Indestructible (22 page)

Silence hung between us. He closed his eyes slowly as my hands slipped down and wrapped around him. He held me flush against him and buried his face in my hair.

“You really are an angel.”

“No, I’m just a woman in love. And nothing will change that.”

Chapter Fifteen
Frozen

Logan and I lay on the sofa, utterly satisfied. Our naked limbs were tangled together, bodies covered in sweat, clothes strewn across the room. His fingers stroked my hair, my back against his front. I was thankful for his oversized furniture that accommodated us perfectly.

“Before I forget, your car is parked safely in your driveway,” Logan said, surprising me.

I smiled to myself. “Thank you.”

We lay in silence a while longer before he spoke again.

“How was Scout?” he asked, kissing the shell of my ear.

“Good. He likes Julia,” I said in a tranquil whisper.

He tensed. “Julia? I thought Luke was watching him.”

I perked up at the subject at hand, remembering the inquiry Logan had coming and relieved he’d seemed to forget his own about Hilary. “He is, and Julia’s helping.”

“So their Valentine’s date went well, I take it.”

“She didn’t say anything to you?” That didn’t surprise me.

“Not a word, but she rarely does.” His hands added relaxing pressure to my scalp. “I wish she’d focus more on school than boys.”

I relished the massage, but needed to hold my wits. “He likes her—a lot.”

“What’s not to like? My sister’s a doll.”

Before I could say anything, he added with a snicker, “Most of the time.”

A smile curved my lips as I rolled onto my stomach. Half resting over him, I placed my chin in my hands, my elbows against his chest. “She told me about Larry.”

His hands stilled just as they found my back, and after a moment’s pause, he replied, “Our dog?”

“Of course. Is there another Larry?” I teased.

“I was a child, and I hardly remember half the stuff Lawrence goes on about. That’s the only reason Julia even knows about the so-called imaginary friend, which I’m sure she told you about given your tone.”

“I think it’s charming.” I traced my finger over his nipple.

“Liar.”

My giggle couldn’t be contained. “You had an imaginary friend! What’s not cute about that?”

“Can we change the subject, please?”

“No.” I dipped my head and ran my tongue over the ripples of his abs.

“You’re impossible.” He moaned as I continued my ministrations.

“And
you
are adorable. So what was he like?”

“I don’t remember, but our dog was awesome. He was a Great Dane, and terrified everyone that came by—kid
or
adult.”

I lay there enjoying the sound of his husky voice washing over me. The moment was too tender to disrupt it with a firing squad of questions about Mark and Julia, but my curiosity got the best of me.

“So did anything else happen today that I should know about?” Logan asked.

“Actually, your sister said something I wanted to ask you about.”

“Did she now?”

“What did you do to Mark?”

His carefree expression dropped. “
Do?
” He laughed, but it was humorless.

“You forced him to break up with her?” I knew he wouldn’t lie to me, but I was on edge with disappointment.

“No, I did nothing but help the guy.”

My eyes squinted in confusion. “And how did you do that?”

“I pulled a few strings and got him a job in his field that pays triple what he was making before and could lead to a lot of new doors opening for him in the future.”

That wasn’t what I was expecting.

“I don’t understand. Why would that—”

“The job is in Africa,” he added, looking bored.

“Oh.”

“So you can see why my sister wasn’t happy. But nobody forced him to accept the offer. He made his choice.”

“You dangled gold in his face. Of course he took it. Who wouldn’t?” I scooted down and sat at the end of the couch.

“I wouldn’t.” He sat up, gripping my shoulder and turning me to face him. “If given the choice between money and you, I’d choose you without a second thought.”

“Because you
have
money! Mark doesn’t. You can’t even compare the two. And you only did this because he hurt me. It had nothing to do with Julia.”

“Believe it or not, I’d rather be poor with you in my arms than the richest man alive without you.”

Damn it. How could I hold on to my anger when he said things like that?

He pressed his lips to my shoulder.

“You don’t know…Mark might have felt that for Julia if given the time.”

“They dated for months. He made his choice, and one day Julia will see I was looking out for her best interest. Mark is a douchebag. My sister deserves a man that will adore her.”

In spite of myself, I laughed. “Did you just use the word ‘douchebag’?”

He raised a brow. “It seems I did.”

“Wow, you really don’t like him, huh?”

“You already know that answer.”

I did, but I still hated that Julia was suffering because Logan’s perception of Mark was skewed due to my past with him.

“Would you have done this if Mark and I had never dated—if he’d never hurt me?”

“Yes.” His reply was quick, and his next words were genuine. “I met Mark the first time I came to Harmony a few months before I moved here. I know the type of guy he is, and
that’s
why I did it. But because he hurt you, Caleb and I settled something a while ago.”

I winced. “What does that mean?”

“It means Mark knew better than to speak to you at Haven the night you and Hilary came in, and he paid for his mistake.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing for you to worry about. Just know I gave him a chance to fight for my sister, to prove me wrong, and he left her with only a text-message goodbye, dropping blame on me. Not that I mind, as long as he’s out of her life.”

“Maybe he’ll come back for her—save up and return to make things right.” It was doubtful, but I’d always been a hopeless romantic underneath it all.

“And if he does, then he may earn a
crumb
of my respect.”

The whole conversation was exhausting. I didn’t disagree with Logan—Julia
was
better off without Mark. But of course I’d feel that way.

I lay back, resting against his solid form, and tucked my head into the nook of his shoulder. “What about Luke? Will you run him off, too?”

“Should I?”

“He likes her, genuinely, and I know he’ll never hurt her if he can help it. But she’s scared you’ll do something to ruin it if she gives him a chance. That’s not fair, Logan.”

“Her new place is almost ready. I don’t want him spending the night there.”

I smiled, excited to see how the house turned out and whether she loved it. If she did, Logan would lose our bet and become my little whipping boy for a weekend. I still needed to decide what I’d have him do for me.

“So that means you like Luke? You don’t still think he wants in my panties?”

“Caleb speaks highly of him, even as his brother, and Luke’s been a friend to you. So yes, I guess that means I don’t mind him. And I won’t interfere with him dating my sister. As for your panties, he’d be a fool not to want to peek in there but a bigger fool to try.”

Logan’s hand slid between our bodies, cupping my sex. A moan rang from my mouth, and before he could show me all that hand could do, the doorbell rang. Oliver was home.

I searched frantically for my pants, finally finding them and rushing to put them on. Logan was at ease with his, buttoning them casually and handing me my bra.

“Thanks,” I said, my head down, zipping my pants. The bell rang again, but we didn’t move. I dragged my gaze slowly up his smooth, bare chest to meet his soft, hooded eyes.

“We’ll finish this later.”

“Promises, promises.”

Despite the frigid air early Saturday morning, I was outside, wrapped in my bulky sweater Logan had packed. I couldn’t help not minding, though, since it was hidden under a supple red coat he’d surprised me with before we’d left his house. It was made to ski in, and he assured me that by the end of the year he’d have me at his place in Aspen learning to do just that.

Logan helped Oliver out of the car as I stared, blissfully happy. It was our first official date as a couple, and the thought warmed me. We’d been through so much, and there we were, together and in love. Who’d have thought?

“How did you find out about this place?” I asked as I tightened my thick scarf, ready to tackle the winter weather. I headed toward the massive hill before us, carrying a small round sled. The last time I was on a sled, I could barely call myself a teenager, and it was with Hilary on a small hill in her backyard. But this seemed so much better. How I’d lived in Harmony my entire life and never known about the impressive mountain five minutes outside its town limits was both a mystery and a shame.

Logan was beside me, holding Oliver’s hand and dragging two larger sleds behind them.

“I have my connections,” he answered, throwing me a flirty smile and the sexiest wink.

I laughed. “Ah. Caleb told you, huh?”

“Actually, an employee at the paper. Said he brings his kids here every year, so I figured it was worth checking out. Impressed?”

“Very.”

After we reached the top of the hill, Logan placed the long two-rider sled on the ground and held it in place for Oliver and me to climb on. Oliver could hardly sit still waiting for his father to release us. I had to admit that, as I stared down the vast snow-covered hill that felt more like a rollercoaster from my angle, my nerves were buzzing with anticipation.

“You ready?” Logan asked, adjusting his son’s hat to cover his ears fully.

Oliver and I shouted a loud affirmation. Logan leaned in behind me and whispered, “Hold tight, beautiful.”

His lips nipped the back of my ear, but there was no time to reward his sweetness. I had one hand around Oliver’s waist and the other gripping the rope of the sled. We flew down the steep hill, giggling at the unexpected velocity.

My adrenaline spiked as the sled skidded gently to the side and slid to a stop at the bottom of the hill. My laughter was bordering on hysterical.

“That was fun! Again, again!” Oliver gushed, running to the side of the hill and marching back up.

I waited at the bottom, dusting myself off and collecting our sled. The ride was not only exhilarating, but something I already knew I’d be coming back to experience yearly.

My hand blocked the sun from my eyes as I peered up to see Oliver standing at the top of the hill, high-fiving his father.
Wow, he climbed fast!

“Here we come!” Oliver yelled down, his hands circling his mouth to act as a speaker.

I stood to the side, smiling as Oliver climbed onto the other sled with Logan.

It was a picture to behold, which reminded me of the camera I’d brought. I pulled it from my pocket and took picture after picture as they flew down and wiped out at the bottom, laughing madly. The sled landed on top of them, but they didn’t seem even a bit fazed.

Boys.

I walked over just as Oliver jumped up, snow plastered to his snowsuit, and grabbed the rope to the sled. I watched as he struggled to tow it back up with slow trudges, extending my arm down to Logan.

“Need a hand there?” I teased.

“I could use more than that.” He reached up and hauled me down on top of him, ensnaring my lips with his.

“Kids are watching,” I gasped against his warm, relentless mouth.

“And?”

“And your son is waiting. Come on.” I pushed off from his chest, giggling when he dragged me back down for one last peck and rolled me over in a wrestling move before leaping to his feet.

I glared up at him from the cold snow he’d abandoned me in, feigning a pout.

“Well come on, sweetheart. Oliver’s waiting and all.”

I chucked a handful of snow at his boyish grin, which he only laughed at before reaching down and scooping me up.

“What a gentleman,” I purred as he placed me upright on my feet.

“Hurry!” Oliver yelled.

Logan laughed, kissed my hand that was wrapped in his, and grabbed the sled I’d used. He jogged after Oliver with me at his side, relieving his son of dragging the other sled so his little feet could carry him faster back up the hill, where he waited for us at the top.

“I wanna race!” Oliver squealed, hopping down on the round single-seat sled the moment Logan dropped it.

“You’re on.” Logan sat on the other sled, his grip tight on Oliver’s sled beside him. His feet were planted in the snow on either side, holding him in place. “Come on, Cassandra. We have a race to win.”

Until that moment, I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed the fun-spirited Logan I’d gotten to know during the few months we were friends. His eyes twinkled up at me as an impish grin sharpened his features.

The man was everything I would ever want, and the feeling settling into my heart at that little revelation caused my entire body to relax.