Chapter 10
POV: Suzy
The girls showered first and fell asleep tangled together, Lily gently curled beside Izzy’s cast. It was so tender, it hurt a little.
Logan slipped into the bathroom while I called Barbara and Daniel. I told them everything—Izzy’s injury, Lily’s gold medal, that we were staying the night and heading home tomorrow.
And then Logan stepped out of the bathroom.
Wearing one of his shirts that clung to his chest and shoulders like it was made for sin.
The fabric hugged every muscle, every line of his torso, and his joggers sat low on his hips like an open invitation.
His hair was still damp, tousled and wild.
He looked like a dream—like temptation in human form.
I stopped talking. I stared.
Of course he noticed.
“You can touch, you know,” he said with that low, teasing voice. “No need to just stare.”
I blinked back to reality—and launched a pillow at his face.
“Suzy?” Barbara’s voice called from my phone.
“Oh! Yes—sorry,” I stammered, my face on fire.
“She’s okay?” Barbara asked, concerned.
“She’s amazing,” I said. “They both are.”
After we hung up, I slipped into the bathroom for my own shower. Logan’s shirt was still there—soft, worn, soaked in the scent of him. His cologne clung to the fabric, and when I pulled it over my head, it felt like he was wrapping his arms around me.
When I opened the door, Logan was by the bed, adjusting the mattress on the floor.
His eyes lifted—and landed on me.
And dropped.
And rose again.
He tried. He really did. But I saw the way his throat bobbed. I saw the clench of his jaw as his eyes dragged down my legs and back up.
“I—uh—I…”
I crossed my arms over my chest, the hem of his shirt brushing the top of my thighs.
“You can touch now,” I said, echoing his words. “No need to just stare.”
He groaned—and in two long strides, his hands were on my hips. His forehead pressed to mine.
Then he dipped lower, his nose brushing my neck as he inhaled deeply, like he needed proof that I was real. When he looked at me again, his eyes were darker, hungrier—and then he kissed me.
Slow. Teasing. Melting.
Then his tongue swept into my mouth, and I tilted my head, giving him full access. He devoured me, hands sliding up to cup my face. Mine gripped his shirt—his body—pulling him closer until our knees hit the mattress and we stumbled onto the bed.
A soft thump.
One of the girls stirred.
“Shhhh,” I whispered, breathless.
We both broke into quiet laughter, muffled in the dark.
We lay there, tangled and breathless, his hand tracing lazy circles on my hip. Then he kissed me again—slower this time. More deliberate. Meaningful.
He looked into my eyes and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.
His voice dropped to something almost reverent.
“You’ve been... incredible, Suzy. I’ve wanted to tell you that for a while. I just didn’t know how without making it too much.”
I swallowed hard.
“Too much isn’t always a bad thing.”
He smiled softly.
“I see you,” he said. “You didn’t have to stay. But you did. You’re the reason Izzy smiled today. You’re the reason Lily’s glowing like she won the Olympics. You’re… sunshine. That’s what you are.”
I hadn’t realized how close we were until my breath caught.
“You really mean that?” I whispered.
His fingers brushed over my cheek.
“I’ve never meant anything more.”
My whole body tingled.
He shifted behind me, pulling me gently into his arms. His chest pressed to my back. His mouth brushed the crook of my neck.
“You know… you can sleep here,” I murmured. “And sneak back to the mattress in the morning before the girls wake up.”
He huffed a quiet laugh.
“Suzanne Connor, are you asking me to sleep with you?”
I arched a brow. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
He chuckled, hugging me tighter.
“Oh, I want to. I’d love to sleep with you.”
His body pressed into mine, all warmth and strength. His hand settled on my waist. My back curled instinctively against his chest. His breath kissed the back of my neck.
And then I felt it.
Hard. Thick. Very present.
Pressing firmly against my ass.
“Logan… you’re poking me,” I whispered.
“You can’t judge me,” he murmured, kissing my neck again. “You’re in my shirt. Smelling like my soap. Looking like a dream.”
He didn’t move away.
Neither did I.
I smiled in the dark.
“Goodnight, Logan,” I whispered.
He pressed a kiss to my shoulder.
“Goodnight, Suzy.”
I wasn’t sure when I’d fallen asleep, only that I woke to warmth.
A strong arm was wrapped around my waist, anchoring me in place. My back was pressed against a firm chest. Soft breathing ruffled my hair.
Logan.
For a blissful moment, I didn’t move. I just felt. His body, heavy and solid behind me. His hand curled possessively at my hip, fingers twitching slightly, like even in sleep he couldn’t quite let go.
For a moment, I let myself stay there, perfectly still in the cocoon of Logan’s body.
I smiled to myself. It felt… like home.
Then, somewhere in the room, a sleepy mumble sounded.
Lily.
Logan stirred behind me instantly. I felt him blink awake before I saw it—his body going alert without jerking. He exhaled against my neck and leaned in just close enough to press a soft kiss to my shoulder.
“You awake?” he whispered.
“Mmm.” I nodded, still half-tangled in him.
Another murmur—this time Izzy.
He groaned softly. “Duty calls.”
He rolled away, the sudden absence of his warmth making me pout in the dark. I peeked out from beneath the blanket and watched as he stood, tousled and shirtless, running a hand through his already messy hair.
He looked like sin and sleepy softness all at once.
He padded across the room in silence, careful not to wake the girls, and picked up the hotel phone. His voice dropped into that gruff, deep-timbred register I now associated with pure heart-melting danger.
“Hi. This is Room 213. Can we get breakfast up here? Something for the kids. Pancakes, fruit, whatever you’ve got that’s sweet and safe. And coffee. For the adults. Strong coffee.”
He turned and looked at me then—rumpled in his shirt, curled up on his bed—and smirked.
“Very strong coffee.”
I bit my lip, grinning like an idiot.
When he hung up, he moved back toward the bed, hands on his hips. “So. About that dinner.”
I raised a brow, pretending to play dumb. “What dinner?”
“The one I’ve been trying to ask you out on since the moment I saw you drop your purse in the bleachers and swear like a sailor.”
I laughed softly. “Oh. That dinner.”
He knelt beside the bed, brushing my hair from my face. “After the girls settle in at home… we do it properly. A real date. You and me.”
I smiled. “I’d love that.”
“But,” I added, “I’ll have to figure out a babysitter for Lily. Barbara and Daniel are still out of town until next week.”
He didn’t miss a beat.
“We could share one.”
My eyes narrowed. “A babysitter?”
“A life,” he said, with a cheeky smirk.