46
Lia
“Aurora! I mean, Piper! Oh my god, Piper!”
I rush toward the girl I’d given up hope of ever seeing again. I shot her, after all. My own daughter, and I shot her. Even though I was losing my memory, ever since the Puicin Gang healed me, the vision of what I’ve done has burned into me.
I’d been so sure she’d never forgive me. But now she’s here, in Devil Tower, and I throw myself in her arms.
“You’ve come back to me… Piper, baby… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
She’s crying just as hard as I am. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I never wanted to stay away, but Quill is a controlling asshole, and he wouldn’t let me come back until he was sure you weren’t a thre—I mean, until he was sure you’d really gotten your memory back.”
“I understand,” I murmur, squeezing her to me. “Of course I understand.”
An arm locks around me, and I look up to see Logan hugging us both. “I’ve got my girls back,” he says. “We’re a family again.”
Quill is leaning against the doorway, his usual brooding self. “I’ve decided we’ll stay in Devil Tower for a few days.”
“We’ve decided, you mean,” huffs out Piper.
“Mhm hmm.”
“That’s great. I’m very glad about that.”
I turn to Logan, my heart swelling with gratitude, even though I realize exactly what he’s doing—manipulating me so I have no choice but to stay. Offering me everything but my freedom.
Then my eyes widen when I catch sight of his face. Somehow, I’ve been so focused on my own pain, on my own anger, that I never thought about what he was going through.
His dark undereye circles and pale skin show it clearly enough. He’s suffering. While I’ve been seething, complaining, rebelling, he’s been quietly suffering.
For the first time, confusion muddies the anger I’ve been holding onto.
“Logan,” I murmur, walking over to him and taking his hand.
He blinks at me in surprise, then draws me to him, wrapping an arm around me, before turning his attention to Piper.
“Let’s make sure to see each other more often from now on,” he says, in a light voice I can tell he’s far from feeling. “We’ll visit you in Oregon regularly. Won’t we, Lia?”
“Yes, Logan.” I nestle my head against his chest, the tightness in my heart easing when I look up and see a glimmer of real happiness in his eyes.
“We can even move out there if you want,” he says. “Whatever you want, baby.”
Piper and Quill both turn to Logan in shock. But I merely raise an eyebrow.
“Really? So you’d just up and move if I told you that’s what I wanted?”
“Uh huh, baby. You decide.”
Damn, he’s good at pretending. But for the first time, I see it differently. He’s not just pretending. He’s pretending for me.
“I’d prefer to stay here,” I say at last, “and visit them as often as possible. I don’t want to leave Astley… entirely.”
“Okay, baby.” Logan squeezes me, and I can hear his sigh of relief. “I bought us a house out there. I mean,” he corrects himself, looking bashful, “I’ve found a house I like. Of course, I won’t buy it if you don’t like it.”
“Okay, Logan, you’re overdoing it.” I can’t help it—I have to repress a giggle. “I don’t mind that you bought the house. You don’t have to ask my permission for everything. You can go take a shit without asking me first.”
Piper lets out a squeak of laughter as a smirk travels to Logan’s tired face, and he smacks my ass.
“I want to talk to my daughter now,” I tell him, still determined to test the limits of whatever freedom I do have. “Can you let me...? No. Let me, Logan. Let me talk to her alone.”
He doesn’t even protest, merely kissing me. “Of course, baby. I’ll go... take a walk. The windows are open. See?”
He gestures to them before kissing me again, then walking to the door. Quill takes a beat longer to go, and Piper has to physically nudge him toward the door.
“Get us two cappuccinos!” I request. “Do you like cappuccinos, Piper?”
“I don’t drink coffee actually. It gives me the jitters, and I already have enough of those.”
“Really?” I latch onto that small piece of information, anxious to know more about her. To know all about her. Though I realize that will never be possible. It wouldn’t be even if I’d been the one to raise her.
“But it doesn’t matter anyway,” she continues. “Our two idiots aren’t going anywhere. Can’t you hear them mouth breathe from behind the door?”
“I guess I can,” I chuckle.
“Anyway, Quill knows what I’d want. A frappuccino with as much sugar as possible, and cold enough to give me brain freeze.”
“You need to be careful about too much sugar. It’s not healthy...”
Piper makes a face.
“Sorry,” I say quickly. “I didn’t mean to lecture you. I...”
“That’s okay. I’ve missed lecturing parents.” She slips a timid arm around my waist, inviting me to sit down on the couch next to her.
We remain silent for a beat while I wrack my brain for more questions. “Tell me about your favorites. Favorite color? Favorite movie? Favorite food?” I smile helplessly. “I just... I just want to know more about you, sweetie.”
“Well, I don’t know.” She pauses. “I’ve never really thought about my favorite color. I don’t watch all that many movies. I like whatever Quill cooks for me. I do read, though.”
“Nancy Drew.” I smile, remembering that piece of information. “You read Nancy Drew, don’t you?”
She blushes. “I mean, that’s for kids, obviously.
Now, I’ll read anything and everything by Raymond Chandler.
I like Agatha Christie too, and Dashiell Hammett, but my favorite is Raymond Chandler.
The Long Goodbye. That’s my favorite book.
” Her lips twist into a little smile before she whispers confidentially, “And, well, yes, I do occasionally still read Nancy Drew. Under the covers with a flashlight, because I mean, that’s so cringe, isn’t it?
Josh would make fun of me if he found out.
I can’t hide anything from Quill, though. ”
“Josh,” I echo, trying to keep up with my chattering daughter.
“My best friend. He often visits us in Oregon.”
“Right.” I lift a timid hand up to tame one of Piper’s flyaways. “I hope I’ll get to meet him. And I’ll try to read those authors... what are their names again? Raymond Hammett?”
She lets out a peal of laughter. “I’ll ask Logan to buy you his books.”
“I can buy them myself. Logan lets me... I mean, I can go out and do what I want, you know?”
“Right.” She doesn’t look like she entirely believes me. “I guess that’s nice. Quill doesn’t really leave my side all that much. I’ve got him on quite the short leash.”
“You... what?” I laugh.
“That’s right. He thinks he’s controlling me, but he’d be lost without me. I’m the one who holds the power in our relationship.”
“Oh...” I frown, confused at this new way of looking at things. “I see.”
Just then, the guys come back in, and Logan walks over to me, laying a possessive hand on my shoulder.
“Alright, girls. You’ll have all the time in the world to chit-chat this week. Piper, you won’t mind if I... take care of some business?”
Quill’s sullen expression brightens. “Yeah. I also have some business to attend to.”
“Great.” Logan wraps his hand around my wrist to pull me up and tugs me toward the hallway. “By the way, the walls are perfectly soundproofed.”
“Logan,” I groan, “do you have to spell it out like that? She’s our daughter!”
“Mhm hmm.” He smacks my ass again to make me go faster. “Stop talking and start walking, baby.”
_
“You can handcuff me.”
“Can I?” He grins, flipping me over on my stomach before doing just that. Then he pushes some pillows under me, lifts up my dress and hooks his fingers under the waistband of my panties.
“Yeah, I don’t mind feeling like your captive during sex.” I wiggle my ass at him, and he rewards me with a hard smack. “Just not the rest of the time.”
“Okay, baby.” He runs his fingers over my sore butt cheeks. “I’ll try my very best not to make you feel like a captive the rest of the time.”
“Right.” I don’t lose the subtext, but I bite down on a protest when I see traces of the old Logan smirk on his face. Instead, I decide to joke. “Thank you. You’re getting very good at making me feel free.”
I pause to let out a moan as he parts my legs and his tongue finds my pussy.
“I don’t want to be able to say red. I like not having a choice…
during sex, I mean.” I smile when I see how happy my words make him.
“And you don’t have to make me come every time.
I kind of like being edged.” I wiggle my ass again, this time to encourage him to go back to licking my pussy. “Just not for weeks on end.”
“I see.” Instead of licking me, he pats my ass. “That’s a whole lot of requests for a little captive.”
“For a sex captive,” I remind him. “Not a real, everyday captive.”
“Uh huh. Sure. I mean, yes, of course.”
I shake my head, repressing another urge to laugh. “I can’t believe that just a few days ago, I was telling myself I’d prefer to leave you if it meant being free…”
He walks around the bed, sits down beside me, and tilts my head so I’m looking up at him. “That’s because I gave you your two daughters back, baby. I made you happy. And maybe happiness matters more than freedom. Don’t you think so?”
“Hmm.” I close my eyes as he strokes the side of my face. “I’m not sure about that, Logan...”
“Well, I’m sure.”
My heart squeezes when I hear the pain just under his harsh retort.
“What I meant,” I say hurriedly, “is that... you know, I was just remembering something Piper said. Do you know what it was?”
“Of course not. How could I? It’s not like I was standing behind the door or anything.”
“Uh huh.” I make a face. “Well, she said she’s got Quill on a short leash. He thinks he’s the one in control, but the truth is... she’s got all the power. Maybe that’s how it is with us. What do you think?”
“What do I think? I think I want to look at your tits.”
“Logan!”
“Seriously, baby. Lift yourself up so I can look at your tits.”
Opening my eyes again, I see that the Logan smirk is back in full force. I’m not sure what he really thinks about Piper’s words, but clearly, they’ve reassured him.