CHAPTER FOURTEEN – LILY
It’s not often that I take Logan by surprise, but he greets my challenge with a startled grunt. “Ah, well I was thinking a backrub and a warm glass of milk, but it sounds like you have other ideas.”
“I do,” I say softly, “and as soon as I get Leo down to sleep, I plan to list them in great detail.”
I’m only half joking, because the seduction of Logan Sawyer is something I’ve spent a lot of hours contemplating.
But before I can lure him into the blissful cocoon of fresh sheets and silk cushions, he gives me a heated look and runs his hand over his jaw.
“Okay. But you rest while I check on Leo.” I start to object – getting Mom duties out of the way is always part of any great seduction plan – but Logan is already heading towards the bathroom door.
“Based on the way he was jetting on all cylinders, he’ll probably be out before his head hits the pillow. ”
“Unless he managed to track down the headless mobster,” I sigh, sinking back onto my elbows. “Then we could be in for a long night.”
Logan just chuckles as he disappears into the ensuite, and I sink back further, flapping a hand over my warm face.
I’d like to pretend that my blush is just anticipation for the night ahead, but I can’t stop my gaze from drifting to the mahogany dresser.
The framed picture is a nice touch, but I’m not sure what message they’re trying to send with the flowers.
Is this another apology? Ellis sounded distraught downstairs, but I wasn’t in the right headspace to hear his excuses.
The logical part of my brain doesn’t blame him for what happened back at the farm, but in the recesses of my less rational brain, I can’t quite get past the fact that by turning up in Knotty Falls, he’s turned my life upside down.
“Hey.” I sit up abruptly as Tristan appears in the doorway, a silver tray in his hands. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks,” I reply, brushing a rueful hand over my messy curls.
On Tristan, the rumpled look is mouthwatering, but I feel like I’ve been dragged backwards through a particularly aggressive prickly ash bush.
Not that my grooming standards are on anyone’s mind after the infamous Chocolate Balloon Meltdown.
“Is Leo prowling the halls, or did you manage to wrangle him into bed?”
“Logan and Ellis have it handled.” I raise a curious brow, and he grins. “Last I saw, they were employing promises of blueberry pancakes for breakfast with great effect.”
I snort, but my eyes grow wider as he brings the tray over to the nightstand and I inhale the scent of sugar and creamy sauce. “Ot put some food together,” he tells me as he drapes a linen napkin over my lap, “but you don’t have to eat if you’re not feeling up to it.”
I examine the plate of creamy risotto, along with a slice of succulent strawberry shortcake, and a glass of homemade sweet tea, and wonder what other skills Otley James has up his perfectly pressed sleeves. “Wow. This looks amazing.”
Tristan makes a happy humming sound and hands me the glass of tea, hovering at my side until I pat the bed. He quickly settles beside me, his smile growing as I take my first mouthful of the creamy risotto, and a soft moan slips from my lips. “Oh, that’s really delicious. Did Otley make this?”
Tristan sniggers. “Given his fussy palate, you’d think he’d be a Michelin chef, but his contribution to Lexington’s is more on the financial side.”
“Lexington’s?”
“A restaurant in Pacific Heights.”
“As in San Francisco?” My fork hits the tray with a clatter. “You mean he trucked this meal here?”
He dips his head, but not before I see a slight blush staining his cheeks. “Um. It was actually flown in on his company jet.”
I stare down at the dish, almost certain he doesn’t mean it came in a cooler in the cargo hold. “Is that something your pack does a lot?”
“Like I said, Ot has fussy tastes. Plus, the guys had some things the moving company missed, so it’s not like it was a wasted trip.”
“Hmm.” I’m not sure I’ll ever get my head around that kind of justification, but I have other things on my mind. “Then you really are setting this place up, long term?”
“Of course.” Tristan is now watching me so closely, I feel a little self-conscious as I take my next bite of risotto. “I mean, we’ll still need to travel for work, but we want to be here as much as we can. If you’re okay with that, of course.”
“Are you okay with it?” I search his face, looking for that sour note that says he’s not as comfortable as he seems. “I mean, Knotty Falls isn’t exactly LA. And then there’s the whole scent match thing. I wouldn’t blame you if you felt like it was a complication you didn’t want any part of.”
His eyes soften, and he picks up the spoon, carving off a generous helping of cake.
“Firstly, LA is just where we go sometimes for work. Our main residence is in San Francisco, but we all travel a lot, so being together like this is a real treat. And as for your connection with my mates, it doesn’t stop with them.
Or, at least, I don’t feel like it’s only about them.
” He lifts the spoon to my mouth, his scent thickening as if he has black peppermint leaves crushed in his palm.
“The first moment I saw you, I knew we were going to mean something to each other, Lily.”
As he presses the spoon to my lips and I accept his offering, I can’t tear my gaze from his face.
He stares right back with his pretty hazel eyes, and as the moment stretches, our mingling scents enhance the tang of creamy strawberries on my tongue.
I know he can sense it too, because his pupils dilate, and I wonder if it’s possible to drown in something that tastes so sweet. “You did?”
“Maybe I was drawn to you because of my bond with the guys, but I think it’s more than that,” he says softly.
“And if you’re in any doubt about staying here while we sort things out, just know that it’s an honor, not a complication.
” His lips quirk, and he shakes back the chocolate curls tumbling across his brow.
“I guess what I’m saying is that I like having you under our roof for purely selfish reasons. ”
It’s surreal to hear these words leave his lips, which are curved in a way that makes heat bloom low in my belly. “I like that, too,” I say softly. “Maybe I should feel out of place here, but I like being around you, Tristan.”
And despite the chaos of my life right now, I realize that spending time with this gorgeous man is something I’m going to cherish for however long it lasts.
The realization sends a shiver of awareness down my spine, and I look away, doing my best to clean my plate. “I should let you rest,” he says as I pop the last sliver of cake into my mouth. “You’ve had a big day.”
I nod, but as he stands up, I grab his hand, squeezing it tight. “I’m going to ask Logan to claim me tonight.”
Tristan’s pupils blow wider, and he sits back down with a whoosh, his fingers threading through mine. “Wow. Really?”
“We planned to wait until after the summer rush, but I want it now. I want to know he’s mine, and I’m his.”
“To be honest, I have no idea how you held out this long.” His smile is now a delicious smirk, his eyes dancing as he leans close. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but that man is like a leather-wrapped adventure.”
I laugh, but it’s laced with nerves. “I keep telling myself I already know everything there is to know about Logan, but it’s not the same as sharing a bond.” Or, at least, that’s what the biology textbooks said back in high school. “Does it really change that much, once they claim you?”
Tristan skims his fingers over his mating bites, his gaze soft. “For me, it did. It sounds cliché, but it really does give you a window into their soul.” His hand lifts from his neck to feather across my cheek, his fingertips warm from his skin. “Logan is a very lucky guy, Lily.”
I shiver, both at his tender touch and the thought of what’s to come.
I’m excited that after tonight Logan and I will be closer than ever, but there’s also a part of me that wonders what it would be like if Tristan stayed.
If he crawled under the covers, so that when Logan came back, we were both here for the claiming.
According to those same biology books, once Logan became our alpha, I would feel their bond like it was my own.
I’d be close enough to Tristan to see right into the beautiful soul that gleams from his hazel eyes…
But as tempting as that is, I know I’m jumping ahead too fast. And when he gets to his feet again, I don’t stop him from gathering up the tray, his eyes dancing as he passes Logan in the doorway.
“You’ve got some color in your cheeks,” he says approvingly as he crosses to the bed, his gaze intense as he looks me over. “I take it Tristan took care of you?”
I can think of a few reasons why I might look flushed right now. “Were you listening at the keyhole?”
He grunts as he sits on the edge of the bed and starts unlacing his boots.
“I couldn’t hear much of anything over Leo snoring like a buzzsaw.
” I huff out a laugh, but when he’s kicked off his boots, he stands and faces me, his hands on his hips.
“I can sleep on that sofa downstairs if it will help you get a good night’s rest.”
“Definitely not.”
He cocks a brow at me and rubs a hand over his chest. “Then I’ll just grab a shower…”
“Logan.” I look pointedly at the spare pillow. “Can you just shut up and lie down with me?”
“Best offer I’ve had all day,” he murmurs as he tosses his leather jacket across a chair and climbs under the covers.
He’s still in his jeans and white t-shirt, but the scent rising off his skin makes my stomach clench.
I want him so badly, but it’s my heart that melts as he lifts his arm and pulls me close.
“I’m really sorry you had such a scare.”