Page 50 of Pour It On Me

He was right, and I turned around, throwing the office door open. It bounced off the filing cabinet, making a loud clanging noise, accompanied by Auston’s annoyed groan. I didn’t care about the cabinet or that it annoyed him when I hurried out of the room.

Chapter 34

Simone

Iwas dumping another pan full of glass when he turned the corner. While he was in the office, Ash and Jackson had arrived. They stood off to the side by Emmy, helping to wipe the paint off of the various walls and surfaces. I saw them staring, bouncing their eyes between Logan and me. I looked down, but when I glanced up, he still had his eyes peeled on me.

He moved towards me quickly, brushing any loose glass aside with his foot. When he was within arm’s reach, he grabbed me and pulled, causing my body to fall against his. The broom dropped from my hands, making a clatter against the ground when it fell. He sealed his lips with mine, wrapping his arms around me and deepening the kiss. I parted my lips, welcoming his tongue with mine.

He kissed me until my breath came in short, quick spurts. When he pulled back, my lips stayed parted, and he stared at me. His eyes glistened beneath drooping lids, heavy with lust. “You’re not going,” he said, holding my cheeks and dropping his forehead to mine. “I can’t let you go.”

“Logan—”

“I think I love you, Simone. You walked in that door, and I thought I loathed you. But I don’t think I ever loathed you. I think I knew you were going to turn my world upside down, but I never want it to go back to being right side up. I want every infuriating, perfect thing about you.” He took a deep breath and I sniffled. “You can’t go.”

My throat tightened, and I swallowed the lump that formed there. “Logan—”

“Just tell me you’ll stay.” He kissed me. His pleas glistened in his eyes. “Please?”

I nodded, pressing my lips to his. He returned several quick, small kisses to my lips, the corners of my mouth, my cheeks, and my forehead, covering every inch of my face. It was like he wanted to memorize the way my skin tasted, and like he wanted to feel the way each of my features felt under his lips.

“Is that a yes? You’ll stay here?”

I giggled, a single tear slipping from my eye and dropping onto his hand. “I’ll stay.” I had already told Auston I was going to move back to Detroit, but I didn’t put in any notice. I just told him that it was a possibility. What had he told Logan?

“Thank fuck,” he groaned, wrapping his hands around my waist and lifting me into his arms. He kissed me as if to make sure I knew he meant it. Setting me back to my feet, he turned to Auston. “Cancel the notice. She’s not going anywhere.”

Ash, Jackson, and Emmy grinned. “I knew it,” Jackson said louder than he probably intended to. “I said they’d be perfect together. I called this.”

I laughed, looping my arms around Logan’s back and resting my head on his chest. He hooked his finger under my chin and tilted my head up until I held his gaze. “I might be in love with you too.” I laughed.

I had known the man for less than two months. I didn’t fall in love, let alone that quickly, but the idea of him not being around made me willing to stay. It made me want to stay, and I was relieved he was unwilling to let me go. I didn’t want to be without him. Is that what love is?

When I giggled and a blush warmed my cheeks, I scanned the bar. The front door opened, letting in the light from the sun along with Sky. She took one look at us and grinned. “Finally. Jesus.”

We laughed, joined by the laughs of our friends. I hid my face against Logan’s chest, relieved when he wrapped his arms around me. It was quickly becoming the most comforting space for me. I laughed against the muscles.

“I guess we don’t hate each other after all.” I giggled. Embarrassment flooded through me. Had everyone but us known this was going to happen?

Logan winked and leaned in, pressing his lips to my forehead. I grinned, satisfied, relieving the tension with a giggle. He licked his lips, looking at me when he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “We tolerate each other.”

There’s no such thing as no strings attached.

Chapter 35

Logan

The bar looked normal again. There was a new mirror above the register, replacing the one that had been broken. Shelves were restocked with bottles, and the counters and walls had been scrubbed clean of any paint. We’d fixed a couple of broken tables, and the owners bought a new set of barstools.

Regulars were still coming in, and during the cleanup, they drank extra. We couldn’t tell if they were drinking extra because they wanted to support us or if they were stressed about the changes at their local watering hole. Rudy had claimed one of the new stools as his, going so far as to ask if he could engrave his name on the side. He got grumpy when he was told no, but he got over it quickly when he reached the bottom of his glass.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t worse,” he grumbled.

I smiled and nodded, watching Simone serve tequila shots to a group of twentysomethings with a grin on her face. “Me too. Nobody was hurt.” And nobody had to leave.

Rudy held up his glass in a toast. “And you didn’t have to close for very long!”

I laughed when he tossed the shot into his mouth. I shouldn’t have been too surprised that he was more concerned about having a place to drink than he was about the people who ran it. Shaking my head, I took the empty shot glass from him and turned around.

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