I'm surrounded by warmth and when I try to burrow deeper into it, my body aches with the slightest of movements. I groan and try to swallow, but my throat is dry and sore.
What the hell happened to me?
My mind tries to recall the events before I obviously fell asleep, and when I remember my evening with Logan–the pizza, the talk, my meltdown–I groan louder.
“Quiet, you.” Logan's whisper, mere inches from my ear, startles me. When my eyes pop open and I lift my head, I find myself lying prone on his body, staring into his sleepy blue eyes.
“Oh my God, I'm so sorry.” I start to scramble off him but his arms wrap around my back, causing me to still.
“Stop. Moving.” He says again. Not quite a whisper, but low and deliberate.
I barely shift and feel a solid bulge press into my upper thigh. I freeze and meet his gaze to find his brow lifted, a slight grin on his lips.
“Yeah. That.”
I can't help but snort with laughter as I lower my face onto his chest. I hear Stormi's snores and figure she must be on her bed. Logan starts my back in a soothing motion.
“How ya doing?”
I look up at him and see the concern in his eyes. “Tired. Further embarrassed. And I need to pee.”
“Well then, better take care of that. Think you can carefully extract yourself from this position?”
“I'll do my best, Sarge.”
He chuckles while I plant my arms on the couch, pushing up to give myself leverage. I then move one leg down to the floor and manage to remove my body–although reluctantly–from his. It takes a moment for me to straighten and get my bearings. Logan slowly sits as I stretch and groan some more. When I look at him, he's watching intently, scanning my body. I look down at myself and realize with my arms stretched above my head, my sweater has risen to give him a peek at my abdomen.
“Sexy,” he says. I simply grin and try not to stare at his groin. “Hey, woman, get to the bathroom. Give me a chance to calm down.”
“Yes, sir,” I tease, giving him a mock salute before turning on my heel. I hear his chuckle as I pad down the hall to the guest bathroom. Turning on the light, my reflection in the mirror greets me and I groan at my haggard appearance.
“You're beautiful,” I hear Logan say. “Now do your business so I can go.”
I laugh while shaking my head as I close the door. I do indeed take care of business and wash up, splashing cool water on my face and patting it dry. I find a brush in the drawer and untangle my mop. Looking mostly presentable, I return to the living room.
“Your tur–” I stop in my tracks as I now watch Logan stretch, still seeing the impressive package he's sporting. When I meet his gaze, his mouth twitches and his eyes light up.
“Like what you see?”
“I sure do.”
He drops his arms and walks my way, keeping his eyes locked on mine. When he reaches me, he gently frames my face and presses me against the wall before taking my mouth. His kiss is tender and languid yet all-consuming, and I simply let him take his fill. It's dizzying and wonderful, yet all-too-soon, his mouth releases mine, and I want to whimper at the loss. My body remains frozen and my eyes closed as I feel his breath ghost over my face.
“Open your eyes, beautiful.”
“I can't,” I whisper. “Because if I do, I'll see those gorgeous, smoldering eyes of yours and want to do dirty deeds with you.”
He laughs, making me smile. “Hold that thought.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead before I feel his loss. I open my eyes to watch him as he walks to the bathroom then shuts the door. I release a sigh and push myself off the wall, heading for the kitchen. I read the time on Mom's wall clock, shocked that it's nearly 10PM.
“Holy cow! I zonked out on the man for nearly three hours.” I turn at the sound of Stormi shifting in her bed, barely opening her eyes before she's snoring again. “Good thing I fed you before he came over,” I whisper.
I start cleaning up the kitchen, disposing of the partially eaten slices from our plates, and slipping the uneaten pizza and root beer into the fridge. I pour out the bottles of opened drinks into the sink and go to put them into the recycling bin in the garage. When I return to the kitchen, Logan's walking in, looking less aroused.
Pity me.
“Need some help?”
“Nah, all done. Wasn't sure if you wanted anymore. I can pull it back out if you want. Or I can make some coffee? Anything?”
He smiles and shakes his head. “I'm good. Coffee will only keep me awake and I've got an early shift.”
“Oh, shit, I'm so sorry! I–”
“Hey, relax.” He steps to me, placing his hands on my arms. “Nothing to be sorry for.”
“Like hell. Last night did not go at all like I thought it would. I basically fell apart in front of you then proceeded to keep you trapped here for longer than you expected, I'm sure.”
He shakes his head. “I didn't feel trapped. Nowhere else I would've rather been.” When I snort, he only grins. “Seriously, Piper, I'm glad I was here for you.”
I place my hands on his chest, wishing I could anchor my fingers in his shirt and pull him toward my room so he'd stay all night. Too soon? I keep telling myself, probably... yet, it doesn't feel that way.
“You need to relax that mind of yours.”
“Yeah, easier said than done.”
“Try.” He leans in to place another kiss on my forehead, and while I think that's sweet, I'd be lying if I wasn't disappointed, wishing he was ready to ravage my mouth again. “And stop looking like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you're about to either cry or spit venom because I'm getting ready to leave.”
“You're leaving?” I squeak. He chuckles and I clear my throat. “I mean, sure. Of course. You've got an early shift. You need to rest. Can't keep you up–”
He silences me by doing exactly what I had hoped he would. He plants his lips on mine and gives me a hot, open-mouthed kiss that literally makes my toes curl in my socks and my sex ache with need.
“Happy now?” He growls against my mouth.
“Nope,” I chuckle. “I'd be happy if we were naked in my bed.”
“Damn, woman, you really do intend to kill me, don't you?”
“Not at all. You're no good to me then.”
Logan throws his head back and laughs, making me smile. At that moment, Stormi rouses from her bed and lumbers over, trying to insert herself between our legs.
“Guess this means you need to go out?” At that, she sprints for the door. “Fine,” I playfully grumble.
Logan releases me and chuckles. “I'll get my gear on and take care of her so you don't have to bundle up.”
“It's fine. You need to get going and I don't want to hold you up.”
“You're not. Relax.”
I nod and take advantage of his kind offer. Once he gets his coat on, he and Stormi step out into the night while I wait on the porch. Security lights provide enough illumination to see my girl doesn't go far to take care of business before she's scampering back, heading straight for the door.
“Aren't you even going to thank Logan and say good night?” I say to her. She cocks her head and whines before looking at Logan. He steps to her and gives her a rub on the head.
“'Night Stormi-girl. Watch out for your mom until I get back.”
I give him a curious stare as I blindly open the door to let her back inside. “What's that supposed to mean? Why do I need watching out for and when are you getting back? Are you going somewhere again?”
“Just a figure of speech, oh literal one. And the only place I'm going is home, to sleep, and dream about you. Probably going to be a wet dream.”
I sputter with laughter and it takes me a moment to respond. “Well if you stayed, I'd be happy to help you out with that.”
He steps to me, pressing his body to mine and lifting my chin. “Piper, there will come a time when we will find ourselves in bed together, and as much as I want you right now, I don't think tonight's the night.”
“But–”
He presses a finger to my lips, cutting off my rebuttal. “Let's spend more time together getting to know each other better.” He drops his hand and remains close.
“I'd say after tonight you know about all there is to know about me.”
“Not all. I know about your past, but what about your future? I'm not looking for a few days or weeks' worth of fun. I'm looking for more.” My eyes widen as he presses on. “And besides, I haven't had a chance to spill my guts to you. Maybe you won't like what you hear.”
“Doubtful.”
He grins. “I work the next three days and then I'm lucky enough to have the following three off. Barring any emergencies, that is. How about dinner every night? We spend that time together getting to know one another, and see what's in store for the holidays?” I simply nod and he continues. “Besides, I still have that stove to look at.” He winks.
I chuckle. “Oh, right, well, I meant to tell you I went ahead and purchased another. It's being delivered tomorrow. Two burners went out as well and it's ten years old.”
“Great. That means I'm guaranteed dinner.” He smiles.
“Ha! I never said anything about cooking.”
“I'm teasing.” He rubs his nose against mine. “Just so happens I enjoy cooking, so I'm happy to bring the fixings for a meal or two.”
“I'll let you plan then. I'm better with breads and desserts.”
“It's a deal.” He kisses my nose and lifts his head. “Now, to ask a favor.” I raise my brow at him in question. “You think about what you'd like for your future.”
“As in, beyond the next few weeks?”
“As in, for the rest of your life.” My breath catches but he continues. “As for the immediate future, how about we spend Christmas Eve with our moms? Maybe Christmas together? Or the other way around?”
“Yeah?” My voice sounds dreamier than I'd intended. “What about other family?”
He shakes his head. “Don't have any in the area.” He takes a step back but keeps a hold of my hands. “There's only three ladies I'm concerned about.” Logan smiles and kisses my knuckles. “How much time off from your job had you planned?”
“Indefinite. Told my boss I wasn't sure what Mom's condition would be or how her recovery would go. She needs me, and... and I'm nowhere near ready to leave.”
“I like the sound of that. Maybe I'll convince you this is right where you belong.”
I remain quiet, unsure of how to answer. Do I want that? Probably. Mom needs me. I told her I'd always be here for her. I can't even think about moving her away.
“Hey,” Logan says softly, pulling me to him once again. “Give your mind a rest and just follow your heart. It won't steer you wrong.” He gives me a quick kiss before he releases me and takes a step back. “Go inside and get warm. I'll see you tomorrow.”
I smile and nod. “Good night, Logan.”
“G'night, Piper.” He winks and turns.
I watch him go to his vehicle and drive down the lane before I head inside. Locking the door, I check on Stormi to see she's sleeping just fine, then I turn off the lights and head to my room. Despite the unplanned snooze atop Logan, I'm beat. With just enough energy to brush my teeth, I complete that before stripping and collapsing into bed.
Hopefully, my mind will relax for the night, allowing me to rest.
The next several days will bring plenty to think about.