Beyond Compare (The Beyond Series Book 4)

by Ashley Logan

  His hand slips between my thighs and I jolt awake for real this time. Torn between my base urges and the awareness that I need to be out of his house before the others are up, I twist away even as I’m leaning into it.

  “Lennox,” I whisper, not sure how loud I can be.

  “Shh. There’s time,” he replies as his fingers toy dangerously with my resolve. He shifts, bringing his other arm around to my breast and I feel him hard at my back. Stifling a moan as the combination of everything corrupts my ability to think, I move backwards into him.

  “You’re not too sore?” he asks, still teasing my sensitive flesh.

  “It hurts so good,” I reply tilting my pelvis to let him slot into position. “Just please fuck me. Bend me over and take me.”

  “You are so fucking delicious,” he says, looping his arm around my waist and twisting us to raise my ass in the air. “You’re going to need to bite the pillow when I make that filthy mouth of yours cry out, you understand?”

  Moaning at the thought of it, I gather the pillow to me in a rush and bury my face in it as his fingers brush over my clit lightly before they begin applying firmer pressure.

  “I love how wet you get for me Katarina,” he says, coating himself in my arousal.

  Easing himself in, he exhales roughly as I muffle my noise with the pillow. It feels different this way, and so, so good. I press back into him, wanting more.

  “I’ll give you everything you need Katarina,” he says, sinking deeper and harder. “I can feel what you like. Let me give it to you.”

  I do. I let go and he gives it to me. Good and hard, so that when I come it rips through me like a freight train and I’ve practically shoved the pillow halfway down my throat to keep from screaming because it feels so fucking good.

  I clean myself up and Lennox helps me dress. He can’t seem to stop smiling, and when I reach up to rub my aching cheeks, I realize, I’ve been smiling a whole lot too. Walking out of his apartment in my coat and jeans and one of his shirts, I embrace the chill of the dark morning and the thrill that runs through me as Lennox links his fingers between mine while we walk.

  We trade numbers, laughing that we haven’t done so earlier than now.

  “I wish I’d had the guts to talk to you earlier,” I admit as we approach my apartment.

  “My fault,” he says, giving my hand a squeeze. “I worked out a while ago that you wouldn’t make a move yourself. It wasn’t until I saw you dancing that I realized I’d have to touch you before you’d open up to me. Then there was Kimber to think about, but after she overheard a conversation that was taken care of for me, and you can see how she adores you. Really it was just up to me to find an excuse that wouldn’t push you away. I couldn’t pass up the mistletoe opportunity, especially when you said that what you wanted didn’t matter. What you want matters, Kat,” he says, turning to me. “It matters to me, and it should to you too. I hope you’re beginning to realize that.”

  “Mm,” I agree quickly, still thinking about that first kiss. “That mistletoe scam got your foot in the door.”

  Chuckling, he shakes his head. “It wasn’t a scam; and you ran a mile!”

  “And then I ran back, because you started something inside me. You were right about needing to touch me. The words wouldn’t have been enough, but as soon as you woke my body up from lock down, I couldn’t turn it back off. It needed satisfaction.”

  “Did it get any?” he asks with a grin.

  “You know it did.” Rolling my eyes, I fetch my keys from my coat pocket. “When will I see you again - in the non-store owner sense?”

  “Whenever you can. I know you’ll need to work tonight to keep your family from the poorhouse, so just let me know when you can fit me in. Or I can pay Linc in cakes to watch Kimber if you want to help with that currency. Maybe I can get away to watch you dance, or something. But if I can’t satisfy you in person, I have your number,” he says with a crooked grin. “Maybe I could talk you through a few of my tricks to keep you happy.”

  Considering that a moment, I try not to blush, but of course, fail. “I just don’t think I’ll be as good at it as you are. I might save it for the expert.”

  “I’d hardly call myself a sexpert,” he says with a grin as he sweeps my hair behind my ears. “I’m only half of the team. It certainly helps that you respond very impressively to everything I do.”

  “I am nothing if not a team player,” I agree, making us both smile.

  “I’ll call you?” Lennox says with a sigh as I push open the door.

  “You’d better.”

  Grinning again, he seals my mouth with a kiss that will hopefully get me through a day at the salon, while I work out how to properly fit someone as large and all-consuming as Lennox Green into my busy life.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Showered, fresh and dressed for a day at the salon, I grab my to-go cup from the kitchen counter and start for the door, as Benji staggers into the kitchen in his boxer shorts and calls my name.

  Circling back, I try not to think of anything I did yesterday, lest my blush give me away. It’s still early, and apart from bumping into a rather distracted Natalia in the hallway, I’ve managed to avoid any inquisition from my roommates until now.

  “Morning Benji. What’s up?”

  Stretching, Benji yawns, scratches himself and opens the fridge. “I heard someone up and thought it might be you,” he says, leaning on the refrigerator door as he stares blankly at the contents. Eventually pulling out the bottle of milk, he pours himself a glass as he looks me over, his eyes narrowing.

  “Did you come home last night?”

  My blush betrays me and I adjust the bag on my shoulder as Benji grins. “Okay. ‘Nough said. I was just going to say some sweet guy came into the club asking after you, but I guess you caught up with him.”

  “Excuse me?” Frowning, I lean against the counter and give Benji a direct look. “What guy? I spent the night with Lennox Green doing very un-sweet things - was with him since midday.”

  “Niiice,” Benji jeers, raising his hand for a high five.

  Smacking it - because holy smoke - Lennox Green, I fix Benji with a confused look. “So what sweet guy are you talking about?”

  “Oh, ah... shit. He told me his name.” Benji stands taller and gestures somewhere just over his head. “About yay high, wider than me, but not as broad as the bear known as Lennox Green. Dreamy blue eyes and blondish hair in a style that’d look best in a suit. Ringing any bells?”

  Almost knocking my to-go cup over whilst setting it back on the counter, I strain past the pounding in my ears. “Andy?”

  “Andy!” Benji says, throwing his arms up before touching his nose and pointing at me. “On the button. I told him you were off for the night. He seemed worried and asked if I’d seen you or heard from you since lunch, so I told him Nina had and that you were in top form. He seemed relieved, thanked me, and that’s when he left.”

  Nodding to myself, I release the breath I was holding. “Okay. Good. Thanks.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Fine. I ran into him yesterday, and had to rush off. It’ll be fine. He probably gets the picture now, I would think. Did he say how he knew I was working here?”

  “He did,” Benji says, eying me strangely. “Said Tim told him. I thought he meant your brother - he’s not some creep from the club, is he?”

  I shake my head. “No, no. He’s a family friend. It’s fine. You didn’t tell him I was a stripper though, right? Tim would have told him I work behind the bar.”

  “It didn’t come up,” Benji says, softening as he reassures me. “It was early, before the show had even started. He’d have no idea unless he were a regular, which he obviously isn’t. Your secret is safe, and Tim and the girls will be none the wiser.”

  “Okay. Good. Um, I’d better run. Thanks, Benji.”

  “No probs. Have a great day. Satisfaction looks good on you!” he calls after me as I duck my head and rush for the doo
r with my cheeks flaming to life.

  “THERE’S SOMETHING DIFFERENT about you,” Trish says as I rush in the door of The Mighty Halo and hang my coat and bag out back. “Good holiday?”

  “Yeah. It was great to spend some time with the sibs. We didn’t get to Niagara Falls in the end, but we had a nice time around home.”

  “That’s still nice though,” Emi says sweetly, organizing her makeup trays.

  “But that’s not it,” Trish says, raising Rosemary’s interest.

  Moving in for a better look at me, Rosie inhales sharply. “You had sex!”

  Blazing a brilliant crimson, I try to avoid my reflection in the mirrors lining the walls, but it’s pointless.

  “You did! Just admit it and you won’t have to blush,” Trish informs me with a gleeful laugh as she dances over to check the appointment book. “You have approximately four minutes to spill your guts and we want specific details - or at least a name. If you can remember it.”

  Batting her away, Rosemary swings an arm around my shoulders. “Of course she remembers. It’s Kat, not some slut bag who screws a different guy every night.”

  “It might have been so good she can’t remember it,” Emi suggests, rolling out on her stool to be in front of us. “That’s happened to me before. And if I ever find... what’s-his-name, I’m going to marry that talented bastard.”

  We all laugh, and I glance at the clock, hoping four minutes has almost past. Maybe Trish is right. If I just claim the juicy happenings, maybe my face will return to some shade of normal.

  “It was Lennox Green from Green’s Produce. He fucked me in his garden last night. Twice. And again in his bed this morning. All up I came five times, and it was the best night of my life so far. It was not a one night only situation and we plan to see a lot more of each other, and don’t bother asking about anything else. It’ll only lead to more blushing. I’m sure I will spend the whole day blushing every time I think about him, and it will probably be best for everyone to ignore it. It’s a disability that will only serve to make us all uncomfortable, and probably totally gross you out.”

  Breathing hard, I take the distraction of the first customer through the door to escape out the back and splash water on my face. As I dab myself dry with one of the hair towels, Emi comes to stand next to me.

  “We won’t gush, but we’re all over the moon for you. We’ll ignore the cheeks as requested, and I will touch up your makeup to undo the damage you’ve just done with that towel. Your first client is in ten minutes, so there’s time to get yourself in the right frame of mind. There will be no harassment from us.”

  “Thanks Emi.”

  “All good. And just so you know, five times is almost unheard of, so keep hold of that one.” With a wink, and a smile, she heads back to her workspace.

  THE GIRLS OF THE MIGHTY Halo keep their word, but even so, a whole day thinking about Lennox Green has me completely frazzled. His steamy text messages haven’t helped either. Parts of me are still tantalizingly tenderized by his attentions, but it doesn’t stop me from aching to be with him again. I can’t help but feel that’s unhealthy, and that maybe I have opened Pandora’s Box. I let myself indulge and now I can’t think of much else. I can’t get addicted. I don’t have the luxury of that kind of lifestyle; I have dreams.

  Granted they’re not the same dreams I used to have. I don’t want to marry the boy next door and live in Franky-town raising a litter - that much is crystal clear, but I do want my brother and sisters to live up to their full potential, feeling supported and loved. I want them to have what I didn’t so that they can be happy and whole. Can I do that and be selfish?

  I love him, but is it enough? Is it possible to have it all? I can’t see how it could all work out with my life the way it is.

  If I spend every spare moment with Lennox, how can I keep up with my other commitments? It’s not like I can just slot him in whenever my fingers start twitching; he has a life and responsibilities too. A life that runs on a different schedule to mine. What kind of impact will I have on that? And him on mine?

  If he keeps me busy in bed, how will that affect my dancing? Will I lose my edge and my ability to earn enough to provide for my family’s needs? Will he want me to stop?

  I already need to have a word with him about timing and limits as to what he can do to me - some of the scuff marks from his beard have only just faded. He needs to know that I can’t be marked by him if I’m to display myself to others in an enticing way. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that conversation will be.

  Pulling my coat closer around me, I rush through the light snowfall as I head for Green’s Produce. A million and one questions whiz through my mind, but the strongest notion is more of a feeling than a thought. My body craves him; wants his arms around me. I need him to make me feel like it will all be okay, and that it’ll all work out; that I can have it all.

  The bell jingles as I enter and he looks up. His smile is enough to shoo my worries away and ease my shoulders down from their tense position near my ears. Engulfed in a bear hug, I lean into him, allowing the combination of soap, herbs and man fill my senses.

  “Everything okay?” he asks, holding me back a bit in order to see my face.

  “Mmm. Just hold me.”

  “If I must,” he says with a chuckle, pulling me back in. “Good day at the salon?”

  “Mm.”

  He laughs again and I extract myself from his chest to look up at his face in question.

  “I can’t help but feel we’ve switched roles,” he says as the corner of his mouth curls. “I thought you were meant to be the talkative one?”

  Shrugging, I tuck myself back into the safety of his arms, trying to ignore all of the things I should talk with him about. I’ll pretend they don’t exist for as long as I can get away with.

  “Hey Kat,” Linc says, walking through from the back with a box of apples. “Here for your bananas?”

  Stiffening against Lennox, I remember that I’m meant to be baking banana cakes today. Wondering how many I could get done before dancing tonight, my brain kicks into organizer mode, calculating baking times and kitchen availability - I’m fairly certain Benji’s on the dinner roster tonight, which means he’ll be ordering pizza and the kitchen will be free. If I dance early, I could bake cakes late into the night if I have to. When will I get to see Lennox? Before? After? During?

  “Where’d you go?” he whispers in my ear as his hand strokes my back.

  “I have to get going,” I say, reluctantly pulling away from his wonderful embrace. “I forgot about the cakes.”

  Exchanging a look with Linc, Lennox takes my hand and leads me out the back. Pressing me up against the wall with his body, Lennox steals my breath with a short, but knee-weakening kiss before releasing my lips.

  “Now tell me. What is it that you’re worried about?”

  How does he do that?

  “I want to stay here with you, but I have cakes to bake, and dancing tonight, and by the time I’m done, you’ll probably be in bed asleep. I’ve been keeping you up at nights and you must be exhausted. I can’t do this to you. I’ll throw your life off balance and your family will suffer, not to mention your work. I’m bad news, Lennox. After last night, and this morning, all I want is...” I shake off my lusty cravings. “What I want doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters,” he says with a deep frown. Studying my face a moment, he growls. Whether it’s at me, because of me, or some other thing, I can’t be sure, but it’s followed by the full force of his expertise as he claims my mouth again. His hands travel my body, awakening all of the need I’d been trying to keep under wraps.

  “You’re not wearing a bra,” he whispers, slipping his hand beneath my sweater for further proof as I succumb to his touch.

  Shucking my coat from my shoulders with his other hand, he dips his head to my neck, flicking his tongue over my skin. Moaning, I try desperately to keep my head. As I recall why I took my bra off before I left the salon,
I push him away in a rush.

  “You can’t!” I explain as his eyes widen in surprise at being thrust away. “I have to dance tonight and your beard leaves my skin all pink and splotchy.”

  Breathing hard, he raises a hand to his beard. “Should I shave it?” he asks as if he’d run upstairs and do it now.

  “Don’t you dare!” I can’t even bring myself to imagine what he’d look like without it; it seems such a distinctive part of who he is. “Just... don’t rub me with it before a show.”

  “How about after?”

  “Better. But I don’t want to keep you up late again.”

  “I’m sure I won’t mind.”

  “I mind,” I argue. “And I have bananas. If I go now, I could make a start before work, or I could dance early and bake after, but I don’t know when I’ll be done. I can’t think straight when you’re licking me and twisting my nipples.”

  Studying me a moment, Lennox picks up my coat from the floor, shakes it out and sets it on my shoulders.

  “Wait here.”

  Running upstairs, he returns a few minutes later wearing his coat and carrying the box of bananas we’d forgotten about this morning.

  “Come on,” he says, making his way back through the curtains to the store. “I’m helping you.”

  Linc waves at us as we head out the door.

  “But how can-”

  “I called Linc when I was upstairs. He’ll watch Kimber. I didn’t give you the bananas to create more work for you, Kat. I just didn’t want them to go to waste. Kimber has given me permission to spend the evening with you if I promise not to mess it up, so let’s go. Judging by yesterday’s efforts, I’d say we could get at least three cakes out of the way before you have to dance. I’ll watch you, then take you upstairs again after to make more cakes, or make love to you, or both. Whatever you want.”

  “How are you so...”

  “Bossy?”

  “Wonderful.”

  Blushing a little, he shifts the banana box under one arm and wraps the other around me. “I’m pleased you think so,” he says with a grin. “But you should definitely choose my assistant baker tasks carefully. Kimber wasn’t joking about the baking powder.”