More, Please (18 page)

And that’s what JLS Heartland probably is
to a lot of people in this town. Oz. Because without it, there would be a lot more
unemployment around here.

“See that sign?”

“Yeah. JLS Heartland. That’s where your
brother works, right?” Oh, shit. They’re embezzling money from the company. No,
I shake my head immediately, keeping my ample imagination in check. Logan’s too
honest for that.

“Right. Acting CEO,” he answers. “What’s
my name, Allie?”

“Logan.” I’m right. He has lost his mind.

“My given name. Remember?”

“Jake, right?”

“Jacob Logan Sheridan, the Third.”

“Okay,” I say hesitantly.

“And the initials are?”

I shrug. “JLS.” I glance at the sign
again. “JLS?”

“Yes. That’s my family’s business.”

“You’re the JLS in JLS Heartland?”

“Well, my grandpa is, actually.”

My mind is in a whirlwind. I grew up with
my feet firmly planted in middle class soil. The idea of knowing someone
attached to a family like this is really foreign to me.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t get a
lot of the family money since I’m not on the payroll. But when my grandfather
died, he left me a good chunk of change. He was in the service for a while,
too. He probably knew I’d have to start my life over at some point. So that’s
how I bought the townhomes and still have enough to live comfortably on till I
sell them. And that’s why I have enough money that I can donate to a cause I
really believe in, Allie.”

My heart stirs at his words.

“I don’t want you thinking that I bought you
this because I’m sleeping with you either. I made the decision before that ever
happened, and I’ll swear to that.” An easy grin sidles up his face. “I might
have sprung for the leather interior because of that, though.”

A small laugh escapes me.

“I just didn’t want you trying to squeeze
all your dogs into that tiny car anymore. It’s not even safe, Allie. And I want
you safe. You deserve that.” He sighs. “I would have told you before I bought
it, but I knew you wouldn’t let me. And even if you’re pissed off at me, I’ll
deal with that a lot better than thinking of you trying to drive that car to
your next adoption event with a German shepherd crawling on your lap.”

Silence prevails for a moment while I try
to bring myself back to a reality that is a whole lot more plush than my
fifteen-year-old hatchback. “Logan, I don’t know what do say.”

“Say nothing then.”

“Thank you. I’m just really in shock
here. I’ve never been given something like this before and I’m not sure what
I’m supposed to do now.”

“You’ve already done plenty. Though, if
you’re handing them out, I wouldn’t mind one of those kisses of yours.” He
seems boyish beside me now, his eyes filled with mischief. I lean into him and
touch my lips to his. He smells of coffee and raspberry Danish and I know he
must have stopped at Pop’s on the way to the dealer this morning. As his tongue
urges for entry past my lips and his hand reaches up to caress my cheek, my
senses are consumed by him. His fingers channel into my hair as I lean close. My
heart rate picks up, right along with my breathing.

If we weren’t sitting in a car in broad
daylight right now, I’d be stripping down naked and seeing if those seat
protectors in the back are nearly as soft as this leather.

A car honks its horn at us and I’m humiliated.

Logan rolls down his window. “Can’t a guy
get a little privacy here?”

It’s Ryan in his convertible Jag with the
top down. “Thought that was you. New car?” He eyes the SUV.

“Nah, it’s Allie’s. She’s just letting me
take it for a joy ride.”

“Oh. Hey, Allie.” He nods at me. “I
thought maybe you were reporting in for your first day of work, Logan.” Ryan
gives a nod to the building looming at the center of the massive parking lot.

“Hell, no. What are you doing rolling
into work at lunchtime?”

“Are you kidding? Been here since six-thirty.
Just broke for lunch, not that I owe you an explanation, slacker. I better get
inside. I’ve got a meeting in a few. You coming to dinner Sunday?”

“Yep. With Allie.”

“Hey, great. Good to see you, Allie.” He
nods in my direction and drives off.

Logan shuts the window and angles a look
at me. “So. Want to take her for a spin?”

I have chills, honest-to-God chills from
the thought of driving this. “Yes.” I expel a breath as I say it and I know I
sound wanton. But I guess he’s used to that tone from me by now.

Smiling, he opens his door to get out.
“Mmm. The way you say ‘yes,’ it’s got me hoping I’ll hear more of that word
tonight.”

- LOGAN -

I love watching her get ready for the day
in my bathroom. I know it’s strange, because I’ve always been one to get
annoyed with the sight of tiny jars of mysterious facial creams spread out over
my vanity. But I haven’t gotten much time with Allie all week since she’s been
working so many parties. So right now, the sight of her in my bathroom putting
on some kind of flesh-colored makeup, that I swear doesn’t change her
appearance in the slightest, just makes me smile.

She’s in one of my old PT shirts, and I’m
glad I didn’t throw them out after separating from the Navy because she looks
so damn cute in them. Flitting a look over to me, she seems to be a bundle of
nerves today.

“Stop watching me,” she scolds. “You’re
making me more nervous.”

I really don’t think that’s possible.
“There’s no need to be nervous. My family’s pretty easy to get along with.
Besides, you already met my brother. He’s definitely the only snob in the
family.”

She rolls her eyes. “Your brother’s not a
snob. He’s the perfect gentleman.”

I grumble low enough that she can’t hear.
Sure, he was a gentleman that day at Buckeye Land. Because he was eyeing Allie
like she was a piece of meat. I made it pretty clear to him since then that
Allie and I are an item now and there won’t be any poaching. But I’m wary just
the same. “Don’t be fooled by him. You’ll like my mom, though.”

“How about your dad?”

I shrug. “He’s a charmer, I hear. A good
guy. He’s a little short with me still sometimes.”

“Because you didn’t follow in his
footsteps?”

“Maybe. Or maybe because I preferred
getting shot at more than going into the family business,” I laugh.

Her face is serious. “I’ve never met
anyone with vascular dementia before. Is there anything I should know?”

“You probably won’t even notice. He’s
still in the early stages. He hasn’t had a spell in a couple months and none as
severe as that time last year.”

She nods, and her hands are shaking a bit
as she shuts her compact. “How about your other brother?”

“You mean the prodigal son?” I chuckle.
“I’m still not convinced Dylan’s actually coming today. Just because he texted
and said his flight is coming in doesn’t mean something won’t pull him away
again from his family.” I say it knowing I’m just as bad as he is. I let the
Navy take me from my family for a decade, so I’m not one to cast stones in my
youngest brother’s direction.

Her face is scrunched up. “Why the
attitude about Dylan?”

I smile. I like how direct she is with me
about things. It’s a sign she might be able to survive around a guy like me.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t be that way. Dylan is… how do I say this? He was
born under one of those lucky stars you hear about. Went to college on a full wrestling
scholarship, which Dad certainly boasted about even though we sure never needed
the money. Competed at the Olympics and took a silver, but still managed to
walk away with a couple endorsements just because he’s eye candy for the
women.”

She lets out a little snort. “If it makes
you feel better, I haven’t got a clue who he is. But that’s just me. My life
was pretty much wrapped up in my schoolbooks when I was in high school and college,
and then my dogs after that.”

I pull my iPhone out of my pocket and
pull up one of the shaving ads Dylan did a few years ago. “He started a chain
of gyms with the money from his endorsements. I think he’s got eight or nine of
them now.”

Her mouth drops as she looks at the image
on my phone. “That’s your brother? Better keep Cass away from him. She’ll duct
tape him to her bed and keep him as her pet.”

“He might actually like that, for a while
anyway. He’s a bit of a player.”

She slides over to me and presses her
chest against mine. I feel her nipples harden under my t-shirt and all the
blood in my brain flows downward.

“And you’re not a player?” she asks.

“I think you know I’m not. Never had time
for it and never had the interest. I’d rather have one woman I can focus all my
energy on.”

“I’m glad to be that person for now.”

I hear the “for now” that she tacked on
and it makes me frown. She’s got to know this isn’t a fly-by-night thing for me
by now. Right?

“You make it sound like you might be
going someplace,” I state.

“More likely, you will. I just don’t
think you were meant to be landlocked in central Ohio, Logan.”

I frown, knowing she is right. I’ve been itching
to be near the water again, and even considering taking Maeve and Jack up on
that wedding invitation just to have an excuse to get out of town for a while.
Meanwhile, Allie is Midwestern to her core. She’s even trying to buy a property
out here that will keep her busy for years. Where is this thing headed for us?

The thoughts roll off me. I’ve never been
one to think too far into the future when it comes to relationships. “Well, I’m
here now.” I pull her closer to me and I’m sure she can feel just how much I’d
like that t-shirt off her right now. It’s not like we don’t have the time. “We’re
not leaving for another hour.”

“I just took a shower and did my makeup,”
she protests.

“You can fix yourself back up.”

“We’re supposed to be there at three.”

“Ish. Three
ish
. We’re a very
ish
kind of family.”

“We can’t—”

She quiets when I slide my hands beneath
her t-shirt and toy with her nipples under the pads of my thumbs.

“Oh,” she moans.

“Still think we shouldn’t do this?”

“Maybe just a quickie.”

I nudge her onto her back. “With you, I
don’t think I’ll ever manage a quickie. I want to plunder your body thoroughly
each time.” I slide her panties off her and feel my pulse quicken at the sight
of her dark curls. My hand explores the soft skin beneath the thatch and I get
harder from the look in her eyes when I find her nub, begging to be touched. My
fingers slide down to her moisture, and I slip a finger inside her. She
tightens around me. I love how tight she feels even around just my finger. My
cock aches to stretch her out more.

Quickie? If I let myself, I could handle
a quickie with her, just focusing on my own needs, pounding myself into her
till I’m finished. But I love the way she feels as she cries out, clamping up
those folds around me and pulling me in deeper as she comes. I get almost as
much satisfaction feeling that, as I do exploding inside of her.

I move my head to her chest and push her
t-shirt up, exposing her breasts. My tongue strokes her nipple, and it gets
even harder from the attention. She tastes a little like soap, fresh from the
shower like she is, and her skin is as smooth as butter. Her breath quickens
and I can feel her heart beating as my lips are pressed against her. I move to
the other breast as my hand toys with her clit. I want to watch her come again,
right now, with my face only inches from hers and in broad daylight so I can
enjoy the sight. My fingers explore, picking up the moisture from her slit and
moving it up to the bud beneath her curls. She purrs my name, and opens her
legs more. A request. But I wait for her demand. I tease her more, sucking on
her breast as I use my free hand to massage the other. I love the way her
nipples respond to my touch.

Lower still, my other hand teases her with
her own moisture, and she opens even wider. I slide my finger along the side of
her entry, not dipping in this time. She murmurs something unintelligible, and
I know what she wants.

“Say, please.” I advise her.

Her eyes flicker shut. “Please.” Her
voice is barely a whisper and sounds almost pained as her pelvis lifts higher. I
shouldn’t have made her wait so long. But I have one more demand.

“Open your eyes for me, baby. I want to
see them when you come.”

Her eyes open and she stares at me, but
I’m not even sure if she’s seeing me. She seems drunk on hormones, and engrossed
in need.

“Good girl,” I say, plunging two fingers
deep inside her and hearing her cry out immediately from the pressure. She
arches her neck backward, her hips rocketing upwards, trying to pull me in even
deeper. My cock is so hard as I watch her. I hadn’t intended to take care of my
own needs before taking her to dinner, but now there’s no turning back. When
her body sinks back into the sheets, I pull a condom from my nightstand and
pull off my shorts. I need to be inside her now. I sheath myself, then prop
myself above her. Her legs are still open, waiting for me, but I know I need to
make this fast.

“Roll over,” I tell her.

She does as she’s told, and for that, I’m
grateful. I’m breathless, unable to explain. I pull her hips upward, and wrap
my arms around her so that I can lightly pinch her clit. She makes a little
noise in response. “That feel good?”

“Inside me,” she demands. “Now. Please.”

I laugh, loving how polite she is even in
her most desperate moments. I slide into her slick entry. I know I’m big for
her small frame and I try to hold back. She seems to sense this, arching her
back a little more to take me in.

I have to remind myself to touch her. It’s
not all about me, but I’m feeling selfish suddenly, with her tight around me,
gripping me with the muscles inside her channel.

My fingers roam from her breasts, down
her belly, to the center of her need, and she tightens up again, tighter still,
around me. It’s all instinct now, driving into her so hard and fast, unable to slow
myself. I see her body in front of me, rocking back and forth as I take her
from behind, and it only makes me want to press into her deeper.

“Harder,” she says, and the word has me completely
undone. I feel her folds grip my cock like a vise as she screams out my name,
letting herself succumb to a climax. I’m only a second behind her, plunging
into her depths as though mating with her is the only thing that can keep me
alive.

One final thrust and I fall to my side,
taking her with me. I’m seeing stars, and fight the lure of sleep to recharge
myself. My body is slick from sweat. It wasn’t a marathon, but a short, hard
sprint that’s left me reeling inexplicably.

I look at her reddened skin where I was gripping
her. “Oh, God, Allie, I didn’t mean to take you so hard.”

A tired smile creeps up to her flushed
cheeks. “I only hope you mean to do it again soon.”

I’m relieved at her words, yet stunned by
what she has done to me. I need to have more control with her. But control is
one thing I’m lacking every time she enters the room.

When she rolls onto her back, my hand moves
to her breasts, stroking them, savoring the feel of her skin beneath my touch. I
make a trail of kisses down her belly, down to her sex, opening her legs. “Did
I make you sore, baby?”

“A little,” she admits.

I dip my head between her legs and offer
myself as a salve for her aches. She inhales a sharp breath as my tongue moves
along the stretched tissue along her opening, and then enters gently. I love
the taste of her. It’s indescribable and intoxicating, and makes my blood surge
south even as I struggle to recover from the last time I let myself go inside
of her. She tastes like every fantasy I’ve had in my life and I’m addicted to
it.

Addicted to her.

I open her legs more, lapping at her
folds and sucking her nub tenderly, softly, the way I know she needs me to be
right now. “Feel a little better?”

She doesn’t answer me, just digs her
fingers into my hair and holds my face to her. “More, please,” she whispers.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” God knows I
am.

“Mmhm,” she answers, gazing down at my
erection as I move above her. I pull off the old condom and slip on a new one. I
hate the damn things and wonder what it would feel like to slide into her
without. I know I’m safe, and pretty sure she is. But I’m sure she’s not on the
pill, and I don’t take chances.

I slide into her, determined to take it
slow this time, determined to let this time be all about her. And as I feel
myself sink into her, I can’t help wondering whether it would be such a bad
thing to get her pregnant. I get harder just at the thought of pouring inside
of her, making a baby. I don’t know where the thought is coming from, but it’s
there, and it’s never been there before.

These sure as hell aren’t my normal
thoughts during sex. And I should be mortified, but I’m not. Instead, I’m just
watching her eyes fall to half-mast as I move in and out of her and I’m feeling
perfectly complete, perfectly at ease, and calmer than I’ve ever been in my
life.

She is my world.
Right now
, I amend.
Though somehow
right now
just doesn’t seem to be enough.

My movements are slow and I’m certain to
rub against her clit each time I’m deep inside her. Her eyes shut in response
and I watch a breath fill her lungs, raising her breasts closer to me, urging
my mouth to take a taste. I kiss her reverently, taking a nipple inside my
mouth and letting my moisture sooth the irritated skin from where I grabbed her
too hard earlier. She deserves this—tenderness. More than just a quick
fuck.