He set it down and then stepped back, realizing she’d had him place it in front of the bay window on the left side of the house. He stepped back and looked at it. “It’s not centered.”
“I’ll do that after I put the lights on,” she said, stepping back and looking up at her tree as she undid her red wool coat and tossed it on the recliner that was set up in the corner next to the fireplace. It was one of a pair and behind the chairs was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase that was jam-packed with books.
“Want some help?” he asked. He didn’t want to leave. If he was on the West Coast he’d be busy either doing press or reading scripts or other business but here it was either hang out with Avery or sit by himself in his office where he had no official tasks.
“Sure,” she said. “I have to bring all of my holiday decorations in from the garage.”
She led the way through the kitchen, which had a rustic feel to it, through the laundry room to the garage. She flicked on the lights and he saw her organization had been brought to this area as well. There were shelving units against the walls and she led him to one that was labeled Christmas.
“These all have to come inside,” she said. There were about sixteen Rubbermaid tubs with red bodies and green lids.
“Very festive,” he said.
“I know. I bought them on sale after Christmas two years ago. The lights are on the top. I try to be sensible as I put them away.”
“Good idea,” he said. “You’re very organized.”
She nodded. “I know. I had to be growing up because Mom and Dad alternated the holidays so I was the only one who could remember where everything was. So I developed this system. I take one season’s décor down and then put up the next.”
Just another reminder that her past wasn’t perfect. Was anyone’s? Avery seemed to strive pretty hard to keep things as perfect as she could at home but he suspected it must be hard for her.
He realized he didn’t understand people who had a kid but didn’t have time for her. He knew his mom hadn’t planned on having three kids because he remembered her screaming that at his dad when they’d both been drunk and fighting. And he had hidden his brothers in his closet to try to protect them.
“I think it’s a great system,” he said because she seemed to be waiting for a response. “I’ll get these all moved inside. Where do you want them?”
“The first two shelves go into the living room. The third shelf is dining room and the bottom shelf you can put in the dining room too,” she said. “I’ll make some hot cocoa while you work.”
“Good. I can’t wait to try your world-famous version,” he said.
“I might have exaggerated when I said it was world famous,” she said, carefully propping the garage door open.
He took the first two tubs from the shelf, lifting them and carrying them into the house. “I’ll see if you can live up to the billing,” he said, walking through the kitchen to put the tubs on the floor.
“If you like it I can probably make some money off the recipe online… I’ll be like Logan Calloway’s fave Christmas beverage, get the recipe here.”
“We need to discuss any endorsement deal and my agent gets fifteen percent,” he said, wryly.
“Fair enough. I guess I should let you try it first,” she said.
He went back into the garage and he heard music coming from the kitchen, accompanying her singing and the sound of a pan being placed on the stovetop. He unloaded the shelving unit and then just stood in the doorway to the kitchen and watched her working, singing along to Keith Urban’s Blue Ain’t Your Color.
He came up behind her because she was swaying to the three-four beat of the music, putting his hands on her waist and drawing her into the curve of his body. He swayed with her as the music played and she stirred the milk and chocolate in the saucepan. He didn’t think about the fact that he was a Calloway and that family poison seemed to infect them all and it might spread and hurt Avery the way it had his mom, who’d just disappeared from their lives one night when Logan was ten.
He just held her and told himself that no harm had come from holding a woman. She soothed something inside of him that he didn’t want to admit was raw and savage. The playlist switched to Alan Jackson’s Let It Be Christmas and he reached around her to turn off the burner, pulling her into his arms and dancing with her, swaying to the music and feeling some real joy at the thought of spending the holidays in Whiskey River. He knew that was because Avery was here with him.
*
They drank their hot cocoa and then went to decorate her tree. Logan was quiet as they worked but the music from her playlist was a nice background. She noticed that Logan was very careful as he added ornaments on the tree, stepping back to make sure that there weren’t too many of the same color in one section.
It made her smile to see him like this. “You’re very good at this.”
“Am I?” he asked. “Normally, I really don’t like Christmas.”
“Given your upbringing I can understand that,” she said.
“It was the one time during the year when my home situation couldn’t be faked. I knew that Mom and Dad were probably going to be too stoned or drunk to realize that it was Christmas and so I did what I could for Finn and Sully. My Aunt Jane helped a lot. Dad hated her for some reason—she was Dad’s sister. So I had to sneak to her house across town and ask her to help me get presents for my brothers.”
She went over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind and held him, resting her head in the middle of his back. He put his hand over hers, which were joined in the middle of his chest.
“I’m sorry.”
“It was okay. Aunt Jane was great. She even got presents for me though I told her I didn’t need anything,” Logan said, stepping aside. “What about you? You seem to love the holiday.”
“I don’t love it exactly,” she said. “It’s just growing up we never made a big deal about it because usually one of my parents was working and the other one didn’t want to make a big deal if it was just the two of us. They had never encouraged me to believe in Santa; they are practical people,” Avery said. “They are really good people so I don’t mean anything bad about them. Anyway, this year we are going to meet at the ski resort in Colorado and have the Christmas I’ve always dreamed of.”
“That should be nice,” he said.
“It will be. A few years ago, we were supposed to go but Dad made a breakthrough on one of his experiments—in his research area—so we had to cancel,” she said. “So I decided then and there to make my Christmases the way I wanted them to be. No more waiting on Mom and Dad to do something for me.”
“Probably a good idea,” he said. “I like this tree.”
“Thank you. Let me grab a chair and I’ll put the angel on top.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said. “I’ll put you on my shoulders and you can place it on there.”
She bit her lower lip for a second and then nodded. “Okay.”
He lifted her up onto his shoulders and she placed the angel on the top of the tree before he lowered her to her feet again. She looked up into his eyes as Brian McKnight’s version of The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year came on and she had the feeling that this was the most wonderful time.
She’d never been one of those women who felt like she needed a man in her life, but she could get used to having Logan in her house. She knew that a part of her feared she’d be like her mom and never figure out how to balance a career and a family. And she wanted more in her own family than she’d had growing up. But what if she could never have it? Given the way she’d run from Logan’s bed when stuff had gotten real she might not be able to have the family she’d always craved.
He drew her into his arms from behind, holding her as they both looked up at the Christmas tree. “You look like that angel.”
She shook her head. “I’m definitely no angel.”
“That’s okay with me,” he said.
He rested his
head on her shoulder and his big hands spanned her waist. She relaxed in his arms, enjoying the feel of him wrapped around her.
They fit perfectly together she thought; but she knew that was a dangerous path to go down. There wasn’t such a thing as a perfect couple. This was a nice moment and they were good in bed together. It didn’t have to be more than that.
He turned her in his arms and she let him. He kept his hands at her waist and when she was facing him she realized even in her heels he was still quite a bit taller than she was. He gave her a half-smile before he leaned in closer.
“The first time I kissed you I thought I must have imagined how good you tasted,” he said.
“Me too.”
He gave a small laugh. “You taste good to you?”
She shook her head. “You. Your lips look hard but they were soft against mine. Perfect.”
He lowered his head. His mouth on hers was firm, just as she remembered but also pliable and soft. He took his time kissing her. Rubbing his lips back and forth over hers lightly until her mouth parted. He tasted of hot cocoa and…Christmas wishes that she was afraid to admit she wanted. She wanted more of him. She shouldn’t have run away on Sunday morning. She knew that now.
She thrust her tongue into his mouth and rubbed it over his teeth and then his tongue. He closed his teeth carefully over her tongue and sucked on her. She shivered and went up on her tiptoes to get closer to him.
He was addictive, just like Riva’s eggnog lattes but better. No calories and he was hers. Well for this moment. He was a Hollywood superstar—she couldn’t forget that—but when she was in his arms he was only Logan. She wanted more of him. Yes, she thought, she wanted much more of him, not just his kisses.
She put her hands on his shoulders and then higher to that luxuriously thick and curly, dark brown hair of his. She’d wanted to run her fingers through it since the first time she’d seen him on the video chat. But she’d shoved that desire down and reminded herself that he was out of her league, except now he was here.
His hands moved over her shoulders, his fingers tracing a delicate pattern over the globes of her breasts. He moved them back and forth over the tops until the very tip of his finger dipped beneath the material of her top and reached lower, brushing over the edge of her nipple.
Delicate shivers racked her body as his finger continued to move slowly over her. He found the hem of the tunic sweater she wore and unhurriedly drew it up over her head. Once it was off, he took her wrists in his hands and stepped back.
She was proud of her body and worked hard to keep it in shape and she was very glad of that as he looked at her. His gaze started at the top of her head and moved down her neck and chest to her nipped-in waist.
He undid her bra and she let it slide off her arms onto the floor. Then he put his hands around her waist and drew her to him, lifting her off her feet. “Put your legs around my waist.”
She did and immediately was surrounded by him. His mouth was on her breasts, his hands on her butt and he suckled her gently. Everything inside of her tightened and her center grew moist.
Then she felt like she was falling and was lying on the sofa in her living room and he knelt over her. His mouth…she couldn’t even think. She could only feel the sensations that were washing over her as he continued to focus on her breasts.
One of his heavy thighs nudged her legs apart and then he was between them. She felt the ridge of his erection rubbing against her pleasure center through the fabric of her leggings and his jeans. She arched her back, moving against him to increase the sensation.
She wanted to touch him, had to hold him to her as his mouth moved from her breast down her body. He nibbled at the skin of her belly, his tongue tracing the indentation of her belly button, and it felt like each time he dipped his tongue into her that her center tingled. She shifted her hips to rub against him and he answered her with a thrust of his own hips.
His mouth moved lower on her, his hands moving to the waistband of her leggings, drawing them down her legs, and she kicked them off. She felt the warmth of his breath on her lower belly and then the edge of his tongue.
The feel of his neatly trimmed beard against her was soft and smooth. She moaned, a little afraid to say his name and wake from this dream. She’d never experienced anything like this. She only wore her black thong but Logan was fully dressed. There was an erotic quality to that. He palmed her through the panties and she squirmed on the sofa.
His hand was on her most intimate flesh and then his mouth as he drew her underwear down by pulling with his teeth. His hands kept moving over her stomach and thighs until she was completely naked and bare underneath him. Then he leaned back on his knees and just stared down at her.
“You make me feel like I have no control,” he said.
His voice was low and husky. The timbre of it made her hot. In fact everything about Logan made her hotter and hornier than she’d ever been before. But more than that he made her feel like she’d found someone she could be herself with. With Logan she could let down her guard and he accepted her as she was.
“Me either. I mean I’m not sure if I should be doing this or not,” she admitted.
“Does it feel good?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Then you should,” he said. He spoke against her skin so that she felt the words all the way through her body. He lowered his head again and rubbed his chin over her mound. Just a back and forth motion that made her clit feel engorged.
He parted her with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand and she felt the air against her most intimate flesh and then the brush of his tongue. It was so soft and wet and she squirmed, wanting—no needing—more from him.
He scraped his teeth over her and she almost came right then but he lifted his head and smiled up her body at her and she realized that Logan was the kind of lover who wanted to draw out the experience. She should have known that after Saturday night when he’d made love to her twice before she’d run off.
She gripped his shoulders as he teased her with his mouth and then tunneled her fingers through his hair, holding him closer to her as she lifted her hips. He moaned against her and the sound tickled her, sending shivers racing through her body.
His other hand traced the opening of her body. Those large deft fingers making her squirm against him. Her breasts felt full and her nipples were tight as he pushed just the tip of his finger inside of her.
The first ripples of her orgasm started to pulse through her, but he pulled back, lifting his head and moving down her body. Nibbling at the flesh of her legs. She was aching for him. Needed more of what he had been giving her.
“Logan.”
She was shivering with the need to come and wanted more from him. She hadn’t played these kinds of games before. She just wanted his big body moving over hers. She wanted him inside her. She reached between their bodies and stroked him through his pants. She slowly lowered the tab of his zipper, but he caught her wrist and drew her hand up above her head.
“Not yet.”
“Yes,” she said. “Do you have a condom?”
“I do,” he admitted, taking it from his back pocket. “I was planning to come and see you after I got you a tree.”
“Good. Put it on so you can take me,” she said.
He put the condom on and then she felt the brush of his cashmere sweater as it trailed over her breasts and stomach before she felt the masculine hardness of his muscles underneath. Then his thigh was between her legs, moving slowly against her, and she wanted to scream as everything in her tightened just a little bit more.
But it wasn’t enough. She writhed against him and felt the tip of him at the entrance of her body. She used her feet as leverage on the cushions of the couch and shifted up until he was plunged deep into her. Their lips met and he drove into her again and again until they both came hard.
She held him close as they both came back to themselves and she looked at the Christmas tree and thought that wish
es were for suckers. She held Logan and admitted she wanted to keep him.
Chapter Twelve
Christmas on the Square always seemed so magical to Avery. She loved seeing the area around Booze Kelly’s statue filled with vendors from local businesses and crafters. She pulled her red wool coat closer around her as she walked through the square. Rachel was busy tonight and Avery had promised herself she’d leave her friend alone. But she wanted to talk to her and Savannah.
Tonight was the time.
She’d originally planned to come to the events with Logan but his brothers’ unexpected arrival at his house had changed those plans. It had been a week since they’d made love on her couch and they were slowly growing closer. She still had those claustrophobic moments where she wanted to run but she had made herself stay. And that was down to Logan. He made her want to stay.
It wasn’t just that she’d been embarrassed when Logan’s brothers caught her making love with Logan under his Christmas tree, it was that she wasn’t sure how things stood between them. She’d thought that she was okay with the status quo. Where they’d both been hooking up at night and then working together during the day. It had been nice to have Logan in the office helping her with his different charity projects but she’d realized that they had been living in a sort of snow globe. One of those objects that her father had brought her back from his various trips to locations around the world.
A little tableau of life that was static and not real. She had known that they couldn’t continue on like they had been forever but she’d kind of liked it. She had been able to just relax and enjoy baking cookies with him and decorating their trees and pretending that nothing else would come of it.
Until his brothers had walked in on them.
Then she realized that she needed to figure out what it was she expected from her time with Logan. Was it just something fun until she left to go and meet her parents for Christmas? Because if she was honest it felt like more.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and made her way to Riva’s booth to get a cup of eggnog latte. She heard the elementary school kids all talking about what they were hoping they’d get from Santa.
Once Upon a Texas Christmas Page 11