Club Destiny 1 Conviction

by Nicole Edwards

  When her legs braced behind his back, he lifted her hip, changing the angle so he could drive deeper. God, he loved this woman with an intensity so strong, it threatened to take him under. Moments later, the world tilted, exploding with bright lights and fierce heat as they tumbled over into the oblivion once more.

  ~*~*~

  Sam sat at the breakfast table in Logan’s kitchen, drinking coffee and scanning through her emails. Logan was still in the shower, but as soon as he came out, she was going to address the other issue they still had yet to talk about.

  They might have had a revelation this morning, an all-out joining of hearts, but there was still a dark cloud looming over them. Something had happened during Logan’s conversation with Xavier and Alex, she could feel it, and the fact that he hadn’t been forthcoming with the information scared her.

  As far as they’d come, admitting that what they shared was deeper than either of them had ever anticipated, she only hoped they could weather the storm brewing where XTX was concerned.

  Sam wasn’t nave, she’d heard the rumors, heard the harsh comments one of her project managers liked to utter in passing. Knowing Xavier wouldn’t be expected to sit back and let this situation escalate, Sam knew there were some decisions that needed to be made.

  She couldn’t imagine what her options were other than going back to the San Antonio office, if they would even allow that, or to terminate her employment with XTX and go somewhere else.

  Neither of them were options that she looked forward to. First of all, she wasn’t going to leave Logan. Not after his declaration of love, not after all they had shared together. Maybe she had actually evolved in the last few months, but Sam wasn’t ready for this to be over.

  “Want some breakfast?” Logan’s deep voice thundered through the kitchen, breaking her internal thoughts.

  Glancing up, her eyes were drawn to the way his large body moved gracefully around the kitchen, the play and give of strong, sleek muscles along his back, his tanned skin still damp from his shower, standing shirtless in his kitchen, wearing only a pair of gym shorts.

  She had barely gotten dressed, grabbing one of his button down shirts from the closet, which came almost to her knees when she stood up. She’d purposely left the top two buttons unlatched, the swell of her breasts peeking out from under the soft, white cotton.

  She had piled her hair up on top of her head, held by a small silver clip she carried in her purse. So different than her usual buttoned up appearance, Sam felt sexy and feminine. The heated look in Logan’s eyes when he took in the sight of her only heated her skin, sending a tingle between her legs.

  There was no way she could handle any more of him right now. She was sore in places she had never expected, her muscles aching from all of the ‘exercise’ they’d engaged in over the last twelve hours or so.

  “No. I’m not really hungry.” Sam stated, watching Logan as he began moving around the kitchen. “Logan,” she paused as her eyes met his, “I think we need to talk.”

  She could see his heart in his eyes, and it nearly took her breath away. Could this actually be the real deal? Could she actually have a happily ever after? The man obviously knew what she wanted to talk about because he walked to the refrigerator, pulling the eggs and some vegetables out, continuing his pursuit to make breakfast.

  “Do I have to pull the information out of you?”

  She heard his deep sigh, saw how he hung his head, still giving her his back. After a moment, he reached over, pulling a frying pan from one of the top cabinets, his shoulders tense. She half expected him not to talk to her, but then he sighed again, and started talking.

  “Xavier came to me on Friday to talk about the issue we have.”

  “Issue? As in Larry and Abigail?” Sam knew the two V.P.s voiced their concerns about Logan and Sam’s relationship, but she didn’t know that it had gone any further. The impromptu Friday afternoon meeting had given her a clue that something had escalated, but she had tried not to jump to conclusions.

  “Yes.” He replied, mixing eggs into a bowl, glancing over his shoulder once before he continued. “Apparently they aren’t going to let this go. So, Xavier and Alex have prepared an offer for you.”

  For her? So, it all boiled down to the fact that she had to go. Her stomach tightened into knots, but she did her best not to show the concerns she had. “And that would be?”

  As hard as she tried, she couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. When Logan sat the bowl down, turning to give her his full attention, her chest squeezed, and a surge of nausea washed over her. Shit. She could do this. She could.

  “Sam, I want to tell you I think it’s a fantastic offer. I didn’t want to be the one to have to tell you about it, but they wouldn’t let me off the hook. So, please just hear me out before you answer.”

  She did her best to mask her expression, staring back at him as she waited for him to deliver the death blow. “Ok. Spill it.” This was going to drag out if she didn’t just face the music now.

  “Alex has come with a job offer. He wants you to go work for CISS. Now wait, let me finish.” He must have noticed her involuntary jerk, because he stood straighter, walking toward her.

  “They want me to leave XTX?” She asked incredulously. This couldn’t be happening. She had accomplished so much in her tenure at the company for it all to come to an abrupt end.

  “Sam, it’s a generous offer. You wouldn’t be leaving XTX, at least for now. You would just be working for CISS, rather than employed directly at XTX. You’ll be contracted out to XTX, and you will report to Xavier, still doing the same thing you do today.” He added quickly.

  Ok, so that wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

  Her plan to freak out had been thwarted, and it took Sam a moment to adjust to what he was telling her. Contemplating what this really meant for her, Sam stared at Logan, feeling stunned and hopeful.

  “So the gist of it is that I will technically not be employed by XTX; however, I will still work for XTX. Did I understand you correctly?”

  Logan was frozen in place, the expression on his face unreadable, but Sam could tell he was waiting for her reaction.

  “Did you hear me, Logan?”

  “Yes. Sorry. Yes, that’s the gist of it.” He confirmed. “You’d be employed by CISS in the same capacity, as an executive, with the same salary, bonus, as well as benefits.”

  She liked the idea of it. The execution might be somewhat bumpy, but Sam liked the overall design of the plan. “Would I still manage the same projects I do today?”

  “Yes. Everything would remain exactly the same; except you would report directly to Xavier and CISS is offering you a permanent position. Here in Dallas.”

  That took her by surprise. Her current position was only temporary, until the project was completed – launched and stabilized. To know she would have a permanent position almost made the decision too easy. She wouldn’t have to leave Dallas. She could buy a house.

  “Dylan and Alex are excited about bringing you onboard.”

  “Sorry, I don’t know who Dylan is.” Sam stated, trying to dig into her memory banks to remember who he might be.

  “Dylan Thomas. Xavier’s grandson. He has taken a vested interest in CISS and decided to go into business with Alex, relocating here sometime in the next six months or so. His daughter has been accepted to UTD so he’s decided he wants to be closer to her.”

  Well, that explained it. Standing, Sam felt a little disoriented. Could this be too good to be true? Was this the answer to all of their problems? She wasn’t sure how Logan felt about the situation, he hadn’t offered his opinion, but Sam was afraid to ask him.

  Maybe she shouldn’t be thinking of something so permanent so fast. Sure, he might have professed his love for her just that morning, but that didn’t mean he wanted her permanently employed so close by. What would happen if he decided to move on?

  Suddenly, her stomach hurt. She needed some air. She turned and left the kitchen,
leaving Logan behind her, still staring in her direction. Making a beeline for his bedroom, she found some clothes, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt she had left over last weekend, pulling them on quickly. She just needed to clear her head, get some perspective.

  “Sam, where are you going?” Logan asked, standing in the doorway of his bedroom.

  Sam didn’t know where she was going, but she needed a few minutes to clear her head, to think.

  “I’m just going for a walk.” She decided.

  ~*~*~

  Shit! Logan watched Sam walk out the front door as he remembered the food on the stove. Jogging through the house, he made it to the kitchen, only to find the butter he had placed in the pan had disintegrated from the heat. Needing something to do, he rinsed the pan, then started the process all over again. He needed to eat, and hopefully Sam would want to when she got back.

  The fact that she went for a walk, and not a drive, left him with some hope. Since her car wasn’t at his house, he was pretty sure she would be back.

  Pouring the eggs into the skillet, he turned the heat to low so they would slowly cook while he chopped the vegetables and the meat he’d pulled from the fridge earlier.

  Logan admitted he wasn’t much of a cook, but when it came down to it, he was capable of making a pretty decent omelet. The problem he was facing now was that he wasn’t all that hungry anymore.

  He’d been surprised by Sam’s immediate reaction to the information she’d asked for. At first he thought she had been pleased with the idea, she hadn’t gotten defensive or tried to shoot down the idea. It wasn’t until he mentioned the position would offer her a permanent relocation to Dallas that she seemed to have panicked.

  Did she not want to move here permanently? Did she not want to take the opportunity? Would she have preferred if he had been the one to leave the company?

  So many questions swam through his head, leaving him feeling sick to his stomach. Being the problem solver that he was, Logan didn’t know what he could do to make this situation any easier. For either of them. The only thing he did know was that he wasn’t willing to let her go without a fight.

  He hadn’t told her about Xavier’s revelation that if she didn’t take this new opportunity, she would be heading back to San Antonio to her old job.

  In his mind, that wasn’t even an option. Leaving XTX wasn’t in his cards, so keeping her there was his only way of making this work. But, he was willing to compromise.

  Whatever it took, Logan wanted Sam in his life. He wanted her in his bed every night, for as long as they lived. He’d even considered proposing, but he didn’t want to move too fast, and he didn’t want to scare her off. They’d come to terms with their true feelings for each other just that morning.

  Flipping the eggs so the other side cooked, Logan tapped the spatula on the counter. It wasn’t often that he was in a predicament he couldn’t dig himself out of on his own. But with Sam, he didn’t have a clue what he could do to make this work.

  Adding the vegetables and meat to the egg mixture, Logan finished making breakfast, but by the time he was finished, he definitely wasn’t hungry. He wouldn’t let the food go to waste, so he grabbed a container from the cabinet, dumped the food into it and shoved it in the refrigerator.

  Grabbing his laptop from the counter, Logan took a seat on the couch in the living room, propped his feet up on the coffee table and checked his emails. On any normal Saturday, he’d be making plans that didn’t have anything to do with work; unless he had something pressing he needed to take care of. Today, he didn’t have either.

  Until Sam returned, Logan was at an impasse.

  Just when he was about to close the laptop, his IM popped up.

  [McDermott, Alex – 11:23am] What’s up? You talk to Sam?

  [McCoy, Logan – 11:23am] Yes and no.

  [McDermott, Alex – 11:24am] What the hell does that mean?

  Logan stared blankly at the screen. He didn’t want to have this conversation with Alex right now. He couldn’t give the man an answer, because he didn’t know what Sam’s thoughts were.

  [McCoy, Logan – 11:25am] It means I don’t fucking know.

  [McDermott, Alex – 11:25am] Alright, alright. No need to get testy.

  [McCoy, Logan – 11:25am] Fuck you, McDermott.

  [McDermott, Alex – 11:25am] I know all about your kink, McCoy. I’m not interested.

  Damn the bastard. Logan was in no mood for this shit. Especially not on company property.

  He knew Alex was just yanking his chain, but the thought of his personal life being aired on company property, was enough to set him off. And yes, Alex was one of the very few people who knew some of the darker sides of Logan’s preferences, but Logan trusted the man implicitly.

  [McDermott, Alex – 11:26am] Just screwing with you, man. I’ll let you be, just let me know when you know something.

  Logan didn’t bother answering; he shut his laptop, tossing it onto the cushion beside him. Glancing at the clock on the cable box, Logan noticed that Sam had been gone for about thirty minutes. He wondered how long she would stay gone. Even in early September, it was damn hot outside in the middle of the day.

  Getting to his feet, Logan paced the floor. He had no fucking clue where to go from there. Shit. Fuck. Damn.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~

  Sam returned to the house an hour later, looking a little worse for wear. Logan was once again pacing the floor, but once she came in the door, he stopped midstride. Watching her as she approached, he tried to gauge her reaction. Once she realized they had company, he noted the change in her demeanor.

  Logan partly regretted inviting Luke over, but at the time, he had needed someone to talk to and his brother was usually the first person he went to. They’d been standing in the kitchen for the last half hour, while Logan laid out the issue, and Luke offered little to no help in the matter.

  “Hey.” Logan finally said, breaking the silence in the large room.

  Sam’s gaze darted back to him, then to Luke once more. “Hey.”

  “You ok?” He didn’t know what else to say.

  “I’m fine.” She said, turning back to him. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  Logan watched while Sam stared between the two men, looking a little lost and no better than she had when she had walked out the door over an hour and a half ago. No other words were necessary because she left the room in a rush, going to his bedroom.

  Of course, now that she was back, Logan felt a surge of relief. She wasn’t leaving. At least not yet anyway.

  No, instead she was going to get naked in his shower. The image of her standing under the spray, the water caressing her naked body, had his body going instantly hard.

  He gave a quick look to Luke, who nodded his head in understanding.

  If they weren’t going to talk about work, Logan was going to take her mind off of it completely. Having spent the last hour and a half feeling helpless, he’d built up a generous amount of tension and needed a release. He only hoped Sam was up for it because Logan had some pressure to burn off.

  Logan joined Sam in his bathroom, where she proceeded to get undressed, the shower water already running. He didn’t waste any time, he stripped his shorts off quickly, causing her to stop and stare at him. She’d removed her shorts and her t-shirt but was still wearing her panties and bra. He wanted them off. Now.

  “Strip.” He ordered, his voice much harder than she probably expected. At that point, he didn’t give a fuck.

  Sam had left him wondering what the hell was going on, and he was going to make sure she remembered exactly what she had done. She might need time to think, to work things out in her head, but Logan deserved her explanation. That was part of a relationship. Talking. He might not be good at it, but he wouldn’t have walked out on her the way she did him.

  “W-what?”

  “Take your damn clothes off.”

  Her look of disbelief only spurred him on. “If
you don’t do it, I will.”

  Logan wasn’t going to attack her, she had to know that by now, but he needed her to know that when he wanted something, he went after it. And right now, he wanted her.

  “Where’s Luke?” She asked, still not making a move to remove the rest of her clothes.

  “Does it matter?” He knew that it did. She didn’t know what to expect when it came to Luke McCoy. The only time she’d been around him, Luke had been included in their extracurricular activities. He would be included again now, but Logan wasn’t about to tell her that. Yet.

  “Yes. It does. I’m not –”

  Logan didn’t let her finish; instead, he backed her up against the hard tile of the shower wall, his body crowding her, but not quite touching. He placed his hands on the tiled wall above her head, staring down at her. “I said, take your clothes off.”

  Logan saw the tell, noticed the second Sam’s disbelief was replaced by the same overwhelming desire that flooded Logan’s entire body. She squeezed her legs together, as though that could assuage the ache. She would make a shitty poker player.

  Instead of arguing further, or asking any additional questions, Sam pushed her panties down over her tight, toned legs, letting them drop to the floor. Then she unclasped the bra, discarding it just as easily as the rest.

  “In the shower.” He ordered, moving one hand off of the wall so she could do as he instructed.

  With one glance up at him, she turned and walked into the doorless shower, big enough to hold five or six people. Not that it ever had. Until today, his shower had only ever held two people at most. Today, it would hold three. And right on cue, Luke joined them in the bathroom, already stripped down to his birthday suit.

  Sam’s gasp was audible in the small area, the heat flushing her face apparent as she backed under the spray. Unable to hold off any longer, Logan stormed into the shower after her, backing her against the wall.

  “I’m not going to be gentle.” Logan warned her, giving her a moment to contest. If she didn’t want this, he’d back off immediately, but if the look in her eyes said anything, she wanted it as much as he did. “You remember your safe word, right?”