Page 82 of Wicked Devotion
And if he does end up in a situation he can’t control, he leaves. Sometimes, it’s like the tide and the weather are enough to set him off just because they are out of his grasp.
He wears this unshakeable coldness like a crown, and I wonder if he knows how miserable he’d be without Max. Without someone who constantly neutralizes his temper, who functions like a brain outside of his body, and all that without a word of complaint.
The logical consequence would be to ask myself why on earth Max puts up with it. Unfortunately, I get it. Logan’s hot and cold attitude, the harsh words that turn into spoken velvet, not knowing what side of him you’ll get that day—somehow, it makes you crave those rare, affectionate moments evenmore.
When Max and Dom finally shut up, I doze off against Max’s shoulder.
A few hours later, I wake up because Logan is screaming at someone. I blink my eyes open, and my gaze lands on the two scared recruits in the tiny house next to the base entrance.
“Open the fucking gate,” Logan barks while the two men feverishly try to call someone.
Logan reaches for the door handle, which is enough for Recruit 1 to shove his friend away and grant us entry to the site.
“Give me five minutes at the main building. You’ve got a fire extinguisher in the car?”
“Logan, please do me a favor and keep your cool for the twenty goddamn minutes we’re here, okay?”
“If I see him, it’s God’s way of telling me he wants me to rid the earth of this cockroach. Just so you know.” Logan crosses his arms in front of his chest, and as a precautionary measure, Dom locks the doors.
He drives us over to the airfield, and as I see the aircraft being loaded, my palms get sweaty. A blonde woman stands in front of it, watching groups of men move cargo, and as Max gets out of the car, she walks over to us with a smile. Once she sees Logan, her smile disappears.
She greets Max and me and even introduces herself to Dom, who then rushes to leave base before he gets in trouble. Scarlett continues to ignore Logan, and his expression sours when he says something, and she just walks away.
“First time flying on a military plane?” Max asks, giving me a cheeky smile as we board the plane.
“Take a guess,” I mumble, wiping my hands on my jeans.
“No need to be scared, baby. Scarlett could fly asleep and with bound hands, and we’d still arrive safely.”
“I thought Scarlett’s biggest talent was being a rude bi—“
“And it’s a short flight,” Max interruptsLogan.
“So we’re going too…”
Logan groans. “Fucking hell, just tell her already. It’s not that big of a surprise, and if she doesn’t stop asking, I’m going to gag her.”
“Montana,” Max says with a smile so bright it’s almost blinding. “And that’s all I’m going to tell you.”
30
LOGAN
The cabin haunts me like a never-ending fever dream.
It started as a stupid joke about getting too old to fuck around in nasty motels or on base. I may have added something about the immense joy I find in making Max scream—or cry—which isn’t optimal combined with a lack of privacy.
So, like the sneaky fucker he is, he waited for a night I had a glass—or four, too many. Those nights are like Christmas and his birthday combined for Max. Nights when I’m so wasted I let him sit on my lap, even when we’re at our favorite bar. I scan the other patrons for dumb looks, and the moment my knuckles are covered in some bigot’s blood, it’smylittle Christmas.
That night, I was already seeing double, and then Max held his phone under my nose, babbling something about a cabin deep in the woods. He explained that it could be—and I quote him:Our own fuck dungeon, perfect for bringing a girl over.
I wasn’t in a state where I could have argued about it, and the moment Max said he’d pay eighty percent of the price, Ididn’twantto argue about it. No way I would have complained about a basically free house.
The only girl we ever brought to the cabin was Ruby. Together with Sam, obviously.
Max found a plethora of reasons why we couldn’t take any of our flings there.
She’s a bit annoying, don’t you think?
