His mouth came over mine and just like the first kiss we shared in this bathroom he didn’t start slow and tease—he raided. He didn’t coax—he demanded. And just like every kiss since then, it was aggressive, insistent, commanding. And like always I willfully followed every glide, every stroke, every brush until I was lost in sensation.
I was so enthralled with our kiss I missed him pulling up my skirt and his hand going into my panties.
“Wet,” he mumbled against my lips. “Hop up, baby.”
I did as I was told and felt the tip of his erection nudging my entrance. I guess I missed him unbuckling his pants, too. What could I say, Logan was good with his mouth. I tended to lose track when he was kissing me.
“Push your panties to the side for me.”
My hand was still between my legs when he drove his hips forward and filled me.
“Logan,” I whispered.
“I never thought it possible,” he returned my whisper.
“Thought what was possible?”
“To love someone so much you’d give up oxygen to keep them.”
I smiled against his lips and said, “You’ve got super shitty timing, honey. When you say sweet stuff like that it puts me in the mood to give you my mouth. But there’s zero chance of my knees ever touching a bathroom floor.”
“Later.”
“We’ll see.”
“Yeah, Ren, we will see what you look like sucking me off in our bed.”
“Whatever.”
“Baby?”
“Yeah?”
“Love you.”
After that Logan kissed me.
And all rational thought fled.
32
Matthew Kessler
“We need more champagne.”
If it had been anyone but Quinn I would’ve said no but I had a soft spot for the spitfire. Quinn Lancaster amused me. She was bold and said whatever popped into her head even if she knew it was going to piss her brother, cousins, dad, or husband off. She didn’t back down from anyone. I admired that. But she also knew when to admit she was wrong.
Brice was one lucky sonofabitch.
“I think you need water,” I teased, already slipping off my bar stool.
“Brice is driving,” she slurred. “And this is my last hurray, or is it hoorah?”
“Why is this your last hoorah?”
“Because starting next week we’re trying for a baby. And Brice has bionic swimmers.” She wagged her eyebrows, nodded her head, and smiled.
The girl was crazy.
“I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.”
“I don’t need luck. I have super sperm.”
“Right. Please don’t ever talk about your husband’s sperm to me again.”
“Why are men so touchy about their penises?”
“Girl, we’re not touchy about our penises, we’re touchy about discussing other men’s penises. Specifically other men’s sperm.”
Quinn busted out laughing and threw her hand out to balance herself on the bar.
“We have a lot to celebrate.” Quinn changed topics, thank God.
“Yup.”
“Will you have something to celebrate soon?”
“Um. You’re sittin’ in my brand new bar, drinking my booze. I thought we were already celebrating me.”
Her nose crinkled and she leaned in close. “We are celebrating the bar. The bar is awesome. I love the bar. But I was talking about you celebrating a woman.”
I felt my lips twitch and I returned her conversational stage whisper. “Fear not, Quinn, I celebrate women all the time.”
Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head.
What? She brought it up.
“Thought you wanted more champagne,” I prompted.
“Oh. Right. Yes, please.”
Yep, Brice was lucky. So were Brady, Trey, Drake, Luke, and the newly engaged Logan. I never thought I’d see my friend date a woman, let alone fall in love and get married. If any of us deserved to be happy, it was Logan. He and Brady both had shitty childhoods. Scratch that—horror-filled childhoods. A nightmare’s nightmare of fathers.
I made my way to the back room when I heard a muffled cry. I turned back and looked around the bar, tallying the couples to make sure I didn’t walk into something that would lead to years of awkwardness. Everyone was accounted for but Addy’s friend Chelsea. I hadn’t opened to the public yet and double-checked the front door was locked after Trey had let everyone in.
What the hell?
I walked deeper down the hall and heard it again. When I rounded the corner I saw her. Pretty, long brown hair curtained around her equally pretty dipped-down face. Both hands up covering her mouth. Ass against the wall but she was bent slightly at the waist and her shoulders were shaking.
Fuck. This was the only time I didn’t know what to do with a woman. When the tears started I bailed. Not because I was an ass, but crying women scared the hell out of me.
Chelsea’s head came up, I saw her suck in a breath, and she straightened. Red-rimmed startled eyes came to me and I stopped breathing.
Many times I contemplated asking Chelsea out but she was Addy’s friend. Actually, she was close to all of the women. If things went bad, it would be awkward so I’d steered clear. Though right then with her flushed face and wounded eyes I couldn’t remember why.
“Should I get Addy for you?”
“No. Please don’t bother her.”
“Doubt Addy would think it’s a bother seeing as you’re cryin’.”
Chelsea’s back snapped straight and her shoulders stiffened.
“I’m not cryin’.”
“All right.”
“I’m not,” she snapped.
Whatever you say, sweetheart.
“Do you wanna use the bathroom in my office to wash up?”
Wounded turned to cynical in one-point-two seconds.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“Come again?”
“You normally avoid me. Why are you being nice?”
What the hell?
“Are you sure you’re not mixin’ me up with someone else?”
“No, Matthew, I’m not mixing anything up. Anytime I’m around you avoid me.”
“Are you drunk?”
Those chocolatey brown eyes I’d thought way too much about got squinty and one hand went to her hip. Maybe she’d spent too much time with the women of TC; she had their signature pissed-off pose down pat.
“No, I’m not drunk. But I wanna know what I did to make you walk out of a room every time I enter it.”
Because you make me forget all the reasons why I can’t touch you.
“Alright. You first; tell me why you’re crying.”
“So you admit it,” she pushed.
“Sure, I’ll play along and admit I avoid you if you tell me why you’re standing in the back room of my bar by yourself, cryin’.”
Her hand came off her hip and in an unfortunate twist, she crossed her arms in front of her which only exaggerated her cleavage.
“My sponsor called to inform me they’re pulling their money for the next season. And right after that, I got a call from my ex telling me I have two days to move my horses off his property because his new woman doesn’t like the smell of horse shit. Forget that I have a lease and rent his property. So now I’ve gotta find a new place to board my babies that doesn’t cost a fortune because the only thing Todd was ever good for was the discount on the use of his barn.” Chelsea sucked in a breath and said, “Your turn.”