Chapter 13 #2
“Last night meant the world to me,” he told her.
“I needed that. The connection with another human being. With you. But it also solidified the fact that I want this,” he gestured between them with a hand, “to happen. You and me. Dating. Making love. Trying to figure out how to raise Logan to be a well-adjusted, normal kid. Thinking about all the ways I can fuck him up scares me to death. But together, we make a pretty good team. Tell me you want this too. That you want to be mine. That me having a kid doesn’t scare you away. ”
“It doesn’t scare me away,” Riley said immediately. “I’ve always wanted a big family.”
Oz’s cock surged at hearing that. She obviously felt it, because she smiled shyly up at him.
“Fuck. Right. Okay, we don’t have time right now for me to show you all the ways I fucking love that idea.
But barring any other disasters, ex-boyfriends going crazy, or the Army calling me on a mission tomorrow, I’m gonna make sure you know how much you mean to me tonight.
I want to sink so far inside you that neither of us knows where one ends and the other begins.
I want to watch you orgasm so hard, your eyes roll back in your head, then fall just as hard myself.
It’s gonna happen, Ri. Here. Ever since you told me you’d masturbated in my bed, I swear I can smell you on my sheets.
I need you. And not just for sex, although I have a feeling that’s gonna be out of this world. But because you’re you.”
“Um…wow,” she said quietly.
“I know. That was a lot. But fuck it. Life’s too short not to go after what you want. And I want you, Riley Rogers. All of you.”
“I want you too.”
“Good. Now…as much as I love you in nothing but my shirt, I’m gonna have to ask you to please put your jeans on before we go out there and feed my nephew.”
Riley giggled. “I can do that. But you have to put a shirt on. Seeing you bare-chested might be too much for my libido to handle.”
Oz burst out laughing. “Right.” Then he got serious. “This is gonna work between us,” he declared.
“I hope so. I haven’t wanted something this badly in a very long time.”
“It will. Do you want me to make the pancakes this morning, or you?”
“I’ll do up the batter if you cook them. Logan likes it when you make shapes and I suck at that. Mine just look like weird blobs.”
“Deal.” Then Oz leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’d kiss you properly, but I’ve got morning breath. And if I start kissing you now, I might not be able to stop,” he admitted.
Riley smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a guy admit that his breath might be bad.”
“I’ll be your first in a lot of things,” Oz said confidently. After some of her past comments, he had a feeling no guy had ever taken the time to truly satisfy her. And he was definitely ready to take that on.
Oz pushed off her and rolled to the side. He caught a glimpse of her bare thigh and red panties before he forced his eyes away. The more time he spent with Riley, the more time he wanted to spend with her. And he could honestly say that had never happened in the past.
“I’ll use the bathroom in the hall,” Riley told him.
“Thanks for staying last night,” Oz said from the safety of the bathroom doorway.
“Thanks for letting me stay,” she returned.
“You’ve got an open invitation,” he blurted. He hadn’t intended to invite her to practically move in, but she was already spending a hell of a lot of time in his apartment. He might as well make sure she knew how welcome she truly was.
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
Oz was a bit disappointed. He wanted her to immediately agree and start discussing which drawers she could use. But then again, that wasn’t Riley. She’d use caution because she wouldn’t want to impose.
But Oz had a feeling she’d never be an imposition.
“Time’s ticking,” he teased. “Go get the batter ready. I’ll check on Logan and make sure he gets ready for school and isn’t too engrossed in his baseball stuff.”
“Enjoy your shower,” Riley said with a smile, then she climbed off the bed, slipped on her jeans, and headed for the door.
Oz watched her until she disappeared into the hall then forced himself to close the bathroom door.
He’d definitely have to take care of himself in the shower, but with the way he was feeling right now, and with the memory of Riley in his arms still fresh, he knew it wouldn’t take long for him to orgasm.
Riley had him wrapped around her little finger, and she had no clue. And Oz freaking loved that.
It was hard for Riley to focus on her work when she arrived back at her apartment.
It had taken an hour or two for her to really get into the groove.
Thoughts of Porter and Logan were at the forefront of her mind.
She couldn’t believe she’d spent the entire night in Porter’s arms. It had been better than her fantasies.
He’d been warm, but not too hot, and having him next to her made her feel safe.
Safer than she’d felt in a long time…maybe ever.
If she’d gone back to her apartment, she probably would’ve had nightmares of Miles breaking down her door and putting his hands on her. But instead, she’d slept like a baby. Porter wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. It was comforting and thrilling at the same time.
And Logan was still breaking her heart. She hated that he’d scoped out a hiding place just in case he needed it.
He shouldn’t’ve had to do that. He should’ve felt safe with his uncle.
But since Porter was a stranger, and Logan had obviously had a difficult childhood up to this point, he’d felt the need to come up with a contingency plan, just in case things went south.
And then that morning, when he’d talked about secrets…
Riley had wanted to scoop him up and hold him tight and tell him that he could absolutely trust her and his uncle.
But he obviously needed more time. She just hoped it wouldn’t take too long.
She had a feeling both man and boy needed each other, and the faster Logan could come to the realization that he could trust Porter, the happier they’d both be.
Though, she knew better than anyone that trust couldn’t be forced. Porter would have to somehow prove to his nephew that no matter what, he could depend on him.
It was after lunchtime when something out of the corner of Riley’s eye caught her attention.
It was her phone. When she was working and wearing headphones, she always turned on the flash alert on her phone to let her know when she got a call.
Not that she really got that many, but when she did, she wanted to be able to answer.
She pulled her headphones off and picked up her cell. Wary, because she didn’t recognize the number, Riley answered.
“Hello?”
“Is Riley Rogers there?”
“Speaking.”
“Hi. This is Principal McClain. There’s been an incident with Logan Reed, and we haven’t been able to get ahold of his guardian. You’re listed as an emergency contact.”
Riley’s heart felt as if it had stopped beating. “Is Logan okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine. But we need someone to come to the school to pick him up. He’s been suspended, effective immediately.”
What the hell? Suspended? Riley had a million questions, but she was already on the move. She had no idea what had happened, all she knew was that she had to get to Logan. “I’m coming. Are you sure he’s all right?”
“Yes. Come to the front door. You’ll need to be buzzed in, then come straight to the main office. It’s to your right when you first enter.” The man’s voice was no-nonsense and unemotional.
“Okay. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“See you soon,” the principal said, then ended the call.
As she raced down the stairs, Riley tried to call Porter but the call went straight to voice mail.
He’d told her once that when they were in meetings, everyone turned their cells off so they could concentrate.
It made sense, as they weren’t sitting around talking about the weather, they were probably talking about some highly sensitive, super-secret national security stuff, but at the moment, she was stressed out that she couldn’t reach him.
Putting her phone in her purse, Riley raced to her car in the complex parking lot. The Toyota Camry was old, and definitely not fancy, not compared to Porter’s Expedition, but it safely got her where she needed to go, so it worked for her.
In eight and a half minutes, she pulled up to Logan’s school. She parked in a visitor’s parking space and jogged up to the doors. She was buzzed right in and hurried to the office. She needed to see Logan for herself. Make sure he was really all right.
On one side of the room, a boy sat against the wall. He had red hair and was holding an ice pack to his face. But instead of looking upset about his injury, the kid had the audacity to smirk at her when she entered.
Riley’s skin immediately crawled. The boy might be the same age as Logan, but he reminded her all too much of the bullies she’d dealt with when she was his age. This kid didn’t seem as if he cared about anything, certainly not about hurting someone else’s feelings.
Turning her attention from the boy to the secretary, she said, “I’m Riley Rogers. I’m here about Logan Reed.”
“You can go on into Mr. McClain’s office. Logan is in there.”
Nodding, and ignoring the kid who she could feel staring at her, Riley pushed open the door, trying not to feel weird about being in the principal’s office. She was an adult, but some things never changed, she supposed.
Logan was sitting in a chair with his legs dangling off the floor. His head was lowered but he picked it up when she entered—and the look of abject fear on his face when he met her gaze made Riley’s steps falter. Was he scared of her?
She went straight to him and knelt on the floor in front of him. Her hands rested lightly on his knees. “Are you all right?”
Logan nodded.
“You sure?”
He nodded again.