Page 33

CHAPTER 31

LOGAN

T he streets were already packed with fans, waving banners and wearing every piece of Dallas Knights gear they could get their hands on. It was loud— really loud. The air buzzed with excitement, the whole city ready to party. But here I was, pacing in the hotel room I’d rented, trying to convince Sloane to come with me to the championship parade. Despite the fact that I’d told her I loved her, despite the fact that I’d been all over her at the hockey games, she still was nervous about being with me on such a public stage…

“I’m not going, Logan,” she said, arms crossed as she leaned against the door. Her eyes flickered with a mix of nerves and something else I couldn’t quite pin down. “Dinners, yes. Hanging with your friends, yes…”

“Front row at the hockey game?”

“No one was looking at me!”

I smirked, and she stuck out her tongue at me. “No one was looking at me until you decided to act crazy.”

I snorted. “I hate to tell you, Red, but everyone is always looking at you.”

She side-eyed me, like that was the craziest thing I’d ever said. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. I wasn’t used to seeing Sloane be so visibly nervous. She usually did her best to hide how she was feeling.

I took it as a good sign that she was letting her walls down right now.

“Come on,” I said, taking a step closer. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You have to be there with me.”

She raised an eyebrow.

I grinned, an idea sparking in my head. “Okay, how about this—we make a bet.”

Her eyes narrowed, a hint of curiosity peeking through the nervousness. “A bet?”

“Yeah. If I make you come , you’ll come with me.”

She raised a shocked eyebrow, obviously not expecting that. “And if you don’t?”

“If I don’t, you don’t come and I don’t go.”

Her mouth dropped. “You don’t go—of course you’re going. This is a huge moment for you. You can’t miss it.”

“Nope. I don’t want to go if you won’t be with me.” I grinned. “Admit it, this is romantic.”

“I’m not going to fake it,” she said, completely ignoring what I’d just said. “Since that would violate your little rule.”

Snorting, I shook my head and began to walk her toward the bed. “I’m such a tyrant, telling you that you’re not allowed to fake orgasms with me.”

A grin briefly split across her lips, and I worshiped the rare glimpse of it like the sun peeking through the clouds.

She stood there, pretending to think about it, but I could see her faltering. Finally, she let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

I snickered. “That was a remarkably hard sale considering it was over an orgasm.”

“Well, this doesn’t feel like it’s a fair deal since inexplicably you make me orgasm every time.”

“Something I’m very proud of,” I said with a smirk.

Sloane fell back on the bed, and I got lost for a second just staring at her. Marry me was insanely on the tip of my tongue, but I choked it back.

Baby steps, Logan .

“Well, get to work,” she said haughtily, pretending like this was such a burden for her, even though I could see the slight tremble of her hands at her sides.

“Mmm, just building up the anticipation,” I purred, my gaze taking her in.

“Let’s get those shorts off you,” I said, finally starting to stalk slowly toward the bed.

She watched me, her navy-blue eyes glimmering in the light. There was a blush to her cheeks already, and her breath was already quickening.

I was definitely going to win.

* * *

SLOANE

“You’re soaking wet already, aren’t you?” Logan rasped as he slid my shorts down my legs.

“Maybe you should check,” I teased, knowing what he would find. Of course, there was already heat building inside me, just from his gaze stroking across my skin.

He threw my shorts over his shoulder, and I held in my shiver as his green eyes gleamed at me.

“You’re beautiful,” I blurted out, wondering if he thought it was weird that that was what came to my mind every time I looked at him.

He smiled, though, and that weird, glittering feeling I got around him spun around in my chest.

His gaze slid down to my legs, and I let my thighs fall open. Logan slowly lowered himself to his knees, his hands massaging my inner thighs as he pushed them even farther apart.

“I love your cunt,” he breathed, his nose skimming through the lace as he inhaled me like I was a decadent treat.

“So you’ve said before,” I whispered, feeling embarrassed about how breathy my voice sounded. It would have been one thing if this was me faking it, but it was definitely a hundred percent real.

I tried to shore myself up, wanting to make it at least a little hard for him, but then he licked through the lining of my panty-covered slit, and I was back to gasping like I’d fallen into heat.

“Pull your knees up to your shoulders,” he growled. “I want to see all of you.”

Locking eyes with him, I slowly pulled my knees up to my chest and then let my legs fall open farther. I was so going to lose this bet. He’d proven every time this wasn’t a fluke.

“Such a good girl,” he purred, and I nearly whimpered in response. His gaze was a mix of possessiveness and hunger…and a little bit of awe as well.

Reaching out, he tore off my panties like they were nothing. Liquid heat gushed out of me, dripping down my ass.

“You like that move, Red?” he asked with a grin.

I gave him my best unimpressed look, even though the evidence of my arousal was impossible to hide.

“Are you going to make me come or not?” I snapped, and he laughed at me like I was a playful kitten trying its best to be big.

Why was the sound of his laugh so freaking sexy?

Logan rubbed his fingers through my folds, lightly at first, as he began to tease me. I tried to rock against him, trying to get more friction.

“Sweetest cunt,” he murmured before he slowly lowered to the floor. His tongue licked once through my folds. “Sweetest girl,” he continued.

A moan slipped from my lips, and I stiffened. Because that had been too easy for him.

Logan softly rimmed my slit with one finger before sliding it inside me.

I loved his fingers. They felt so fucking good. His other hand went to my breast, massaging it just how I liked it. I’d never admit that to him, obviously, but he may have been some kind of genius, capable of mimicking what I liked perfectly just from watching me that one day.

I tried to close my eyes, because the intensity of his stare was making all of it feel even better, but he wasn’t going to have any of that.

“Eyes on me,” he commanded, and I forced my gaze back to him as if his words held secret powers. As I watched, he slid in two more fingers, rubbing against that one spot and making my back arch up from the bed, a mewling cry sounding around the room.

“You and I both know it’s impossible for me to lose this bet. I’ve made it my mission in life to worship you every chance I get. Of course I’m going to make you come.”

“Logan,” I whispered, feeling his words deep in my chest.

And they were making me ache .

His tongue sucked hard on my clit, and another finger pushed in. It felt almost as good as his dick.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me,” he said roughly, before his lips were torturing me again.

“Fuck,” I cried out as I came with a strangled gasp. Wave after wave of pleasure floated through me, and it took me a second to realize that the screams ricocheting around the room…were from me.

I was having trouble remembering my own name as I came back down.

Logan stood up from the floor and then leaned over me on the bed. His lips were shiny from my cum, and I reached up and rubbed it into his skin, wanting to mark him the way it felt like he marked me.

“Fuck, Calloway. You acted like that was going to be hard,” he said with a sexy grin.

I huffed and rolled my eyes before I focused on how his dick was literally trying to burst from his shorts. Reaching out, I was shocked when he slid away.

“Unfortunately, my dick is still a little out of commission,” he said, a bashful note in his voice.

Ah, right. His tattoo. I licked my lips because something about him marking himself like that got me ready to go all over again.

“Maybe I should have just whipped out my dick for you to look at,” he commented.

I pretended to think about it for a moment. “Maybe,” I agreed.

My smile faded as he gazed down at me with a serious look in his eye.

“Tell me why you don’t want to go to the parade today. I know you love my friends…and I know you love me. So what is it?”

I looked away from him, suddenly feeling like I was going to cry.

“What if someone recognizes me,” I whispered. It had happened the other day; we’d been out to dinner, and one of my former clients had stopped at our table. Logan and I had immediately left. “I don’t—I don’t want to embarrass you.”

His body flinched like he’d been shot. “Baby, is that what you think? That I was embarrassed the other night?”

I bit down on my lip. “Who wouldn’t be? I bet some of my…clients will be out there in the crowd. It just feels like it’s always going to happen.”

“I’m not embarrassed, Red. I was just trying not to end up in jail because I’d killed a guy. It makes me crazy thinking of anyone else touching your perfect fucking body. Because you’re mine. It would have been the same no matter who it was. A former high school boyfriend, someone you caught jacking off to your picture—I would have acted the same.”

I studied his face, looking for the lie.

But as usual…I couldn’t find it.

“Okay, I’ll go,” I finally murmured, watching as his face lit up. “But you’re talking crazy again.”

“If it isn’t a little crazy…is it even love?” he asked as he pulled me up from the bed.

* * *

LOGAN

The energy at the parade was electric—fans packed every inch of the streets, shouting and cheering, losing their minds. The noise was deafening, but in the best possible way. We were on top of the world, rolling through downtown Dallas on a float, passing the Stanley Cup back and forth. Sloane was glued to my side, her fingers gripping my hand like I might disappear in the chaos. Even though I could sense her nerves, she was loosening up, smiling more, her eyes wide with the madness unfolding around us.

Ari, already tipsy before we even hit the first turn, climbed up on the edge of the float, balancing a beer in one hand and waving wildly with the other. “I’m king of the world,” he yelled, ripping off his jersey and doing a weird shimmy that had the crowd screaming.

His wife, Blake, was trying— failing —to get him to get off the railing. “Ari, for fuck’s sake, you’re gonna fall off!”

“Angel face, baby lover, I’m invincible!” Ari roared, lifting the beer to his lips and chugging it like a man possessed. The crowd erupted, cheering him on. Blake threw her hands up in defeat, laughing.

“Dallas Knights! Dallas Knights!” Camden and Walker were waving their arms to get the crowd hyped, their wives rolling their eyes but grinning like they’d seen this show before.

Ari jumped off the railing, making a grabby motion with his hands, and he was immediately handed two beers. He nudged me with an elbow. “Think you can handle this?” he asked, nodding at the Cup, gleaming in the sunlight next to us.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” I shot back, grabbing one of the beers from him. We lifted our bottles and clinked them together, then poured the beer straight into the Cup. The crowd went wild.

“Let’s do this,” Ari said, lifting the Cup and tipping it back while he chugged the beer. He finished with foam dripping down his chin, grinning like an idiot, and handed it to me. I followed suit, the beer ice cold and somehow sweeter than it had ever tasted before.

And then—because Ari was Ari—he looked at the float behind us, also loaded with members of the team, and shouted, “Heads up!” before tossing the Cup over to the next float like it was just some casual object instead of a priceless relic.

Knights staff, standing on smaller floats around us, collectively lost their minds. One of them even screamed, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

The Cup sailed through the air for a terrifying split second before Dobbins, one of our wings, caught it, laughing hysterically while the staff members nearly fainted in the background.

I doubled over, laughing so hard I almost spilled the rest of my beer. Ari gave a dramatic bow like he’d just pulled off the greatest stunt of his life, which, knowing him, he probably thought he had.

Sloane tugged on my sleeve, her eyes wide, but there was a smile there now—a real one. “You guys are insane,” she said, her voice half laugh, half shock.

I grinned, feeling the buzz of the beer and the adrenaline from the crowd. “Yeah, but you’re having fun, aren’t you?”

She bit her lip, trying to suppress a smile. “Maybe a little.”

“ Maybe? ” I teased, pulling her closer as another roar went up from the crowd. The guys were still at it—Walker had found a microphone and was trying to lead a round of terribly off-key singing, while Lincoln had his arms wrapped around Monroe, and he was now attempting some kind of wobbly slow dance on top of the float.

Sloane laughed, shaking her head as she leaned into me, finally letting the excitement of it all take over. “All right, fine. I’m having fun. So much fun.”

I gave her a look, one eyebrow raised. “What was that?”

She rolled her eyes. “ I’m having fun , Logan.”

I smirked. “Told you. Now, kiss me before Ari tries to throw me off the float next.”

Sloane rolled her eyes but let me kiss her. I even slipped some tongue action in because I knew it would make her laugh. When I finally released her, we stayed holding hands while she started talking to Olivia.

“Whatcha looking at so hard with those binoculars, Colt?” I asked one of my teammates as he leaned over the railing, on the verge of falling out.

“My future wife,” he murmured, and I blinked, not expecting anything like that from him. Colt was one of my quieter teammates, but he was a fan favorite. Something about his black hair and blue eyes combined with his air of mystery…it made our female fans crazy.

“Sorry, what?”

“My wife,” he said simply, as if he hadn’t said anything crazy. “I’m pretty sure I’ve just found her.”

I glanced at Ari, who was on Colt’s other side, grinning at him like a loon as Colt pulled out his phone and zoomed in on a girl with dark hair with pink streaks that was about two rows back in the crowd.

“Total COT moment,” he mouthed to me over Colt’s shoulder.

I nodded.

Indeed.

* * *

Sloane

The parade had been a moment I would remember for the rest of my life. I hadn’t expected to enjoy it as much as I did, but the energy was contagious. Logan’s grin was wide, infectious, and I found myself caught up in the thrill of it all—cheering fans, confetti flying everywhere, and the sun beating down in that perfect, golden way that makes everything seem brighter than it is. I felt like I could actually let go for a moment. I laughed, I cheered with him, I even let myself dance on the float as the crowd roared for the Dallas Knights.

But then I saw him.

At first, it was just a blur, a figure on the sidewalk, another face in the sea of cheering fans. But then my gaze locked on him—Everett, standing there, staring straight at me. My chest tightened instantly, the familiar chill of fear crawling up my spine. His eyes were dark, cold, the same look that had always made me feel small. My heart lurched. It didn’t matter how much fun I’d been having; seeing him there, in the middle of the celebration, ripped me right out of it.

I froze. For a second, the noise of the crowd faded, drowned out by the thundering of my pulse in my ears. He didn’t move, didn’t wave—just stood there, watching. And that was worse. So much worse.

Because that couldn’t mean anything good for me.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to look away, trying to plaster a smile back on my face. Logan was next to me, laughing, oblivious to the shift inside me. I had to keep it together. He couldn’t know. I couldn’t let this ruin the day for him.

But it was like the air had changed around me, everything suddenly too bright, too loud, too much. The float kept moving forward, but I was stuck in my head, trapped in the knowledge that my uncle was there, watching. Waiting.

I tried to fake it—tried to keep smiling, laughing when Logan cracked a joke, nodding when he said something to the crowd. But my chest felt tight, like I couldn’t get a full breath.

Logan caught my eye at one point, his grin fading as his gaze sharpened. He knew me too well. He could tell something had shifted.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice soft but concerned, leaning in so I could hear him over the noise.

I forced a smile, hoping it was convincing enough. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…tired.”

His eyes stayed on me for a beat too long, and I knew he wasn’t buying it. But he didn’t push. Instead, he just nodded, but there was something behind it, something quiet but steady. “You know,” he said, his tone almost casual, but not quite, “someday I’m gonna earn your trust enough to know your secrets.”

The words hit harder than I wanted them to. I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to look away, pretending to be caught up in the crowd again. But I couldn’t shake what he said.

He’d already earned my trust, more than anyone else ever had. But there were things—things too deep, too painful—that I didn’t know how to share. Things that I wasn’t ready to let go of. Not yet.

Because they would ruin everything.