Stay With Me(5)

Rhys sighed. “Let me get some clothes. I left my bags at the airport after I got your message.”

“Make it quick. I’m calling down for the car now.”

Yeah, quick. Suddenly they were fast on the uptake and going after Catherine. Something they should have done a long time ago. They never should have made her feel like she wasn’t the most important thing in the world to them.

They. Hell. Fuck they. He shouldn’t have let things get to this point. His relationship with Cat wasn’t dependent on Logan’s. Yes, they had an unusual arrangement, but it didn’t mean that it gave him any free passes when it came to his responsibility to the woman he loved. It was time to dispense with the they in every statement and make Cat see how much she meant to him.

Chapter Three

Jamaica

Logan watched as his wife gyrated in time to the funky beat of the music. Torches lit the stretch of sand cordoned off into a dance floor. Their flames flickered and cast shadows, dancing in time with the throng of scantily clad partygoers.God damn, he was tired, jet lagged, he hadn’t slept in three days, and now his wife, his woman, damn it, was weaving in and out of his line of vision, strange men touching her, lusting after her.

She looked like a sea nymph, her long blond hair tumbling free over her shoulders. He didn’t even remember the last time he’d seen it free of the loose knot she always shoved it into. Her usually pale skin glowed golden in the light of the torches. And her bikini. Where the f**k had she gotten the tiny scraps of material seemingly glued to strategic parts of her body?

The globes of her ass bounced provocatively, the thin string of her thong sliding seductively between the cheeks. His c**k tightened and swelled at the memory of f**king her tight ass. A distant memory, since they hadn’t had sex in months.

When she whirled around, her br**sts bobbed and strained against the slight cups. His hands itched as he imagined plucking and strumming the ni**les.

She glowed. Her smile lit the entire night. In that moment, he was struck by the fact that he hadn’t seen her smile, hadn’t seen her look this happy in months.

An uncomfortable tension settled in his stomach. Had he made her so unhappy? Was Paige right? Was he in danger of losing her?

She left you, dumbass. Without a word. No note. No phone call. Took the vacation you promised to take with her. What do you think?

Yeah, he was going to lose her.

His hand trembled as he raised it rub the back of his neck. No, he wouldn’t lose her. Not without a damn fight.

Catherine smiled and laughed then raised her hands above her head and swayed to the frantic beat. The sand flew beneath her feet, and the cool ocean breeze whispered across her face.

Bodies flashed in and out of her vision in blurs of color. She closed her eyes and inhaled the salty air. For the space of a few minutes, she let her sadness go. She was here for a good time. A fresh start.

She danced closer to the incoming tide, and when she reached the perimeter of the crowd, she slipped away to walk down the beach.

The waves reached for her toes, and she playfully dodged the foamy water before finally allowing it to wash over her ankles.

When she’d walked far enough that the sound of the waves drowned out the distant music, she stopped and stared at the horizon. A blanket of stars draped itself over the water, brilliant diamonds twinkling against the black.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it.”

She spun around, shocked to see Logan standing there, hands shoved into his pockets. He looked as though he hadn’t showered, shaved or changed in a week.

Rumpled pants, disheveled shirt. Work clothes.

She finally closed her mouth and tried to control the tremble of her muscles.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

He moved closer until she could see the anger outlined on his face. The moon cast a pale glow over both of them, and she backed hesitantly away until she was ankle-deep in the surf.

His fingers closed around her upper arm, and he pulled her forward until she was clear of the water.

“I came to find you,” he said simply.

“But how did you know where I was?” she asked, still numb with the shock of seeing him. He was here. Not at work.

His expression darkened. “It wasn’t easy. I had no idea where you’d gone. You left no note. Made no call. Just disappeared. I had to assume you’d gone on the trip you’d planned, but even then, I had no idea what arrangements you’d made. Jamaica isn’t such a small place when you have no idea where to begin looking.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared defiantly at him. Did the arrogant bastard actually expect her to feel badly after he’d stood her up on their anniversary then cancelled the trip he’d promised he’d take with her?

“Come here,” he said quietly, pulling her into his strong arms.

She was a mass of conflicting emotions as she pressed against his chest. God, it had been so long since he’d held her, touched her. In the past, all it had taken was a simple caress, a few soft words, and she’d forget and forgive.

Not this time.

She started to pull away, but his hold on her tightened.

“Let’s go back to the hotel room. I’m tired. I stink. I’m dirty. I’ve been in these clothes for three days. We can talk after I’ve had a shower.”

“Where is Rhys?” she asked, afraid that maybe he hadn’t come.