by Cat Johnson
Good try on Becca’s part, but Tyler’s gaze fixed on Emma. He wasn’t buying it.
“Crap.” Emma dropped her chin. “This is impossible. I have to tell him. Whether I’m ready or not.”
“Emma, it’s okay.” Tyler sounded sincere. “I won’t tell Logan if you don’t want me to.”
“How do you know it’s Logan’s?” Becca’s question just confirmed it, even if Tyler hadn’t been sure.
Emma shook her head. Good thing Becca’s career didn’t require she be deceptive, or she’d be sunk.
“Who do you think Logan got the condoms from at the wedding? Guess you didn’t use ’em.” The corner of Tyler’s mouth lifted as he looked at Emma. “Unless you ran out.”
Emma was definitely not going to supply the intimate details to Tucker’s little brother and her own sister. “I’d appreciate it if you gave me a little time to tell him myself.”
“All right. Don’t wait too long though.” Tyler shook his head as his gaze dropped. “Your tits are already getting huge.”
“Tyler!” Becca’s eyes popped open wider.
“What? The man’s gonna notice, Becca. He’s not blind. Jeez.” Tyler walked to Emma and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Congrats, Em. Grow him big and strong. I look forward to teaching the little rug rat how to ride.”
Emma let out a sigh. No use fighting it. This baby was going to happen, and the secret was out. Might as well start to embrace that reality. “Thanks, Tyler.”
Tyler treated Emma to a wink, which she was sure, along with his good looks and charm, had divested many a cowgirl of her panties over the years. Then he walked out the same door Tuck had disappeared through earlier.
“I’m sorry.” Becca shook her head.
“It’s okay. But can we stop talking about this here, please? I don’t need the parents hearing, too.”
“All right. Tyler was right though.”
“About what?”
Becca’s gaze dropped to where Emma’s breasts were straining the fabric of her blouse. “He’s going to notice soon.”
This was her sister’s idea of not talking about it anymore? “I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
Emma insured the conversation was over by leaving. She headed for the guest room, where she intended to bury the bottle of vitamins so deep in her suitcase no one would ever find them again.
She was still hiding away in the room just off the Jenkins living room when Logan’s voice had her ears perking up. Emma couldn’t get used to having him so nearby he could pop in any time of day or night, but she’d like to. She made her way to the kitchen and found him there.
He smiled when she walked in. “Hey. All cleaned up from today, I see.”
“Yeah, I am.”
He hooked a thumb toward the door. “I was thinking about heading to the cabin to look for some wood for the signs you wanted. It’s on a lake and there should be a nice sunset tonight. We can make it there before dark.”
A lakeside cabin at sunset. Logan didn’t need to ramp up the romance because Emma was already smitten, but the setting would have been enough to snag her even if she hadn’t been. “Sounds beautiful. Let’s go.“
Logan glanced at Becca and hesitated. “You don’t mind if I steal your sister away from you again, do you?”
“Not at all. I uh, still have to finish those thank you notes.” She looked pointedly at Emma. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Later. Don’t wait up.” Emma was sure Becca would anyway.
Logan led the way to his truck, which was parked in his parents’ driveway next door, striding to the passenger door so he could open it for Emma. He waited for her to get settled in her seat, before he closed the door and walked around to climb into the driver’s side.
As he turned the key in the ignition, he glanced to Emma. “I think she’s started to figure out that we’re not just casual acquaintances.”
Casual acquaintances. No. Not quite. More like two people who happened to be having a baby even though only one of them knew it.
“Are you okay with that? With Becca assuming we’re—” Emma hesitated. What the hell were they in his mind?
“Involved?” Logan raised a brow.
Involved was as good a word as any, Emma supposed. She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Sure.” Logan dipped his head. “It’s fine with me. Is it okay with you?”
“Yup. I can handle my sister and her being nosy.” Emma had had plenty of practice with that over the years.
He grinned. “I guess it’s easier having a brother than a sister. Especially a brother who’s on the other side of the world.”
“You have no idea.” Emma let out a snort at the truth of that and then moved them on to a more pleasant topic of conversation. “So tell me more about this cabin.”
“Not much to tell. My grandfather built it years and years ago. He always said a man needed a place to call his own, but it was never like he went there to escape from the family or anything because he usually ended up bringing the kids with him.” Logan talked as he drove. “I can’t count how much time I spent there as a kid, fishing with my dad and grandfather. Hunting. Just sitting around a campfire eating something out of a can.”
Emma could picture the scene as Logan described it. Three generations of Hunt men, bonding over eating beans out of a can. She couldn’t help but wonder whether she had the first of the fourth male generation inside her. A boy with dark hair and eyes who would grow to be tall and strong like his father. Or if she carried a little blue-eyed girl who’d turn out petite and blond with a smart mouth like the Hart side of the family.
She glanced at Logan as he navigated a turn off the highway and onto a country road. “I would’ve loved to have met this grandfather of yours. He sounds like quite a guy.”
“He was.” Logan glanced at her before focusing back on the road. “I wish you could have met him. But you can get to know my dad. If you want to, that is.”
The offer made Emma warm inside. “I’d love to. Do you think he’s up to seeing people yet?”
“You’re not people. And yes, I think he’d love to visit with you.”
Because she was important to Logan? Emma wanted so badly to ask Logan that, to make him expand on his comment, but she didn’t want to push.
“I’ll look forward to it.” A thought hit her and she cringed. “He’s going to be okay with the changes I made to the store, isn’t he?”
“I think so. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“I don’t know. It just looks so different from the way he had it arranged. I’m not sure he’d be okay with it.” What if she alienated her baby’s grandfather before she even gave birth?
“Emma, it looks better, not just different. Besides, nothing you did can’t be undone again by moving a few things back. But really, I think he’ll love it.” Logan shot her a sideways glance again. “I know I do.”
Hearing the word love from Logan’s lips, even if it wasn’t said in quite the way she longed for, still made her feel all squishy inside. “Thanks. I’m glad.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you for all the work you’ve done. And for being here for me. It means a lot.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
He reached over and squeezed Emma’s hand before releasing her. She missed his touch immediately, but she soon understood why he’d let go as he slowed the truck and made a sharp turn onto a dirt road. “Here we are.”
She recovered enough from the effects of that brief moment of intimacy to glance at their surroundings. As the truck crept along the unpaved path, a small cabin sitting next to a lake framed by trees came into view.
Emma drew in a breath. “Logan, it’s beautiful.”
He shifted the truck into park and turned to smile at Emma. “I’m glad you like it. Come on. Let’s go look around.”
She’d just reached to open the door herself, when Logan jogged around the truck and leapt for the handle. Emma lowered her hand and waited for him to o
pen the door for her. He held out his hand to help her down. Having a man opening doors for her was something she’d have to get used to. At least, Emma hoped Logan would be around long enough for her to get used to it once she revealed what she’d been hiding.
“Thank you.” Once standing on the ground, Emma was glad she’d worn flat, comfortable shoes with her knee-length walking shorts. Guided by Logan, she picked her steps carefully across the uneven dirt of the driveway, until they were walking through ankle deep grass.
“Sorry about the condition of the property. I’ll have to make time to get over here and cut the grass.”
“Logan, give yourself a break. You’ve had a few other things on your mind.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Logan stopped their progress and stood gazing at the still water. “Anyway, this is it. The lake where my grandfather taught me and Layne to swim, and my father taught us to fish. Hell, not just us. Tuck and Tyler would sometimes come, too.”
That raised a question in Emma’s mind regarding a subject she’d managed to steer clear of since she’d arrived. “Tara didn’t come?”
“Yeah, she tagged along once or twice.” Logan laughed. “That girl wanted to do everything and anything her brothers did. I think it was more on principle than because she wanted to bait a hook. She looked pretty bored and miserable the whole time we were fishing.”
“Humph. Poor thing. That’s a shame.” The statement came out sounding bitchier than she had intended.
Logan turned toward Emma, took one look at the expression on her face and smiled. “Are you jealous of Tara?”
“No.” She felt the frown settle on her brow. When he looked doubtful, Emma sighed. “Okay, yes. I hate that you two have a lifetime of history together. And I hate that she has a crush on you.”
“The crush I can’t do much about, but our history is that I changed the girl’s diapers while babysitting her, for God’s sake.” He brought his hands up and laid one on each of her shoulders. “There is nothing for you to be jealous about.”
She looked up into his eyes and knew what he said was true. Sometimes it was just too easy to let jealousy get the better of her. “All right.”
“You don’t look convinced.” He took a step forward, closing the small distance between them. “I’d be happy to prove it to you, if you need me to.”
“I think I might.” Emma had a good idea how Logan could go about proving it, if they were somewhere private.
He kissed her like he meant it, before pulling back with a groan. As the sun began to dip lower toward the horizon, he glanced back at the cabin. “There’s a blanket inside. Wait here.”
“Wait, Logan. Outside?”
He grinned. “Yup. I’ll be right back.”
When he jogged back with the blanket, Emma knew he was serious. They were actually going to do it out here in the open. With a snap of his wrists, he opened the folded blanket. It drifted down to cover the grass.
He sat and glanced up at Emma. “What’s wrong? Where’s my adventurous New Yorker?”
“Indoors, that’s where.” She sat next to him, still not sure about this.
“Trust me. No one is coming up here.” Logan leaned closer as he spoke, his eyes focused on her. “It’s a private road. There’s no reason for them to. Besides, you’ve never really made love until you’ve experienced it outdoors, under the sky. Maybe even in the water.”
“In the lake?” She eyed the water, the water getting darker by the moment as the sun dipped behind a tree. “With the fish? Do they bite?”
“There’s only one thing around here that’s going to bite you.” Logan slid the neckline of her shirt over, to expose her throat. He latched on to her flesh with his teeth as he tumbled her onto her back.
She couldn’t control the soft moan that slipped from her. He stopped torturing her long enough to ask, “Is that a yes?”
“To which part?” She wasn’t sure if she was ready for complete immersion in the great outdoors—or the lake.
“How about we start slow here on dry land and see how it goes?” Logan didn’t give her a chance to answer. He was already running one hand down her side. Then he stopped, and propped his head on one elbow next to her.
Emma lifted her head. “What’s wrong?”
He rested one palm low on her belly, causing her stomach to tense. “Emma, I want you to know something. You and me? It’s not just about sex. Not that I don’t enjoy that, but it’s more, too.”
Relief and hope had her heating clear through her body. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted.”
“Maybe for a while, before I met you and before Dad’s stroke, I wasn’t sure what I wanted either. But now I am.”
This could be the perfect time for a confession. With Becca, Tuck, and Tyler all knowing, Emma was going to have to tell Logan sooner rather than later. Then again, news like this could be enough to send Logan into a full out retreat. Talk about going from zero to sixty.
This was all too complicated. As Logan continued to watch her, Emma said, “I’m glad, because it’s not just sex for me, either.”
“Good. We’re on the same page, then. Real good.” He seemed nervous for the first time since she’d known him.
“Mmm, hmm. Real good,” she echoed.
Logan leaned down and kissed her, a chaste brush of his lips over hers before he pulled back again. She wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling in for more. Logan pressed another kiss against her hair. “Emma?”
“Yes?”
“There’s one more thing.” He sure was in a talkative mood tonight.
“All right.”
“You’re not the only one who gets jealous. If I have to listen to you talk about even the possibility of kissing Jace, I may haul off and punch him the next time I see him.”
That was quite a confession. Emma couldn’t help her smile. Logan was jealous.
“You don’t have to worry about Jace, or my kissing him.”
“Good.” It was obvious he’d dropped the subject of Jace as Logan walked his fingers down to the waist of Emma’s shorts, where he popped open the button.
She gave in and let him take control. Gazing at the sky, she marveled at the peace and beauty of their surroundings as he slid her shorts, then her underwear, down her legs. Then all Emma could think about was Logan and what he did to her every time he touched her.
On the ground next to the lake, Logan loved her, lavishing his attention over every part of her body. It was different from the first night they’d been together, which had been a frenzy of lust too long denied. It was different, too, from their reunion in the shop, where the naughtiness of doing what they’d done there on the workbench had overcome both of them, and overshadowed all else.
Today, their loving was slow and gentle. He took his time. There was no sense of urgency; no rushing in his movements. Logan spent time just lying next to her and watching her face as he trailed his touch from one part of Emma’s body to another.
He ran his mouth over her skin. When he reached one particularly sensitive spot behind her ear, she felt him smile as she reacted. He stayed there and teased her with his lips for a while, before moving on to explore the next area.
Finally, he snaked a fingertip between her thighs and found the spot that made her writhe beneath his touch. His eyes never left her face, though they did turn dark. He waited until her body stopped twitching from the orgasm and then rolled on top of her. His gaze met hers as he pushed inside her and set a slow pace.
The intimacy of his gaze holding hers while he loved her had Emma falling deeper in love with this man with every stroke of his body into hers. Each thrust tightened the ties binding her to him.
She watched his brow draw down over his eyes as he came inside her. She felt him shudder to completion, and saw in his eyes what she knew was affection, but hoped could be love.
This was it. She couldn’t continue to hide her secret from him. Emma swallowed hard. “Logan?”
His name on her lips seemed to snap
him out of his trance. He let out a short laugh and rolled off her. “I know. We need to get moving. Stay here. I’ll get some paper napkins from the truck so we can get cleaned up, and then we’ll find your boards.”
Before she could protest, he was up and headed for the truck.
Emma sighed, as much relieved at the reprieve as she was disappointed the moment had passed. Tomorrow. She’d tell him tomorrow.
Maybe.
Chapter Eighteen
Emma turned to Logan after he’d pulled the truck to a stop in his parents’ driveway. They’d spent most of the day together, yet she didn’t want to say good night. “Thank you for tonight.”
Logan laughed. “You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank me. All I did was take you crawling around an old shed looking for barn boards so you can paint signs for my father’s shop. I should be thanking you.”
Emma shrugged. “It must have been the company then that made it so special, because I had a wonderful time.”
“Definitely the company. I had a wonderful time, too.” Logan leaned across the cab of the truck and cupped her face. He hovered just shy of her lips. “If I start to kiss you now, there’s a very good chance I’m not going to be able to stop.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Eh, go ahead and risk it. Take a chance.”
He smiled. “You’re so bad.”
“You like me that way.”
“Yes, I do.” Logan closed the remaining distance between them, pressing his lips against hers.
Emma sank into his kiss. Logan had been right that it would be much too easy to slide down the slippery slope from kissing to doing so much more—if they weren’t sitting in a parked truck in his parents’ driveway next door to her sister’s new family. Any number of people could see them through the vehicle’s windows.
Finally, he pulled back. Good thing, because Emma didn’t have the willpower to. She’d take any time together knowing that the moment she told him about her pregnancy everything would change. And there was no guarantee the change would be for the better.
“Time to get you back inside before Becca starts looking for you.” Logan opened his door and walked around the truck to open hers. He helped her step down onto the driveway. “I’ll walk you over.”