St Martin Family 03 - Shatter
Page 10
Jessie felt tears clog her throat. When Michael leaned toward Logan and kissed his arm, she wanted to hug them both.
Cliff turned to Logan and said, “I love you, son. I know you’re upset with me and you have every right to be, but you are my son and I love you, have loved you with as much ferocity as I’ve loved all these other barbarians.”
Tears streamed down Logan’s face. He pushed his chair back and went to his father. They hugged.
“I love you too, Dad. It’s the best gift you could have given me. I feel like I might truly belong but”—Logan turned to his siblings—“I don’t want to cause problems for us.” His brows stitched together as he scanned the table and made eye contact with each member of his family, and ended with his mom. He’d worried about her in all of this. What did she think? “Mom, I’m sorry about all of it.”
She got up and hugged him. “Logan, it’s not your fault your father was a bad husband for a moment. And it was just a moment in time. That’s all it took because you were meant to be. When I look at you I see my son that I love. That’s it.” She held him tight.
Cliff stepped closer to the table. “Your mother is right, as always.” He looked around at his children. “I need to know if any of you have a problem with what I’m telling you.”
The siblings stood and walked up to Logan and their mother. There were hugs all around. Some tears too. Unconditional love poured from Logan’s family, and there could be no doubt in his mind about how they felt about him. When things started getting sappy, the brothers backed off and fist pumped one another. Jessie laughed.
Jessie was rounding everyone up to start the gift exchange when she saw Cory and Logan on the back porch shaking hands and then Cory squeezed Logan’s shoulder. Cory had been so quiet all night she’d wondered if he’d had a problem with the information Cliff had shared and it pleased her to see them together.
During the gift exchange, most of his brothers gave Logan a T-shirt. The best one was a blue shirt with a big yellow smiley face that read smile if you’re not wearing undies. She thought it funny that Cash knew his brother didn’t wear underwear. She suspected the others knew as well. She shook her head and smiled, unable to help herself, but at the same time hoping no one would assume she wasn’t wearing panties.
Cash looked to her and said, “You’re up.”
Jessie went inside to get her gift and Clay followed her. “Need some help?”
“Please. It’s heavy in the frame.” Clay picked it up as though it weighed nothing at all.
When they brought it outside, Logan stood and walked over to the map.
“Happy birthday, baby” she said as she kissed him on the corner of his mouth.
Logan stood studying the poster for several seconds. Finally he threw his head back and started laughing. “How ’bout that? The Good Doctor is on the map.” He looked to Jessie. “This is unbelievable. I can’t wait to hang it.” Jessie had wanted to give him a gift that showed her support of him doing what he loved. His reaction was just what she’d hoped for.
≈
After everyone had gone and Michael was asleep in bed, Logan undressed Jessie. He clasped her hands and pulled her in close to kiss her. “Thank you.” God, he was going to cry. “Because of you I have everything, and I realized tonight that I don’t want to leave our families and our businesses. That I don’t need to.”
She smiled her demure sexy smile at him and simply said, “I know.”
He smiled against her lips as he kissed them. “Well, if it weren’t for you, I would be in Hawaii right now, or maybe Florida, anywhere but where I belong.”
“And where is that?” She leaned in and pressed her lips to his neck.
“Wherever you are. I love you, Jessie, he whispered in her ear as he slowly removed each piece of clothing and appreciated every bare inch of her body.
When she was able she breathily answered, “I love you too.”
Logan laid her back on the bed and knelt between her legs. He spread her knees and said, “Mmm, I’m going to eat my birthday cake now. Don’t move.” He left the room, hurried to the kitchen, and returned with a corner piece of cake covered in icing. “Put your legs back where I had them.”
Laughing, she did as she was commanded. “You’re lucky it’s your birthday.”
Logan smeared the icing over her pussy. He pushed on her legs again, pinning them as far back as they would go and effectively pushing her mound into his mouth. He licked icing from her for long minutes, until her clit stood firm and he knew she was ready to come. He sucked her clit between his lips and squeezed as he inserted two fingers into her passage. He massaged her with his lips and curled his fingers inside her, stroking firmly. Her legs began to shake with her release as wave after wave played through her.
He loved watching her come, loved making her lose control.
As she caught her breath, Logan made his way up her body. Her face lit up and her full smile, satisfied and happy, had him smiling in return. She patted his shoulder.
“Let me up—I bought something special to wear for you on your big day.”
His brow hitched as she skipped into the bathroom.
She’d been in the bathroom for five minutes when Michael came to the door of their bedroom clad in his pajamas and clutching the plush Hedwig owl Logan had bought for him.
Michael rubbed his eye with his fist. “I had a bad dream.”
“Come on over here, buddy.” He patted a spot beside him on the bed. Michael crawled up and leaned into Logan’s side.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Michael shook his head. “No, but I want to sleep here tonight.”
“You got it.” Logan was painfully sorry he wasn’t going to be able to have Jessie but if there were one thing he would make a sacrifice for, it was Michael.
She emerged from the bathroom in a copper-colored silky slip of a thing that Logan was dying to feel against her skin. No plain white cotton, the nightwear had him imagining all sorts of scenarios. When she eyed her son in the bed curled up and asleep next to Logan, she stood still, hands on hips, and simply smiled. Logan reached out a hand, and she crawled into bed, leaving Michael between them. She leaned in and kissed Logan, tasting sweet and sultry and perfect. She offered him an innocent shrug, and Logan smiled contentedly.
“It’s a wonderful end to the best birthday of my life. Thank you for doing this.” Thank you for all that you are, he whispered from his heart.
Logan would spend the rest of his life with Michael and Jessie. They would be a family.
No, they had already become a family. They were his and he was theirs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gina Watson is author of the St. Martin Family Saga. She lives in Texas where she leads a double life: university instructor by day, romance writer by night. She loves to be contacted by readers to discuss all things romance.
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SCORE
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SUITED
SMOLDER
THE SAGA CONTINUES IN
THE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TRILOGY:
Sizzle
Secure
Soothe
Coming 2014
SUITED
Excerpt, book four, St. Martin Family Saga by Gina Watson
Available Now!
Excerpt Suited
That afternoon Cash worked on his laptop
in his truck as he waited for four o’clock to roll around. He would have worked in the temporary office, but his phone was dead and he was making use of the car charger. Cash was fiddling with the program his father’s company had developed, in order to complete a cost analysis of the construction project, when the atoms in the air shifted. His heart started to race, and his breathing went shallow. A black Camaro pulled up to the construction trailer, and immediately the hair on the back of Cash’s neck stood on end. He knew it was her. He just couldn’t figure out why she was there.
Cash watched with dropped jaw as long and shapely bronzed legs exited the car first. When the rest of her came into view, Cash’s body pulled into her direction, yearning for contact. She was wearing a dress that hugged every curve, and on her feet were black stiletto heels. Her hair was as long and thick as it had ever been, and the sun’s rays caught the shiny locks. Her head shimmered like a mermaid fresh out of the water.
“Goddamn.”
He was trembling. But that wasn’t all. Cash could feel the precum that was making his boxer shorts moist. What the fuck? He’d not done that at the mere sight of a woman since his college days.
Not since the last time he’d been with Isa.
≈
Isabela Petrovich exited her car in her cream-colored peplum sheath dress belted at the waist with a small black ribbon that made her feel ultra feminine. Isa liked to dress nicely now that she could afford better clothes, and just because she had a man’s job, that didn’t mean she needed to dress like a man. She’d grown up in foster care. She’d never been bought anything with her in mind; everything had been handed down. She looked for Camp’s SUV, but didn’t see it. She did see a behemoth of a black Chevy truck. Her body started to thrum and tingle; she’d known that feeling many years ago. Cash was in the big truck.
Confirming her suspicions, he exited the vehicle and strode toward her, looking more like sin than he ever had. Oh shit, game on. The wind picked up his long hair and blew it over his brow and into his eyes. His pouty mouth displayed those magical white teeth and ridiculously delicious lips. She lifted her hand to fan at her face and was immediately appalled. Before she gave away how affected she was, she stilled her hand. She took a deep breath and shook her head to clear it of the heady thoughts. But it was no use. When he stood before her, his arresting blue eyes fringed with thick dark lashes had her right back where she’d been all those years ago—at his beck and call.
How many times had she thought that were she to see him again she’d punch him square in his too handsome face? But with him standing before her, she’d been rendered immobile. Suddenly all her hate, anger, and hurt didn’t matter so much. He was home, he was safe, and for that she was thankful. She’d lost too many people, and the issues she had with him were put aside for the time being as she thanked God that he’d somehow been led back to her.
Her stomach turned as her mind went to thoughts of other women. The women from television—he’d been linked to so many. Was he in a committed relationship? Why did she even care? God, the pain of how he’d left her to deal with her issues on her own was still fresh. He’d never even once looked back, and so she’d kept her secrets. After all, he’d made it clear that he no longer wanted them, wanted nothing of hers. She’d given him everything, and she knew he’d given her the same. During their three-year relationship, he’d always been accessible. He was the love of her life, and he’d shown her so much tenderness in those years. They’d spent every day together, hour upon hour, never once hating a second of it.
The only question she needed answered was how could he walk away from it all, no questions, no contact. He’d closed the book and never once opened it again. Once he was done, he was done.
She attempted to speak, but no words came from her throat. She cleared it and tried again. “Cash, it’s been so long.”
“Isabela, you’re breathtaking. God, look at you.”
Isa’s breathing became shallow and her heartbeat erratic. The wind picked up and mingled their colognes, carrying the evocative scent up to her nose. She was burning for him already. He seemed to be feeling the same way, if his erection was any evidence. If he made the first move, she’d fall at his feet and let him do what he wanted with her. What she wanted.
She prayed that he would.
≈
“It’s been too long.” Cash reached out and tucked a lock of Isa’s hair behind her ear. Still as smooth as ever. Eyeing her industrial-sized clipboard, he asked, “Are you working on this project?”
“Camp called me. Is he here?” She frowned, looking around in search of Camp. “He said he needed a geo-technical engineer, so here I am.”
Cash smiled at the memory of his brother’s last words. He’d known damn well Isa’s presence would throw Cash off balance. She’d majored in some sort of engineering program, but Cash had failed to make the connection that she worked in commercial construction. God, how she’d haunted his dreams. He didn’t even know she’d stayed in the area. She’d talked about hoping to locate extended family in Croatia—he’d wondered if she’d moved out of the States and assumed, when he was at his lowest, that oceans separated them. Suddenly horrible thoughts filled his head. Had she married? Was she serious with someone? He had no right to feel it, but he was possessive of her.
“How have you been, Isa?”
Her full lips tightened. “Let’s stay away from the personal, Cash. I’ve come to work.”
He frowned. “Then you can talk to me. I’ve got lead on this project.”
Her eyes widened. “Since when have you…” She shook her head.
“I’ve been in town a couple of weeks. And I’m helping Camp out. And I’m doing well, thanks for asking.”
She turned away, took in a deep breath, and turned back to him. “I think we should discuss the project.”
“Okay.” He deserved her slapdown. Only she’d forgotten how he could read her like a book. Her taut nipples and rapid breathing meant she was as turned on as he was. He gestured for her to lead the way to the temporary office. Cash watched her calf muscles flex as she climbed the steps. That dress was enough to kill a man. He adjusted his trapped cock before she turned around. His heart raced. She was talking about the soil and structural support. He trusted her integrity and her professional instincts so as far as he was concerned, she could do as she pleased with the plans. And so would he.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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THE SAGA CONTINUES IN