Chapter Six
Macie stood with her hands on her hips. “Alright. Let’s have it.”
Lacy looked at her cousin, wondering what she’d forgotten. “Have what?”
“Who is he?”
Lacy bit her lower lip, especially when Evan’s head popped up as he dipped one of his fries in ketchup.
“He?” Evan asked.
Lacy shook her head and fought like the devil not to cry. “There is no he.”
She was able to say the words with confidence because they were true. Logan hadn’t returned a single one of her calls in five days and, despite her efforts to get him alone, the man somehow always managed to have customers in his shop.
She’d stopped by his place after hours the last two nights, but he either wasn’t in or he wasn’t answering the door.
He had told her when he left Friday that it was over. He’d blown her world away with his clamps, plug and dildo. Given her the greatest sexual experience of her life and then, at the end, he’d simply walked away.
Once he said he was leaving, she hadn’t bothered to beg or plead. One look at his determined face told her all she needed to know. He wouldn’t be swayed.
As a result, he’d left her with a big freaking hole in her chest where he had ripped her heart out.
“There’s no one.”
Her cousin studied her face too closely for Lacy’s comfort, so she worked hard to keep her expression impassive.
“Only guy troubles would explain your behavior the last few weeks.”
Lacy rolled her eyes. “I’m behaving like I always do.”
Macie made an annoying buzzer sound, as if Lacy had given the wrong answer on a game show. “Nope. You’ve been all over the charts. Testy as hell one day, then the next you’re walking on air. Spent the better part of a week yelling your name until you finally managed to pull your head out of your daydreaming ass long enough to answer me. During that phase, I had to brush my teeth twelve times a day while trying not to get a toothache looking at that sappy, sweet, can’t-wipe-the-grin-off-your-face look. Now you’ve spent the last few days moping around here like you lost your best friend. If that’s not some man fucking with your head, then I don’t know what else it could be. You’ve got all the classic symptoms.”
“Lace?” Evan asked. She hated seeing the worry in his eyes.
“No one is jerking me around, Evan.” Logan had been a straight shooter from the start, telling her they could only have a short-lived affair. She was the one who’d pushed for more than he was willing to give.
Her brother nodded and she was relieved that he appeared to accept her words. “Maybe what you have is catching.”
“What do you mean?”
“Logan’s down in the dumps too.”
Lacy was very careful not to look too interested in that tidbit, but Macie picked it up like it was a hundred dollar bill on the ground. “Really?”
Though she was responding to Evan’s comment, Macie’s gaze had zoomed in on Lacy—big time. The last thing she needed was for Macie to put two and two together. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Lacy needed to get out of here. Her head was pounding, her throat closing and she was in serious danger of falling apart in the middle of the restaurant.
“Listen, Mace. Things are slow around here tonight. Do you mind covering for me? I’ve got a wicked headache.”
Macie nodded slowly, still studying her face too intently. “Sure. If things get busy, I’ll call Gia or Adele to come in and help out.”
“Thanks.” Lacy grabbed her purse from the storage closet then gave Evan a quick kiss on the cheek on her way out.
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
She nodded. “Pinkie swear.”
He smiled and said goodbye.
Lacy waved then rushed outside. Glancing toward the sky, she saw a dark cloud forming in the distance. Looked like they were in for a storm tonight. Strangely, Lacy found some comfort in that thought. She wasn’t in the mood for sunshine.
Besides, maybe a good old-fashioned, noisy thunderstorm would drown out her crying. Because she had every intention of throwing one hell of a temper tantrum the second she got home. For days, she’d walked around in a haze of pent-up sorrow. She’d held her depression in, afraid to let it out. Now her skin felt as if it would crack from the pressure.
She stared at her feet as she pounded the pavement, walking the five blocks from the restaurant to her apartment in record time. She’d been so focused on the ground, she hadn’t noticed Logan’s truck parked on the street out front until she’d passed it. Then she glanced from the vehicle to the door.
Logan sat on the front stoop, his face stoic, unemotional. She hated the way he could tuck away his feelings so easily. It took all the strength she had not to go over and punch him in the stomach the way he had Bucky.
She felt a tear slide down her cheek, but she didn’t bother to dash it away. Ordinarily, she’d rather eat dirt than let someone see her cry. That didn’t apply this time. She wanted Logan to see her pain, to understand exactly how bad he’d hurt her.
Logan stood as she approached him. “Lacy.”
She simply stared at him as another tear fell. She was unable to speak, too afraid she’d rain down a torrent of horrible words on his head.
“Please don’t cry.”
Her jaw tightened, her teeth clenched. It was on the tip of her tongue to scream the words “Fuck you!” He didn’t get to tell her what to do. How to feel. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m going to break my promise to Evan.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Get upstairs.”
Her body responded before her brain could engage. She started upstairs. She hesitated briefly, but Logan was there, urging her to keep moving.
Lacy’s tears evaporated, her head whirling over what he’d said.
Broken promise.
She allowed him to propel her forward as she struggled to figure out what the hell was going on. Why was he here? Was he collecting on the last night? Did he still intend for this to be the end? Maybe his hormones had finally gotten the better of him.
God knew she’d been fighting some seriously hardcore sexual needs, employing her vibrator far more than was probably healthy. What was worse was the whole time she sought to assuage her needs, her heart was shattered. She missed him even as she cursed his name, and then screamed it during her self-inflicted orgasms.
She was a fucking mess.
If he’d simply come here to use her for sex, she’d…what?
Kick him out?
She wouldn’t do that. All he’d had to do was tell her to move and she was all but running to her bedroom. She should hate him for that.
Or maybe she should hate herself.
Once she unlocked her door and entered, Logan was right behind her.
“Bedroom.”
“Logan—”
“We’re going to talk, Lace. We’re going to say every single fucking thing that needs to be said. I promise. But if I’m not inside you in the next five minutes, I can’t be held responsible for my own actions.”
Every ounce of pain she’d felt in the past five days vanished. She wasn’t going to let him leave again without that conversation. But he was right. The physical aches needed to be quenched first or she wouldn’t be able to say anything coherent.
“Fine.” She grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom quickly. It sounded as if he had turned the corner on whatever had been holding him back.
At least she hoped he had.
If not, she was making the mother of all mistakes.
Not that it mattered. She was diving into this fire feet first, aching for the burn, because as much as her heart ached, her body was currently suffering more.
As they entered the room, she lost no time. She turned to face him and unbuckled his belt, her fingers grazing his erection as she worked. He was rock hard. How long had he been suffering with that condition? The petty part of her that was still pissed he’d made her wait hoped it had been a while.
She unbuttoned his jeans, slid the zipper down, wrapped her hands around his cock and stroked it slowly. She shuddered as she considered how full she would feel with him inside her.
“I want you so much, Lace.”
She smiled and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’m right here.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “For the way things ended last time.”
He had promised her they would talk. After. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “It’s okay.”
He shook his head as if to disagree, so she forced him to look at her. His apology had gone a long way toward soothing her anger, her pain. So had the fact he’d shown up here tonight. They would discuss whatever had compelled him to leave, but not right now.
“I mean it. It’s okay.”
Logan gripped her cheeks in his large palms and gave her a kiss so passionate it took her breath away. This was what she’d hoped for on her eighteen birthday. There was nothing on earth so magical as being kissed by someone who clearly adored you.
“God, I missed you.”
She grinned at his confession. “Ditto.”
He was obviously trying to hold back, giving her the chance to tell him to take a hike.
“It’s time.”
His jeans hung on his hips, so he reached back, trying to dig out his wallet. Lacy gripped his upper arm to stop him.
“Don’t. I’m on the Pill.”
“Lacy—”
She pressed her cheek against his. “Please. I want you to come inside me.”
He didn’t respond for several moments. Then he cupped her cheek affectionately. “I find it impossible to say no to you.”
She laughed softly. “That’s good. That’s very good. Hold on to that thought and we’ll always be happy.”
He twisted her away from him with one quick motion and swatted her ass. “Minx.”
“Wait,” she said, unfastening her own pants. “Let me get these silly jeans out of the way and you can try that again properly.”
“If I wasn’t in agony, I’d gag you for trying to run the show, but as it is…”
Together, they got each other out of their clothing. When Lacy climbed onto the mattress, Logan was right there behind her.
She turned, lying down on her back as he came over her.
Her legs were parted in invitation and Logan took no time accepting. He placed the head of this dick against her pussy and pushed in. One hard, deep thrust.
Lacy gasped, her fingers gripping his arms. Her pussy muscles tightened around him. Her head swam. She was close. Again. It typically took her ages to reach her orgasms, but Logan found them within seconds.
He hadn’t sought to move. Instead, he remained buried deep. When he lifted his face to look at her, she was blinded by the emotion she saw there.
He loved her. Thank God.
He loved her.
“Logan,” she whispered. “I’m not afraid. I’m yours.”
Her words set him free. After that, any semblance of control vanished. They came at each other like animals in heat, taking what they wanted with a ferocity that should have been painful. Hell, it was.
Logan beat a power rhythm inside her, crashing up and down like a jackhammer as she cried out. She came, but Logan never stopped moving.
Then she pressed on his shoulder, forcing him to his back as she straddled his hips. Lacy rode his cock like it was a stallion as he kept hold of her hips, pounding her against him roughly.
“Lacy.” His hands tightened as she continued to bounce.
She was going to have bruises on her hips from his fingers. She reveled in that thought. Then decided she wanted to mark him as well.
Her fingers were in his hair, so she pulled it. Hard.
He groaned. “Goddammit.”
It was the greatest sex of her life, but it still wasn’t enough. He twisted once more, pressing her to her back as he came over her again, and he took her even harder, even faster.
Lacy lifted her legs, wrapping her ankles around his back. She didn’t shy away, didn’t try to stop him. She’d never been fucked with such force. She loved it, begged him for more. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and tilted her hips so he could stake a deeper claim.
Then Logan hit that magic spot inside her and she went off like a bottle rocket. This time, he did too.
“Jesus, Lacy. So. Fucking. Good.” Jets of come erupted, filling her.
For several moments, the only sound in the room was the two of them, panting loudly, her heart pounding in her ears.
Logan had Lacy caged beneath him, his dick still inside her. He studied her flushed face and she wondered what he was thinking.
She decided to break the silence first, despite the tiny fear that he’d retreat again. “That was amazing.”
He nodded. “It was.”
She tightened her legs around his waist. “You’re inside me.”
“Yeah. I am.” His cock stirred as she grinned.
“Are you getting hard again?”
Logan’s lips tipped up in a sexy grin. “I’ve been in misery since we started this game. I’m fairly certain it’s going to take me a long damn time to get this need for you out of my system.”
She didn’t ever want him to get her out of his system. But she didn’t say that aloud. They still hadn’t sorted through the mess, so she decided to hold off on declaring her undying love for him until he confessed his first. She’d been wearing her heart on her sleeve her entire life. It was his turn to open himself up to her.
“Where’s that lube?”
She pointed toward the nightstand drawer. “Not sure that’s necessary. I’m more than ready for round two.”
He grabbed the tube anyway, his cock still buried inside her. As far as recoveries went, she wondered if this was some sort of world record. The man was rock hard and as thick as ever.
“That’s good to know. But I think we’re going to give this sweet pussy of yours a rest this time around.” As he spoke, he withdrew.
Lacy’s pussy clenched hungrily as she realized his plan. She hadn’t touched the plug since the last time he’d been in her bed. And as large as the thing was, it was no match for what he was proposing to put inside her this time.
“I…”
“What’s your safe word?”
“Chaise,” she whispered.
Logan gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Good girl.”
She had expected him to get right down to business, but Logan never did anything the way she anticipated. He reached back into the nightstand drawer and pulled out the vibrator.
“We didn’t get to use this last time.”
She didn’t bother to mention that particular toy had become her favorite over the last week and a half. Hell, she’d even started calling the stupid thing Logan.
He slid the thin vibrator into her pussy with ease. She was still wet from her arousal and his come.
He turned the toy on low and she groaned at the sudden sensation against her well-used, uber-sensitive tissues.
Logan narrowed his eyes when she started swaying her hips, working the vibrations against her G-spot. “Don’t even think about coming.”
She froze. “What?”
“I’ve let you grab those orgasms of yours whenever you want. No more. Next time you come, it’s going to be with me, while I’m buried in that tight little ass of yours.”
“But I’m close.”
His expression was stern, though his eyes gave him away. He was amused, even if he was trying to act all big and bad. “You’re always close. Hold it off.”
She started to shake her head. The truth was she had absolutely no control over her orgasms with him. Hell, half the time they hit when she wasn’t even expecting them. “I can’t—”
Logan gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. “If you come without my permission, I’m going to tie you to this bed so that you can’t move a fucking muscle and keep that vibrator on low all night until you do learn how to control it.”
“You wouldn’t dare. That would only hurt you too.”
The smile he gave her was pure danger, especially when his gaze traveled to her mouth. He ran his thumb over her lower lip before he pushed inside. Her lips closed around it instinctively. “I don’t intend to suffer.”
She closed her eyes, trying to ward off the impact of his words. His dirty talk was as detrimental to her self-control as his actions. This was not going to end well.
“I’ll try,” she said begrudgingly.
“Just remember that I’m a man of my word. I will do exactly what I’ve said if you don’t succeed.”
She didn’t have time to respond before he flipped her onto her stomach. He stroked her ass cheeks with calloused hands. She loved the rough feel of them against her soft skin. It was incredible to her that he could use those hands either to spank or caress and produce the same heart-pounding effect.
“Lift your ass in the air.”
She did as he said, the vibrator still buried inside her. She was fighting like the devil to ignore the thing, but as she shifted, it hit one of her happy places. She gripped the sheets in her fists and winced, batting back the urge to come.
“God. I think I might hate you.”
He chuckled, completely unconcerned by her confession. “That’s good.”
Logan squeezed some lube in her ass. Lacy shivered when the cold gel hit her.
He slowly worked it inside her, adding lube and fingers over the course of the next several minutes. Lacy forgot to be nervous about what was coming as she worked overtime not to come. Somewhere in the midst of Logan stretching her ass, he bumped the vibrator up to the next speed.
She called him a long string of unsavory, rude names, but he ignored her and kept going.
Lacy was so focused on not coming, she jumped slightly when she felt the head of Logan’s cock pressing against her ass. At some point, he’d covered it with a condom.
“Oh!”
“Shh,” he soothed, running his hand along her back. “Say your safe word if you hate it.”
He’d only pushed the head in before she decided she wasn’t going to hate it. He was so much bigger than the plug and his fingers, not just in width, but in length.
“How much more?” she gasped as he continued to work his way inside with short, easy thrusts.
“Halfway there.”
“Fuck me,” she groaned, prompting him to laugh a little.
“That’s not the safe word.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Keep going, asshole.”
He slapped her ass lightly. “That’s not it either.”
During their previous sexual encounters, she had been so focused on how fucking good the sex was and on finding a way to get him back in her bed, that she hadn’t had a chance to consider what it would be like to truly date Logan.
Words like fun and playful floated to the surface. Even as he dominated their play, taking her to places she’d never imagined in all her twisted, kinky fantasies, she couldn’t deny that being with him was as much fun as it was hot.
When he was fully lodged, he paused. “That’s it.” His words sounded almost pained, which seemed weird to her. She was the one being practically split in two. Then she considered how much control it must have taken for him to move so slowly, to give her this experience with as little pain as possible.
She took a second to adjust, marveling over how freaking much she loved everything they’d done together. Something told her a hundred years with the man wouldn’t be enough to get him out of her system.
“Lacy,” he murmured. He was holding on for her. “Baby…”
“Can I come now?”
A short burst of laughter filled the room. “God. You’re all kinds of perfect. Yeah. Come at will, gorgeous.”
With that, he began to fuck her. He kept his motions slow, easy. She appreciated his efforts at not hurting her, but it wasn’t enough.
“Logan,” she gasped. “Please. More.”
“As you wish.” He reached down and found the control to the vibrator. He cranked the thing on high and then it was game over.
He took her hard, driving deep into her ass, as Lacy came violently. One orgasm stretched into a second before Logan joined her. His fingers tightened on her hips as he jerked once, twice more. Then he fell to her side as she turned to face him. She shuddered when he reached between her legs to turn off the vibrator and pull it out.
“I think you killed me.”
He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “I was going to say the same thing to you.”
“Logan.”
“Hmm,” he murmured sleepily, his eyes drifting closed.
“Can we do that again?”
He chuckled, his lids lifting briefly. “Sure. Give me a few minutes.”
She laughed softly. They hadn’t talked yet, but at least he wasn’t sprinting for the door. They had time to get into the heavy stuff. Later.
She sighed happily at the thought of what else they’d do later before giving in to her own need for sleep.
* * * *
Nineteen years earlier…
Logan studied the lake until he found his sister. Sure enough, Rachel was boob-deep in the water, wrapped around Rodney and kissing him like the guy was going off to war or something. He wouldn’t mind so much, but last week she’d been doing the exact same thing with Lee.
“We need to make a pact,” he said, glancing over at Evan. The two of them were sitting in the sand, chowing down on hot dogs they’d bought at the concession stand. He knew a lot of his friends were looking forward to growing up, becoming adults, but Logan figured they had it made. They were sixteen, out of school on summer break and their biggest decision each day was whether to hit the beach at the lake or head over to the park to play baseball.
“What kind of pact?” Evan asked.
“We don’t hook up with each other’s sisters.”
Evan glanced at Rachel and Logan spotted the reticence on his friend’s face. He knew. Knew Evan had been looking a little too often in Rachel’s direction. What Evan didn’t realize was that Logan was putting the pact in place for his friend more than his sister. Rachel was a man-eater.
“I don’t see what the big deal is if—”
“I mean it, man. I don’t want you hooking up with Rachel.”
Evan frowned and then, because he really was a good friend, he shrugged and agreed. “Fine. But same goes for my sister.”
Logan looked across the sand and spotted Lacy building a sandcastle with her little friend, Bucky. “You got it,” he said with a grin.
Evan rolled his eyes. “You realize I’m getting the bad end of this deal.”
“It’s a bro code,” Logan said, reaching out for the traditional handshake to seal the deal. “And it’s binding. Forever.”