Page 25

TWENTY-FIVE

MJ

Sometime in the middle of the night, I’d rolled over and leaned into Logan’s warmth. He was like sleeping next to a furnace. I also learned that sleepy, middle-of-the-night sex was just as mind-blowing as passionate, take-me-now sex.

Early-morning light slanted through my bedroom window, and I blinked up at the ceiling. Logan’s heavy, rhythmic breathing whooshed softly in my ear. I was tempted to cuddle into him when a single thought shot me awake.

Bug.

“Shit,” I muttered, easing out from beneath Logan’s massive arm.

Yes, I was a full-grown adult woman, but I had zero desire to discuss my sex life with the woman who had raised me.

I glanced at the clock. It was only 5:00 a.m. There was a chance I could get him out the door before she came down for her morning coffee. I sat up, looking around my room.

Dread coiled in my stomach. We’d been so hot for each other that our clothes were still in piles in the kitchen. I stepped out of bed, and when the wood floor creaked, I froze, looking at Logan. He didn’t rouse, so I sneaked to my dresser. I tugged on a T-shirt and pajama pants before slipping out of my bedroom.

Bug wasn’t just my aunt—she was the voice in my head reminding me of every questionable decision I’d ever made. Sneaking Logan out before she saw him was an impossible mission. It wasn’t that I was ashamed of him—I just wasn’t ready for the interrogation. Bug had a way of looking at me that made me feel both five years old and a hundred years behind in life.

I listened for any sign of my aunt, but the house was still. I quickly scurried down to the kitchen. It was dark, so I scooped up my clothes.

Where the hell are my panties?

On my hands and knees, I felt around the floor near the island. Halfway across the wood floor, the small scrap of silk was lying in a tiny ball. I reached for it and tucked it into the mess of discarded clothing.

“Morning.” Bug’s voice startled me and I shot to my feet.

“Oh!” I flicked the hair from in front of my face. “Morning. How are you? You’re up early.”

My aunt paused, eyeballing me as she pressed start on the coffee maker. Her gaze flicked down to the bundle of clothes in my hand.

I lifted it. “Getting some laundry done early.” When her eyebrow only crept higher, I cleared my throat.

Bug’s eyebrow arched higher than I thought humanly possible. “Laundry, huh?” she said, her voice dripping with suspicion.

My face burned hotter than the coffee maker. “Yep. Early bird and all that.” Bug didn’t say anything else, but her smirk spoke volumes. I bolted before she could ask more questions I didn’t have answers for. “Okay. Chat with you later.”

Without looking at her, I hurried out of the kitchen and back to my bedroom. When I clicked the door shut, I closed my eyes, leaning against it with a deep exhale.

“Morning, Julep,” Logan rumbled.

My eyes opened and I flew across the room, planting both hands across his mouth. “Shh! She’ll hear you.”

His brow furrowed, and I gently removed my hands.

“Your aunt?” he whispered.

“Yes!” I hissed, looking over my shoulder and listening for her.

A soft chuckle rumbled out of him. “I knew you were hiding me,” he teased.

I scowled in his direction. “I’m not hiding you, but I’m not broadcasting you to my aunt either. She can be ... tough.”

He laughed again. “It’s cute you’re scared of her.”

I scoffed. “I’m not scared of her. I’m scared for you .” I looked around again, picking up his T-shirt and shoving it at him. “We have to get you out of here.”

Logan pulled his shirt on in the sexiest way possible. My hands quickly framed his face, and I kissed him hard. “God, you’re handsome.”

His wide palm slid around my waist, pulling me closer. “I’ll take some more of that.”

I climbed off him. “I can’t. Not now. Not with her just downstairs.”

Logan laughed, completely unfazed by the fact I was shoving him out the door.

After he dressed, I grabbed his hand and pressed a finger to my lips in the universal shh gesture. Like a pair of teenagers, we slowly crept down the hallway. The back stairs were our best option, as the front would lead us straight across the entrance to the kitchen. I could still hear my aunt milling around as we made our way to the bottom of the staircase.

Just as my hand reached the doorknob, Bug’s voice called out: “Does Logan like cream in his coffee?”

Logan laughed as my mouth popped open.

Bug appeared from the kitchen into the hallway, holding a steaming mug of coffee. “His shoes are by the front door.”

Bug’s eyes were laced with humor before she disappeared again.

Logan kissed the top of my head. “I got this.”

I stared as he sauntered, barefoot and sexy as hell, into the kitchen.

What the heck is happening? Coffee with my aunt was not the casual, no-strings, no-heartbreak encounter I need right now.

With a frustrated growl, I padded behind him.

By the time I reached the kitchen, Logan had a mug of steaming coffee in his hand, leaning against the kitchen island and laughing with my aunt.

She was laughing .

Do you have any idea how hard it was to make a no-nonsense woman like Bug King laugh? Fucking impossible.

Bug never laughed. Like, ever.

Yet there she was, chuckling into her coffee like Logan was some kind of magician. I leaned against the doorway, watching them. Logan’s bedhead and sleepy grin should have been disarming, but the way he moved—confident, but not cocky—made my stomach do a weird flip.

How did he make it look so easy?

Mischief sparkled in Logan’s eyes as he lifted the mug to his lips. He sighed on the exhale. “Can I pour you a cup?” He moved toward the coffee maker before I could even answer. “Cream and sugar, right?”

I stopped, staring. “Uh—” Noises sputtered out of me, but none of them formed actual words.

Bug walked behind me, reaching for a napkin, when she whispered in my ear. “Close your mouth, dear.”

It snapped shut as I watched my aunt be utterly charmed by the man with bed head who was sneaking glances at me and smiling.

* * *

The Sand Dune Art Barn was just on the outskirts of Outtatowner, nestled between rambling blueberry fields. Lee and Annie had turned a broken-down old barn into a place where tourists and locals flocked to spend an afternoon creating.

The huge doors of the barn were closed, but the parking lot was packed with cars. Next to the barn was Lee and Annie’s farmhouse, with creamy yellow paint and white shutters.

Rushing against the cold wind, I slipped inside the barn. Stacks of painted pottery waiting to be picked up lined the shelves. Behind it, the unpainted pieces waited for customers to unleash their creative talents. It was amazing how they’d turned a once-flailing art studio into a place where people spent rainy afternoons and sunny Saturdays.

My hands were buzzing, not from the cold, but from excitement.

I had to tell someone about what happened between Logan and me. Sylvie hadn’t answered the phone, and I assumed she was busy with her own life.

Annie would understand.

Behind the counter, Annie’s wild red hair was tied in a scarf. She wrapped a glazed mug in white tissue paper. The customer had transformed the white, unfinished ceramic into a riot of greens: earthy moss green mixed with a basily shade. On top, they’d splattered a pale yellow.

The mix of colors reminded me of Logan’s eyes, and my stomach did a little flip.

Telling Annie felt like popping the cork on a bottle I’d been shaking for weeks. I wanted to scream about how good Logan made me feel, how right it all seemed. But a little voice whispered, Don’t get used to this. He’s not staying. I shoved the thought aside, focusing on Annie’s warm smile.

Impatient, I tapped my foot to release some of the energy building in my body as I waited for the customer to finish. When the customer paid and said their goodbyes, Annie drew her attention to me, and I slapped my hands on the counter.

“I did it!” I leaned forward and practically squealed.

Annie grinned. “Did what?”

I looked around and lowered my voice. “I had no-strings-attached sex. With Logan! And in his jersey too. Oh my god, it was so hot. I’m covering a shift at work, but after that, we’re going to get dinner. Eek!”

Happiness and excitement were pouring out of me.

Annie’s eyes narrowed as she walked around the cash register to join me on the other side. “So let me get this straight: you’ve been going to all his games, wearing his jersey, boning, and you have plans to go on an actual dinner date later.” Her melodic laugh floated into the air. “I hate to break it to you, but I wouldn’t call that no strings, babe.”

I frowned at her. “I haven’t been to all his games.”

When our eyes met, we both dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Her hand touched my arm. “I’m happy for you, I am. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I can handle it,” I said, my voice bitchier than I intended.

Annie’s smile didn’t waver, but her brow crinkled slightly.

“I mean it,” I added, softer this time.

She nodded, but the look in her eyes said she wasn’t convinced.

My back straightened as I exhaled. “I know what I’m doing. I can handle it.”

It was just sex. It didn’t have to mean anything at all.

It felt better to remind myself of that before I let my body get ahead of my brain.

“He’s only here for the offseason, and we both know that. But oh my god ...” I leaned in to whisper. “Trent showed up at the field, and they got into an argument. He called me a cunt, and Logan tackled him. I think my ovaries exploded.”

“Shit, mine too.” Annie pressed a hand to her lower stomach. “Sometimes a little unhinged masculine energy is exactly what the doctor ordered.”

I shrugged with a smile. “Worked on me, although I did feel bad that Logan got benched for the game over it.”

Annie’s shoulder bumped mine. “Sounds to me like you made up for it.”

Heat prickled my cheeks, and my eyelashes swooped to hide my embarrassment.

I glanced at the clock. “Okay, I need to head to work.” I turned to her. “Not that he’s tried to call or anything, but do you think you could ask Lee to subtly drop a hint to Kenny that things are ...”

My hands gestured vaguely in front of me, and Annie nodded. “No worries. Kenny is a big puppy dog, and I think he’ll be just fine. But if it comes up, I’ll have Lee let him down gently.”

I hugged her. “Thanks.”

As I said goodbye to Annie, my phone dinged and my chest pinched. I tried not to be too disappointed that it wasn’t Logan, but my sister Sylvie.

“Hey,” I answered, rushing toward my car.

“Sorry I missed you earlier. Everything okay?” she asked.

“Great,” I answered, buckling myself in and giving my car a minute to warm up.

“I’ve been worried about you.” Sylvie’s voice took on a worried mothering quality that made me smile.

“Me? Why?” I asked as I drove toward Haven Pines.

“MJ ... you met Dad’s other family. Alone. They were surprisingly warm and welcoming? That’s all you’re giving me?”

A pit opened in my stomach. I didn’t want to think about them, let alone tell my sister that just when we thought things with Dad couldn’t get worse, they did.

How do I tell them the full truth without causing more pain?

An ugly, jealous feeling grew anytime I let a thought of Bianca and Blair slip in. It wasn’t fair. Their daddy wasn’t the same imposing, frightening man we had been forced to grow up with. I had always thought the generous, benevolent man was a facade. Turned out, he simply reserved that side of himself for them.

“I don’t know,” I answered with an exasperated sigh. “We can talk about it.”

“Good,” she said. “Why don’t you come to the farm for dinner?”

“Tonight? Um ... I kind of had plans, but?—”

“You can bring Logan. I’d like to officially meet him.”

My brain stopped. How did she ...? So much for Bug not being a gossip.

Dinner at the farm wasn’t just dinner. It was Duke’s grumpy frown, and Sylvie’s meddling questions. It was territory I wasn’t sure Logan and I were ready to step into. Yet the thought of him meeting them didn’t fill me with dread—it filled me with excitement, and that scared me more than anything.

I chewed on my lip. Dinner with my family was flirting with dating territory, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it was a little fun to watch Logan squirm under Duke’s hard stare.

“I’ll ask him, but count me in.” I hung up the phone and gripped the wheel as I made my way toward work.

Once inside, I made quick work of storing my belongings at the nurses’ station.

Supposedly it was a full moon, and while I wasn’t witchy like my brother’s girlfriend, after she’d roped me into participating in a séance that was very eerie, I wouldn’t put it past the universe to mess with me today.

I looked over my files and headed out on my first set of rounds. When I stopped at Arthur’s room, I gently rapped on the door and entered after he greeted me.

“Morning, Mr. Brown,” I singsonged.

“Well,” he greeted. “Now this is a lovely day, isn’t it?”

I smiled. “You sure know how to make a girl feel good, Mr. Brown.”

Arthur set down the book he was reading. “You know you’re my favorite. No reason to hide the plain truth. I just hope my grandson is treating you right.”

A short laugh shot out of me before I could stop it. “Logan and I are—well, he’s been ... very kind to me. We’ve developed a friendship.”

A sparkle of mischief glittered in the old man’s eyes. “If that boy’s keeping you just friends, then he’s dumber than he looks. If I were forty years younger, I’d court you myself.”

I shot him a plain look, trying to hide my smile. “If you were forty years younger, I think I’d have quite the competition.”

We shared a smile as I gathered my courage. “I do have a question for you, though. If I were to have dinner at my sister’s farm and I wanted to ask Logan to come ... that wouldn’t seem like I was looking for anything more than friends, would it?”

“A family dinner is an important thing.” Arthur paused, his wrinkled lips pursing as he seriously considered my question. “If it were anyone else, I think it would be a tough sell, but coming from you, I think all you’d need to do was ask.”

Pleasure washed over me. “Thanks, Mr. Brown.”

As I left, I pulled my phone from the pocket of my scrubs and texted Logan.

Hey, remember that time you called me a hooker?

Logan

Don’t remind me ...

I thought of how you could make it up to me.

Logan

Does it involve my tongue?

My eyes bugged and I looked around. Heat flamed my cheeks as I smiled at the screen.

Sylvie asked me over for dinner at the farm. Want to join me?

Logan

That’s easy. I’d love to. But you didn’t answer my question.

About your tongue? I’ll think about it.