“I guess one of the perks of your profession is you never have anyone ask you that particular gem of a question,” Brooke said, trying to concentrate on getting Logan’s head turned back toward her. Brooke smiled when she heard Logan chuckle. “I’m a nurse, remember? I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing. I’m afraid you’re going to need stitches though. We should get you to the hospital.”
“Can’t you do it?” Logan reached up and grabbed Brooke’s wrist.
Brooke met her eyes and immediately regretted it. Her breathing quickened and she saw Logan swallow hard. Logan’s other hand came up to touch her, but stopped when she apparently noticed all the blood on her hand.
“You don’t like hospitals?” Brooke managed to ask.
“Not particularly. Do you have a way to stitch me up without having to drive thirty miles away?”
Brooke got to her feet. She held out another towel to Logan and motioned to her face. “Hold this to the wound. I’ll run next door and get what I need. I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
She ran down the steps and out the front door, not giving a thought to what she must look like until she entered her grandmother’s front door and heard the gasp coming from the couch. She looked down at herself and saw the blood on the front of her T-shirt for the first time. She grinned at her grandmother and shrugged.
“I told you I could wring her neck.”
“Yes, you did, but I don’t believe wringing someone’s neck would cause so much blood loss. What are you two doing over there?”
“It’s a long story, but she hit her head, and I need to stitch the wound.”
“Oh, my God,” Marlene said as she came into the living room from the kitchen. She stood there looking Brooke up and down. “Is it yours or someone else’s?”
“Cool,” Shane said. He gave Brooke two thumbs-up and walked around his mother to take a seat on the couch next to her grandmother.
“It’s Logan’s.”
“She likes you,” Shane said. “You probably shouldn’t have killed her.”
“You’re all a bunch of comedians, aren’t you?” She marched up the stairs to her room where she kept her medical supplies. She also grabbed a clean shirt and sweatpants to change into after she was finished with Logan’s wound.
Chapter Twenty-two
Logan stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, appalled at all the blood on her face and her shirt. She leaned closer to the mirror and slowly removed the towel Brooke had handed her. The blood wasn’t exactly flowing any longer, but it was still seeping out at a pretty good clip. She closed her eyes and covered the gash again. This was going to leave a hell of a scar in the middle of her eyebrow. She’d probably have one whopper of a bruise too. She must have hit her head on the corner of the counter.
I’m lucky I didn’t hit it a couple of inches lower. My damn eyeball would probably be rolling around on the floor down there. She jumped when she heard the front door slam, and she hoped like hell it was Brooke returning and not Jack coming home from work. She really didn’t want to see Jack yet, but she did want to spend more time with Brooke.
“Sorry,” Brooke said when she entered the bathroom again. “When people see this much blood on you, they tend to want to play twenty questions.”
“No problem. Thanks for doing this, Brooke.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m sorry about your clothes.”
“Don’t be. Now hold still for me.”
Logan tried her best to not flinch when Brooke began cleaning the wound again, and she took the time to really study Brooke. She was beautiful; there was certainly no denying it. Maybe it was finally time for Logan to try another relationship. She knew her father was lonely the last fifteen years after her mother died, and she didn’t want that. As much as she’d always told herself she was perfectly happy on her own, deep down she knew it was a lie. The one-night stands had never been truly satisfying, and even though Logan hated agreeing with her brother about anything, she realized she did want someone to come home to every night.
“Where’d you go?” Brooke asked with a gentle hand on her cheek. She looked worried, and Logan smiled in an attempt to allay her concern.
“Nowhere. Just thinking too much. My dad always told me I’d think any situation to death before I’d actually act on anything.”
“Well, I’m done here, unless you want help cleaning up.”
“I think I can manage.” Logan grabbed Brooke’s hand. “But don’t leave, okay? It’s still early. Maybe we could watch a movie or something.”
“Sure. I’ll just be downstairs.”
“You know, this evening doesn’t count as our date. We agreed that wouldn’t happen until after the funeral tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to our date.” Brooke said. “I’d argue if you tried to pass this off as the date you asked me on.”
Logan shut the door when Brooke left and leaned against the counter. It was crazy to be thinking what she was thinking, wasn’t it? Brooke didn’t want a relationship either, so what would be the point in even pursuing anything with her? Logan sighed as she wet another washcloth with warm water and began to remove the blood from her face. Just thinking about Brooke caused her stomach to flutter. That reaction to a woman hadn’t happened since the day she first met Julie.
She sat on the edge of the tub and stared up at the ceiling. Brooke was different from any other woman she’d ever met. She’d made it perfectly clear she wasn’t interested in a one-night stand and Logan decided she couldn’t pursue her with the same bravado she used in the bars. Brooke was special, and the best thing to do was to simply allow their relationship to move along at its own pace. Forcing things with Brooke would definitely be a mistake.
*
Jack walked into the house a little after eleven, which woke Brooke up. The DVD they’d been watching had finished long ago, and there was a blue screen on the television. Brooke felt a weight on her thighs and looked down to see Logan fast asleep, her head in Brooke’s lap. Brooke met Jack’s eyes and blushed at his smile.
“This really isn’t what it looks like,” she said quietly, trying not to wake Logan.
“It would be nice if it was,” Jack said. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the gash above his sister’s left eye. “What happened?”
Logan stirred at the sound of his voice but didn’t wake up. Brooke held her breath when Logan’s hand moved to her hip. Brooke tried to extricate herself from Logan’s grasp, but Logan held on tighter and groaned quietly.
“Don’t leave me,” she mumbled sleepily. “This feels nice.”
Brooke felt her cheeks flush again and decided waking Logan up would be best for all concerned. She placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently.
“Logan, Jack’s home. I think it’s time to wake up.”
“No, I want to stay like this forever.”
“Logan, please, wake up.” Brooke fought to not show any outward signs of how turned on she was. Logan’s head in her lap evoked rather erotic thoughts, and there was no way she wanted Jack to have any clue about it. She squirmed a little, causing Logan to open her eyes. Logan’s head turned and she looked up at Brooke, a slow smile forming on her lips.
“Sorry, I must have fallen asleep.”
Jack cleared his throat and Logan sat up quickly before wincing and placing a hand to her temple, her eyes closed.
“Are you all right?” Brooke asked, concern for Logan’s well-being shoving all other thoughts to the back of her mind. “Does your head hurt? Damn it, I should have taken you to the hospital. You might have a concussion.”
“Slow down, Brooke, I’m fine. I just sat up too fast and got a little light-headed.”
“Will someone please tell me what the hell happened?” Jack asked, his irritation obvious.
“You left your damn shoes sticking out from under the kitchen table,” Logan said. “I tripped over them and hit my head on the corner of the counter. Nurse Collier here stitched me up a
nd we were going to watch a movie, but I guess I fell asleep. The last thing I remember is Gandalf arriving in the Shire.”
“Damn, you couldn’t even hang in there for the first half hour of the movie?” Jack shook his head and laughed at her. “Lightweight.”
“This looks bad, Logan,” Brooke said, tentatively placing a finger over the stitches. It was turning a dark shade of purple. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
“I’m fine. I’m more embarrassed than anything.” Logan got to her feet and immediately swayed. Brooke stood quickly and put an arm around her waist to try to steady her.
“You need to go to bed and get some sleep,” Brooke said.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Logan said, her arm going around Brooke’s shoulders.
“Can I help?” Jack asked, the concern back in his tone.
Brooke should have said yes, should have had him take Logan up to her room, but before she could think about an appropriate answer, she spoke.
“I can handle it. You’ll be here all night, right? She shouldn’t be alone, and you’ll need to wake her up every couple of hours or so in case she does have a concussion.”
“Absolutely,” he said. “My room is right next to hers, so I’ll hear her if she needs anything. And trust me, I know all about concussions.”
“Hello, remember me?” Logan asked. “I’m right here. You don’t need to talk about me like I’m not even in the room with you.”
Brooke didn’t say anything as she helped Logan up the stairs and into her room. Logan had changed into sweat pants and a T-shirt before going down to watch the movie, so Brooke decided not to have her get undressed, which was probably safer for both of them. Once Logan was on her back in the bed, Brooke pulled a blanket over her and felt her head for any signs of fever. Logan’s eyes opened and met hers, causing a skip in Brooke’s heartbeat. She sat on the bed next to her to hide the fact her knees wanted to give out under the intensity of Logan’s stare.
“You could stay here with me, you know,” Logan said quietly. “I promise not to bite.”
“Unless I ask you to,” Brooke said quietly. She really wanted nothing more than to crawl into the bed next to her and hold Logan all night long. She knew it would be a bad idea, but it didn’t make the longing any easier to deal with.
“Damn, I’m going to have to change my repertoire.”
“Get some rest, Logan. I’ll come by in the morning to check on you.” Brooke started to stand but stopped when she felt Logan’s hand on her wrist. She closed her eyes briefly and asked for the strength to resist her before looking back to Logan.
“Why can’t you admit there’s something between us?” Logan asked, her grip loosening. She moved her hand up Brooke’s arm causing a shiver to run up her spine. “Why do you keep fighting it?”
“Because you don’t want a relationship and even if I wanted a relationship, which I don’t, I won’t do casual, Logan. We’d be playing with fire.”
“I’d never let you get burned,” Logan said, and for a moment, Brooke believed her. Her expression was so open and honest, Brooke wanted to say why not?
Wendy was why not. Wendy had succeeded in making her never want to have another relationship with anyone ever again. After Wendy left, Brooke went through a period of time thinking she was the problem in all of her failed relationships. But upon further reflection, she realized the only thing she was responsible for was falling for the wrong women. Logan would no doubt go down into the same category, and Brooke wasn’t interested in having her heart broken yet again.
“I’m not Wendy, Brooke. I would never do to you what she did.”
“I have to go now,” Brooke said. Logan propped herself up on one elbow and cupped Brooke’s cheek in her other hand. Brooke wanted to pull away from her touch, but something held her back.
“What if I told you I wanted to try?” Logan held up a hand when Brooke looked like she was going to protest. “I know I said that before, and I told you I didn’t mean it, but I did. Listen to me. I know I’ve probably given you the impression I sleep around, but I don’t. Yes, I go to bars once in a while to find some company for an evening, but it really isn’t very often. Since you’ve been here, I’ve gone out twice, and both times I came home frustrated and alone.”
“Why?” Brooke asked, looking a little bewildered. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us, and I need you to know it was you I wanted to be with both times. Whether you know it or not, you helped me to get through one of the worst times of my life. Having you around made me not think so much about what I’d lost when my father died. I enjoy spending time with you, and I really do want to get to know you better.”
Logan waited while she watched so many emotions flit across Brooke’s beautiful face. When Brooke’s eyes finally closed and she leaned into the hand Logan still had cupping her face, Logan’s heart began beating faster.
“You know the right things to say, I’ll give you that,” Brooke said when she opened her eyes again. “But how do I know you aren’t just telling me the things you think I want to hear?”
“You don’t.” Logan lifted one shoulder before pulling her hand back and sitting up against the headboard. “That’s the beauty of getting to know each other better. You can learn how to tell when I’m being sincere, and when I’m handing you a load of crap.”
Logan sucked in a breath when Brooke leaned closer. She was tempted to grab her and just pull her over so Brooke was on top of her, but she managed to keep her hands to herself. She knew instinctively Brooke wasn’t the type to be pushed into something. It seemed to take forever for Brooke to close the gap between them, but when she finally did, Logan closed her eyes and allowed Brooke to take the lead.
Giving someone else control wasn’t as hard as Logan thought it would be. Or maybe it was simply easy because it was Brooke. Brooke made her feel things no one else ever had. Logan parted her lips when Brooke’s tongue gently probed. She was surprised but didn’t object when Brooke straddled her lap, never breaking the kiss. When they finally came up for air, Brooke seemed shocked to realize where she was. She tried to pull away, but Logan placed her hands firmly on her hips and held her in place.
“Please don’t make up some excuse as to why this will never happen again.” Logan spoke quietly, worried if she was too loud it might break the spell. “I just want to enjoy the moment here with you.”
“No excuses,” Brooke whispered. “I was only going to say there are too many clothes between us.”
Logan didn’t even try to hide her shock. She grabbed Brooke’s hand when Brooke began to unbutton her own blouse. She questioned her sanity in that moment. She wanted this—more than anything. So why was she holding back now? She brought Brooke’s hand to her lips and held them there for a moment.
“I thought you didn’t want casual,” Logan said, watching in fascination as Brooke’s eyes darkened with arousal.
“Is that what this is?” Brooke asked, breathless. “Because if I’m being completely honest, it doesn’t feel very casual to me.”
“No, it doesn’t to me either.”
“Then are you sure you want to continue?”
Logan hesitated, certain the fear would take hold. The fear of letting someone in, of letting herself care too much about someone. But it didn’t. Being with Brooke felt right somehow. It felt safe. She started to say as much, but Brooke was off the bed in an instant, obviously taking Logan’s hesitation the wrong way.
“Brooke, wait,” she said, trying to figure out how to fix the situation.
“No. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.” Brooke straightened her clothes and ran her hand through her hair. “You’re injured, and I’m acting like a complete idiot the night before my grandfather is to be buried. I need to be home with my family right now. We can talk about this some other time. You need to rest.”
Logan stared at the door after Brooke was gone, wondering how in the hel
l things had gone downhill so quickly. Brooke had been right about one thing though, she had a funeral to take care of in the morning, and she hadn’t thought about it all evening, which wasn’t like her at all. Rather than running after Brooke, she decided a good night’s sleep was in order. They could talk about things tomorrow, after the funeral was over.
Chapter Twenty-three
“Logan, the service was beautiful,” Marlene said as everyone was leaving the cemetery the following morning. “Your father would be so proud of you.”
“Thank you,” she said around the lump in her throat. She felt Jack’s hand squeeze her shoulder gently and was grateful he was there beside her. “Let me know if we can do anything for your mother, all right?”
“That means more to me than I can ever say. I think having Brooke here to help her has done wonders.”
“She does seem to be in good hands,” Jack said.
Logan followed his gaze and saw Brooke holding Peggy’s hand as Peggy tossed a handful of dirt onto the casket which had already been lowered into the ground. Logan’s eyes teared up at the sight, but she looked away quickly, refusing to cry at the memory the scene provoked. She and her father had done the same thing at her mother’s funeral. And then she’d done it at his. So much death…
“And I have to say, having you here seems to have done wonders for Brooke.”
“I beg your pardon?” Logan was taken aback by the comment.
“Oh, come on,” Marlene said as she hugged Logan. “I tried to get your father to set you up with Brooke months ago. He said he had no interest in meddling in your personal life. He did say it would warm his heart to see you settle down with someone like Brooke though.”
Logan didn’t know what to say. She looked at Jack, but he was absolutely no help because he was trying too hard not to laugh. Logan backhanded him in the gut before turning and walking away from them both. She was stopped a few feet away by Shane.
Trusting Tomorrow Page 16