The Truth of the Body (Templer Series) (9 page)

***

As we pull the curtain back, Logan is attempting to get out of bed. He winces holding onto his side. The doctor scowls at him. “What are you trying to do, Major Grant?” She snaps at him, frustrated.

“What does it look like? Discharge me. I want out of here.” He growls. He eyes me as I push past the doctor, throwing me a lop-sided smile.

I raise an eyebrow pointing for him to get back into the bed. He remains sat on the edge of the Emergency room mattress. He shakes his head defiantly at me. I look to Drew for back up but he shrugs laughing.

“I think Logan will be coming home with us, Doctor. My physician will take care of him there.” He
nods to her. She sighs, pulling the curtain around us.

As I hear her walk away, I throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tight. He winces again but lets me hold him. He plants a
chaste kiss on my forehead before gently pushing me away from him. He turns to Drew, his face suddenly hard.

“It was fucking Clark all along. But he
is not alone in this. I caught him talking to someone on his mobile as I entered the kitchen. Then he swung at me with a knife and you know the rest.”

Drew listens quietly before responding. “He
is with DCI Radcliffe and his team now. Hopefully he will squeal and make it easier on himself. I don’t know how to thank you enough for protecting Amber. But I have a couple of ideas. But that is for later.” He stretches out his hand towards Logan.

They shake hands as I crawl onto the other side of the bed. I nuzzle up to Logan. He sighs deeply turning slowly turning his body towards me. “You are still a pain in my ass, you know that, don’t you?”

I nod, smiling and planting another kiss on his cheek. He scowls at me one last time eyeing Drew as he does so. Drew laughs, shaking his head.

“Tilly and I will wait in the car. Logan, I suggest you make life easier for yourself and kiss my sister back. It doesn’t look like she
is going down without a fight…..and you are in no fit state to argue.”

He grabs Tilly’s hand pulling her away from the emergency room, before turning to throw Logan a wink.

Chapter Eighteen

Seventy Two Hours Later

Clark did squeal. He bought a deal to lessen his potential sentence time in return for testifying against his two co-conspirators, Matt Price and
Eva Price, mother and stepson. Eva Price is my own flesh and blood. She is my bitch mother who left us when I was barely out of nappies. When she left our father and ran off with his best friend, she sought a better life….adventure. What she got, we have learned over the last three days, was an alcoholic new husband and a stepson. When her husband drank himself into an early grave, she became consumed with bitterness and jealousy as she read in the papers of the successes of her children, in particular Drew and Jake.

The handwritten pink envelopes were all her idea. The only time I will ever see my own mother’s handwriting.
Nice touch, mother….

I should feel something, I suppose. All I feel is numb
. But still, in time, there will be a court trial, and I am not looking forward to that. For now though, for today, I have the only people I need in my life….my brothers, and Tilly and Mia, and Logan.

***

I try not to spill the contents of the breakfast tray as I stagger up the stairs under the weight of the tray. Damn, Logan can eat! Jenny, the housekeeper, offered to help me cook the breakfast but I stood my ground. I will look after my man.

I kick the door open and clatter my way across the dimly lit room before dropping the loaded tray at the foot of the bed. He stirs, bleary eyed, and instantly raises an eyebrow. I pull the curtains to let in the light and bounce across the kiss his handsome sleepy face.

He winces himself into a sitting position, first looking at me and then the breakfast tray. He throws me a lop-sided smile before speaking.

“Please tell me Jenny cooked it, and not you, baby.” He groans, fisting his eyes awake.

I lean into him cuffing the back of his head
. I stand, frowning, with my hands on my hips. “What is wrong with my cooking?”

He laughs, shifting out of my reach, avoiding another swipe of my hand. “Baby, you are talented in many ways…..in all the right ways” He smirks
“But your cooking is worse than military rations…..I’m recovering here. Spare me please!”

I march across to the end of the bed. I look down at the breakfast tray, lovingly prepared by my own fair hands.
Yes, the scrambled eggs do look slightly overcooked (
why are you feeding the poor man loft insulation? Jake had said as I piled it on the plate
) and, yes, the bacon maybe should have come out of the grill sooner (
Is this bacon? Drew had laughed as a piece had shattered in his fingers
). I look at the sorry sight before dissolving into giggles.

“I
will get Jenny to knock you up something decent. But when I get back, Logan Grant, you had better make it up to me for that comment!” I mock scowl at him, heading out the door.

“How?” He laughs, shouting after me.

***

We finish the last bites of the croissants, eggs and bacon that Jenny has expertly cooked. I place the breakfast tray on the dresser and take a slow walk towards my man. He watches me as I begin to disrobe layer by layer maintaining eye contact with him as I peel each item of clothing from my body.

I reach across, flicking the lock on the door, before sliding myself up from the end of the bed very slowly inch by inch until I am straddling his thighs. I see his cock twitch and grow harder as I lick my lips still maintaining eye contact. I take his thumb and use it to circle my clit before stroking it through my folds. I lift it to my mouth and suck it long and slow. He groans deep in his throat. He tries to touch me but I bat him away shaking my head softly, smiling suggestively at him.

I take both of his hands, interlock our fingers, as I work him
stroking my breasts, using his fingers to tease and pull at each nipple. As they tighten to his touch, I sigh out a moan of pleasure. I smile as his pupils dilate with desire. Still interlocked with our hands, I slide his fingers down my body, reaching my sex. Taking one of his fingers and one of my own, I insert them into my sex, plunging in and out, repeating the action.

“This is so fucking hot, Amber” He groans, rolling his head onto the bedstead. Taking his other hand, I use him to roll my clit between his fingers. I arch into his touch, increasing the intensity of the motion.

I release his hands, taking his erection into my hand, gently fisting him while using the head to stroke my clit. His hips buck in pleasure, his mouth releasing moan after moan.

As I feel the pull in my stomach, my thighs tightening and the build of my release drawing closer, I fist him quicker now before sinking onto him, pushing his cock full into me. I interlock my hands with his as I begin to ride his cock, rubbing my clit against his pubic mound.

He is matching me pace for pace now as we thrust and grind together. I am close. “I love you inside me, Logan” I cry out as we lock eye contact.

He groans deeper now, his eyes hooded and dark. “
Fuck, baby….I’m nearly there…..” He thrusts upwards increasing the pace as I grind harder against him as my release shatters through me, unknowingly crying out “I love you, Logan!”

He jerks his hips one last thrust before crying out his own release.

We pant out our come down before I slide myself off him, crawling across the bed. I suddenly realise what I heard myself say as my orgasm took me over. And although it is very true, and I meant it, I know it is too early for him.

I begin to fetch up my clothes from the floor, feeling vulnerable and exposed. I can feel his eyes on my back
as I slowly begin to dress.

“Amber, would you come here please.” He beckons. I shake my head softly, still not daring to face him. I don’t want to hear him say it
is too soon. “Amber, get your sexy ass over here now!”

I startle, turning to face him. He holds out a singular hand, beckoning my closer. “I said, come here please” He gestures to the space beside him.

I walk across and sit myself down next to him on the bed. He tilts up my chin to look at him, eye to eye.

“You
are still a pain in my ass” He shakes his head, smiling. “But damn it, I love you, Amber Templer.”

Chapter Nineteen

Drew and Jake are in the kitchen as we enter some time later. They exchange knowing looks with each other before nodding a greeting to Logan.  Mia and Tilly are on a conference call with a designer regarding Tilly’s wedding dress. There are sounds of squeals and excited chatter coming from the direction of Drew’s study. Both my brothers are staying well out of the way
as instructed.

Logan clears his throat before addressing Drew and Jake. He places a hand gently on the nape of my neck
, squeezing lightly, before speaking. “I think I need to talk to your brothers, Amber. Will you give us a minute?”

Jake winks at Drew. He laughs. “I suppose we do need a chat. Especially now you are technically unemployed now. After all, you can’t be a body guard to our sister if you
are sleeping with her.”

“Jake!” I scowl, embarrassed, my face flushing
instantly.

Logan shakes his head, a wide smile growing across his face. He crosses his arms across his chest and leans his large frame against the kitchen worktop. “I guess you
are right there. I was planning to quit anyway after we nailed the bastard as I don’t plan to stop sleeping with Amber any time soon.”

Drew and Jake nod together. Drew speaks slowly. “So are
you here for the long haul?”

Logan smiles in my direction as I peek up at him. “I am. Yes.”

Drew strolls across to me, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head. “Then, Amber, you need to leave us for a minute. Jake and I have a proposition for your man.”

I nod nervously. I pull out my mobile, thumbing through the contacts. “I’ll be in the living room. I said I would call Aiden sometime today.
”

Logan steps forward, tilting my chin up to his face, a playful scowl in his eyes. “You breaking my heart already, baby?”

I laugh and bat him away as I walk out of the kitchen. I wink turning away from him. “Just keeping my options open and keeping you on your toes, Major.” I throw him a playful salute.

***

I hear the deep sigh before he speaks. “So you
are all loved up with the Major? I can’t believe I missed my chance.” Aiden grumbles playfully.

I laugh. “Well, someone had to take on the miserable sod. But I do love him, Aiden.”

“But does he love you? Is there a chance for me yet?” He returns my laughter.

“Yeah, he does. But I don’t know what happens from here. He
is in the kitchen talking to my brothers now. They have a proposal for him. Anyway, how are things with you? Apart from crushing over me…..any other women in your life?”

He sighs deeply again. “Only you, Amber. Unless you can get Mia to swing me a date with Sapphire that is?”
He chuckles.

“Oh! She
is coming to Tilly and Drew’s wedding next month. You must come. Please say you will.”

Aiden groans loudly. “You, Mia Fox and Sapphire in the same room. Sounds like guy heaven. I
will be there, for sure.”

“Cool. Now stop stalking me and piss off. I
will see you at the wedding.” I blow him a playful kiss down the phone and cut the call.

***

Jake, Drew and Logan stumble out of the kitchen, laughter shaking at their bodies. I raise an eyebrow, cocking my head to the side.

“What is the joke?” I ask eyeing them suspiciously.

Logan sweeps towards me, lifting me into his arms. “There’s no joke, baby. We were just laughing at ideas for Drew’s stag party. So how was your
other
lover on the phone? Should I be worried?” He nuzzles a kiss on my neck.

I squeal at his tickles. “He’s good. Still wondering what I see in you. He
is coming to the wedding next month. You will be ok with him, won’t you?”

“Do
not worry, baby. It will all be cool. I need to have a talk with him anyway.” He nuzzles into my neck again.

I bat him away, suddenly nervous. “About what?”

He looks serious for a moment. “Stuff, baby. You will know soon.”

***

Drew strides across and slaps Logan on the back. “So I guess we should have a celebration tonight. Beers and Barbeque sound good for everyone? Or shall we go out to dinner instead?” He shouts across in the direction of the study where Mia and Tilly are still firmly engrossed in wedding plans.

“Champagne and Barbeque for me! What are we celebrating?” Tilly shouts back in response.

“You
will find out tonight!” The men laugh in unison.