Page 36 of Annika's Aurora

“Mom,” she started, wondering how much to tell her about what happened after Jamie.

“What is it, Sweetie?”

“Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Did you know why he went away?” How much had they really talked during their secret email relationship? Did he tell her … anything?

“No,” her voice sounded sad. “I never knew.”

Annika debated for a moment whether or not she should tell her mother of Logan’s confession. But she knew that just like her, the Northrups did not hold him responsible for the accident. “He blamed himself.”

“What?” Johanna cried, shocked.

“He blamed himself for Jamie and couldn’t face us. He thought we’d hate him because he hadn’t been able to save Jamie. He thought the whole accident was his fault.”

“We never blamed him,” she replied softly.

“I know that. The guilt he felt was all-consuming. Like my guilt with Suzanna.”

“We’ll be there in two hours.”

“What? No. Mom?” But she’d already hung up. Alrighty then. Her parents were coming. Should she tell him? Warn him? It might be fun to let them surprise him. Maybe.

After breakfast, Annika went to shower and get dressed. Logan joined her as she was rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. He inhaled deeply. “God, that smell. Oranges. I’ve never been able to eat an orange without thinking of you, and well …” he looked down, indicating his erection. Annika giggled.

But her giggles soon turned to moans of pleasure when he grabbed her loofa, soaped it up, and caressed her entire body with it. His hand followed the path of the loofa through the soap, luxuriating in her skin that was as smooth as silk. What had he called it in high school? Alabaster. She was as perfect as a Grecian marble statue. He teased every sensitive nerve ending she had as he explored her body. His mouth devouring hers as he lifted one of her legs and propped it on his hip, opening her up for him. He reached down to tease her sensitive bud before slipping two fingers inside her moist heat. Curling his fingers inside her to find that elusive spot, Annika threw her head back and groaned. He placed his lips on her throat, slowly working his way down until he reached her breast.

She moaned again and writhed against his hand, holding on to his shoulders. She was so responsive to his touch. Keeping his fingers inside of her, he went to his knees and found her sweet clit with his tongue.

“Logan!” she gasped, and her hand smacked against the shower wall as he fucked her with his fingers and mouth. The fingers of her other hand tunneled through his hair, holding him to her.

“I can’t get enough of the taste of you,” he moaned as he teased and played with her until she shuddered and came apart screaming his name.

Before she could come down from her orgasm, he stood and lifted her. Immediately, her legs were wrapped around his hips, and he plunged into her. With her back against the shower wall, he plundered her mouth as he thrust. Her hands squeezed his shoulders, her legs squeezed his hips, and her inner muscles squeezed his dick. Gritting his teeth to stave off his impending orgasm, Logan brought her to the peak again. The pulsing of her eruption caused him to follow her headlong over the edge toward ecstasy, crying out her name.

Breathing heavily, Logan let her legs drop to the floor as he sought to slow his pounding heart. He held her tightly to him, not wanting to let her go. She was his everything. His light. His life. And he’d been a dumbass, missing fifteen years with her. He was determined not to miss a moment more.

Later, after their hearts had slowed to a normal rhythm, they got dressed and sat down to watch a movie together. When the doorbell rang, Logan got up to answer it.

“You stubborn son of a basket weaving jackal, what do you mean by blaming yourself?” Johanna stamped over him as soon as he opened the door, her finger poking him in the chest with each word as he stumbled backward. Logan was so shocked he didn’t know what to do as the little irate hummingbird backed him up as she charged. He’d never feared something so little in all his life. Even that time he and Jamie had collided while riding their bikes. They had been playing chicken, and neither one of them moved out of the way. Neither flinched, and they had each declared the other the winner and had the battle scars to prove it. But facing the wrath of Mama Jo put a damper on their victories. She chewed them out with her creative cussing even while tending their wounds. He’d felt loved and chastised all at the same time.

But now, the fierceness in Mama Jo’s eyes was terrifying. And her finger stabbing into his chest was damn sharp. He’d spent years dreading this confrontation and now that it was here, he didn’t know how to react. He could hear Annika giggling, but he feared taking his eyes off the little battering ram in front of him.

“Well?” she prodded, placing both hands on her hips to glare at him. Logan rubbed the spot on his chest where he was sure her fingernail was embedded. “How could you blame yourself? God, Logan, you ninnyhammer, it wasn’t your fault!”

“I?

“I’m not done.” Her razor-sharp fingernail poked him once more. He suddenly wished he were wearing his body armor from his SEAL days. A strong chest plate could surely stop her talons from skinning him alive.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, snapping his mouth closed, afraid to open it again. Annika giggled some more. Did she just snort giggle? He wanted to glare at her, let her know that he was not happy she was so amused at his expense but couldn’t look away from the angry bee poking him in the chest with a stinger that resembled a finger. Fear unlike anything he’d felt before, washed over him as he braced himself for Johanna’s censure, convinced she would blame him for the death of her son, despite what Annika had assured him.

“How could you ever believe that I … that we would hate you, blame you? Jumpin’ frog turds, we loved you! We still love you! So, you get that codswallop idea right out of your head.” She grabbed his face between her hands and made him bend forward until he was at eye level with her. And since she was only five-two, he had to bend pretty far. Annika, he could hear, had stopped stifling her laughter.

“You listen to me, Logan Cain, you loggerheaded snow urchin, never once did any one of us ever consider that it was your fault. Never. You saved Annika. And you risked your life to try to save Jamie. That makes you a hero in my book. Got it?”

“Yesh, ma’am.” He tried to answer clearly, but she was squeezing his cheeks so tightly between her hands his lips puckered.

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