get an energy drink, before, I noticed that there wasn't any food in the fridge.”
My leg moves over hers. “What do you want to eat, babe?” I know she’s going to say a salad. I swear that’s all she eats.
“How about we order from that Greek place you like so much. I could go for their salad with lamb.”
At least she’s going to eat some protein. “I’ll get my phone.”
“Mine’s here.” She reaches for her phone that’s resting on the bedside table. “Your usual, babe?”
My nose rubs against her cheek. “Sounds good.”
ONCE DINNER HAD ARRIVED, we sat in the kitchen at the island counter. “It’s so quiet here without your mom and Lucas,” Hayley points out as she goes to take a bite of her salad.
I nod in agreement. “I like it,” but before she can respond, her phone begins to ring. “Who is it?” I ask hoping to hell it isn’t her father. I’m tired, and I don’t have the energy to go and kick his ass.
“Mom.” She presses accept and places it on speaker. “Hey, mom.” Hayley doesn’t look impressed. Not at all.
“Hi, sweetheart. I was about to leave Heathrow, so I thought I would check-in. How are you?” Our eyes lock, our forks drop in shock. Toni has no fucking idea what’s been going on around here. “Mom, when was the last time you spoke to dad?”
“Umm, this morning. I had to call him about the new restaurant. Why, Sweetie?”
“I cannot believe this,” I mumble, shaking my head.
“Is that Logan?” Toni asks.
“Yeah, I’m here. So Henry didn’t tell you he kicked his daughter out of the house and cut her off financially, yesterday?” I already know she’s going to be pissed, but it just goes to show how much she has to do with her only child. It’s been over twenty-four hours, and nothing.
“He what?!” she screams.
“Yep, he tried taking her car, too. She had to check into a hotel because I was out of town. She’s staying with me now.” Reaching over, I take Hayley’s hand in mine and squeeze it in a show of support. No matter what, Hayley will be protected.
“That asshole! Who does he think he is? Hayley, do you need anything? Will you be okay until I sort this out?” She sounds concerned.
“I'm all right.”
“She’s moved in with me. She’s not going back to that house. I’m sorry, Toni, but that asshole keeps trying to rip us apart,” I let go of her hand, and pull her to me. “It’s not going to work anymore.”
“Is it safe there? What about Celeste?” Toni asks.
“She’s at a rehab facility in Manhattan, not far from Stef. Dad won’t let her come back here. He’ll also take care of Hayley.” I know he will. My father loves Hayley, and he will not let her be put in the line of fire. Not if he can help it.
“Okay, then. Let me call Henry. I’ll threaten divorce, and I’ll make sure everything is taken care of. Nothing scares him more than the divorce word because California laws state that everything is split down the middle. It’s the only reason we’re still together. That and the fact that if I eventually manage to catch him cheating, I could take everything. He'd be left penniless.” She seems somewhat happy. I should tell her about the photos, but I’ll talk to Lucas first, and see what he thinks we should do.
“Thanks, mom. I won’t go back there, though, especially if he’s home. I’m here now, and I’m staying here.” She nuzzles her head under my chin. I love that she wants to stay with me.
“I understand, sweetheart. Okay, I’ll get going, and I will call you when I land in New Zealand.”
“You’re going to New Zealand?” Damn, now my girl’s pissed off. Her whole body has stiffened.
“Yes, I’m sorry, but there have been a few miscalculations in the restaurants we have there. I need to find out who is stealing from us.”
“Fair enough.” Immediately, the anger is gone from her voice, and her body relaxes against mine, again.
“I love you,” Toni tells her.
“Love you too, mom.” And she hangs up the phone.
Hayley turns and wraps her arms around my waist. “You okay?” I ask as I press a soft kiss to her temple.
Her head nods. “If you weren’t here, then no, but you are, and right now, that’s all I need.” She’s trying so hard to hold back her tears.
“Bourbon?” I ask.
“Yes,” she whispers.
Seven drinks later and I finally have her laughing. “I want to fuck my father over. I need to get a P.I. to follow him. I know there are other bitches, I’ve always known there were others, but never have I caught him red-handed,” she says as she takes another sip and then places her empty glass down on the bar.
I don’t know if I should tell her I already have photos of
Henry. She’s drunk, as well as angry, and I don’t want her doing something she’ll regret in the morning. No matter how much I'd love to fuck Henry over, I can’t have it weighing on Hayley’s mind in the light of day. “Do you truly feel that way?”
Again, she nods. “I know I don’t say shit sober, but I do think it. I’ve wanted to take him down for a couple of years, now. I just keep chickening out when it comes to calling a P.I.”
Decision made. “Come with me.”
She straightens in her seat and studies my features. “You’ve already planned something, haven’t you? What, were you waiting for me to crack before going ahead?”
“Yep. I didn’t think you'd want to be involved because you’re such a good person.” I shrug as I take her hand and lead her up the staircase. “My phone’s in our room.” But the second the words leave my mouth, I’m pulled to a halt when Hayley suddenly stalls. I turn to find out what the issue is, but I’m met with a wide smile. “What’s that look for?” I ask, dumbfounded.
“You just said, our room.”
She’s drunk as hell. I cup her face in my hands and plant a passionate kiss on her lips. I did say our, and I loved saying it. I love her, and I love that she’s here with me. “Never will I let you move away from me. Now that I’ve got you, I’m keeping you.”
Hayley
That was so freaking hot, but then something comes to mind, and I pull away from his lips. “What’s the matter?” he asks, breathless.
“You’re going to have to, babe.” Shit, I cannot believe this is just coming to light.
He looks scared, “Why?”
“College dorms do not let guys and girls room together.” I let go of a sigh. “Let’s not go to college,” I pout, and he laughs. “Why the hell are you laughing?” I can’t see the funny side of this, or am I too drunk and missed something?
He pulls me back to him until my body is pressed up against his. “Dad already bought a house only five minutes from campus. When I asked him why he did it, he said that there was no way in hell we’d be able to stick to their rules on the no boys allowed in the dorm, thing.”
My heart melts. “Your dad’s pretty fucking amazing.”
“He is,” Logan agrees. “Come on. I’ve got something to show you, remember?”
He takes my hand in his and leads me to our room. He then tells me to take a seat on the bed while he gets his phone. A moment later he plants his beautiful ass on the spot right beside me. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks. He’s giving me an out.
“My mom needs to be able to get what is rightfully hers. She was the one that inherited the money to open the first restaurant. My father didn’t have a cent to his name. I always thought that that’s why he married her, for her money.” I shrug. I’ve always wondered, but how could I prove it?
“Wow. Why haven’t you ever told me before?” his arm comes around me.
“They were never around, so it didn’t matter. I’ve held a lot in, over the years, and I guess I’m just used to having no one I trust to tell.” My eyes shoot
to meet his. “Not that I don’t trust you, babe. It simply never came up. I fix other people’s problems, but I suck at trying to solve my own. I never know where to start.” Never have I been good at dealing with my own life, but I’m pretty damn good at helping others. I like helping people, and it makes me feel like just maybe, I do have a purpose.
His lips press against my cheek. “Never will you have to deal with anything on your own, ever again, okay?”
My gaze again meets his, and I smile. I like being a part of a team, and it takes a little weight off my shoulders. “Love you.”
“Love you too, babe. Now, let me pull them up.”
I watch as he scrolls through his iPhone. He has the App Photo vault which requires his passcode to enter. Once he’s in, he shows me, and I’m completely shocked when I see the images of my father sleazing over a twenty-something-year-old Barbie doll. “I always suspected, but it’s strange to see it for myself. What a slimeball. Why would she hang off him? He’s fat, sweaty, and horrible to look at.” Logan hands me the phone so I can freely scroll through the images.
“I hadn’t thought to take photos. When I looked up in the airport lounge and saw what was going on, I saw blood. It was Lucas that took them. Henry threatened me, telling me he would ruin me if I told anyone about the affair, but my lawyer is pretty fucking good at his job, so I wasn’t fussed.” He shifts on the bed, so his body is facing mine. “What do you want to do with them?”
My brain hurts. Between the images and the alcohol, my temples are starting to throb. “I want to use them so my mother gets everything, but I still want to have someone follow him. If I can prove beyond a doubt that he's a cheater, he will be left with nothing. The same nothing he went into the relationship with.”
“I’ll be back,” Logan says suddenly and hops up, taking off out of the room, and I’m left to sift through the horrid images.
Not one minute later, he’s back with his MacBook in hand. “Let’s find someone.” He scoots up the bed until his back is resting against the headboard. “Come here, baby.” He pats the empty spot beside him, so I climb up the bed and snuggle in beside him.
“Hey,” I start.
“Yeah?” he begins typing find P.I’s in OC into Google.
“We have a huge problem. I cannot believe I didn’t think of it before.”
He stops typing, and his eyes lock with mine. “What’s the matter?”
“We both sleep on the right side. At my house, I get the right, but here, I get the left. I hate the left. It makes me feel uncoordinated,” I mock. The poor thing thought something was wrong.
“Are you serious?” he throws his free hand up in the air. “I thought there was a real problem. My heart's going a million beats a minute.”
“What are you talking about? It’s a huge issue.” I try to keep a straight face, but it doesn’t work.
“Oh, my, god,” he groans. “Let’s find a P.I. and then we'll discuss it.”
“Fine.”
He chuckles and kisses me before going back to his search. After searching for a few minutes, Logan says, “This guy fits in with what we need. I’ll shoot off an email and wait to hear back.” So that’s what he does.
Once the laptop is put away, we strip off and snuggle up together under the sheets. “Have I told you how much I love the fact that you’re here?” he whispers, his fingers grazing the skin on my arm.
“Only a few hundred times,” I whisper in return.
“Well, that’s just not good enough.” He shifts until he’s resting on top of me, his beautiful blue eyes on mine. “I love that you’re here. I love that you’re staying and I love that I love you.” I raise my head and press my lips to his.
Logan takes my hands, reaching them above my head, keeping them there.
Tenderly, his free hand skims my side while the other keeps me anchored. My eyes close as his lips kiss and lick my skin. Every time I try to move, his grip tightens, keeping me immobile. He continues to explore me while I want to do the same to him, but each time I try to pull free, he’d kiss or lick me in places that make it impossible to do anything but moan. He wants this to be about me, and only me. I’d complain, but I’m moaning way too much to be able to interject.
Eventually, it becomes too much, “I want to touch you,” I whisper, and as I do, he gives me an animalistic groan, and his grip on me eases, letting me go free.
My hands grip his shoulders, pushing him onto his back, my legs straddling his lap. He'd already made sure my panties had come off when my arms were trapped. There's nothing between us, and we're skin on skin. I raise just enough to ease over him. His eyes are locked with mine. Love and lust are all I see.
Logan sits up, and embraces me, his lips on my shoulder as I move on him. I feel whole like nothing can hurt me. My head ducks and I begin licking and kissing his neck, his grip on me tightens, and my hands move to his face, cupping it. The moment my lips meet his, he opens for me, his tongue slides the length of mine. I keep kissing him, I love kissing him, but the second I let go of a moan, he flips us until he’s on top of me. He takes full control, his lips still against mine as he moves inside me.
My hands skim his chest, my legs wrap right around his torso, raising my pelvis so I can take all of him. That’s all I need. I can’t hold off anymore, I let my body be consumed by him. I have to pull my mouth away from his, so I can catch a breath. “Shit, baby,” I groan.
He moves faster and deeper. “Fuck.” He keeps going, and I begin to shudder, the waves of ecstasy are crashing, my body clenching around his. “God, I love you,” he pants.
It takes a while for us to regain any kind of composure. Logan is still laying on top of me, his weight protecting me. I don’t want ever to let go of him.
Those beautiful lips find their way to my neck. “Marry me,” he breathes.
I still have orgasm brain, I think he said ‘marry me,’ but I can’t be sure. “What, babe?”
“In four years, marry me?” he shifts until his eyes are on mine.
“Of course, I will.” I have no reservations. Nothing. I know it’s right.
“Really?” he’s so serious.
“Yes,” I assure him. Logan will be my husband. The fact that we have to wait four years, doesn’t worry me in the slightest.
Suddenly, his lips are back on mine, the kiss full of passion. We spend another hour making love, before falling asleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter Five
Hayley
When I open my eyes the next morning, Logan is already awake, staring down at me. “Hey,” I say as I stretch my arms above my head. When I’ve finished, I snuggle up against him. “How long have you been awake?” I ask as my nose skims his neck.
“An hour or so,” he whispers as he presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Why are you still in bed?” I ask, my lips brush against the skin of his neck.
“Because you look so cute when you sleep,” his arm tightens around me.
“You just watched me? Why didn’t you wake me?” I kiss him again.
“Because you’ve had a few shit days. You needed sleep. And I wanted to be here for when you woke because I have something for you.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
He pulls away and opens his bedside drawer. His hand shuffles around for a moment, and then I see what it is he's looking for, the second his hand appears.
“This was my grandmother’s. She told me to hold onto it until I found my perfect partner. The one person I will never want to be apart from. You are that person.” Awkwardly, he tries to open the velvet box, but one of his arms is still under me, and I chuckle as I watch him struggle.
“Would you like your arm back?” I ask.
“Nope. I’ve got it.” Soon enough, he manages to get it open, and my eyes widen when I see the ring. It’s so beautiful. It has one huge emerald cut diamond, with two smaller ones resting on either side.
“It’s so beautiful.” It really is.
“Serio
usly? You like it?” he sounds relieved.
“I do. It’s not too big to be obnoxious, but not too small either. Your grandfather knew what he was doing when he chose that for her.” He really did. I only met Logan’s grandfather Richard a handful of times. Just weeks after Logan and I had begun dating, his health deteriorated, rapidly. He did okay, considering he was eighty-seven. He was a lovely man, he even pulled me aside one day before he was too sick to talk, and told me to ignore anything and everything Celeste may say to me when in her drunken state. He told me he knows Logan and I are going to be happy together, and that we needed to push through any problems that may arise.
Logan then places the box on my stomach and carefully plucks out the ring. “I know four years is far away, but-” he seems almost sad. How could his mood have changed so fast?
“You cannot break the promise you made to your grandfather. If you’re with me, then everything will be okay. It will soon all fall into place,” I assure him as I press a kiss to his lips.
He pulls back. “I’m so glad you get it.” He lifts my hand and slides the ring on. “I will never leave you. You are my all. The one person I would kill for.” Again, he leans in and kisses me, but he then deepens it.
Forty minutes later, we manage to hop out of bed, get showered, and head down to the kitchen for breakfast. “Babe, you need to eat more than just yogurt,” he nags.
“Fine.” I move to the cupboard and take out a box of granola. “Better?”
“Yes.” To keep him happy, I mix some in with my yogurt and take a seat at the island beside him and start eating my breakfast. “I think I should do some online grocery shopping today. There is nothing to eat in this house,” I say as I go to take another bite.
“That’s probably a good idea. My credit card’s in my wallet by the bed.” He continues to eat. “Is there anything you want to do today since it’s nice out? That and the fact that our peace and quiet will be gone tomorrow when Lucas gets back.”
My brain tries to think of something, but I come up with jack shit. “I have to go and do fifty laps in the pool, but other than that, I can’t think of a damn thing.” And then it hits me. “Mom, I have to get onto mom and tell her we have proof Henry is a cheating asshole, but that she needs to keep it under wraps until we get more on him.” I want him to go down. He has screwed with me for the last time.
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