Forever Logan

by Elena Matthews

  “How about just being nice to her, full stop?”

  “Because where is the fun in that?”

  “Well, don’t come crawling to me when she finally kicks you in the balls,” he says, giving me a brotherly smack on the shoulder before walking away.

  Finally getting a moment to myself, I grab my phone out from my jeans pocket and open up my messages. I type out a text to Ally.

  Me: I just promised Nate I’d be nice to you for the rest of the night.

  I watch her intently from across the kitchen as she talks to Jace while he mixes her a drink. A second later, she takes her phone from her purse. A smile creeps on her lips as she reads it. Her thumb travels over the keys before I receive a text back.

  Ally: Now, where is the fun in that?

  Chuckling, I reply back.

  Me: That’s what I said. I can think of other stuff I’d prefer to do though. None of them are nice.

  Her eyes flick to me, and she bites down on her lip before looking down to her phone.

  Ally: Nothing you do is nice. It’s why I like you.

  Me: Just like?

  Ally: I’m not saying the L-word over text.

  Me: But you do, right?

  Ally: *middle finger emoji*

  I bark out a laugh as Blake approaches.

  “What’s so funny?”

  I shake my head as I slip my phone back into my pocket. “Oh, nothing. Just a funny text I received.”

  “Well, if you find it funny, it can’t be that funny,” he jokes.

  I tilt my head to the side with an unimpressed glare. “You know what’s funny? Your face,” I retort back like a five-year-old.

  “Oh, I haven’t heard that one in a while. You’d think, after all these years, you’d have found some better comebacks.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Yeah, but I like the oldies.”

  Changing the subject, he says, “Dad wants us to get the karaoke machine out from the basement. Can you give me a hand?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  I follow him down to the basement, where he grabs the karaoke machine and I gather up the CDs and microphones. After getting it all set up in the living room, I leave Blake with Dad as he mulls over what songs to sing, and I head back to the kitchen. The first person I look for is Ally, and when I see she’s on her own, I begin to make my way toward her, even just to tell her she looks beautiful before everybody else makes a reappearance, but I’m quickly intercepted by one of my parents’ neighbors who I’ve known for years.

  “Hey, Logan. How’s my favorite cop?”

  I hold out my hand to shake his. “Hi, Stan. How are you?”

  We talk for a couple of minutes, and when another one of my neighbors joins in, I’m about to make my excuses, but I glance up at Ally and internally groan when I see she’s talking to Remi and my sister.

  Realizing the only way to talk to her normally is to get her on her own, I grab my phone and text her.

  Me: Meet me in the upstairs bathroom in five minutes.

  She doesn’t text me back, but instead, she glances over to me, and keeping up with the farce that she hates me, she flips me off. I shake my head, chuckling. I type out another text message.

  Me: You should be an actress.

  This time, she does text me back.

  Ally: I know, right? See you in five.

  I continue to talk to Stan, trying not to make it obvious that I keep looking at the clock on the wall, counting down the seconds. If I’m being honest, being so near yet so far away from her is killing me, and I can’t wait until after Nate and Remi get married, so we can stop this bullshit. I no longer want the bachelor life now that I’ve found the person I would die for. A year ago, if somebody had said I’d be hopelessly in love with the girl of my dreams, I would have asked if they were high.

  After five minutes, I excuse myself and slip out of the kitchen, making my way upstairs to the bathroom. At the last second, I decide to sidestep the bathroom and head to my and Nate’s old bedroom, which is just opposite the bathroom. I enter, and like a complete stalker, I hide just in the shadows of the door, waiting for Ally to appear.

  The instant she arrives, as discreetly as possible, I step out and grab her from behind, pulling her into the bedroom with her shrieking. I close the door and press her up against it in the dark of the night, wasting no time as I slam my lips to hers. She melts against me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I grunt at the taste of tequila and cranberries, her lips a little cold from the icy margaritas. We kiss like this for a few more seconds before I breathlessly pull away.

  “God, I’ve been dying to do that since the moment you arrived,” I whisper against her sweet lips, my entire body alert with vibrations from what one kiss from her does to me.

  “Well, I do have that effect on people.” Her voice is light.

  “Yes, but…I’m the only guy who gets to do this from now on,” I say, pressing a deep kiss to her lips before I slowly trail my mouth along the curve of her neck, over her pulse that beats wildly against my tongue.

  “That’s kind of an alpha-male thing to say.”

  Slowly making my way back to her lips, I reply with, “It might be, but when a guy finally finds the woman of his dreams, he’s got to get territorial before someone else steals her.”

  “Well,” she begins with a sultry tone to her voice as our lips hover, “if that’s the case, then I’m the only girl who gets to do this from now on.” She closes the distance and touches her mouth fully to mine, embracing me with a toe-curling kiss as her sweet tongue traces mine.

  God, I love this woman.

  Heat quickly begins to swirl around us, and naturally, I lift her into my arms and blindly make my way to my bed, where I sit us both down with her straddling my thighs. We continue to make out like we’re teens, our breaths hot and heavy, our hands roaming to whatever piece of naked skin we can reach with our clothes still on, and our veins pumping with a mixture of adrenaline and hormones. She then rubs herself against my cock, and if the sound of Ally’s breathless cries is any sign, I know she’s just seconds away from begging me to take her.

  Then, like clockwork, she snatches her lips from mine and asks, “How long do you think we have until people notice we’ve both disappeared?”

  Taking a deep gulp as I try to regulate my breathing, I say, “Not long, baby.”

  She sighs, grumbling, “Shoot, that’s what I thought.”

  “I know sex is what we’re primarily known for, but I didn’t meet you up here to mess around.”

  “Why did you ask me to meet you up here then?”

  “To give you your Christmas presents.”

  “You got me a present?” she asks with surprise.

  “Well, yeah, it is Christmas. And, no, I got you two presents.”

  “I thought we weren’t doing gifts,” she says, her fingers brushing through my hair.

  “Well, I changed my mind.” I begin to shift her off me. “Let me grab them,” I tell her as she slides off me.

  I stand, reaching for the sidelight, letting light into the room. I then wander over to the dresser and open the top drawer, where I hid them. Latching on to a long velvet gift box, as well as a thin, square version, I hide them behind my back before I return to the bed and sit beside her.

  “Pick a hand,” I tell her.

  She laughs lightly, happiness glistening in her eyes. She points to the left, and her eyes widen when I reveal the long, slender gift box, handing it to her. She stares down at it in amazement before flicking her gaze back at me. “What is it?”

  “Open it.” I nod to it.

  I watch as she flicks the box open, revealing a delicate gold chain necklace with a dainty heart charm.

  “Oh my God, how did you know?” she says, unable to take her eyes from the necklace.

  I smile triumphantly because I feel like I’m about to win the Boyfriend of the Year award. And for a screwup like myself, this feels like an achievement.

  “I saw this when we
went with Remi and Nate to help pick out their wedding rings, and I fell in love with it, but damn, I couldn’t afford it. I didn’t even know you were paying that much attention; you were just on your phone the whole time we were there.”

  “I was only on my phone because I was bored out of my brain while the happy couple tried on a million different rings, but the phone was a cover to hide the fact that I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. You weren’t even aware I was watching you from the seating area, but you kept admiring the same piece of jewelry every couple of minutes. When you stepped out to answer a phone call, I approached the sales guy you had been speaking to and asked what you kept looking at. He showed me the necklace, and he explained to me that you told him it was just like a necklace you had as a child that your grandmother had bought you, but it got destroyed in the fire. He said you really wanted to buy it, but you told him you could never dream of spending that kind of money on a necklace. So, I bought it for you.”

  Her eyes fill with tears while her smile blindsides me with how beautiful it is. How beautiful she is.

  She shakes her head, gazing at me with adoration. “I really keep underestimating you.”

  “I told you,” I say, grinning.

  “This is amazing. Thank you. One half of me is kind of freaking out that you spent so much on it, but the other half is, well, so fricking happy. It really is like the one my grandma gave me before she died. It gutted me when it got destroyed in the second fire, but this is the best gift anyone has ever given me,” she gushes.

  “You might want to open your second gift before you say that,” I say as I pull the second gift from behind my back.

  She wastes no time in taking it from me and opening the box. She gently takes out the silver bangle and admires the charms. There’s a round charm with the words Perfectly Imperfect engraved on it, a blue cross, another round charm that says You Are Enough, and lastly, a blue crystal charm.

  “Now, this didn’t cost me much, but it’s a PTSD bracelet.” I point to the blue crystal on the bracelet. “Apparently, the crystal helps promote healing for those struggling. Though it’ll probably turn your wrist green”—I laugh—“but I thought you might like it.” When she says nothing, I find myself rambling on, “I know it isn’t magic and that it won’t stop your nightmares, but I wanted you to know that it’s okay to not be okay and that you are enough. At least, you are to me.”

  Silence surrounds us as she continues to stare down at the bracelet, and my nerves kick in. Shit, I should have given her this first and then given her the necklace to soften the blow.

  Stupid. Stupid.

  “You hate it, don’t you? You can just trash it if you want. It was only, like, twenty dollars. I—” A sudden finger to my lips shuts me mid-speech, and I blink as Ally climbs over me, straddling me.

  “Shut up.”

  “Okay,” I mumble against her finger.

  A second later, she draws her finger back and slides the bracelet around her wrist.

  “I don’t care if it turns my arm green. I don’t care if it only cost twenty dollars or if you got it from a thrift shop for thirty cents. Most boyfriends would have bought lingerie or a Yankee Candle, just because that’s what boys think girls want. This…” She holds out her wrist, the sound of the charms jingling against the bracelet with the movement. “You put thought into this, you put your heart into this, and I love it. And…I love you.”

  My heart slams against my chest at her words. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I say, “You love me?”

  “I know; it came as a shock to me, too. But just know, I didn’t fall; you fucking tripped me.”

  I roar out with laughter, my chest vibrating. “And what a trip that was, baby. And just so you know, I love you, too. And I did fall for you, all the way fucking down.”

  Giggling, she presses a kiss to my lips. I go to deepen it, but she pulls back again.

  “You got me these incredible presents, and the present I got you is not even on the same wavelength.”

  I cock a brow. “You got me a present? I thought we weren’t doing gifts,” I say with a tilt of my head, copying her earlier words.

  “Yes, but I was kind of creative with it.”

  “You made me something?”

  She tilts her head to the side. “Um, kind of. Your present is me,” she says with a slide of her hand over her dress of bows, a little unsure.

  My cock goes hard instantly, and I know she feels it. “Do I get to unwrap you?”

  Smiling with relief, she slides off me and gets to her feet. Biting her bottom lip, she says in a sultry voice, “If you wanted, yeah, but I was thinking it might be more fun if I unwrapped myself.”

  Hell fucking yes.

  “I was going to wait until tonight to give it to you, but do you want it now?”

  I know we need to head back downstairs before anyone realizes we’ve been gone for so long, but when it’s just me and Ally and she’s giving herself to me as a beautifully wrapped gift…well, it’s easy to forget about the rest of the world. It’s the effect she has on me when I’m around her. Everybody else fades into the background.

  “Yes,” I answer before pointing to the door behind her. “You’d better lock the door though.”

  Spinning on her feet, she walks the couple of feet to the door and swipes the lock. Turning back around, she returns until she’s just standing right in front of me. Wordlessly, she pulls the straps of her dress over her shoulders, and I watch with pure adoration as she slowly drags her dress down her body before stepping out of it. My jaw just about drops to the floor at the sight of her in the sexiest damn lingerie—a red lacy corset bodysuit that fits her body like it was made for her. And also, it’s a little see-through with her nipples peeking through.

  “Holy shit,” I drawl out.

  “Do you like?” she asks as she flutters her eyelashes at me.

  “Do I like? Are you kidding me? I fucking love,” I exclaim, taking in every single inch of her like a hungry man who hasn’t eaten a decent meal in months. I pull her into me, my hands grazing over the curve of her ass.

  “I know you said chicks don’t like getting lingerie for Christmas, but FYI, this is the perfect fucking Christmas present.”

  Our lips join, and her hands trail down to my fly and slowly unfasten my slacks. I grunt against her tongue as her warm fingers grasp my cock.

  When she pulls back, her gaze burns into me. “Commando, huh?”

  I smile wide. “Well, I thought it would be more efficient to skip the boxers tonight.”

  Pulling my cock out, she whispers, “Definitely more efficient.”

  She steps away and turns her back to me. I lean back on my elbows as she stands between my legs and positions that sexy ass over my cock, her pussy rubbing against me.

  She glances back at me. “Since this is your Christmas present, I’m gonna do all the work, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Then, with a slip of her lingerie, she slowly slides down my dick. As she rides the hell out of me, all I can think of is that this really is the perfect fucking Christmas present.

  “You know, it’s not as fun, watching you get dressed, as it was watching you strip for me,” I tell Ally as she pulls back on her dress.

  She purses her lips with a smirk while she adjusts the straps of her dress over her shoulders. “You are such a sulk after sex.”

  “I can’t help it; I just prefer you naked.”

  She eyes my body appreciatively as I stand from the bed, adjusting my sweater back into place.

  “I prefer you naked, too, but unfortunately, we live in a society that requires clothes. Plus, people will be wondering where we’ve gone, and they are probably adding two and two together as we speak.”

  “I guess I am thirsty after that workout, but I wish we didn’t have to go back to being enemies so soon.”

  She steps up to me and places her hands along my jawline. My eyes tug on the silver wrapped around her wrist, and I love knowing she’
s wearing my crappy gift.

  “Well, just think of it like this: we only have to be enemies for a few more hours, and then we can have all the make-up sex you want.”

  That piques my interest.

  “Fine, but only because you said make-up sex,” I tell her with a pout.

  She throws her head back with a laugh and then sets a kiss to my lips. “Love you.”

  Finally smiling, I say, “I love you, too.”

  We kiss again, and as she turns away from me, I smack her ass. “You head out first, and I’ll follow in thirty seconds.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you downstairs, douche bag,” she says, reaching for the door handle.

  I glare at her with amusement. “Wait until we’re downstairs for the insults, smart-ass.”

  Chuckling under her breath, she opens the door, but I notice she left her other present on the nightstand.

  “Wait,” I tell her as I quickly grab her necklace. “Don’t forget your other gift.”

  I hand it to her, and she smiles sweetly as she takes it from me.

  “Thank you.” And then she slips out.

  I wait for about thirty seconds and head out. I go to shut the door behind me but come to a standstill when I notice Blake is standing outside the bathroom with a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, instantly suspicious.

  “Why don’t you tell me?” he says, his huge smile still in place.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I try to brush it off, but he is having none of it, and he starts laughing.

  “You’ve always been a shit liar. Dude, I saw Ally…looking thoroughly fucked. And then you leave not even thirty seconds later…with”—he looks down at my crotch and back up at my face—“your fly still open.”

  My hand immediately goes to my fly, and I let out a low chuckle as I zip it back up. “Okay, you’ve got me.”

  He lets out a long whistle, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, how long has she been giving you a little something, something?” He winks.

  That has me rolling my eyes, and I quickly realize Ally’s trait is rubbing off on me.

  I clear my throat before speaking, “About a month.”