35
LOGAN
T he slot machines in the casino were silent, the flashing lights dimmed, leaving only the soft glow of chandeliers casting warm light across the room. Crisp white linens covered the tables that would normally host high-stakes games. Deep red roses and black candles acted as centerpieces on each table, their scent mingling with the faint trace of cigar smoke. Ideally, I’d wanted to host our pre-wedding dinner at a restaurant, but the only decent restaurant in town wasn’t available on short notice. Not even the absurd amount of money I’d offered swayed their minds.
Laughter and the low rumble of voices weaved around the clinking of bottles and the shuffle of boots on the carpet. The bikers were in their element, filling the room with life—as usual. Crowe sat at a table with Grimm and Saint, and whatever they were talking about had them roaring with laughter.
Others milled around, balancing plates of food and bottles of beer, their leather cuts blending with the dark, rich decor. It was a strange mix of elegance and grit, but somehow, it fit. These were my people now, and a pang hit me deep in the chest. I was going to miss this—the camaraderie, the noise, the unfiltered chaos of it all.
To think I hated these men.
“You’re really doing it!” Sven, the only one I invited from the hospital, shouted. His cheeks were flushed, and he looked like he’d already had one too many drinks. I couldn’t blame him. Working at the hospital was such high pressure that I understood the need to let his hair down.
“Doing what exactly?” I folded my arms and smiled.
Despite everything, I was happy. This time last year, I was working my ass off, only to go home alone. Now I had someone in my life who was in love with me and his weird, loving but dangerous family as well.
“Marrying Bloom,” he said. “Kinda fast, but anyone with eyes can see you’re crazy about each other.”
“Does this mean you no longer have a crush on him?” I teased.
“I never had a crush on him!” he cried. “And for your information, I’m going on a date soon.”
“Yeah? With whom? Not a doctor from the hospital.”
“Nah, they work awful hours. I need a man who has time for me.”
“And this lucky man is?” When he remained silent, I chuckled. “Wait a minute. It’s not that cop who gave you his number, is it?”
“May…be. I just need to work up the courage to call him.”
I unfolded my arms. “So let me get this straight. You’re telling me you’re going on a date but you haven’t actually called the man yet? Real smooth.”
“I’ve been super busy, you know! Things at the hospital have been interesting since you left. And Dr. Simms’s dismissal yesterday was the icing on the cake.”
“Wait…what? Dr. Simms got dismissed?”
“Well, of course. Turns out when Jamie brought up the things he’d said to Bloom, admin was quick to contact patients and found out Bloom wasn’t the only patient he was inappropriate with.”
My head reeled with this information no one had told me. So that was the real reason Bloom had gone to see Jamie. Why hadn’t he come to me? I scanned the room. Bloom was at the bar in deep conversation with Bay. He told me everything, didn’t he? Why would he hide this from me?
Exactly what the hell had happened during that session when I was outside?
“Excuse me for a minute, will you? I have to talk to Bloom.” I pushed away from the table and navigated through the clusters of people, the scent of leather and the tang of alcohol growing stronger as I approached the bar.
“Hey.” I placed my hand on his elbow. “Bay, do you mind? I need to talk to Bloom for a second.”
“Nah, that’s good. I need to find what’s holding Ger up anyway. Nice party, man, and the food’s good.”
I nodded, waited until he was out of earshot, then turned to Bloom.
“Logan.” Bloom’s smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
“Is it true that Dr. Simms hit on you?”
He opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he swallowed. I dropped my arm and took a step back. His reaction was confirmation enough.
“You kept this from me for almost a week?”
“No, just a couple of days.” He bridged the gap between us and placed an arm around my waist as if he thought I would disappear on him.
“A couple of days? When did you see Dr. Simms?”
“I went to see him without telling you because I was worried about”—he leaned in and lowered his voice—“us leaving together. I thought I could talk to him about it so I wouldn’t feel so nervous about leaving everyone behind.”
“What happened exactly?”
“Nothing! I told him no. He was saying a bunch of things about me staying and being with him, but I threatened him and left. Jamie said he would deal with it. Was he the one who told you?”
“No. Sven did.”
He scowled. “Why is he in my business?”
“He was telling me about the hospital, not you specifically. I wish you had told me.”
“It was already taken care of. I talked to you about the most important part. How I felt about us leaving together. Remember, we spent most of that night talking about how we’d handle it together.”
We had, but he had still hidden the rest from me, and I didn’t like it at all. “I knew there was a reason I hated his guts. Did he ever try anything with you during your sessions?”
He shook his head. “Which is why it was shocking, to be honest. He was always forceful about me leaving you, but he’s never said anything about having feelings for me.”
“Thank god we won’t have to see him again. We’ll find you someone more suitable when we move.”
“Maybe not for a while? I think I’m all drained out on therapy for now.”
“We’ll see how it goes. You might need one after the move we’re about to make.” With a sigh, I softened and tugged him into my arms, resting my chin on top of his head. If Dr. Simms had been in front of me, I would beat him with his clipboard. How could he have broken Bloom’s trust this way and all this time pretending he had Bloom’s interest at heart?
“You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“No, I’m upset with him for breaking your trust like that, but in the future, you can tell me anything, Bloom.”
“I’m sorry. The asshole told me you’d be upset if I mentioned it to you, that you wouldn’t trust me anymore.”
And of course he would weaponize Bloom’s insecurities and use it against him. If he could plant such blatant lies in Bloom’s head, just what else was he capable of? I frowned as a sinking feeling entered my gut.
I released Bloom. “Are you enjoying the party?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I see my uncle and brother just walked in. Want to greet them with me?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
Uncle Mickey weaved through the crowd toward us, his sharp suit and commanding presence cutting a distinct figure against the leather-clad bikers. Emil trailed behind him, looking slightly less composed but equally out of place. It was strange seeing them here, in this world. In Smoky Vale.
“Logan.” My uncle’s voice carried over the din, and he clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Quite the gathering you’ve got here.”
“It’s a good group,” I said, my tone relaxed, but my muscles still tense. “Bloom’s family. Now mine as well.”
“We meet again.” Uncle extended his hand toward Bloom, a small smile playing on his lips. “It’s nice to see you again without a gun pointing at my head.”
I gave Bloom a reassuring nod, and he shook my uncle’s hand quickly. “You wouldn’t have a gun pointed at your head if you hadn’t kidnapped my man.”
Silence followed Bloom’s declaration, and I held my breath. My uncle wasn’t someone to suffer fools lightly, and he could easily take Bloom’s words as an insult. I’d seen a man lose a finger for doing exactly that.
Uncle threw his head back and laughed—one of those genuine sounds from the pit of his belly. He leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone. “It’s a pity I won’t have the pleasure of spending more time with your fiancé. He seems like such a delight.”
“I am not a fucking delight.” Bloom scowled. “Do you understand I would have killed you right there if you had hurt Logan?”
“Enough of this kind of talk,” I said.
“It’s okay, Keegan. I appreciate his fire. He would have made an excellent soldier.”
“Why would I want to be a solider?”
I squeezed Bloom’s side, my gaze landing on Crowe, who had stood from the table where he’d been sitting with Grimm. “He’s talking about the Mafia.”
“Being a biker is better.” Bloom stuck his nose up in the air.
Brat.
I chuckled. “And I like you being a biker. Bloom, I need to speak with Crowe for a minute. Would you be so kind as to introduce my uncle to everyone?”
“You sure?”
I stroked his arm. “You’ll be fine.” I touched my lips to his.
“Keegan.” Uncle’s hand on my arm stopped me. “Those papers you need, I have them in the car. I’ll give them to you a little later.”
“Sure thing, Uncle Mickey, thanks.”
As I walked away, I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. I had no intention of using his tickets or identification documents. Maybe I was being paranoid, but over a decade had passed since I was with my family. They were practically strangers, and I wouldn’t entrust my and Bloom’s safety to strangers.
“Crowe!” I called, weaving through the room as politely as I could manage without slowing down. He paused midstride, his expression as unreadable as ever.
“Nice party,” he said, his voice gruff but warm. “Must have cost a small fortune for you to get this level of catering last minute. At least I won’t have to worry about Bloom. Looks like he’ll be well looked after.”
I stopped before him, catching my breath. “You’ll never have to worry about him. I’ll always take care of Bloom. No matter what he does or what happens. He’ll never be left behind. Not by me. You can count on that.”
“Well, you don’t have to try so hard to reassure me,” Crowe huffed out a laugh. “If I even get a whiff that you’re not treating him right, I won’t be far to whip you back into shape.”
No, you won’t.
Just how much would he hate my guts after I disappeared with Bloom? Hopefully, he remembered the words I said tonight and knew wherever we were, Bloom would be taken care of.
“Actually, there’s something else I wanted to ask you about.”
“What is it?”
I glanced around me to check no one was in hearing distance, then leaned in. “You mentioned that when you found Bloom, he was in rough shape. I knew he was beaten, drowned, and starved, but was he ever…”
Crowe’s steely eyes met mine, all the humor gone. “Was he ever…what?”
“Touched.” The word left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Touched? As in…sexually?”
“Yeah.”
Crowe clenched his fists at his sides. “No, why do you ask?”
“Are you sure? Is there any way you could be mistaken?”
“No chance in hell. Saint’s dad is a doctor. Saint’s parents took care of Bloom when we found him. They checked everything. If he’d been sexually assaulted, they would have told me. But why are you asking this?”
“Just something that came up in therapy, and I wanted to double-check. Is there any way you can ask Saint’s parents if that happened specifically?”
“Sure, it’s a bit late now, but I can try and let you know, but I’m ninety-nine point nine percent certain that never happened.”
Yet Bloom was convinced the assault had taken place. He might not have told me in explicit terms, but I put two and two together. Things didn’t add up.
“All right, I don’t want to leave anything to chance.”
“It’s good seeing how into Bloom you are. He’s a little obsessed with you. It makes things more even that you feel the same about him.”
“Not sure obsession is the healthiest way to describe a relationship.”
“Being healthy or being happy? Which one would you rather be?” Crowe walked away, his question lingering in the air. As a doctor, I’d always valued healthy. But what was the sense of being healthy if it meant denying who we were? Our love might be toxic, but it was honest. We didn’t pretend to be something we weren’t, and in that truth, we found a happiness that no one else could understand. And we didn’t need them to.
“Okay, everybody, listen up!” Jamie had climbed on top of a table in his dangerously high stilettos. Grimm stood next to him as though preparing to catch him should he fall. “I know we’re all having a good time, but we need the spotlight on the grooms. Who wants to see their dance moves?”
I was shaking my head before Jamie even finished. I was pretty sure Bloom wasn’t into dancing either.
“You know I won’t take no for an answer, Logan, so step on up here while Bay provides us with some music.”
Cass and Max were pulling Bloom in my direction. He looked just as disgusted with the idea of dancing in front of everyone as I was, which surprisingly only made me want to do it. Chuckling, I strode over to him, made a dramatic bow, and held out my hand.
“May I have this dance?”
“I don’t dance.” He looked at me as though he was about to pass out. “Everyone’s staring.”
“So let them. As long as we keep our eyes on each other, we’ll be okay.”
He placed his hand in mine, and we stepped out onto a makeshift dance floor formed by a cleared space between the tables and the gathered crowd.
“Do you want it slow or fast, Doc?” Bay yelled across the room.
“Slow.”
The music was soft and slow, the kind that made you sway without thinking, and I pulled Bloom closer, settling my hands at his waist. His breath hitched as our bodies aligned, fitting together as if they’d always been meant to. The din of the crowd faded, replaced by the rhythmic beat of the song and the steady pulse of my heart.
“Relax. No one’s judging your moves.”
“But I don’t dance,” Bloom muttered, his voice low, but he still slid his hands up my arms to rest on my shoulders. His touch was tentative at first, but as we swayed, it grew firmer.
“You’re doing fine,” I whispered. “It’s just you and me.”
We moved in sync, slow and deliberate, barely shifting from one foot to the other. I skimmed his sides, his muscles tensing beneath my touch. He dipped his head slightly, and I leaned in, catching the faint scent of his cologne mixed with alcohol. He’d been drinking.
“This is not so bad.” He circled my neck, and the tension had mostly left him.
I chuckled, lowering my head so my lips brushed his ear. “See? Told you it wouldn’t kill you.” I bit the lobe, and a shiver ran through him.
He inhaled sharply, and I tightened my hold on him. I slipped a leg as discreetly as possible between his, and yup, he was already hard. I grinned. He blushed. Dammit, he was so cute like this. Hard to imagine this was the same guy who’d stabbed a man until he was unrecognizable.
“We had sex before we left the clubhouse,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, and?”
“You can’t be that horny again?” I spoke directly into his ear so no one else would hear.
“I am. Are you going to do anything about it?”
“Maybe I should.” I licked the shell of his ear. “Would you like me to undress you here in front of everyone? Put you on the table on your knees and let them see just how slutty you get on my cock?”
“Logaaaaan.” He shoved his hips forward and, with one hand, gripped my hip, pulling me into him.
“Oh my god!” someone cried. “Did he just…”
I blocked them out, moving to the rhythm of our bodies as they pressed together. A wave of catcalls and cheers erupted around us, but Bloom seemed oblivious to them.
“I guess this is no longer a PG party!” Bay’s laugh rang out, followed by wolf whistles.
I slipped my hand down Bloom’s back and cupped his ass.
“Yup, I’m out,” Crowe said.
Good.
Now if only everyone else would disappear too.
I captured Bloom’s lips with mine. He moaned into my mouth, slipping his fingers into my hair and pulling so hard it hurt. I plunged my tongue between his parted lips, and he sucked on it greedily.
The hint of whiskey on his tongue only egged me on. One moment we were dancing slowly, the next our bodies were grinding against each other to the rhythm of a wild, primal beat.
I’d never carried on so sexually in public. This was all Bloom’s doing, and I couldn’t get enough.
“My, my,” Jamie said. “That escalated quickly.”
Laughter echoed around us, but all I felt was Bloom’s lips coupled with mine, his hands moving across my back in a maddeningly slow drag. His nails dug into the fabric of my shirt as he pulled me closer.
“Take it in the back room, guys. Third door to your right. I had it prepared for me and Ger, but what the heck, I can be generous tonight.”
“Bay!” Gerald cried, sounding scandalized.
I shot Bay a thumbs-up, then lifted Bloom, who wrapped his legs around my waist.