Taking her wine into the little bedroom, she changed into boxer shorts and an oversized t-shirt to sleep in. Deciding a book might help distract her from her depressing thoughts she grabbed one and went back into the little living room to curl up to read. A knock on the door startled her. Fear and hope rushed through her thinking it was Logan. She wasn’t ready to deal with him yet.
A knock came again. The past taught her he wouldn’t leave. With a sigh and trepidation RJ got up to answer it. Opening the door, she saw Logan leaning with one arm against the door frame.
“Hey,” was all that squeaked out of her mouth.
“Can I come in?”
Stepping back, she made room for him to pass. She closed the door and leaned back against it watching him.
“I heard dinner was another interesting meal,” Logan said with a little smile. He tried to inject a little humor into the heavy feeling in the room.
“Yeah, just another great MacBride/Taylor dinner.”
Logan couldn’t stop looking at her. She was so damn sexy in those silly boxers and t-shirt. His heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t like the distance he felt between them. Remembering what his brother said he knew he needed to show her that nothing about how he felt changed. They could talk and work through this on one level but right now he went with his gut. Tossing his hat onto the couch, he walked over to her. Bracing his hands on the door behind her, on either side of her head, he leaned his body in close. He felt a deep sense of relief when her eyes widened and her breath hitched.
“I love you, Rizz.”
RJ felt her pulse race and her head spin. “But…” she stammered.
“No buts. I love you. There are no conditions on that.”
RJ’s brows furrowed together and she cocked her head to the side. She was confused and almost panicked. “But you were mad?”
Logan knew this is where he needed to tread carefully. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I stopped loving you. I’m sure I’ve made you mad and you still love me. Right?”
When she continued to stare at him quietly the panic started to return. “Right?” he asked again.
RJ felt the blood rush down to her toes leaving her lightheaded. Logan was here and saying he still loved her. She watched as his face tightened, and concern entered his eyes before she realized he’d asked her a question. Stunned by the realization he was unsure of himself and needed her reassurance brought her out of her emotional paralysis. Raising her arms, she looped them loosely around his neck.
“Yes, I love you. So much it’s scaring me,” she whispered.
Logan closed his eyes at her words. The tension in his body started to shift from nerves to need. Leaning his forehead against hers he drew in her scent. “Then we can work through this together. But now, now I need you.”
“I need you too. I was so miserable. Please hold me, love me,” she pleaded.
Logan couldn’t wait. He leaned his body further into hers until there was no space between them. With her back hard against the door he was able to grind his need against her belly. “God! You feel so good.”
Using his body to keep her pinned, he dropped his arms to slip them under her t-shirt. Skimming his hands up her torso, he realized she was braless. Hunger took over. His lips nibbled their way down the side of her face and down her neck. His groan near her ear caused goosebumps to rise under his hands. When he reached her breasts, her peaks were already hard and pebbled, begging for his touch.
RJ whimpered in need as Logan caressed her breasts. His strokes across her sensitive nubs heated her core and made her need climb to edgy. She grabbed his head, raising it so she could seek his lips. When they met, it was so carnal she grasped his hair and pull herself even tighter against him as she tried to relieve the tension of need growing in her.
Logan was impatient. He needed to be buried so far in RJ she’d know who she belonged to. Breaking the kiss, he stepped back to scoop her into his arms. At her squeal, he pretended to drop her causing her to wrap her arms around his neck. Laughing, he carried her to the small bedroom.
Lowering her legs to the ground he quickly removed the t-shirt, throwing it across the room. Sliding his hands in the waist band of her boxers he started to lower them. He gave her a light push on the chest causing her to fall back on the bed allowing him to pull the boxers off the rest of the way.
Staring at her naked beauty he started to strip out of his clothes, never taking his eyes off her. When she cocked her head to watch him, he grew even harder. As she slid back on to the bed and gave him that shy smile he quickly discarded the rest of his clothes and crawled up on the bed towards her.
“God, you’re beautiful.”
RJ never felt beautiful before. Her family certainly never made her feel attractive. That fact that Logan saw her as such brought tears to her eyes and then a dam seemed to burst inside her.
Taken by surprise and concerned, Logan whispered, “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Throwing her arms around his neck, she started to cry in earnest. Logan didn’t know what to do but hold her. Lightly stroking her back, making shushing sounds he tried to calm her. When the storm seemed to subside, he reached over to grab a tissue from the night stand and handed it to her.
“What was that all about?” he asked as he continued to stroke her back.
RJ felt foolish and embarrassed. Here they were so hot to have each other and one kind phrase reduced her to tears and cooled the moment. Keeping her head tucked under his chin so she didn’t have to look at him, she apologized. “I’m sorry.”
Logan wanted to see her eyes but she resisted. Resting his chin on top of her head, he tried to pry more out of her. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. But what did I do wrong?”
That got her to look at him. She pulled out of his arms so fast her head bumped his chin up. She stared at him wide eyed. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then what made you cry?” Totally confused Logan sat back with a puzzled frown and rubbed his chin.
RJ got off the bed and started pacing. “It’s silly.”
Logan tried hard not to smile but the sight of RJ striding around the room naked was one he could appreciate. “It can’t be silly if it made you cry.”
Throwing her arms up gave Logan another thrill as he watched her breasts bounce at the action. “You called me beautiful.”
Okay, that didn’t make sense. Logan was even more confused. “I’ve called you beautiful before.”
RJ stopped pacing and murmured wistfully, “Yeah, well, maybe tonight I really believed it.”
“I don’t understand. You thought I was lying before?”
“No. Not really. I just chalked it up to the heat of the moment.”
Logan didn’t know if he should be insulted again. But remembering Brand’s words he gathered his patience. “I wasn’t handing you lines before, Rizz.”
With a sigh, RJ sat on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t think of it that way. It’s just that I never believed it.”
“But now you do?”
RJ looked at him, shyly. “Yes.”
Trying to understand he continued to push. “Why now?”
Frowning slightly, RJ couldn’t put her finger on why she now believed him. “I don’t know. I just know that now I do.”
It dawned on Logan why she could finally believe him but was unsure as to whether he should tell her or let her figure it out on her own. Deciding, he reached out to drag her across the bed into his arms again. He kissed her lightly before tipping her chin so she would look at him. “It’s because you trust me to be telling you the truth and what’s in my heart.”
When her eyes widen as his words resonated with her. Happiness slowly worked its way across her face until she was glowing with it. “I do.”
Logan was ecstatic with her acknowledgement of trust. Wanting to treasure this moment and her, he eased her back until she was prone underneath him. “Why don’t you just lay there and let me show you exactly how beautifu
l I think you are?”
“Hmmm, you think I should just let you have your way with me?” she teased, feeling lighthearted.
“I do,” he muttered as his mouth moved its way down her neck and across her collarbone.
Excitement stirred her blood again. “Ohhhh, ahhh, okay.” She eked out, as his mouth went on an exploration of her breasts.
Need created from earlier rose quickly back to the surface for them both. Before they knew it, they were pushing each other towards a climax that stole their breath.
“Are you okay?” Logan mumbled into her neck a few minutes later. He was still tingling from the experience.
“Hmphff.”
Not understanding her, he found the strength to raise his head. Laughing he saw a pillow was on top of RJ’s head. He reached up to take it off and found her with tangled hair around her face, smiling.
“How’d you get under there?”
Laughing, she flipped so she was laying on top of him. She couldn’t resists stroking his chest. “I don’t remember.”
Grabbing her hand, Logan growled at her. “You need to stop that. I’m not ready for another round yet.”
RJ couldn’t resist the challenge. Pulling her hand free, she started bringing his body back to attention in no time showing him he was indeed ready.
19
RJ left Logan’s place in a rush and drove quickly to the store. She hated rushing but thanks to Logan’s insisted demand that she move everything over to his house this morning, she was running late for her appointment with Doug. When she drew near she saw Doug had already arrived. Parking the UV, she stepped out and walked towards him.
“Good morning Doug. I’m sorry to be running late I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.” RJ greeted.
“No problem. I just got here myself. Been meaning to get out this way for a while.”
“Let’s go meet my sister, the bride, first. Then I’ll take you over to where the wedding and reception are going to be held.”
Walking into the store they found Sandy setting up the fudge display. Apparently, Bea was in the mood to make her famous fudge last night. “Hey Sandy. I want you to meet Doug Farley. He’s the photographer I was telling you about.”
Wiping her hands off on a towel, Sandy came around the counter to shake hands. “Hi. Thank you so much for helping on such short notice.”
Doug took her hand in a firm, friendly grasp. “No problem. Your sister’s a hard one to turn down.”
“Okay, here’s the last batch,” Bea said as she came in from the back-storage area carrying a tray of fudge.
“Here let me help,” Doug offered as he strode over to take the tray from Bea. “Where would you like it?”
Bea didn’t respond to the question right away causing the girls to give her an odd look. Sandy jumped in quickly directing Doug to set the tray on the counter.
Doug turned towards Bea once his hands were free. His grin was wide. “Do I get to meet this lovely lady?”
Bea apparently snapped out of whatever trance she was in and walked forward extending her hand. “Hi. Sorry about that. I’m Bea MacBride.”
Doug’s eyebrows raised as he took her hand. “Ah, the matriarch of the family. Doug Farley.”
Bea slowly pulled her hand back, rubbing it on her thigh. “I know. I’ve been a fan of yours forever.”
RJ and Sandy exchanged a confused look. “I’m sorry. Are we missing something here?” Sandy asked.
Bea broke eye contact with Doug and turned to address the girls. “Mr. Farley here was a war correspondent for one of the major news networks for many years. His stories and pictures were very compelling.”
The sisters looked at Doug with their mouths gaping. RJ found her voice first. “Wow. I’m not sure what to say other than I’m embarrassed I asked you to take wedding photos.”
Doug laughed. “Please call me Doug. And if I didn’t want to take the photos, I guarantee I wouldn’t be. When I told you I do this type of stuff to stay connected, I wasn’t kidding.”
“The book you’re working on. Is that about your experiences?”
“Yes. And honestly, it can get a little deep at times. This type of photography allows me to lighten up and see beautiful events in life. Gives me the balance I need.”
RJ vowed silently to research Doug and his photos. She suspected they would be stunning and troubling if they were from war torn areas. Regardless of what he said, she was embarrassed that she’d approached someone with Doug’s experience about a wedding.
Bea seemed to catch the drift of what was going on. “So, you’re the photographer RJ recruited to help with the wedding?”
“Yep. Couldn’t resist getting to meet the locally famous MacBrides and get a good look at your operation out here.”
Doug noticed RJ’s flushed face and felt bad about her continued embarrassment. “Hey, I’m serious, RJ, I wouldn’t have accepted if I didn’t want to do it.”
Forcing herself to relax RJ tried to get back to the plan for the morning. “Okay. Well, the good news is we’re all here so how about we take a few minutes to discuss what Sandy is hoping for and what we’ve put together.”
“Sounds good to me.” Doug turned his gaze back to Bea, and rubbed his hands together as if eager to get started.
“Good morning,” Opal called out as she and Chrissy walked into the store.
“Good morning, Opal. Chrissy,” Bea called out stepping around Doug to meet them. “Let me introduce you to Doug Farley. Doug this is Opal. RJ and Sandy’s mother. And this is one of their cousins, Chrissy. Ladies, Doug Farley. He’ll be helping RJ with the wedding photography.”
RJ just about died when her mother sauntered over to Doug and wrapped her arms through one of his and literally purred.
“Mmmmmmm, aren’t you one handsome man. I’d love to see what you can do with a camera. I’d pose for you anytime.”
“Mom!” Sandy snapped. “For god’s sakes, leave the man alone.”
Keeping Doug in her grasp Opal straightened with a searing look towards her daughter. “Listen here little girlie. You don’t talk to your mother that way.”
RJ was about to step in, but Sandy put her hand out signaling her to not interfere. “I’ll talk to you with respect when you act appropriately. Embarrassing someone in my store and who is going to be working on my wedding is not okay.”
Though stunned by Sandy’s words, RJ was proud that Sandy was standing up for herself. She saw Bea try to hide a tight, small smile and Chrissy stared at the scene with her eyes squinted and her expression calculating.
“Opal, if you’ll excuse me, but I’m on a timeline and need to speak with Sandy and RJ for a minute before RJ takes me up to where the wedding is going to be held.” Doug interjected as he tried to disengage from her grasp.
“Oh, I could take you up there,” Opal offered quickly.
“Mom, you’re not familiar with the property,” RJ stated the obvious. She tried to turn the conversation. “Why are you here?”
“Oh, well I wanted to see where Sandy worked. Thought I’d get up here in the morning before we went shopping.”
Bea took advantage of that opening to offer up a solution. She strode over to Opal and latched on to her arm and started walking her away forcing Opal to let go of Doug. “I’d be happy to show you and Chrissy around while the girls talk to Doug. Let’s start in the front.” Leading the way over to the front doors, she tossed over her shoulder, “I’ll have your mom back up to the house in time for your shopping trip.”
Eager to take advantage of the opportunity Bea gave them, both Sandy and RJ quickly signaled Doug to follow them to the back of the building where the office was.
* * *
RJ wearily sat down on the front steps of the main house. Her time with Doug was productive and basically uneventful if you could eliminate her mother’s aggressive flirting. But to have spent the last few hours shopping for the MOB dress with both her mother and Chrissy, well that had taken every ounce of patience sh
e didn’t have. Both she and Sandy had started despairing of getting their mom to choose a dress that was age and event appropriate when their luck finally caught. The last store had a very attractive male attendant that helped them. His flirting and attention steered Opal to choose a very lovely dress that was flattering and appropriate. It might have been a bit more expensive, but RJ told Sandy it was worth it.
Chrissy tried to wheedle a new dress out of them also, but RJ put her foot down on that one. She could care less what Chrissy wore. Of course, that earned her a few rude remarks from her cousin, but RJ wouldn’t budge.
“Hey, girlie,” Hank mumbled as he approached the stairs.
“Hank,” RJ acknowledged. “Haven’t seen much of you since you arrived.”
“Gotta tell you, the food’s alright but I swear every time I step out of the trailer someone’s always offering to show me around. That wouldn’t be so bad, but somehow these people try to get free labor out of me. Ain’t spending my time off working, so I’ll stick to the RV and my TV.”
Hank’s voice became more belligerent as he spoke. RJ wanted to make a rude comment about Hank having nothing but free time as he couldn’t hold a job but bit her tongue. She just nodded as he stepped up past her to join the others in the house for dinner. RJ was not anxious to join the family, and still sought the quiet, so she continued to wait on the steps for Logan to show up.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Frizzy Rizzy.” The snide remark came from another person she had thankfully seen little of.
“Merle,” She said between gritted teeth refusing to let him bait her.
“I heard that your jealousy of Chrissy made Sandy refuse to help buy her a new dress.”
She would need a mouth guard if she kept grinding her teeth this way. She still wasn’t going to take the bait and said nothing. Watching Merle’s face grow red with frustration pleased her, but she knew she needed to be careful around him when he was angry. Deciding that being in a sitting position put her at a disadvantage, she rose to her feet. When Merle advanced to the first step, she retreated up another one.
The MacBrides Page 12