“Gina, what the hell?! Are you crazy? Stop it! It’s just one night, I need some space! Get a hold of yourself!” he shouted back at her, rushing toward her.
As he got to her, he grabbed her arms and held her still. She struggled, trying to hit him, but he kept a firm grip on her. The elevator dinged behind him and the doors opened. He pushed her firmly back slightly and then let go of her.
“Stop it now, Gina. I will see you tomorrow. Just need some time away. Stop acting like this, I hate when you do this,” Logan said in exasperation, walking into the elevator.
As the doors closed, Gina crossed her arms and stared him down. He just stared back at her blankly, too tired to do anything else. As they finally closed, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
This was his life. He had lived like this for years, but until today, he hadn’t realized how much he hated it.
Chapter Nine
“What are you doing here, Logan? It’s the middle of the night.” Caroline stood in her front doorway, sleepily looking at Logan, who was leaning against her door frame.
He had come here straight after his fight with Gina, and it was obvious in his appearance. He looked like a wreck with his hair ruffled, bags under his eyes, and a ripped shirt. He didn’t respond to her, but just looked down at his feet and cleared his throat. He couldn’t believe what had just happened and didn’t know how to explain it, but he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He just kept looking down at his feet, pushing his hair out of his face. Caroline tipped her head down to get a better look at his face, seeing the twisted look of pain pulled across it.
“Logan,” she whispered softly, with a sadness in her voice, full of tenderness and empathy.
She reached forward and slipped her hand into his, pulling him into the apartment. She closed the door behind him and led him to her bedroom. She closed the bedroom door behind them as well, then stood in front of him, facing him. He lifted his head up to look at her, taking in how beautiful she was. Even when abruptly woken out of her sleep, she still was beautiful. She was wearing an extra large gym shirt, that hung off of her, showing off her long, bare legs. Her hair was down and a bit ruffled and her face was devoid of makeup, but she looked the most beautiful that he had ever seen her.
“I’m ending it,” he said simply.
Caroline just nodded and then gently pulled his jacket off of him. He stood there and allowed her to undress him. She tossed the jacket on the small chair in the corner of her bedroom. Then, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt, noticing several rips and stretched areas. She wanted to ask, but knew he couldn’t tell her right now. She lifted the shirt up and he raised his arms to help her.
She tossed the shirt on the floor and paused, looking at his bare rugged skin, dark tattoos, and chiseled abs. She looked up into his eyes and saw he was intently watching her. She ducked her eyes back down, avoiding his eye contact. His gaze was so intense, she was afraid she would get lost in him. She didn’t care why he was here right now, but she knew something was wrong and that he needed her right now as much as she needed him.
Her hands moved lower as she pulled at his belt buckle, undoing it. She plucked at the buttons underneath, finally undoing them, and then pushed his pants down his legs, leaving him in only tight boxer briefs. He stepped out of the pants as she stood back up. She took his hand in hers again, flipped the light switch off, and climbed into bed, bringing him with her. The two found their way under the covers and Caroline laid her head down on his chest, curling up against his side. She quietly listened to his heart beat and his gentle breathing, her hand resting on his chest.
“I never really wanted the fame.” Logan said quietly, his chest rumbling beneath her cheek. She stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.
“I always loved to play the guitar and sing, and I wanted the money for my family to improve our lives. I’d just been working moving pallets around in a warehouse in Connecticut before that. I had a band of great friends and enjoyed playing together, or playing for my mom. She loves my music. But I never wanted the spotlight or the attention. I knew it would come with it, and that was worth it to me, but I didn’t realize how much things would change.” He sighed as she curled tighter against him.
“After I became famous, it wasn’t my passion anymore, it was my job. Then, I fell in love with art a few years ago and found something to be passionate about again. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to be an artist. Paint things that people would travel miles to see, inspire people to find beauty in the world. To cherish looking at something other than just their phones. Instead, I’m in every tabloid, every gossip web page. Pictures of girls I don’t even know on my arm, stories of scandals that aren’t true, and every other stereotype possible. I can make two million dollars in a single evening, but somehow, I am still a dime a dozen,” Logan spoke softly, letting down his guard and telling Caroline things he hadn’t said out loud to anyone.
“Why don’t you do that then?” she asked; a simple enough question, yet a complex answer.
“I don’t know. I mean I do love music. I started playing when my mom was sick, back when I was just a boy. The music comforted her and we needed the money for medical bills, so I took the first record deal I was offered. It’s just been a whirlwind since then. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had waited, if I had never met Gina...” Logan’s voice trailed off, his face clouding over with pain.
Caroline noticed, but didn’t pry. This was the most he had ever told her about his past, she was afraid that if she pushed for more, he would shut down. She decided it was time to change the subject, allowing him the space he clearly needed.
“I never wanted to be a lawyer. I keep putting off taking the bar exam and just work as a paralegal to keep up the pretense. My dad wants me to be a lawyer, but I’ve never had the guts to stand up to him and tell him that I want something different,” Caroline divulged to him.
“What do you really want to be?” Logan responded.
“I want to illustrate books- kids books or any type of book really,” she said, dreamily.
He was quiet, not answering for a moment.
“You would be amazing at that.”
Caroline smiled and squeezed her arm tighter around his abdomen. The two continued talking about their lives and sharing stories with one another. Logan couldn’t even remember the last time he had shared personal information like this with anyone, or when he had ever stayed up all night just talking. It was several more hours until the pair finally drifted off to sleep, by then the sun was already beginning to peak up above the horizon.
It may have only been a few days since Logan entered her life, but it felt like an eternity. Caroline was completely comfortable curled up next to him. This man had taken her on a week of emotional roller coasters, but she didn’t care. He felt so perfect next to her that there wasn’t a moment of hesitation in her mind. She wanted him there and he wanted to be there. Nothing else mattered right now.
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The sun was very bright the next morning, shining through Caroline’s bedroom window. She groaned as one of the rays landed right over her hazel eyes, forcing her awake. Blinking and sitting up, she yawned and stretched her arms out. Looking beside her on the bed, she realized that it was empty. She was alone.
Had it been all a dream? She turned and dropped her legs off the side of the bed, standing up and trotting out into the living room.
“Logan?” Caroline called, walking through the living room and heading to the kitchen. The kitchen was empty, too. She turned back around and walked toward the bathroom. The door was closed, so she knocked on it.
“Logan?” Still no response.
She opened the door to find that the bathroom was empty as well. Confused, she walked back into her bedroom, looking around. She saw something on the floor of her room, pushed to the side. She stepped over and picked it up. It was Logan’s t-shirt from last night, slightly ripped and wrinkled. He had been here, it wasn’t a dream. She
had spent the night cuddled up against his handsome and strong body, breathing in his musky, masculine scent.
Now he was gone and she was alone with nothing to show for her night, but a warm dent in her bed and a tattered, dirty t-shirt. She stood there for a few more seconds, trying to figure out what to think about this. Her alarm clock went off and interrupted her thoughts. She had to get to work on time today after having been so late yesterday.
She quickly dipped through a shower, pulled her hair back into a wet bun. She slipped on a pencil skirt, as usual, and a button up blouse. About fifteen minutes later, she grabbed her purse and headed out to work.
“Hi, Jeremy!” Caroline bounced past her doorman so quickly that he didn’t even get the chance to respond. He just waved, as she flew by. If she rushed, then she would have time to grab a coffee on the way to work and say hi to George.
Chapter Ten
“The usual today, Caroline?” George asked her, ringing up her normal drink order on the cash register.
“Yes, please, but can you add a few extra shots? I did not get enough sleep last night. Plus, I am in a rush today. I was so late to work yesterday and definitely need to make it up to them.”
George nodded in understanding. “Well, tell me quickly about Saturday night! I still haven’t heard about the concert! What happened with Logan Clay?”
Caroline tensed up. She had forgotten that she hadn’t been to the café since Friday, so George didn’t know about all the drama that had enveloped her life in just three short days, or especially what the last few hours of her night had looked like.
“Ugh, you don’t even want to know. It’s been a confusing few days.” Caroline rolled her eyes.
“Now I want to know even more! Come a little early tomorrow and tell me all about it, promise?” George handed her the cup of coffee.
She nodded her head at him, being careful not to verbally say yes, but instead just shake her head implying it. She definitely did not feel like sitting down and reliving her last few days by describing it to George. She felt badly, since he was a good friend of hers, but she couldn’t deal with all that right now. She had to get to work.
She really didn’t need to get fired on top of everything. She headed out of the coffee shop and chuckled at herself. Here she was, so worried about losing her job, and she didn’t even like it.
Her dad wanted her to be a lawyer, which is why she was working as an entry level paralegal, but there was not a single bone in her entire body that wanted to be a lawyer. But as long as she continued working here, her bills got paid and her dad didn’t pester her, so she figured that was a plus.
Although, he did check in with her at least once a week about when she was going to take the BAR exam and become an official lawyer, but she kept saying that she was still studying for it.
That seemed to work for now, although she knew eventually she would either have to take the test or become a disappointment to her family. Caroline took a deep breath and finished her last few steps to the door of her office building, stepping inside for another day of work.
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Friday morning was one of Caroline’s favorite times of the week, because it meant it was the last day of work before a weekend off. Most people in the law office left by 3pm at the very latest on Fridays, so usually she could escape from there a little early as well.
She had been working so hard the last few days due to a large case, as well as being behind from her late start on Monday. She also was trying to stay in her boss’s good graces, since he did not take her tardiness on Monday well at all.
After all the extra hours she had logged in the last three days, she was eager to get an early start on her weekend. She had been so busy that she had not even had time to go to the Java Jolt to pick up her morning coffee since Tuesday. Although, if she was being honest with herself, she had been avoiding her conversation with George.
However, today she had left a little early, so she could chat with him. She hadn’t heard from Logan since he had spent the night with her on Monday night, leaving her completely confused as to what any of it had meant. Her emotions went on constant swings from irritated to lonely to angry to confused.
Today, Caroline was sporting a gray pencil skirt beneath a breezy sheer pink blouse and pink camisole, along with nude high heels. She was feeling pretty confident, so she wasn’t as anxious as she thought she would be when she entered the coffee shop. She quickly got in line and waived at George, who had immediately spotted her. A few other baristas nodded at her as well with smiles, she was a regular so everyone knew her.
A few minutes later, she was finally at the start of the line and handed her money over to the cashier, who was a new woman that she didn’t recognize. George signaled to her that he would talk to her over at one of the couches in the corner in a minute. She finished up her transaction and took her coffee over to the lounging area. George followed a few minutes later and plopped into a large chair across from her with a soda he was gulping down.
“Every detail, don’t leave a thing out! Do you like him?” he stared, eagerly. Caroline grinned at him, trying not to blush.
“Oh, hell. I don’t even know. It was wild. The concert was great, obviously, you’ve heard his music.” George nodded in agreement, he liked his music even though it wasn’t his favorite genre, since he liked softer, easier listening.
“We went backstage after the concert and had a lot of fun. There were definitely sparks happening and I thought something was about to happen, but then he told me he had a girlfriend,” Caroline explained.
George looked surprised, his eyebrows raised.
“Yeah, that was my reaction, too. He wasn’t acting like someone who had a girlfriend. So, then nothing happened, obviously. Fast forward a day and he came to my house! Which you know, since you gave him my address. Thanks for that, by the way,” Caroline said sarcastically.
“Sorry! I didn’t know he had a girlfriend! He seemed so infatuated with you. I wouldn’t have even guessed otherwise,” George defended himself, putting his hands up to signal his innocence.
“Well, he said things are over with the girlfriend. That really it's more of a professional relationship, since she is also his manager. He says he can’t really end things ,because of how wrapped up she is in his career and how much she has done for him, whatever that means. He claims there is no romance left between them. He also claimed that he wanted to be with me and end things with her, but then I haven’t heard from him since he spent the night at my place on Monday.” Caroline continued.
“Oh, see! I was right then! There is chemistry there,” George said proudly, patting himself on the back and smiling.
Caroline sighed, wishing he was wrong. “Yeah, there is definitely chemistry. I don’t know what to do. I am not the kind of girl that dates a man involved with someone else. I don’t want to be some side fling. He swears things are ending with her, but I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Well, if it is meant to happen, then things will work out. I wouldn’t stress about it that much. If you know that you don’t want anything to do with him while he has that girlfriend, just tell him that and stick to it. Make him have to raise the bar in order to be with you. But from what you described, he sounds like a man in love, and not with his girlfriend.” George smiled, standing up to head back to work since his break was almost over.
“Yeah, you’re right. That’s what I will have to do, I guess. If I ever hear from him again, that is.”
Something caught her attention off to the side of George as she finished her sentence. George’s eyes followed hers to see what she was looking at. The café had several televisions and one of them, behind George, was on a morning talk show where Logan’s face was smiling back at her. The two stared at the television for a moment reading the closed captioning, since the volume was turned off. Logan was being interviewed by two cheerful hosts smiling back at him. The camera panned out for a moment, which was when Caroline realize
d that Gina was sitting next to Logan.
“Is that her?” George said to Caroline, pointing at the television.
Caroline couldn’t speak, but nodded in confirmation. Her eyes were glued to the screen. Logan’s arm was relaxed across Gina’s shoulders and the words scrolling at the bottom of the screen were discussing an upcoming tour.
“It’s going to be six months long around the globe and it is going to be jam packed. Everything from international to the states, east coast to west coast, finally ending in Las Vegas. Then, I will be back home sleeping, because I will be exhausted,” Logan was telling the host, jokingly.
“And you know what they say, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” Gina chimed in, winking at the cameras. Her hand was patting Logan’s knee.
“Will we be hearing any Vegas wedding bells?” The host laughed.
“I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise!” Gina replied, smiling at the host and leaning over to Logan.
He responded by kissing her. Caroline jolted back in her seat at the sight of their lips locked. Logan was smiling, he didn’t even look phased. He looked perfectly happy to be with her, cuddling up on the couch in front of the world. George turned back and looked at Caroline, a worried look on his face.
“Looks to me like they are not as done as he said,” George told her.
“Apparently not,” Caroline said, her teeth clenched together.
She looked away from the television. She wasn’t going to watch the rest of this. She couldn’t.
“I might as well head into work early, no point in torturing myself by watching this.”
“Sorry, Caroline. I am sure there is an explanation for it, though. Try to keep an open mind!” George called after her as she headed towards the exit. She appreciated the advice, but she was tired of being open.
Her heart had been open and he just kept hurting her. She was officially closed.
Logan Clay: A Forbidden Rockers Box Set Page 15