Take Me To The Beach

by K. L. Grayson, Karina Halle, A. L. Jackson, Marni Mann, Monica Murphy, Devney Perry, Kristen Proby, Rachel Van Dyken

I scoffed. “You know what ‘the unfortunate’ need? Essentials. Real essentials. Enough food so they can eat three times a day, every day. They need enough quarters to go to the laundry mat every week. They need tampons, for Christ’s sake. What they don’t need are some rich people sitting in a ballroom feeling sorry for them because they don’t have internet or cable TV.”

  I ended my rant on a huff, then looked up from the spoon I’d been clutching in my fist. All eyes around the table were on me.

  “Thea.” Logan put his hand on my knee.

  Goddamn it. I knew this would happen. I knew I’d embarrass him. I didn’t belong here and I had no clue how to act or what to say.

  The sting of tears pricked my eyes, but I couldn’t cry in front of these people.

  “Excuse me,” I whispered, setting down my spoon.

  Before Logan could protest, I was out of my chair, walking as quickly as I could in my uncomfortable heels to the back of the ballroom. I slipped out the door, breathing a sigh of relief when the hallway was empty.

  “Don’t cry.” I looked up at the ceiling and took a long breath. Then another. When the sting in my nose eased, I clicked down the hall toward the restroom.

  I opened the door and hurried through the sitting room to the actual restroom. Then I picked the middle mirror and checked my face.

  Despite the sick feeling in my stomach, at least I looked pretty.

  Whoever my parents were, I owed them one bit of thanks. They’d given me thick hair and flawless skin. I didn’t have to wear much makeup, usually just eyeliner and mascara. And my hair had a natural sheen most women couldn’t pay for.

  Logan had offered to bring in a stylist for me tonight, but I’d opted to get ready myself. Charlie had sat on the counter in his bathroom, watching as I’d carefully applied eyeshadow, blush and lipstick. Then I’d straightened my hair into shining panels that hung down my back.

  And though I’d been in such a rush to pick this dress yesterday, it was gorgeous. The top had a simple, sleeveless cut with a crew neckline. It was covered with fine lace, giving it an elegant touch. Only the front had a strip of lace missing, running from the collar down my cleavage to right above my waist, making it sexy and a little badass.

  The full-length skirt flowed when I walked and had a long slit up the front. There were even hidden pockets for my lip gloss. It was made by some designer who made gowns for actresses going to award shows. This poor dress wouldn’t get much use, stuffed in the back of my closet in Lark Cove.

  I didn’t belong in this fancy dress or elegant bathroom. I might not be the right woman for Logan, but I was here for tonight. I was his for tonight.

  And I owed him an apology.

  I reapplied some lip gloss and fixed a misplaced strand of hair, then left the restroom. I opened the door to the hallway but stopped short.

  Logan was standing on the opposite wall, as handsome as ever in his tuxedo. This man could make bowties sexy.

  “Hi,” I sighed. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you.”

  He pushed off the wall, meeting me in the middle of the hallway. He came right into my space and wrapped me in his arms. “Baby, I’ve told you this before. You could never embarrass me.”

  “Were you not there? Everyone at your table was looking at me funny.”

  “They were looking at you because you said what we were all thinking. This gala is the biggest hypocritical joke we’ve all been to in years.”

  “No fucking way.” My voice echoed in the hall. “Sorry,” I winced. “Too many champagnes mean too many f-bombs.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, fucking way. Just ask Nolan. These people aren’t getting a dime from the Kendrick Foundation until they can prove it’s being used for the right things.”

  “Like tampons,” I blurted.

  He laughed again and nodded. “Like tampons.”

  “Thank you.” I fell back into his chest, holding him close. God, I am going to miss him. Every single day. “I’m going to miss you.”

  “Then stay.”

  “I can’t.”

  He pulled me off his chest, framing my face with both hands. “Why?”

  My eyes filled with tears. Why? I wasn’t ready for that question yet. I hadn’t figured out my answer. So I gave him the one I gave to Charlie when I didn’t want to explain myself. “Just because.”

  His eyebrows came together as he held my face, studying my eyes. Then the creases in his forehead went away. Gone. Poof. The worry was replaced with Logan’s signature look of confidence and determination. The same look he’d given me in my workshop when he’d asked me to come to New York and I’d said no.

  “We’ll talk about it again this weekend.”

  “Okay.” My answer would still be the same, but maybe I’d at least have an explanation figured out by then.

  “Come on.” He let go of my face and held out a hand. “The speaker is done and I want to dance with the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  I wasn’t going to miss him every single day, I’d miss him every single minute.

  Hand in hand, we went back to the ballroom, where a live band had set up next to the dance floor.

  I followed behind Logan as he weaved through the tables, nodding and saying hello as he passed clusters of people mingling. We’d almost made it to the dance floor when the ignorant speaker stepped in our path.

  “Logan, so good to see you. Did you enjoy the presentation?”

  “To be frank? No. I implore you to do some research before wasting my time or money for a table again.” Without another word, Logan pushed past the speaker and led me to the dance floor.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see the speaker rooted to his spot, staring stunned at Logan’s back. When I looked forward, I smiled. “Thanks for that.”

  Logan spun and swung me into his arms. “My pleasure.”

  We slowly swayed to the music for a few moments, settling into the mix of other couples dancing.

  “Do you want to talk about why you have such a passion for tampons?”

  I shook my head. “Let’s just say I know exactly what it’s like to be one of the unfortunate. Can we leave it at that?”

  “Thea—”

  “Please.” I leaned back to meet his gaze. “Please, Logan. I don’t want to talk about it tonight.”

  “Then when?” he asked.

  “Later.” Much, much later.

  He spun me in a circle, pulling me close to whisper in my ear. “I hate that I don’t know everything about you. I hate that I don’t know who your parents were or how you grew up. I hate that I don’t understand the relationship you have with Jackson. I hate that you don’t trust me enough to share.”

  “Oh, Logan.” I deflated into his chest. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just the one topic I can’t talk about tonight in this fancy room. I’m doing my best to keep it all together and pretend I belong in this ballroom with you. If we drudge up all the garbage, I’ll never be able to pretend.”

  He stopped dancing. “You don’t have to pretend. You do belong.”

  I gave him a sad smile, not wanting to argue. “I trust you. But let’s leave my parents and childhood off the table.”

  “Okay,” he agreed, moving to the music again. “Then how about Jackson? Why are you two so close?”

  “We met in high school. His foster home was close to the place where I grew up. Neither of us had many friends or people we could rely on and I guess that just bonded us together. Since we didn’t have a real family, we made one up ourselves. He’s like a brother.”

  “Has it ever been more?”

  I smiled against his tuxedo jacket. “Never. That kiss you saw was the first time he’s ever kissed me anywhere other than the cheek. He loves me but not in a romantic way.”

  Logan’s frame relaxed and he twirled us around. Had I known that my relationship with Jackson had caused him worry, I would have explained it all in more detail weeks ago, like he had with his ex, Emmeline.

  “What abou
t you?” I asked. “Should I be worried about seeing any of your exes here tonight?”

  “After Emmeline, I saw a woman briefly but that ended months ago. I had a girlfriend in college who is now happily married to a good friend. But that’s it. You’re all caught up.”

  I rested my cheek against his chest. “Good. And since I went on the mother of all dry spells between our escapades, you’re all caught up too.”

  “What?” He stopped moving. “Say that again.”

  “Say what again?”

  “That part about a dry spell between our escapades.”

  “Oh.” I blushed. This fancy ballroom probably wasn’t the place to announce to Logan that I hadn’t slept with anyone but him in the last six-something years. Goddamn you, champagne. “Well, there was you. Then I had Charlie and was kind of busy being a mom. Then there was you again.”

  “Damn it.” His face softened and he lifted a hand to cup my cheek. “I wish I had come back to that hotel sooner.”

  I stood on my toes, brushing my lips to his without a reply.

  A part of me wished that too, but the other was glad for how things had turned out. As much as I hated that he’d missed those years with Charlie, I couldn’t regret leaving for Montana.

  The band started a new song, this one faster than the one we’d been swaying to a moment ago, and a wave of panic hit me. I’d never danced like this before. The only dancing I’d done was at clubs or in my living room with Charlie. My high school hadn’t organized formal dances because so few of the students could afford to rent tuxes or buy dresses.

  “I don’t know how to dance to this,” I whispered.

  “But I do.” Logan pulled me closer. “Hold on to me and I’ll take it from there. Don’t let me go, Thea.”

  The passion in his voice and the intensity of his gaze nearly broke me.

  Because his plea had nothing to do with dancing.

  Logan

  Thea was shutting me out again. The glass dividing us from the driver in the limo might as well have been between our seats.

  She’d been acting off since last night. I was sure that something had happened yesterday, but I hadn’t had a chance to ask because I’d been so distracted by Charlie calling me Daddy. But whatever it was, something had spooked Thea. The gala hadn’t helped. She was more guarded now than she’d been in weeks.

  But I wasn’t letting her run away.

  We rode back to the penthouse in silence, but my thumb never stopped caressing her knuckles. As we rode the elevator upstairs, I kept her firmly tucked into my side with my arm around her shoulders, not letting her go until we crossed the threshold of the penthouse.

  “How was it?” Piper asked, getting up from the couch where she’d been reading.

  “Nice,” Thea said at the same time I muttered, “Ridiculous.”

  Thea looked up at me and grinned before turning back to Piper. “Okay. It was bad.”

  Piper shot me a smug look. “I knew it would be. The speaker is a douche. I told you not to go.”

  I sighed. “And I should have listened.”

  “He never listens to me, Thea.” Piper shoved an iPad in her backpack. “You’d think he would have learned by now since we’ve worked together for five years. But he still thinks he’s in charge.”

  I chuckled. “Now you’re starting to sound like Nolan. Don’t make me fire you.”

  “Ha! You wouldn’t make it two days.”

  She was right about that. Piper handled everything for me at the foundation, and I’d be lost without her. She made it possible for me to be a lawyer and a philanthropist without completely burning myself out. And I made sure to pay her enough so she’d never be tempted to leave for a higher wage. Hell, she made more than all but two of the vice presidents, not that they’d ever know.

  She might jest, but Piper was as down-to-earth as they got. She reminded me a bit of Thea that way. Piper and her husband were struggling at the moment, probably the reason she’d been so eager to watch Charlie tonight. She used every excuse these days not to go home. So if she needed evenings away to hang with my daughter, we’d let her babysit whenever she wanted.

  “Charlie was a dream tonight,” Piper told Thea as she shouldered her backpack, then whipped her chestnut hair into a topknot. “I love her so much. Come back soon so I can watch her again. I’ll make sure this guy,” she jerked a thumb my way, “plans something much better than a pretentious gala for you two.”

  “I, um . . .” Thea looked to her shoes, finding her fake smile. “Thank you. I’m so glad she was good and really appreciate you watching her.”

  Piper came over and hugged Thea, then gave me a mock salute. “Have a good weekend, boss.”

  Boss. “Jesus. Do you and Nolan sit around and practice filling ‘boss’ with as much sarcasm as possible?”

  She shrugged. “You’ll never know.”

  I grinned. That was a yes. “I had the doorman call you a car. It should be waiting.”

  “Thanks, Logan. Bye, Thea.” She waved and walked down the hall, letting herself out.

  As the door closed, Thea’s shoulders fell and she kicked off her shoes. “I’m just going to go check on Charlie.”

  I put a hand on the small of her back while the other loosened my bowtie. “I’ll come too.”

  “I like Piper,” Thea whispered as we ambled down the hall. “Nolan too.”

  “They’re the best. Because of them, I can stay involved at the foundation.”

  Thea cracked open Charlie’s door, peeking inside. Our daughter was sprawled out in her bed with her head and feet turned sideways from the pillows.

  “Wild,” I whispered. “Even in her sleep.”

  “She’s always slept like that.” Thea smiled as she carefully closed the door. “When she was three, she got in this bad habit of coming into my room at night. She’d stick her feet in my ribs, then completely pass out.”

  “I wish I could have seen that.”

  “Me too.”

  I kissed Thea on the forehead, then took her hand and led her to the stairs.

  I wanted to know all about the years I’d missed with Charlie, and the years Thea had spent in the city. She’d surprised me at the gala tonight when she’d gotten so upset by that speaker. She’d spoken with so much passion, it had to have come from experience. How was I going to learn more about her if she wouldn’t tell me? At this point, I was left to guess.

  The life she’d lived hadn’t been filled with luxury, that was obvious. But now I suspected it hadn’t held much love either.

  She’d never want for either again.

  We reached the top of the stairs and I pulled her into my arms. “You look beautiful tonight.”

  “Thank you.” She tugged at the lapels of my jacket. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  I kissed her nose, grazing my lips across her cheekbone to whisper in her ear. “I love this dress, but I think it would look nicer on the floor.”

  Her breath hitched. “Yeah?”

  I nuzzled into her hair, drawing in a long breath. Then I latched my mouth onto her throat, giving the skin underneath her ear a hard suck. “Yeah.”

  There was a lot we needed to talk about. We had issues to hammer out and a future to plan. But right now, I didn’t want to think about any of it. All I wanted was for Thea to know how much I loved her.

  If I couldn’t say it, I’d show her instead.

  Without letting her go, I backed us into my room, dragging down the zipper on the back of her dress. With it free, I slipped it off her shoulders and let the front fall loose. The moment her perfect tits were free and under my palms, my cock was rock hard.

  “What do you want?” I asked, kissing up and down her neck.

  “You. Naked.” Her hands gripped my lapels again, this time yanking them over my shoulders. Her needy breaths blew against my throat. Her fingers fumbled with a button on my shirt, but I trapped her hands.

  “No, Thea.” I held her gaze, letting her hands rest on my thunder
ing heart. “What do you want?”

  She stared at me for a long moment, letting the meaning of my words echo in the room. When they sunk in—when she realized I wasn’t talking about sex—a tear pooled in the corner of her eye. “The impossible.”

  Nothing was impossible.

  Not for her.

  Not anymore.

  I swiped the tear with my thumb, then took her mouth, swallowing a cry that was part pain, part lust. Another tear fell, hitting my cheek, and I tore away from her mouth to kiss it away.

  “Don’t cry, baby,” I whispered. “It’s all going to be okay.”

  Once I got her and Charlie moved here for good and we were all officially Kendricks, there would be no more tears. She wouldn’t have to dread the good-byes, because we’d never be apart again. Tomorrow, after we got through dinner with my parents, we’d talk and put all her fears to rest.

  She nodded and sniffled, gripping my shirt by the collar. Then her sad eyes came to mine. “Make love to me, Logan. That’s what I want. Give me something to remember.”

  She’d just slammed the door to her heart right in my face.

  Why was she so quick to push me away? What about being here was so awful that she kept reminding me that she was leaving? Why wouldn’t she talk to me?

  I ran my hands up her bare back, tangling my fingers in her soft hair. I gripped it in my fist, tugging a bit so her head fell back. And then I slammed my mouth down on hers, pouring all of my frustration with this remarkable, bright and infuriating woman into our kiss.

  Thea met my ferocity full force, pulling so hard on my shirt that a couple of buttons popped off. Her tongue dove into my mouth, dueling with mine as her fingers pulled to free my shirt from my slacks.

  I stepped forward, pushing her farther into the room. With every step toward the bed, her dress slid farther down her body until it was pooled at our feet. She stepped out of it, kicking it aside, as I toed off my shoes. Never once did I break contact with her mouth or let go of her hair.

  The control I had over her body was just an illusion. We both knew exactly who was in charge tonight.

  Beneath my open shirt, her fingertips skimmed up my abs. When they reached my pecs, she dug her nails in at the same time she slid her tongue from my mouth and nipped my bottom lip.