Exposed: An Anthology

by Brooke Cumberland

  “Maddie was born August 11th, so I know exactly how you feel,” I said.

  Our baby conversation went on from there. We talked about everything from showers to diapers to breast pumps.

  Leah, completely out of her element, excused herself and joined Maddie again who had now moved on to hula hoops. She kept swiveling her hips, but the stubborn hoop fell to the ground every time. Leah picked one up, trying to help, and of course mastered it in one try.

  Since her night with Declan James, Leah was different. She said it wasn’t a big deal, but I think she’s still trying to convince herself of that. I tried bringing it up on occasion, but she always managed to change the subject or remind me that it was a one night stand, no big deal. But I think Declan was a much bigger deal than she was willing to admit.

  “I wanted to thank you, Clare,” Ella said, bringing my attention away from Leah and Maddie and back to her.

  “Why?”

  “You’ve gave us back Logan,” she said.

  Confused, I asked, “What do you mean?”

  “I haven’t known him as long as Colin. They have a friendship that goes way back, and I know Colin has said that even though they’re best friends, there has always been an unreachable part of Logan. But Colin accepted that. He took what Logan was willing to give, and gave back what Logan had always wanted. A family of sorts.”

  I could see how much this woman loved Logan, and how many years she and Colin had spent worrying over him. After the childhood he had, he needed people who loved him and I was grateful Ella and Colin had stuck by him.

  She fiddled with the hem of her skirt, before continuing. “But after the divorce, we lost all of him. He became cold, emotionless. When he called and said he was moving here to be closer to us, we were ecstatic. We thought we’d be able to snap him out of whatever funk he was in and get him back on track. But he just got worse. He’d stop by less and less, and our calls would go unanswered. He’d check in every once in a while, but we knew he’d given up on everything.”

  Pausing, she said, “But you,” she continued. “You brought him back to us.”

  Ella’s words drifted around in my head hours after as we pulled into my driveway. Maddie had fallen asleep in the backseat on the short ride home and Logan helped lift her out as I noticed a familiar car across the street.

  “Leah’s here?”

  “Yep,” Logan said.

  “Do you know why she’s here?” I inquired.

  “Sure do,” he answered with a sly grin as we entered the house.

  Leah was sitting on the couch, remote in hand, watching some gossip talk shop when we entered. Declan’s face flashed across the screen as he entered a Hollywood club with a beautiful blonde. Leah quickly turned off the TV, clearly not wanting to be caught spying on Declan.

  “Hey, I’m gonna put princess to bed. You want to fill her in?” he said to Leah.

  She nodded, a sly grin replacing the shock I had seen seconds earlier. What the hell is going on? Since when do Leah and Logan make plans behind my back?

  I turned and kissed Maddie, who was still asleep in Logan’s arms. He gently carried her upstairs to her room.

  “Okay, what is going on? Does this have anything to do with what Logan and my Dad were whispering about today?” I asked, still dying to know what my father and Logan were chumming it up about.

  “Uh, no. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Right now my job is to take you upstairs and make you look, and I quote, “fucking hot” so your boyfriend can take you dancing,” she answered, guiding me up the stairs to my bedroom.

  “We’re going dancing?” I asked, my voice full of glee. I hadn’t been dancing since college.

  “Yep, lover boy is fan-fucking-tastic. Let’s get you ready!” She walked over to my closet, and pulled out a dress I’d never seen. It was black, and from the looks of it, tight.

  “Where did that come from?” I asked, running my hands down the designer fabric.

  “I’ll give you two guesses.”

  “He bought me a dress?”

  “Yep, and shoes. And they’re definitely not from Target,” she added, holding up the patent leather pumps with the bright red soles. I jumped up and down, twirling my dress in my arms like a ridiculous little girl, but I didn’t care. I felt happy.

  We rimmed my eyes with smoky eyeliner, making them look dark and sexy. I decided to leave my hair down, letting the natural curls run down my back untamed. I slipped into my dress and heels and took a peek in the mirror for the first time.

  “Hot damn, I look good,” I announced, admiring how the dress fit my body like a glove. The black fabric was cinched and ruched down the center giving me cleavage and curves in all the right spots. Tiny straps held it in place, and as I gave myself a twirl in the mirror, I realized just how short it was. Like, don’t-bend-down-for-anything short.

  “Ready to give him a heart attack?” Leah asked, looking me up and down.

  “Do you think he’ll like it?”

  “Shit, if he doesn’t, there’s something seriously wrong with him. Even I want to do you right now.”

  Leave it to Leah to give it to you straight.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  Logan

  I had already changed into dark jeans, a black button down shirt and my favorite leather jacket. Just as I was congratulating myself on what a good idea this was and how I couldn’t wait to see Clare in that dress I bought her, I heard them coming down the stairs. I turned my head just in time to see her take the last step, and I was instantly aroused, miserable and panicked all at the same time.

  “Holy fucking Christ,” the words flew out of my mouth in a rush as I fought to breathe.

  “Um, is he okay?” Clare asked.

  Clare’s hand was on her hip and it drew my attention to her ass, which looked…damn.

  “Oh God, this was a bad idea. Such a dumb idea. You’ve got to go change,” I pleaded.

  “What? Why?” she asked, looking herself up and down like there was something wrong. There was nothing wrong. That was the God damn problem. She was absolutely flawless.

  “I’m gonna kill every man that looks at you tonight,” I threatened, feeling my fists tighten and my teeth clench at the mere thought.

  A wide grin spread across her face while she slowly walked over to me, gripping the edges of my jacket. Clare paused a moment to admire my clothing choice, her eyes roaming over the jacket I’d worn especially for her. I knew leather would drive her crazy.

  “Well, I guess you’re just going to have to control yourself...cause I’m not changing,” she said, emphasizing the last part slowly, as she ran her finger down her my chest, causing me to groan.

  “This is not going to be fun for me,” I muttered as she pulled me toward the door.

  I prayed that I could make it through the night without having to kick anyone’s ass.

  I weaved my way through the thick crowd, drinks in hand, back to our table in the VIP area of the club. It was a small area, and not very well blocked off from the rest of the club, but this wasn’t New York. You were basically paying for the table, and surprisingly, they didn’t come cheap. But I would pay anything to make Clare happy, and I wanted this night to be perfect. I had seen her dance around the house with Maddie, and I knew how much she loved it. I couldn’t wait to be the one she was dancing with.

  As our table came into view, I saw Clare politely trying to decline an invitation to dance from a man who had approached the table. My vision blurred, my pace doubled and by the time I reached the table I was seeing red.

  Mine.

  Clare noticed me bee-lining it to the table, and her look of relief calmed me a bit, knowing she saw me as her savior.

  “Hey, buddy,” I said to the jackass macking on my woman, “I’d appreciate you backing off my girlfriend a bit. She doesn’t want to dance with you,” I assured him, setting down the drinks and inserting myself between the guy and Clare.

  “Hey Dickwad, I think t
he lady can speak for herself,” the jackass said.

  Dickwad? Who said shit like that? This dude must have had the IQ of a turnip.

  “Listen asshole, you’ve got about five seconds to walk away before I kick your ass and you find yourself waking up in a dark alley, permanently walking lopsided if you know what I mean.”

  Based on his assumed IQ, I was a little afraid he actually wouldn’t get what I was talking about, but his eyes grew wide and he nodded his head, walking quickly away.

  “That was really freaking hot, Logan,” Clare practically purred in my ear.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” she confirmed, her eyes roaming over my body again, making me ache and harden all at the same time.

  “We need to dance. Now,” I demanded.

  She agreed and I lead us to the dance floor. The music was loud, the bass low and vibrating against the walls, and there were bodies everywhere. I found an empty spot near the middle, spinning Clare around so her body was flush against mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, as my hands found her waist, and we began to dance. Her hips slid against my hands as she moved up and down to the music, grinding her body against me. My hands found her ass, pulling her closer, as my mouth descended on hers.

  I kissed her deeper, knowing we were going far beyond what should be done on a public dance floor, but I didn’t care. At this point the entire club could be watching and I couldn’t stop. At least the men would know she was mine and maybe leave her the fuck alone.

  Clare broke our kiss, turning around, so her back was to me while keeping my hands snaked around her. She never stopped dancing, swaying her hips, and grinding her ass against my rock hard cock. She brought her arms back up, pulling my head down to her, completely consumed by the music and lust.

  We danced like this, in our own world, for what seemed like forever. Panting, glistening with sweat, Clare leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I’m going to go freshen up in the restroom real quick. I’ll be right back.”

  I escorted her back to the table and she fled to the restroom, leaving me alone, horny and sporting a huge erection.

  Fuck this.

  I had some unfinished business to attend to. And she had just walked into the ladies restroom.

  Clare

  Just as I had finished drying my hands and checking my makeup, there was a knock on the bathroom door. The line was long, but seriously, I had been in here for two minutes tops. Give a girl a break. I needed a breather. If I hadn’t fled the dance floor, I was pretty sure Logan would have tackled me to the floor and started ripping off my clothes. I had taken a step back, as hard as it was, to keep us from being arrested for indecent exposure.

  As I opened the door and walked out, I was suddenly pushed back in by a familiar set of hands.

  “What the -“

  Logan kissed me with the force of a windstorm and I could do nothing but willingly take the brunt of his attack. He locked the door, securing our privacy.

  He broke away and looked at me. His eyes were heavy with desire.

  “You ran away didn’t you? Did you think coming in here would save you?” he asked, his voice softly purring in my ear. His skin was still slick with sweat, and I was surrounded by the scent of him. I wanted nothing more than to strip him bare and lick every inch of rock hard body.

  “You’re wrong, Clare. Nothing will ever keep me from you. I’ll never stop chasing you.”

  His movements were hurried and frantic as he lifted me up, sat me on the sink counter and spread my legs wide. My dress was pushed up to my waist, as his hands found my center, rubbing me through the thin fabric of my panties.

  “Always so ready for me,” he murmured before gripping my thong and shredding it with his fingers. He took the now destroyed undergarment and placed it in the side pocket of his coat and then began unlatching his belt. The whole scene had me hovering on the edge, so overcome with need that I could feel my legs shaking in anticipation. Unable to wait, I reached out, pushing Logan’s hand out the way so I could take over the task of undressing him. I wanted to see him, touch him, and feel him buried deep inside me.

  Logan’s eyes darkened as he watched my hands undo the button of his jeans, pull down the zipper and let his hard length spring free. As I wrapped my hand around its silky smooth perfection, Logan groaned in response.

  Spreading me further, he stepped in between my legs, pressing his body against mine, rubbing the head of his cock against my core, making me moan

  “Tell me what you want Clare. I want to hear you say it,” he demanded.

  “Fuck me,” I whispered the words he wanted to hear, and he went wild, burying himself in me with one powerful thrust. Pulling back, he drove in again harder, rattling me against the mirror. It was rough, primitive and God damn perfect. He thrust hard and fast, and I took it all, climbing closer and closer to ecstasy.

  “You’re mine,” he growled, as I felt myself let go, screaming my release in tandem with Logan’s.

  “I’m yours,” I answered, looking into his eyes, making sure he understood.

  “I’m yours, Logan.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Clare

  “Hello?” I answered, attempting to juggle the phone in one hand and the thermometer in the other.

  “Hey you,” Logan’s melodic voice filled the airwaves between us, making me smile and blush despite the chaos surrounding me. It had been a week since our bathroom escapade. I still can’t believe I had sex in a public bathroom! The time we spent at the club wasn’t nearly enough to put out the fire we’d created, and we spent the entire night at Logan’s making love. I did eventually get the chance to lick every inch of his delectable body, and it was divine.

  “Hey, how was your day?” I asked as I inserted the electric thermometer in Maddie’s ear and began the ten-second wait that would tell me whether or not I would need to take her to the doctor’s office. Maybe I could just take her to Logan’s, I thought jokingly.

  “Good,” he answered. “Went to work. Did the usual hero-type stuff. Saving lives, kicking ass. Whatever.” I rolled my eyes in laughter.

  “I was about to go for a run, but I wanted to see what time you wanted me to pick you up tonight?” he asked.

  He was so happy and I was going to completely ruin his mood.

  “I have to cancel. Maddie’s sick,” I apologized as I shifted Maddie in my arms on the sofa. She curled into my arms, readjusting herself into a ball as I tried to keep the thermometer steady.

  “She’s sick? Is she okay? What are her symptoms?” he rattled off question after question, humor gone and now in full doctor mode. Realizing the thermometer had already beeped, I pulled it out of her ear, looking at the results. Good. No fever.

  “Nothing serious. She’s just complaining of an upset stomach and won’t eat. She’s been lethargic all day. Her temperature is normal so it’s not major. But I still better stay home with her. I’m so sorry I’m canceling on you.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” Logan assured me. “Maddie takes priority over everything. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ll have hundreds of other evenings to spend together, but tonight Maddie needs you. Take care of my princess,” he requested before hanging up.

  I snuggled us into the couch with a blanket as Maddie watched Dora the Explorer. I seriously hated that cartoon. I really believed it was created to slowly whittle away the brains of parents everywhere. I did my best to tune it out as I ran my fingers through my daughter’s ginger colored curls.

  Logan had planned on taking me to the movies tonight. It was something we had yet to do. We had already done so much together including going on hikes and visiting museums. We had been to countless restaurants and even taken Maddie to a movie, but we had never gone by ourselves. I couldn’t wait to snuggle up with him in that dark theater as we watched a movie and shared a cherry coke. It sounded cliché and stupid, but it was one of those classic things you did as a couple, and I wanted to share it with him.

 
But Maddie needed me, and I was a mother first. She was my constant and one of the only reasons I was able to come back after the grief of Ethan’s death threatened to swallow me whole. If I had been alone, and her precious life hadn’t been there depending on me to get up every day, I probably would have never truly recovered. In a way, I owed that tiny four-year old my life. She had saved me from myself, forcing me to pick up the pieces and be a stronger person than I would have been capable of otherwise.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t get to go on your play date with Logan, Mommy,” Maddie murmured as she watched her cartoon. I found it ridiculously adorable that she called them play dates.

  “It’s okay, baby. We’ll go on another one later,” I assured her.

  “Mommy?” she asked, her inquisitive brown eyes finding mine.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Do you think Daddy would like Logan?”

  Just when I thought I had her completely figured out, she pulled the rug out from under me. How could someone so small have such big thoughts swimming around in her head? And how did I answer that? Did I think Ethan would like the man I had fallen in love with? Would he approve? Most days I thought he would, when I felt like maybe he was the one who sent Logan to me in the first place. But there were still moments, in all honesty, when I felt guilty. When I would look down at the picture of the two of us I still had sitting on my nightstand, and wonder if he was looking down on me screaming because I was with another man.

  “What do you think, baby?” I asked, taking the coward's way out by not answering.

  “I think Daddy would be happy Logan’s here. He makes everything better.”

  I was stunned. Leave it to a child to take something that seemed so complicated and involved and reduce it to two sentences.

  Plain and simple.

  Logan did make everything better. Of course Ethan would be happy me, for that very reason alone. My daughter was a genius.

  As I continued to play with her hair, contemplating my newest epiphany, our doorbell rang. Sliding myself out from under Maddie’s sprawled out body, I ran to the door wondering what type of cookie or popcorn tin I was going to be talked into now.