Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
CASSIE
This is the day Logan is getting back from his road trip.
Not like I have it marked on my calendar or anything, or like ten days without him has seemed like an eternity…
No…definitely not.
I return to the coffee shop that morning, notebook in my bag, half-hoping that the spark I’ve had this week about coming up with a way to save June’s shop isn’t just caffeine-fueled optimism. The place is quiet again, and June gives me a raised brow when I offer to help behind the counter.
“Still on that mission to save the world, huh?” she says, pouring herself a weak cup of drip.
“Just the parts I can reach,” I shrug. “Besides, you make a mean blueberry scone. It’d be a crime to let that vanish.”
She snorts, but her smile softens.
I roll up my sleeves and settle in at a corner table with my laptop and a lukewarm latte. I’ve barely typed three lines when the bell over the front door jingles.
And then keeps jingling. And jingling.
And jingling.
I look up, expecting one or two people.
Instead, it’s a crowd. Guys. Clearly baseball guys. Laughing, loud, still half in uniform. The place is instantly ten degrees hotter and three times as loud.
At the front of it all, he’s just grinning like he owns the damn planet.
Logan. Who else would it be?
He scans the shop until his eyes land on me.
“Everyone,” he announces, “go buy a bunch of coffee. I promised my friend here that we’d boost local business. Let’s get caffeinated, y’all.”
My mouth opens. Closes, and then opens again.
June is staring at them like she’s not sure whether to faint or hug someone.
“Logan, what are you doing here? What is all this?”
He just shrugs, stepping closer.
“You said you wanted to help the place. I figured you needed some foot traffic.” His eyes glint. “Besides, I missed your coffee.”
“I didn’t make the coffee,” I mutter.
“Yeah, but you’re here, so it tastes better.”
I head toward the counter to talk to June, but steal a glance back at Logan, who’s leaned against the back wall, sipping something iced and watching me like I’m the only thing worth noticing.
Then he winks, like this is all a game, and he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
“You really did something,” June whispers, looking around.
I swallow.
“I think he did.”
Before I can overthink it, I grab my phone.
“Don’t move,” I say, already stepping back toward the counter.
June raises an eyebrow. “What are you—”
“Content,” I murmur. “We’re capitalizing on this.”
I snap a quick video of the shop with packed tables, laughter, capturing the buzz of conversation.
Then I turn the camera toward Logan and his teammates.
One of them notices and flexes. Another throws up a peace sign.
Logan just looks straight into the camera with a slow smile.
He looks unfairly good as he takes a sip of his drink.
“This is damn good coffee,” he says, hamming it up.
I lower the phone.
“Please tell me you’re posting that,” June says.
“Oh, I am,” I reply, trying to sound normal. “As long as you give me permission to create some social media for you.”
“You kidding? Permission granted.”
Logan winks at me like this is all normal. “You have my permission to use my likeness, too. For content.”
I roll my eyes back at him, like I’m totally, utterly calm about what just happened.
Like my pulse isn’t all over the place, and I didn’t just capture something I’m definitely going to rewatch later.
By the time the last of the baseball players trickles out, the coffee shop is a wreck—in the best way. Empty mugs. Crumpled napkins. Laughter still echoing in the air.
June peeks out from the back, cheeks flushed. “Well, I’d say we made enough today to keep the lights on for another week.” She checks her watch. “You two mind locking up? I’ve got my bridge ladies waiting, and they get ruthless if I’m late.”
I raise an eyebrow. “We can handle it.”
Logan salutes. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll sweep and stack like pros.”
“Just…keep an eye on everything. Make sure you lock up, okay? I never did install security cameras in here like that one company tried to sell me on.”
As soon as she’s out the door, there’s a hush, like the place is catching its breath. We move around each other, wiping counters, refilling sugar jars, flipping chairs. Logan’s whistling something off-key, and it weirdly soothes me.
Then, as I’m wiping down the espresso machine, I say it. The thing I’ve been circling all day.
“You know,” I begin, pretending to focus on a coffee stain that’s already clean, “I’ve been getting messages from my ex lately.”
Logan looks up sharply from where he’s stacking chairs. “Yeah?”
I nod, still not looking at him. “It’s nothing serious. Just…him poking around. Making sure I still exist.”
Logan says nothing for a moment, examining me.
“You trying to make me jealous or something?”
I press on.
“No. Just that it got me thinking…maybe I’m taking everything too seriously. Maybe I need to loosen up. Have a little fun.” I glance over my shoulder. “Maybe this could be my rebound summer.”
He freezes, and the vibe changes between us palpably.
“Rebound?” he repeats, slowly.
I shrug, casual. “Yeah. You know. No expectations. Just fun.”
His brows knit, mouth twitching. “Right. You’re joking, aren’t you? Let’s just get this place cleaned up.”
My stomach drops.
“I mean,” I stammer, “Well…”
But he’s already walking away, grabbing the broom.
We clean in silence for a few minutes. I can’t read his mood. Did I offend him? Embarrass myself? Get turned down?
I’m rinsing a mug in the back sink when I hear the soft clack of the shades being drawn down, one by one.
I turn, heart hammering.
Logan walks toward me, eyes locked on me.
“Logan—”
Before I can finish, his body presses against me.
His hands slide up my hip, and his breath ghosts hot against my ear.
“If this is your rebound summer,” he murmurs, voice low and filthy, “you better pray I’m the only one you bounce on.”
My knees almost buckle.
I look up, my breath catching. “You’re such an ass.”
He grins. “Only when I’m right.”
His fingers brush my waist again, anchoring me in place.
“You started it,” he adds, eyes gleaming. “So what’s it gonna be, Cassie?”
He takes a step away, like he already knows the answer.
My breath catches as Logan closes the last shade and turns to face me, the late afternoon light casting golden shadows across the worn floorboards.
“You sure we’ve got time?” I ask, teasing, even though my voice wavers.
Logan crosses the space in two long strides. “We’ve got exactly as long as we want. And you heard June. There’s no security cameras in here.”
His hands slide to my hips, drawing me back until I bump gently against the wall behind the espresso machine. He leans in close, his lips brushing my ear.
“I’ve been trying to be good,” he murmurs, voice rough, “but the way you looked at me just now? That wrecked me.”
And then he kisses me without an ounce of hesitation or restraint. Just heat, tongue, and teeth: the kind of kiss that leaves no air between us and no question where this is going.
I melt into it, grabbing the front of his shirt and tugging him even closer, lips parting on a soft gasp when he grinds against me.
“I’m on the pill,” I whisper, tilting my head back as he kisses down my neck. “Are you clean?”
Logan stills just long enough to look me in the eyes. “Yeah. I am. You think I’d risk getting killed by your brother?”
I let out a breathless laugh, and before he can respond, I flip the dynamic.
“I have three brothers. And they’d all kill you.”
“Noted.”
My hands trail down his chest, slow and certain. I undo his belt and pop the button of his jeans, eyes locked on his as I sink to my knees.
“I want to do this my way,” I say, voice low, fingers slipping inside his waistband. “You okay with that?”
“Fuck, Cass,” he breathes. “Yeah. Anything you want.”
I draw him out, and my eyes widen with desire. I wrap one hand around the base, my thumb teasing the ridge, then lean in and lick a slow stripe up the underside.
His head drops back. “Fuck,” he groans, hips twitching.
I grin, lips brushing the tip before I take him into my mouth. I start slow, re-learning the shape of him, the weight, the way he shudders when my tongue flicks just right.
His hand fists in my hair, not pushing, just grounding himself as I work him deeper.
“You’re gonna kill me,” he rasps, eyes glazed as he looks down at me. “You’re so damn sexy, Cassie.”
I moan around him, and the vibration makes his knees buckle. He braces one hand on the counter, the other still tangled in my hair, holding it and watching me like I’m the only thing anchoring him to this moment.
It’s messy, and incredibly hot.
“Let’s get these out,” he groans, running a hand along my tits over my blouse.
He helps me, pulling my blouse down so my bra comes out.
“God damn. I forgot how big these are…you hide them well.”
I grin as I take him deeper…as deep as I can, and I see something spur in him.
“Yeah, baby. Mmm-hmm. Take me as deep as you can.”
And when he finally warns me he’s close, I don’t ease up. Not even when he holds my hair and hits the back of my throat.
“Babe, I’m gonna cum.”
I keep jerking him with a hand, my mouth still on him while he caresses my tits.
His whole body tenses. A sharp curse escapes his lips as he comes, hips jerking, eyes locked on mine like I’m all he sees.
“Oh, fuck,” he groans. “Just like that.”
He comes in spurts, and I do my best not to let any escape.
When I finally pull back, I wipe the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and stand slowly, flushed and smug.
“Still want to just clean up and call it a day?” I ask.
Logan’s chest rises and falls as he pulls me in for a kiss, deep and filthy. “We’re not even close to done.”
His mouth crashes into mine again, but this kiss is different.
He’s hungry, rough, and it’s obvious that the weeks full of tension are finally snapping loose.
I barely have time to breathe before his hands are on my shirt, tugging it up and over my head in one swift motion.
My bra’s gone a second later, tossed somewhere near the espresso machine.
“You’re serious about this,” I gasp, my back arching as he rakes his eyes down my body.
“I’ve never been more serious. You said you wanted a rebound. So rebound.”
He yanks off his own shirt and fumbles out of his jeans, and I swear, my knees go weak all over again. The way his chest flexes when he moves, muscles shifting like he was built to wreck me. It’s almost unfair.
He grabs my hips and lifts me onto the counter like I weigh nothing. The wood is cool beneath me, and his hands are fire as they trail down, slipping under the waistband of my shorts and dragging everything off in one go. I gasp, thighs spreading as he settles between them.
“Logan…” I start, but then his mouth is on me.
He devours me like he’s starving. Like I’m the only thing that’s ever tasted good.
I can’t stop the moans that escape my throat, my fingers tangling in his hair as my head falls back against the wall.
He takes his time, teasing me with his tongue, his fingers, drawing out every breath, every tremble, until I’m shaking, clinging to the edge.
But he pulls back before I fall.
I groan in frustration, but he just smirks, standing up and dragging his mouth along my inner thigh before leveling me with a look that pins me in place.
Then he lines himself up and pushes in. He goes slow until he’s deep, stretching me inch by inch until he’s fully seated inside.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, breathless, clinging to his shoulders. “Yes.”
Logan’s hands frame my face, his forehead pressed to mine.
“I’ve been thinking about this,” he says, voice rough and ragged, “since the morning you walked out on me, Cass.”
I blink up at him, my throat thick with desire. “You remember that morning?”
“Every second of it,” he says, thrusting slowly. “You in my bed. My shirt. That smug little smile. Then you were gone like the wind. Guess the universe wanted us to see each other again.”
He starts to move, each stroke dragging pleasure through my entire body, the pace building, deeper, harder. His hands grip my hips, my back sliding against the wall as I rock with him, meeting every thrust.
The air in the coffee shop is thick with heat and need, the scent of espresso still lingering in the corners as our bodies move together. It’s reckless. It’s raw. It’s everything we tried to avoid.
And I don’t want it to stop.
His rhythm builds, deeper now, rougher, his body driving into mine like he’s been waiting years for this moment. I can feel it—coiled tight inside me, that pressure ready to snap.
And then it happens.
My body seizes, clamping around him as a strangled cry tears from my throat. My nails dig into his shoulders. Everything shatters in a flash of heat and stars and his name on my lips.
“Logan…I’m gonna…”
“Do it.”
I come hard. My whole body trembling, legs locked around his waist, forehead pressed to his as my breath stutters. And through it all, he keeps going, like he needs to feel every last wave of it. Like he’s chasing something, too.
His eyes burn into mine, raw and feral. There’s no pretending here, and no walls anymore. Just need.
“Cassie,” he grits, voice breaking.
“Yeah?”
“Here we go again.”
He pulls out fast, grabbing himself with one hand. A beat later, hot release spills across my stomach, and he lets out a groan of pure satisfaction.
We both freeze for a second, breathless.
Then he leans forward, pressing a kiss to my collarbone, a hand brushing sweat-damp hair from my face.
We’re still tangled in heat and silence—in the storm we just unleashed.
And I don’t know what this is.
I just know I don’t want it to end.
“Well,” Logan grits out. “So much for the ‘no flirting’ policy.”
“Yeah,” I chuckle. “We pretty much decimated that, didn’t we?”