Walk Through Fire (Chaos, #4)(41)

“And take that f*cking crate with you,” I ordered. “I don’t want that shit in my house.”

Then I walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

I waited a long time, cleaning him from me, then listening to see if I could hear him leave.

I couldn’t hear anything.

So I took a chance when I left the bathroom.

Logan was gone.

I walked to the foyer and locked the front door.

Then I walked to the living room to blow out the candles and turn off the fire and the lights.

The crate was still there.

“Shit,” I whispered, staring at it, displeased.

I left it there, did what I had to do, and went to bed.

I slept like a baby.

But I still woke up, remembering the dreams.

More dreams of Logan that were really nightmares.

Twenty-two and a half years ago...

“Smile!”

I was sitting on Logan’s lap on our futon in our living room. When the demand came, we both looked to Keely, Black’s fiancée, which meant old lady, who had her camera up, pointed our way.

The minute she got our attention, the flash blew.

“Fuck, Keely,” Logan growled as I tensed and blinked the residue of the bright light out of my eyes.

“Trust me, you two are so cute together, that’ll be worth the pain,” Keely blithely replied, grinning at us and sauntering into our dining room where bikers were gathered around the table, drinking, smoking, snacking, and playing some game.

An impromptu party at our pad. Without warning, they’d shown three hours ago.

I was all for it like I was always all for it since it happened a lot, not to mention Logan and I dropped in on his brothers a lot.

But tonight I had a problem.

I had a paper that I had to get done.

“You okay?”

I turned my distracted attention from our secondhand dining room table to focus on my man.

When I caught his gaze, I cuddled closer and said, “Happy that you broke from the game to give me a snuggle, Low. Also happy to entertain the biker babes while you boys do your thing at the table. But I have that paper—”

I didn’t finish because Logan’s expression turned from curious to mildly annoyed and he muttered, “Fuck, I forgot.”

“It’s okay,” I told him hurriedly. “I’ll talk to the girls, explain things. They can entertain themselves, I’m sure, and I’ll go upstairs, get to it.”

“Paper’s a quarter of your grade,” he told me something I’d told him. “You don’t need distractions.”

“It’s okay, Low,” I assured him.

“It’s not,” he returned.

I opened my mouth to speak but before I could, he looked beyond me to the dining room and called loudly, “Millie’s got a paper she’s gotta do. Party’s over.”

“Shit, Millie,” Black called back. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

I was moving because Logan was rising, taking me with him, putting my feet to the ground, and he did this while I talked.

“Because I needed a break and you boys give good break,” I said on a smile.

Black shook his head and pushed his chair back. This commenced everyone doing the same and while they did it I was reminded why I liked Logan’s family.

They didn’t complain, give shit, ask to finish their beers or their game.

No. I needed peace and quiet, Logan made that clear, so they gave us what we needed and didn’t mess around taking off.

Keely and Black were the last to go, Keely giving me a kiss on the cheek, pulling back and saying, “Good luck on your paper, babe. We’ll go to Scruff’s and celebrate when you kick its ass.”

I grinned. “You’re on.”

“Later, Mill,” Black muttered after doing a forearm clasp with Logan.

“Later, Black.”

They took off.

Logan closed and locked the door, then turned to me.

I went back to our earlier subject.

“Really, I could have gone upstairs while you guys communed down here.”

“Babe, give you what you need,” he replied.

“I need to study and I could have—”

I stopped talking that time because he lifted a hand and ran his fingers into the side of my hair, pulling it away from my face, then curling his fingers around my skull and dipping close.

“Give you what you need, Millie, even if you don’t know you need it and even when we’re at cross purposes, me doin’ that, you thinkin’ you’re givin’ me what I need by lettin’ my brothers stay.”

I stared into his beautiful brown eyes, so in love with Logan Judd, I knew I couldn’t fall any deeper.

Until he proved me wrong.

This happened frequently.

“Thanks, baby,” I whispered.

And I fell.

“Anytime, Millie,” he replied. “Every time.”

Every time.

We’d been together for five months and he’d proved that to be true repeatedly.

I smiled.

He dipped even closer to brush his mouth against mine.

When he pulled away, his eyes went up the stairs behind me, back to me, and he ordered, “Now get to work.”

“Right, boss,” I returned.