Irreplaceable

His head tilted to the side. “You need to work on that trust in me. I simply meant your jeans might not be the most comfortable.”

I glanced over to his trousers across the room on a chair and blanched. Could I really sleep beside a half-naked Logan while I was half naked myself?

No. No I couldn’t.

“Jeans are staying on,” I answered.

What was I saying? How did this happen? How did he talk me into spending the night with him? I’d kissed him, wanted him. It was hot and could’ve led to sex, but he ruined that when he switched on the damn light—and my moral self-worth.

“Logan, I’m sorry, but I can’t do this,” I whispered, trying to keep the calmness in the room.

“Take off your jeans and lie down. Your shirt is long enough to cover you.”

I stepped back from the bed. I needed to run before it was too late.

Logan was there in an instant. “Trust me, just once. We were friends once, Cassandra. Please just give it back until morning.”

Moving to the farthest corner of the room, I turned around and unbuttoned my pants. My oversized shirt hid my ass as I slid free from my jeans, a confident smile growing on my face. I wasn’t going to be the only one uncomfortable in that bed.

When I turned back around, I was faced with an observing Logan. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he’d been caught.

I rolled my eyes, sauntered quickly across the room, and climbed into the bed, pulling the blanket to my chin.

“I’m only staying because I did have a drink tonight, but this doesn’t mean we’re friends again.”

Logan let out a real laugh that lightened my worry. “Of course, but just so I can keep up, what are we, sweetheart?”

I thought it over for a moment as he slid into bed beside me, his legs brushing over mine.

Should’ve kept the jeans on.

“Neighbors,” I answered finally. Tonight wasn’t going to change that. I couldn’t let it.

“That’s all?”

I looked over at him, his head flat on the soft down pillow. “For the record, you’ve come a long way from the bastard I wanted to stab in the eye when he carried me to the bathroom that day in the hospital.”

“I can imagine.” He chuckled louder.

The charge in the air between us dispersed the longer we lay there, me staring at the ceiling, him staring at me.

The image of Logan stripped down to his briefs filled my thoughts. His chest was a hard wall of rippling muscles. His arms were tantalizingly strong, and built to do more than work behind a desk. Lying beside him, it was hard not to appreciate the care he put into his body.

I needed a distraction.

Glancing around the room, I got more than that. We were above Haven—I was positive of that, since he’d carried me up stairs and the music from the bar filtered in through the vents with the heat. I remembered hearing there used to be a couple apartments up here, but this was just a room with a door that looked like it led to a bathroom. What the hell was this place?

“So you rent these rooms? Not, like…by the hour?” I asked with a cocked brow.

“It’s not my business how long they rent as long as they pay up. It was Caleb’s idea to turn the crumbling apartments into a few rooms when he renovated. Figured it could bring in some extra revenue from customers who had too much to drink below, or simply leasing them out like any other hotel, since the only other place to stay in town is so rundown it should be condemned.”

He was talking with ease until he caught the expression on my conflicted face.

“To clarify, this room has never been occupied by anyone other than me. I use it as a place to stay on long nights I don’t want to go home to an empty house when Oliver is visiting in the city. ”

I stiffened, looking away. Is this his…sex den?

Lifting my head, I looked to the window and noticed the balcony that stared right back at me. Julia’s words from the day she opened up about Logan’s past ran through my head.  She’d said he was caught on a balcony with a woman.

How had I not noticed it before then? I could stay there any longer.

“Oh God.” I cringed as I sat up, wide-eyed at the realization.

Logan’s arm came down over my waist, locking me down, then his body rolled, leaning over me. His eyes searched mine as he hovered above me, both arms stretched out on either side of me, caging me in.

“No,” he stated firmly.

No? He must’ve seen my confusion, because he continued.

“Calm those gears in that hectic head of yours, sweetheart. I’ve never brought anyone in here before. I, myself, have only slept here twice.”

I sucked in a deep breath as my eyes wandered down to his bare chest. The man definitely knew how to take care of his body, and it was suddenly getting a little warm in the room.

“The balcony…your sister once said…” I let my words hang, swallowing to find my voice.

“That wasn’t here, or even in this building, I swear. I’ve only used this place to rest.”

Relief was heavy in my body, and a soft smile turned up the corner of his lips.

“A little faith in me from time to time would be appreciated. Is that a possibility?”

I shrugged my shoulders into the pillow under my head, and in doing so my elbows moved out, knocking into his arms. His muscles bulged as he lowered himself down as if doing a push up, his breath mixing with mine.

“Are you going to make me beg?”

Oh God, he was too close. My legs tightened together in need, and I was thankful they were already squeezed between his strong limbs.

“I’m waiting,” he prompted, his nose nearly touching mine. “You asked me to show you. You should know better than to take back a request so...enticing.”

“Logan…” I wasn’t even sure I said it aloud until he replied with his lips on my cheek, gliding over my scorching skin and down over my chin, following the curve of my neck.

“I can’t…think.” I swallowed, desperate for space. “Get up. Off!”

“No.”

His nose stroked my neck, followed by his wet lips over my clavicle.

“Log—”

His tongue dipped into the hollow of my clavicle. “You feel this. I know you do.”

There was no denying and no stopping it when he pulled back to grip the hem of my shirt and yanked it up, over my head. My weight was unable to stop him, unable to hold it on, with my body following his lead.

“What about this?” His tongue ran down between my breasts, a white lace bra covering them. “Do you feel that?”

Logan spoke so deeply to my body that I clutched a handful of the comforter pooled at my waist. His tongue swirled below my right breast just under the lace, then to the left. I waited for him to rip the bra to shreds or move it to display my breasts, but they remained covered.

“Yes, I feel it,” I murmured, my voice strained and broken as I kicked the blanket away and raised my legs to circle his waist, desperate to bridge the connection I craved like nothing else. “Please, I need you,” I begged, grinding against him, begging for him to finally take me.

“You need me?” He repeated my plea.

“Yes.”

“You want me?” His lips were tickling my stomach relentlessly, further fanning the fire building at my core.