Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
LOGAN
My girl’s stomach growls with hunger just before the lights flicker and then go out. The storm is raging outside, snow pelting the windows and obscuring even the road. If we weren’t stuck here before, we definitely are now.
I brush a gentle kiss against her swollen lips. “Let me see if I can get the generator going.”
She nods and slides off my lap. “Okay.”
“And then we’ll get you fed.” I stand and adjust my aching cock, then start pulling on my coat.
She glances down at her stomach, her cheeks a little pink. “Sorry. I haven’t eaten today.”
That makes me frown as I check my watch. “Kaylee, it’s late afternoon.”
She swallows, looking down at her twisted fingers. “I know.”
I frown, but then finish pulling on my coat. Generator first. Questions later.
I head out into the storm, and the wind is so fierce that it seems to be sucking the oxygen right out of my lungs.
There isn’t much snow falling now, but this wind is hell, blowing it so intensely that it’s like a wall of white out here.
Holding my arm in front of my eyes to cut the wind, I make my way to where the generator sits, about fifteen feet behind the house.
According to the fuel gage, it’s about half-full.
Everything’s switched off, so who the fuck knows how long it’s been since it was last turned on.
Mentally crossing my fingers, I turn the fuel valve on, turn on the choke, and flip the engine switch.
Then I grab the recoil cord and give it a strong tug.
The motor sputters, but doesn’t catch, so I try again.
It takes another two pulls, but finally, the generator comes to life.
I watch for a moment, still shielding my face from the snow and wind with my hands, and when I’m satisfied that everything is running as it should, I head back into the house.
My breath catches at the sight of Kaylee, as it always does, but especially now, knowing that her hair is a mess from my hands, her lips swollen from my mouth. Because she’s mine. Because miracle of miracles, this girl wants me, too.
I thought I was going to die of happiness when she told me she had a crush on me.
Feelings for me. And then I thought I was going to die again when she told me she was completely untouched.
I don’t fucking deserve her, but I swear on my life I’m going to try to.
Every single day, I’ll try to be worthy of Kaylee’s love. Kaylee’s trust.
“You got it working!” she says with a smile that lights up the room.
“Lucky there was gas in it.”
“Lucky you knew how to turn it on.” She crosses the distance to me and then smiles at me shyly. “What a sexy, capable mountain man you are.”
I bark out a laugh and haul her against me. “What would you like to eat?”
“There’s a lasagna in the freezer that we can eat for dinner. And there are some crackers and chips, but the shelves aren’t exactly stocked.”
We round up the chips and the crackers, and I find an unopened bag of trail mix higher up where she wouldn’t have seen it. I grab that along with some granola bars. It’s not ideal, but it’ll do to keep her fed until the lasagna’s ready.
We head back into the living room with our food, where Kaylee spreads a blanket on the ground in front of the fire.
I set the bowls down in the middle of the blanket and then quickly change my mind, placing them near the top.
I don’t want anything between me and Kaylee, not even something as insubstantial as a bowl.
We settle onto the blanket, lying lengthwise and facing each other, heads propped up on our hands. I’m rapt at the way the firelight dances over her skin, making her look angelic. Ethereal.
“God, you’re beautiful,” I breathe, sliding my hand over her hip an letting it rest there.
Her cheeks go a little pink, and I watch for a moment as the light dances over her hair, catching the subtle auburn highlights and making it look like something out of a painting.
“So. Why haven’t you had anything to eat today? ”
Her expression changes, the soft smile disappearing from her face, and my chest tightens uncomfortably. Something is wrong.
It doesn’t matter what it is. I’ll fix it.
I take the bowl of trail mix and set it down in front of her. “Eat, baby. And tell me what’s going on.”
My stomach twists as Kaylee sits up, her eyes flicking away from mine.
Her fingers knot together in what I already know is a nervous tell.
Reading her has always felt easy and natural, right from the first moment I laid eyes on her.
She takes a deep breath, tension radiating through her slender body, and it makes me want to pull her into my arms.
“Things have been tough for me, financially,” she admits, her voice soft.
“I didn’t get to go to college because I couldn’t afford it.
And I needed to start working. To get out on my own.
Away from…everything.” She swallows, and I watch as the delicate column of her throat works.
Every single one of my senses is on high alert.
Deep down, I’d always known she didn’t have anyone to look after her. And deep down, I’d always known the person to look after her going forward would be me.
“What about your family? Where are they?” In other words, tell me who I need to punch for making my girl suffer.
Kaylee shakes her head, and her eyes glisten in the firelight.
She pops a handful of trail mix into her mouth, chewing and then swallowing.
A sad smile tugs at her lips, and that small movement shreds my heart.
“My…” She sighs, and I squeeze her hip reassuringly.
“My mom left when I was a baby. My dad wasn’t interested in being a single parent, so he passed me off to his sister.
I was raised by my aunt, but…it was pretty obvious she didn’t want me either.
No one wanted me,” she whispers. “I was always a burden.”
I do pull her into my arms at that, because I now know that it’s my life’s purpose to show her that she’s anything but a burden, and that she is wanted. Very much.
“I’m sorry, Kaylee. You didn’t deserve that.
You are so good. So sweet and smart and wonderful, and I’m sorry they couldn’t see that.
I’m sorry they treated you badly and made you believe you were a burden.
They should be ashamed of themselves.” I brush a soft kiss against her lips, and a tear slips down her cheek.
“You are not a burden. You are a gift. One I plan to cherish and care for until my last breath leaves my lips.”
She pulls back slightly, an adorably goofy smile on her face. “You are so dramatic, Logan,” she teases, poking at my chest. But she’s smiling, so it’s a win as far as I’m concerned.
I stretch out my arm so she can lay her head on my bicep. “This is my new favorite pillow,” she jokes.
“Good,” I rumble out. “Because it’s yours, along with everything else I have.”
She sucks in a shaky breath and we’re quiet for a moment.
I take the opportunity to unwrap a granola bar and hold for her to nibble on.
“I’ve never been in love before,” she eventually says softly.
“I don’t know what it feels like. And I don’t think I’ve ever been loved before, so I’m…
this is all really new for me.” She smiles shyly at me.
“But here’s what I do know. I’ve wanted to be yours from the day we met.
I’ve touched myself, wishing it was you.
You make me feel safe in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Being around you feels like…like home. I love the way you kiss me, and the dirty words you say to me.
I love the way your whole face lights up when you laugh.
I love how big and strong you are, and the bits of gray in your hair.
I love that I can just be me, and that’s enough.
I want to be with you all the time, and I want to know everything about you.
Like I’m hungry for details about you. I love that you love me, without even trying.
” She blinks up at me, and I think my heart might explode. “Is that being in love?”
I tighten my arms around her. “Yeah, Kaylee. Sure sounds like it to me.”
Our eyes meet in the flickering firelight, and the moment stretches on for several sweet heartbeats.
“Then I think…I think I love you, Logan.”
My entire body reacts all at once to her words. My heart slams against my ribs, my stomach pitches with excitement, my balls throb and my brain starts spinning with questions.
She brushes her lips against mine. “You want to give me so much, and I want to give you what I have, too. My love and devotion. My trust and my time.” She kisses me again. “And my body. My virginity. That’s yours, too.”
I close my eyes and pull in a deep breath. She’s so innocent when it comes to sex. So inexperienced. I’m sick for the way that makes my balls throb with more intensity.
“I’m in no rush, Kaylee. We don’t have to do anything more than kiss and talk. We can go as slow as you need.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to go slow. I…” She bites her lip. “I ache, Logan. I need you to take care of me, to take the ache away. I want you to make me yours.”
I groan and kiss her, sliding my tongue against hers. “I will, baby. If that’s what you want, I will. But first, I need you to eat. You’re hungry.”
We disentangle and start to eat while she peppers me with questions about my life.
We talk about music and movies, favorite foods, loving the mountains, our jobs.
I learn that she loves pop music and comedies, fettuccine alfredo, hiking, and reading.
I learn that she went into real estate because it seemed like a decent career for someone without a university education.
I learn that she’s been on her own for far too long without anyone to rely on.
I tell her about my company and my divorce almost fifteen years ago.