Chapter 32 #2
His calloused hand slid up my ribcage, and under the thin tank top I wore over my bikini, sending a tingle through me that turned into heat fast. My breath stuttered.
His other hand stayed in my hair, firm but not painful, like he needed to keep me close to believe this was real.
And I needed more of it. More of his demanding touch.
More of his claim on me. More of everything.
I stepped closer, desperate to feel his body against me. My hands brushed his arms, appreciating the solid muscle there under the soft flannel, and then I looped my arms around his neck, pulling him down towards me.
“Been wantin’ to do this all day,” he said, breath hot against my lips, voice low and possessive in a way that made my stomach flip. “No one else should ever be able to see you in this but me.”
For a moment, I was lost in the sound of his voice, deep, rough, threaded with need.
So I didn’t even register what had happened until I realized the weight of my breasts was no longer supported by my bikini top.
My eyes snapped open. “Did you—” My voice caught. “Did you really just do that?” An airy giggle escaped me, half disbelief, half thrill.
Logan’s mouth curved like he was proud of himself and slightly horrified at the same time. “Yeah.”
I laughed again, still breathless. “Logan.”
He kissed me before I could scold him, swallowing my words with his mouth and turning the laugh building in my throat into a moan, as my body arched into his without permission.
Our hands moved like they’d been practicing in secret.
Exploring. Claiming. Learning. Until my fingers slipped down to his waist, finding the button of his jeans, and the heat between us sharpened, urgent and undeniable.
I pressed closer, feeling the hardness there.
The realization of what was happening caused my pulse to jump.
He exhaled like a man losing a battle.
Then—
“Daddy?” Harper’s little voice cut through the night like a splash of cold water.
And then everything froze. Logan pulled back instantly, breath uneven, eyes closing for just a second like he was dragging himself back into control.
“Here,” he called, voice steady despite the wreckage in his expression.
I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh, causing Logan to shoot me a look as if he was both warning and pleading with me. I shook my head, shoulders trembling with silent amusement.
“I’m coming, bug,” he said gently to Harper, and I could hear him shifting into dad-mode like it was a switch he could flip, even when his mouth was swollen from kissing me.
“I should probably…” he gestured vaguely toward the house.
“Yeah,” I said, still processing what happened between us. “Yeah.”
Logan’s hand was still on my waist, and I could feel him thinking hard about moving it as he slid it away slowly, letting his hand linger there a moment longer than necessary.
His thumb pressed once, like he was making me a promise to return.
Then he stepped back, leaving me there. Heart racing, the cool breeze tickling my skin.
My bikini top was… definitely not doing its job anymore, and I hurried to fix it, fingers clumsy as I grasped the straps.
As the slider door softly shut behind him, my mind became a swirl of emotions, hope, and uncertainty tangling together until I couldn’t tell which one was louder.
Part of me wanted to chase after him; to follow him down that hall, press him against the wall, steal back the kiss Harper had interrupted. To let myself fall into whatever this was without asking too many questions.
But another part of me was cautious, wary, because I knew what it meant to want something that had the power to rearrange your life.
And because Logan wasn’t just a man I desired, he was also a father.
And if he was finally reaching for me. If he was finally saying, “I want you,” out loud, it meant he was stepping into something that could hurt him, too, and hurt her.
I hugged myself, feeling the cool night air raise goosebumps on my skin, and tried to tell myself it was just a kiss. Just a moment.
But my lips still tingled like his mouth had left a mark that went deeper than skin.
And somewhere inside the house, I heard Harper’s sleepy voice again, followed by Logan’s low murmur.
The same voice that had just been in my mouth.
The same man who had just kissed me like he didn’t care about consequences.
And now he was tucking in his daughter as if he hadn’t just undone my whole life.
A man capable of both restraint and ruin.
And all I could manage was taking a deep, slow breath.
Because in the morning, he would get on a plane and go back to Florida, back to being responsible, controlled, and too careful. And I didn’t know what would happen to whatever had started between us once distance and daylight got involved.
All I knew was that tonight, under the stars, he had looked at me like I was something he’d been trying not to want.
And he’d stopped trying.
The patio stayed still after that, just the ocean and my heartbeat and the faint echo of his voice in my head.
I want you.