Page 30 of Meet Me in the Valley (Oakwood Valley #2)

Chapter Twenty-One

LOGAN

I’d say the show was amazing. Unforgettable.

“An explosion of energy and artistry so intense, you’ll be electrified from start to finish,” as the critics say.

Except my eyes couldn’t pull away from the awestruck expression on Tia’s face the entire time.

Like a kid on Christmas morning, the whites of her eyes shined brighter, a literal sparkle flickering within her pupils.

The wonder and admiration for her big sister was rolling off her in waves, and I simply couldn’t look away.

She looked so damn happy it made my chest ache.

We heard through a few locals we’d met outside the theater that the dancers frequent the hotel nightclub Verve, which primarily plays electronic dance music.

Tia and I have been to our fair share of music festivals, from Austin City Limits to Coachella; sharing the same taste in music is one of the many reasons we have always been close.

More often than not, I spent more time listening to records in Tia’s dorm room as we pulled all nighters for assignments.

It’s where we grew our love for Stevie Wonder to My Chemical Romance and everything in between.

Since living in the live music capital of the world, some of our favorite things to do together was to discover new artists at a dive bar, buy tickets to random concerts on a weeknight, and eat ice cream as we stumbled upon street musicians busking for tips.

I watch Tia pull the lever on the slot machine as the lights flash and the dials turn rapidly, a blur of bright colors reflecting off her eyes. Tia was hesitant to go to the nightclub tonight. I knew it had nothing to do with the actual club and everything to do with Nora.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to Verve? We might run into her there. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

“I’m not prepared to see her tonight. I mean, reunite with her since technically I’ve already seen her. Besides, I’m having fun and the plan is to go to her place tomorrow.” She pulls the lever again, eyes wide with giddiness.

I know Tia is deflecting, but I don’t push her. Not yet. Tia has always been a head-first type person in everything she does. It’s something that’s drawn me to her from the start. Her unapologetic nature and the tenacity she carries, alongside a killer smile and personality.

Since learning about her mother’s diagnosis, there’s been a layer of hesitancy clinging to Tia, and I know it’s thrown her off her axis. It’s not only unfamiliar to her, but to me, too. There’s a lot of murky water we have to wade through, but I’m confident I can lead her to something safe.

If she wants to mentally check out tonight and face her sister tomorrow, fine by me.

“I swear these are rigged,” I huff, pulling my lever for yet another loss. I roll my eyes, inserting more nickels from the souvenir Vermillion Sands hotel plastic cup. Tia just laughs without a care, happy to waste away money with me.

“Of course they’re rigged, but it’s so addicting I can’t stop!”

“As long as it makes you happy, T,” I laugh, spinning in my stool to face her completely.

Everything about her tonight has me damned near holding my breath. She’s almost too beautiful to look at.

I allow myself to really take her in; she’s draped over her stool, legs crossed at the ankles, her silk black dress that’s sin personified rising a little higher on her thigh.

Her skin is perfectly bronzed from our summer in California.

Onyx hair cascades down the open back of her dress, the ends barely skimming the small of her back.

And her breasts—my god. My mouth waters as my gaze caresses her every curve.

How I’ve never noticed her in this way for so many years is beyond me, but I’m glad I’m finally coming to my damn senses.

This woman had me on my goddamn knees, spilling out words I didn’t even know I could form, confessing my heart’s deepest desires like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Well, because it is.

It’s easy being with T. It always has been. But that kiss. Fuck, that kiss changed my life. No kiss can compare to the way Tia’s lips formed perfectly against mine. Her lips were made for me, and her taste is equally addicting.

But there’s still that niggling of doubt that lingers over me.

“No games. Promise me, Lo.”

My night with Krista is a blade of guilt, still lodged deep beneath my skin. I haven’t pulled it out yet—maybe because I’m scared of what’ll come bleeding out if I do.

The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind. Tia’s mine. I finally stopped being such a coward about it, and that changes everything. But the thing is, we’ve never had secrets between us. And now I’m carrying one that could ruin everything we just started.

If I’m going to do this boyfriend thing the right way, I have to tell her about last night.

Abandoning my machine, I come up behind her and lift her out of her stool.

She protests for a minute until I take her place and settle her on my lap.

She hums with approval, leaning back against me.

Her citrus scent floods my senses, and I take a deep inhale into the crook of her neck, kissing the skin there.

I’m growing hard beneath her, and the minx knows it, wiggling her ass over my groin and feigning innocence when I grip her smooth thighs.

“Mmm, you know what? This isn’t fun anymore. I want you to finish what you started earlier,” Tia murmurs. Her ass presses deeper into me as my hands creep their way up her dress as if they have a mind of their own.

“I can absolutely do that.” I nip her earlobe, then suck. “But first, we need to talk about something,” I whisper low in her ear as she pulls the lever again. Once the slots turn and she loses—again—she angles her body toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck, making herself at home on my lap.

I need to reel it in before I get arrested for public indecency. As much as I’d love to rail my woman against a slot machine, there are more important conversations to be had.

“What is it?” she purrs.

I wrap my arms tight around her waist as if I can get any closer. Her fingers play with the hair at my nape, all the while she looks at me like I’m the best thing in her life. The knots in my stomach tighten, but I need to muster the courage to tell her about Krista.

It’s the right thing to do.

“Last night, I?—”

Tia’s whole body stiffens. I can feel her breathing stop. Her eyes are no longer on mine, but blown wide and peering out into the distance. The color in her cheeks pales in an instant, the pink in her lips gone. She’s trembling in my arms even though I’ve got my body pressed against hers.

“T?” I’m met with silence.

Looking over my shoulder to follow her gaze, I scan the casino in a frenzy until my eyes lock on what’s got my girl in a tailspin.

“Oh, shit.”

Nora.

I’ve always loved the way Tia told a story. Especially when she gets really into it. Her hands flail and her face runs through a million different expressions. You can’t help but lock in on what she’s saying.

I watch her across the room from the casino bar, sipping a gin and tonic as she has an intimate conversation with her sister. Hands flailing and all.

Seeing Nora this weekend was the plan. Seeing Nora tonight after the show was not. Tia was adamant about not seeking her out tonight, but fate clearly had other plans.

I wanted to give her privacy, a moment to reunite with her without me there. She resisted at first, but relented when I kissed her hard, reassuring her I’d be close by.

“Hi.”

A woman with fire-engine red hair and a petite figure slides onto the empty barstool next to me.

She’s pretty with a sweet smile, and her face seems clear of heavy makeup that seems to soften her edgy hair.

She looks honest, a real straight shooter.

Her short white dress and tiny veil on her head is a dead give away she’s getting married, if the sash draped around her with “bride” in gold letters didn’t make it obvious already.

“Hello. Congratulations, by the way,” I reply, nodding my chin to her sash.

“Thank you! He’s my high school sweetheart.

I’m Alyssa, by the way. And my maid of honor over there?

” She points to a woman a few barstools down in a royal blue dress and a pair of strappy heels that go up half the leg.

Her impressive cleavage spills out of her dress—one wrong move and her tits will be on display for everyone to see.

“Her name is Melody. She thinks you’re really hot. So do the rest of my bridesmaids.”

“Oh, well, that’s nice.”

“What’s your name?” Alyssa asks, taking large gulps of some bright blue slushy drink with a swirly straw.

I clear my throat. “Logan.”

Usually, I’d follow up this conversation by asking where the rest of her pretty friends are, and buy them a round of shots.

Hell, if the bride herself came onto me with the whole, “I’m looking for one last hurrah before I marry and have sex with the same man for the rest of my life” spiel, I would have happily given her a night she’d never forget.

I’d probably even make my rounds through the bridesmaids because the old me could never let them go without giving them some attention.

But the new Logan, the one who is falling hopelessly in love with his best friend, fends off women like this. Temptation in a tight fitting dress with a great rack is no match for me anymore.

“Melody! Girls! Come here!” Alyssa calls out to her friend.

“Alyssa? I’m spoken for.” The second those words leave my mouth, my chest swells with immense pride. It’s a foreign feeling, but I welcome it and let the happiness I feel wash over me.

Alyssa’s eyes bulge out as she takes deeper swigs from her blue drink. I swirl the ice in my tumbler, sneaking a glance at Tia who’s still in deep conversation with Nora.