My brain’s finding it hard to focus. I can’t stare at those lips for much longer. I want them on my skin, but I know I must keep enough composure about me so we can arrange something for Celeste.
One night not that long ago, Logan was at a late training session which left Lucas and me back here at the house watching a movie in the media room. After my third beer and his fifth, I asked him what his mother was like before becoming an alcoholic. According to him, she was caring, sweet, and kind. The way he spoke about her, told me he missed her. He also missed his sister. Sure, the boys go to visit her every few months, but growing up, the boys and Stef were as close as siblings could be.
“Would it be okay with you if I asked Stef for her opinion? If she’d be okay with being involved? You don’t have to do anything.” His gaze is now on my lips. He’s holding back just as much as I am.
“You don’t need my permission,” it comes out no louder than a whisper. He then lightly kisses my cheek.
I take a breath. “Yes, I do.”
His hands move to my hips. “If you think you can pull it off then go for it.” He shifts under me. “Now,” his grip on me tightens again. “Can we focus on just us for a little while?”
My mouth is dry, so I lick my lips. “Come on,” I stand, taking his hand in mine. While walking to my room upstairs, Logan’s phone rings.
Dropping his hand, I continue to the room. I know I’ll be going to sleep horny and alone. Every time his phone rings, it’s because there’s a problem, and it always has something to do with his mother. I’ve grown used to the disruptions, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to be selfish and tell him to fuck the whole world off.
Who were we kidding? If there’s a problem, he’ll be there.
My door’s open, so I peel off my shirt off and step out of my jeans as I move across the room. “What happened?” I turn and see Logan come in. I reach back, unhook my bra, throw it to the floor and hop into bed. Logan’s eyes have darkened with lust, but at the same time, he’s focused on the person on the other end of that call.
Our eyes are locked on one another’s. “Fine,” he hangs up.
Frustrated, I know he isn’t staying because he hasn’t pulled his shirt off for me. Kneeling on the bed he edges towards me. “Where are you going?” I ask.
“I’m so sorry, baby. It’s Celeste. She’s tearing up the house. Dad said something that pissed her off.” Leaning in, he presses his lips to mine. “I’ll be back.”
Reluctantly, I shake my head. “Don’t bother coming back, baby. By the time you deal with her shit, it will be late, and you need to be up early for training. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I’m beyond pissed off, but not with him.
He takes a breath. “What day is it tomorrow?” he’s so tired from his mother’s antics over the last few days he doesn’t even know what fucking day it is.
“Saturday. You need sleep, you can’t function properly. How does she expect you to keep your grades up, and attend practice? You need to take a time out.” I’m so worried about him. If the crap doesn’t settle soon, he’ll lose his shit.
He presses his hand to my cheek, and I lean into his touch. I’ve missed him so much. “I know. I’ll see you tomorrow. I promise. I feel like we haven’t seen each other properly in days.”
“It has been days,” I swear Celeste’s causing trouble just to keep us apart. Bravo, bitch. It’s working. “Take the spare key, just in case you or Lucas need it.”
“Is it in the same spot?”
“Yep, the same spot,” I breathe. I hate that he’s leaving.
“Will you be okay?”
“Fine. I just miss you. That’s it.” I miss him so fucking much.
His eyes search mine. “I love you,” he whispers as he leans in and kisses me.
“Love you, too. Go and deal with that woman before the cops do,” I tell him as I rest my head back down on the pillow.
“I guess I should. Bye, baby.” He kisses me Goodbye, and I watch him walk out of the room. Again.
Logan
Fuck, I hated leaving her. If I hadn’t of been such an asshole earlier, I could have spent most of the day with her. Instead, I cracked the shits and went to cool off.
I miss her so much. Never have we spent so much time apart since we’ve been together. It’s not just the sex I miss. I miss talking to her, I miss holding her while we sleep.
The second I pull the Buick to a stop at the front of my house, I jump out and race inside the front door. Immediately, I hear Celeste screaming. What? I don’t know because she’s wasted. “Celeste,” I yell.
“Up here,” Lucas calls back. So I take the stairs two at a time and when I reach the second story landing, I see my six-foot-one, blond-haired brother holding a shovel up in defense. “She’s fucking lost it, Logan. Dad’s divorcing her, so she’s smashing up the place.” He looks almost scared. “Don’t hate on me, bro, but I called the cops a minute ago. I didn’t know what else to do. Hopefully, they’ll put the bitch in the drunk tank for the night.”
I shake my head. “You did the right thing.” It’s the one thing I’ve been trying to avoid doing, but I can’t be upset with him. Hell, he feels threatened enough to be holding a shovel for fuck's sake.
“Fucken asshole thinks he can leave me!” I hear Celeste yell.
I grab my phone out of my pocket and throw it to Lucas who immediately drops the shovel to catch it. “What do you want me to do?”
As I walk down the hall to face Celeste, I tell him, “Call Hayley. Tell her to get Stef on a plane, and do whatever she has to do, to arrange an intervention ASAP!”
Hayley
After Logan had left me, again, I threw on my silk shorts and matching black camisole and went back to my homework. How pathetic, Friday night, and I’m at home doing homework. Alone.
Not twenty minutes after Logan went back to his place, my phone rings. I panic when I see that it’s him. “Babe, what’s the matter?”
“Wrong brother.”
“Lucas, why are you on Logan’s phone?”
“No time. He told me to ask you to get Stef on a plane and organize the intervention ASAP. I called the cops. We’re going to get them to take her in for the night. Do you think you can manage it?”
“Of course. I’ll call Stef, and your dad now.”
“Thanks, Hayley,” he sounds beaten down. He sounds like Logan. Even though the boys are twins, Logan acts more like a big brother to Lucas. Lucas doesn’t have a care in the world, and he glides through life living off his father’s money, where Logan wants to make his own.
“No problem. Come here if you need to, okay?”
“Okay.” We hang up.
Immediately, I dial Stef’s number, I can’t remember the time difference, but right now, it doesn’t matter.
“Hello.”
“Stef, I’m sorry to call you like this,” I start.
“What did she do now?” I can hear the frustration in her voice.
“Your dad just told her he’s filing for divorce and she’s tearing the house apart.”
“Well, it’s about time.”
“I know. Logan’s given me the go-ahead to arrange an intervention. They’re having her locked up for the night, so I have to do this as fast as freaking possible. Logan asked that you be here. Will you come?” God, I hope she says yes.
I hear her sigh. “I’ll come for you and the boys, but not for her. Never for her.”
My head falls with relief. “Thank you. I have to find someone to come out to do the intervention. It could take a couple of hours. Would you be able to ask your dad to come? I’d call him myself, but I need to lock in an intervention specialist as soon as possible.”
“No problem. I’ll play the guilt card. We’ll be there. And Hayley.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for loving Logan as much as you do. I know that if it weren't for you, he would have cracked under the pressure long ago.”
I take a couple of cleansing breaths to
calm myself, I can’t cry. There’s too much to do. “I do love him. More than I ever thought possible. I’ll text you and your father the details. I think we should do it at their house, in the middle of the destruction she has caused so she can see it from a sober point of view. What do you think?”
“Agreed.”
“Okay, thanks, Stef.”
“No, thank you. Bye.”
“Bye.” We hang up, and immediately, I begin texting Logan.
Me: Stef’s coming, she’ll bring your dad too.
Logan: Thanks, baby. I knew she’d say yes to you. I love you.
Me: Love you, too.
It took two hours to find someone that could come out to the house. Apparently, interventions are highly sought after these days. Especially, at the last minute. But I was able to get a woman. I figured Celeste would be more comfortable with a woman.
The interventionist’s name is Carol, and she’s already on her way to the police station to get more information about what charges Celeste could be facing. She thinks it will help our case more.
The boys need her to go into treatment. They need to have their family back in one place. They deserve that. Before alcohol, Celeste was sweet, kind, and caring. On the few occasions I’ve caught her sober, she was nothing but nice to me. She even likes Logan and me being together when she’s straight.
So I shot off the details to all involved. I received a few thank you texts, but I hadn't heard from the one person I needed to hear from, but I figured Logan was probably dealing with the police.
By one AM, I still hadn’t heard from him, and my body was tired, so I sent him a Goodnight text, and climbed into bed.
Logan
Once the police had taken her away, I felt relief. In jail, she can’t destroy us. I’d talked to the officers after Celeste was cuffed and in the cop car. I told them what Hayley was putting together for us, and that the woman conducting the intervention would be stopping by to talk to the arresting officers.
When they’d left, I check my phone for the time, and my heart sinks when I see Hayley texted me Goodnight. “You going over there?” I hear Lucas ask.
I drop the phone onto my leg and rub my face with my hands. “I want to.”
He comes into view. “You should. She’s really gone to bat for us. She deserves you going to at least say thank you in person. She misses you, dude.”
“I know. I fucking miss her too, but Celeste keeps getting in the way. I swear she’s doing this shit deliberately, just for fucking attention.” I meet his gaze. “If she doesn’t go with that woman in the morning, I’m going to pull a Stef. I can’t deal with this shit anymore. Fuck, she’s going to ruin my career before it even starts.”
“Really? You’d leave?”
“Not without you, bro,” I assure him.
“Where the fuck would we go?”
“I’m not worried about the where part. The only thing I do know is that it wouldn’t be far from here. I couldn’t just up and leave Hayley like that.” That girl stole my heart the second I saw her sitting on the bleachers reading a book six months ago. I’d never used the term girlfriend before her, but she’s more than just a girlfriend, she’s my heart.
“Go to her, dude. I’ll stay here and get some sleep. You two need some alone time. And text coach, tell him what’s going down and that you’re skipping practice. Just be sure to hit the gym tomorrow, and he won’t care.”
I nod and stand. “Thanks,” I give him a bro hug and leave the house.
It was just after two AM when I pulled up to her house. I cut the lights before I entered the driveway. I knew it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. Her house is just as big, if not bigger than my family’s home.
I climb the front steps, shove the key in the lock, and enter the house. She’d left the lights on. Either she knew I’d be coming back, or she was hoping I would.
Once I reach the second-floor landing, I see her bedroom door is still open. I strip off, and carefully climb into bed beside her.
Hayley
I feel the bed dip, and I smile. I hoped he’d come back. “Hey,” I whisper.
He slides his arm under my pillow, and his other is now draped over my midsection. “Thank you,” he says as he kisses my cheek.
“Anytime. Everyone okay?” I edge closer to him.
“They will be.” His lips find mine, and he pulls me against him. “Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he murmurs.
I melt into him. “So much. I’ve missed you so goddamn much. I didn’t think I was ever going to get you back from that woman.”
His leg moves between mine, “Me either. Tomorrow is it, baby. If she doesn’t take the help, then I’m leaving. I can’t do it anymore.”
My body stiffens with fear. He’d leave? Where would he go? Would he leave Orange County? Holy shit, I can’t live without him. Since moving to this town, there are only three people I can count on. Logan, Lucas, and my best friend, Abby. If I were to lose the boys, I wouldn’t cope. They’d take my shredded heart with them.
“Hey,” he soothes. “I’d never leave you. That is one thing you can always count on.” Physically, I relax, and I feel him smile against my lips.
“Don’t say shit like that to me,” I say, frustrated. I pull away, I lay on my back, and my eyes close. I can’t handle even the thought of being without him.
Feeling him move, I open my eyes, and he’s hovering over me. Staring down at me. “I promise you here, and now that I will never leave you. You own me, all of me.”
I wish I could believe him. Ashleigh, a girl he used to fuck, is always on my ass. She’s always telling me how hot the sex they had together was, and how Logan always went back to her when shit didn’t work out with him and another girl he’d see for a few months. She also told me he’d eventually become bored of being with just me, and I thought I believed her. If he’s left so many girls in the past, then what would make him stay around for the long run? My heart would be crushed if he ever left me.
“Has that bitch been in your head again?” he knows my looks. I stare up into those moonlit eyes, and I have no words. The lump in my throat that’s formed, won’t let me speak. “Fuck!” he shakes his head and then lowers it, resting on my shoulder. “I love you.” He lifts his head again, his eyes are on mine, “Never have I ever called someone my girlfriend. Never have I said I love you. To anyone. And never have I wanted to spend my life with someone, but with you, I do. I want to be with you every minute of every day. I want to build a life with you away from all the assholes that try to keep us apart. The only way we won’t be together is if you walk away because I never will. You are my heart.” He kisses me and then pulls back again. “Please believe me.”
The tears that had welled in my eyes are now streaming down the sides of my face. Never has anyone said anything like that to me. I was a virgin when we first got together, and Logan is the only guy I have ever been with. Sure, I’d kissed a few boys, but I never slept with them. He is my all.
I smile up at him, and my need for him grows. His hand skims my side until it’s resting on my cheek. “It’s only you,” he whispers. He tilts his head to the side, his lips meeting mine, and he takes control of the kiss.
My leg lifts and wraps around his, but he pulls me until I’m on top of him, staring up at me. So much love sparkles in his eyes. He is it. He is my everything.
Lifting my camisole up and over my head, I throw it to the side. His eyes drink me in, and they linger on my breasts for a moment, but then he sits up, and his mouth meets mine again. My hands become lost in his hair, his arms enveloping me.
My core is throbbing, I want him inside me. Now. Abruptly, I use his shoulders to push myself up until I’m standing on the bed, my feet on either side of him. “What are you doing?” he asks in barely a whisper as his teeth nibble on my thigh, his hands moving upwards until he hooks his fingers in the waistband of my shorts and slowly, so freaking slowly, he pulls them down until I’d step out of them.
As
I go to kneel, he stops me. His hands are firmly planted on my ass, and he uses it to bring my body closer to him. Then, his tongue licks the sweet spot causing my head to fall back. I run my hands through his hair, but then I grip it. I need to keep steady as he keeps licking and sucking until I feel I’m about to burst. “No, no, no. Stop,” I cry. I don’t want to cum without him.
“We have hours, baby,” he whispers. I want to interject, but the vibration from words sends the waves crashing over me. My knees buckle, “I’ve got you,” he assures me as he gently lowers me down until I’m straddling his lap. My forehead is now resting on his shoulder.
Then I remember, and my head snaps up, so I’m looking at him. “What did you mean when you said we had hours? Don’t you have to go to training?” I ask, breathless.
Slowly, he shakes his head, “I spoke to coach. He was cool with me skipping. I told him I’d probably end up back here anyway, and he knows you have a sweet setup downstairs.” He leans in and kisses me. “Workout with me tomorrow?” he asks.
“Of course.”
My goal has always been to obtain a scholarship for swimming, and when Logan was scouted for Stanford, I almost gave up and enrolled, but he pushed me to be my best, and I did it. I landed a scholarship to Stanford also, so we’ll never have to be apart.
Lucas, on the other hand, isn’t into playing sports or doing any form of work, so he had his father, Thomas, make a generous donation to the school, and all of a sudden, an acceptance email was sent through.
Suddenly, Logan’s hands grip my ass again, and it’s all I need to be ready to go. The moment he slips inside me, all my tension is gone and forgotten. I rock my hips with his, my lips on his.
Logan flips us until he’s back, and I’m on top. His hand is resting on my cheek, “I love you.”
I take a breath and smile. “I love you, too.” Then his lips are back on mine. My legs wrap around his waist, tensing when I’m close. I grab onto him, and he knows I’m about to push over the edge, because he moves faster, but still gentle.
The Beginning Page 39
