“Logan.” My voice breaks around his name, breathy and raw.
He groans, forehead resting against mine.
Our bodies move in perfect rhythm, his mouth trailing down to kiss the swell of my breast, tongue circling until I arch into him, gasping his name like a promise reborn. His hand finds mine above my head, fingers laced, and something in me breaks open—soft and aching and full of love for him.
“I lost you once,” he breathes against my skin, voice thick. “I’m never letting you go again.”
The world narrows to him—his body, his voice, his soul wrapped around mine. I fall apart with a cry, clinging to him like he’s the only thing keeping me together. He follows with a low groan, holding me through it, shaking with the force of it all.
When it’s over, he stays over me, still inside me, brushing damp hair from my face as he whispers, “If loving you is the song I go out on… I’d play it on repeat ‘til the end.”
We lie tangled in the afterglow, skin to skin, breaths slowly finding their rhythm again. The sheets are forgotten, kicked down to the floor. Only the soft hum of the ceiling fan and the sound of his fingers brushing lightly along my arm fills the quiet. His touch is gentle now—unhurried, like a lullaby drawn across my skin.
I turn my head on the pillow to look at him. His hair is tousled, lips pink from kissing, eyes a deep, sleepy blue. He looks beautiful like this. Wrecked and soft and mine.
"Logan?"
He hums, eyes flicking open to meet mine. “Yeah, baby?”
I hesitate. My fingers drift to the tattoo inked over his ribs, tracing the lines like they’ll give me strength. I swallow hard. “Will you help me?”
He shifts slightly, giving me his full attention, his brows knitting with quiet concern. “With what?”
I take a shaky breath. “Braden’s room. I haven’t been in there since the day I left. I... I can’t do it alone.” His expression softens. No hesitation. No questions. Just quiet understanding. His fingers brush my cheek, thumb catching the tear that slips free before I even feel it fall.
“I’ll take you,” he says gently, voice threaded with something deeper than a promise. “Whenever you’re ready. We’ll go in together. And I won’t let go.” I nod, a small, broken sound catching in my throat. He pulls me closer, tucking my head beneath his chin as his arms wrap around me like a shelter. “I’ve got you, angel,” he murmurs into my hair. “Always.” I’m still tucked into him, my cheek pressed to the warm skin of his chest, when he suddenly shifts beneath me.
“Hey,” I mumble, lifting my head. He grins, wicked and tender all at once, before sliding an arm under my knees and the other behind my back. “Logan—”
“Shhh,” he smirks. “You’ve just survived me worshipping every inch of you. Least I can do is wash off the evidence.” He lifts me effortlessly, bridal style, and I can’t help the laugh that escapes. It bubbles up out of me—pure, startled joy—as my arms loop around his neck. I bury my face in his shoulder, still giggling.
“I could walk, you know.”
“I know,” he says, brushing a kiss to my temple. “But then I wouldn’t get to carry you like the precious thing you are.” I melt into him, completely undone. He nudges open the bathroom door with his foot, the old hinges groaning, and turns on the shower with one hand. It doesn’t take long for the steam to start curling around us. The glass fogs slightly, warmth kissing my skin, but all I can really feel is him—his chest under my hand, the steady beat of his heart, the safety in his hold. He sets me downslowly on the tiled floor, hands lingering at my waist as he looks me over, like he’s memorizing every part of me all over again. “God, you’re beautiful.”
I tilt my head, watching him. “You gonna stand there staring, or are you joining me?”
He smiles, eyes darkening just enough to make my breath hitch. “Oh, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
The moment the water hits us, I squeal. “Logan! It’s hot!”
He chuckles, stepping in behind me, arms wrapping around my waist as he adjusts the temperature with one hand. “It’s perfect. You’re just dramatic.”
I twist in his arms, flicking droplets off my fingers right into his face. “Excuse you?”
“Oh, it’s like that now?”
Before I can dart away, his hands are on my hips, yanking me back against him. I yelp, laughing as he starts trailing kisses down my soaked neck like he hasn’t already kissed every inch of me tonight.
“You can’t just ambush me in the shower,” I tease, breathless from the warmth of the water and him.
“Pretty sure you ambushed me first,” he murmurs against my shoulder. “With that begging.”
I gasp, swatting at his chest. “Logan!”
But he only grins wider, wicked and gorgeous, like the trouble he is. His hands slide down my waist, fingers teasing over my hips before he spins me gently and presses my back to the tiles. The water pours down between us, steam curling in the air, but all I see is him.
His eyes spark with mischief as he grabs the shampoo. “Turn around.”
