Brother’s Best Friend
Page 23
Logan couldn’t help but notice that the two of them were right on the same page. They had started out jaggedly, and now they were completely in sync. She was brilliant with the project stuff, and the two of them seemed to have minds that worked almost the same. He couldn’t deny their connection and from the look of how hard she was pulling back, neither could she. Her face was straight, but he could tell she was enjoying the flow of how well they were conversing.
Usually Logan struggled with criticism, especially when it came to things that he had his hand in creating. He was brilliant when it came to tech, but not as much with marketing. For him, she seemed to be on his page. She understood the concept he was trying to present and didn’t want to change it, but offered things to the table that would make it better and more profitable. She went beyond her job title to make it successful, which was exactly what he wanted in someone of her position. It wasn’t often that he just meshed with someone like that, but then again it didn’t really surprise him with their past. They had always, at least when things were good, meshed together.
Logan wanted Amber to loosen up. He was tired of her being so scared to show her softer side to him. She had always been funny and fun to be around and he thought if she mixed that into her brilliance at work, she would be unstoppable.
He put his pen down and cleared his throat. “What do you call a field of cows masturbating?”
Amber blinked wildly looking down at her paper and then sighed, putting her pen down and staring up at him blankly. “I don’t know, what?”
Logan smiled. “Beef strokin’ off.”
He leaned his head back and laughed loudly, slapping his hand to the table. He loved that joke, but like so many others he had told it to, she just sat there staring at him blankly, not even a smirk on her lips. She picked up her pen and went back to work, completely ignoring the fact that he found himself incredibly hilarious.
He leaned his head forward. “You get it? Beef s-t-r-o-k-i-n-g off? Bahahaha.”
She smacked her lips together and continued writing, not saying a word. He wiped the tears from his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. She was doing everything she could to try to ignore him. In fact, the stern look on her face was incredibly sexy.
“Come on, you can’t ignore me,” he smiled.
He reached out to poke her hand, but she stood up nonchalantly and walked away, filling her coffee cup from the carafe in his office to the side. He tilted his head to the side and watched her walking, her long pencil skirt tight on her ass. Her tall six-inch heels made her legs look like they went on for miles, and he took a deep breath, looking back down at his work as she turned around.
She sat down and started writing again. Logan pouted. “You know if you laugh at my joke, that doesn’t automatically mean you’ve committed to a relationship with me.”
She slowly looked up at him. “I would have laughed if it was funny in the least.”
He grinned and nodded. “Oh, okay, so you’re a professional joke teller now. Well, come on, give me one.”
She looked at him and narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips. “Okay. How do you circumcise a hillbilly?”
Logan tilted his head. “How?”
She smiled mischievously. “Kick his sister in the jaw.”
Logan’s mouth fell open and there was silence for a few moments before he burst into laughter. She was laughing too, with a smile that he hadn’t seen from her in many years. The attraction he felt for her was growing stronger and stronger. He wanted her. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted a woman in his life. The way she smiled, the way her eyes creased in the corner and her nose wrinkled. The way her breasts heaved and she put one hand on her stomach. She was so sexy in every way imaginable.
She looked across the table at him still laughing and he caught the spark in her eyes. She quickly moved them over his body, the way she used to from across the table during family dinners when her foot moved up his leg playfully. He could tell she felt the exact same way as him. He could tell that there was a spark, or more like an explosion happening between the two of them. It was always there, just waiting for the fuse to be lit, and all it took was a brush of skin or a dirty joke to make it burst to life.
They both fell silent, looking down at their paperwork. Logan knew though, just like him, she wasn’t actually focused on it. The lust and attraction in the room was thick as fog, but they were in the office. They were in the exact place that she said she wanted things to be strictly professional. Anyone could knock on the door at any time and catch them in the throws of passion. Not only would it be him breaking his own office policy, but it would be something that could take him down if it got back to the wrong people. In that moment, he absolutely hated his office. He hated the restrictions all around him. They were like chains that were binding his hands and his legs to the floor.
Logan glanced up as Amber gently pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, revealing her long, feminine neck and soft, supple skin. The urge to press his lips to it made him shift eagerly in his chair and lick his lips. He watched as she brought the end of her pen to her soft, supple lips and bit gently on it. It was in that moment that he realized it wasn’t just her that turned him on so much. It was the understanding that sex in a forbidden place with her was so hot and so enticing that he couldn’t get his mind off of it.
He slid his hand down into his lap and pressed down on his massive erection. Maybe he wanted to throw caution to the wind and take chances for once. Maybe he wanted to have her wherever and whenever he wanted. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to get caught with her. He would never want to bring pain to her, but having it out in the open would give him a chance to really be with her. On top of that, the thrill of the creaking of the floor on the outside of the door, the turning of a door handle as he pushed inside of her, it was incredibly hot.
Logan had never done anything like that before, in fact, he hadn’t been with anyone since he left Amber five years before. He wanted to do those things with her, it was her body he lusted after, and this was just another daring escapade they could add to their resume of sexual experiences with each other. After a few moments, he couldn’t contain himself any longer. He pushed his chair back and walked around the table, sitting down in the seat next to her and leaning forward.
As his hand swiped her hair gently back from her ear, her breath hitched in her throat, making him grin. He leaned back and took her hand, pulling her from the chair and walking over to his desk. He leaned her back against it and stood close to her. He could tell she was so taken aback she couldn’t even speak a word to him. He ran his lips across her cheek and poised next to her ear.
Logan was straight forward, no bullshit. “I want to fuck you right here on my desk.”
She gasped slightly as he stepped to the side and shoved everything off onto the floor. She swallowed hard, trying to protest, but her lips just quivered as his cock rubbed against her leg. He pulled his lips right to hers and began to whisper. “You know you want to, stop fighting yourself. Stop fighting me.”
Her eyes fell to his and she looked into them for a moment before giving in and slamming her lips onto his. Her hands flew right to his belt buckle, and it was on. They were ripping and tearing at each other, trying to be close, trying to not let the moment slip by. Logan grabbed her ass with both hands and lifted her up on the desk. He slid her skirt up to her hips and pulled her panties off, tossing them to the side.
He pulled back and looked at her for just a moment before letting his pants drop. She reached down, frantically pulling out his hard shaft and scooting to the edge of the desk. He grabbed her around the waist and bent his knees slightly, thrusting his long, hard dick inside of her. She gasped, and he pressed his lips to hers. Over and over again he slammed into her, breathing heavily into her neck. Her hands gripped his back.
It didn’t last long; the lust and passion was just too much. It was the perfect amount of time. He thrust hard into her and grabbed her lower back, pushing himself deep as his cock
began to pulsate. Her mouth hung wide as she held her breath and rolled her eyes. They came hard, frozen on top of the desk until their muscles slowly began to relax.
Logan kissed her on the nose and pulled out, pulling up his pants and tucking his shirt back in neatly. She smiled and hopped down off the desk, grabbing her panties and straightening her skirt. She went to walk past, but he grabbed her hand, about to pull her in. Just then there was a knock on the door and he let her go, clearing his throat.
Jordan walked in with a smile. “Hey, fools. I was looking for you two. Come on, let’s go get lunch.
It’s on me.”
39
Amber
“I’ll knock,” Bradley said seriously.
Amber giggled. “Okay, you are the man of the family, after all. Go ahead and knock.”
Amber knew that Taylor was on the other side of the door, just waiting for the little man to ring. He put his little fist up and tapped on the door. Amber stepped to the side as Taylor opened it, looking around at her own eye level. “Huh, I swear I thought someone was out here.”
Bradley put his hands on his hips. “Down here, silly.”
Taylor looked down and gasped. “I almost shut the door. Come here, you little rug rat.”
She reached down and picked Bradley up, kissing him hard on the cheek. She looked over at Amber and smiled. “Come on in. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“What are we having?” Bradley asked as they walked inside.
Taylor put her finger to her lips. “Chicken toes and monkey brains. Sound good?”
Bradley laughed. “Nooo.”
Taylor sighed dramatically. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to have the lasagna I made, then.”
Bradley put his arms in the air. “Yay!! Mommy, we are having my favorite.”
Amber’s eyes grew wide. “I know! That’s so exciting. Make sure you thank Auntie Taylor. She’s been cooking all afternoon.”
Bradley grabbed her face and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you. Can I watch the tv?”
Taylor set him down. “Of course you can.”
Amber just grinned, watching the two of them interact. They tried to have dinner at Taylor’s whenever they could. Taylor was a fantastic cook and Amber liked Bradley to have more than just her in his life on a regular basis. Taylor absolutely adored Bradley, too. She made a big to do over him on a regular basis, ever since she found out Amber was pregnant. She bought him his first stuffed animal and came over to help design the nursery. Amber didn’t know what she would have done without Taylor during that time. She took the role of what Logan would have been, putting together furniture, checking on her, spending the night when she was super pregnant, and even running to the store whenever she had a craving.
“How are you, Miss Thing?” Taylor asked, the two of them walking into the kitchen.
Amber sighed deeply and plopped her purse on the island, sitting down on the stool. “Good. You know, living the dream at my new job.”
Taylor tasted the sauce. “Yeah? Do you like it?”
Amber nodded. “I love it. It’s the job I always wanted, outside of owning my own company.”
Taylor lifted an eyebrow. “But?”
Amber shook her head and groaned. “But… it’s so hard to be around Logan in a professional manner. We’ve had sex two more times. I seriously don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Taylor laughed. “I knew it. I just knew it. I knew that the two of you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off each other. Your little rule was meant to be broken, my dear.”
Amber covered her face. “No, it wasn’t. I think I’m losing my damn mind. I have always been so resolute in my decisions, but one glance from Logan and I’m panty dropping.”
Taylor giggled. “It’s not that hard to figure out, my dear. You have all the signs and symptoms. You have ever since you met the man.”
Amber didn’t look up from her hands. “What signs and symptoms? The ones that will land me in a padded room with a straight jacket?”
Taylor pulled the lasagna from the oven and set it down. “No. Not even a crazy house could cure you of what you have. You, ma’am, are still in love with Logan.”
Amber’s head flew up, her hair falling in her face. “Oh no. No, no, no. That is absolutely not true at all. You are crazy, there is no way after five years, him leaving me, me raising a child, and moving on with my life that I am still in love with him.”
Taylor pulled down the plates and turned, looking at Amber. “You never really moved on with your life, Amber. You always had this little whisper of Logan in the back of your mind. You would bring him up nonchalantly in conversation, you shoved a picture of the two of you in the drawer in the living room, but I know you look at it from time to time.”
Amber pointed at the other room and lowered her voice. “Not because I love him, but because ten times a day I see his dimples, his smile, and that stubborn look he would give. That all shows on Bradley’s face when I look at him. There is no way that he can’t be on my mind. I care about the fact that he is the father of my child, but that is it. I am not still in love with him. I… I…”
Taylor shook her head, getting the other dishes down. “You… you… you… what? If you put as much effort into denying your feelings for the man that you put into just caring about him, you two might actually have a very successful relationship. You might actually work out. But you are so damn stubborn.”
Amber gasped. “I’m not stubborn, I’m realistic. I don’t live in the clouds.”
Taylor shook a fork at her. “No, you do live in the clouds, ones where you want to torture yourself, for some reason. You are still in love with that man, no matter what type of ridiculous excuses you give. I think the fact that Bradley crinkles his nose or laughs or whatever like Logan makes you love him even more than you already do. It’s like you were able to hold onto Logan even after he was gone.”
Amber just stared at her hopelessly, knowing there was no reason to fight Taylor on this. She would never believe her anyway. “Regardless of any feelings, he is not here to stay. He has a life, and that is that.”
Taylor stopped and looked at her seriously. “Are you ever going to tell him about Bradley’s dad?”
Amber shook her head. “No, absolutely not. I have waited far too long to reveal that information. Now, it would only upturn everyone’s worlds. My parents and brother would go crazy. Logan would be completely blown away. And then there is the most important person out of all of this, Bradley. I can’t let him get attached to someone that just might up and leave the next day. No.”
Taylor just stared at her. Amber glanced up at her grounding glare. “What? I know you never understood why I didn’t tell him or anyone else. I know you think I should just throw myself at him and hope for the best, but it’s not something I am capable of.”
Taylor let out a deep breath. “Amber, I got it when you chose not to tell anyone before, and I get it now. Do I think it’s the right decision? No. But I am not Bradley’s mother, and I am also not your heart. I can tell you up and down what I think you should do but, in the end, you have to do what you feel is right, and I will support that. With grumpy commentary along the way, of course.”
Amber chuckled. “Of course, and thank you. This is why I desperately need to stop sleeping with him. Every time we sleep together, it gets easier and easier to let my guard down. That is something that can’t happen. It can’t happen because of Bradley, but also because I do not want to get hurt. I don’t want another replay of five years ago. If he would leave when it was simple and amazing, he would have no qualms about going back to New York now. I just don’t think I was ever as important to him as he was to me. He showed me that when he left.”
Taylor smacked her lips. “No, he showed you that he cared about you and his future. He told you in that letter he left you that he couldn’t be the man you deserved unless he made something out of himself. I don’t think that was bullshit. I think he really meant it.”
“You should tell him the truth before you ruin whatever bit of friendship that the two of you have left,” Taylor said.
Amber couldn’t even fathom that conversation. “I just don’t think that I can. I don’t think that I could bring myself to do it. I don’t even know how I would approach it. I wouldn’t even know what to tell my son, and he trusts and understands everything I tell him.”
Taylor shrugged. “Just think about it, Amber. Think about it long and hard, because it will never be easier than the moment you are in. Time will continue to make that revelation harder and harder to share. I just want you to know that.”
Amber nodded. “I know.”
Taylor handed her the plates. “Good, now, let’s go feed that adorable little human out there and try to have a good evening. Just know that it’s something you will have to face eventually. It may be when Bradley is twenty, but eventually you will have to come to terms.”
Amber took the plates and sighed. “I know. I’ll think about it. I promise.”
Taylor picked up the lasagna and they headed to the dining room. “Little man, dinner is ready.”
Amber watched as Bradley jumped up off the couch and ran across to his chair, climbing up on it. She loved her child more than she loved anything else in the world. Part of her wondered, though, if Taylor had been right. Did the fact that she saw Logan in Bradley’s face on a daily basis play a role in her not being able to get over Logan? Did she hold onto him through her baby?
He was there, right in front of her now. She could give up her body and have amazing sex with him, but what she couldn’t bring herself to do was give up her heart. Maybe she was still in love with him, but it wasn’t something she was going to allow herself to get trapped in. She spent too many nights crying, too many nights lonely, too many nights longing to turn back around and just let him do it to her again. She couldn’t bear it if he did the same thing to Bradley. Her son was too caring, too trusting, and something like that, finding his dad, loving him, just to have him leave would break him.