The Posse

by Tawdra Kandle

  He was still for a moment, and then they both began to move. Logan could feel the building momentum, and he fought to keep control until Jude jerked her hips upwards and cried out. He gasped as she tightened around him, and he called her name as he emptied himself deep within her.

  Logan held himself on elbows and knees, keeping his weight from Jude. Her eyes had drifted shut, and he brushed kisses over each lid. Her lips curved into a smile.

  He eased away slightly and lay down next to her. She turned, eyes still closed, and cuddled into him. Logan fumbled with a blanket folded at the end of the bed, pulling it over them.

  “Logan, don’t leave me, ‘kay?” Her words were so soft, he almost didn’t hear them.

  “Never.”

  ***

  Jude opened her eyes to bright sunshine. She groaned, covered her face, and rolled over, stopping abruptly when she ran into the hard body in bed with her.

  Logan.

  She sat up too fast and felt the morning-after effects of the limoncello. Dropping her head into her hands, she tried to sit very still, just until the room stopped spinning.

  “Morning.”

  Memories from the night before washed over Jude, and she was positive that her blush reached places she didn’t even want to consider. Logan’s hand brushed over her bare back, skimmed lower. She groaned.

  She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard him chuckle. If it hadn’t required moving, she might have reached over to smack him.

  “Your head hurt?”

  Jude peeked out from one hand. “What do you think?” Her voice was thick, and her mouth felt as though like she’d eaten a bag of cotton balls.

  “I think you need coffee, maybe with a little something in it.”

  Jude gasped and jumped out of bed, her heart pounding. “The sun! My God, what time is it? The Tide, I’m late! People are going to be waiting...” She trailed off, abruptly aware that she was completed naked and Logan was enjoying the view.

  She yanked the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her. “Would you please stop? You’re staring at me.”

  “Yes, I am.” He leaned toward her, as though to snag the blanket, and Jude skirted out of reach.

  “Logan, did you hear me? I’m--” She squinted at the old digital clock next to the bed. “Shit, it’s almost eight. I’m two hours late opening the Tide.”

  He sat up and the sheet sagged dangerously low around his waist. Jude’s eyes ranged over his chest, the defined pecs and abs and the trail of light brown hair that trailed down—

  She closed her eyes as the room swung around again. My God, I slept with Logan.

  He was speaking, and she tried to focus on his words, not on his chest. “Yes, it’s almost eight. And yes, the Tide is going to open late today. But guess what, sugar? The world isn’t ending. Calm down.”

  Jude perched on the edge of the bed, still clutching the blanket. “People are going to know. Your car is parked in the lot, right? And when my regulars showed up at six, expecting their breakfast, they saw my car, and they saw your car. And a locked door.”

  “Is that such a bad thing?” Logan found his boxers, stood and pulled them on. Jude averted her gaze as memories of the night before burned. She couldn’t think of that now. It was all too much, too confusing on top of the mess that was her life. She dropped back onto the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes. On second thought, maybe hiding up here wasn’t a bad option.

  She felt Logan’s finger trace her cheekbones. “Jude, take a breath. Get a shower. I’ll go down and start the coffee, turn on the grills. If anyone asks, I’ll explain you weren’t feeling well last night, slept here and called me to come over to help this morning. Okay?”

  Jude nodded, not quite ready to trust her voice yet. She heard Logan moving around the room, pulling on clothes. She heard him go into the bathroom, and when he passed her a few minutes later, heading for the steps, she reached out to catch his hand.

  “Logan, thank you.” She swallowed. “For this. And for last night.”

  He was still for a moment, then his hand within hers and squeezed it. “Jude, I hope by now you know I’d do anything for you.”

  She didn’t answer, and he kissed her hand before releasing it.

  Jude listened to his footsteps on the stairs. She didn’t move until the scent of coffee drifted up to her.

  The shower helped. She stood beneath the stream as bits and pieces of the night before flashed in her mind.

  Joseph. She cursed out loud, remembering that she had told him to text her when he arrived safely in Clearwater. Of course, about the time he would have been texting, she had been...heat that had nothing to do with the water temperature sluiced down her center.

  She shut off the water and toweled herself dry, glad that she always kept a few extra pairs of shorts and t-shirts and a change of underwear in the apartment. She dressed quickly and had just stepped into the living room when Logan climbed the steps, holding a steaming mug of coffee.

  “I need to find my phone.” She blurted the words without thinking and wanted to kick herself.

  When a man brings you coffee, say thank you.

  One side of Logan’s mouth lifted, and he pulled her phone from his back pocket. Jude took it from his hand and then accepted the mug. She sipped and sighed in appreciation as the sweetness tinged with something else slid down her throat.

  “I put a little Bailey’s in. Not much, just enough to get you over the hump this morning.” Logan grinned and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And Joseph made it safely to Clearwater about seven-thirty last night.”

  Jude quirked a brow at him over the rim of her mug. “Did you look at my messages?”

  “No.” He rolled his eyes. “He texted me, too. To check on you.”

  “Oh.” She took another drink of coffee. “Was there anyone downstairs?”

  “No. Sadie and Mack just got here, so I turned everything over to them. I told them you’d had a rough night.”

  “Yeah, you could say that again.” Jude set her mug on the table and pulled out a chair. “Logan, I want to thank you again for last night.”

  He sat down across from her, legs spread wide and a hand on each knee. “I think maybe I should be thanking you.”

  Jude’s cheeks burned. “That’s not what I meant. I was talking about you coming over so I didn’t have to be alone.” She toyed with the edge of her shorts. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come. Probably passed out in the bar. Sadie would’ve had a heart attack when she came in this morning and found me.”

  “Jude.” She looked up, hearing the serious tone in his voice. “I know you got hit with a lot last night. What happened between us—I didn’t mean to make your life more complicated. But it wasn’t because I was trying to make you feel better. It wasn’t because I’d been drinking. What we did last night, I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time.”

  Jude’s mouth sagged a little. “You did? Wait. Just...Logan, what are you talking about?”

  He reached across the table and covered her hand. “I’d rather not get into that right now, when you’re still slightly hung over, worried about Joseph and itching to get downstairs. I was thinking maybe we could have dinner tonight.” He licked his lips, and Jude realized he was nervous.

  “Tonight?” Her mind darted about madly.

  “Yes.” Logan nodded. “You know. A date. The thing most people do before they do what we did last night.”

  Jude swallowed. “Okay, but what if Joseph needs me? What if he comes back tonight?”

  Logan sighed. “Jude, do you really think he’s going to drive back here today, after he just got to Clearwater last night to meet the son he didn’t know he had?”

  She ran a hand over her hair, lifting it off her neck and wishing she had a ponytail holder. It was warm in the apartment, which didn’t help with her already-shot nerves.

  “No, you’re probably right.” She met his eyes, and her heart sped up when she saw his expres
sion. It was soft and understanding, mixed with something else she wasn’t ready to name.

  “Tell you what.” He stood, stretching. “I need to get home, get changed. Go into the office for a little while. I’ll call you right after lunch. By then, you should have heard from Joseph. If he tells you he’s coming home, we’ll put off our date for a few days. But if not, I’ll pick you up at your house at seven. Sound like a deal?”

  Jude found herself nodding before she could really think about it. Logan smiled and leaned over her, trapping her in the chair with his arms on either side.

  “Meanwhile, think about this today.” He kissed her, and it wasn’t the sort of see-you-later peck she might have expected. His lips coaxed hers open, and his tongue moved within her mouth until she responded in kind. She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and arched closer, not even noticing the low moan that escaped her.

  Logan finally broke away, softening the separation by trailing his lips down her neck and then returning for one final soft touch at her mouth.

  “I’ll see you tonight.” He straightened and touched her cheek before leaving.

  Jude sat perfectly still after he left, one hand covering her mouth. In the space of less than twenty-four hours, her world had been turned upside down—again. And she wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.

  With effort, she rose and headed downstairs to face Sadie and Mack.

  ***

  Sadie and Mack were abnormally quiet when Jude appeared in the restaurant. Sadie offered to fix her some eggs, and Mack poured her a new cup of coffee, adding just the right amount of cream. They sat her down on the deck, and Sadie fussed at her to eat while Mack covered the kitchen.

  She had choked down about half of her eggs, with Sadie watching every move of her fork, when she finally lost it.

  “Okay, what did Logan tell you?” She laid down her silverware and pinned Sadie with a glare. “You may as well tell me.”

  Sadie pursed her lips and looked away, toward the ocean. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “You’re treating me the same way you did right after Daniel died, like I’m about to break. I want to know why.”

  “Well, there’s no need to get testy, miss. Mind your tone.” She softened the words by leaning over and patting Jude’s hand. “Logan told us about Joseph. He didn’t want to, but Mack and I were so worried. We thought—when he said you hadn’t felt well and had called him, why, we were thinking the worst. That there was something wrong with you.” Sadie’s soft blue eyes filled with tears.

  “Oh.” Jude looked down at her plate and drew in a breath. “I see.”

  “He wasn’t talking behind your back,” Sadie hurried to assure her. “He told us to ask you about it. But I think he knew you’d end up telling us yourself anyway.”

  Jude blinked back her own tears. She wasn’t going to start the day off by crying, not again. “Sadie, I don’t know what to do. Joseph isn’t ready to be a father. He’s just a boy still.”

  Sadie squeezed her hand. “None of them are, honey. They’re all children until that baby comes along. Joseph’s going to have to get up to speed faster than most, sure, but I know that boy. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he’s going to do what’s right. You wait and see. Right now, it feels like the end of the world, but before long, you’re going to look back on this as one of the biggest blessings in your life.”

  Jude sniffed and wiped at her eyes with a napkin. “You think so?”

  “I know so.” Sadie laughed. “A grandbaby! Just think! Maybe he didn’t come along right when you would’ve liked him, but just you wait, you’re going to love him to bits. And spoiled! I can’t wait to get my hands on that baby. It’s been a long time since any of mine were that little.”

  “Did Logan tell you the baby’s name?” Jude picked up her fork, managed another bite of breakfast.

  “No, what is it?” Sadie smiled expectantly.

  “Daniel Joseph. She—Lindsay, that’s the baby’s mother—she calls him D.J.” Jude drew in a long, shuddering breath. “That made me think she must be a decent girl, right? To name her baby after a man she didn’t really know?”

  Sadie sniffed and nodded. “Of course she is. Joseph dated her, and maybe things aren’t going in the exact order you wanted, but that’s okay.” She stood up and peered through the window into the kitchen. “Now I got to get back in there before that dang man of mine burns the pancakes. You finish eating, and then I’ll put you to work.”

  Work was a balm, and Jude kept busy all morning. No one outside of Sadie and Mack seemed to have noticed her absence at opening time, though she knew she’d get some ribbing the next day when her early birds showed up.

  Right before noon, Jude’s phone rang. When she saw Joseph’s name, she stepped outside to answer the call.

  “Mom? You okay?” The anxiety in her son’s voice tugged at her heart, and she smiled.

  “Yeah, baby. I’m fine. How are you, though? How is everything there?”

  “Mom, it’s amazing. The baby is so beautiful, and he’s so smart! He lifts his head up and he follows me around with his eyes. I think he knows I’m his dad. I know that’s crazy, but I think he does.”

  Jude heard love and pride in every word, and her heart swelled. “Honey, I’m glad. I can’t wait to see him, too. But how about Lindsay? How does she feel?”

  He sighed. “She’s amazing, too, Mom. I know you met her before, but I want you to really get to know her. Her parents were a little stiff at first. Her dad talked to me last night about responsibilities, and how I need to face up to mine. But he wasn’t bad about it. He was kind of like Dad, you know?”

  Jude felt tears on her cheeks and didn’t even try to wipe them away. “Yes, I know what you mean. Joseph, I’m glad. I don’t know if I could be so understanding if it were Meggie in the same situation. They sound like wonderful people.”

  “They really are.” He was quiet for a minute. “I know I’m missing school, but I’m going to stay down here for a little while. I can’t leave them right away. We have so much we need to work out.”

  Jude bit her lip. “I understand. Just keep me posted, okay?”

  “I will. Oh, and tell Uncle Logan thanks again for me, will you? I hope you didn’t mind that I called him and told him everything. I just thought you needed someone, and he seemed like the best person. I kind of thought he’d understand.”

  Jude kept her voice normal. “I’ll tell him. Of course I didn’t mind. It was good to have Uncle Logan here to talk with me. I’m glad you called him.”

  After they hung up, with Joseph’s promise to call every day still ringing in her ears, Jude leaned against the brick of the building and stared out at the ocean.

  Had she told Joseph the truth? Was she glad he had called Logan, that Logan had come over and drunk limoncello with her? Definitely. Was she happy about what had happened next?

  She just wasn’t sure.

  On one hand, if someone had asked her yesterday whether she wanted to date or was ready to move on with her life, she would have said no. Given the choice, she might never have moved on from Daniel.

  But maybe it was like what Sadie had said. Just as fatherhood had been thrust on Joseph before he was quite ready, perhaps whatever this was with Logan was something she would never have sought, but needed.

  Even with as much limoncello as she had consumed, she remembered every nuance of making love with Logan. Every touch, every moan, every movement of his lips...even now, with the damp sea air blowing around her, Jude could feel his touch.

  It hadn’t been awkward or uncomfortable. There hadn’t even been a moment of uncertainty. On some level, it was as though she were meant to be with Logan, and her body had responded, even if her mind was a little slow to catch up.

  She sighed and pushed off the building. Seven hours until she’d see him again, and she couldn’t decide if she was dreading the evening...or dying of anticipation.

  ***

  Having sex for
the first time in over eighteen months when she was mostly drunk was one thing. Having hours to think about it doing it again was quite another.

  First Jude had to convince Sadie and Mack that it was safe to leave her. Sadie invited her home, offered to make dinner, repeatedly reminded her that she didn’t have to be alone. She almost told them that she was going to spend the evening with Logan, but something held her tongue. She wasn’t quite ready to go public with whatever was between them yet.

  They stayed with her until five o’clock and walked her to the car. She waved, pasting what she hoped was a reassuring smile on her face. She drove home without seeing any of the familiar landmarks and pulled into the garage on autopilot.

  Jude walked into the house that been her haven for nearly twenty years and tried to see it through Logan’s eyes. Would he feel too much of Daniel’s presence here? Would it make him uncomfortable? Last night, the apartment had been almost neutral territory. What if it were different tonight?

  Her phone buzzed, a text message from Meghan, just checking in. Jude dropped into a kitchen chair. She had promised Joseph she would tell Meggie about the baby, and getting out of the way now seemed like a good idea.

  That conversation lasted nearly forty-five minutes. Meghan was shocked; she cried, she railed against what she termed her brother’s ‘stupidity and irresponsibility’. But in the end, she decided she was more interested in her new nephew than in killing Joseph. She assured her mother that she would call him and wouldn’t yell.

  Jude wilted on her chair, exhausted again. After the day she had had, was it really wise to see Logan tonight? The only thing that kept her from canceling was the conviction that he just wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  She showered again, taking her time. She pulled out a new razor and paid special attention to parts of her body she hadn’t worried about in many months. She washed her hair twice, conditioned it and rinsed until the water ran clear.

  Wrapped in an oversized towel, she stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom. Janet had given her a luscious new body cream for her birthday, and she rubbed it over her legs and arms with meticulous care. She dropped the towel to finish with her stomach and stopped, staring at her reflection.