“What do you mean?”
“You’ll understand once you’ll see the note. Just come back home.”
“Okay. Wait for me,” Logan says grimly. He slides his phone back into the pocket of his jeans, but he doesn’t move. Rather, he’s paralyzed by tension and twitching fingers as his eyes turn glassy.
Standing and closing the small space between us, I envelop Logan in a tight hug. His arms come around me like steel bands, and he clings to me with desperation as though I’m both his lifeline and the only thing that’s tethering him to sanity. Raw pain mixed with sadness and white-hot fury filters through my veins until my wolf goes crazy. My eyebrows knit in confusion at the foreign emotions sieging me. Then, a gasp tumbles free from my mouth when I realize I can feel what Logan is feeling at this moment through our bond. The pain is debilitating, like a black hole of despair cleaving me in two. I can’t stop the tears that stab at the back of my eyes from falling and rolling over my cheeks.
I don’t know how long we stand here, clinging to each other. It might be minutes or hours. After a while, Logan pulls back. He gently thumbs away the tears from my damp cheeks before clearing his throat. His voice comes out rough and scratchy as he says, “I need to go back to our community in the national park. There are a lot of things that I need to take care of. Will you come with me? I won’t be able to concentrate on anything if I don’t have eyes on you at all times.”
Sighing, I say, “My best friend Chloe is visiting. I don’t want to upset you even more, but she’s only staying a few days...I want to spend some time with her. I missed her like crazy. She wants me to stay at her hotel until she leaves. Plus, I’m working tonight. I can’t blow off work.”
Logan’s nostrils flare. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Emily saidsomething about the rogue…that he might come after you. I can’t risk you getting hurt, baby. I just can’t.”
I step back from his arms and fold my lower lip between my teeth, gnawing on it. “I can’t live my life in fear. Besides, you will be busy with pack matters, and I don’t think me interfering or meeting everyone at a time like this is a good idea. And Chloe’s boyfriend is a famous musician. He’s got an army of bodyguards following him and Chloe everywhere. I’ll be safe staying with them, and then when she leaves, I’ll come stay with you, or we can work something else out until you find the rogue.”
He sucks on his teeth and mulls over what I said. The muscle feathering in his jaw clearly indicates that he’s not exactly happy, but he reluctantly agrees. “Fine. You’ll stay with your friend, and I’ll go inform the pack and plan Josh’s funeral. But I’ll assign a security detail from my pack to watch the hotel and accompany you to the bar. Just promise me you won’t leave the hotel, okay?”
I nod. “Promise.”
Logan strides to the kitchen area and paces the room while making a few calls, letting Kaiden know about Josh’s death, and arranging the security detail. In the meantime, I text Chloe and tell her I’m ready to go. After twenty minutes, my phone vibrates with a text message.
Chloe: I’m waiting outside in the car. Blacked-out Escalade. Xx
Me: K. See you in five. X
“Chloe’s here. She’s waiting for me in the car downstairs, ” I tell Logan. After he grabs my overnight bag, we both get out of my apartment and stride toward the elevator. Unexpectedly, Logan reaches for my hand before entwining his fingers with mine. My pulse hiccups at how my palm fits in his big one. I know we’re just holding hands and that he just fucked me three ways to Sunday, but I can’t help feeling giddy at the small gesture.
The blacked-out Escalade is idling in front of the building. Before I can say anything, Logan drops my hand and pulls me to him, his lips slanting over mine in a soul-scorching kiss. He takes his time as he languidly explores my mouth until everything around us fades into a blurry background. When he pulls back, I’m flushed all over. You wouldn’t think, that after the way he fucked me earlier, I would get turned on so easily, but here we are, ladies and gentlemen. I’m dripping. Again.
Logan smirks, dipping down to whisper in the shell of my ear. “The smell of your arousal is making me crazy, little wolf. All I want is to strip you naked and sink my cock into that perfect pussy again. I can’t wait to have you in my bed. I’m going to worship your body for hours.”
I whimper in response and melt in his arms like butter on warm toast, his hot breath eliciting tingles all over my body. His lips find mine again, but as we start kissing fervently, we’re interrupted by Chloe opening the door of the SUV and clearing her throat with cartoonish exaggeration.
“You’re going to get arrested for public indecency if you keep going like that. I think you gave a granny on the sidewalk a heart attack,” she chuckles out as she exits the car, slams the door shut, and closes the space between us. “So, I guess it’s safe to say you two made up.” She thrusts her right hand in Logan’s direction, and they shake hands. “I’m Chloe.”
“Logan. It’s nice meeting you, Chloe.”
She narrows her eyes at him. “I’m not so sure if it’s nice meeting you, too, Logan,” she drawls. With a saccharine smile, she says, “If you make my bestie cry ever again, I’ll cut up your balls in your sleep.”
Logan’s lips twist in amusement. “Don’t worry. If that ever happens again, I’ll cut up my own balls, and then I’ll gift you the knife to cut off my dick, too.”
“Deal,” Chloe says, folding her arms in front of her chest. Shereaches for the overnight bag in Logan’s hand. “I’ll take this.”
The driver quickly exits the car, all flustered. “Miss Lim, let me get that for you.” He takes the bag from Logan before Chloe can reach it and places it in the trunk.
“Thanks, Allan. And I told you a hundred times before, call me Chloe, please.”
I lift an eyebrow and snort a laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Lim. We wouldn’t want you to break a precious nail,” I drawl with mock aggravation.
She rolls her eyes and then gives me a dirty look. “Oh, shut up. Can we go? Knox is waiting for us. They just finished rehearsal.”
“Yeah,” I say.
Logan gives me one last hug and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll call you. Be safe.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and watches us get into the SUV. Allan puts the car into drive and glides smoothly into the traffic as I say hello to the hunky bodyguard in the passenger seat.
“Dude, you didn’t tell me how fucking hot he is,” Chloe says as she fans herself. “Jesus fucking Christ, that man is fine as hell, and he’s so goddamn tall and muscly. So, is he engaged or not? Because if he’s stringing you along, I swear to God, Ave, I’ll slash his tires and set his house on fire. I don’t care how hot he is.”
“He’s not. It was all a misunderstanding.” Just as I finish telling Chloe this, my phone starts ringing. I pull it out from the pocket of my jacket. Marnie’s name appears on the screen, and I answer, sinking into the buttery soft leather of the seat. “Hey, Marnie.”
