Forever Logan

by Elena Matthews

  “I’m sorry I can’t stay out any longer, but I’m so exhausted.”

  Exhausted from what? Reciting ABCs to little rug rats all day?

  The dude should try doing what I do for a living. If he’s tired now, chasing after asshole criminals would sure enough put him in a motherfucker coma.

  “It’s fine,” Ally replies with a smile, but even I can hear the disappointment from here.

  “Will you be okay, getting home on your own?”

  This is why Eddie and I are different. Instead of asking this dumbass question, I would have offered to take her home before getting my pathetic ass home, but no, not this pansy. He wants to get home and have a cup of cocoa before lights out. Just another reason he doesn’t deserve her.

  News flash, homey: a girl likes a gentleman who puts her needs before his own and escorts her home safely instead of leaving her to catch an Uber alone.

  And I know; that’s funny, coming from me, Mr. Player of the Century. But with my protectiveness as a cop and the way my mom raised me, I would never leave a girl stranded on a date, especially on a dark October night. I know what lurks in the night, and they just happen to love gorgeous women like Ally.

  I step behind Eddie. “Don’t worry about your girlfriend. I’ll see that she gets home okay,” I say, alerting Eddie of my presence since he’s the only one who didn’t see me coming with his back to me.

  I expect Ally to say something snotty to that, but surprisingly, she keeps quiet. I’m guessing she’s pissed off because her date is leaving her stranded. I don’t blame her. It’s a dick move.

  He spins around to face me, and the crinkle I see setting around his eyes tells me he isn’t amused. However, like the pussy he is, he says nothing to the fact that another guy—a much taller, hotter, and more muscular guy—just offered to escort his girlfriend home.

  He just turns back to Ally. “I’ll see you on Saturday for our date.”

  Ally nods, smiling a weak smile. “Yeah, I’ll see you on Saturday.”

  “Bye, guys. Again, congratulations on the engagement,” he says to Nate and Remi, and they both say good night. Then, he shoots me a glare before leaving the bar.

  Wow, not only did he not offer to walk her home, but he also didn’t even ask her to text him to let him know once she got home okay.

  I glance down at my watch on my wrist and scoff. “Well, it isn’t even half past ten yet. What a lightweight,” I comment.

  Ally stares up at me with an expression that clearly reads as, Fuck off.

  “It’s a school night. He has to get up early in the morning,” she tries to reason, but it just comes off as a weak-ass excuse on his behalf.

  “He sounds so fun,” I deadpan as I drop into the seat beside her. “I bet you’re glad you’re dating him now and not some guy with an actual dick.”

  This time, she’s the one to scoff. “That’s where you’re wrong. He has a dick, and it’s way bigger than yours.”

  And so, the bickering begins, and nine times out of ten, I seem to be the instigator. I don’t mean it, and I certainly don’t plan it, but when I’m in her vicinity and she rolls those pretty eyes of hers, her sexiness makes me want to bring her feisty side to life. I like to see her pissed off because it does something to my pheromones, and I find it so fucking hot, to the point that sparks fly.

  If only she’d give in to me … because, damn, to have sex with her when she’s like this would be explosive. Unfortunately, moments like that are reserved only for my dreams.

  “Trust me, my dick is bigger,” I gloat.

  I glance at my brother and see he’s shaking his head at me.

  “Can you two spend at least a second together without going at each other’s throats?”

  Ally is the first to answer, “It’s not my fault your twin is an asshole.” Before he can respond, she whips her head to me. “And don’t even think for one minute that you’re taking me home. God knows what you would try.”

  It should offend me that she thinks I would sexually assault her, but deep down, she knows I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. I just bring her anger out.

  I chuckle before leaning toward her until my breath fans across her cheek. “You and I both know, if anything happened between us, it would be one hundred percent consensual.”

  A tiny gasp sounds against the back of her throat, and I know right then that she wants exactly what I want. Just for one second, I can feel her walls tumbling down. But just as quick as they came down, her armor slides back into place, and she shoves me.

  “Ugh, you are so full of yourself,” she begins as she physically climbs over me to get out of the booth. “I’m going to use the restroom, and while I do that, I’m going to order an Uber and go home. Alone. Because unlike the damsel in distresses you take to bed, I can take care of myself. I don’t need you or any other guy to make sure I get home okay. Asshole.”

  She storms off, leaving an awkward silence in her wake. I look between Nate and Remi with humor.

  “Well, planning the wedding should be fun,” Nate deadpans.

  Remi elbows him before shuffling out of the booth. “I’d better check on her. But you”—she points at me—“you’ve got to stop getting under her skin so much.”

  “And where’s the fun in that?” I ask.

  In the same manner Ally does, she rolls her eyes.

  “Ally is right. You are an asshole,” she says with lightness to her voice. Then, she turns and walks in the direction Ally just headed in.

  “How am I the asshole when her date bailed on her and I’m the one who wants to see her home safely?” I ask, cutting through all the bullshit.

  Nate shrugs his shoulders as he raises his glass of beer to his lips. “Oh, he’s an asshole, too. But instead of seeing her home safely, there’s nothing stopping you from making sure she gets into the Uber okay and, you know, threatening the driver within an inch of his life if anything happens to her.”

  I chuckle as I slide out of my seat.

  “And this is why you’re my twin. Love you, dude,” I say, holding my fist out.

  He bumps his fist with mine, smiling. “Love you, too. Now, get out there before she ditches you.”

  And with that, I make my way out of the bar and wait for her on the street.

  A few minutes later, Ally steps through the exit just as an Uber pulls up. She hurries to the car but halts as she spots me. “I thought you left.”

  “Well, you thought wrong. I wanted to make sure you got in the Uber okay.”

  My cock stiffens against my jeans as she rolls her eyes. Jesus, fuck, she’s hot.

  “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”

  I shrug my shoulders with a smug grin.

  “And I don’t mean that in a good way,” she snaps. “Also, I meant what I said earlier. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a protector.”

  I take a few steps toward her. “I know you don’t, but can you just humor me for thirty seconds? The sooner I see you to the car, the sooner you can be on your merry way and get home.”

  She eyes me for a moment before relenting with an exaggerated sigh. “Fine, whatever.” She then mumbles something under her breath that sounds a little like, “And the quicker I can get away from you.”

  “I heard that,” I tell her as I approach the car and open the door for her.

  “Good,” she says as she stands in front of me, defiantly staring up at me.

  We spend the next few seconds just watching one another—me with humor, her with annoyance. She’s the first to break eye contact as she slides into the backseat.

  I wish I could delay this moment for a little while longer because even though we annoy the living crap out of each other, I just love being in her presence. In fact, I love just about everything about her. Instead, I take Remi’s earlier advice and stop getting under her skin. At least for tonight anyway.

  “Good night, Ally.”

  I don’t give her the opportunity to respond; I simply close the door behind h
er. I don’t walk away though. I step up to the driver’s side and gently rap my knuckles against the window. The guy rolls his window down, and before he can say anything, I’m already flashing him my police badge. He pales at the sight of it, and I swear, I see sweat forming on his forehead.

  “Can I trust that you’ll see her home safely?”

  I hear Ally mutter, “Oh my God,” in the backseat.

  The driver nods profusely. “Y-yes, a-absolutely,” he stutters. “She’s in safe hands with me.”

  “Good. It’s just so hard to trust people nowadays.” I produce my phone out of my pocket and slide it to the camera. “You won’t mind if I take a quick snapshot of your ID? You know, so I know whose body to bury if she goes missing between here and her house.”

  The smile I’m wearing tells him I’m joking, but the glare I shoot his way tells him I’m deadly fucking serious. He gulps heavily and quickly nods again.

  I poke my head through the window and reach my hand inside enough to take a picture of his ID in the center of the console. Then, I pull away and put both my phone and my badge back in the front pocket of my shirt.

  “Thank you. Have a good night,” I say, stepping away from the car.

  I’m laughing to myself when I hear Ally apologize for me, and as the car drives away, I don’t miss the death stare that she throws in my direction. A few seconds later, my phone buzzes with an incoming text message. Another laugh leaves my throat when I see it’s from Ally.

  Ally: You’re such an asshole.

  Me: But at least your body won’t be found at the bottom of Lake Ray Hubbard.

  Ally: I hate you.

  Me: Text me when you get home.

  Ally: No.

  Me: Just do it.

  Ally: No.

  Me: You know I won’t hesitate to jump in a cab and head to yours to check.

  When she doesn’t text me back straightaway, I begin to make my way down the street in the direction of my house. Five minutes later, my phone buzzes with another text message.

  Ally: Asshole, I’m home.

  This time, I decide to be the one to play hard to get and don’t text her back, but the smile that almost splits my face into two stays there until I fall asleep in my bed that evening.

  “Now, is that a nice way to speak to a cop?” I say in my politest voice as I pin an asshole up against a wall while my partner, Joe, frisks him.

  “Fuck you,” the dude spits out and tries to escape the firm hold I have against him.

  I force him harder against the rugged brick, causing him to screech out in pain as the wall scrapes against his cheek. Joe checks the guy’s back pockets, and he purses his lips together as he produces a bag filled with white powder.

  “Bingo,” Joe says, twirling the baggie between his fingertips.

  Keeping the guy pressed up against the wall, I lean into him a little closer. “Well, well, well…it seems we bumped into you at the right time.”

  It wasn’t a coincidence at all that we bumped into him. This guy has been under our surveillance for quite some time. He’s a well-known drug dealer in the Dallas area, and we’ve been trying to bust him for almost two months after many fatalities involving his drug supply, but he always gave us the slip. Today, however, we knew when and where he would be, and not only did we catch him while carrying cocaine, but we also caught him dealing.

  I roughly pull him against me and grab his wrists behind his back, handcuffing the piece of shit while I read him his Miranda Rights.

  “Duncan Taylor, you are under arrest for carrying and dealing an illegal substance. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

  I expect him to argue back, considering since the moment we confronted him, he’s had one hell of a potty mouth, but surprisingly, he just grunts and lets his head drop forward. No doubt with regret for being a shitty human being.

  I haul his ass out of the alley of the strip club and then shove him in the rear passenger seat of the cop car.

  My entire shift goes in a similar fashion. Tackle a bad guy for either carrying drugs or a weapon and then arrest his ass before manhandling him into the back of the cruiser. I mean, it’s a good thing I have the power to defend myself because these criminals know how to fight dirty.

  So, you can say, it’s a nice surprise when I see a familiar, pretty brunette speed past us, and I just know my day is going to improve before the night’s over.

  “It’s been a crappy shift so far. How about a little fun?” I ask Joe, who’s sitting beside me as I buckle my seat belt.

  He cautiously eyes me. “What kind of fun?” he questions as I begin to drive away.

  “Just a little teasing with the woman who likes to pretend I don’t exist but deep down wants me.”

  “Ally?” He gets it in one.

  And he only knows about Ally because I might have, on occasion, spoken of how infatuated I am with her.

  “Yeah. She’s in the red Lexus two cars in front of us, and,” I begin as I notice something on the back of her car as she slows down a little, “one of her brake lights is out. I mean, I can’t let her continue to drive without at least warning her, right?”

  Joe lets out a low chuckle. “You sure can’t, brother.”

  I switch the siren on and apply more pressure on the gas as I speed up. As soon as I get close enough, like a good girl, she pulls over to the side of the road, and I stop behind her.

  “You need any assistance?” Joe asks, unable to hide his half-grin.

  I unbuckle my seat belt while grabbing my citation pad from the center console. “I’ll be sure to radio you if I need any backup.” I smirk as I get out of the vehicle.

  It takes me a few seconds to approach her car, but I can’t deny that my heart doesn’t pick up in that time.

  As I knock against her window, I see she’s smiling nervously.

  She winds the window down and begins to say, “Hi, Officer. Does there seem to be a—” Her eyes land on me, and her speech is abruptly cut off by her scowl.

  “Are you kidding me?” she audibly complains, rolling those beautiful eyes of hers.

  “Hi, sunshine,” I say with my panty-dropping smile. “Do you have any idea how fast you were going back there?”

  “I’ll ask it again. Are you kidding me?” she all but demands.

  “And I’ll ask it again. Do you have any idea how fast you were going back there?”

  She doesn’t answer me at first, just sighs and folds her arms across her chest. It takes everything in me not to glance down at the sudden appearance of her cleavage with the sweater she is wearing.

  She finally relents. “The last I checked, I was going around thirty-three miles per hour.”

  “You might want to try thirty-six, but lucky for you, I’m not pulling you over for speeding.”

  “Okay, so why are you pulling me over?” she asks me, rolling her eyes at me again.

  Fuck, she’s got to stop doing that. Doesn’t she know how sexy she looks when she rolls her eyes?

  “Originally, I was going to pull you over just to mess with you, but I noticed your right brake lights is out.” I point to the rear of her car with my finger.

  She skeptically eyes me with a I don’t know if you’re being serious or not squint.

  “If you don’t believe me, take a look.”

  She shakes her head, her facial features finally smoothing out. “Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll be sure to get it checked out. Anything else?” she asks me coolly.

  “Well, legally in Texas, your car needs to have three functioning brake lights, and since you only have two, you shouldn’t be driving. It is a hazard to you and everyone else on the road. So, I’m going to call for a tow company to pick your car up, and I’ll drive you home.”

  She cocks a brow and then starts laughing under her breath. That pisses me off.

 
; “Um, I don’t think so. I’d much prefer you give me a ticket. Plus, my house is, like, four blocks away. I think I can handle four blocks with only two brake lights.”

  “Are you resisting an officer’s warning?” I ask, unimpressed.

  This time, she snorts. “No, I’m just stating the obvious.”

  “I don’t like your tone.”

  “Well, I don’t like your face,” she smarts back like a bratty teenager.

  “Have you been drinking, miss?” I know she hasn’t, but it doesn’t stop me from asking. I don’t know what it is, but whenever I’m in her presence, I just can’t resist pushing her buttons.

  She gawks at me, shocked. “What? No, of course not.”

  “Can you please exit the vehicle?”

  “No, I won’t,” she says defiantly.

  I raise a brow. “Let me rephrase that. Please step out of the vehicle,” I say, my voice a little stern.

  “You know, I could get you in trouble with your supervisor for stopping me without probable cause.”

  “And I can arrest you for resisting a cop’s orders to step out of the vehicle when requested,” I bite back before quickly adding, “Also, there is probable cause. Your lack of a brake light.”

  “You would just love that, wouldn’t you? Arresting me.”

  I don’t let my face show it, but the thought of arresting her right now actually turns me on. Her in my handcuffs, totally at my mercy. Instead, I just glare at her and her aggravating ways.

  “Actually, what I would like is for you to get out of the car. You’re making a routine check harder than it needs to be.”

  “Well, the only way I’m getting out of the car is if you make me, and the only reason I’m resisting is because I don’t trust you. And how do I know that the brake light excuse isn’t just a ruse to play another one of your stupid games?”

  “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to arrest another person today, but you’re really testing my patience. If you don’t voluntarily get out of this car right now, I’m going to arrest you for resisting an officer.”

  When she makes no effort to move, I speak into my radio to Joe, “I need some assistance. We have a woman in her mid-thirties disobeying police orders.”