by Bailey B
“Tell me you want me, Danika.” Logan takes my calf in his palm, raising my leg to kiss my ankle. My back arches need traveling through me like lava. “I can’t do this if you’re going to walk away again.”
He sinks his teeth into my leg and I gasp, never having felt something so strange yet amazing before. “I want you.”
Logan presses his hands against my knees, forcing them onto the bed. I push up onto my elbows, a tinge of fear trickling through me. Not because I’m scared of him but because I hate not being in control. “Logan…”
He licks my center through my panties and I lose my train of thought. “Relax. I won’t hurt you.” His hand slides up my thigh, thumb finding my opening. He presses, just enough to make me moan and crave more. “I’ll never hurt you.”
Logan may never hurt me but my panties aren’t so lucky. He takes the lace between his fingers and rips it apart. I want to be mad, those are my favorite pair, but I’m too turned on. He buries his tongue inside me then replaces it with a finger. I claw at his back, desperate to feel more.
Logan hovers over me and pins my hands above my head. He kisses my neck as he centers himself at my opening. He doesn’t mention a condom. Doesn’t hesitate to think about one. He knows I’m on the pill and that, if I had a problem with going bareback, I’d say something.
I do, only because I don’t want him to have experienced this with anyone else. Skin to skin sex is too meaningful to do with just anyone. I keep my insecurities to myself and let him slide inside me. I stretch around him, wincing at his girth. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how big he is. I could if we did this more.
I bite my lip and smile at my hushed thoughts. My fingers run through Logan's hair. I pull at his roots and he grunts. He folds me like a doll. One leg up. Knees to my chest. Ankles around his neck. Each position feels better than the last. When he rolls me onto my stomach, I can tell he’s getting close. His strides are deeper, harder. Each thrust creates a ripple of pleasure that builds and builds until finally I explode. My muscles pulsate around his thick length and, as I’m coming down from my own pleasure, Logan empties his seed inside me.
He falls onto his back, taking heavy breaths. He doesn’t lay there long. As my eyes begin to close, I hear the shower start. Logan takes me by the hands and pulls me onto my feet. “Let’s get cleaned up. Then you can sleep.”
“Well this is a day I never thought I’d see.” Dad folds his newspaper in half and sets his readers on the end table.
“It’s nothing,” I say.
Logan smirks and bends down to greet a beyond excited Molly. She stands from her puzzle and runs past me into his arms. Her infectious smile spreads throughout the room. I love that Molly has such a deep bond with Logan, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.
“Did you have fun with Gamma and Grandpa?” Logan asks. He lifts and dips Molly backwards. She squeals in delight and nods when he lifts her upright again.
Seeing as I don’t exist in my daughter’s eyes, I plop on the couch cushion nearest Dad. “Thanks for watching her last night. She didn’t give you any trouble, did she?”
“Not at all.” Tessa hands Dad a coffee and sits on the armrest of his chair. “Anytime you need a sitter, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thanks.” I’m not offering anything until I get home and grill Molly about her stay. Even if Dad was home, I don’t trust Tessa as far as I can throw her.
“We should get going,” Logan says, saving me from incriminating myself.
Tessa's brows arch. “You guys came together?”
Logan holds Molly in one arm and grabs her backpack with the other. “It’s called co-parenting, Mom. You know, that thing you and Dad could never figure out how to do.”
31
Logan
It’s been four days since I’ve seen Danika or Molly. Night shift is rough. Around two o’clock I’m dying, ready to pass out in my cruiser. By the time shift changes at seven, all I can think about is my bed. I sleep until five-thirty and then do it all over again. It’s a vicious cycle that sucks your life away.
Not today. Today is the first of my two days off, and while I’m dog tired, I know if I don’t ask Danika about the picnic today, tomorrow will be too late. I grab the bouquet of yellow daisies and the pink gift bag that’s been sitting in an Amazon box since Tuesday. The fact that I can order something and it comes wrapped is fucking amazing.
“Hey!” Danika says, whipping the door open before I can knock. ”What are you doing here?”
Molly slips around her and runs toward me. I pick her up with my free arm and swing her around once. Molly’s high pitched squeal echoes on the porch. I love her laugh. It’s pure and innocent and perfect. Danika crosses her arms, smiling at us.
“I missed my girls.” I’ve yet to openly call Danika mine, but come on. Even if she’s not willing to admit it, she always has been. Always will be. “FaceTime and text messages weren’t cutting it.”
If she and Molly lived with me I could spend a few minutes with them every morning when I'm on this rotation. I know we aren’t there yet, but I have a feeling it won’t be long. Even if Danika turns down the offer, when I finally make it, I’ll keep trying. Sooner or later she’ll stop being stubborn and realize how perfect we are together.
“You could have come by during your shift. Or before if you missed us that much.” Typical Danika. Gotta give me hell.
While I don’t think Ryan would care if I swung by here on my break, it could potentially cause problems and make waves with his reelection next year. He’s the best sheriff this town has seen in over a decade, I refuse to be the reason his career is derailed. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Danika shrugs, letting her arms fall at her sides. “Nothing.” She turns back towards the door leaving it open as she steps inside. “Come on in. It’s hotter than homemade sin out here.”
I set Molly on the tiles as Danika shuts the door behind us. Crouching down, I hold the pink bag I’d almost forgotten about to Molly. She gasps and greedily takes it, running to the living room to unwrap her new doll. I stand and extend the cellophane wrapped stems. “These are for you.”
Danika’s cheeks flush red. She steps forward to take the bouquet from my hand. “Thank you.”
Before Danika can step away, I slip my arm around her waist and pull her body against mine. She smells heavenly, like rosewater and desire. I dip my head. Pressing my mouth beneath her ear, to the spot that always makes her squirm. “You’ve got to earn these.”
She tilts her chin, granting me access to those perfect lips. She tastes even better than she smells, like coffee and cinnamon. I should have brought breakfast.
“Sounds like you're hungry.” Danika sets her hand on my rumbling stomach and giggles. “We just finished eating. Want a cinnamon roll?”
“Sure.” I watch her hips sway with each step. I can’t wait to have my hands on them again, press my fingertips against her skin as I take her from behind. I clear my throat and my mind. I can fantasize about her later, when Molly’s not in the next room. “We’re having a picnic tomorrow.”
“We are?” Danika sets a plate with two gigantic icing-covered pastries on the table. They look amazing.
I sit in the chair as she places a mug of coffee beside my napkin. “Ryan is. It’s his annual thank you thing. He works the schedule around whoever wants to go and encourages us to bring our families. It’s supposed to be fun.”
“Supposed to?” Danika sits beside me, her knees touching mine. My body hums, eager to feel more of her. If Molly was in the next room, I’d take Danika upstairs and feel every inch of her. “You’ve never been?”
I shovel a forkful of pastry in my mouth and groan. This is probably the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had, way better than Panera or the kind in the can. “These are fucking fabulous,” I say, earning a proud smile. “Um, no. I’ve never been. Didn’t have a family to bring so I didn’t see the point.”
“Oh,” Danika says, sitting up i
n her chair. “Well, then. We’d love to go.”
“What the hell happened?” I set Molly’s water and Danika’s soda on the ground and kneel to look at Molly’s busted lip. She’s not gushing blood, but there’s enough. I’m not squeamish, my job doesn’t allow me to be, but my stomach twists.
“Some kid threw a rock at Molly.” Danika twists the cap off of Molly’s water and wets the hem of her shirt, cleaning the cut enough to show a tiny scrape beneath the split skin.
“Who?” Heat climbs my neck. I glance around the playground but no one looks like a sorry piece of rock throwing shit. Molly points behind her to the swing and frowns. “The kid in blue?”
Molly nods, her lip quivering.
Him? That scrawny little red-headed fucker? There’s a whole other swing no one’s using. Why the hell did he kick my daughter off hers?
Danika must see the gears turning because she shoots me a warning look, “Logan, he’s just a kid.”
He may be a kid. But he’s a kid who’s going to learn some respect. Ignoring Danika’s sigh of disapproval, I stomp across the mulch towards the swing. This park isn’t landscaped with rocks. The little fucker must have been digging in the dirt by the tree to find one. “Hey!”
The kid stares me dead in the eye with an intensity most adults wouldn’t dare. Not because I’m intimidating, but because it’s downright rude and uncomfortable. “What do you want, old man?”
Old man? I’m twenty-two. Not sixty. Didn’t this kid’s parents teach him manners? “Did you throw a rock at my daughter?”
I don’t get to answer. A burly looking man, who’s twice my age and size comes out of nowhere. “Is there a reason you’re talking to my kid?”
Dude looks tough, but when it comes to defending my daughter, I’m tougher. “Your son threw a rock at my daughter. I want him to apologize.”
The guy laughs—a full bellied, deep, laugh. “The little bitch shouldn’t have taken so long.”
“Excuse me?” Fire burns through my veins, coloring the world a shade of red I haven’t seen since high school. This dude is lucky I’m not eighteen anymore, without a job or a family to think of or I’d beat his ass in a heartbeat.
“You heard me.” The kid’s dad steps closer. “Your little bitch of a daughter didn’t say anything when Kimber said it was his turn. So, since she ignored him, he made her listen.”
My daughter can’t say anything, but that’s beside the point. I close most of the distance between us with one more step. My hands clench into a fist at my side. “What kind of man are you to teach a boy to beat up on a girl?”
“The kind who’s not afraid to whoop her pussy of a father’s ass.” The kid’s dad shoves me in the chest and I couldn’t be happier.
I reach into my back pocket with one hand for my badge and grab the man’s wrist with my other. I may not have my cuffs on me but that doesn’t mean I can’t restrain him. Belts are good for more than holding your pants up. “You, sir, are under arrest for assaulting an officer.”
The man sucker punches me in the nose, but doesn’t run. He swings at me again. This time I’m ready and rear back before he can find my face. I keep my guard up, resisting the urge to strike back. The way people are these days, someone is probably recording this with their phone and will spin the situation into a police brutality story. Besides, I know Danika. She’ll call Ryan and he’ll—
“Hey!” Ryan yells, running across the grass with a few of the guys from the squad. “What the hell is going on?”
The kid’s dad pauses for a half second, probably assessing the situation. I’m sure he figured he could take me and show his son that he’s a man, or whatever. But one against five, five cops for that matter, his odds are shit. The dude bolts, leaving his boy on the swing, who quickly hops off and runs after his dad. Ryan tilts his head for two of the guys to chase after them.
“How is it I’m always having to save your ass from one thing or another?” Ryan guffaws. He claps his hand on my shoulder and walks with me back to Danika and Molly.
I hold my hands out and Molly leans into my arms. Her soft tears must have intensified because her breaths are shaky. “That kid hurt my daughter. I wanted an apology. Not for me, for her.”
Ryan rubs Molly’s back, but she doesn’t know him yet. Her tiny arms tighten around my neck. A stranger danger reflex. “Shhh. “I kiss the side of her head. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
32
Logan
“Are you sure you don’t mind watching Molly? It’s your day off.”
Do I mind watching my daughter? Never. I’ll take every moment I can get with her, even if she is down for a nap in her room. “I’ve got this and so do you. You’re gonna kill this interview.”
Danika smiles and looks up at me with her big Bambi eyes. Things between us have been great the past few weeks and they're only getting better. “You think?”
“I know it.” I take Danika by the elbow and pull her into me. I love how we fit, her body against mine. We were made for each other. “You’re going to be the best substitute teacher Mangrove Elementary has ever seen.”
I dip my head, claiming her lips with a simple kiss, one that doesn’t say enough. I need to tell her how I feel. Ask her and Molly to move in with me. They’ve lived with Sarah long enough. I've proven I’m here for my girls every way I can. There’s no reason for Danika to say no.
“I should go.”
My arms drop from around Danika’s waist. I take a step back and lean against the doorframe blocking her way out. “We could always run upstairs for a good luck quickie.”
Danika laughs and shoves my chest. “You’re such a guy.” She shakes her head but I can tell she’s thinking about wrapping her legs around my waist. “I’ll be late and I need this job. It’s the only way to get Molly into that school.”
It’s not the only way. My dad is friends with the principal’s husband. I could make a call and pull some strings, but Danika would hate me if I did. She’s a proud woman, wanting to do things the hard way.
“Go. You’ve got this.” I kiss her forehead because I know if my lips land anywhere else, I won’t let her leave.
She smiles nervously and nods. “I’ll be back in an hour. Maybe less.”
I stand on the porch and watch Danika back out of the driveway, listening to her brakes squeal, not moving until she turns down Bougainvillea Lane and disappears out of sight. The woman needs a new car. The one she has is a piece of crap.
I walk inside the house and settle on the couch. Molly should be waking up within the hour. I have a little time to myself. I pull my phone out of my pocket and begin researching SUVs. Danika won’t openly accept a new car from me, but if I have Dad draw up a document saying it covers back child support or something along the lines, even if it’s fake, she might. I just want her and my daughter safe.
The door opens a few minutes into my search. I set the phone on the end table beside me and stand expecting to see my pretty brunette. “Forget something?”
Instead I get Sarah who stumbles into the living room. Her dress, that’s too fancy for this time of day, is wrinkled. Makeup smudged. Wherever she was, this is a walk of shame if I’ve ever seen one. “What are you doing here?”
“Watching Molly while Danika goes for a job interview.” I sit back down on the couch and grab my phone again. “You look like hell.”
“Gee. Thanks.” She plops onto the cushion next to me, leaving too many inches to her left open and not nearly enough space between us. Her knee touches mine and I get the feeling she’s up to something.
“Cooper’s coming back for Christmas this year.” It’s a lie but I hope Sarah is still mildly obsessed with him. If she’s thinking about him, maybe it’ll derail whatever train of thought is going through her head because I know that look.
Sarah shifts into my lap with the grace of a cat with breath like a distillery. Either she’s still drunk from last night or she woke up to the bottle. Neither of which I can judg
e her for because I've done both. “Cooper doesn’t need to know.”
“About what?” I regret asking the moment the words leave my lips.
Sarah dips her head and latches onto my neck. A move that would have my body physically reacting if my brain wasn’t freaking out. Sarah and I have never hooked up, partially out of respect for my brother. We have this unspoken rule about not dipping into each other's playground. And mostly because Sarah is batshit crazy.
“Sarah.” A grab her arms, forcefully pushing her mouth off my neck. She’s drunk and not thinking straight. “Stop it. I don’t want to do this with you.”
Sarah giggles and twists the bottom of my shirt between her fingers. “I’ll let you do things to me that she won’t. Come on, Logan. Don’t you want to have a little fun?”
“No.” Not with her. Never with her. Danika and I are finally where we need to be. I’m going to ask her and Molly to move in with me. All of my progress will be lost if she thinks I’m cheating. Besides, if we get caught like this, their friendship would be over. I'd hate for all these years to be wasted over a misunderstanding that amounted to nothing.
The click of the lock is deafening in this quiet house. I shove Sarah off of me and onto the floor. I run my hands down my shirt and wipe the side of my neck as the hinges creak open. I’ll admit things don’t look great but I’’l explain everything. Danika can’t be mad at me. I didn’t do anything wrong.
Sarah jumps in my lap again and presses her lips against mine seconds before the door opens. Vomit bubbles up in my throat. I thought I hated Sarah before this, before she opened her home up to Danika. Now, hate doesn’t even come close. I want to ring her neck and bury her in the back yard so she can never speak of this kiss.
