Logan (Carolina Reapers 4)

And when he’d been gone last week? I’d felt the distance between us like a physical blow. Sure, we’d spoken on the phone every single day, but not being able to touch him? See those dark eyes? Inhale his perfect scent? Absolute torture.

“I missed you,” he said against my mouth, barely breaking the kiss to squeeze the words out. He slid his arms around my waist and hoisted me up and up to meet his level, all while backing further into his house. Not bothering to head for his room, he chose the much closer great room, sinking us onto the couch.

“I missed you,” I mimicked him, trailing the tip of my tongue along the edges of his teeth. A delicious growl rumbled from his chest as I shifted our positions on the couch so I could straddle him.

God, he tasted good, felt good. More than the lust roiling in my blood—the second he’d opened the door something inside of me had clicked into place. Some piece of me I hadn’t realized I’d been missing until he’d returned.

The pieces of me that were made of him.

Fuck, when had that happened?

I couldn’t deny the truth in the realization and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Falling for Logan had happened as quickly as our friendship, and my heart ached with wanting him—not just in body, but in soul.

I jerked my head back, gasping for breath as I gently tangled my fingers in his brown locks. An effortless smile played at his lips as he looked up at me, his hands on my hips.

“Logan,” I whispered, then leaned my forehead against his, trying like hell to catch my breath and focus my mind. My entire world shifted with the truth I now knew. The truth I couldn’t deny.

“Delaney,” he mimicked me, eyes closed and hands gently tracing up and down my back.

I pulled back just enough to catch his gaze, the sincerity in those big dark eyes. “I…really missed you,” I said.

He grinned. “And I really missed—”

“No,” I cut him off, and he furrowed his brow, his hands tightening slightly on my hips like he thought I might run away. “I mean…” I raked my fingers through my hair, trying to pull a coherent thought together. Emotion clogged my throat, filling me so much water stung my eyes.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, concern flashing in his eyes. He cupped my cheek, patient, waiting.

“I really, really missed you,” I said, the only words I could squeeze out.

“I know,” he said, his voice soft. “I have to travel a lot, but it’s my job—”

“I totally understand that, Logan.” I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling like I was on the edge of a giant platform with no end in sight. “I just…God, Logan.” I kissed him again, fast and hard before pulling back. “I’m…this…” I motioned between us, fisting his shirt in one hand. “I’m feeling…very strongly about you.” There. At least part of my truth was out. “But there is more you don’t know about me. The pieces of my past I’ve kept from you and I don’t want to fall so deep and then find out you’ll run from me when you know—”

“I would never,” he said, cutting me off. “And there are things you don’t know about me. Things I want you to know, but I’m scared shitless to tell you. Because I’m falling for you and I’m terrified if you know the real me then you’ll walk away and the idea of losing you literally, physically hurts me.”

My eyes widened as his words played on repeat in my head. I had to blink the moisture from my eyes. I smiled, leaning forward, my heart soaring as I placed a tender, loving kiss on his lips. “I know enough about the real you,” I assured him before kissing him again. “And I love who you are, Logan. I love you. And you don’t have to say it back. I know it’s insanely fast, but I can’t hide it so I’m not going to try.”

His arms came around to encase me fully as he claimed my mouth, our bodies flush. I whimpered against the power in the kiss, against the storm of emotions pouring out of me, against the beautiful, wonderful acknowledgment that this connection between us was real and solid and strong.

I couldn’t help but move my hips against him, wanting to be as close as humanly possible. My body begging to shed the barriers that kept us apart.

But that logical part of my brain kept tapping against the back of my mind, nagging and insistent.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, the words catching on my ragged breath.

Logan immediately dropped his hold on me and backed up within the little space he could with me sitting on top of him. I hopped off of him, electing to sit next to him, knowing if I stayed straddling him, I would lose my nerve.