Page 44 of Annika's Aurora

“That sounds like something Fred Rogers would have said,” Natalie remarked.

“Close. Jim Henson,” Annika answered.

Logan squeezed her shoulder. “Smart man.”

“That little girl is going to have a hard road ahead of her,” Mary Whitaker, Graham’s mother, said sadly.

“She won’t be traveling it alone. She’s got us now,” Natalie promised.

After that, the group seemed to be stuck in a melancholy mood. Annika had noticed the instruments on the little stage earlier. “Can anyone play any of those instruments up there?”

“The band that usually plays here is over there,” said Jolene pointing to the corner where a group of ladies sat. “Let me see if they’d be willing to play something.”

“What do you say to a little freeform karaoke?” Annika asked the group.

Natalie was all for it. “That sounds like fun!”

The band was only too happy to play. “Who’s first?” asked the lead singer.

“I’ll go if there is a guitar I could borrow,” Logan offered.

Annika was stunned. “You play guitar?”

“Little bit. A buddy of mine from the teams taught me some.”

“Have at it,” one of the band members said, handing him a guitar. They worked together to turn everything on, amps, mikes, and whatever else the instruments needed. Logan strummed a few bars to get a feel for the guitar. Then started to play a few chords before breaking into the chorus of Foreigner’s ‘Juke Box Hero’ making everyone in the restaurant burst into laughter.

“Very funny,” Annika groaned, causing more laughter. Logan then leaned over the keyboard to whisper a song suggestion to the band.

Annika was left breathless when he began to sing ‘I Wanna Know What Love Is,’ another song by Foreigner. She was immediately taken back to high school when the three of them went to see Foreigner in concert. The same concert the t-shirt she slept in came from. She’d heard Logan sing along at the concert but never like this.

His voice swept over her, drifting helplessly on the notes of the song, carried away by the cadence. His soft baritone cradled her, gently rocking all worries away. She let the melody surround her, allowing it to enter her heart, a heart that had been frozen for too long. Each pluck of the guitar’s strings also plucked her heartstrings, the vibrations shattering more ice.

Looking around, she could see the effects of the music on the crowd. His song transformed the surroundings. Sadness lifted. Anxieties eased. Anger doused. Souls relaxed as the melody glided like magic.

When the last note was played, the entire restaurant erupted with applause. Annika grinned at Logan when their eyes met. After staring stupidly at each other for too long, he winked then turned to hand the guitar back to the band member. She was still smiling as she watched him strut over to join her. And that’s exactly what it was?a strut. He was a man with a destination in mind, confident in his body. Annika could see the members of the band over his shoulder, each one of them watching his ass as he strutted her way. Upon reaching her, he swept her into his arms and treated her to an intense kiss.

Her smile grew to epic proportions after he released her, and she saw the envy in the women on the stage. Logan gazed at her, the gold flecks in his eyes shining. He cupped her face, sweeping his thumb across her lips. “That smile, Sunfire. It does things to me.”

“Your music does things to me,” she countered, placing a kiss on his jawline. He released a growl before gathering her closer and burying his face in her neck.

“Fuck, Annika. You make me want to find a secluded corner to ravage you,” he breathed into her ear, sending goosebumps skittering down her body.

She giggled. “Later,” she promised, then blushed when she caught a glimpse of her parents over his shoulder. Johanna was grinning like the Cheshire cat. Thankfully, Jensen hadn’t witnessed their public display of affection as he chatted with the other men.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” He pressed his cock against her before stepping back and covertly adjusting himself. Annika giggled again, and he glared at her.

His expression conveyed he was not amused by the mirth she tried to stifle behind her hand. As he sat, he grabbed that hand and pulled her down onto his lap. He held her firmly even as she struggled to go to her own seat. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he placed his chin on her shoulder. Seeing his grin, she relaxed into him to enjoy the next musical act.

Some of the guys jumped up to the stage and tried their version of Bon Jovi’s ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive.’ It wasn’t as good as Logan’s solo, but they had a blast, and so did the audience. Natalie and Emma agreed to do a song with Annika. They chose ‘I Need a Hero’ by Bonnie Tyler in honor of the Nighthawks. It was so much fun and did exactly what she’d hoped it would. Everyone was in a jubilant mood as they wound things down and started to trickle out of the restaurant into the brisk night air.

Annika rode home with Logan, who drove her car. They followed her parents through town to the twisting road that would take them up the coast to the lake house. Logan took her hand and placed a kiss on her fingers. “Johanna’s right. You do have a heart of gold.” She smiled at him, suddenly feeling choked up. “But I about died when you went charging towards that man.”

“I wasn’t going for him,” she argued.

“I know that now. I didn’t know that little girl was behind him, so I had no idea what you intended. Scared me to death.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare the big bad SEAL,” she teased.

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