Chapter 1 #2
Glancing around the bar at the other men, Lacy realized that Logan would always be the yardstick by which she measured every man. So far, no one had ever come close to her ideal.
In addition to his creative talents in the woodshop, he used to play bass in Ty’s Collective, her cousin’s bluegrass band. He could beat out one hell of a rhythm on the bass. What was it about musicians that made them so freaking irresistible and hot?
Plus Logan wasn’t hard to look at. At all.
He was six-one, with chestnut-brown hair that he wore just a touch too long, which gave him a permanent just-rolled-out-of-bed look that never failed to send her thoughts straight to sex.
In addition to that—and his muscular arms and his chiseled jaw and his five o’clock shadow and his great ass—were his eyes.
God. Logan had the most striking blue eyes she’d ever seen.
They were ice blue, so light and piercing, she got lost in them.
Like now.
She blinked rapidly when she realized Logan was speaking to her. She hadn’t heard a word he’d said.
“Lacy? Did you hear me?”
“Um. Sorry. Music is too loud,” she lied.
“I said I finished fixing your chaise lounge. Wondered if you wanted me to deliver it to your place sometime next week.”
She had found a gorgeous chaise at a flea market a month earlier. Picked the thing up for a song, but it had a couple loose legs and the upholstery had been torn. She’d driven it straight to Logan’s store and asked him to fix it for her.
“That would be great, but I can come get it.”
He chuckled as he leaned closer. “You were lucky you got the thing to me the first time. Still can’t believe you managed to strap it to the roof of your car.”
“It was too big for the trunk.”
“I’ll drop it by in my truck. It’s not too heavy. Figure the two of us can get it up the stairs to your apartment on our own.”
She nodded, delighted by the prospect of having Logan in her apartment alone. Not that it would make one iota of difference in the way he treated her.
To Logan, she would always be Evan’s kid sister, which made her off-limits. The two idiots had actually made some sort of vow about it back when they were sophomores in high school. Evan called it their bro code, like that cliché wasn’t old and tired.
Of course, Lacy knew their promise to not bang each other’s sisters all those years ago had had absolutely nothing to do with her, and everything to do with Logan encouraging Evan to keep his hands off his sister, Rachel.
Rachel had been a year older than Logan and Evan, and growing up, she’d been the Maris High School It Girl.
Every guy in the school—and Amanda—had been in love with her.
And Rachel had been in love with at least half of them.
Unlike Macie, Rachel had been a bit less discerning when it came to sex, and she’d gotten one hell of a reputation by the time she’d hit senior year.
Lacy suspected Logan initiated the bro code as his attempt at managing to keep at least one boy out of Rachel’s pants. And Evan, because he was a good guy, had agreed to keep his hands off. Then he’d solicited the same promise from Logan.
She figured Logan hadn’t even had to think twice before agreeing.
After all, at the time, Lacy had been the annoying eight-year-old who hovered around them like a gnat that they constantly had to swat away.
They had both been totally oblivious to the fact that even then she’d been in love with Logan.
Logan had eternal dibs on her heart. He had been her first crush, her first love, and the man to occupy every sex dream she’d ever had.
When she’d kissed her pillow in eighth grade, she pretended it was him, and she had at least three notebooks she’d accumulated during middle and high school that were filled with her name and his.
Mr. and Mrs. Logan Grady. Logan and Lacy Grady. Logan + Lacy. LG heart LS.
And the worst part about all of it was, he didn’t have a clue.
Logan looked at her and, rather than noticing she was now an available, attractive woman of twenty-seven, he still saw the kid sister.
Of course, it wasn’t like Logan had been looking around much. He’d been happily shacked up with Jane for three years, then mourning her departure the last twelve months.
There had been very few people in Maris who hadn’t expected to hear wedding bells in Jane and Logan’s future, so everyone had been shocked when Jane moved out. And she hadn’t just vacated their apartment, she’d left town. Packed up her stuff and hit the road.
Unfortunately, the rumor mill was precious low on details about the breakup, apart from her moving back home for another guy. Lacy suspected there was more. Evan, no doubt, knew what had gone down between the couple, but he would never betray a confidence and Lacy would never ask him to.
In the end, she realized she didn’t really care why they broke up. She was just grateful as hell they had. For so many years, she feared she had missed her chance with him.
The table became too crowded for her to continue her conversation with Logan when the rest of the women returned from the dance floor. Then Macie dragged Coop over to join them.
Despite their protestations at the guys’ presence, Lacy had to admit the party was more fun with them there. So much so, Sydney called Chas and asked him to come join them, which he did.
It was safe to say Lacy was having one of the best times of her life.
She was surrounded by all of her favorite people in the world.
Lacy’s life was pretty simple, composed of work, flea markets and yard sales, and home.
Occasionally she dated, but, like Macie, she wasn’t having much luck on the boyfriend front.
And since learning that Logan had broken up with Jane, she’d turned down every single guy who’d asked her out—all three of them—because in her foolish, stupid heart, she still hoped that Logan would finally notice her.
So they drank, ate, talked, laughed and danced the night away, and even the fact that Logan had headed to the dance floor a couple of times with other women hadn’t dimmed her enjoyment of the evening.
Eventually, the couples began to peel off. Jeannette was the first to leave with her hot firefighters. Not that anyone could blame her for being in a hurry to get home with those two. While ménages were far from the norm, Lacy couldn’t deny Jeannette, Luc, and Diego fit together perfectly.
Sydney and Chas were the next to go. According to a very tipsy Sydney, they needed to start practicing for the honeymoon. Amanda and Brandi walked out with them.
Over the next hour, everyone else left, the sober ones offering rides to those who had over-imbibed until it was only Logan, Evan, and Lacy left at the table.
“Slim pickings tonight, I’m afraid,” Evan said as he slapped Logan on the back. It occurred to Lacy, her brother had brought his friend out tonight in hopes of finding him a girl. Or maybe just getting him laid.
It took all the strength she had not to jump up and down, wave her hands around and shout, “Yoo-hoo! I’m right here.”
Logan shrugged. “I wasn’t really looking.” He picked up his beer and took a swig, giving Evan a teasing grin as he winked at Lacy. “Let’s face it. Hottest girls here tonight were all related to you.”
Evan chuckled. “Bro code is still in effect. I know all about you, you kinky bastard. She’s my sister.”
Lacy felt like kicking her brother under the table.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell them she knew all about Logan’s kinks, but both men would die if they realized everything she knew.
If they found out she had followed Logan one afternoon about ten years ago and gotten one hell of a sex education…
Gladys Winthrop’s granddaughter, Yvette, had traveled from New York to spend the summer with her.
Every redneck in town had honed in on the city girl about ten seconds after she crossed the city line.
Strangers in Maris were few and far between and when a gorgeous woman wandered into their midst, all the guys took notice.
However, it was Logan who had the distinct privilege of being the man to capture her attention. The two of them had been inseparable that summer—and Lacy had wanted to know why.
Then she’d found out. Oh man, had she found out.
She had followed the couple as they left the annual Fourth of July picnic at the public beach early and returned to Gladys’ lake house.
Peering through the bedroom window, Lacy had seen Yvette on her knees, her hands bound behind her as she gave Logan a blowjob.
That ended when Logan picked her up, placed her facedown over his lap and started spanking her.
She might have worried, if Yvette hadn’t been begging for more, her expression one of total bliss.
Lacy had been equal parts horrified and turned on.
At seventeen, she’d only just begun to truly discover her sexuality.
That day had molded her fantasies, sparked feelings she had never had the opportunity to explore, and ignited cravings she had never wanted to indulge in with anyone other than Logan.
The deejay announced the last dance at the same time Evan’s phone rang. “It’s Annie. I need to take this.” He stepped outside to take the call from his wife, leaving her alone with Logan.
“Want to dance?” she asked.
He shrugged good-naturedly. “Sure. Why not?”
She fought down her annoyance at the realization he was just humoring her.
Then she decided it was time to set the record straight.
Maybe he was determined to cast her in the role of little sister, and maybe he was determined to keep his hands off her because of some stupid teenage vow, and maybe he was still getting over his last girlfriend—but enough was enough.