Chapter 10 #2
“Think they'd be okay with Cookie tagging along? She'll never forgive me if I leave her at home alone.”
I grin. “They're making cupcakes and marathoning Disney movies. I'm pretty sure Cookie's invited whether you ask or not.”
Heather snorts. “She's gonna rob them blind.”
“Good. They can earn their babysitting money.” I wink. “Besides, that gives us the whole night.”
The restaurant is a forty-minute drive up the coast, with an outside deck that overlooks the ocean.
It's the kind of place that requires reservations weeks in advance, but I'd called in a favor with an old teammate who knows the owner.
White tablecloths, candlelight, and a view that takes your breath away.
Heather looks stunning in a dark blue dress that hugs her sweet curves and somehow highlights the light blue in her hazel eyes. “I can’t believe I never knew this place was here,” she breathes, staring out at the dark ocean, moonlight glinting off the waves rolling in. “It’s incredible.”
“Not as incredible as you.” It's a cheesy line, but I mean every word.
She huffs softly, though I catch the pleased flush on her cheeks. “Did you steal that from a Hallmark card?”
I chuckle and shrug. “Maybe.”
We order champagne to celebrate, and she dives into details about her plans for the children's library with the interactive reading stations, the scavenger hunt corner, and the storytelling theater. Her face glows as she describes each element, and I could listen to her talk about this forever.
“What about you?” she asks, after the waiter brings our entrees. “Spring training starts in a few months. Are you nervous?”
“Excited more than nervous. We've made some solid roster moves. The youth baseball camp is already full and should build community goodwill. And...” I reach across the table to take her hand. “I have something good to come home to now. That changes everything.”
Her cheeks flush pink. “Logan—”
“I mean it. These past few weeks with you have been the best of my life. Violet is happier than I've seen her since Tracy’s accident. Cookie has given her hope and a best friend. And you—” I squeeze her hand. “You've brought me to life in a way I’ve never known.”
We finish dinner and take a walk on the beach below the restaurant, kicking off our shoes and letting the cool sand sift beneath our feet. The moon is nearly full, casting silver light across the water.
“Thank you for tonight,” Heather says, leaning into my side as we walk. “For celebrating with me. For making it special.”
“Heather, I need to tell you something.” I stop walking and turn to face her, the ocean breeze playing with her hair. My throat tightens as I meet her eyes, suddenly questioning if this is the right time or place. Too late now, the words are already fighting their way out.
“Okay.” Her voice is barely audible over the waves.
“I'm falling for you. Hell, I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.” The words tumble out, honest and raw. “I know it's fast and maybe I should have waited to tell you, but after today, I just can’t keep it in anymore.”
She stares at me for a long moment, her lips parted in surprise, eyes wide and searching my face as if trying to determine whether she heard me correctly. I hold my breath.
“I think I love you, too,” she finally whispers.
A groan tears from my throat as I capture her mouth with mine, channeling every emotion I can't put into words.
She softens against me, her arms circling my neck, and suddenly nothing exists beyond this—the sand beneath our feet, the surf at our backs, the moonlight spilling over us, and this overwhelming sense that everything has finally clicked into place.
When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, she rests her forehead against mine.
“Take me home,” she murmurs.
“Gladly. Your place or mine?”
“Mine. I don't want this night to end.”
We barely make it through her front door before I'm kissing her again, backing her against the wall, my hands in her hair. She gasps into my mouth, her fingers working at the buttons of my shirt.
“Logan,” she breathes. “Are you sure about this?”
“Are you kidding me? I've never been more sure of anything.” I pull back just enough to look into her eyes. “But if you're not ready—”
“I want this. I want you.” She takes my hand and turns, leading me to her bedroom.
The room is dark except for the moonlight streaming in, casting everything in silver and shadow. Moving to the window, I close the blinds. “In case there are any prying eyes with a smartphone.”
She giggles, wriggling side to side as she eases her dress down her body. My mouth waters as each luscious curve is revealed. I want to bury my face in those breasts and plant myself between those thighs. That would be right where I’d want to die, in her arms.
“God, you’re beautiful,” I whisper as I tear off my shirt and kick off my shoes. I’m so absorbed in watching her remove the bra that I can’t release my belt buckle.
She glides forward, completely topless as she kneels in front of me. “Let me,” she whispers, stripping the belt expertly and unzipping my pants.
My mouth goes dry as she edges them down my hips enough to release my swollen cock. Her hand smoothly strokes my thick shaft before leaning forward to take me in her mouth. I hiss, my fingers clenching in her hair as she works me so beautifully.
My hips jerk as she swirls her tongue on my tip, loving the way she teases me. She works me relentlessly, carefully cradling my balls as she swallows me deep into her throat. “Heather,” I groan. “You gotta stop, baby. I’m gonna lose it.”
She releases me with a pop and moves backward toward her bed, and I follow as if she’s the Pied Piper.
“Take the panties off,” I order, noticing the way she shivers at my tone. “Now get on the bed and let me see what’s mine.”
Surprisingly, she obeys, lying back and letting her legs fall to the side. I climb over her, giving her a deep, tongue-thrusting kiss before I let my lips travel down, moving over each luscious mound and peak, each valley and dip until finally I reach the sweet spot.
She pants as I spread her sensitive flesh wide and brush it with a kiss. With a whimper, she lifts her hips, following my mouth, and I know she wants me to zero in on that sweet, swollen little nub.
I slowly run my tongue along her slick flesh, loving the way she arches into me. My mouth hovers over her button as I give it a long, sensual lick. She moans beneath me, spreading wider.
I’m only torturing myself with the delay, and my mouth latches onto her center, tongue gliding rapidly over her clit as she writhes beneath me.
She babbles incoherently, her fingers clenching in my hair as I work her sweet flesh, bringing her to a core-clenching climax.
Heather shrieks as she peaks, her fingers convulsing in time with the pulses.
I scramble for a condom, tearing the foil with my teeth and rolling the sheath down my aching cock. If I don’t get inside her soon, I’ll explode. It’ll probably happen anyway the moment I seat my length in her sweet pussy.
Hovering over her, I swirl my tip in her moisture and slowly press into her tight, hot center.
Heather gasps beneath me, her fingernails digging into my back and heels pressing into my ass as I squeeze in inch by inch.
She’s still pulsing with her orgasm, and it feels like I’m caught in a hot, velvet vice.
“I can't hold back,” I warn, barely recognizing my own voice.
“Don’t you dare stop.” Her hands clench my ass, holding me in place.
I start a rapid pace, thrusting my hard member into her sensitive channel until we’re both in a frenzy. Heather’s core contracts violently around me, and primal satisfaction courses through me as that second orgasm tears through her.
Her hips tilt as she writhes beneath me, and my peak swiftly follows, groaning as she sucks the life out of me. The intensity is staggering, white-hot pleasure obliterating every coherent thought. I'm completely undone, lost to sensation and her.
Afterward, I dispose of the condom and we lie tangled together, her head on my chest, my fingers tracing lazy patterns on her back.
"I love you," I whisper into her hair.
"I love you, too," she murmurs back, already half-asleep.
I pull the blanket over us and close my eyes, feeling more content than I have in years. I let myself believe that this time, we're going to get it right.
This time, nothing is going to tear us apart.