When You're Ready (Ready #1)(67)

Minutes, hours, days went by before she came out of the bedroom door. She was still dressed in the coral strapless gown she had worn to the wedding. She looked like a goddess come to life. Cautiously, she sat down next to me, tucking her feet underneath her as she smoothed out her skirt.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Wait, what? Why are you apologizing to me?” I asked, stunned. It hadn’t been her past walking around eye-f*cking her in the hotel lobby. And if it had, the asshat would have left with a broken nose.

“When I fell in love with you,” she started, “I accepted all of you, including your past. I refuse to let my jealousy over some hussy doctor or anyone else get in the way of our happiness.”

“You were jealous?” I asked, astonished.

She snorted, saying, “Jesus, Logan. She was practically purring, like she was reliving the entire event right there in the lobby. Damn right I was jealous. I wanted to scratch her eyeballs out.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed, feeling so relieved she’s wasn’t storming out the door.

“You’re vicious, you know that right?”

“Don’t laugh at me,” she pouted, “Besides, if the tables had been reversed and that had been my casual f**k we’d run into, how would you have reacted?”

I instantly saw red. My fists tightened, and my breath grew rapid. Just the thought of seeing another man, knowing he had touched Clare, seen Clare….

“Exactly,” she said. “See? I was quite reserved.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I stated. I was done with talking about our pasts, the many mistakes I made, and a lifetime of regrets. I wanted Clare and Maddie, and nothing else.

“Really?” she grinned,” ‘cause I think I would really like to continue this conversation. It’s titillating”

“Nope, sorry. We’re done talking for the evening.” I announced right before I stood, pulling her from the couch and swinging her up in my arms with my intention set on the bedroom.

“Put me down! Why do you insist on carrying me everywhere?” she laughed, throwing her arms around my neck.

“I thought it would have been obvious by now,” I answered, “I’m not whole without you in my arms.”

Without warning, she pulled my head down, kissing me hard, as I stumbled in the doorway to our room. Struggling to stay upright as we devoured each other, I entered the dimly lit room, setting her down near the middle. We continued our frantic kiss as her body slowly slid down mine.

“You know, I never had a chance to dance with you tonight,” I said, pulling back to whisper in her ear.

“We don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to dancing in a public place,” she laughed softly.

“Ah, but we’re not in public now, are we?”

“No, we’re not. But we don’t have any music,” she pointed out as I wrapped my arms around her and began to move us back and forth.

“Who needs music?”

Our bodies swayed as I led us in an intimate waltz.

Ever so slowly, my hand found the zipper of her strapless dress, pulling it down inch by inch until the fabric pooled to the floor in a billowing heap. Clare was left wearing nothing but coral panties and a matching strapless bra. She looked radiant, and I didn’t think I would ever grow tired of seeing her body, touching her skin, or feeling her writhe below me. Tucking my fingers under the waistband of her panties, I slowly slid them down until the joined her dress on the floor. I made quick work of her bra, unsnapping it with a flick of my hand and it too fell to the ground, leaving nothing but Clare.

She took her time undressing me, running her hands over my naked skin, making me groan. We danced to a symphony of beating hearts, slow lingering kisses, and our combined breath. It was the most beautiful song ever created.

When we finally made it to the bed and our bodies came together, I found my home again. My solace. My shelter from every terrible memory of my life. This woman with the beautiful red curls and bewitching green eyes who captured my heart had given me everything.

“I love you, Logan,” she murmured as our tangled bodies moved together in tandem

“I’ll love you forever, Clare,” I vowed before we both fell over the edge, lost in our mutual release.

She was my salvation and if she would have me, I would spend my entire life worshiping at her feet.

Chapter Fifteen

~Clare~

“There’s something wrong with him, Leah,” I said to her on the phone, while continuing to slice vegetables for a salad.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“His mood, it’s all over the place. He’s been distant, making excuses and staying at his place for several nights in a row. And then he’ll show up out of the blue and practically attack me on the doorstep, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear,” I explained, throwing the remainder of the carrots into the bowl.

At first I thought it might be work, maybe he was just stressed. I was dating a doctor. They had stressful jobs, right? But this was something else entirely. The longer he acted this way, the more worried I became.

“When did it start?” Leah questioned. I could hear her at a checkout stand, the familiar sound of items being rung up, and her speaking to a clerk as she paid. Clearly she was buying her contribution to today’s cookout.