Chapter 26 - Logan
LOGAN
Iknow Lily cried. That I made her cry.
While tears that fall because of overwhelming pleasure make my heart beat faster, Lily’s cause an entirely different reaction.
There aren’t a lot of things I cannot bear to see, and apparently, the effect my words and actions had on Lily is among them.
I’m afraid the same would apply to Max if he wasn’t so good at hiding his emotions.
When she and Max come back inside, Lily meets my gaze. Her amber irises are tainted with hurt, but the warmth in them won’t disappear. Like it’s telling me that no matter what I do, she won’t stop trying.
She will never understand. I was wrong when I thought she’s like Max, because she is worse.
But blaming her is easier than blaming myself. I am weak. I fell for her, for her constant search for affection, for love, where there isn’t any to give. Not knowing when to stop is her fault, yes, but I was the one who let her push deeper and deeper.
And somewhere along the way, she really became mine. Mine, like Max and all the other demons I carry.
The others are splayed out on Ruby’s outdoor couch as they watch the sunset. I decide to do the same but at a safe distance, from the recliner in the living room, and with a glass of whiskey in hand.
When the sun finally dips beneath the horizon, and there are barely any drops left in my glass, I get up and walk out on the terrace.
There’s a heated discussion going on about whether peanut butter and runny eggs belong on a burger, and I only came out here to pick up Lily, but I am physically unable not to comment on it.
“Someone who knows his shit would focus on the meat instead of trying to distract from its taste.”
“Yeah, but what about cheese?” Charlie asks, and Max groans.
“I’m gonna get back to your question later,” I say, not surprised that it’s Hunter who gets me. Coincidentally the same person sharing looks with me when some of the others eat their goddamn steak with ketchup.
“Thank you, Charlie,” Max says, and Charlie pulls his legs up to avoid Max kicking him.
I walk up behind Lily, sliding my fingers up her arm until I can wrap my hand around the back of her neck.
“You’re coming with me,” I say, and she nods before she gets up.
“And you’re going to sit back down,” I add when Max stands up alongside her. His cheeks are a bit red, and I make a mental note to remind him to use sunscreen tomorrow.
The way my hand rests on Lily’s neck may look caring. Affectionate, even. She’s good at hiding the bruising nature of my touch, and her smile is unfaltering as I lead her to the bedroom.
“Changed your mind about having a talk?” she asks once we’re alone.
“No. I didn’t like the fit you threw earlier. You disrespected me in front of the others. This better not happen again.”
Ruby also hit me really fucking hard, and I’m pretty sure there’s already a bruise forming on my arm.
“It won’t happen again. I promise.”
“Just like you promised to be good when Max and I were gone?”
Lily lowers her gaze, worrying her bottom lip.
“So… Am I in trouble?” I stay silent and wait for her to answer her question herself. “I mean, I did a thing or two to get me in trouble.”
“Glad to see your brain is working again.” I sigh.
“I am sorry, Logan. I am really, really, sorry.”
“Don’t just say it, sweetheart. Show me.”
She sinks down on her knees, but I pull her back up. “Not like this.”
Confused, she puts her hands in her pockets to keep herself from reaching out to me.
“You fucked up, so you get a…”
“Punishment.”
“And sucking my cock is a…?”
“Reward?” she says quietly, and when her tongue darts out to wet her lips, I’m tempted to make an exception.
“See, that wasn’t hard.” I walk over to the couch and sit down. Spreading my thighs, I shift my hips and clear my throat. “Now strip.”
Lily turns to look at the huge window front with a worried expression.
“Lily, I said strip. Don’t act like you don’t know what that means.”
She faces me, not making the tiniest effort to undress. Wasn’t there something about God sending his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers? This woman is a conflict walking on two legs, as if her purpose in life is to test my damn patience.
Distress washes over her features while I wonder how that expression isn’t permanently etched into her sweet face by now.
Unfortunately, something about her makes me soft. Not in a good way. Soft, like a moldy onion at the bottom of the bag.
“Deal, because you were so insistent about talking.” Great, now I’m offering fucking deals like a desperate car salesman.
“You get one minute to tell me about your goddamn stupid adventure while you take off your clothes.”
Exception after exception. Weakness. Stupidity, which is rewarded with a smile reappearing on Lily’s face.
I think she doesn’t understand that no explanation on earth could excuse what she did. A no from me is a hard no. It’s not a maybe, not an invitation to discuss the topic another time.
Throughout all those years, I never forgave a person who disrespected me. Most of them didn’t even live for long enough to try to apologize.
Lily takes off her hoodie, and I lean back on the couch. The hoodie belongs to Max—what a surprise—and I wonder why she went shopping with Charlie if she continues to wear Vaughn’s shit. How come she never wants to borrow anything from me?
“Well, you guys didn’t want me to talk to Brady,” she starts, and I interrupt her.
“For good reason.”
“Yeah, wasn’t my best decision. But I wanted a clean cut. As clean as possible.”
I’m pleased to see that the shirt she’s wearing doesn’t belong to Max. I’m even more pleased when it lands on the floor next to her.
“I yelled at him,” she says, opening the button of her jeans. “And I hit him. Like this—“
She does some weird acrobatics with her fists, and I can’t keep myself from grinning because the thought of Lily hitting someone is a little too cute.
“Face, chest, arms; everywhere,” she adds proudly.
“And he really survived such a vicious attack?” I joke as I get up.
“I held back.” She laughs as she shimmies out of her jeans, and I walk over to her.
“Would have loved to see it,” I murmur. “15 seconds left.”
My eyes land on her soft pink thong, and my cock throbs. “Looks pretty,” I say, dragging my fingers over the thin lace of her bra and down her stomach.
“Max said you like the color on me.”
“I do,” I whisper, and Lily’s breath hitches as my fingers trail down further. “Anything you want to add to your story, sweetheart? Time’s running out.”
“I told him he’s dead to me. That I don’t care if he rots in his cell forever.”
“That’s my girl,” I growl, pulling her closer.
Her skin is so soft; so hot, as if she’s burning up underneath my fingertips.
With my free hand, I brush her hair to the side until I can take a proper look at the bizarre amount of hickeys Max left on her neck. Some of them are already fading, but I know damn well they were still very visible when Lily talked to her husband. Ex-husband.
“I hope you showed the scumbag who you belong to,” I say, pressing down on one of the hickeys with my thumb. Lily leans into my touch, looking up at me through her eyelashes. “Showed him who fucking owns you now.”
Her body fits too perfectly against mine. It’s too tempting, makes me want too much, and it takes a while until I manage to let go of her.
“Get my belt out, sweetheart.”
Carefully, she slips it out of the belt loops. There’s so much softness in her movements I struggle to imagine her hitting someone. She hands me my worn-out belt, and I hope she knows how lucky she is. I would have preferred to use something that causes more pain.
“On the bed,” I say, nodding my head over to where silky white sheets glow in the dimly lit room. “Face down, ass up. Think you can do that for me?”
She presses her lips into a thin line as she gets in position. And once she is, I fight with myself to stick to my plan because her body is begging me to ruin her. Back arched, her legs spread just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the wet spot forming on her thong.
Thankfully, I can always rely on Lily to find a way to complicate things.
She hides her face in the crook of her arm, and I crouch down until we’re at eye level. I grab a fistful of her hair, forcing her to look at me.
“Logan—”
“No, sweetheart. No more talking. I don’t want to hear a single sound from you unless I ask you to count. You’ll get three spanks for every violation of my trust.”
She frowns, her eyes narrowing in a silent protest.
“Three for lying to me, three for accusing me of lying, three for breaking into my office, three for going against mine and Max’s orders.
If you talk back or get out of position, you’ll get three more.
But if you take it like a good girl, I may feel gracious enough to give you a reward. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” she says, her tone too sultry to make me buy her nervous act even a second longer.
I adjust my aching cock in my pants and get back to my previous spot before I slide my belt through my closed palm. Lily trembles, and I wait until she stops bracing herself.
She flinches at the first slap but stays completely silent. She doesn’t make a sound, not at the second slap and not at the third. I only get a reaction when my belt comes down a fifth time, if the sharp inhale can even be called one.
She wants to play hard to break? Fine, then we’ll play.
The next spank is so hard the sound echoes through the room. Red lines appear on her ass like a beautiful painting, the marks of my affection drawn right on her skin.
“How many?”
“Six,” she says, hiding the tremble in her voice pretty well.
The next hit causes her body to jerk slightly, and when my belt comes down a seventh time, she finally makes a sound.
“What was that?” I ask, grinning. “You like it when I hurt you?”
I slide my hand up the inside of her thigh, pressing my palm against her clothed pussy.
“Fuck, sweetheart, you’re soaked,” I groan as I feel the mess she made for me. But when she tries to grind over my hand, I pull it away.
The following spanks are harder because I have a feeling she can take them.
That she wants to take everything to prove what a good pet she’ll be for me if I keep her.
And so fucking quiet, just like I told her.
Her obedience makes my heart swell with pride—the only thing I’ll ever allow myself to feel. For Max, and I guess for her, too.
“Let’s see how good you really are at keeping quiet.” It’s the only warning Lily gets before I move. One, two, three slaps, and as I softly stroke over her ass, she shivers under my touch.
I wish Max could see her like this, but he’s coddling her too much. He treats her like she’s the most fragile thing on earth, unable to see how deep the desire to please runs in her. Funny, because one look was enough for him to decide that she's a perfect fit for us.
“One more, sweetheart,” I say, securing the belt in my hand.
By now, I don’t know who’s suffering more under this punishment because my cock is so hard it fucking hurts.
Lily breathes out in relief the moment I’m done, and when I turn her around to pull her onto my lap, she lets out a surprised gasp.
Her thong is completely drenched, sticking to her pussy. She’s so wet I can feel it through the goddamn fabric separating our bodies.
Lily looks at me with eyes full of devotion and unspilled tears, tears that start falling as I cradle her face in my hands.
“Poor little thing, tried so hard to keep the tears in,” I whisper, swiping some of them away with my thumb before I guide my hand to my mouth to lick them off. “Need a kiss to make it better, sweetheart?”
Max knows my punishments don’t end with a reward, but Lily doesn’t. I put my hands around her waist and pull her closer. Shifting my hips, my cock presses right against her clit and as a moan slips out of her mouth, I catch the sound with mine.
Lily’s kisses are like her: shy and timid. Over time, she gains confidence, though. Starts grinding over my lap until she pulls me dangerously close to the edge with her.
I bite down on her lower lip right as I squeeze her ass, and she cries out against my skin.
“Get up.”
Lily is so far gone I almost have to push her off. She pouts as she stands up—pouts—as if she didn’t get way more than she deserved.
I hook my thumbs under the waistband of her thong and pull it down to the middle of her thigh. She seems confused, even more so when I get my cock out.
“I didn’t forget about your reward, sweetheart,” I say through gritted teeth, grabbing her hand and forcing it around my cock right beneath mine.
Lily looks up at me and back down when she feels me throb in her grip. I angle my cock down, slipping my tongue into her mouth before I shoot my load right into her soaked panties.
With a grin, I lean back to watch a few drops of cum run down her thighs. Before she has a chance to complain, I tuck my cock back into my pants and pull her thong up. Once everything is in place, I cup her pussy and press my fingers against the fabric to make sure my cum is everywhere.
It’s sticky, it’s filthy, and I know it’s going to bother her. Good, because someone still needs to learn the definition of the word punishment.
“You’re going to wear them until I allow you to get changed,” I say as I walk away, tossing Lily her jeans.
She makes a face but doesn’t protest. Thank God, because I need a cigarette if she wants to have another argument.
“Come on, get dressed. We’re going back to the others.”
“I’m tired,” she says with a forced yawn, lazily putting on her jeans. The inseam must press against the mess in her underwear because she’s scrunching her nose.
“Do I look like I care? If I say you’re coming with me, you’re coming with me.”
“That’s mean,” she grumbles as we leave the bedroom. “You’re mean.”
“And yet you keep coming back to me, sweetheart.”
I press a kiss to her temple, and the way she’s fighting the smile that appears on her face is so adorable, I pull her right into my lap once we get settled outside with the others.