In one smooth motion, he enters me from behind, leaving me breathless. He begins moving in slow, deep thrusts as he links his finger with mine where they rest on either side of my head.
“After the past couple of weeks of having you here, I can’t be without you again. Never leave me, Brenna. Stay here forever.”
His pace picks up, and I don’t know how he can even think right now, much less speak. I don’t think my brain could even form a word right now; the only thing I am capable of is moaning in pleasure. I can feel the pressure building quickly from inside and know I will find my release any minute now. Sweet words keep coming from his mouth as his lips nip along my ear, causing my body to shudder.
Logan’s grasp on my hands tightens as he pushes in harder and deeper, the sound of his breathing telling me he is just as close as I am.
He slows his pace, pulling out all the way before pushing back in, teasing me. “Say it, Brenna. Tell me you will stay.”
“Mmmhmm,” I respond, tilting my hips back as a way to seek the pleasure he is witholding.
“No, I need to hear you say it.” He pulls out again, and I whimper.
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
“Forever,” he insists, slipping back inside me.
“Forever,” I agree, knowing I would agree to just about anything right now.
His hips slam against me as he enters, hitting me right where I need him. I scream out when he finally pushes me over the edge, and biting my shoulder, he releases himself deep inside me, his body collapsing against mine.
I don’t think I could ever leave him even if I wanted to. He has consumed my life so much that I couldn’t imagine a moment without him.
Chapter 15
First thing Sunday morning, Jane gets dressed, ready to take on the bounce house for the second day. I am barely able to get her to sit down long enough to eat breakfast before she bolts outside. After I clean the kitchen, I begin making a grocery list. It’s better I get to the store today rather than try to go after work sometime this week.
Tanner comes over to spend the day with us, and he and Logan send me off while they stay at the house with Jane. She wants to get every minute in before the bounce house is picked up.
I move up and down the aisles, grabbing items from the list and also a few things that look too good to pass up. I can never stick to only getting the things on the list, and there always ends up being extras that I didn’t even know I needed until I see them.
Rounding the corner toward the produce section, I gasp when my cart collides with another, and quickly apologize.
“I am so sorry. Hey, Bethany!” I exclaim when I realize who I just smashed into. “How are you?”
“I’m good. Sorry I couldn’t make it to Jane’s party yesterday. I have a little something for her.”
“Oh, no worries. Hey, if you don’t have anything going on, you should come over to the house. Logan wants to grill out this afternoon, and Tanner is over.”
She looks unsure at my suggestion, her eyes not fully meeting mine. “Oh, I don’t want to impose on your guys’ plans.”
“You wouldn’t be. Seriously, come over and hang out. I’m always in need of another female when those two get together.”
I can see her reluctance start to lessen, and soon I have the answer I want.
“All right. I was actually just going back to the house to binge watch a few shows, but hanging out with you definitely sounds like a better idea.”
“Oh, yay! I am so excited. It has been so long since we were able to spend time together. Okay, I will let you get back to your shopping. Come over whenever you want; we will be there.”
“Great! I’m looking forward to it. Thank you for the invite, Brenna.”
I finish the remainder of my grocery shopping, and by the time I leave, I have enough food to feed a small army. You would think the whole family was coming back over today, but it’s only the five of us.
I am ecstatic that Bethany is coming over. She is a sweet girl, and I enjoy hanging out with her, but I also have a gut feeling that something is between her and Tanner. If he is going to settle down, then I hope it’s with someone like Bethany and not the usual kind of girl he goes for.
During the drive back to Logan’s, I think back to the words he spoke in the shower last night. His demand for me to stay and never leave him, to permanently move in. He hasn’t brought it up again since then, so it leaves me to wonder if it was just simply words spoken in the heat of the moment. If he didn’t mean it, I wouldn’t hold it against him.
When it comes to Lynne, I am still not sure what to do. As much as I want to, I know I can’t keep her away from Jane. It worries me that seeing her mom will get her excited just for Lynne to up and disappear again for who knows how long. Having her constantly entering and exiting Jane’s life isn’t healthy for her. There are so many things I want to ask Lynne, but I know, given the chance to sit down with her, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep my temper in check.
Parking Logan’s Range Rover in the garage, the guys come out and help me get all the bags inside and unloaded. Jane, of course, is still outside jumping around.
“So I ran into Bethany at the store and invited her over,” I say, watching for Tanner’s reaction.
“Oh, yeah?” is all he says.
“Yeah. She should be here anytime.”
Without saying anything else, he grabs a beer from the refrigerator and walks outside.
“Should I not have invited her?”
“You can invite whoever you want here. This is your home now, too.”
I lean my hip against the counter. “Speaking of which, about what you said last night,” I begin.
“Meant every word. I want you here every day, Brenna. There is no more going back to your apartment. We will figure out your lease and work on getting all your stuff out, but this is your place now. You and Jane both. Anything inside here you want to change, have at it, and if Jane wants to decorate her room a certain way, just let me know and I will make it happen.”
“Be careful not to tell her that ... she may take you up on that offer,” I tease, but I know Jane would be all over painting the entire room pink and making it a princess room.
“That would be okay. I want both of you to be comfortable here, so whatever you want, consider it done.”
“You have done enough already.” I walk to him and wrap my arms around his middle.
“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for either one of you, babe. It’s no hardship for me when I know it will make you happy.” His lips meet mine briefly before he pulls back. “Think about it. I’m going to start the grill.”
* * *
“Thank you so much for having me over, Brenna.”
I lower the wine bottle after topping off Bethany’s glass and smile as I toss it in the trash can.
“I’m happy you came. It’s been nice to spend time with you since I feel like it has been forever. And thank you for bringing Jane the dress-up kit. As you can see, she loves it,” I say, motioning to where Jane is spinning around in one of her new princess dresses.
“When I was little, I was obsessed with playing dress up and would always beg my brother to play with me. Of course, Bradley would have nothing to do with dressing up.” She laughs, taking a sip of the red wine. “She’s a really sweet kid, and I think it’s amazing what you are doing for her.”
My gaze falls back on Jane, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face as I watch her. It has always amazed me at how she can entertain herself with the simplest things, and now having these new dresses, she will be occupied for a great length of time. The inflatable bounce house was picked up an hour ago, which was perfect timing for Bethany to arrive with her gift.
“There are many times when I question whether I can handle this and if I made the right decision, but all it takes is one look at her, and I know, without a single doubt, that this is what I am meant to do. My life changed in an instant, but she is more than worth
it.”
The back slider opens, drawing my attention when Logan leans his body into the house with a sexy smirk playing on his lips. “Hey, babe, food is ready. Do you want to eat inside or out here?”
I turn back to Bethany, who shrugs her shoulders, and then answer, “It’s a nice day out. Let’s eat out there. I will bring out the sides and some drinks.”
He opens the door farther, entering the house. “I’ll get all that. You ladies just head out and relax.” Leaning over my body, he lays a sweet kiss on my cheek. Standing tall, he walks into the kitchen and starts gathering everything together.
Bethany and I follow his orders and make our way outside with Jane in tow, who assists Logan in setting the table. She is always a great little helper when it comes to chores around the house.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed the way that Tanner and Bethany join in the conversation without actually talking to each other directly. I need more alone time with her so I can get to the bottom of this sudden tension between the two of them.
Once she is done eating, Jane heads back inside the house to play with all the new toys from her birthday party. The guys jump up and clear the table, taking all the dirty dishes into the kitchen and cleaning up the mess.
“Well, a girl can get spoiled around here,” Bethany says when Logan comes back out with a new bottle of wine and refills both of our glasses.
He only smiles and sets the wine down before going back to join his brother and finish dish duty.
“You two are really great together. I’m not just saying that either. Seriously, I have never seen Logan like the way he is with you.”
“I don’t think I have ever been this happy. I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but he consumes me.” I watch the two brothers through the glass door as they work together in sync, laughing as they clean the kitchen.
“I need to find a guy who treats me as good as Logan does you. I would ask if he has a brother, but ...” She trails off, bringing her glass to her lips.
“Can I ask you a question, Bethany?”
She looks reluctant, as if she knows what’s coming, but nods anyway.
“What’s the deal with you and Tanner? I can’t help but get the feeling that something more than friendship exists there.”
The seconds tick by in silence as she downs the last of her wine and fills her glass back up again. I want to laugh, but the serious look on her face halts me.
“He was my first love,” she says, shocking me. “When we were in school, all the girls wanted the Tate brothers, and I was the lucky one who was always around them. Brad and Tanner have always been close, and typically, where my brother went, so did I. Eventually, he began giving me more attention, and one night, things escalated, and we hooked up.” She stops her story for a sip of wine. “He didn’t know I was a virgin until it was too late, but once he realized, he was so sweet with me. I fell in love with him ten times more that night.”
“So what happened?” I ask, knowing there has to be a lot more to the story.
“He’s Tanner Tate. He was one of the most sought-after guys at school, and no way was some inexperienced virgin going to lock him down. The next day, before I could even come down from the high of finally being with him, he was dating my best friend.”
I suck in a sharp breath, feeling the hurt of a young girl experiencing her first heartbreak. “Are you kidding me? What did you do?” The anger boils inside me, and I have a sudden urge to cause physical pain to Tanner for something he did over a decade ago.
“I went on like nothing ever happened because that was the route he was taking. For the longest time, he would barely even look at me. I was crushed and didn’t even have anyone to talk to since I couldn’t exactly confide in my best friend.”
“Oh, Bethany, I’m so sorry.”
She waves my apology off with a flip of her hand. “It was a long time ago. I’ve gotten over it, and now, we are friends. But Tanner has always had these moments when he turns into the biggest dick over me dating. He provoked fights with my boyfriends when we were in school, but now, he seems to just like to fight with me.”
“Maybe it’s because he has feelings for you,” I suggest and receive a deep eye roll from Bethany.
“Definitely not the case. I missed Jane’s party because I had a dinner planned and didn’t want to cancel at the last minute. Tanner flipped out and blew my phone up with all these texts about how I was blowing everyone off just to get some dick.”
My eyes widen, and I take a quick glance to make sure the guys are still occupied inside. “That sounds a lot like jealousy.”
“Yeah, right. Coming from the guy who takes home a different girl every night? I don’t think so. It’s just frustrating, you know? I never give him a hard time over the choices he makes, but he surely doesn’t pass up a chance to tear mine apart. And the worst is when he carries on like I don’t exist. Much like today.” She takes a hefty drink of wine and shakes her head.
Before I can respond, the door opens and both brothers come out and take their seats. Tanner has a fresh beer, and I catch his eyes moving to Bethany as he takes a drink.
“You okay?” Logan asks, taking my hand in his.
It’s then that I realize my eyes had been narrowed toward his brother. Feeling the anger of the hurt and pain he caused Bethany, I seriously want to slap him upside the head.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I lean to the side and meet his full lips. His blue eyes look unsure, but he drops it.
“So Bethany, I’m surprised you were able to join us today. Did the date not go so well? He didn’t want a repeat?”
All eyes dart to Tanner, and I am taken aback by his malicious tone. He is always fun and joking around, so to hear him say such hateful things shocks me silent.
“Who says I’m not seeing him later? You shouldn’t just assume things, Tanner.” Bethany holds her own and does so well with keeping her emotions intact that I can tell she has had plenty practice, which makes me feel even more for her.
“You know, anything past ten thirty is a booty call. Keep that in mind.” He shoots her a wink and takes a long pull of his beer.
“Tanner,” Logan snaps, and I squeeze his hand, thankful for his voice since mine is still missing.
Bethany and Tanner are locked in a stare down, and even with the cool breeze blowing, I can feel the heat radiating off them. Tanner is infected with the jealousy bug, all right, no matter what Bethany may think. Just when I think they are both about to combust, a sweet voice cuts through the tension.
“BrennBrenn, I need help,” Jane says, standing in the doorway, looking down at her feet.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I move from the chair and squat down in front of her.
“I was playing with my balloon. Hitting it up toward the ceiling and now it got wrapped around the fan.” She stops and sniffles. “You told me not to play with it around the fan, but I did, and now it’s stuck.”
“It’s okay. We can get it down.” I brush away the tear that falls down her cheek.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen.”
I lift her chin, bringing her eyes to mine. “Hey, it’s okay, Jane. Nothing to get upset over. You aren’t in trouble.”
Her little head nods, but I can tell she is still torn up over it.
“Come on, Jane, I will help you.”
I look up to see Tanner standing next to me, reaching his hand out to my niece, who perks up. She wraps her little fingers around his much bigger ones, and with his free hand, he pulls me back up from my crouched position. The two enter the house, and I close the door behind them, knowing Tanner can brighten her sad mood better than anyone.
Moving back to the chair I vacated, I notice that my and Bethany’s once empty glasses are full again. She sits scrolling through her phone, so I nudge Logan with my elbow and tilt my head toward her, probing him to say something.
“Sorry my brother is such an asshole,” he says.
I look at him and raise a brow.
&nb
sp; Really? That’s the best he could do?
She looks up from her phone and gives him a smile. “It’s okay, Logan. Nothing new when it comes to Tanner. I’m used to it by now.”
“Still, he shouldn’t have said the things he did.”
Bethany nods and returns to her phone.
Logan leans close to me, bringing his mouth to my ear. “I tried,” he whispers, pulling my lobe between his teeth. “I’m going to go check on the two kids inside.” He kisses my head before standing. “You ladies want another bottle of wine?”
Bethany’s eyes meet mine, and we both look at the almost empty bottle on the table. “Ask us again in a little bit,” she answers, causing him to chuckle as he walks inside. “At least you scored the nice brother.”
“While Logan himself is a great package, he does come with his own baggage in the form of an ex-fiancée.” Reaching for my glass, I smile before taking a sip.
“This is true. I never really cared for Melody. Have you had issues with her?”
“Besides her conveniently showing up here or at his business lunches, even answering his phone while he was out of town? Nope, no issues.” I take a large gulp of wine and wish I had asked Logan for that new bottle.
“Well, I told you all about my high school drama. Do you have any stories to share?”
“I had the same boyfriend all through school. He was my first everything, but when I was ready to make more of my life, he wasn’t and chose a life of drugs. I was used to coming in second when it came to my family, so I don’t know why it surprised me when Patrick made the same choice, but it did. It took me a year before I even had interest in another guy, and since then, I have just been having fun, nothing serious until Logan.”
“So what ever happened with Patrick? Do you ever see him?” she asks.
“Three years ago, I received a phone call that he had died of an overdose.” I go to take a drink but realize my once full glass is now empty. Seeing my dilemma, Bethany dumps the last of the wine into my glass.
“I’m so sorry, Brenna. That must have been hard.”
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