Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
LOGAN
I can’t believe she’s here. At Gram’s birthday party. With Dean. What the hell is she doing with him?
I never saw him with a woman. And I honestly had my doubts if he was even into them. But by the way he pulled her to his side, he’s obviously into her .
I make my way inside the house, straight into the kitchen, to refill my whiskey. Downing it in one large sip, I refill it again, leaning my ass on the counter.
We’re not dating, I know that, but this still came as a shock. And she must have been dating Dean for a while now if he’s introducing her to the family.
Dean, my cousin. Fuck.
He was never at her house, and I’m there all the time. Even when the fucking deck could’ve been done ten days ago, I prolonged the whole thing, only to stay in her presence longer.
“Food time!” Aunt Linda calls, and I groan, filling my glass back up and making my way outside.
Everyone is already sitting down at the giant-ass table I built for Grams. Hungry fuckers.
The only place available is, of course, right across from Sadie and Dean. My face laced with disgust, I collapse into the chair, earning myself a glare from Grams. Sadie’s gorgeous gray eyes are panicking, but I don’t have it in me to feel sorry about it.
I’m confused. I’m slightly angry, even if I don’t have a right to be. More than anything, I’m hurt.
Dean wraps his arm around the back of her chair, and I snarl under my breath. Luckily, my family is too loud for anyone to notice. But Sadie notices, her mouth dropping in a silent apology.
I don’t want her to apologize. She never promised me exclusivity.
And I was too much of a chicken to ask for it, knowing she would run for the hills.
But no, I don’t need her apologies. I want her to admit she’s mine.
I want her to say, ‘Fuck Dean’ and run into the sunset with me, as if it’s the end of one of her books.
A plate filled with food appears in front of me and I poke my fork around it, my appetite long gone. Every sound she makes, every small touch Dean gives her, is a knife to my chest. So rather than eating, I finish another glass of whiskey.
By the end of the meal, I place exactly three bites into my mouth, almost regurgitating each one. I keep them down by sheer luck, and hopefully it’s enough for me to look like a human and not a robot.
Sadie doesn’t eat much more. Dean, the fucker, doesn’t even notice, but I do.
I notice the awkward chuckles she lets out at appropriate times.
I notice the way she chews on a single bite for way too long and pokes her food around, hoping it will miraculously disappear. It’s obvious she’s uncomfortable.
Patting a napkin to her mouth, she clears her throat. “Excuse me,” she says and gets up, heading toward the house.
I count to five in my head, hoping to not be too transparent before getting up and heading in the same direction. Walking into the house like a tornado, I start my search for her. The logical guess would be the bathroom, but the downstairs guest bathroom is empty.
I rush upstairs, blood boiling in my veins. I need to see her. I need to touch her. I need to show her she’s mine.
Of course, she made the smart decision of hiding in the bathroom the furthest from the staircase, but I’m not one to give up easily.
It’s locked.
“Open up,” I growl, pounding on the doors. I expect her to argue, but the lock clicks a second later.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice is breathy, still laced in panic.
“What am I doing here? What are you doing here? On my grandmother’s birthday? Apparently dating my cousin?”
Her mouth parts, her eyes widening as realization washes over her. “It’s not what you think.”
“Tell me what it is, then.” I fold my arms in front of my chest.
“I can’t.” She winces. “I can’t tell you. But you need to trust me. It’s not what it looks like.”
“It’s not?” I invade her space, caging her in until her ass hits the windowpane. “Because right now, it seems like you’re dating my cousin, while using me as your little fuck toy.”
Hurt flashes across her face, but I’m too far gone. Her scent has now seeped into my nostrils, and it works like red on a bull. It gives me tunnel vision, cutting off the blood supply to my brain and redirecting it south.
I place a hand on the window glass, while the other travels down the little sundress she has on.
She looks sweet and innocent, but I know she’s anything but.
“Tell me, boss. Does Dean know how rough you like to get fucked by me?” Her breath hitches.
“He hardly seems the type. Does he know how you scream for me? How hard you clench my cock while I’m balls deep inside of you? ”
She whimpers, biting into her lip. She likes this. I knew she would.
“You want it, don’t you?” I slip a finger underneath her dress, pulling her little panties to the side. “You’re already soaking my hand.” She grinds herself on my fingers. “I need to hear you say it.”
“Yes,” she breathes out. “I want it.”
“You want to get fucked here in secret, while you’re on a date with another man? Is that what gets you hot?”
She nods profusely, and I reward her by sliding my middle finger into her wet heat. Fuck, she’s perfect. She lets out a silent mewl, but we can’t have that.
“I’m going to need you to be quiet for me, ok? I don’t want anyone else hearing how much you enjoy taking my fingers.” My thumb, slick with her wetness, presses into her clit and her head drops to the window glass.
My hand travels to her tits, cupping them roughly through the material of her dress. Her nipples are poking through the innocent cotton, making my mouth water. She grips the lapels of my shirt while I add another finger. My dick is rock hard, like it is every time she’s around.
This girl … this woman … makes me come undone in the best possible way.
There’s something about her. From the very first day I saw her, when she begged me to build her a deck, until now, when she’s begging me for release.
I couldn’t say no to those light gray eyes.
I couldn’t say no to those pouty lips. And I’m not any stronger now.
In fact, my weak spot for her grew exponentially, growing from a small spot in my stomach to the point where I can only fully fill my lungs when I’m around her.
But I don’t want to be her sex toy. I want more. I want her to feel safe in my arms, not only when my fingers, tongue, or cock are deep inside of her. I want to hang around that stupid deck with her and build shit with Liv and hear about Asher’s newest interests.
“Please, I need to come,” she pants, barely audible, but I’ve made up my mind. If she won’t be mine willingly, I guess I’ll have to make her.
“No problem, I can do that for you,” I say, slipping in a third finger. “But I want something in return.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, while her legs shake with pleasure.
“I want you to let me take you out on a real date.” I accentuate the request with a rough press to her clit, making her eyes roll to the back of her head. “What do you say, Sadie?”
She doesn’t respond, grinding herself on my hand.
I stop my movements, extracting my fingers from her sweet pussy. “You need to promise me I can take you out on an actual date after this.” I hope my low voice doesn’t reveal how vulnerable I am. I hold her orgasm in my hands, but she holds my heart in hers.
“Don’t stop, please.” Her eyes plead with me as much as her words.
Using my thumb, I circle her clit a few times, and she lets out a loud moan. In a second, I stop everything, again. Her breath hitches, her eyes filling with desperation.
“No date, no orgasm,” I say. “You just gotta say yes.” The finger of my other hand travels her flushed cheek, down to her neck, and her lashes flutter before her gaze locks in with mine.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Promise?”
“I promise.” My lips smash to hers, swallowing her moans, as my fingers find their way back home. In less than five seconds, she clamps around them, quivering. I don’t stop kissing her, I don’t let go, until the very last wave of her climax ebbs.
Taking my fingers out, I slip them into my mouth, licking her off them. She’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. She stares at me with glossy eyes as her chest heaves.
“I…” she says, but a male voice interrupts us, calling, “Sadie!”
I rush to move a polite distance away, but next thing I know, the bathroom doors are opening, and my cousin is standing there, looking between us. I got to the sink, but with her messed up hair and flushed chest, there’s no way to hide what we did.
“What the hell, Sadie?” His voice is laced with disappointment.
I don’t want him to talk to her that way. “Look, man. It was my fault…”
But he doesn’t even look my way. “I trusted you,” he continues. “ I know this was weird and all, but I trusted you. And you go and have sex with my cousin, here where anyone could have found you.”
Her face screams panic and there’s a weird feeling in my chest. “It’s not what it looks like,” she says, repeating the same shit she told me.
Why is she so upset? I get this was awkward. But it’s not like they were exclusive.
Were they?
Did she cheat on my cousin with me this whole time? The thought makes bile rise in my throat.
“Excuse me,” I bite out, trying to make my way out of this room. There’s no oxygen here, and if I stay a second longer, I’m afraid I’m going to choke.
All this time, I was falling for her, and I was just her dirty little secret.
“Logan, please. I know this is weird, but please don’t share this with others,” Dean says. That’s what he’s worried about?
“Sure. Sorry for fucking your girlfriend.” I pat his shoulder, hearing Sadie gasp behind me.
“What?” Dean’s face is confused, and I don’t know what the hell is going on. “You think she’s my girlfriend?”
I turn around, brows furrowed. “Yeah, I think she’s your girlfriend. On the count of you introducing her as your girlfriend to everyone.”
Sadie sighs. “Please, get inside. Dean, close the door.”
My legs follow her commands, my brain too unsure to make decisions.
“I told you it’s not what it looks like,” Sadie says, looking at me before glancing at Dean. “I told you the same thing.”
We’re both staring at her dumbfounded, so she continues, “Dean’s not really my boyfriend.
But he trusted me to be his girlfriend for the day, and I let him down.
Sorry,” she says to him. “Logan and I had a thing for a while now, and it’s why this,” she gestures between us, “happened. It’s not like I found a rando to fuck at your grandma’s birthday. ”
“But why would you agree to be my fake girlfriend if you were taken?” Dean says, not making any sense. Fake girlfriend?
“I’m not taken. Logan has been working on my deck a couple months now, and things have gotten a little heated a few times.”
It hurts to hear her explain what we have this way, but I’m still stuck on the fake girlfriend part. “Fake girlfriend? What are you two talking about?”
She casts an apologetic glance to Dean before he speaks, “So, you haven’t told him?”
She shakes her head.
“Told me what?” I ask.
“I’m going to give you some privacy,” Sadie says, before adding, “Sorry for this, Dean.” In a second, she’s gone.
“Fuck,” Dean mumbles. “I wasn’t planning on doing this today… I’m gay.”
A sense of calm washes over me, the scattered little puzzle pieces falling into place. My lips pull up into a huge smile.
“Why are you smiling?” he asks, wary.
“I thought the girl I was crazy about for months now was dating someone else. This is great news.”
“You know how our family is. I wanted to keep this private.”
“I know. And I know some of the old geezers probably wouldn’t take this news the right way.
But I don’t think you have to worry about the rest of us.
For what it’s worth, I’m grateful you told me.
” I place a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about me telling anyone, but when you’re ready, I want to be right there by your side. ”
His mouth parts, as if in shock, and regret fills me. How hard it must be for him? To expect the worst of the people closest to him.
“I thought … I thought it would be this big, monumental thing.”
“It is a big, monumental thing. There’s one less person you need to hide from. There’s a person in your corner for every family birthday, or reunion, or Christmas party. You’re not alone.”
I notice his eyes getting teary as moisture pools in my own. “I don’t know what to say. Thanks, man.”
I pull him into a hug. “Please, don’t ever thank me for this. I’ve known you since I was born. There’s pretty much nothing you could say to me to make me feel different about you.”
A sniffle escapes him. “I’m sorry for making you think Sadie was with me.” His lips turn up. “It seemed easier to have a fake girlfriend shield than to answer millions of questions again. But for what it’s worth, you have a real one there.”
“Yeah…” I know she’s a real one. I’m just not sure if I have her.