She'd known him for forever...
Gabriella Crawford has been best friends with Logan since the 2nd
grade, but that's all they'd ever been.. .friends. Suddenly after 20 years,
Gabbie starts to notice Logan in a different light. But sex has never
been something Gabbie thought was great and it's certainly not
something worth risking a friendship over. Or is it?
He'd never really seen her until now... Logan Reeves should not be
looking at his best friend's breasts. Not even when he sees her modeling
lingerie. But try as he might to stay in the 'friend zone' Logan can't stop
fantasizing about Gabbie. And when a business trip forces them to
sleep in the same bed, all bets are off. Especially once Logan finds out
Gabbie needs to be shown how good sex can be...
But is it too late?
Incredible sex might not be enough to keep these two together. Not
when old secrets from the past and new career opportunities threaten to
rip Logan and Gabbie apart forever
Pistol Whipped
G i r ls w i th G u n s Ashley BosttlL-k Published by Ashley Boscock.
2015
Pistol Whipped Girls with Guns Ashley Bostock Published by Ashley
Bostock, 2015.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or
events are entirely coincidental.
PISTOL WHIPPED
First edition. November 5, 2015.
Copyright © 2015 Ashley Bostock.
Written by Ashley Bostock.
Also by Ashley Bostock
Girls with Guns
Gun Shy
Trigger Happy Pistol Whipped
Watch for more at
www.AshleyBostock.com.
There is always that one person in your life that believes
in you, no matter what you do. That someone who has
no problem letting you know when they're unhappy or
when they're pleased beyond belief. That one person you
never want to letdown, no matter what.
Grandma, this book is for you.
CHAPTER ONE
The smell of fresh paint immediately hit Logan's nostrils as he walked
into Lolita's. Gabriella was at it again. What was she painting now?
Couldn't she learn to leave well enough alone? He followed the scent
like a dog, to the back room of her store and found her on her knees,
wearing shorts that were too short for work, with her paintbrush in
hand, painting yet another oak chair. He walked over to her iPhone and
turned down the music. "Cinderella, how many chairs are you going to
keep painting?"
"I needed another chair. Those pink garters I bought a week ago have
all sold out already and people are asking for them nonstop." "So what
does that have to do with another chair?" "Logan! Duh! The chair they
were displayed on clearly wasn't enough so when my shipment comes
in today, I can lay those garters on that chair and once this baby dries, I
am going to lay the new matching stockings and panties on this chair."
Logan ran his hand through his chestnut hair that got lighter every time
he was out in the sun. He leaned up against one of her worktables and
absent-mindedly began caressing the tiniest pair of panties he'd ever
seen that were lying next to him. They were red. His favorite color.
They were made out of mesh lining making the entire front of the
panties see-through. Also his favorite.
No panties at all would be his preference but for whatever reason,
ladies seemed to love wearing them, so see-through panties would be
the next best thing. Every time he came in here and helped Gabriella, he
was astonished by how much money people, mostly women, were
willing to pay for this crap. The red 2 Ashley Bostock
panties he was currently fingering cost...twenty-eight dollars! They
were made of the flimsiest material; he could literally rip them off in
one fell swoop. "Quit touching my panties."
Logan tensed up at her command. They were technically 'her' panties,
but they weren't her panties. At least he didn't think. He supposed she
could be wearing these exact same panties underneath those short
shorts of hers. He rubbed his hand over his eyes. Why had he even
begun to wonder what little Cinderella was wearing underneath her
clothes? They had been friends since second grade and he never once
considered (present time excluded) what she might wear down there.
Well, there was that ONE time when they had just graduated high
school and he was helping her out of her gown and underneath she had
worn this yellow sundress and somehow the zipper had managed to get
stuck on the gown...or the gown got stuck in the zipper? Either way, to
this day, he still never
understood how that could happen. But he was the only one inside her
house and he was designated with the task of helping her get the gown
unstuck. He had been nervous. He could feel some kind of tension in
the room, which was crazy because it was just Gabriella - his nearest
and dearest friend since grade school. He managed to unzip her dress
and the zipper had gone down low enough that he could see the dimples
in her lower back as well as the pale yellow thong she had been
wearing. In a whisper she threatened him, "Don't look at my panties."
But the way it sounded didn't sound like a real threat. Her voice was
real breathy and quiet. He had managed to get the gown out of the
zipper's teeth and zip her dress back up before he had stormed out of
her bedroom. That had been the only time he had ever considered doing
anything to Gabriella that had gone far beyond friendship. PISTOL
WHIPPED 3
"I'm kidding, you know that right? Don't look so serious, Logan." He
was brought out of his trance by Gabriella's soft laugh. "I was just
thinking about something else," he told her truthfully. "Do you like
those panties?" she nodded to the red ones in his hands. "That's just a
sample. Then I can decide if I will order more or not."
Without thinking he asked, "Who samples them?"
She tilted her head and looked at him like he was an idiot,
"Who do you think?"
Visions of Gabriella prancing around in these panties came to mind. He
forcefully set them back down on the table and cleared his head. "So do
you need any help, then?" he cleared his throat, "with any painting or
anything?"
Gabriella laughed, "Come hold this for me, please? What has gotten
into you lately? Ever since the trouble with the credit union, you
haven't been acting like yourself. Is it still bothering you? Is there
anything you want me to do to help you get through
this?"
Again, her and the red panties.
He shook his head. "I'll be fine. Lucy and I are going out to dinner
tonight to that new restaurant by the mall. Have you tried
it?"
"No. Ginger and I want to but haven't found time yet. Are you and Lucy
finally an item?" She bent lower, painting along the lower rim of the
chair as Logan held the back, tilting it just enough for her to reach. Her
auburn hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and she balanced on her
paint-splattered shoes, deep in thought. She wore her grubby clothes to
paint. Her denim cutoffs paired with a pink V-neck shirt. "No we aren't
an item. We are still just seeing each other. We
are free to date whomever we want. No strings attached." 4 Ashley
Bostock
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Is that what you think she wants?" "No. She
wants to be exclusive but I am just not feeling it yet. Anyway, what
about you and what's his name? Are you guys "together" together?"
"His name is Cody and things have potential but so far, I'm much too
busy for a relationship."
Logan wasn't sure what his problem with Gabriella was lately. He'd
been around her more than any other female in his entire life aside from
his mother. She was his nearest and dearest friend. They had laughed
and cried together. Had gone through breakups together. Had
experienced college and everything thereafter together. And here he
was unable to stop himself from looking down her V-neck shirt at her
voluptuous tits that he had no business looking at. Especially when all
she had asked from him -a friend, was a helping hand. Logan let out a
groan as he closed his eyes, trying to get the image of Gabriella's
creamy white skin out of his head. This couldn't go on much longer.
There was no way he could be around her and let his imagination run
wild - what was it doing? He was appalled with himself. He had never
thought of Gabbie as his sister - ever. But he had never, ever looked at
her the way he was right now. Sure, he appreciated her silky auburn
hair, her
stunning green eyes, all of the freckles that lined the bridge of her nose
and her curvy body, but he hadn't ever appreciated them. Not like he
had been lately.
As he sat there holding her chair, trying to look anywhere but down at
her and down her blouse, because that is where his gaze kept going, he
pondered when his sudden attraction began. He thought about the last
few times they had been together hanging out and for the life of him, he
couldn't think of a single moment that stood out. Besides, he wasn't
sure it was full-blown attraction anyway. He didn't know what it was.
All he knew was that he had begun to see Gabbie in a new light, had
suddenly begun to appreciate the curves of her hips as well as the
curves of PISTOL WHIPPED 5
her breasts. He started noticing the flecks of brown in her green eyes
and the way her hair would go from straight to wavy to curly all in a
day's worth of hard work.
He wondered again if she wore any of the lingerie she sold. She
sampled them, sure, but that didn't mean she wore them every day and
felt comfortable in the items she sold. Right? As good of friends as they
were, he never dared ask her what she wore for undergarments. If he
had to guess, he would bet his last dollar that she wore this stuff just
like all the women who came here because she loved what she did and
Gabbie couldn't sell something she didn't love herself. He knew her
well enough to
know that was how she rolled. "Logan? Logan Anthony Reeves?"
Bringing him out of his daze, he looked down at Gabriella, trying hard
to be a gentleman and keep his eyes on hers, "What?" She wriggled her
nose at him for about the millionth time since they've known each
other. "Are you sure nothing is bothering you? You know you can tell
me, right?" Not this. He could never. Who knew what her reaction
would be. She could very well threaten him with her handgun. He
shook his head, "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. I was just thinking about
things going on at work. That's all. Have you been to the shooting range
lately?"
Her eyebrows rose and she shrugged her shoulder, "Okay. I won't ask
anymore. You can set the chair down. Thanks. Oh and yeah, Brandi
and I went two days ago. They have these hot pink paper targets now. It
was fun." She stood up and began putting away her paint supplies. She
took her brush to the sink and began rinsing it off. Logan put the lid on
her paint can and set the empty cup she had filled with paint into the
sink, watching the turquoise color the water as it swirled down the
drain. "What are you doing tonight? Going to the shooting range?" he
teased. For a woman who'd gone through the trouble of getting a
license to carry a concealed weapon, she took it pretty 6 Ashley
Bostock
seriously. He was sure there were people out there who got one
and never learned to shoot, but not Gabriella.
"No, I'm not. Why? What are you doing?"
"Do you and Brandi want to come with us tonight? You can
be my buffer."
"Did you just roll your eyes? Logan, if you don't like her why are you
wasting your time with her? Why are you wasting her time?" she
looked at him pointedly.
"I'm not wasting anyone's time. We're enjoying each other's company.
She just...wants me too much sometimes. You know what? Forget it.
Why are we talking about this?" "She wants you too much? Really? Is
that what guys really think when women want attention? All we want is
attention and reciprocity, Logan. Since I'm your best bud you should
know all of this already. I can't believe you think that." She swatted at
his arm. "That is terrible. Poor Lucy."
"Not poor Lucy. Seriously. She calls and sends me texts all of the time,
sends me pictures you don't want to see - trust me. It's not giving her
attention that bothers me, it's that she is so desperate sometimes."
"Logan! Then ditch her. Don't be the guy that strings her
along only to break her heart. That's not you."
"I'm not stringing her along, Cinderella. She knows exactly
what I want. And right now, she gives it to me."
Gabriella's eyes popped open, "Are you talking about sex? Oh
gosh, I should have known," she stepped away from the sink and
looked at him. He suppressed his grin as she rolled her eyes, "That sex
was all this was about."
His hand came out and in his age-old gesture, squeezed her cheek,
"Don't tell me you and Brody haven't had sex yet and that's not what
your relationship is about. Not even a little? He, too, is a guy, Gabbie."
He watched her cheeks blush as she threw her head back, "It's Cody
first of all, even though I refer to him as 'the chef PISTOL WHIPPED
7
sometimes and second of all, well, we haven't really gotten to that point
yet." She bent her head down, clearly embarrassed. "Close, but not
close enough. I just...he just...well, there hasn't been an opportunity."
Now he felt like a major butthead. She was obviously bothered by the
fact that Cody wasn't interested in her enough to want to initiate sex. He
had rubbed it in her face like everyone wanted it. Which made him
wonder exactly why this guy wasn't into it? Gabbie was quite
breathtaking and she oozed sex appeal, whether she knew it or not.
Come to think of it, Logan wasn't sure which bothered him more: the
fact that the guy didn't want to sleep with her or the fact that the guy
could be sleeping with her if he so chose. Logan let that thought drift
away and responded truthfully, "Don't worry, he will. He will find the
opportunity. Guaran-fucking-teed."
As he watched Gabriella finish cleaning up, he couldn't help but
wonder whom this guy was. Did he not see a good thing when it was
standing right in front of him? More importantly, and Logan tried to
ignore this thought, but could the chef's loss ever be Logan's gain?
Would Logan ever have enough balls to find out?
CHAPTER TWO
Gabriella grew up poor. Her mother and father could never hold a job
for longer than three months at best. Mostly, it was her father who
would get some fly-by-night job and work long enough to earn a few
paychecks - at least enough to spend the evenings at the bar. Her
mother mostly stayed at home with Gabriella and her younger sister,
Genevieve. She was the Queen of finding every government subsidy,
scholarship, etcetera, to apply for and get for the family. That had been
her full-time job. In Gabriella's mind, the time she had spent scamming
the system, she could have used to find and work at a job. Not
necessarily scamming per se, as they had never had any money. Many
times Gabriella crawled through Logan's bedroom window to eat at his
house because her family had no food. Big sister that she was, and
wonderful people Logan and his family had been to her, she had always
brought home something for her sister. Hidden, of course, because if
her parents knew she had food they would take it for themselves. Her
mother and father's off-again and on-again relationship made it easy for
Gabriella's mom to receive government aid because she always
checked the 'single' box. There were times in her life where her mom
was gone for a few weeks and times where her dad was gone for a few
weeks. Gabriella hated her childhood. She was never physically abused
by anyone, but she had experienced her fair share of emotional turmoil
where her family
life was concerned. Seeking an outlet to avoid home, she had done the
only thing she knew to do - she had gone to school and applied herself
to her studies, above and beyond the call of duty. She didn't do
anything half-assed. She knew the only way she and PISTOL
WHIPPED 9
her sister would ever be free of that life was to NOT follow in her
parents' footsteps, and to Gabriella that had meant excelling at school.
She eventually earned an academic scholarship to college and earned a
Master's Degree in Business with a special emphasis in Marketing and
Finance. College had been a breeze for Gabriella and thank God she
had Logan to lean on. Without Logan by her side all of these years, who
knew what she would have done. There were so many times in her life
where having Logan around had changed her life for the better. He had
single-handedly pulled her out of the darkest corners of her life
-unbeknownst to him in some cases. He had been a true friend. Often
times, more often than she had done for him, he went above and beyond
the call of friendship. He was, then and now, the best friend she could
ever ask for.
She had her girlfriends, too. Her closest friend, aside from Logan, was
Brandi Parker. She met Brandi in college, where they had been
roommates. Brandi had come from out of state so it had been Gabriella
that introduced her to Amber and Marilyn - her
other closest friends. Now the four of them were four peas-in-apod.
They did all of the things normal girlfriends did together -shop, shoot
guns, gossip, and, even though Marilyn was married and Amber wasn't
too far from being married, they still found time to be together. Last
year, Marilyn and Amber had been lucky enough to fall in love -with
Marilyn getting married on Christmas Eve. She and Blake were "due"
in August with their first child. Amber and Gage were still in the
beginning of their relationship and as far as she knew, Gage hadn't
asked Amber to marry him, or bear his children for that matter...yet.
Gabriella worked her way up the ranks in one of those national lingerie
companies and after five years, she had been granted the position of
Buyer for the company and she had absolutely loved it. It was her one
and only job she had gotten out 10 Ashley Bostock
of college and it was the sole reason she wanted to open her own
lingerie store. She had a vision and wanted to market her store in a
certain way that she couldn't do at her previous job. She unlocked the
glass door to Lolita's and walked inside. The pride in her heart swelled
every time she walked inside her store. Although she was biased
-because she had done it herself - she was always amazed by the beauty
of what Lolita's was on the inside. She had painted the inside of the
entire store herself...well,
not all by herself. Logan had helped her tremendously. They both had
spent almost two weeks painting all of the walls sea-foam green and
then all of the baseboards and trim around the doors antique white. It
was breathtaking. The chandeliers afforded enough lighting to see well
but they weren't bright bulbs. The dressers and tables were painted with
the same antique white and she had used the mint color to paint all of
the chairs and nightstands. Where she could, she used both color
combinations on a piece of furniture. For something to accent the two
colors, she had painted a magenta table that sat in the center of the
room.
Her goal was to create a look that gave patrons the feeling that they
were inside their bedrooms getting dressed for their most special night
out. She knew from experience what it was like to get ready in
anticipation of that date where that particular man might see what you
were wearing underneath your clothes. She hadn't ever acted on those
feelings, but she was familiar with them. The thought, that as a woman,
you prepared in advance, hoping that he would want to find out what
you were wearing underneath and he would take his sweet time
savoring all there was to behold.
Logan found that moment to send her a message. I'm free today. I'm
coming over . She smiled. That was fine by her, she could always put
him to work at Lolita. Since it was Saturday, she was open. Logan,
however, was off during the weekend and aside
from Lucy - who he was careful not to get too close to - he had
PISTOL WHIPPED
11
his family. There was always a small part of her that envied Logan's big
Sunday family dinners. She had been a part of them for as long as she
could remember, as her parents never cared where she was or what she
was up to growing up. So her Sundays for the past twenty years had
been filled with real family dinners. Laughing, playing board games,
cooking and cleaning the kitchen, had been the most normal thing she
had experienced as Logan's best friend. His mother, Donna, was the
closest thing she had ever had to a real mother. A mother who listened
to her, showed affection, gave her advice and went with her to check
out her dorm room and meet her roommate - all opposite qualities of
Tammy Crawford. Donna Stokes, as she had been remarried for the
past eighteen years, had done far more motherly things in Gabbie's life
than Tammy ever had. Thank God for Gabbie's sake, she and her sister
had been fortunate enough to have their parents move to Alabama.
Their father, Robert, sober enough to follow work out there one
summer while she was in college, hadn't ever cared to come back. She
hardly spoke to either one of her parents so she assumed her mother
was living with...or without...Robert and still living off the system or
doing whatever it was she could in order to survive. Whatever could
mean a multitude of things and she didn't want
to know nor did she care, what those things could be. Whatever.
Gabriella tried to live as far removed from them as she possibly could.
Her sister, however, was far more generous. Genevieve, five years
younger than Gabbie, still spoke with their mother. Not too frequently,
but enough to know the going-ons in their lives. Many times Gen had
spoken of going down to Alabama to see their parents, pleading for
Gabbie to go with her, but she had adamantly refused each and every
request. It had finally gotten to the point that Gabbie had to threaten
their sisterly relationship with her, that if she hounded her any more
about them, Gabbie would not spend time with her. She respected
Gen's decision to 12 Ashley Bostock
remain connected - she needed to respect Gabbie's to remain estranged.
"Hello, are you in here, Cinderella? Why don't you have any of the
lights on?" Logan reached over and flipped on the dimmer switch just
inside the door, lighting up one of the chandeliers in the front of the
store.
"I'm here. Just was thinking, I guess. Don't you have anything better to
do on your day off than hang out with the likes of me?" Gabriella loved
teasing him. In all honesty, she loved having him around. She wanted
him around. There was no other place she would rather he spend his
day off than hanging out with her.
His bright open-mouthed smile always made her heart skip. She was
more than lucky to have him in her life. His happy-go-lucky
personality and the way he could make her feel good about herself,
never ceased to amaze her. He was wearing his favorite t-shirt, which
she knew because he had gotten it on a road-trip a few summers ago.
The two of them had gone to New Mexico. The shirt read: FBI: Female
Body Inspector. Every time she saw him in it, she rolled her eyes and
revisited the fun weekend they had together going down there. He had
bought her a shirt - One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor!
-only after she had imbibed on too much tequila one evening. Needless
to say, it wasn't her favorite shirt and she was pretty sure it was shoved
into the back corner of one of her drawers at home. Logan set his
briefcase down near her iPad she had hooked up to the store's cash
register system. No longer in need of cash registers, Gabriella had
opted for an iPad point of sale system where she could swipe a card
through just as easily as accepting a transaction in cash. Due to the
nature of the items she sold and the prices, more often than not,
customers paid with their credit or debit cards. She occasionally made
cash transactions and had a small safe underneath the counter to hold
the money. PISTOL WHIPPED 13
"Come on, you know I love your company. Besides, you and I both
know I don't have anything else better to do. I have a couple
files to work on, but besides that, I am at your service." "Great. You can
help me sort out some of these panties and help me tie the tags around
them. I have some garter belts and a few more bras that need tagged
too. But if you have too much to do," she waved at his briefcase, "that's
okay too." Logan leaned toward Gabriella's face and smiled, she
noticed the bright twinkle in his eyes right away, "Gabbie, the files I
have aren't anything that have to be done right away. Besides, we have
all day...unless you are going to see Brody." He laughed and held his
hand up before she responded, "I'm sorry; Cody." She wondered why
Logan had a problem with her chef. She knew him well enough to
sense his dislike for him, especially because he kept messing up his
name. He was doing it intentionally.
"First of all, no, I am not seeing my chef this weekend and second of
all, why do you insist on calling him by the wrong name? It's not that
hard! Cody. C-O-D-Y, do you get that? It's as if you don't like him and
you've only met him, what? Three
times?"
"Four," Logan wiggled his four fingers at her, "and I'm surprised he
doesn't make more time for you. What's his problem?" She watched his
eyebrows scrunch together as the corners of his lips turned up in
irritation. She didn't understand where Logan had picked up this
sudden attitude every time they were
together. She was certain he knew she didn't see Cody all the time and
she was positive that Logan knew he was a chef who worked most
nights and that was the reason they couldn't see each other often. She
worked during the day and slept at night and he worked at night and
slept during the day. 14 Ashley Bostock
"Logan, you know he's a chef. We can't see each other all the time.
Besides, why would you be surprised he doesn't make more time for
me? Did he tell you something?" Again, she watched Logan's
eyebrows scrunch together, "No. He didn't tell me anything...its just,
you know," he gestured his arm toward her and the store behind him.
"You're obviously beautiful, successful and all your friends are getting
married. I assumed you must think it's time to settle down or whatever
it is women think they need to do."
He nervously cleared his throat and she couldn't help but giggle. "No.
Not yet anyway. I don't really think about marriage much. I mean, most
guys want kids anyway, right? But no, with everything going on here
and it taking up most of my time, I don't really think about it. Only
when I see Lucy slobbering all over you like a lost puppy." Logan
cringed, "You noticed that, huh? Now do you see why I don't want
anything more than just...you know...to do with her?" "Yes, I totally get
it."
"Which I'm not complaining-" "Of course you're not complaining," she
smirked. He spread out his arms in a grand gesture, "Do you blame me?
What if what's-his-name was at your disposal to do with what you will?
Wouldn't you want that?" Logan swallowed, "Wouldn't you want to
take everything a man was giving you,
Gabriella?"
CHAPTER THREE
How had this conversation gone from innocent to sex? Especially to
what Gabriella would do if a particular man was offering her his body.
He had started out honestly thinking of her chef, but somehow as the
questions left his mouth and his thoughts became convoluted with sex,
he was suddenly transformed into a ghost-like version of himself and
he was watching himself offering sexual things to Gabriella. Anything
she wanted. Anything she craved. Needed. Desired. He would do it. He
swallowed down his ridiculous thoughts and hoped she didn't notice
the bulge in his pants as he watched her cheeks turn a light shade of
pink. He wasn't sorry he had put her on the spot. He wanted to know
what she would do if their situations were reversed. He didn't think
there was anything wrong with taking what was being offered to him,
especially when Lucy (in this case) knew the rules. No strings attached.
Would Gabbie do the same thing? Would she take it, like he was, and
not be ashamed? Gabbie cleared her throat, "I would." Was she reading
his mind? She would let him give her anything she wanted? Craved?
Desired? Needed? "You would
what?"
Her cheeks deepened another shade of pink, "You're going to make me
say it? I would let a man give me whatever he wanted
with no strings attached. So long as there was one-hundred
percent effective birth control in the mix."
Logan couldn't help but appreciate her throaty response, the
way her chest rose and fell as she answered him. For one split
16
Ashley Bostock
second, she had desire in her eyes - not for him and he knew that. But
he knew what she was thinking and that got him to thinking and maybe
he should just tell her - no! What was he thinking? He could never
admit to fantasizing about having sex with Gabriella. That would
undoubtedly ruin their friendship and she was far too important to him
to make her feel uncomfortable by admitting feelings he wasn't even
sure about himself. Correction.
He was certain he wanted to see what color of lingerie she was wearing
underneath her pale blue shirt and slacks. But what he wasn't certain
about was if these thoughts were real. Where had they come from? Was
this something that was going to go away in a week anyway, proving
pointless to question and worry about? "What are you thinking,
Logan?"
CHAPTER FOUR
Her melodic voice brought him out of his trance and she looked
nervous after admitting what she had to him. "I was thinking how
humans, in some way or another, are all willing to sacrifice their morals
in order to get something they want." "Really?" she asked sarcastically,
"What morals are you sacrificing in order to get what you want from
Lucy?" Logan laughed, "I might be an exception. I don't have morals
where women are concerned. I will take whatever they want to give
me, without guilt or shame. But you, you are different. You have never
been one to turn the other way in any relationship just to have sex. Why
the sudden change in attitude?" She blew out a deep breath. He
watched her ponder his question. "Okay, you've got me. Back to Cody
first. I haven't admitted this out loud to anyone so please don't laugh at
me-" "I would never, Cinderella. You know that." "Hear me out. Yes, I
would love to have a relationship that was more than a
maybe-we-can-see-each-other-this-week sort of thing. Yes, I wish I
could let go and have sex at this point. Yes, Logan, I wonder if he is the
right man to get the job done because I'm sorry, shouldn't I be more
excited about trying to have sex than I am? I have tried being as
flirtatious as I know how to be and nothing grabs his attention and
nothing about it even makes me comfortable. So yes, you know I
haven't been with very many men in my life, but honestly, I am ready
for a man to just take me
to bed and fu-"
Her shop door swinging open interrupted Gabriella's tirade, a cool
breeze blowing onto his skin. Of all the luck! Logan knew how she was
going to finish her sentence and he wanted to hear 18 Ashley Bostock
the words come out of her mouth, but there was no way she was going
to finish now. Only two men? He searched his brain for the knowledge
of knowing that about her. Hmmm, he had no idea she had only slept
with two men in her entire life. He turned in irritation to the woman
who had come into the store. She was middle-aged, maybe early forties
and she was hobbling on a broken leg with a walking cast covering her
entire left leg. Gabriella straightened up and made her way to the
woman. There went that conversation.
Logan opened up his briefcase and took out his folders and his iPad. He
sat in his usual seat and began working away while Gabbie helped her
customer. He had a few documents he had to go over - one pertaining to
an uncontested divorce and another dealing with an ex-employee who
was suing a bank he represented for discrimination. Being a general
practice attorney gave Logan a wide variety of cases to deal with. He
knew a few lawyers who specialized in certain areas of law but Logan
wasn't at that point in his career to necessitate a specialty. Living in
Windsor and being a general practice lawyer afforded him the
flexibility to have clients for any purpose instead of limiting himself to
one set of clientele.
His father, Jack, wanted Logan to move to Manhattan and
join his law firm that served Manhattan's finest in all aspects
related to real estate. His father was expected to retire any day,
any year now and Jack's hope was to have Logan move to the city
and work with him side-by-side. Thus allowing Jack's clients the
opportunity to get to know Logan and trust him. Eventually
Logan would be in charge and Jack could be officially retired.
That was Jack's plan.
Logan wasn't sure what he wanted to do.
He had grown up in Windsor and had spent a great deal of
time going back and forth to NYC. He enjoyed the city, he really
did. But he was slowly establishing a small clientele in town and
he liked the fact that he didn't have any one area of expertise that
PISTOL WHIPPED
19
would limit his clientele - one of many things that Jack could never
imagine. Amongst them was why Logan was pussyfooting around
about having an opportunity, such as it was, handed to him on a silver
platter. Logan knew it sounded rather foolish, but in all honesty he
wasn't sure what he wanted to do with himself. What his father offered
was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that wouldn't be there forever. It
was an opportunity that would set Logan up for life.
The problem was it was all too good to be true. Call him crazy, but he
felt like he should earn his clientele - not have it be given to him by
association. Although he would be a fool not to at least consider it. He
was scheduled to fly to Manhattan rather soon to visit his dad and the
firm. He was anxious and apprehensive. He wasn't opposed to the visit
as he'd been there numerous times in the past. He was actually looking
forward to the trip and meeting some of his father's more prestigious
clients. "Oh my gosh, I love it. It looks beautiful on you." At the gasp of
delight, Logan raised his head toward the sound, looked away and
glanced again. There was Gabbie standing in front of the three-way
mirror dressed in red thigh-high stockings, some frilly looking garter
belt with the biggest bow on the back he'd ever seen and of course,
matching panties and bra. From what he could see, her bra had her tits
shoved up looking like they might escape the bra at any moment. Fuck.
He could do dirty things with those tits.
Gabriella laughed, "It doesn't matter how I look, it matters how you
think you will feel in it."
Logan's eyes grew wider. His brain became foggy. He couldn't think.
He couldn't look away, that was for sure. Why was Gabbie wearing the
outfit? He didn't care, he conceded. All he could think about was how
she looked in the red get-up. Breathtakingly beautiful..fuckable, more
importantly. He adjusted himself in his pants. Fuck. She made a full
circle as the customer admired the
lingerie and Logan admired Gabriella. Her breasts were heavy 20
Ashley Bostock
and the rest of her was...curvy. Smooth-looking. Her hair cascaded
around her shoulders. And that ass.
He decided then and there that he was an ass man. Full,
plump, and delicious enough to sink his teeth in to. He liked
what he saw. He envisioned himself on his knees, cupping her
butt in his hands, ready to brand his mouth on each sweet cheek.
She met his eyes in the mirror and he couldn't look away. He
should have but he couldn't. What would it be like to be with
her? To run his lips all over that lacy material, bite her in places
he hadn't ever dreamt about until now.
She tilted her head to the side as if she were willing him to tell
her what he was thinking. She stood there a moment longer,
allowing him the privilege to commit her body to memory. Her
client whispered something to Gabriella and she looked through
the mirror at him once again, gave him a nervous smile and
disappeared back into the changing room.
He tuned the women out as the customer continued to gush
over the ensemble. Hell, where was he? He worked so hard trying
to get the image of Gabbie wearing the erotic lingerie out of his
mind, so when she nudged his back, he jumped.
"I'm sorry. I just need to get by you to ring her up." Her voice
was angelic, breathy.
"Sorry." Sorry for many, many things right now.
He mindlessly watched her ring up the red items. As each
item passed his line of vision, each of Gabbie's body parts flitted
through his mind the same as the lingerie flitted through her
hands. She took her time folding the sexy get-up into tissue paper
before she deposited them into a bag and handed them over to
the lady.
"Once you get your cast off, if for any reason these don't work, just
bring them back in okay? We'll get you figured out." "Thank you so
much! It should work fine. Thanks for trying them on for me."
PISTOL WHIPPED 21
Logan couldn't concentrate. He should go before he said, or worse, did,
something he would regret. His hands were literally twitching to grasp
her by the hips and press his cock into her femininity. "I should go."
"What? No, you just got here. Help me, please. I need help with this
stuff."
She didn't really, he knew. She was probably trying to figure out the
tension that was emanating from him like smoke on dry ice. He knew
he was. When he looked into her eyes to tell her he couldn't, to make up
some lie about something coming up, he simply couldn't. The truth was
he didn't want to leave. Watching
her bite her lip, he was certain there was no other place he needed to go.
"Sure. I'm all yours." And he meant that in more ways than one.
CHAPTER FIVE
Gabbie went about the store, like she did every night, and adjusted
garments here, refolded something there - generally making sure
everything looked perfect. She had a few garments, which needed tags
before she left. She tied her retail tags along the garment's tag; that way
the tags didn't wind up in a tangled mess outside of the garment. She
was trying to slow down and take her time but her date with Cody
tonight had her excited. She hadn't seen him in two weeks, which
wasn't a long time for them by any means. This is why their
relationship worked. They were both busy, they didn't have a ton of
spare time, and they both understood that about each other. Being in a
hurry wasn't helping though. She had had a busy day today and as much
as she had tried to adjust and fold and put things back where they
belonged, she just hadn't been able to keep up.
Aside from Brandi helping her when she was in a pinch and needed
help at the store, Gabbie couldn't justify hiring anyone just yet. Her
friend, Marilyn, owned a used-book store and insisted that the high
school students were a place she should start looking for part-time help,
but Gabbie hadn't thought it was necessary quite yet. She would hold
out until the last possible minute.
She double-checked the fitting rooms for any left items and when she
passed the three-way mirror, she was immediately
reminded of Logan. When she had helped her client with the broken
leg, by trying on the lingerie she couldn't try on, she had caught his eye
in the three-way mirror. She shivered as she recalled the hungry look in
his eyes. It was a silly thought to have PISTOL WHIPPED 23 but
when she found him looking at her the way he had been, she had come
alive with passion. That maybe he was looking at her like he wanted
her...in his bed. It was stupid really because she knew Logan would
never think about her like that. But for that brief moment when time
seemed to be suspended in the air and her breath was caught in her
throat, she couldn't think of anything else except the way he was staring
at her and more importantly, the way it had made her feel. His gaze was
direct, steady, and confident, as if watching her, dressed the way she
had been, was the most normal thing in the world. His silent gaze
conveyed that charming look women got from men so many times that
said, "I want you." The look that she used many times to market her
brand for Lolita.
No man in this Universe had ever looked at her that way before. She
had felt beautiful, confident, and sexy for those brief seconds. She
couldn't think of anything except how his hands would feel roaming
over her body. His devastating gaze was exactly why she opened this
business and why she worked her
butt off to sell beautiful undergarments to women. No, she didn't think
women needed a man's attention to be confident or feel beautiful - it
was the idea that they could make a man feel helpless. Make him feel so
powerless that he couldn't look away, no matter the situation. She had
achieved that from Logan the other day. Mission accomplished!
Thinking about it now was just as silly as feeling the way she had that
day. Pointless. Yet it had made her feel good. She knew Logan hadn't
been looking at her the way she perceived but it made her feel like a
wanted woman none-the-less.
Her phone pinged with an incoming text. Logan. Come have a drink
with me? I leave tomorrow. That's right. She had forgotten he was
going back to New York for a while to scope out the lay of the land at
his father's law firm. She wished she could. She sent him a message
back happily informing him she was 24 Ashley Bostock
finally seeing the chef tonight. As happy as she was, she felt
disappointed that she couldn't see Logan, too. About time, I suppose.
Tell him I said hello. She laughed out loud at his sarcasm, being sure
to say in her message back that she would let Cody know how much
Logan missed him. Another incoming message, this time from the man
himself. Sorry it's last minute. Something came up, can't meet.
Seriously? She typed back. She had been so excited all
afternoon and now this?
Sorry. Can't be helped. Rain check?
A rain check? She wanted to say no thanks, but this was how their lives
were - unpredictable. She was okay with that. Yes, a rain check it is.
Gabbie quickly texted Logan back. The chef bailed. Still up for a
drink?
Almost immediately she got Logan's text. Come over. Well alrighty
then. Logan's it was. She did a quick walkthrough once more, as was
always her habit, and turned the lights off, locked up and headed to
Logan's.
CHAPTER SIX
Logan drained the last of his beer. He tossed it into the trash and
grabbed another out of the fridge. He hated feeling like this. He felt like
he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and it didn't change the
fact that he didn't know exactly what he wanted to do. He'd been
practicing law for only a few years so it wasn't like his clientele was
huge by any means. He was on the Supervisory Committee for
Colorado Financial Federal Credit Union and he did some work for
Gage Alexander - the credit union's CEO. He also had a handful of
clients that he did various things for like setting up LLC's, corporations
as well as some real estate deals. Nothing fancy in Manhattan terms.
Nothing keeping him here, as Jack would say. Which was mostly true.
Logan had his mom and step-father, his older brother, Luke, and of
course, a handful of friends. Then there was Gabriella. He was no
longer sure which category to put her in, friend or family. Aside from
what he would be leaving, he didn't know exactly how he felt about
getting everything handed to him. He knew it happened all the time.
The parents would be successful in their business and the children
would get everything handed to them on a silver platter. He watched
enough reality shows about celebrities to know that it happened exactly
that way. Born to succeed. The problem was, Logan wasn't sure if he
was above or below that line of thinking. Was it wrong that parents
were
successful and only wanted their hard work to live on and be
appreciated by their offspring? Was is wrong for children to accept
their parents hard work and take over it as if it were their 26 Ashley
Bostock
own? Eventually it would be, but all the groundwork had been laid out
for them ahead of time. The fact of the matter was money. Did Logan
have so much pride to say no to potential millions? Did he think he had
enough worth to make these clients happy? Was that the real problem
here? Logan not believing in himself? He was saved from further
thoughts with Gabriella barging through his front door. "I am so
annoyed I could spit!" she remarked, her hands full of her favorite
beverage, wine coolers. Wimpy as ever. She looked steaming mad and
cute as ever holding the tiny four-pack that he wanted to laugh. The
evilness in her eyes forced him not to. "Spit then, Senorita." Logan
walked over withdrawing Gabriella's beverage of choice from her
hands. "I can't believe you still drink this crap. It's so...newbie, if you
know what I mean." "Well beer," she gestured to his bottle, "will put
unwanted weight on my hips and everything else gets me crazy drunk.
Remember? One tequila, two tequila-" "Yeah, yeah, I remember. So
why are you so mad? Because of
the chef?"
She blew out a deep breath, her nose crinkling. "Yes! Which I shouldn't
care about because that is why this works for us, right? I mean, I can be
just as busy as he can and this has worked for us in the past so I don't
understand why I am so mad I could spit!" She took the drink Logan
proffered to her, opened it and took a long swallow. Logan smiled as he
watched her guzzle the wimpy beverage. His gaze swept over the
dusting of freckles along the bridge of her nose. He appreciated her
slender throat as she swallowed the concoction, watching her, waiting
for her next line of complaints. "Well, I just want to see him! I want to
feel...something, Logan." He'd like to give her something to feel.
Something that would have her begging for more. "Look, maybe what
has worked for PISTOL WHIPPED 27
you guys in the past isn't working anymore. Maybe you need a little bit
more than the once-a-month attention thing that was working for you."
Gabriella swigged the last of her drink and went to grab another from
his fridge. "I don't see how that could change. I'm still the same girl
with the same work ethic and work commitment. It's not like I have
time for anything, let alone a relationship. I'm just frustrated with
myself for feeling this way." "Gabriella, people change, you know?
Their thoughts change,
their feelings...maybe you are wanting something different even
though it isn't making much sense right now." He would know. He was
feeling exactly that way. "I don't know. It's just...it's been so long since
I've even desired...well, anything, really." She took another swig of her
wine cooler and laid back onto his couch, closing her eyes. "What is
wrong with me?"
Logan was slightly confused. On one hand, she made it sound like she
didn't want sex but then on the other hand it was like she did. Should he
bring that up? Who was he to question her thought process? The part of
him that wanted Gabbie in his bed pushed him to ask his next question.
"What do you want Gabbie? Sex or no sex? You're confusing me."
Also, what did she mean it had been so long since she had even desired
sex? He was under the impression she was trying to get the deed done
with Brody.
She blew out a breath, took another swig, effectively emptying it and
went to the kitchen to grab another. "I want sex."
I want sex, too. Just not with Lucy like he'd been lately. No,
this time he was fully aware he wanted to do the dirty deed with
his good friend. Friend being the operative word here.
"I'm just scared. Maybe that's why Cody is changing his mind
about me. Guys can tell when women aren't sure about giving it
39
Ashley Bostock
up, can't they? It's like they've got some magical radar that tells them
when women are ready for sex." Logan came up behind her, putting his
hands on her shoulders, "You make it sound more technical than it is
actually. We have a penis, nothing more. Can I ask though, what are
you so scared about?"
He felt her shoulders tense under his hands. She hesitated before
answering, "Normal things, you know. This is such a stupid
conversation to be having. Forget it. Are you all packed? What time
does your plane leave?"
His hands dropped as she turned. "Yes, I'm all packed. I leave pretty
early." "I should go then."
He grabbed her arm, "Sit down and relax. You just got here and it's
only eight o'clock. What, do you think I'm so old, I need to go to bed
this early?"
She laughed, "No. I just hate feeling sorry for myself. So
what's the plan once you get to the city?"
"Well, I fly into La Guardia, request Uber - best thing ever by
the way - and am expected at my dad's office at three o'clock.
Where he is expecting one of his more prominent clients at three
thirty to introduce us and give me a taste of what's on his mind."
"Wow, no rest for the wicked, right?"
"That's Jack for you. I'm not sure he'll ever retire when he's
such a workaholic."
"Who is the guy you are meeting?"
"Hiroshi Miyamoto. His primary residence is Japan, but he owns
numerous commercial properties here in the U.S." "Sounds like a fancy
guy. Does he know about the potential retirement and Jack wanting you
to take over?" Logan sighed, "Yeah. According to my dad, Hiroshi is
on board. Can't wait to have a young attorney at his beck and call." "I
bet. But you don't even know if that's what you want to do, right?
Unless there's something you aren't telling me..." PISTOL WHIPPED
29
"No. Nothing new. Still unsure. Am I crazy for not accepting what's
being handed to me with no-questions-asked? How does he even know
I qualify for the job?" "Oh Logan, you need to have more faith in
yourself. You would definitely qualify for the job. You're super smart
and a fast learner. You are so competitive, you don't know how to fail.
You would be great." She finished her drink and again, went to the
fridge. "My last wine cooler. Have I drank that many already? What am
I going to have next?"
Logan chuckled, "I think four wine coolers is enough, don't you?"
Logan watched her throat bob up and down as she swallowed the fruity
flavors. "You're going to get drunk, you know? You drank all those in
like an hour or something."
She smiled, "So what if I do? I have you to take care of me, right? At
least until the early morning hours." Logan nodded his head in
agreement and didn't respond to her, afraid of what he might say. He
wanted to take care of her all night into the wee hours of the morning
that was certain. But he was also certain that wasn't how she meant it.
At a minimum, he was dying to kiss her. It may be the one time in his
life he was willing to taste her wet wine cooler lips that glistened
underneath his living room light bulb.
Gabriella reached for his beer and took a swig, "Did you and Lucy
sleep together the first night you met?" Alarm bells dinged in his head.
Where was this conversation headed? Cautiously, he answered, "Umm,
yeah. Is that a crime?" "No, it's no crime." Her bottom lip jutted out,
"She wasn't nervous or...or scared or anything?" Logan looked at her
quizzically, "No. Why would she be?" "Well, some people are afraid to
have sex, you know." Logan wasn't sure what she was trying to say
with this conversation, where she was going but he could tell Gabbie
was already buzzing. Aside from the fact that her S's were coming out
30
Ashley Bostock
longer than necessary, she would never bring this subject up to him.
"Who is afraid to have sex?" he laughed. "We're talking sex,
Gabbie. Who? Name one person you know that lets fear rule
their body rather than opting for an orgasm or two or three or
four. Name one." He held up his finger.
"Two or three or four! You've got to be kidding me! I
shouldn't have brought it up. It's super silly really," she giggled,
"It's super silly. Say that three times fast. Anyway, you wouldn't
believe me if I told you. You just wouldn't believe it."
He took a swig of his -empty! - beer and set it back down
next to her empty wine cooler bottle. "No. We are having this
conversation. Who?"
"Me! Okay, me! I'm afraid to have sex."
She wouldn't look into his eyes. Was she that drunk already?
He almost laughed at the absurdity of the topic but he could see
it on her face that she was dead-fucking-serious.
"Why?" was all he could manage to choke out.
She met his gaze, "I just am. People get...pregnant." He
watched her shudder. "You just can't trust people. He-eeeey," she
drew out her words, her voice getting high-pitched, "I have an
idea."
She grabbed another beer, this time bringing Logan back his own to
drink. If he were a great friend - which was now debatable due to this
unforeseen attraction he was having toward her - he would have taken
her beer away. But he wanted her to keep talking, he wanted to hear her
out, wanted to know why she was so afraid of sex! And getting
pregnant? Yeah, that was a risk,
but if you used protection, it was a slim-to-none risk. Why was she so
hell-bent on that aspect?
"You know I don't want kids," more slurry s's, "what if I wound up
pregnant by someone? That would be the end of my career as you know
it!" PISTOL WHIPPED 31
"I know you have never wanted kids, but Gabbie, people have
kids and careers all of the time. They make it work. You would,
too. You know I've always thought you'd make a great mother."
"I know, but after the way I grew up with Tammy Crawford, I
would hate to have a child live the way I did."
"You would never be like your mother, Cinderella. Ever. To
even compare yourself to her disappoints me."
"But there would always be that chance. Oh!" she set her beer
down on the table, the clunk causing what little of the beer
remained, to foam up. "Back to my idea."
Logan wasn't sure he wanted to hear her idea...all that it may
be. He could feel something stirring in the pit of his stomach as
he considered what her idea might be. She was pretty lit at this
point and he, more than anyone, knew of the crazy-assed ideas
she could come up with.
One being, when they went down to New Mexico and she insisted they
try Salsa Night Out. They had taken the night's beginner lessons and
had done a pretty good job of dancing.
Until she thought they should join the performance dancers up on the
bar like Coyote Ugly. She had taken off her shoes but the minute she
tried crawling on top of the bar, bouncers had escorted them out. When
she went for her shoes, she could only find one shoe. The next morning
at their hotel, he had gone to find them breakfast, well it had been
lunchtime when he rolled out to find them food. He had pressed the
button for the elevator and once it finally got to their floor and dinged
open, low and behold, her lost shoe was sitting all alone inside the
elevator. It was the strangest thing ever. Like, someone had set it there
on purpose and knew that he would be the one to find it. "What's your
idea?" he cringed guzzling a long swallow from his beer. "You have
sex with me."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Logan spewed his beer all over his couch, "What?"
"Now hear me out, Logan Anthony Reeves. You would be the
perfect choice. I trust you. I know you wouldn't get me
pregnant." Gabbie set her beer down and looked at Logan. Okay,
she knew she was buzzed - but this would solve all of her
problems. It really would. She liked Logan, he was hot - everyone
knew it - she trusted him with her life. What could be better?
They could have sex, just once, and she would feel like a new
woman again. Not to mention the fact it would hold her over for
another few years. "Don't look at me that way. I'm not too drunk
to know this could work for me."
"I don't even know what to say. I'm shocked."
"Don't be. Friends have sex with each other all the time. Sober
friends, drunken friends...don't they? Yeah, friends with benefits!
I knew there was a name for it. We could be friends with benefits
for just one night. No one would even have to know except us."
Gabbie watched Logan's silent contemplation. His brow was
furrowed, which meant he was actually thinking about it. "Why,
Gabbie? Don't give me this bullshit about how you trust me, you
don't want to get pregnant. What's the real deal?"
The real deal? She could never tell him where her real fear
came from. He would never think of her the same.
Aside from that issue, there was so much pressure involving
sex when it came to two people who were attracted to each other
- she should know - she did marketing for this for her store -what to
wear, how you smelled, smiled, if you shaved, and those were only
superficial aspects. There was most definitely the trust issue, whether
he really believed that or not. What else was there? PISTOL
WHIPPED 33
She couldn't very well tell him that he made her feel like a million
bucks when he saw her in the red get-up. But there was that. And there
was the simple fact that if she were honest with herself, she could admit
that she was scared of the fact that she had no idea what she was doing.
Logan could teach her!
"The entire truth," well most of it, anyway, "is I'm scared to have sex
because I'm afraid that I'm not very good at it. And I need someone to
teach me!" She hung her head in shame. "Gabriella, listen to me. Please
listen." She looked up at him then. She could see the pity in his eyes.
Beautiful. Just what she needed. Her best friend feeling sorry for her.
She could see the no and the but coming. "Hey, listen to me." He
grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers between hers. "I'm flattered that
you would even consider me. You are drunk. The Gabbie I know would
never ask me this. Ever. I know you've had too much to drink. Maybe
you just haven't met the right man yet. Trust me, you won't be afraid
when you know it's right and you will be good at it." He cleared
his throat, "In fact, my guess is you'd be really good at it." "Logan, it
would be right with you," she pleaded. His light-hearted chuckle
warmed her, "If this is something you are serious about-" he pushed her
chin up with his fingers, forcing her to look at him, "look at me. If you
really believe this and this isn't some drunken thing you're thinking
about, I promise I will consider it. Shoot me a text while I'm gone and
all you have to say is yes you truly mean it. Whatever. But Cinderella, I
want to hear you ask me while you are sober." Fine. But she just wanted
to feel something - right now! Instead, all she felt was, well a little
dizzy. But maybe if she kissed Logan right now, that might make her
feel something - anything - and that would at least make her feel a little
better. Maybe it would awaken her more-often-than-not dormant
insides. 34 Ashley Bostock
"Now stand up, you can sleep in my room." He grabbed her underneath
her arms and began pulling her to her feet. This would be the last thing
he was expecting. So she did it. She expertly stood on her tippy-toes,
wrapped her arms around his neck and forced his head down just
enough for her to reach his lips and she kissed him. She felt his initial
instinct to pull away but she threw herself into him, clenching her arms
tighter around his neck. She delved into his mouth greedily, soaking up
his wet beer-tasting mouth
with her own. His arms came around her lower back. She didn't know
when the controls switched over but she sensed she was no longer
leading the game. Logan took ownership of the kiss and began giving
her what she had been begging him to feel. He kissed her slowly,
enticingly licking her lips only to move fast, dominating her mouth
with his tongue. A moan escaped from her throat as he continued his
sweet assault and she was desperate and hungry for more. His hands
left her waist and in the next instant he had her hands unlocked from his
neck and was pushing her away.
In the silence, all she could hear was her labored breathing.
Their eyes met and held for a moment. His carefree twinkle was
gone but what was there was something Gabriella had never seen
from Logan. Squelching hot desire.
He was turned on. She could see it both in his eyes and his
jeans.
"Go to bed, Gabriella!" his voice was low, threatening. She felt a push
of adrenaline inside her. She hadn't felt this way in ages. Gosh it felt
good. Oh man, her heart was beating so fast. Was his?
"No, Logan! Tell me, is your heart beating fast, too?" she placed her
hand on her chest to feel the palpitation. She went to place her hand
over his heart but he quickly grabbed her by the wrist.
"Go to bed, Gabriella. You need sleep."
CHAPTER EIGHT
What she did was unbelievable. Shocking, to say the least. She's lucky
he had some sense of dignity and didn't fuck her like she wanted. She
would have woken up feeling like shit and he would have left
feeling...satisfied and shitty. Logan had been trying to get some
shut-eye on the plane but Gabbie's tempting mouth kept invading his
thoughts. Fuck. He had wanted to take her up on her offer and throttle
her neck at the same time. He'd like to know what in the hell was going
through that brain of hers. Seriously.
He chuckled at the thought of her waking up in his bed. Served her
right. She drank way too fast last night that once he'd, mostly
unwillingly, walked away from her, he'd come back to find her passed
out on his couch. He carried her to his bed, where he unfastened her
fuck-me pumps - his new-found knowledge affirming she was in fact
the only female on the planet that wasn't actually hoping for that - and
had, like a true gentleman, tucked her in safe and sound. He'd tried to
get some sleep on his couch but the night's conversation had been front
and center in his mind. He'd finally rolled himself off the couch, set
some orange juice and two pain-relievers on his nightstand along with a
note for when she awoke. Maybe he should start calling her Sleeping
Beauty.
He'd gone from not being one hundred percent sure about wanting her,
to wanting her a hundred and fifty percent. Her
kissing him had sent him flying over the edge. Her lips were nothing
like he'd imagined. He was used to women taking, taking, taking, and
being sure of what they wanted, like Lucy. But not Gabriella. Ballsy as
she was sucker punching him with that 36 Ashley Bostock
kiss, once their lips met she had become unsure, hesitant and he had
happily taken control. Her tongue hadn't been demanding. It had been
desperate with need and had pulled him into a whole other realm. It
took a good deal of strength to push her away. Ironically, she had no
idea how much that kiss had tortured him and was continuing to drive
him insane. The way her body had molded into his when she'd attacked
him, the feel of her tits pressed against his shirt, and how his fingers
immediately found her sweet skin underneath the hem of her shirt, had
him readjusting his crotch as he sat uncomfortably on the plane. He
needed to start thinking about his future. Once the plane landed, he
managed to get to the ground transportation level where he made a
black car request on his iPhone. His driver eventually made it to
Manhattan amid the hustle and bustle of traffic and then once they got
into the city was able to get past the people crossing the street despite
the no walking sign. He pulled up to the address in a fair amount of
time. Not having to pay the driver, Logan stepped out, got his
luggage and thanked the man.
Logan smirked at the sign plastered to the building in all caps along the
front of the building.
REEVES.
That was it. Nothing less, nothing more. No "& Associates" or
'Attorney at Law' or even 'Real Estate Firm.' Jack didn't need any of
that, affluent enough that you either knew about him from business
associates who needed his services on a daily basis, or you didn't. No
need for advertisement because his clients just repeatedly rolled in.
With his luggage in hand, Logan stepped up on to the
sidewalk and tilted his head back, enjoying the expansive upward
view of the building itself. He was always impressed with the
high-rise and how its black glass windows reflected most of the
PISTOL WHIPPED
37
buildings across the street. He took a deep breath and made his way
into REEVES.
"May I help you?" A stellar blonde with bright red lipstick greeted him.
"Hi. I'm here to see Jack. He told me he'd be waiting." "Your name,
sir?" "Logan Reeves."
She glanced away from her computer monitor and up into his eyes,
giving him an undeniable look of attraction. "I would've
guessed that. I'm Suzanna. You look exactly like Mr. Reeves." Logan
laughed, "I suppose that's a compliment...unless he's starting to look his
age."
Suzanna smiled, "No, sir. He is not. You can go up now. I trust you
know where you're going?" "I do. Thank you."
"Anytime. If you need anything else, let me know." He bet if
he needed anything else, she would be happy to give it to him if
the look in her eyes were any indication.
"Oh, I will," he flashed her his most charming smile before
making his way to the security guard. He showed the man his ID
card and made his way up to see his father.
It always surprised Logan how Jack never seemed to age. Year
after year and Jack never changed. Never looked a day over fifty.
"Son, good to see you," Jack bellowed, embracing Logan into a
bear hug.
"You too, Pops. What's this? A grey hair?" Logan teased. Jack ducked
from Logan's outstretched arm, "I wouldn't be surprised. They say once
you're my age and you get one it'll take over your entire head like a
bunch of Chinamen taking over
Little Italy. How was the flight?"
"Good. Tried sleeping, but you know how it is."
"Can't stand commercial flights anymore. Hiroshi Miyamoto
will be here shortly. Let's go in my office and talk before he
arrives."
CHAPTER NINE
Gabriella still had a splitting headache and the day wasn't even half
over. She had seriously pondered the idea of putting a 'No Children
Under 8' sign on the outside of Lolita to thwart off any potential
screaming and rambunctious kids that came in with their mothers. She
hadn't drank in quite a long time; she had forgotten what it felt like to
be blessed with a hangover. She'd awakened in Logan's bed to two
pain-relievers and orange juice and a hand-written note from him.
Cinderella - You owe me big time and I will collect. Try to lay o f f the
wine coolers while I'm gone and be a good girl. When I come back, we
need to talk. ~Logan. Well that was just fine. She hadn't been that
horrible last night that he thought he needed to reprimand her. Had she?
Her memory was pretty fuzzy. She remembered the beginning of the
evening, complaining to him about Cody, but aside from that, she didn't
remember much else. She had drunk her wine coolers in record time
and she vaguely recalled drinking some of Blake Bryant's micro-brew
-something she rarely drank. She enjoyed the taste but didn't want the
unwanted weight on her hips. It wasn't like she had a drinking problem
by any means so why it was so important that they talk when he came
back was beyond her. Maybe this had something to do with his father's
firm and he'd made a decision.
That was probably it. It had been plaguing him for quite some time
now, that he must have made a decision. Although he never
mentioned anything about it last night. What decision could he have
possibly come to while sleeping? She swore Logan was the only guy
she knew who could, while sleeping, come up with a plan and make
decisions. The next morning he would always be PISTOL WHIPPED
39
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, happy with a decision he made
overnight.
Selfishly, she loved Logan. If he moved to Manhattan, it would be the
first time in their lives they would be separated for longer than a month.
They talked or texted each other every day and saw each other almost
as much and if he moved to the East Coast, she would rarely see him - if
ever. If his father's law firm was exactly as Jack said it was, there would
be no way Logan could ever find time to come back to Colorado. He
would be too busy keeping afloat his father's multi-million dollar
empire. He wouldn't have time for her.
The same was true for her. She had Lolita to run. Not having been open
very long, it was her first priority. She had to make sure it would
succeed. She wouldn't be able to take too much time off and even if she
did, Logan would still have work. It was a hard place to be in. She had
avoided delving into the pros and cons of what would happen if he
chose to move away. He would make a lot more money, which was
practically a guarantee. He would become emotionally closer to his
father. He
could see him more than he did growing up. Granted, he did see his
father growing up, but he would actually be able to spend father/son
time with him. Bond with him. Maybe they would go fishing on their
days off.
She would miss him to death. She would miss his help around her store.
Miss having someone there that always wanted to see her at a moment's
notice. He was someone that understood her -he got her. Many times,
they could share a look and know what each other was thinking without
having to verbally confirm the thought.
But she did want the best for him....whether that was in Colorado or
New York, she wanted him to succeed. She wanted him to have the best
possible life. She wanted him to be happy. She had yet to hear from him
the whole day. She sent him a text. Make it ok? How is Jack? Happy
to see u? Almost 40 Ashley Bostock
immediately he responded. Made it. Jack is happy. Been meeting
with Hiroshi Miyamoto. Just took a break . A break? It was after
business hours on the East Coast. Jack really was a glutton for
punishment. Are u hired? She teased. Yup...feeling ok? Lock my
house up? Gabbie confirmed that she had locked his house up and told
him she was feeling better than when she had woken up. She thanked
him for the pain-relievers and orange juice and he told her he would
talk to
her later once he finished up.
He didn't seem too serious as his note implied...they needed to
talk...maybe he was just trying to spare her feelings. He did that for her
sometimes. When they were in college, he had repeatedly lied about his
test scores - always telling her a number that was less than her scores.
She would have never known otherwise except one day she was
waiting for him to finish showering and was sitting in his dorm room
and there sat the same test that he had just told her he hadn't done that
well on. She had to corner him and force the truth out of him, where he
finally admitted that he generally fibbed - he'd called it - to spare her
feelings. That was when she'd realized he was much smarter than she
and would never fail.
Logan Reeves didn't know how to fail. It wasn't in his blood. That was
the reason Jack wanted him at his law firm. Jack could retire knowing
Logan wouldn't let him down. With Logan, he would give anything he
did in life all his best. He liked to play on the surface, but deep down,
she was one of the few who knew he took everything to heart. He
contemplated everything, carefully weighing the benefits to the
disadvantages -determining which option was most successful. He was
the epitome of Auguste Rodin's The Thinker. Once closing time came
and she did her normal closing routine, she got into her car and headed
home. Brandi had called her earlier asking if she wanted to go to a
movie but she declined.
Drinking hadn't done her any favors. Which was probably why
PISTOL WHIPPED
41
she didn't do it often. She never heard from the chef , which was fine by
her at the moment. She had received a text from Marilyn, inviting her to
a picnic that she and her husband Blake would be hosting this weekend.
That would be perfect! She hadn't seen the girls in a while and it would
be great to connect and relax. Make it home sober? She laughed
humorlessly at his text. Yes! I wasn't that bacL.was I? She kicked off
her heels and made her way to the bathroom where she started a bath
and downed two more pain-relievers. You weren't that bad....you
were that naughty . She blushed. Naughty? Her? Whatever. She typed
exactly that and sent it back. His next question surprised her. Were you
serious about what we talked about last night? Hmm, what all did
they talk about? She didn't respond right away. She needed to think.
Damn, she needed to remember. She did recall their conversation
where she admitted she was afraid to have sex. Those were her own
demons she knew she needed to deal with. Demons Logan knew
nothing about. Is that what his question was referring to? Her being
afraid to have sex? How embarrassing! Why was he so concerned?
Absolutely! YES! Do you think I'm crazy? He sent a message back
-no, the more I thought about it, it actually makes sense. I can see
where you are coming from .
He could? That was the thing with Logan, she thought as she lay in the
warm water soaking her aching feet and her body that still felt a little
off, was that he accepted her thought process. He got her without even
knowing the entire story and he just accepted it. He was a good man.
Her phone buzzed again. I have to go to Japan. Come with me .
What?! He really must be taking the job if he's going to Japan. That guy
he mentioned is a big deal at Jack's firm. But to go with him? Was he
crazy? She couldn't leave work. For how long? When? Gabriella
fantasized for a few moments about going to Japan. She had always
wanted to go there. Since she was in high school and she had been
assigned Japan for one of her units. She'd had to study everything about
42
Ashley Bostock
Japan for an entire semester, thus, falling in love with the culture and
the country. That was a someday dream of hers. And someday wasn't
any time soon.
While her business was doing okay, she wasn't rolling in the dough.
There was no way she could afford a trip to Japan. Gosh, she wished
she could! Logan texted her back. We would only be gone for five
days. Fast trip. My treat. She wished she could go! Wouldn't that be
amazing? Wait, what? She reread his last message. His treat? Meaning
he would pay her way? That was so tempting. She couldn't let him do
that...could she? No, she couldn't. Tempting as it was, she couldn't let
Logan pay her
airfare to go to Japan. How much would that cost? She didn't know how
much it would cost to fly to Japan, but she knew it wouldn't be cheap.
Especially, if he was going to be heading there anytime soon. Nice trips
like that cost money and anything above what she paid for rent was
more than she could afford. But, oh, Japan. It called to her like a flame
called a moth. It was almost spring. The cherry blossoms would be in
full swing soon enough. Lost in her thoughts of visiting Japan, she
almost missed Logan's call.
CHAPTER TEN
"Hello?"
"Don't tell me you're sitting there pondering all the reasons
you can't accept my offer." Logan laughed and added, "While you
are sitting there daydreaming about accepting my offer. You are,
aren't you, Gabriella?" He waited for her response. He could hear
the telltale sound of water sloshing.
"Are you in the bath?"
"I'm just getting out. Hang on."
Fuck. As if flashbacks of her big lip-lock on him weren't
enough, now he had to sit through their phone call wondering if
her nipples were hard from having gone from hot to cold. Or
whether or not her hair was wet, dripping down her body.
"I'm back. Now, yes you know me too well. I was daydreaming
about going. But I can't accept your offer."
"Yes, you can. It's number one on your bucket list." He could
hear the huskiness in his voice as he spoke, trying hard not to
imagine what she looked like sans clothing.
"I know. But it would be too much. I could never repay you,
Logan."
"You wouldn't repay me. It would be my treat. Truthfully, it's being
paid for by the company. I already negotiated for you to go - that was
partly why I agreed to go on such short notice." "What? Logan, you
can't do that."
"I already did it. Come on, Cinderella. You have absolutely no
reason to say no, now."
"You're forgetting Lolita. That is the biggest reason of all." 44 Ashley
Bostock
"I didn't forget Lolita. I've already scheduled it to overlap with the two
days you're closed for the week. Technically, you will only miss three
days of work. Four at the most." "Logan," she sighed into the receiver.
Was she still naked? "I know you mean well, but this isn't a good idea.
I'm not sure Brandi can cover for me. Especially for three days." "Don't
start stressing out, Gabriella. I will help you figure out whatever you
need. Just imagme..Japan. With me. First Class. All paid for by
REEVES."
He pulled the phone away from his ear as Gabbie squealed in
excitement. "This would be like a dream come true. And First Class?
Are you serious?"
"You know Jack, only the best. You haven't given me an answer
though."
"Logan, I have to talk to Brandi first before I can commit. What are the
dates we would be gone?" He told her the dates, once again pulling the
phone away from his ear as she squealed in delight mentioning
something about the cherry blossoms. Logan shook his head. It felt
good to make her this excited. Honestly, hearing her excitement and
knowing it was going to be him that got to share this monumental
moment with her, turned him on. He wasn't sure if he wanted to bring
up their kiss the other night and her crazy idea. She assured him that she
had meant what she said, but he still had reservations about the entire
thing.
His problem was that he wanted to sleep with her because he was
attracted to her, not just to feed her curiosity. He wanted to seduce her
slowly, kissing every inch of her curvaceous body, sucking and biting
every place his lips touched. He wanted to give it to her right. He
wanted to give it to her so well that she, in turn, would desperately want
him just as much. Enough she would forget about the best friends thing.
That led to the problem of their friendship. What if his great plan didn't
actually work that way? What if Gabriella still only PISTOL
WHIPPED 45
thought of him as a friend? Never letting her feelings cloud her
judgment of what could be between them? He had been thinking about
her non-stop since he got to the City and the more he thought about it,
the more being attracted to her made sense. He knew her, knew what
she liked and didn't like. He knew more about her than the chef ever
would and she knew everything about him. Hell, his family adored her.
Maybe this trip to Japan would convince her they could be better
together as a couple than as friends. And what an exotic place to sleep
together Japan would be.
He hadn't consciously been thinking that when he negotiated for Jack to
pay her way. Like a true gentleman, he had been thinking it was her
number one place to visit in the whole world and knew he couldn't go
there without her. However, sitting here on the phone with her while
she was hopefully still...bare, he was having ungentlemanly thoughts.
He adjusted his pants as he envisioned what her heavy tits looked like
as she lay on her bed. Knowing that she would be okay sleeping with
him because she "trusted him not to get her pregnant" and Japan was
her number one, had been a smart idea. Brilliant on his part. "So do you
want to go with me?" she was asking him.
"What? Go where?"
"Gee, daydreaming much? I just told you, Marilyn and Blake are
having a picnic this weekend. Will you come with me? Do you think
Lucy would mind?"
"I've already told you she is not my keeper. Yes, I'll go." He
refrained from asking about the chef.
"Good. Tell me, how was your day at the firm?"
Logan expelled a deep breath, "Good. Our meetings went
pretty well. Hiroshi is one of my father's longest and most
affluent clients. He would be offended if I declined the invitation
to his country. I just don't know, Gabbie. Aside from the job, I'm
not sure I could live here. It's crowded - every where you turn,
there are people. I'm not sure there is ever a lull of tourists. The
64
Ashley Bostock
constant honking and cars weaving in and out of traffic - when they can
even move, it's crazy. It's not Windsor. Not by a long shot. And I've
told you before how the people are different here. Much more blunt
than home. They don't smile and wave here." She laughed, "That's the
Midwest for you, we're a friendly bunch!"
"It's going to take a lot of hands-on work on my part in order to run his
company successfully." "So you are going to take the job?" He paced
back and forth; looking out the same window he'd looked out so many
times before when he'd come back for summer break. He watched as a
little old lady stepped out of her brownstone across the street carrying a
plastic bag in one hand and holding a leash that was attached to a small
white dog in the other hand. "I don't know. Financially, it would be
smart on my part. With this trip coming up, I'm seriously considering it.
More so than I was before. It's easy to get pulled in to it and see the
benefits when I'm standing inside his office versus being in my office
in Colorado and just thinking about it. What do you
think?"
"I think if you give it some time, an answer will come to you.
You will know soon enough."
"That wasn't helpful advice, Gabriella," he teased.
She laughed, "Sorry! I just have my own issues with you
moving away."
His interest was piqued. He sat down. "You do? Such as?" "I would
miss you terribly. I know that's not a real good reason, but I would be
lonely without you. I would miss Sundays."
"You would still go to Donna's house on Sundays, my spot would just
be empty. They wouldn't have it any other way." "But you wouldn't be
there. Which doesn't mean I don't want you to go, I do want you to have
the best life...the best opportunities, you know? I better get going, I
need to get some PISTOL WHIPPED 47
clothes on. Logan, thank you for the amazing invitation. There are no
words to describe the gratefulness I feel about you asking me to go."
She was still naked. Yummy. "Don't go getting all mushy on me. I
knew I couldn't go there without you joining me. Talk to Brandi. I will
call you sometime tomorrow to find out what she says." Even if he had
to bribe Brandi himself, he had to get her to cover. Come hell or high
water, Logan was going to do everything in his power to get Gabriella
on a First Class seat with him to Japan.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Brandi walked into Lolita's, carrying take-out food in one hand and
trying to tighten her ponytail with her other hand. Her red hair stuck out
with massive curls in all directions, "This is why I can't stand ponytails.
How in the fuck is it supposed to hold all of these damn curls?" A
mouth like a sailor she had. True to stereotypes, Brandi was a red-head
on a rampage. She exuded more energy, all of the time, than Gabbie
ever had half of the time. Brandi set the take-out down on Gabbie's
counter and pulled out the ponytail band. Shaking her head, all of her
curls sprang free, creating a vivid firestorm around her pale white face.
Gabriella had never seen anyone more beautiful. Blessed with
bountiful hair, the Gods hadn't stopped there. Her eyes were turquoise.
Not blue or green, but both. Drowning in her eyes was not a metaphor.
You just did. They were the color of an exotic island's ocean - the color
you see only in magazines unless you were lucky enough to have
visited such a place. The mole above her lip made her look like a
Pin-Up girl - like some sexy vixen that walked right off a movie set into
Gabbie's store. Some women had all the luck. "Yum, Ginger, are these
the fish tacos I've been telling you to
try?"
"Hell yeah, they are. I'm no slouch when it comes to food." The girls
dug into the bag and began eating. Gabbie wiped the
side of her mouth with her hand, "I have a huge favor to ask you."
"What? These are delicious."
"I knew you'd love'em. Would you be able to cover the store for me for
a few days while I go to Japan with Logan." PISTOL WHIPPED 49
Brandi stopped chewing and spoke with her mouth full of
food, "What?"
Gabriella smiled and nodded her head, "Yup. He asked me to go with
him. He has to go because of his father's law firm, blah blah blah. He
knows I've always wanted to go. It's all been bought and paid for, I just
need you to run the store while I'm gone." Gabbie squinted her eyes
shut, opening just one she asked, "What do you think?"
"Logan did that for you? Jesus Christ. Are you sure you guys aren't
more than friends and you aren't telling anyone? Fuck
buddies?"
Gabbie cocked her head to the side and thought of the look
he'd given her that day when she came out of the fitting room
wearing the red lingerie. She got that same feeling in the pit of
her stomach as she had gotten then.
"Yes, I'm sure. We have always been just friends."
"What were you just contemplating? I saw the wheels
turning."
"Nothing! I would tell you if something was going on between
Logan and me. Can we please not talk about us like were a couple or
something?"
"Well, I'm just saying. I don't have friends like that." "What about me?"
Gabbie asked.
"You've never taken me to Japan! Who does that? Friends don't do that
for friends."
"You're crazy. Sure they do. Logan is a sweetheart. We've been friends
forever and he's known I've always wanted to go there. It's nothing
more than that."
"Oh whatever. Mark my words, friends don't do that. When would you
need me?"
Gabbie opened her calendar and showed her the dates she wanted her to
cover Lolita's. "What do you think? Could you do it? Are you free
then?" 50 Ashley Bostock
Brandi was looking at her calendar on her phone, "That's the same
week as the kids' spring break... Hell yes. I can do it. Do I get to play
dress-up?"
"Yea!" Gabbie clapped her hands, "I'm so excited. Thank you so much.
Yes, you can play dress-up. In fact, I will give you a store credit and
you can get whatever your heart desires - well, within reason. How
does that sound?"
"I'm gonna need to line up a man to show off my newly acquired goods
to! I like getting a break from the kids and playing
adult once in a while. I can't believe you're going to Japan. With
Logan."
"I know. I'm so excited. In First Class, even." "What? Get the fuck out
of here? First Class to Japan? You know how much money that must
cost? He is definitely not thinking friends. No way. He wants in your
pants." "Would you stop? You are being ridiculous. Honestly, no he
doesn't. It's the law firm paying, not Logan personally. But yeah, First
Class. Probably the only time in my life I will get to sit in First Class.
Here, hugs!"
"Hugs!" Brandi hugged her back and asked, "Are you going to Blake
and Marilyn's picnic? Should we ride over together? Did you hear that
Blaze Bryant is supposedly moving to Windsor? He is so damn
good-looking but at Marilyn's wedding, he seemed like such an ass.
Why do men do that?" "Nooo, I hadn't heard that yet. He is strikingly
handsome, in a looks-like-Blake-but-doesn't kind of way. You can ride
with us, Logan's driving. It will be great to see everyone for longer than
five minutes." Her phone buzzed in her pocket, "Here. It's Logan, I
gotta take it."
"Hello?"
"Did you have a chance to talk to Ginger?" "I did. She's here now."
"What'd she say? Can she do it?" PISTOL WHIPPED
71
"I talked to her-" she stifled a laugh as Brandi pointed to her
crotch and mouthed "in your pants."
"She said yes, didn't she? I can hear it in your voice."
Gabbie let out a mix between a laugh and a squeal, "She said
yes. We are going to Japan! I'm going to Japan! Oh my gosh, I'll
have to check the weather and see what kind of clothes I need. I
might have to go shopping. I can't be-"
"Gabbie! Calm down. We can figure that out later. A rather
pressing issue at the moment is getting you a passport that arrives
in time."
CHAPTER TWELVE
Logan got out of his truck, trying to ignore Brandi and Gabbie
chattering on about the children Brandi watches for a living. When they
were little Gabbie had wanted kids and once they had become juniors
in high school, something changed and she swore that she would never
have children of her own. At that age, what had they been, seventeen?
They started to become more aware of the life they lived. He always
thought her change had to do with her parents. Tammy Crawford hadn't
been a great mom. Hell, she hadn't even been a present mom. She was
too busy doing God-knows-what to give a damn about Gabriella and
Genevieve and what they might need. He assumed around that age,
Gabbie began to realize that her friends had wonderful moms and she
and her sister never did. She didn't ever want to be like Tammy.
Listening to the ladies talk now, about the youngest sibling Brandi
nannied for - she was four years old - had him questioning Gabbie's
decision to never have kids. She talked like she loved them. The ohhs
and ahhs had him itching to turn the radio up to drown out their coos.
Her nurturing side proved she would be great at parenting. She was
easy-going and patient. A true lover this gal was and it always surprised
him that she didn't want kids. He never pushed the topic. He respected
her decisions and would never question her to the point of rudeness.
But that didn't stop him from hoping someday she would change her
mind.
Logan had always wanted children. There were times where he thought
that was the 'thing' to do because everyone did it, but as he'd gotten
older, he'd realized he wanted children to enjoy. He didn't know how
many but at least one boy and one girl - the PISTOL WHIPPED 53
best of both worlds his mother would always say. He would be unlike
his father in the fact that he would not devote his life to work. He would
devote his life to his family and then to work. Growing up, his life was
grand even though his parents had separated. He grew up with family,
love and discipline, which balanced him into a well-rounded person.
He grew up in a healthy lifestyle - dinner at the table, Sunday meals
with his family, Gabbie and his grandparents, in bed by nine on school
nights, had to complete his homework the second he got home from
school - all things he didn't necessarily like doing at the time. But
things that made him who he is today. Every summer he would spend
two weeks with his uncle Chuck in a rural town in Western Kansas. His
uncle was the town attorney. With a town as small as that, there was
generally one of everything: one lawyer, one veterinary clinic, one
pharmacy, and one used car lot. He practiced general law for anyone
and everyone who needed his services. Every summer Logan would
walk with him in the mornings to his small office that sat on the corner
of the main street in town. With less than a
thousand people, all of the businesses were centrally located on that
one street. He and Uncle Chuck would walk there every morning, stop
at the local gas station and buy their breakfast, usually a homemade
cinnamon roll and the special fifty-nine cent fountain soda. And every
single time anyone saw his uncle, they would greet him and thank him
for the services he performed for them.
At thirteen years old, Logan was in awe by the number of people who
would always stop and thank his uncle for helping with their parents'
estate after they'd passed away, thus allowing the family to keep the
farm within the family. Or, sometimes it was something simple people
would thank him for, like preparing documents to purchase a home or
land. But every single time Logan watched these folks come up to his
uncle and thank him, Logan had been impressed.
54
Ashley Bostock
The people of that town held his uncle in such high regard, that Logan
knew that one-day, he wanted to be like his uncle. He wanted to do
good things for people that would help them -sometimes so drastically
-it would change their lives. He quickly learned from his uncle that
sometimes making money wasn't the main factor in helping people
with their legal work - a huge contrast to his father today. His uncle
would barter services with folks, having the local welder fix a corral on
his property in
exchange for filing documents to the state on the welder's behalf. Every
summer, for those short two weeks he'd spent with Uncle Chuck,
Logan learned the value of friendship, the importance of community
and the ethics of business - something he didn't necessarily experience
when he was inside Jack's offices in the city.
Every summer there was something Logan learned about the
relationship his uncle had with the people of that town, which proved to
Logan what the value was of being part of a close-knit community. It
proved to him that a simple deed done by one single man, could change
an entire person's life and that is what he wanted to do. A lawyer like
his uncle is who he wanted to be. He hadn't competed in sports because
he was too busy making sure his homework was above quality. He had
been Valedictorian for their graduating class, and had taken part in
various clubs and organizations, from National Honor Society in high
school to serving on the Student Governing Board in college. All of his
life, he did everything the best he could -anything below excellent was
unacceptable. Not so much from his mother's standpoint as his and his
father's. This is why it killed Jack that Logan was wasting his talents
serving people in a small town. He could be moving on doing bigger
and better things in Jack's point of view.
Hustle and bustle was not part of Logan's repertoire. Blame that on
Colorado maybe. Blame that on the jaded view he got
visiting his Uncle Chuck. But enjoying Manhattan every summer
PISTOL WHIPPED 55
was entirely different from enjoying it daily for the rest of your
life.
"Are you coming?" Gabriella brought him out of his daydream.
"Let's go."
Forced to find a spot along the street, the threesome made
their way to Marilyn and Blake's house. Located in the old
downtown district of Windsor, it was a hundred-year-old home
that had been updated with modernity. Walking up the steps to
the front door, they were immediately greeted by a chocolate lab
that found it his business to stick his nose in between their legs,
looking for attention.
"Why hello you. Aren't you pretty?"
"Their new dog?" Brandi asked. "What is it with
domesticated people? They get married and boom," she clapped
her hands, "they've got to get an animal."
"I know. You know when you get married, you get sucked
into that family life," joked Gabriella. "Not that I know from
experience," she added quietly.
Logan rolled his eyes, "I didn't have a dog growing up." "No, just the
perfect family." She stuck her tongue out at him. Logan shook his head,
"Just get inside." He nudged her butt
with his hand.
"I am. Quit pushing me."
"You guys! How are you? I am so glad you could make it. I know, it's a
little small in here but we're all friendly so I told Blake it wouldn't
matter. Come in, come in. I see you met Chase. He's our rescue dog we
got from the shelter. Here, hugs! You both look fabulous!" Marilyn
hugged the girls in one big bear
hug.
"Oh, wait for me!" Amber came barreling over, not one to miss the
group hug.
"What's this? You guys didn't have to bring anything. Oh, it looks
delicious. I love Oreos." Marilyn took the dish from Logan. 56 Ashley
Bostock
"Women, right?" Logan shook Gage's hand first, then Blake's. "How
you guys doing? Hey Blaze, I didn't know you were back." Blaze
Bryant was Blake's twin brother. His blondish-brown hair was the same
as his twin's but his eyes were bright blue. The men shared the same
muscular build, roughly the same height -Blaze might be a bit taller
-and one could see the beginnings of a tattoo on Blaze's left bicep. The
last time Blaze was here, he was the best man for Blake and Marilyn's
wedding in December. He'd since gone back to Manhattan for his job
as an armed bodyguard, working for a wealthy family by watching
their two children. He and a few other men provided security services
to a
variety of causes. Sometimes people called Blaze's company for
security detail at parties or for international purposes when
people went away on business.
He trained hard and worked harder.
"I didn't know I would be back either, but I got injured and
can't do my job so now I'm here." He shook Logan's hand, "nice
to see you again."
"Same here. Although, I hope your injury wasn't too severe." "Nothing
I can't handle. Beer's in the back, you need one?" Logan nodded in
agreement and went to find a drink. "Any iced tea?" "What, drink too
much beer lately?"
"Haha, funny! As a matter of fact, yes I have, smartass. Ginger,
do you want a beer or something else?"
Brandi made her way through the open floor plan of
Marilyn's house to the kitchen, "I want a Margarita. Is that an
option?"
The three of them looked around the kitchen, sizing up what
ingredients they saw on the counter tops. "Looks like a go. I can make it
myself." "Here's a glass."
"Come on, Brandi. Here I slaved over hot coals to handcraft beer and
you're drinking this shit?" Blake allowed the refrigerator PISTOL
WHIPPED 57
door to slam shut behind him as he headed out of the kitchen. He held a
grill spatula in one hand and a Poudre Hops beer in the other.
The girls laughed, "I had too much to drink recently and I guess Brandi
doesn't know a good thing when she see's it." "Please. Nothing beats
Jose."
"I doubt you can drink much of that without falling flat on
your ass." Everyone in the kitchen turned to Blaze as he walked
into the kitchen and leaned against the small table.
The look on Brandi's face was priceless, "Proves how little you
know. I could probably drink your ass under the table with this."
Gage and Logan bellied up with laughter at Brandi's
comeback.
"I doubt it. Little chicks like you pass out fast." "Don't instigate
something you have no business following through on." Brandi went
from carefree to moody in an instant. "Okay, children, that's enough.
Grab your drinks, leave the bottle of Jose on the counter and let's go out
back." Marilyn easily diffused the tension in the room with her gentle
demeanor. "Gage, will you give me a hand? Amber, grab those plates
would you please?"
"Thank goodness for that save. Why do you two seem to have a
problem with each other?" Gabriella whispered to Brandi. "I don't
know. He rubs me the wrong way." "I can see that. But could you
please mellow out, at least for
the rest of this afternoon? It's nice to have all of us here together. The
last thing we need is you and Blaze pissing each other off." "Fine. I will
stay out of his way. But Gabbie, he better stay out of mine because I
can't promise what I might do if he doesn't." Brandi walked off. "What
was that all about?" Logan snuck up behind her. Gabbie was still
shaking her head, "I have no idea. They hardly even know each other.
None of us really know Blaze at all - except for his brother." 58 Ashley
Bostock
"I don't know. He seemed pretty vague about his injury. Do you know
what's up with that?" Logan absentmindedly ran his hand through his
hair.
"I don't. All I know is that he is still running his company in Manhattan.
But he is moving back here and taking on some secret position here. It
will be interesting to see how he likes it here." She grabbed onto
Logan's arm and squeezed it, sending awareness through his body.
"You're thinking that because of me?"
"Yes."
"I haven't made up my mind yet, Cinderella. There's still plenty of
time."
"I think you've made up your mind, you're just not telling me. You're
wooing me by taking me with you on your fancy trip and
then you will let me down gently."
Logan's gaze leveled on her, watching her golden flecks
enlarge as her eyes stared back into eyes. What was she trying to
tell him? Is there something he missed here? Did her proposition
to have sex really have more to do with her having real feelings
for him than just satisfying a simple craving?
"Is this about the other night at my house? Is there more to
that story than you're letting on?"
He saw the flick of her eyes quickly look away before looking back to
him, "No," she whispered, "I am legitimately scared to have sex with
men."
Standing this close to her, her smell was imploding in his nostrils along
with the smell of the charcoal grill. It was enough to almost give him a
hard-on right there. The way she tilted her head and whispered the
word 'sex' had him leaning in close enough to see the faint hint of
purple lace underneath her blouse. With her hand still on his forearm,
his other hand came up and touched the delicate skin of her neck, right
above her blouse and the purple lace of her bra. PISTOL WHIPPED
59
Her skin was every bit of soft as it looked. He saw her breath catch in
her throat as his fingertips grazed her succulent skin. His gaze traveled
up her face, first to the lips he absolutely wanted to kiss again. He
lingered there, recalling their kiss from that night.
His eyes roamed past her nose and all of her freckles, up to her
tiger-eyes.
There was arousal in those eyes. There was also surprise. Before she
could say anything he asked her, "What I don't understand is why you
aren't afraid to have sex with me? Why did you ask me to sleep with
you?"
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Brandi milled about the backyard of Marilyn's house, trying hard to
keep to herself. What was Blaze Bryant's problem anyway? Comments
like that, coming from someone who didn't even know her and clearly
wasn't making any attempt to know her, had her seething. What made
her even more pissed off was how she couldn't quit looking at his hard
body, sometimes colliding into his hard stare. Her nipples peaked at the
sight of him throwing a football across the yard to Blake. The sleeve of
his shirt falling into the crook of his arm enough for her to see the black
markings of his tattoo. She was a sucker for tattoos.
She was a sucker for men who appeared to be chiseled out of stone,
with tattoos.
Leave it to her to be attracted to an asshole. Honestly, did he think this
was any way to create friendships? "Head's up! Head's up!"
The football came sailing at Brandi, hitting her in the arm. "What the
hell?"
Blaze stalked up to her, "I said head's up. You were in lala land." His
smirk was taunting her. Had he meant to hit her? That's when she
noticed his dimple. Unlike Blake's noticeable from a mile away
dimples, Blaze had just one in the lower part of his right cheek. This
was ridiculous.
"I wasn't in lala-land. I was actually thinking about something
important, like my job."
"Sure you were. If I had to guess, I would guess you were thinking
about sex." He lowered his voice, as he bent in front of PISTOL
WHIPPED 61
her and slowly picked up the ball, "Which is important to me, actually.
But do you always get that look in your eye when you think about your
job? What are you, a nanny? Maybe you are catering to more than just
the children." "Fuck you, Blaze." How could he make her go from hot
to cold in a matter of seconds? She stepped back, "For your
information, I'm not like your ex-girlfriend who probably slept with
your best friend." For just a second, she saw the surprise in his eyes.
"Secondly, as if it is any of your business, I have much more class than
to ever do that with my boss or a married man. I don't know what your
problem with me is, but leave me the hell alone." She stuck out her
tongue at him and walked off. She was furious! How humiliating! As if
catching her ogling his body wasn't enough, she actually stuck her
tongue out at him? What grown woman did that? She went inside and
made another margarita. Swallowing the concoction, she let herself
loosen up. He was goading her. Instigating a fight with her and she'd
taken the bait. How dumb was she? More importantly, why did he want
to fight with her?
Blaze watched the firestorm of hair float away as she stalked into the
house. Did she just stick her tongue out at him? He did just insinuate
she slept around, so it was warranted. The childish action made him
want to laugh. When was the last time he'd felt like laughing? As it was,
today was as good of day as any to get under her skin. He'd never seen
a woman who could be so easily provoked as her. Why he wanted to
provoke her so much he didn't care to analyze. Gorgeous as she was, he
avoided women like her. She wasn't his type - that was a given. He
didn't do bossy and he didn't do redheads. Why he kept going rounds
with her was for entertainment purposes only. 62 Ashley Bostock
Nothing more. He threw the ball to his brother and repeated that to
himself over and over.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It had been an awkward ride home the evening Brandi, Gabbie and
Logan had left the barbeque. Brandi complained non-stop about how
rude Blaze had been to her. The funny thing was he had only been short
with her. To Gabriella he had been charming; his personality hadn't
been stereotypical of the 'strong and silent bodyguard' at all. But for
whatever reason, Brandi had his number.
It had reminded her of Gage and Amber's relationship in a way. In the
beginning, Gage hadn't liked Amber because of a prior instance when
they had met before. Every time they ran into each other, Gage had
been an ass. But come to find out that had been because he had been
fighting his attraction to her the moment she'd stepped into his office.
Brandi had filled the quiet space in the truck with her banter in regards
to Blaze on the way home that night. Gabbie had stayed mostly quiet
the entire ride home, having been able to only think of Logan's
fingertips trailing along her skin and his comment about sex. What had
that meant? She couldn't fathom what she must have asked him. Did
this have to do with the night at his house where she had drunk too
much? It was the only plausible explanation as to why he would make
any type of comment about her asking him to sleep with her. She was
embarrassed. She hadn't wanted to look him in the eye.
A few times on the way home she had silently watched him drive out of
the corner of her eye. Twice, with her breath caught in her throat, she
watched Logan turn his head in her direction 64 Ashley Bostock
and study her, but he had remained quiet. She didn't dare turn her head
and return his gaze. Sleeping with Logan.
This was a whole new concept she hadn't thought about before.
She kept pushing her brain to the limit trying to find; trying
to conjure up some tidbit of conversation about her asking Logan
to sleep with her. With him in such close proximity to her - for
God's sake she could smell him! - she'd had a difficult time
wracking her brain for this particular conversation.
It had been the night the chef had ditched her and she had
gotten drunk at his house.
She knew it.
She couldn't remember, and so help her, she really wanted to
remember. What a fool she must have sounded like. How could she
have proposed such a ludicrous thought like that to her best friend? She
was never going to drink again. This was going to ruin their friendship.
How could she have done this to them? This was going to ruin their
vacation. Oh, their vacation. What was she going to do about that?
Before she had been able to ask Logan what in the world he had been
talking about, Gage had interrupted them asking Logan about some
documents he was preparing for the credit union. After that, she never
found a chance to catch up with Logan again and get to the bottom of
what he was talking about. She replayed that moment over and over in
her mind. Especially his scalding touch above her breast, and the way
his eyes told her he was going to have his way with her, had her heart
beating much too fast. Even now, the feel of his touch had her twitching
in places that hadn't twitched in some time. Why was she feeling like
that? She'd never entertained the idea of her and Logan being a couple,
let alone sleeping together! They had been friends so long, she'd said
and done so many PISTOL WHIPPED 65
things in her lifetime - in front of him - that she couldn't even fathom he
would be impressed with her! He was a great guy. He was extremely
intelligent - almost borderline nerdy, he was a classic James Dean kind
of guy - no frills, no beefy bodyguard type like Blaze. Logan was a
classic. He had a kind heart, he was a family man to his core and he was
a looker. Which she'd admitted before. Logan was hot, but even though
she'd heard it countless times throughout her life, and agreed, she never
thought beyond that. Never felt any attraction to him because he was
good-looking...and he was her friend.
Now, however, she wasn't sure what was happening between them. The
image of Logan sitting at her counter inside Lolita's came to mind. She
had modeled the lingerie for one of her loyal customers who had
broken her leg and she obviously knew Logan was there but the
thought never occurred to her that he would care, much less notice, the
outfit. That was her comfort level with him, she knew, because she
would never do that with Blake or Gage in the store. But when she
caught his eye, there was no mistaking what he was thinking...or at
least what she thought he was thinking.
His heavy gaze left burn marks as it traveled up and down her body,
paying extra attention to her behind and she hadn't been able to deny
the pull it had on her insides. However, she had also chalked it up to the
mood. After all, that is the effect she strived for and created in her store,
wasn't it? She wanted patrons to feel wanted, to feel good about
themselves and to feel the anticipation of how their lingerie would
affect the mood of certain personal situations.
She had just caught a dose of her own doing. Now, after she swore she
could still feel the heat imprint of Logan's fingertips on her chest, she
wasn't so sure. What could she do? Nothing. This was a product of her
doing and she was going to have to undo it. She and Logan where
friends and she would never jeopardize 89
Ashley Bostock
their friendship for sex. Sex. There it was again. Tempting her like
chocolate. Sex with Logan.
The bittersweet, butterfly feeling was back in the pit of her stomach as
she envisioned Logan's hands caressing her body. How she would
reach up and wrap her arms around his neck and force him to kiss her.
He would have to bend his head to reach her lips due to his height and
she would slip her tongue into his mouth-Lightbulb. She remembered!
Whoa, baby! She remembered - at least she could remember forcing
him to kiss her. Yes, they were in his living room and what they were
talking about was still a little foggy but she remembered thinking how
she could get one over on him, by just kissing him...how he wouldn't
expect it. Oh God. She was equally mortified and aroused at once. She
kissed him! Most importantly, he had kissed her back. He wrapped his
arms around her even...like he liked it! "Go to bedGabriella."Her heart
was booming in her chest as she recalled his husky-firm voice ordering
her to go to bed. Had she upset him because she was toying with him?
Had she been? Argh, this was so frustrating! Drinking never did
anyone any favors! She could attest to that right now! She conjured up
what she knew and could remember from that evening, hoping she
could piece-meal everything together.
Yes, she had confessed she was afraid to have sex. Gabbie had had sex
three times with exactly two men. It was a wonder how she ended up in
the business that she did! The first and second times were with her
then-boyfriend during the summer between graduation from high
school and waiting for college to start in the fall. In hindsight, she knew
he wasn't interested in much more than sex and neither was she. She
had been the last one of her friends to lose her virginity and her
three-month boyfriend was ready and willing. PISTOL WHIPPED 67
It had been one of the most awkward, quick things she had ever
experienced but she had just wanted to get it over with. She didn't want
to be a virgin going into college. That short relationship was done
before it had even started and Gabriella was equally happy about being
over it. How embarrassing. Thinking of it now gave her the shivers.
The second and last guy she slept with had been a little more
promising. Jed had not only worked side-by-side with her for
work-study her junior year in college but had been in three of her
classes and there had been a quick attraction between them. They had
casually dated for an entire year before they'd had sex. That had been as
emotionally painful as the first time. It had been awkward and full of
inexperience for both of them. Suffice
to say, they had recovered enough to know that neither of them wanted
to try the dirty deed again. They enjoyed each other's company and
slowly and quietly parted ways. No hard feelings. That is until she
found out she was pregnant - eight weeks along - one month out of
college.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Logan sat in his home office, adding some final touches to a few
documents he had prepared for Gage. It was close to midnight and he
would do anything at this point to keep his mind off Gabriella. Did she
not remember her proposition to him? Clearly she had been drunker
than he'd originally thought. He hadn't spoken to her since he'd dropped
her and Brandi off the night of the barbeque, which told him she was
surprised by his act of seduction, if you will. Frankly, he was happy to
have this situation out in the open, albeit only slightly. Little Cinderella
had been all he could think about lately. His dick couldn't possibly be
any more uncomfortable around her at this point. Shit he'd never
noticed before was front and center tenfold now. Like how he'd never
taken into account the way she swayed her ass and hips when she
walked. Silly, right? That could be attributed to the fact that he'd never
checked her out like a dog in heat as he had been lately. He never
noticed how many of her outward signs - her low-cut blouses, her
short-shorts when she wore them, the fact that she sold lingerie for a
living -were all opposites of who she truly was. He didn't know how
many men she'd slept with, but he knew it hadn't been very many. He
couldn't fathom having terrible enough sex to be frightened by it
though. Even he'd had his share of bad sex. Who hadn't? That didn't
stop him from pursuing the activity or
seeking out better partners. Which brought him to Lucy. She'd left his
house tonight, not long ago. She'd wanted to sleep over but he told her
it wasn't a good idea because he had to get up early - an early meeting,
he'd claimed. Tonight had been the first PISTOL WHIPPED 69 time
he'd used her. He'd fucked her in the hopes it would make him forget
about Gabriella.
One thing was clear; he was no longer interested in Lucy. Not even
slightly.
She'd come over and attacked him, rubbing her body against his just as
she always did, brushing her hands through his hair and claiming how
much she'd missed him. He'd gotten insta-hard. He'd been aloof. He'd
been moody and almost rude but she hadn't noticed in her quick act of
seduction. Gabbie was the only thing on his mind. He'd fought hard
trying not to compare the two, but when he'd had Lucy bent over his
bed with her ass in the air, he couldn't help but notice that she lacked
the two dimples above her ass right along her lower back like Gabriella.
He liked those little spots. Even if he didn't see them very often on
Gabriella.
Lucy was not as mature as Gabbie. She still acted childish at times,
which was something he hadn't noticed until he started to compare the
two. Tonight was the last time he would fuck Lucy. After they'd
finished, well, at least after he finished - he wasn't
even sure he'd done his duty long enough for her to orgasm - but she'd
laid on his bed ready to snuggle in for the night and he'd all but forced
her out the door.
He rubbed his thumb and forefinger along the bridge of his nose. He
hadn't wanted to deal with Lucy's drama tonight. But eventually he'd
have to let her down and end this charade. He was done with her. He
was done with Lucy even though he wasn't convinced he could have
any relationship with Gabriella. For one, long distance relationships
never worked. Ask anyone. Second of all, even if he were willing to
throw in everything to make a go of having a relationship with her, who
knew what she would think. Bottom line was he needed to talk to her.
They needed to address the way he'd touched her at the picnic and what
he thought she remembered about asking him to sleep with her. 70
Ashley Bostock
This was a mess. How fucking old was he? He needed to pick up the
fucking phone and call her. Better yet, he should get in his truck and
drive over there and settle this once and for all. What was the
worst-case scenario? He could confirm that she apparently didn't
remember her request when he thought she did. She must think he was
a creep! Touching her and looking at her like she was a fresh piece of
meat? She must think he was possessed. Rightfully so, too. Coming at
her out of the blue like
that - in her mind - he'd think the same had their positions been
reversed.
Well, he couldn't sleep. He picked up his phone and called her. She
answered on the second ring, "Logan? Is everything okay?" She
sounded breathless...did she finally get her chance to see the chef?
"Yeah, everything is fine...Well, not everything, Gabriella. We need to
talk."
She let out a yawn, "I know. But must we talk now? At..." he could hear
shuffling around, she'd been in bed. "At twelve oh eight at night?"
He thought about his evening with Lucy. He considered her question.
Yes, they had to talk tonight. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the
answer but he asked anyway, "Are you alone?" She was quiet for a
moment. He waited in suspense for her answer. Finally it came, "Of
course. Who else would be here?" "The chef." He didn't like how his
voice was laced with sarcasm. He sounded jealous to his own ears. "I
just didn't know."
Again she was silent. The one time he would feel a lot more
comfortable if she would talk and fill the void like she always did, and
yet all he was getting was silence. Was she mad? He asked her.
PISTOL WHIPPED
97
"No," she whispered, "I could never be mad at you. It was my fault. The
details are fuzzy but my guess is I asked you to sleep with me?" He let
out a low chuckle, his voice no longer sounding like the jealous
ex-boyfriend, "You sure did, Cinderella." "I'm sorry, that was uncalled
for. I hope I didn't freak you
out."
No! He didn't want her to be sorry for fuck's sake. He wanted her to still
want to sleep with him. "You shocked me only a little bit, but I got over
it quickly. That's why the next day I asked if you were serious and you
said yes! I thought you still meant it." "I kissed you, too...didn't I?" Her
voice was just above a whisper, causing him to ache inside his pants yet
again. "Yes, you did. Do you actually remember that part?"
"Yes."
"I liked it, Gabriella," he swallowed the tightness in his throat. Again
silence.
"Gabbie?" "I did, too."
He stood from his desk, feeling like he'd just gotten pummeled by a ton
of bricks. "Where does this leave us?" Silence. "Fuck, Gabriella, why
the silence all of the sudden? You're driving me crazy. Just tell me,
should we try this or not?"
"I love you, Logan."
"I know, I love you too, but you're killing me." "That's why I can't sleep
with you. As worried about sex as I am, about whether or not I will be
able to enjoy it during my lifetime, I don't want to ruin our friendship.
Don't you agree?" Should he push? Spout out all the reasons he thought
it was a great idea? Should he tell her he had gone past the friendship
feeling with her and into the I-like-you-in-a-sexy-way and that he
damn well fantasized about her in red lingerie? That he would 72
Ashley Bostock
damn well make her forget her fear of getting pregnant when he
was having his way with her?
"Are you there?"
"I'm here," he replied tersely.
"Don't you agree that we can't ruin our friendship over this? I was
drinking and brought up a stupid idea, I'm sorry. But I love you too
much and want you in my life too much, to risk anything more." No, I
absolutely do not agree with you. "Yeah, sure. I agree." "You do?" she
sounded surprised...or let down. Most likely the latter was his ego
talking.
"Yeah, sure. Are we good now? Because we have a big trip coming up.
The trip of your life." "The trip of our lives," she emphasized.
He couldn't put his finger on it, but something definitely changed
between them. It was present between them over the phone lines. It
hung thick in the air like wet towels over a clothesline. Any moment he
feared it would snap from the gravitational pull. He knew it and he
knew she knew it. He didn't mistake the lust in her voice admitting that
she enjoyed kissing him. He damn well didn't mistake the desire in her
eyes when he'd told her to go to bed. He'd have five days. Five days in
Japan to convince her otherwise.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gabriella was amazed by their quick arrival into Tokyo. Having had a
full sized bed on the plane, neither of them felt any jetlag. The air was
slightly brisk with the breeze coming off the water but the sun was
shining as they got into a private car that would take them directly to
their hotel. It was mostly a quiet ride for the hour it took the driver to
get them to Shinagawa where their hotel was located - both of them
staring out their windows in awe at all of the buildings, the surrounding
farmland, people and the massive amount of signs written in Japanese.
"It's beautiful," she remarked. "It's different, isn't it?" "Did you see all
of the rice fields we passed?" He nodded in agreement as the driver
pulled up to their hotel. The cobblestone drive ran underneath part of
the hotel and once the car came to a halt, two members of the valet were
there to assist them out of the car and collect their luggage. "These will
be delivered to your room." "Thank you."
The hotel lobby was breathtaking, but Gabriella didn't expect anything
less. The expansive space was open, completely surrounded by
floor-to-ceiling windows and the steel beams along the ceiling gave it a
lofty feel. The hotel restaurant was situated just inside the front doors
where boxes of tea and multicolored teapots where on display. They
walked around the
restaurant, following the signs pointing them to the registration desk
when she caught Logan's eye. He was smiling at her. "Happy to be
here?" he asked. 74 Ashley Bostock
"Of course, it's beautiful. This is a dream come true. Aren't you happy,
too?"
"Indeed. I'm happy that you're happy. Are you sure you are okay
sharing the same room? Different beds of course, but close quarters
nonetheless."
"Logan, it's perfectly fine. We've already discussed this, there's nothing
to worry about any more. We've shared rooms before." They found the
little registration room with two attendants behind the desk, one on the
phone, the other beckoned them forward.
"Hello, welcome," the man's thick Japanese accent made it difficult to
understand his English. "Hello. Logan Reeves," he passed the man his
passport. "I need hers too, please." Gabriella reached into her
cross-body purse and extracted her passport. "I will make copies and be
back."
"Great," Logan looked at Gabriella, "That's a little unsettling to have
copies of our passports out there." "Indeed," she smiled, throwing his
word back at him. The man came back and proceeded with the check-in
process
while Gabbie stood fidgeting with her purse, her fingernails -anything
to calm her nerves. She was excited to be in a new place - a new
country - especially with Logan. He had always been an easy-going
travel companion the handful of times they'd gone on road trips
together. This time was no different despite the absolute fool she had
made of herself. It was firmly in the past at this point and all she could
do was look ahead to the fabulous few days they had together here in
Japan. "What do you mean? I specifically asked for two queens."
Logan's frustrated voice brought her out of her reverie. "I am sorry. We
do not have another room available." Logan let out a sigh and turned to
Gabbie, "They have our room, but it's only a king sized bed, not a
double queen like I reserved." PISTOL WHIPPED 75
Gabbie looked at the attendant who looked genuinely apologetic and
immediately felt bad for him. "Look, its no problem, right? Is it okay
with you if we have to share a bed? It's a king, right?" she asked the
man.
"Yes."
"It'll be fine. It's big enough for two. Big enough that we won't even
know we are in it together. Are you okay with that?" He raised his
eyebrow at her as if to ask, do you remember the recent issue between
us? But he stayed silent, turned to the hotel
clerk and assured him it was fine. They collected their passports, the
keys to their room and a few helpful maps for the city and made their
way up the elevator to the eighteenth floor. "I'm really sorry about the
room."
"Logan, don't be. It's not your fault. Besides, it will be fine," she
shrugged her shoulders. It would be fine. It wasn't as if Logan had any
feelings for her. And she didn't harbor any sexual feelings for him,
either. They were friends. Friends that would act like adults and share a
bed. No big deal.
"Ready?" Logan opened the door to their room and ushered Gabriella
in ahead of him.
"It's beautiful. Oh my gosh, look at the little tea set. I love it. And the
views!" She walked over to the window and peered out to the city.
There was a lush green park sitting in between various buildings of all
heights. One building had a soccer field on top, complete with
AstroTurf and goal posts. In the opposite direction she could make out
the numerous tracks and large building which obviously was the train
station. It was all so magical.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Logan's quiet voice near her ear made her
still. She could feel the heat from his body warming her back. If she
backed up, just one step, she would be plastered into the length of him.
She could barely see their reflection in the glass, could make out
Logan's features and see that his eyes were
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cast down, watching her. She knew he was talking about Tokyo -at
least that's what she told herself - even though he was watching her, but
his words and his gaze on her made her shiver anyway. It was a surreal
moment - like she was window shopping - looking through the window
to see what the couple would do next. He stood stoic behind her and all
she could see of his body was his face, neck and part of his grey t-shirt
that covered his shoulder. She swallowed down the strange sensation
she was feeling in her tummy and finally answered him, "Yes, she is
breathtakingly beautiful. When do you have to meet Hiroshi? Do we
have time for a short walk to go explore?"
She felt Logan's heat evaporate from her backside the second he
walked off. He sat down on the bed they would be sharing -something
she tried hard not to dwell on after she just experienced the toe-curling
sensation near the window. He checked his watch, "Not yet. I need to
go meet him downstairs in the restaurant. Would you care to come
with? Are you hungry? Hiroshi would love to meet you." "No, I'm
okay. You go. I'm going to freshen up and maybe when you come back
we can go look around." "Dying to be a tourist, are we, Cinderella?" he
pinched her cheek. "I don't think I will be long and then we can explore
to your heart's content."
"Okay," she kicked off her shoes, "see you soon." This may be more
than she bargained for, she thought as she began undressing for the
shower. Was Ginger right? Did Logan have deeper feelings for her than
he let on? She didn't think so. How could they be close friends for so
long and only now develop feelings for one another? Had she brought
this on when she propositioned sex? It was true she trusted Logan more
than any man she knew. Maybe they should reconsider her idea - she
wasn't even sure she knew how to enjoy sex. After she had gotten
pregnant, she had no one to turn to. She had been ashamed. PISTOL
WHIPPED
77
She had been shocked, in denial, and scared out of her mind. How was
she ever going to be Gabriella Crawford and not Tammy Crawford, if
she was already pregnant right out of college? She had kept it a secret -
from Brandi, all of her friends and family. She had been especially
ashamed to admit it to Logan. At the time, she was afraid he would
judge her and would try to talk her out of her decision. Because Logan
was a family man - he loved his family, he wanted children eventually,
and she had been afraid that if she told him, he would try and convince
her to keep the baby.
He would judge her for not wanting it.
That was something she couldn't bear to deal with - she
couldn't do it. She couldn't bear to listen to him convince her to keep
the baby and she couldn't bear to keep the baby and risk becoming
Tammy Crawford. Absent Mother Extraordinaire. It had been a simple
choice really. She was going to have an abortion. What other choice did
she have? She couldn't possibly walk around pregnant for nine months
only to give the baby away, especially because she had started her new
job. She couldn't afford to give that up.
It had been the darkest, most desperate days of her life. She hadn't been
able to sleep or eat. Literally, everything she ate would come back up.
She didn't have the wherewithal to continue in that condition for
another seven months. She avoided everyone she knew; including
Logan, for fear he would somehow notice she was pregnant. In
hindsight, she realized how dumb that was but at the time she had been
a terrified twenty-two year old who didn't know which way was up.
She'd scheduled the many appointments she would need in order to get
the scheduled abortion. Her tests showed she was exactly ten weeks'
pregnant. However, the night before her appointment, she had had a
miscarriage. She'd awoken to massive cramping and back pains and
when she went to the bathroom, there had been a lot of blood. She had
been terrified and the 78 Ashley Bostock
doctor at the Emergency Room had confirmed what she
suspected - she'd had a miscarriage.
The ordeal was enough to close her off from most of the
world for the following weeks. She had avoided Logan, as well as
Brandi and Marilyn. She had stuck to her stance she'd made in
high school and vowed she would never have children. She would
never be dumb enough to trust someone completely to hold that
fate in his hands.
So she avoided sex. Being somewhat involved with the chef was an
easy relationship because he was just as busy as she. If she was honest
with herself, she knew she hid behind this façade, telling herself they
were both too busy, but she liked the outwardly appearance that she had
someone, as well as the fact that there hadn't yet been any pressure to
have sex. Any relationship like that was fine with Gabriella. Speaking
of which, it wasn't technically a relationship anymore. It wasn't so
much of an anything anymore...if you counted how many times she'd
called and texted him in the past few weeks without hearing so much as
a peep out of him. She could only assume that one, he died and couldn't
respond to her calls or two, he was done with her and didn't want to
return her calls. With option two, being the most likely. She didn't want
to dwell on the negatives in her life while she was here with Logan and
about ready to embark on the most important vacation of her life. She
dressed, brushed her teeth, made sure she had an extra battery for her
camera and headed
downstairs.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Damn it, he thought. He had been perfectly fine sharing a room with
her, but a bed? Fucking come on! He could only play the part of a
gentleman for so long. Being in the same bed with her was going to be
torture although he couldn't very well tell her that, could he? Hey
Gabbie, I don't think this is a good idea because I fucking want you - in
this bed, right here, right now -so bad I can hardly keep my hands to
myself when you're around. I want to taste you, I want to take an
agonizingly slow time unhooking, unbuckling and untying every
fucking piece of lingerie I know is covering your body. No, that
wouldn't work.
He'd met Lucy the day before they left for Japan and ended their fling.
She had been hurt because she had confessed she was hoping he would
change his mind sooner or later and want more from her. He hadn't
been exactly nice when he pointed out the fact that it was something he
had never wanted with her - since the beginning. He'd made things
clear from the get-go for a reason. She'd accused him of using her, but
honestly, she knew his terms when she got involved with him and he
didn't admit that he had, in fact, used her the last time they had slept
together. The time when all he could think about was Gabriella and
how her pussy would feel tightening around his dick as he brought her
to orgasm.
No, he had enough sense to not tell Lucy anything about that.
He informed the hostess at the entrance of the restaurant that he was
expecting someone and immediately found Hiroshi standing from his
table across the restaurant waving for his attention. 80 Ashley Bostock
"Hiroshi, how are you?"
Hiroshi was a few years younger than his father. Unlike Jack, though,
Hiroshi had short jet-black hair. He wasn't as tall as his father but he
was slim and fit, always making jokes about how his wife kicked him
out of the house every morning before dawn just so he could run and
stay fit. Born in Kyoto, Japan, his family started a business in the late
eighteen hundreds making Japanese playing cards called Hanafuda.
But this venture only got the family so far before they realized they
would need something bigger and better to succeed and get the
company out of the debt it had fallen in. In the early seventies, they had
created the first-ever commercially available home video game system,
which could still be found in stores today. His family still owned a
dynamic chunk of the video game company but because of the massive
amounts of production and new consoles that were being built on a
daily basis, the family could no longer own it completely. Hiroshi
himself invested in many commercial buildings all over the world with
the majority being in Manhattan and Tokyo. He still held a prominent
spot
on the board for the video game company and when he wasn't busy
doing that, he bought and sold commercial properties. Spending a lot of
time in the states, his accent was not difficult to understand. "Logan,
how was the flight?"
"It was good, Hiroshi. How are you? How is your family?" "They are
all very well. Thank you. Please sit," he gestured toward the
unoccupied chair.
Logan took his seat and the waitress immediately offered him a warm
glass of lemonade. "Lemonade?" he questioned Hiroshi. "Yes. Very
good, yes?"
Logan took a sip, "Yes, very good. Gabriella will love this." "Where is
your friend? I thought I might get the chance to meet her." PISTOL
WHIPPED 81
"She is freshening up. You know how women can be." "Yes, I do.
Listen, as you already know, I want to show you around my country
because I want you to work for me. Your father said you were
undecided about taking on his law firm. My hope is that by getting to
know me and my business, along with my family, you will change your
mind." Logan tried not to let out the big sigh that was building inside of
him. He knew that is what Hiroshi was after, but he didn't like
feeling pressured. And this felt like pressure. He could make the
decision on his own - in fact, he had. He was going to work for Jack and
he would eventually take over REEVES. Under his own terms, though.
His plan wasn't exactly solid yet...but he had a plan. Now he needed to
decide if he should go along with Hiroshi or tell him the straight-up
truth. He opted for somewhere in the middle.
"Hiroshi, I will most likely move to New York. But it will have to be
under my terms. I do not feel it is right to have everything handed to me
at such a successful corporation and I have done nothing to deserve it.
However, I am glad I came to Japan. I look forward to meeting your
family. Gabriella is looking forward to riding the Bullet Train to
Kyoto." "Ah, yes. The Shinkansen will get you to Kyoto in
approximately two hours, yes?" "Yes. It will be quite the experience."
The men discussed business for a little while longer, mostly discussing
how Jack and Hiroshi had become great friends. Logan finished off his
hot lemonade and out of the corner of his eye, saw Gabriella walking
toward them. He set his drink down and pushed back his chair, standing
as he told Hiroshi, "Here she is now." "Hi. I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Not at all. In fact, Hiroshi was just asking about you. Hiroshi, meet
Gabriella."
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Ashley Bostock
"Gabriella, you are as beautiful as Logan has said. It is a pleasure to
meet you."
"Thank you! It is so nice to meet you as well."
"Logan was just telling me how he is going to work for his
father." "Hiroshi-"
"Is that so? He was still on the fence the last I heard."
"It seems Japan has helped him come to his senses," Hiroshi
laughed, obviously delighted by the fact.
Logan could see the pang of disappointment on Gabriella's
face for the brief second it flashed. Hiroshi's comment had taken
her by surprise and there was no doubt in his mind that she was
hurt - brewing up questions on why he hadn't told her.
Especially since they'd just spent twelve hours together on the
plane.
"Now, Hiroshi," he eyed Gabriella, "that's not exactly what I told him,
Gabbie."
"Well...it's fine. It's your decision, right? Only you can decide what is
best for you. I've told you that over and over." Hiroshi excused himself
to take a phone call, leaving Logan and Gabbie alone. "Look, I was
going to tell you. I have a whole plan I want to run by you and see what
you think. Don't be hurt."
"I'm not hurt. I'm happy for you...really."
Was she really trying to lie to him? He could hear the hurt in
her voice although she tried to sound happy. It was her fake
voice. When something was bothering her and she didn't want to
tell him what it was, she sounded much like she was sounding
now.
"Let's talk later. Let me say 'bye to Hiroshi. Our meeting is over."
Logan watched Gabriella's shoulders half-slumped as she walked away
from Logan, out into the lobby to wait. Damn it, Hiroshi! Nice of him
to take it upon himself to tell Gabriella PISTOL WHIPPED 83 about
his decision. All he could do now was make sure Gabriella knew his
half-formulated plan and understood his decision.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Gabriella knew what she was feeling was selfish. Logan moving? All
the way to New York? Her stomach ached thinking about it. When
Hiroshi told her that, she thought he was joking but Logan didn't deny it
- he had practically confirmed it - and now she felt terrible. She didn't
want to feel this way, she did want Logan to be happy...it was harder
than she thought to hear the actual words out loud. Logan was going to
move to New York. It was like she felt a sense of...jealousy maybe...she
couldn't exactly name all of the emotions she was feeling. She was
already feeling a bit hurt because he hadn't yet chosen to say anything
to her. She was already starting to feel...left behind! And he hadn't even
gone anywhere yet. This was ridiculous.
Logan's decision wasn't all about her. It was about him and what was
best for his life. They'd been so close to one another it was easy for her
to get caught up in his life being their life. "Let's go explore, Cinderella
and discuss our future." Logan had snuck up behind her and squeezed
her shoulders. "Don't be so depressed." "I'm not," she lied. He held the
door open for and as she passed he swatted her ass, "Don't lie to me. I
know when you're lying to me. Where do you want to go
first?"
"Let's walk down by the train station and see what's around.
We could always catch a train to somewhere."
As they walked, Gabbie could feel the tension radiating from
Logan. She wished he would just speak! Tell her about his
decision.
PISTOL WHIPPED 85
"I have this handy booklet the front desk gave me. Do you want to sit
on this bench and look through it real quick?" They both sat down and
Logan began thumbing through the booklet. He would read aloud
anything sounding remotely interesting or anything he thought Gabbie
might want to try. As they sat on the bench, Gabbie had no problem
getting sidetracked watching the massive amounts of traffic weaving in
and out, and no one used their horns. It was calm chaos. Black taxies
were everywhere. People would cross the street in droves heading to
and from the train station. Logan pointed out one thing he wanted to see
and they agreed to get up early in the morning and go to the
world-famous Tsukiji Market where people could buy tons of fresh
meat and fish. "But that still leaves us with today. See anything you
like?" "Lets walk to here," she pointed to the map. 'We could visit the
temple and then find some Ramen noodles to eat." "Whatever the lady
would like."
He stuck the brochures in his pocket and they began walking. They
would have to cross the street and head through the train
station in order to get to the temple. "Listen, Cinderella, I'm sorry about
earlier with Hiroshi. I didn't want to spoil our trip by discussing my
decision."
"Have you made a decision, Logan?" she hated how she could hear the
own hurt in her voice.
"I have. I'm going to move. It's going to be a huge process.
This is only if my father will accept my offer. I'm not comfortable
with him giving me the company and any of the clients that will
stay onboard. I'm sorry. I should have mentioned this sooner.
Perhaps while we were flying over."
She stayed silent. She didn't know what to say.
He stopped, grabbed her arm and faced her, "You're mad at
me, aren't you?"
Tears started welling up in her eyes, "No," she shook her head,
"I'm not mad."
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Ashley Bostock
"You're going to cry. Don't cry, just tell me what's wrong?" How could
she explain every single emotion she was feeling when she wasn't sure
what every single one was? "I am hurt you didn't tell me, but I'm crying
because you will be moving away. Away from me." Her tears spilled
over and Logan reached for her. Right there in the middle of Shinagawa
Station, he pulled her into his warm embrace and comforted her. People
flooded out from the
turnstiles, swarming around them as she cried in his arms. The carousal
music sounded every few minutes signaling a stopping train
somewhere near them. The announcer continued to boom through the
loud speakers, indicting which trains were approaching, while Logan
whispered and begged for her not to cry.
"I'm sorry, Gabriella. This is the most difficult decision I've ever made
in my life and trust me, you have been a big part of my indecision." She
looked up into his eyes. She could see his tormented expression and the
hurt she'd caused him by telling him her feelings. "I am? I
was?"
"Hell yeah. You know me better than anyone and we've been friends
for a long time. I don't want to ruin our friendship, Gabriella. You and I
both know there's something - I don't know what it is or why it's
happening - but something is changing between us. You can't deny the
tension that's been surrounding us lately, can you?" Oh boy, was this
really happening? Right here inside the train station? Miles away from
home, where she had nowhere to run and hide from Logan. At least at
home, she could hide behind her store, pretend she was asleep at home,
but here, with him sharing the same bed with her -she couldn't hide.
And she knew Logan and knew he would want answers. He would
expect answers. What could she say? She could deny what
he just said and tell him he was wrong. But they both knew that
PISTOL WHIPPED
87
would be a blatant lie and she couldn't do that to him. She could admit
that, yes, she has been feeling something weird going on between them.
Even though she has been extremely confused about it and has for the
most part, successfully blocked it out of her mind. A few instances
flashed through her mind. When she stepped out of the dressing room
at Lolita's and his eyes roamed all over her body, giving her a feeling
deep and low in her tummy. When she had kissed him at his house and
the heated way he'd kissed her back. Then there was the most recent
moment between them when they had been at Blake and Marilyn's
house and he'd grazed her chest with his fingertips. Goosebumps
coated her arms and sent a wave of desire shooting through her core as
she stood looking into his desire-laden eyes. There was also the
moment inside their hotel room, when he was standing behind her, the
mixture of heat from his body and how the window reflected the erotic
moment.
All of those moments, each sending shivers of arousal through her core
all on their own, had made for one big moment between them, right
here and now.
She sensed it coming just before it happened. He tightened his grip
around her body, bowed his head and his lips touched hers.
It was a soft, tentative kiss at first. As if he wasn't certain he should be
doing this. His lips were feather light as they touched her mouth. He
lingered slowly on her lips before she parted them, hoping to feel his
tongue as their kiss deepened. His mouth moved intoxicatingly slow as
she heard herself whimper in delight - still waiting for his tongue to
seek entrance. It finally did.
He moaned into her mouth as their tongues met and she couldn't help
that her body kept vying to get closer to his. The surrounding sounds
she heard before - the people, the announcer, and the carousal music
-were all drowned out as she let herself be taken by Logan's passion.
His erection pressed
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Ashley Bostock
against her pelvis and she threaded her fingers through his hair as
she succumbed to his drugging kiss.
He pulled away abruptly. Her mouth was still open and her
eyes were closed when his husky voice invaded her cloud of
arousal.
"You can't deny it. That kiss proved it. Come on, Cinderella, follow
me."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
This was going to be the worst night ever. He wouldn't be able to sleep
a wink with the smell of Gabriella's vanilla-scented skin this close to
him in bed. Not when he knew she was lying there in the dark next to
him wearing a skin-tight, barely there t-shirt and the tiniest gym shorts
he's yet to see her in. Oh, fuck and if that wasn't enough - no bra. She
had walked out of the bathroom after changing into her pajamas and
had her dark hair parted down around her face. It came to just above her
nipples. Hard nipples, as far as he could see. They had looked so
enticing that he'd had to turn his back to her and walk around their bed
into the bathroom so she couldn't see his instant hard-on. And now,
here he was in the dark - erection intact - lying on his side facing away
from her because he didn't trust himself not to crawl over to her side of
the bed and pin her down while he took his sweet time enjoying every
delicious curve of her body. He wanted to though. He desperately
wanted to and he normally wasn't a betting man, but he'd bet she
wanted to, too. They had a great day after their kiss inside the station.
They'd gone to the temple where Gabbie had taken an obscene amount
of pictures. They'd walked around the neighborhood and had gotten a
recommendation for a great restaurant that served ramen noodles and
had a decent meal. Every now and then, he'd catch Gabriella staring at
him and it was all he could do but smile and carry on.
He had it bad.
He felt like a teenager trying to convince the most popular girl at school
to go out with him. As far as he was concerned, in this 90 Ashley
Bostock
moment, she was the only woman he wanted to go out with -wanted to
be with.
He was going to lie there with a hard-on all night, he knew. In the quiet,
he could make out the light sounds of traffic down below. He strained
to hear her. Was she asleep? Did this tense situation have her lying
awake too? Her breathing sounded normal but he didn't know if that
was awake breathing or asleep breathing. He longed to find out. To
reach over and touch her, but he didn't dare. They didn't address their
kiss, but a few times throughout the day, they'd flirted back and forth
with each other. He'd even been so bold as to grab her arm and hold her
hand once or twice. She hadn't pulled away but he didn't necessarily
think that was a green light either. She was truly a complex woman.
What he couldn't figure out was why she was so afraid of sex. Had
someone hurt her? Done something much too imaginable for his brain
to accept? The thought had his heart pounding inside his chest. What
other explanation could there be? Surely she would have told him if
something that terrible had happened.
"Are you awake?" her sweet voice flowed over him like honey.
"Yeah. Are you?"
She giggled, "Yeah. What are you thinking about?"
He turned away from the wall and lay on his back, "Are you
sure you want to know that answer?"
Silence and then, "Yeah. I want to know."
"I was thinking about what it would be like to have my way
with you."
Silence again and then, "Me, too."
He stretched, folding his arms underneath his head, "I don't know what
to do about this, Gabriella. I'm leaving Colorado."
"I know."
"We are really good friends."
"I know."
"There is nothing I want more right now than to touch you."
PISTOL WHIPPED
91
Silence.
"Does that mean you don't want me to touch you?" "Touch me how?"
Logan removed his hands from behind his head and turned to face her
on the bed. "Look at me," he demanded.
Gabriella turned to face him. In the dark, he could barely make out her
face with only a small fraction of it illuminated by the alarm clock.
"How would you like me to touch you?"
"I'm nervous, I don't know. You could come closer though."
She was tearing him apart. There was a mile long list of so
many things he wanted to do to her and not enough time in the
world. The irony was he'd been with her step-by-step the
majority of their lives and the moment he wanted her more than
anything, he was going to be heading to Manhattan. From her
confession, he knew she was afraid to have sex - at least right
away. He was really hoping that would change. Soon. Was he
being hopeful to think maybe an hour soon?
He reached for her in the darkness, "Come here, Cinderella.
When's the last time you've been in a man's arms?"
She moved into him, turning so her back was up against his
front. He wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her in as
close to him as possible. His face was level with her hair, he drew
in a breath, smelling her strawberry-scented hair mixing with her
vanilla lotion and once again, was immediately hard. What had
he been thinking? This wasn't going to work. He tried pulling
back some and she grabbed his arms, "Don't pull away. I'm sorry
for making you do this. It's been a long time since I've been in a
man's arms. Especially a man I trust implicitly."
"You aren't making me do anything. I want to do this. I want
to do more as you can no doubt feel," he chuckled. "I've been
wanting to touch you all fucking day."
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He kissed her hair. He kissed her ear. "You smell so good. You feel
better than I imagined you would feel." "Thank you," she whispered.
"I've decided something. Do you want to hear about it?"
He nuzzled her neck. He couldn't help himself; he rubbed his cock
against her ass making it damn well obvious what she did to him.
"Mmm-hmm," he murmured. "Have sex with me, Logan."
What? Have sex with me Logan ? Was she serious? Right now?
His cock got unbelievably harder. Before he could ask, her soft
voice came out in a rush, "Not right this second. But, well, I was
thinking if you're going to move away and I don't trust any man
the way I trust you, and we do have this...this attraction between
us, that it's probably not a bad idea to...just, um, do it."
Logan couldn't help but chuckle.
"This isn't funny!" she tried pulling away.
"Stay where you are," he commanded. "I'm not laughing
because it's funny. I'm laughing because this situation we are in, is
going to take some getting used to. That's all."
CHAPTER TWENTY
It was an interesting situation to be in, that was for sure, Gabriella
thought. After they had somewhat cleared the air last night in bed,
things today had been refreshingly different between them. It felt good
to know they were both in the strange position of being such great
friends, they were both unsure of how to act toward each other with
their newfound attraction. Last night, they had hardly slept. But had
gotten most of their fears out in the open. Yes, today had been a good
day.
They'd laughed, flirted and held hands like it wasn't so taboo for them
to do. It had actually felt pretty natural walking around the Tsukiji
Market hand-in-hand with him. He had kissed her twice today.
Something she had really enjoyed. How was it ever possible she had
been this close to someone who could kiss her so well? Someone who
could create that sweet spot feeling in her tummy and she was just
experiencing it only now? Life was crazy at best. The first time he'd
kissed her was a chaste, normal kiss that had her forgetting they had
just only begun doing it. But his second kiss, oh boy, had her toes
curling in her tennis shoes. Once they finished looking around the
market and had just gotten used to the smell of dead fish, they'd walked
to the Ginza District. Gabriella could never afford such luxurious items
that made up the stores in this area but it was amazing to see all of the
brand name stores packed into such a small area. It was almost like
Times Square, Logan had told her, with all of the big televisions and
lighted signs. 94 Ashley Bostock
They had again found a small restaurant located off the beaten path
were the waitresses simply took your order and yelled to the back, still
standing right next to you. How did they keep the orders straight? They
had ordered ramen noodles again and enjoyed a plate of edamame as an
appetizer. It had been perfect and so far, everything Gabriella had
imagined it would be. They were now on the Bullet Train heading to
Kyoto. "I'm happy we will be coming back to Tokyo. Its lovely here."
"It's nice. But I think you are going to like Kyoto better."
"Why's that?"
"All of the cherry blossom trees you were telling me about. I asked
Hiroshi and he said that it is the best place to see them. There is an
abundance of them he said." She clapped her hands, "Yippie! That is
exciting. This train does go really fast. It scares me when we pass
another train and you can feel the whoosh from it." "I never pressed this
too much before, but tell me, please, why are you so afraid to have sex?
I've been thinking about it and can't comprehend how afraid you are to
get pregnant based on the factual data of actually getting pregnant
when you use proper
protection. So what gives, Gabriella? Is there something you're not
telling me?"
Leave it to Logan to analyze this and look for data to back-up his
findings. Here would be a perfect opportunity to tell him about her
accidental pregnancy their last semester of college. Did she still think
he would judge her? Disagree with her original decision to have an
abortion? In all reality she could leave out the part about wanting to get
an abortion. All he would have to know is she got pregnant and had a
miscarriage. If she were going to be honest, she would need to tell him
the entire story from beginning to end. But something still held her
back. Not something, she knew what it was. PISTOL WHIPPED 95 It
was this new love affair they were embarking on that had her wanting
to explore each other without having her pregnancy issue between
them, albeit small as it may be. "No one...hurt you, did they?" "What?
Oh no, Logan, nothing like that. No. It's just...well, you know I don't
want to be like Tammy. You know I don't want kids. Getting pregnant
does worry me, even if the odds are minimal." She couldn't believe she
was going to admit this next part, "Truthfully, I don't really know what
I'm missing." Logan lifted her chin with his finger, willing her to look
into his eyes, "What do you mean you don't know what you are
missing?"
"I don't know what I'm missing!" She looked around the train as if
someone may have heard her, or understood her even if they did hear.
"I've only had sex a few times ever, okay? And it was nothing to be
excited about."
"I'm sorry you haven't had good experiences in the past. I'm really sorry
about that. But, look at me, Cinderella," he did the two finger wiggle,
"two things: I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to
prevent you from getting pregnant." She was biting her bottom lip, her
heart was beating extra fast, "What's the second thing?" "The second
thing, and this I can promise you one-hundred percent. You will be
thoroughly excited and well-spent once I have my way with you."
She squeezed her legs together, trying to quell the foreign feeling
between her legs as she absorbed his words. Her breasts felt heavy as
she stared him in the eyes. Was this what it felt like to be genuinely
excited about sex? This full-blown, not afraid of anything feeling of
confidence? Her cheeks heated from all the new sensations as well as
the devastating look he was giving her. "Don't go getting all shy on me
now, Gabriella," his husky voice tickled her earlobe. 96 Ashley
Bostock
She smiled, "It's hard not too. I don't go around talking about
my sex life with anyone. Especially not you." "Things are changing
between us. Let's enjoy it while I'm here. You know, before I move to
the city. We just have to agree that this will be all it is. It can't continue
into a relationship because it would never work with me living so far
away. And that way, it will never have the chance to ruin our
friendship." She nodded her head in agreement, "I know. I agree. This
won't ruin our friendship - we can't let it. Knowing you will be moving
to the East Coast sets the bar on that, don't you think? I'm sure someday
we'll look back at all this when we find a husband and a wife, and
wonder what were we thinking." She laughed again, even though the
mention of Logan's mythical wife didn't sit well in her tummy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"Brandi said everything is running smoothly at Lolita's." "That's good
to know."
"Yeah it is. Especially since this is the first time I've ever left it for this
long. It worked perfectly that the children she works for are off for
Spring Break and they all went on vacation. Brr, it's cold in here."
"Yeah, it is. It's a cute hotel."
"Yeah. How did you ever find this Mume's Boutique Hotel, anyway?
Had we been walking in the dark, I'm not sure we would have found it
on our own. It's in a tiny spot. And the fact that we have to ring the
doorbell to be let in every time is quite interesting."
"Not as interesting as having to leave this big key with them every time
we leave the hotel. I get paranoid about things like that. I hope they
have a safe. Is that standard for small hotels here, I wonder."
"I don't know. It's not standard for Americans - that's for sure. Could
you imagine? But why is the hallway so cold? I hope our room isn't this
cold!" "Let's find out."
Logan unlocked the door to their hotel room with the large skeleton
key. Luckily a small light above the table was on illuminating their
view.
"This is cute."
"Are you sure its okay to stay in the same bed again?" "Yes. I wouldn't
have brought it up if I wasn't certain." "Oh my gosh, check out the
shower!" 98 Ashley Bostock
The bathroom was enclosed in its own room but instead of standard
walls enclosing the separate room, the shower was enclosed in all glass.
All glass windows so you could watch someone taking a bath or
shower. Blinds were folded up on top and a small string hung down to
adjust them as necessary. She felt her cheeks heat at the implication.
Without moving her head she gazed at Logan who seemed just as
thoughtful regarding the implication of the shower walls. She
nervously cleared her throat, "Well, I'm glad they have
blinds."
"You mean, you don't want to give me a show? Tsk, tsk. I'm
disappointed Gabriella."
She knew he was teasing her. Okay, on some level he was teasing her
but his gaze told the other part - he really wouldn't mind a show. In fact,
he looked like he was envisioning that right now. Suddenly it didn't feel
as chilly as it had when they first walked in the room. He stepped
toward her, releasing both of their luggage from his hands and bent his
neck and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Don't be so shy. You weren't
ever shy before, no need to start
now."
Well, that was easier said than done. He stood there looking
so handsome, towering over her with the light shining on his
hair, creating the illusion of highlights.
"I'm trying to impress you now, though," she batted her
eyelashes.
"You've impressed me already." "Really?"
"Oh yeah," he traced her arms with his fingertips. "Let's go downstairs
and try the Sake. Unless, you'd prefer to walk around?" "No, let's do
that and then we have all day tomorrow to explore. What time do we go
to Hiroshi's for dinner tomorrow?" PISTOL
WHIPPED 99
"At seven. He originally wanted six but I have a surprise for you that is
best at sunset." "Sounds ominous! Give me a hint!" "No. No hints. You
have studied too much about Japan that one hint will tell you
everything. Let's go get a drink." Pouting, she followed him back into
the cold hallway and down the elevator. They found a table inside the
small seating area and a waitress came for their order. "We would like
to try Sake."
"Okay. I will bring two?"
"Please."
The waitress walked off leaving the two of them admiring the dining
area. Gabriella studied Logan. His long legs were splayed out in front
of him with his hands folded behind his head. He wore a white t-shirt
highlighting Blake's new seasonal fall beer and blue jeans. He was at
ease, hardly twitching or moving as his eyes looked out the patio doors
into the night sky. A small smile tugged at his lips, "What are you
thinking?" he asked.
"Just wondering how you are so at ease and I feel like I could jump out
of my seat at any moment."
"Why are you suddenly so nervous?" He lowered his voice and leaned
closer to her putting his elbows on his knees, "You know we don't have
to do anything if you're unsure. I don't want you uncomfortable." "I
want to, trust me. Its just, once this line is crossed, there is no going
back."
"I know. Moving across the country will help a little - you won't be
embarrassed having to see me all the time." "I'm not going to be
embarrassed. We're adults and friends, we can handle anything like
that. It's going to be tough to see you move though."
"We'll still talk...and I will still come back and see you. I still
have family in Windsor, remember?"
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Ashley Bostock
"Yeah, I remember. It will be a tough transition at first. But at least I
have Marilyn, Amber and Brandi to cheer me up." The waitress set
their drinks down and Logan picked his up, "Here," he raised it up, "for
the best of times between us." Gabriella smiled and raised her glass,
"To the best of times between us."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Logan finished up in the bathroom so Gabriella could go next.
He had deliberately left the blinds open for Gabriella to watch
him take off his shirt and get ready for bed. She was trying not to
watch him - he could tell by the way she kept tilting her head
down, but the curve of her lips had given her away.
He knew full well she would draw the blinds so he couldn't
watch her change into her shorts and t-shirt. He wished she
would leave them open. Fat chance.
"Were you out here watching me undress?"
She blushed immediately, "No! I was trying to figure out how
to work this heater to warm up our room."
"We don't need a heater to keep us warm. I have something
else in mind." He chuckled as her smile faded and she quickly
collected her pajamas from the end of the bed. She stalked right
past the blinds and into the bathroom.
Interesting.
With her back to him, their eyes met in the mirror. She slipped her hand
underneath her shirt and unclasped her bra. She then proceeded to take
her arms out of the bra straps, withdrawing the black garment from the
bottom of her shirt. Sexy as hell, he thought.
She shimmied out of her jeans and his eyes left hers as his gaze traveled
down her backside, over her lacy black bikini bottoms. As she pulled
up her shorts, their eyes found each other's again.
Her blush had crept from her cheeks down to her neck and he couldn't
help but smile. She was a seductress in her own right. A shy, almost
virginal, seductress. Exactly what he needed. 102 Ashley Bostock
Fuck this. He's waited long enough. He barged into the bathroom,
which was easy as she hadn't shut the door and he grabbed ahold of her
arms, as he gently pushed her against the shower glass and placed his
lips on hers. She tasted minty and smelled like strawberries and vanilla
- her signature scent. The hard points of her breasts, thinly covered by
her top, pressed into his chest and he let out a sound of desire. His
hands roamed from her arms to her hips and back up. He cupped her
breasts and they confirmed what he imagined - they were full, heavy
and fit into his hand perfectly. His thumb grazed over the points and he
swallowed the moan that came from her mouth. Go slow you idiot.
He needed to slow down, but he couldn't. He'd been waiting too long to
touch her like this that the act of doing it was stronger than he could
have imagined. It didn't help that she kept pushing her body into his.
Her hands were in his hair, holding his head in place. It took the
one-ounce of strength he had to pull his mouth away from her drugging
lips.
"I'm sorry. I'm going too fast-"
"No," she placed a wet kiss on his mouth, "don't you dare stop now,
Logan."
"I just..." was he actually at a loss for words?
"No," she breathed into his mouth. "I've been waiting for this,
for you, for your touch. Touch me. Don't stop." Her arms pulled
him back into her, his mouth finding the heat in hers.
He trailed kisses down her neck to her thin t-shirt. His mouth
left heat marks over one of her breasts, finding the hard nub with
his tongue, he sucked it into his mouth.
She let out a moan, her head banged the glass, "that feels like
Heaven."
"This ain't nothing, yet."
He trailed his fingertips along the flesh of her hips, dipping them into
the waistband of her gym shorts. She clung to him PISTOL
WHIPPED 103
with fierce desire as he pulled her shorts down her thighs passed her
knees. She kicked them aside. He kissed his way to her other breast,
biting and sucking the warm flesh around her nipple. He flicked the
already hard nub with his tongue, making his already hard cock, harder.
This was it. In these few minutes, she had completely undone him and
she had yet to touch him below the chest. "Keep going," she breathed
against his shoulder.
He cupped her between her legs through the fabric of her panties,
feeling the moist heat that was meant for him and only him. Again, she
moaned, "This is what I've been missing?" He chuckled, "Not even
close. I have much more in store for you, Cinderella." His thumb found
her sweet spot, hard and wanting, and the more she moaned, the more
he rubbed it and teased it with his fingers. He watched her spin out of
control, her head moving left and right in a wild frenzy, her nails
digging into his biceps and the mind-blowing sound of ecstasy that
came out of her mouth left him wanting for more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Gabriella couldn't be sure she'd ever had an orgasm. Try as she might,
she couldn't recall ever feeling how she'd just felt. It was this potent
desperation of cresting a peak she hadn't known she was on, hadn't
known she needed to reach, until she had succumbed to the pressure of
his touch. It had been fireworks -and she'd heard that before - but never
had she imagined an actual explosion of every nerve ending she
possessed between her thighs to possibly fire off all at the exact same
time, slowly dropping her over the crest, prolonging the feeling until
she reached the bottom - sated and sleepy. "No way, Gabbie. Open
your eyes," he demanded. She blinked as the light penetrated her
pupils, remembering they were in fact still in the bathroom.
Embarrassed, she brought her arm up to cover her bare breasts. "No.
Let me see them. They are as beautiful as I imagined. Follow me." He
pulled her arm and led her to the small room were their bed sat fully
made, only the imprint of where he'd sat earlier watching her while she
changed could be made out. She blushed at the reminder of his gaze on
her as she'd shimmied out of her bra and pants. "Lay down." Something
in his eyes made her hold back the protest that was springing from her
lips. She mustered up the courage and sat down on the edge of the bed
where he'd already wrinkled the
sheets.
"Scoot back."
She glanced up to protest. He was towering over her and his eyes meant
business. Her breathing tripped as she took in his PISTOL WHIPPED
105
bronze lean torso covered by golden brown chest hair. When did Logan
find time to be in the sun? "You know I hike, Gabbie." Had she asked
that out-loud? "I, um...err."
"Scoot back," he demanded again, his tone much more forceful than
before.
She did as she was told this time, scooting all of the way back onto the
bed, leaning against the pillows. She unconsciously covered her boobs
again. "Would you stop? You're utterly sexy." He was on top of her in
an instant, his weight pinning her into the pillows. His mouth and face,
a little rough from his five o'clock shadow, nuzzled her neck and
collarbone. His presence urged her to spread her legs open, allowing
him to snuggle into her. Once again he cupped her breasts that were
feeling heavier by the minute. He maneuvered himself down the bed,
kissing her navel, her pelvis and then he deftly removed her panties. He
angled his head down one leg where his mouth began blowing hot air
on the insides of her thighs. The pressure he created
between his mouth and his breath had her clenching her abdominal
muscles in ecstasy. His mouth found her sweet spot and she was once
again drugged by his sugarcoated sex spell. How could she have been
blind to this feeling for almost all of her adult life? His tongue
continued to assault her body and she no longer cared about the
embarrassment of being fully exposed to him. Her legs fell apart farther
and she was soon filled with one finger and then two. The combination
of his tongue and his fingers had her falling over the edge faster than
the first go-round.
In bliss, her ears registered his name coming from her lips. She
managed to squint open her eyes, "That was incredible."
"Indeed."
His devilish grin and the glint in his eye, made her laugh, "I
can't believe I've been missing this."
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Ashley Bostock
He kissed the inside of her leg, licked her thin line of hair above the
apex of her thighs and slowly made his way back into her arms. His lips
glistened like diamonds and she was drawn to his mouth where she
kissed her juices from his lips. Dang, this felt too good. His lean body
pressed against hers, his erection against her womanhood, the light in
his eyes, had her wishing they would have more time together. More
time like this. Without interruptions, without New York...without
Lucy.
"Logan, what about Lucy?" She was ashamed to ask. How could she
have forgotten such a thing? She was a moron to even think he would
want more than Japan with her. He had a life in Colorado...someone he
was seeing.
"Hey, hey. I can already see the wheels turning. Settle down," his tone
was placating. "I'm not seeing her anymore. I stopped." He didn't
elaborate and she didn't want to ask. This moment was too good. "What
about you and Brody?"
She laughed but this time absent was the feeling of having to stick up
for him and there was no point correcting Logan. Instead she answered
honestly, "He never returned any of my calls. I'm done." "So where
does this leave us?"
She wanted to tell him that it left them at the beginning. But with him
moving to Manhattan, she swallowed down those words and told him
the truth, "It leaves us with Japan."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The cherry blossom trees were much more than she had expected.
Gazing at the blossoms gave her the surreal feeling of watching falling
snow, much like at home. After last night, it was impossible to ignore
the sexual tension between them, still emanating from the surface like a
volcano ready to burst. Every touch, every glance, she felt the waves of
desire pouring out of him. Walking along the rows of trees, it never
occurred to her last night that she had been the only one pleasured.
"Come on," he tugged her arm to a nearby tree with its thick trunk, he
sat down in the grass, pulling her with him. She asked about it now.
"Aren't you supposed to...well, be satisfied too? Like how I was last
night?" She couldn't possibly look him in the eye while awaiting his
answer. Her gaze traveled up along the trees, losing herself in the layers
of blossoms as she felt his penetrating gaze on her. "Last night was all
about you, Gabriella. It's always going to be all about you," he teased.
"We have all night tonight and I fully intend to introduce you to the
concept of how to please your partner and at the same time please
yourself." Even wearing her windbreaker, she shivered at his words.
She had no doubt whatsoever he would, and could, come through on
that promise.
She finally met his gaze. Her breathing hitched as his hands trailed heat
marks along her wrists and his eyes set her soul
aflame. She ignored the burgeoning question in her heart of how she
was going to possibly give this up when it was just beginning. 108
Ashley Bostock
Logan had yet to submit his offer to buy into REEVES to his father. He
couldn't even guess what his father was going to think. However, this
was the only way he would feel comfortable taking over the firm. It
was the plausible thing to do in order for him to eliminate this
trust-fund-baby feeling of his. He obviously didn't have the worth of
REEVES to pay his father outright, but with the plan he'd concocted the
past few nights he'd slept, he was pretty sure it would be a feasible
solution for him to purchase the company.
He just wanted to get this dinner over with tonight. He had plans and
none of them entailed visiting with Hiroshi all night. He had his
semi-virginal lover to attend to. He was confident tonight would be the
night she would experience a whole new way of life and he was fucking
thrilled she'd chosen him to share it with. "Okay, turn right here."
He watched Gabbie marvel at the brown slats covering the lower
portion of the famous orange building in the Gion District. He knew at
any moment she would guess what the surprise was. It wasn't a
guarantee they would even see a Geisha, let alone more than one, but
they couldn't travel all the way to
Kyoto and not try. Rumor was they would come out of the small row
houses at dusk - in time to head to their hired positions for the evenings
where they would be the entertainers for an exclusive, wealthy group of
men. They would be dressed in full gear - their kimonos, their faces all
done up with the pasty white make-up as well as the special way they
fixed their hair. "This is Ichiriki Ochaya, isn't it?" she asked in awe,
trailing her hand along the wooden slats. He nodded. She stopped
walking and threw her arms around his neck, "The Geisha's, right?
Logan this is the best surprise ever!" He lifted her off her feet and
hugged her tightly, "Only the best for you." PISTOL WHIPPED 109
"When do they come out? Come on, let's hurry!" Dinner with Hiroshi
and his family had been good but fuck if Logan wasn't glad to be back
inside their hotel room. All he'd thought about for the entire day was
Gabbie - Gabbie underneath him, Gabbie above him...Gabbie with her
legs spread out like she was the night before. He barely gave her the
chance to set her purse on the small circular wooden table before he
pounced on her. She kissed him just as fervently, as if she too hadn't
been able to think of anything else. Before he knew it, she was pulling
his shirt from out of his jeans and unbuttoning the
small buttons. Her cold hands pressed into his chest, roaming freely
between his chest and abdomen. She was ready. She had a wildcat urge
in her that couldn't be tamed. She was not as timid as she'd been the
night before. Instead, she'd kissed him back with reckless urgency he
was certain he could quell. He allowed her free reign to explore his
torso as he watched in fascination. She timidly kissed his collarbone,
making her way to the crest where his chest hair began. He smiled,
almost wanting to laugh, as she pet his chest hair. She threaded her
fingers through the fine hairs and finally placed her mouth upon his
chest. She pulled away with a naughty grin on her face, "I'm
exploring."
"Explore away," he couldn't resist teasing her, "explore more towards
my southern half."
Crimson flooded her cheeks, highlighting her cinnamon freckles. "You
know I can't resist teasing you, Gabriella." Feigning a pout she told
him, "I know, but I need your help. I'm not very good at this." "You're
doing great. See." He pointed to his cock.
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Ashley Bostock
She blushed again at his forwardness. It was taking every ounce of will
he possessed to allow her to take her time and
acquaint herself with his body. He didn't want to rush her. Well, he did
want to rush her, but more than that, he wanted their first time to be
great for her. And isn't this what women wanted? Touchy feely kissing
crap before you did the deed. She rubbed her hand over his erection
with hardly any pressure, just a sweep over. Okay, she was going to
need help there. His long fingers grabbed her wrist just as it was
meandering back up his torso and guided her to his cock. Covering her
fingers with his much larger hand, he applied pressure against the hard
length. Her intake of breath made him harder. "Tell me what you want
to do. I will show you." He released her hand as she continued rubbing
her hand against him. He closed his eyes, allowing the sensation to
wash over his entire body. Who knew this small touch could feel so
significant? Her fingers shook as she fumbled with his belt buckle,
wrestling with the clasps.
"Here."
He swiftly unhooked the buckle, pulling the entire belt from his
waistband and threw it on the floor. "I'm so nervous," her voice shook
as she once again tried unbuttoning his jeans.
He told himself it was as much for her sanity as his, as he finally took
control of the situation.
"Lets' go to the bed."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Gabbie's stomach felt like five point one million butterflies decided to
take flight at the same time, leaving her feeling like she was free-falling
down a mountain. She followed Logan to the bed, admiring his
sun-kissed backside and his nice rear view. He unzipped his jeans and
let them fall to the floor. He turned and sat on the edge, "Come here."
She followed his command, ready to sit next to him, "Uh-uh. In my lap.
Straddle me."
His eyes were dark and she decided not to argue with him - at least she
still had her clothes on! He opened his arms as she rested her knees on
either side of his hips. The fabric of his boxer-briefs left no doubt in her
mind how turned on he was as she lowered her bottom into his lap.
"Mmm, just like that," he whispered into her ear. She began grinding
against him, her arousal becoming practically unbearable. "It's so easy
to ride the wave once you've experienced it. Before, I never even tried
touching myself." She admitted in between breaths. "Really? God,
Gabriella. I wished I'd known. I would have loved to teach you, play
with you, experiment with you." He helped her out of her top and
returned the favor of unbuttoning her jeans and helping her shimmy out
of them. She was happy she brought more than one bra on their short
trip! He caressed her breasts over the sheer red lingerie.
"This is sexy. You are so fucking beautiful," he moaned as he pressed
his lips into the fabric.
He deftly unhooked the clasps and threw it to the edge of the
bed.
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Ashley Bostock
"I want you to ride me."
What? He wanted her to ride him? Maybe she should suggest turning
the lights off...she would feel much more comfortable knowing he
couldn't possibly see her c-cups bouncing around all over. He was
already shaking his head, "The light stays on,
Gabriella."
Damn, he knows me too well. He leaned back onto the bed and guided
her onto her knees in order to help her out of her matching panties. "On
second thought." Before she could get the panties off he bent forward
and placed his face into the front of her panties, breathing her in, "God,
you smell good." "Logan-"
"Shh, enjoy this, okay? Quit worrying so much. Help me take them
off."
Together, they got rid of her panties and now she sat atop him bare
while he rubbed his thumbs along her nipples, down her sides to her
curvy hipbones. She rocked herself against his
erection - her body aching for more. "Take my shorts off." Geesh, he
was bossy when he was in the bedroom. She pulled away from him,
lowering her feet to the ground, she bent over and pulled his boxers off.
She swallowed at the sight of him, spread out like a centerfold before
her, not ashamed of his body one bit. Damn if he didn't have that smug
grin on his face. He knew he was killing her. Slowly with his body,
especially with his gaze and most definitely with his touch. How could
she resist?
She lowered herself back on top of him. The center of her spread open
just atop his erection. Her slickness made it easy for her to glide against
him. He let his head fall back, savoring the contact.
"I promised, remember? I have to get a condom."
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113
His hands grabbed her hips a bit roughly and tossed her to his side onto
the bed and as long as it took Gabbie to gather that thought he was
back, ripping open the condom and withdrawing the small rubber from
inside the packet. "Put it on me."
He grabbed her wrist and placed the rolled condom into her fingers.
She hesitantly placed it on the head of his cock. "I don't know what I'm
doing," she complained.
"You're doing a mighty fine job."
Her eyes met his heavy-lidded gaze as his hand guided hers over his
erection, covering it with the rubber. She had somehow managed to
grasp his entire penis in the process and almost withdrew her hands
when Logan let out a sound between a grunt and a sigh. "Does that feel
good? Or bad? Am I doing it wrong?" she asked him. "No! It feels
good, much more than you know. But you have to stop." He pulled her
hands away and pushed her onto the bed. Towering over her, he nudged
her legs open with his knee. She could feel him seeking entrance and
the next thing she knew, he was finally inside her. He was slow at first,
giving her time to adjust to the semi-new feeling - it had been so long
since she'd felt this. He stretched her wide, the plum-full feeling, giving
her new meaning to the term tight fit. She absorbed the slight sting and
began to relish the feel of him inside her. It was a wonderfully new but
old feeling and it felt better than anything she'd ever experienced. He
wasn't moving as if he, too, was getting used to the new sensation. His
skin was sticky against hers and he slowly began moving. Once he
started, it was she who began urging him on to pump harder and go
faster. Her fingernails dug into his back as she tried to seek some type
of release. She wrapped her legs around his torso in the
hopes that she could pull him into her deeper...make him pump 114
Ashley Bostock
harder. Make him go faster - all she wanted was for him to be a part of
her.
The slow tingle on her clit finally found release and she felt herself
clenching and spasming around his cock, screaming his name in
ecstasy. Seconds later, he slowed to a stop, buried his face into her neck
and experienced a fresh wave of emotions as he came inside her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
"I fucking knew it! I told you so, didn't I, Gabriella? He wanted in your
pants, so he wined and dined you. With more class than most - I'll give
him that - but seriously, unbelievable. I knew it! And you were dumb
enough to fall for it!" Gabriella stared at Brandi, debating on what
more, if anything, she felt like telling her. Apparently filling her friend
in on her and Logan's love affair hadn't been the greatest idea she'd ever
had. What was she supposed to do? She needed someone to talk to
about him. She was like a kid in a candy store for goodness sakes! She
wanted to oooh and ahhh over all the things Logan had done to her. The
way he had made her feel - feelings she had never experienced from
anyone in her life. She was so excited to finally be in the know on how
amazing this sex stuff worked that she'd blurted it out to Brandi the
moment they were alone. Brandi hadn't taken it as well as Gabbie had
hoped. "It wasn't like that, Brandi. It was a slow brewing storm
between us that happened to take landfall while we were in Japan." She
readjusted the pens inside her pencil holder, making sure all of the lids
were pointed down. She dumped out her paperclips and began sorting
them - the big one's pile and the little one's pile. "You've got to be
kidding me. I just asked you about this whole thing before you left for
Japan. Did I not? What the hell changed in such a short period of time?"
Brandi's fingers
drummed the side of her hip as she stood on the other side of the
counter, waiting for Gabbie to answer.
Gabbie smiled, thinking of their time together in Japan, as
well as the small moments they'd shared before they'd left. When
116
Ashley Bostock
had things changed? Was it when she got drunk at his house suggesting
they have sex with each other? Maybe that was the changing point for
him. But for her...well, she had certainly felt something when he
watched her parading the lingerie out for her client. She had chalked it
up to nothing at the time because Logan was her good, good friend. But
then there was the time when they were at Blake and Marilyn's house
and he had touched - no, it was more like caressed - her chest, giving
her the sinful look he'd given her, that pretty much had her melting in
his hands. Yes, it had taken some adjusting and discussion on their part,
but once he'd kissed her inside Shinagawa train station -the whole
world passed them by while they stood in each other's embrace - and
life had been good ever since. "It happened the night of the barbeque.
Something changed and we both admitted we had feelings for each
other. But we were both nervous about ruining our friendship. And that
doesn't matter anyway because he's moving to New York." She shoved
the paperclips back together in one big pile and looked up at Brandi.
"Logan's moving?"
I'm not going to do this. I will not cry about it. "Yeah, he is. It's really
the best thing for him." Tears started blurring her vision. She looked up
to the ceiling and began blinking rapidly, not allowing them to fall.
"Un-fucking-believable." Brandi watched her friend, "I never
considered it, but it's perfect. You and Logan...you guys are perfect
together."
Gabbie tilted her head, "What? We're friends, nothing-" Hmm, she was
going to say nothing more, but that wasn't technically true anymore,
was it? "We are...friends that are enjoying each other's company. He'll
be gone soon." "I'm surprised he's actually going to do it. The move and
all. It's ironic Blaze has moved back from there and now Logan is going
to move there. I ran into Blaze while you were in Japan. PISTOL
WHIPPED 117
Out of all the places I could possibly run into that jerk, you know where
I saw him?"
"Where?"
"Coming out of Global Electronics. I had to pick Drew up from there
after his doctor appointment and as we were walking out, Blaze was
walking in."
"Interesting. Maybe he's applying for a job or something. Did he at
least say hi?"
Brandi conjured up the moment he noticed her as she and Drew were
walking out of Global Electronics. She'd noticed him immediately.
Parked in the first spot out the door, he had his back to her as he was
talking on his cell phone. He'd had his foot propped up on the running
board of his SUV, slightly bent over and had been rubbing his knee. His
broad shoulders stretched his suit shirt tight over his muscles. His ass
hadn't been something she was exactly proud to admit, was one of the
finest she'd ever seen. And then he'd hung up the phone, turned and
noticed her. His smart mouth had put a damper on the stirrings in her
belly. "Oh yeah, he said hi. Not much else, but at least he said hello." "I
asked Marilyn what happened to him and she said he doesn't talk about
it. He won't even open up to Blake. Just keeps saying he was injured
and now he's fine. But somehow, I don't think he's fine, do you?" The
image of Blaze with his leg propped up on the running board rubbing
his knee came to Brandi's mind. Interesting. Maybe all wasn't well on
the Blaze Bryant front. Why she cared to even consider how severe his
injury was, was beyond her. "I don't know. I don't care, anyway. He's so
rude to me. Anyway, back to you and Logan. Are you guys going to
continue this...errr, arrangement while he's still here?" "I don't know. I
haven't seen him since we've gotten back. He's been too busy making
arrangements to move as well as arrangements for the practice." She
left out the part where she
missed him like crazy. 118 Ashley Bostock
Their last night in Japan had been full of endless moments of making
love; neither of them had got any sleep, savoring every curve, every
freckle and soft spot on one another's body. She knew it had been the
wrong place and time, but she wanted to share her story of getting
pregnant far too early and why she had all of this baggage weighing her
down with Logan before they had left Japan. But again, she hadn't been
able to muster up the courage. Being able to tell him her story, even
though it had been years ago, made her hopeful that the heavy weight
of never telling her best friend about it, could be lifted once and for all.
"It will all work out," she told Brandi. The problem was she wasn't sure
if she was convincing herself just as much as she was pacifying her
friend.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Logan had everything finished up for the most part. With the majority
of his clients, he planned to work remotely and finish any last
documents they would need while he was in Manhattan. He'd
convinced Gage and Amber to help him lease his house out so he
wouldn't be hung up trying to find someone when he could be out in
New York getting settled in.
"Yes, me too. I'm glad you accepted my offer, frankly." Logan had
called his dad the minute they'd gotten back to town and told him what
he wanted to do about the firm. To Logan's surprise Jack had been
receptive and open to his offer, more so than Logan had originally
thought he might be. Jack had arranged for Logan's room to be cleaned
from top to bottom. "Nope. I'm getting everything tied up as we speak."
Gabriella popped unbidden into his mind. An image of her, naked on
his four-poster bed, her hands tied to the rails, had him briefly
questioning his move. He was leaving the majority of his furnishings
behind, as he was going to live with his father until a flat near REEVES
opened up. The furniture he had wasn't worth shipping out to the East
Coast nor was it worth paying for storage.
Jack was truly excited and explained to Logan his business plan for
Logan as he got acquainted with the other employees at the firm, who
would eventually become his employees - if Logan could win them
over enough to stay on-board and work for him.
"That sounds like a plan, Dad. Are you going to be able to retire,
though? What will you do when you have your free days?" 120 Ashley
Bostock
Logan hadn't quite believed that his father would be able to retire
-especially because of the money and his drive to make his clients
happy.
Logan's father assured him that he would be retiring. "Logan, I've got
things I want to take care of and do. Listen, I have to go but when you
move to the city, I promise we'll spend a day together - away from the
firm - and talk, okay?" Logan sensed there was something more his dad
wanted to tell him but couldn't guess what that would possibly be
about. He would settle for now, but once he got to New York, he would
be relentless. Jack would have to tell him what he had up his sleeve.
"Sure, Dad. We'll talk as soon as I get there." Logan hung up with his
dad and thought of the things he'd gotten done. Everything that needed
his immediate attention was done. His house and belongings were
figured out. His truck was going to stay in his garage for now. He
would most likely sell it when he came back for his mother's annual
Fourth of July party. That wasn't so far away at this point and since the
house had a double car garage, he wasn't too worried about leaving it
there while someone rented the house out. Aside from some of his
clients, as well as a few things he was
working on for the credit union, he'd pretty much had
everything figured out.
That left one important matter.
His Cinderella.
When had she become his? Maybe the last night they had been in Japan
and hadn't gotten any sleep and he now knew that he had been the only
man in her life to make her scream in pleasure, to watch her writhe her
body in heat and anticipation, waiting for his lips to bring her to
orgasm. Or maybe she'd become his when they were in the second
grade and Billy McKenny had tripped her in the lunch line and she'd
started to cry. Logan had helped her up and vowed from there on out no
PISTOL WHIPPED
121
one would ever make her cry that way again if he had anything to say
about it.
That had been the first day of their future. He tried to ignore the sudden
pain in his chest as he thought about leaving Gabriella. The decision
had been a lot easier before he'd slept with her. Now, when he thought
about her, the thought of leaving didn't sound as appealing. He liked the
way she looked at him - trust in her eyes as she clung to every word he
said. He enjoyed the way she whispered his name in bed, as he kissed
her supple body. He couldn't be any happier that he was the one she
confided in, the one she told everything to about her
life and business. And he loved how, somewhere deep down, he was
certain he could convince her to bear his children. He had this strange
feeling when it came to that issue - she could and would, trust in him
enough to believe in herself as a mother. He could help her get passed
her belief of thinking she wouldn't ever be good enough to make the
best decisions for her children, but he knew better. He knew her. He
knew how smart she was. How she never let her better judgment get in
the way of her feelings. He knew she loved children even if she didn't
believe in having her own. He also had a gut feeling there was more to
her stance than she was letting on. Had she been sexually assaulted? He
didn't think so, but anything was possible. He knew she'd never been
pregnant so he wasn't convinced about her "no children ever" policy.
Would he be okay never having children if he couldn't convince Gabbie
to change her mind? Why was he even thinking about all of these
hypothetical questions? He was moving to New York for work and
Gabbie was never going to leave Lolita's behind, even if her life
depended on it. For whatever reason fate had, these few days,
moments, were meant for them to be together but it wasn't meant for
anything more than that. Their lives - meaning their sexual attractions
-toward each other
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Ashley Bostock
would have occurred at different moments in their lives if
anything were ever meant to be more than what it was. Right? He still
didn't like the sense of dread he felt picking up his phone knowing he
was calling her and this would be one of the final moments of their
togetherness they would have before it would come to an end. She
would eventually meet someone else and so would he and of course,
they would still be friends. They would still call and text - see each
other on the odd Sundays he could be home at his mother's house. Life
would still be good. He pressed the photo of her smiling up at him from
his phone and brought the phone to his ear, waiting for her to pick up.
"Hello?" she answered breathlessly. "What are doing? Running?" "I
was in the back and left my phone on the counter. I didn't want to miss
you," she then added, "because you haven't called since...well-" "I'm
sorry. I got too caught up with work and tying up loose ends. I've been
trying to figure out what to do with my house and my truck. All of that
is figured out now." I saved the best for last. "What day are you
leaving?" he knew her well enough to her the hurt in her voice.
"Tomorrow night." "Tomorrow?" "I have to Cinderella...I'm sorry."
She put on her brave face, he could almost see it through the phone
lines, could definitely hear it in her voice, "I know. It's for
the best, right?"
"Yes," that's what he was telling himself, at least. "Can I come
over tonight?" Again, since when had he started asking her things
and not just doing it like he had all of his life?
"Of course, I need to talk to you anyway. There's something I
want to tell you."
"I'll bring Chinese. The usual?"
"Yes. Okay, I have a customer. See you tonight!"
PISTOL WHIPPED
123
"Laters." Logan ended the call and wondered what she wanted to talk to
him about. It must be important to her, otherwise she would've just told
him on the phone. He couldn't wait to see her and make the most of the
small amount of time they had together.
Logan's truck was sitting in a parking space when she pulled into her
parking spot. Her heart fluttered at the sight of his truck, knowing he
was in there waiting for her. Okay, breathe. It wasn't like they hadn't
met like this a million times in the past. It was just a little different now.
Now, she knew what his towering frame felt like hard and sweaty
against her body. She knew what his fingers felt like as they skimmed
her skin as if he were playing the piano. She was familiar with the way
he smelled and it wasn't just from being around him - it was smelling
him, on her clothes, and on her
pillow in Japan, that had given her an up-close and personal treat to the
sandalwood and musk smell that was Logan. "Hey there." Logan was
already behind her, much too close for her to do anything but turn
around and greet him. And what a sight he was. His blue eyes were
shining bright and the turn of his lips forming that sexy half grin she
couldn't seem to forget, made her heart stop.
"Hi. It's good to see you!" There was nothing she wanted more than to
hug him, so that's what she did. She reached up and wrapped her arms
around his neck, plastered her body against him, giving him the biggest
hug she could muster from within. He hugged her back, as much as he
could with the bag of take-out food in one hand and the keys to his
truck in the other hand. "Let's go inside." 124 Ashley Bostock
She released her hold on him and telling him that was a great
idea, she led the way into her condo. She flipped the lights on and
immediately kicked off her heels.
"I can't believe you already leave tomorrow."
Damn it. She had a talk with herself, reminding herself all day
she would do everything in her power to not bring up the touchy
subject. She didn't want him to see how depressed she had been
feeling since she'd spoken with him on the phone earlier. Well,
since he told her in Japan that he would be leaving. She had to
buck-up and steel her heart! Be a big girl! But the sight of him in his
worn denim jeans, leaning against her counter and opening Styrofoam
take-out boxes loaded with Chinese food, had her aching in her heart as
well as between her
legs.
She watched him in silence, thinking she would never get tired of this
sight. His hair had effectively turned mostly blond from the light brown
it normally was, from their few days walking in the sun in Japan. His
long legs were covered in his worn jeans and he wore Converse shoes
-one would never guess he practiced law. He unconsciously hummed,
as he always did, as he opened the boxes of food and opened the plastic
bags full of utensils so they could eat.
God, her heart ached. She would miss this more than Logan would ever
know.
Taking his attention off the food, he met her gaze. Sparks immediately
sizzled between them. Who was she kidding? She wanted him. Not
Kung Pao Chicken or Combo Lo Mein. Only him. She was aware of the
fast rise and fall of her chest as the spark in his eye went from hungry to
hungry for her and it took everything she had not to squeeze her legs
together to fight the need brewing from within. "Keep looking at me
like that Cinderella and our dinner will get cold,"
he warned. PISTOL WHIPPED
167
Brazenly, she opened her mouth and let her thoughts come out, "Let it
get cold, Logan." Please do the things you did to me in Japan. Tell me it
wasn't the exotic locale that tempted you. She watched his Adam's
apple bob up and down as if he wanted to say something. She didn't
look away, she couldn't. She was hypnotized, waiting for his next
move. He took his time pulling the lids back over the cartons. He folded
the box full of rice back into its proper position and then turned to her.
He repeated what he told her on the phone, "I leave tomorrow night."
She hated hearing those words from him. It made her feel...empty.
Lonely. Desperate. Desperate to enjoy this last chance they had left.
After tonight, everything would change. Everything would go back to
the way it was before their attraction began. This one night was all she
had to let go, to trust and be free with a man. After tonight, she would
become the scared woman who was frightened to have sex for fear of
having a repeat mistake. She would go back to being that woman who
couldn't orgasm because she couldn't trust someone enough to let
herself go. She would be that woman who believed she would end up
being like her mother. She shuddered.
"We don't have much time then, do we?" she could hear the anguish in
her voice, feel the heavy pain in her heart but when Logan came to her
without hesitation, picked her up like a kid and suddenly the pain in her
heart was forgotten. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked
between kisses. "We only have tonight." She had tonight to be brave.
To do things to Logan she'd imagined but had never done to any man
because of her fear and discomfort. Tonight, she vowed, she would be
Gabriella, sexual Goddess that gave her all. If tonight was all she had,
she wanted it to be the best night of her life. She 126 Ashley Bostock
wanted to give Logan pleasure every which way he wanted it but hadn't
asked for it. She wanted to please him the way he kept pleasing her over
and over. She wanted to feel powerful - to give as good as she'd gotten.
Most of all, she wanted to let go. She wanted to experience the woman
she was when Logan was around. The trusting, carefree,
not-afraid-of-anything woman that he helped her to be when they were
together.
Tonight she was going to be the seductress in her marketing
campaigns.
He had her butt pressed up against the counter, her legs spread out
around his waist. "Let me down," she asked. He bent his head back and
his eyebrows quirked together in
that way she always interpreted as his what-the-hell-for-look. He set
her down and she prayed to Aphrodite to give her the sexual confidence
she needed to do what she was about to do to Logan. She started with
his shirt, helping him take it off over his head. She grazed her fingertips
along the fine hairs on his chest grazing his skin down to the button on
his jeans. She managed to get them unbuttoned and unzipped this time
with steady hands. She looked up at Logan, wanting affirmation she
was doing things right. His eyes were intense, focused not on her
hands, but her. She felt the blush creeping into her cheeks as her
attempt at seduction started to falter. "Keep going." His husky voice
brought her inner Goddess back and she managed to pull his boxers
down enough that she was able to grasp his erection into her hand. As if
he knew she needed encouragement to continue on, Logan whispered,
"Don't stop." And she didn't. She slid her hand up and down his shaft in
slow doses. Kneeling in front of him she licked the tip of his head,
unsure if she liked the taste of semen. She stole a glance up to his face
and his eyes appeared closed but once he told her he PISTOL
WHIPPED 127
was watching her she felt the seductress rise up again and she took him
into her mouth.
A growling sound came from his throat and Gabbie
assumed...hoped...she was doing this right. She continued her assault
on his cock, trying to ignore her own arousal long enough to make him
come. His hand gripped her head as she worked her mouth and her
tongue, up and down his shaft. He warned her first before he came but
she didn't know what else to do except allow him to fill her mouth with
it. She was almost thirty for God's sake and she had no idea what she
was doing! She swallowed the warm fluid, still unsure if she liked the
taste as Logan tightened his grip on her head and with his other hand
gripped the counter, letting out those guttural sounds of pleasure she
hadn't been able to get enough of lately. She started to stand and he
helped her up, sweeping her back into his arms he kissed her with a
fierce passion that left her breathless. He took her into her tiny living
room and guided her to the carpeted floor. Good thing she'd vacuumed
yesterday! The grey carpet was a little rough on her exposed skin but
touching Logan and feeling the weight of his body on hers made her
forget about it rather quickly. With a fierceness she had yet to
experience from him, he had her clothes off in seconds and was driving
into her with need and desperation. She lost herself in him. She
screamed in satisfaction as he brought her over the edge with him not
trailing far behind. In that moment, she didn't know how she was ever
going to live without him. He was her best friend and now her lover and
on some cosmic level it felt like maybe...just maybe, they were meant
for each other. Soul mates. The stark reality that he was leaving
tomorrow had her doubting her previous thought. Which brought the
thought of telling him about her pregnancy out of college more of a
reality. Exhausted, they lay side-by-side and she knew now was the
only opportunity she would get. 128 Ashley Bostock
"Logan, I have to tell you something. It's important and I know I
should've told you sooner." "What?" his voice was weary. "You know
how I've avoided sex almost all of my life and how I fear winding up
like my mom and all?" "Which you never will, I promise." Oh, bless his
heart - even when she was about to sucker punch him with distrust, he
was still sticking up for her.
"That's all true. I just...well, okay. Here it goes," she let out a deep
breath and began. "I got pregnant our last semester of college and I
never told you. Or anyone because I was ashamed and embarrassed. I
was all set to have an abortion - another thing I thought you might
judge me about - but then, the night before the abortion I woke up and
had terrible pains and I had had a miscarriage." She turned to see what
he was thinking, if she could read any emotion on his face. He was
silent, staring at the ceiling.
"Say something," she urged.
His voice held a bite to it, "I can't believe you thought I would judge
you, Gabriella."
"What was I supposed to think? I was twenty-two, Logan. It was hard.
Especially since I was going to have an abortion. I know some people
don't believe in that. Are you mad at me?" Logan finally turned toward
her and the deep creases in his forehead answered her question. "We
were really good friends at that time. So yeah, I'm mad. I'm baffled that
you didn't trust me enough to tell me. But you trust me enough now?
Well, at least enough to fuck me right? That I wouldn't be the one to get
you pregnant. Who was it, by the way? Someone I knew or someone
you were sleeping with secretly?"
He was mad. He was mad, probably mostly hurt and he was being mean
to her. "Don't insinuate that I slept with more people than you knew
about! You're being mean by saying that. It was Jed, okay? The last guy
I ever slept with before you. And PISTOL WHIPPED 129 you know
what else?" He stared at her, waiting. "You and I don't just fuck, okay?"
He laughed without humor, "What do you think we've been doing?
Making love?"
Yes. She didn't say it but she knew he could read her answer all over her
face.
"No, Gabriella. Don't go there, don't even think about it! I leave
tomorrow and you just dropped a bombshell of shit on me. In fact, I
should probably just go tonight." He started to get up but she stopped
him by crawling over on top of him. "Please don't leave me. Not like
this. You have every right to be mad and I'm sorry I didn't tell you when
I was going through it. I was scared you would think badly about me
and I couldn't bear the thought of that. Look, I know you're mad, but
please just stay the rest of the night with me. This is all we have.
Tonight is all we have." She swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping
he wouldn't find this as the perfect time to read her thoughts. She
watched the contemplation in his eyes - if he should leave or stay.
Thank God a part of him was still thinking he should stay! She would
take that. Realizing she was straddling him, completely naked, she
could feel the ridged outline of his cock against her bottom. She looked
down between her spread legs. "No, Gabbie. That's just...I can't control
that, okay? I'm still mad you didn't trust me enough to tell me. God, this
fucking explains a lot of things about you, you know?" he said
sarcastically. "You thinking you would be like your mom. Your
aversion to sex and the whole trust thing about not getting pregnant.
This isn't over. I want to stay the rest of the night. I want to savor our
last night together without a fight. As mad as you're making me right
now, there is
nowhere I would rather be."
Gabriella was thankful for that. She did the only thing she could think
to do that might help ease his anger. She lifted herself 130 Ashley
Bostock
so she was kneeling above him and then in one swift movement, he was
buried deep inside her and she was riding him like she had never ridden
any man before.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Logan had been gone for approximately twenty-three days and
counting. She'd spoken to him twice since he'd left - too busy, he'd
complained - to call her more than that. And he was probably still hurt.
Even though he would never admit more than he had, she surmised he
was still bent about essentially being left out in the cold. Then, even
when they did talk, it was short, sweet and a little awkward because she
wanted to tell him so many things. She wanted to dissect their
non-relationship relationship, wanted to know what his feelings about
her were, wanted to ask him if he missed her as much as she missed
him. She'd been so worried about what he would think about her big
secret; once she told him he hadn't even seemed surprised she had
wound up pregnant - just surprised she never told him. She was dying
to know if he was okay with moving away and being done with her?
Didn't he want more, like she did? Or even if he did want more, would
he ever tell her? Because honestly, when you lived so far away, what
good would come from that? She was invested here in Windsor, she
had her store and she'd wanted this dream for such a long time that she
couldn't - wouldn't - change it. She'd lost her appetite for food and her
lack of sleep was messing with her brain and if that wasn't enough, she
had lost her keys to Lolita's and had to call a locksmith to let her back
into the store and re-key the doors. She hadn't been herself and she
knew what the direct cause was...or at least who.
He'd spent the night with her his last night in town and it had been
bittersweet. Neither of them revealed any feelings toward each other
even though she got the feeling that more could have been said between
them. She, for one, knew there was so much
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she wanted to say to him - beg him to stay, tell him she wanted more of
what was going on between them - but she didn't. She didn't want to
scare him or make him feel bad for leaving. This would be a huge step
for Logan's career and who was she to mess that up? Couple that with
her confession of what she'd kept from him for so long, it had been full
of heated desire and heartbreak. The look in his eyes, because he
insisted the lights stay on the whole night, told her he was right there
with her in thought. Her intuition told her they were on the same plane
of wanting and needing each other, but it was pointless to bring any of
that up, now. Especially since she'd ruined their last night together with
her confession. It hadn't been the right moment but she had run out of
time.
She'd gone to the shooting range a few times, hoping the pull of the
trigger and the smell of gunpowder would ease her heart but it hadn't
helped. It had only made her reminisce about the last time she had
come with Logan and she'd shown him how to angle the gun in order to
hit the target properly. Needless to say, she had still been a better shot
than him.
All of her friends knew about her and Logan's short affair now, thanks
to Brandi and each one of them had tried comforting her in a variety of
ways. Marilyn had invited her to her Wednesday night book club.
Which she'd made a point to go but hadn't helped cheer her up. Amber
had spent hours inside Lolita trying on almost every item from
Gabriella's new line she had ordered - Possessive - and typical Amber,
loved everything and had bought all she could carry. Gabriella had her
to thank for a lot of sales. Amber was a sucker for lace, tulle, buckles
and satin. Then of course, Brandi had made it her mission to bring her
brood of children in every day after school to cheer Gabbie up.
Ironically, the kids had helped. Drew, Deanna, Dylan and Dakota
Kingston, aged eleven, nine, six and four, respectively. She'd had a
spare table she wasn't going to use in the store and PISTOL
WHIPPED 133
had let them paint it the afternoon they'd come to visit. What was the
saying? Children were good for the soul? Logan would have been so
proud if he could have seen her with the kids. She'd been patient and
helping, she hadn't even freaked out when Dakota had spilled the paint
in the back room along the carpet. She'd been good with the kids. She
had felt good being around them as much as she didn't think that was
possible. Usually, spending an hour or so with anyone's kids was the
maximum for
her. But out of everyone's good intentions, there was only one thing she
wanted. She wanted Logan.
She wanted him to cheer her up, to make her have multiple orgasms
over and over the way he had before. She wanted to smell his
sandalwood scent and listen to him talk about work. She wanted him to
see her with the Kingston kids and be proud of her. She wanted him to
be there with her while she had unloaded her Possessive shipment and
played with all the silky fabrics. God, she missed him. She was
hopeless.
Lolita's had been busy today and she had stayed well after closing to
get things in order. The new line had sold well, even excluding Amber's
small fortune of purchases the other day. She placed an online order for
more items and shut things down to head home. She was exhausted.
Tired from work and still mopey from Logan's absence. She pulled into
her condo parking lot and realized she had forgotten her phone at work.
Shoot. She knew exactly where it was, too. Sitting in the back room on
the counter where she always plugged it in so she could play music
through the store speakers.
Could it stay put until tomorrow? Yes. But what if Logan called or
texted her? It happened so sporadically she didn't want to take a chance
she would miss his call. Besides, she hadn't had
much conversation with him lately. Although it was almost 134 Ashley
Bostock
midnight on the East Coast, he was known to be a night owl. Yeah, she
better go back and get it. Maybe she would text him tonight. Tell him
how much she was missing him. Even though it had been less than a
month, had he moved on from her? Was there someone at his office
who had caught his attention? Her heart swelled with even more pain,
she couldn't think about that. Missing him was already making her sick,
she couldn't add on him being with someone else, too. Normally she
parked in the back of the store in the alleyway but at this late hour she
pulled up in front of the store, and withdrew her keys to unlock the
door. She hated the silence surrounding her at this time of night. The
moon was mostly hidden by the clouds and the air was brisk. The light
that had normally lit up her storefront had been out for over a week and
she wasn't technically sure who was responsible for replacing it: the
city or the person who owned the shopping center. Either way, it was
starting to irritate her and she made a mental note to call tomorrow and
find out who should replace it. She unlocked her door and knew
immediately something was off. Intuition maybe, or maybe it was the
crawling sensation she felt along the back of her neck. Before she could
turn around back to her car and at least get her gun, she saw the figure
coming
toward her in the darkened room. Not even able to let out a scream, the
man was in her face in a split second, shoving her down to the floor.
She fell back; a nightstand had blocked most of her fall and she banged
her elbow enough to question if she broke it. She tried getting up to
stop the man but he jumped over her legs and ran at warp speed out her
front door.
Her elbow burned and she couldn't catch her breath. She was shaking,
trying to compose herself. What the hell was that? A robbery? She
quickly turned on the lights and tried ignoring the shooting pain in her
elbow as she frantically glanced around the store. Nothing seemed out
of place. Had she just stumbled in at PISTOL WHIPPED 135 the
right time? The robber hadn't had a chance to take anything? She ran to
her cash register and found it open. The small amount of cash, maybe a
hundred dollars, she had had in there was gone and a quick look below
the counter confirmed her suspicions. There by her safe lay a hammer
and some kind of tool, which the guy most likely was trying to use to
break into her safe. Touching nothing, she ran to the back of her store
where she had left her phone and dialed 9-1-1. She assured the
dispatcher there was no one left in the store except herself and besides
the throbbing pain in her elbow, no one was hurt. Two police officers
showed up almost immediately
- a benefit of being only a few blocks away from the police station.
"You okay, ma'am? Would you like me to send an EMT to check you
over?"
The first officer who walked in was young, maybe mid-thirties with
jet-black hair and matching eyes. The second officer, an older
gentlemen, she thought he said his name was Harry, began walking
around Lolita's surveying the scene and taking notes. "No, that's not
necessary," Gabbie said. "I was mostly scared and when he pushed me,
I banged my elbow really hard. If I think it's too bad tomorrow, I will
see the doctor." The officer took out his notepad and proceeded to
question her.
"I came back for my phone-" "About what time, miss?"
"Oh, I don't know. Ten oh five, maybe? It was dark already and that
stupid light, which normally lights up the front of my store, has been
out so it was really dark. Anyway, I unlocked the front door-"
"Was the door actually locked?"
Gabriella thought back to her unlocking and opening the
door. "Yes, it was locked. I unlocked it and I knew something was
wrong right away."
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Ashley Bostock
"How'd you know that?"
"A feeling, I guess. But I didn't see the guy. He was wearing a hoodie
and it happened so fast, he charged right at me and pushed me out of the
way." "How do you know it was a man?" Gabbie thought back to that
terrifying moment when the man was coming toward her. "I don't
technically. But his build was shaped like a man, he was wearing men's
clothes. He had a bandana-type thing over his nose and mouth. But he
looked like a man. Not a female. And when he pushed me, it was pretty
clear the intruder was a he."
Gabriella finished answering the young officer's questions and the
older one, Harry, came over to her counter where they had been
standing.
"It looks like he forced his way in through your back door. Do you
normally come here at night?" "No. I forgot my phone."
"Good. You said he only took a small amount of cash from the
register?"
"Yes."
"It doesn't sound like he got away with much and based on the type of
products you are selling, my guess is he wasn't interested in that." As
Harry gestured around the store, Gabbie was certain she saw the
younger officer blush. Harry continued, "Do you have any type of
security?"
"You mean, like a camera or something? No. I can't afford
anything that extravagant. At least not yet."
"Consider getting one. You never know what someone like
this could be after. Although it appears to be a random break-in,
never a bad idea to be extra cautious."
A little while later, the same locksmith company she called
out when she'd lost her keys, showed up and fixed the back lock.
The officers stayed and waited for Gabriella to lock up Lolita
before they all went their separate ways.
PISTOL WHIPPED
137
Finally making it home, with cell phone in hand and ice on her elbow,
she checked her phone. Nothing from Logan. She needed him in this
moment. She convinced herself she was not calling him because she
was desperate to hear his throaty laugh or the way he said
hmmm-mmmm, in response to her answers. No! She was calling
because her store got broken into and she needed someone to vent to. It
would be early in the morning and she knew she'd waken him from a
deep sleep, but in the end, they were friends. That's what friends were
for, right? He picked up on the third ring. His voice didn't sound sleepy
like she envisioned it might. "Are you awake?"
"I am."
Her heart fell into her stomach. What if he was with someone
else? Someone he was doing unspeakable things with? Should she
ask him? She couldn't quite get the words out of her mouth
before she started crying. Bawling like a baby.
"Hey, what's wrong? What's going on?"
"I," she sniffled, "Lolita got broken into tonight."
"What? Was anything taken?"
Air in through her nose, out her mouth, "No. Well, just maybe a
hundred dollars or so, but nothing else. He tried breaking into my safe
but I walked in on him and thank God, stopped him-" "You walked in
on him? Did he hurt you?" he demanded. "No. Well, I'm icing my
elbow right now. Cause when he pushed me I fell into that cabinet by
the door. You know, the one your mom found for me?" "He pushed
you? Gabbie, what the fuck? I don't like this. Why were you there so
late? Did they get the guy who did it?" She sniffled again, "I forgot my
phone and thought maybe you would call me. I didn't want to miss it if
you did. So, I went back and ended up walking in on him." 138
Ashley Bostock
She could hear him sighing on the other end of the line, "Why didn't
you take your gun?"
Such a smart question. And she had no real good answer. "Because I
was literally running in there for just a second to grab
my phone. How was I supposed to know I should go in there armed?"
"You're not, I suppose. But you of all people should know to never let
your guard down. Are you sure you're okay?" "Yeah. Just scared,
mostly. The police said I should get a camera or a security system, in
case it happens again." "What would give them the impression it might
happen again?"
"I don't know. Nothing. You know police, just being extra cautious. I
hope I didn't interrupt whatever you were doing... " "You didn't. I was
just lying in bed awake. I haven't been sleeping that well since I got out
here. It's noisy and it doesn't get dark enough in my room." His voice
trailed off and she wondered if he missed her. "I miss you, Logan," she
whispered. He was silent on the other end. "Do you miss me at all?" she
asked, terrified to hear the answer. "Like crazy. You know I do."
"But how come you wouldn't tell me just now? Why make me
ask?"
"Because it changes absolutely nothing. It's hard enough being here,
learning my way around REEVES, living in a city that isn't me. I don't
need my feelings for you fucking with my head on top of all the other
shit I have going on." He sounded almost mad.
"You have feelings for me?" she asked innocently. "Don't play dumb,
Cinderella. You know I do. How could I not? You're so fucking
beautiful and smart. With just a simple touch, you come alive in my
hands and it's killing me right now, that I can't touch you."
PISTOL WHIPPED
139
Wow. His words were heart melting. She hadn't expected any of it
when he hadn't been able to admit he even missed her. Momentarily
speechless, she rubbed her aching elbow.
"What's wrong?"
"My elbow hurts and that's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever
said to me." She started to cry again. "Jesus, Gabbie. I didn't fucking
say it to make you cry again. You asked."
"I know, but I wasn't expecting those nice words. I'm crying too
because my elbow hurts and I'm emotional. Poor Lolita!" "Is it
cracked?" he asked, sounding concerned. "I don't know. I don't think
so. If it continues to hurt, maybe I will go to the doctor."
"Fuck. If I were there, I would be taking you to Urgent Care, right
now."
She stayed silent as she contemplated the idea of him being there,
looking out for her. She thought about how different tonight would
have been because had Logan been with her, she
probably wouldn't have gone back to retrieve her phone. Had she
though, he would have most likely been the one to go inside Lolita and
get it for her. He would be there now, letting her mess up his shirt while
she cried. Then, hopefully they would both be sleeping in each other's
arms after they had made sweet passionate love with one another. Yes,
if he were here, tonight would've ended a little differently. She wished
it could all be true. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.
"Indeed."
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Logan paced around in his office the following morning. The sun shone
through the slats of the blinds over the windows and every so often a
striking auburn-haired woman walking alone on the street below would
sidetrack him. Gabriella had been all he could think about since he left
Windsor. He'd been angrier than he'd let on about her keeping her
pregnancy from him. Angry wasn't even the right word. He was hurt.
He didn't care that she had accidentally gotten pregnant or even that
she'd wanted to get an abortion. He was hurt she had gone through one
of the most trying times of her life and kept it in the dark, kept it from
him because she was worried he would judge her. The idea that she'd
thought he would do that to her altogether made him steaming mad. He
wanted to defend himself, tell her all the reasons she should have
trusted him, how she hadn't even given him a chance to have an
opinion, but he couldn't. It was all in the past. Nothing could be
un-done at this point and did it change the way he felt about her? No.
The bottom line was, he'd been thinking about her too damn much.
Even more so since she'd called last night crying to him about the
break-in. Something like that wouldn't have happened to her if he had
been there. He would have been there too. Because he would've been
spending every free moment he had with her. He felt like he was in the
depths of hell being tortured by
soulless phantoms he couldn't see. All because he lived seventeen
hundred miles away and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to help
Gabriella. Help her, see her, comfort her...fuck her. Her tempting body
had teased him every single night for almost a PISTOL WHIPPED
141
month - when he was awake as well as when he'd finally fallen asleep.
She invaded his mind. She had more power over him than she knew.
More than he was willing to admit, to himself and definitely to anyone
else. Her smile, the way she threw her head back when she laughed
made him want to make it his life mission to keep her laughing every
single day of her life. Funny thing was, when they were in bed, she
always thought he was the one in control but he wasn't. She was. She
held all the power. She held the reins and it was all he could do to hang
on. An ugly realization came upon him then. She had his heart. Only
her. It would only ever be her. He had no fucking business feeling this
way for God's sake. Maybe he needed to go and get laid, put an end to
her invading his mind once and for all. "Logan? Mr. Reeves?" Logan
blinked his eyes, coming out of his daydream focusing on the sound of
his name. It was coming from his desk phone. He cleared his throat and
went to his desk, pressing down the two-way button that allowed the
person beeping in to hear him
on his end. "This is Logan."
"Logan. It's Suzanna, from the reception desk." He knew exactly where
she was located in the building. Since he'd come back, she'd practically
thrown herself at him every chance she got. When he first met her, he'd
found her attractive, and she still was attractive, but she wasn't his type.
She always dressed in perfectly tailored black clothes, her blonde hair
was never out of place and her bright red lipstick was never smudged or
missing for that matter. She was the epitome of high maintenance. High
maintenance was the last thing he needed. He liked low-maintenance
women. He preferred brunettes to blondes and he absolutely liked some
curves on a woman. Suzanna was rail thin. He didn't particularly care
for that in a 142
Ashley Bostock
female. He wanted something to hold, curves to caress and long thick
hair to run his fingers through. In short, he wanted his Cinderella.
"Logan?"
"Sorry, Suzanna. Can I help you with something?" "Yes," she giggled.
"I was wondering, ah, hoping actually, that you were free this weekend
and maybe would want to go to the East Village with me?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew this was coming some day.
"I can't, Suzanna. I'm sorry," before he knew what was coming out of
his mouth, he told her, "I'm actually going back to Colorado this
weekend. Maybe when I get back some of us can all go out together."
Was he actually going to Colorado this weekend? He had no plans to.
Fuck, he didn't even have a plane ticket. But the minute the words came
out of his mouth, he knew it was the truth. Suzanna was saying
something about a new bar in the East Village when he cut her off, "I've
gotta go, Suzanna. We'll talk soon."
He pressed the disconnect button, retrieved his credit card from his
wallet and called the listed frequent flyer number connecting him to the
airline. It was Wednesday, he felt a sudden desperation to be quick. He
had to get a flight out of here. The automated system patiently asked for
his flyer number and whether he was calling for a new reservation, a
current one or something else. He pressed the proper buttons, repeated
his flyer number three times and finally, when he was almost at wits'
end, a customer service representative came on the line. "I need a flight
to Denver from La Guardia, please. It doesn't matter what it costs or
what day - Thursday or Friday. But please find me something. This is
an emergency." Securing a plane ticket, Logan hung up the phone. Was
he crazy? He just spent an ungodly amount of money to fly home
PISTOL WHIPPED 143
for...for what actually? What was he going to do once he got there?
"Logan?"
Logan glanced up to see Jack standing in his doorway, "Hey
Pops. Come in. What can I do for you? If this is about Hiroshi,
I've spoken with him multiple times-"
Jack waved his hand in his face, "It's not about Hiroshi,
Logan. I came in earlier but you were on the phone. Sounds like
you were reserving a flight back to Colorado?"
"Yeah, this weekend. There's something I need to take care of
there."
"Tell me, what's got you down, son?"
"Nothing." Was he that transparent?
"That face doesn't belong on a man who's got no worries."
His father bent over and peeked through his blinds, "It's New
York, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's not your home. That's what I mean. I might work a lot and I may
not have been with you every second of your life while you were
growing up, Logan, but I'm pretty perceptive when it comes to you. I
can read you fairly well. I've especially noticed how you've been
brushing off - and avoiding - Suzanna from downstairs. Come on, you
don't think I can see that you're
miserable here?"
Logan swallowed. His dad knew he'd been politely brushing her off?
Under normal circumstances he might have felt a little awkward but
because his father's observations were dead-on accurate, he couldn't
come up with a response. "It's fine, I-" "Don't lie to me, boy." Jack's
stern voice reminded Logan of his childhood. "I can see it. These past
few weeks you've hardly slept. You haven't touched any of the food at
the house. The bottom line is you haven't been living. You've been
going through the motions of day-to-day life, but nothing more. This is
my fault, too. I blame myself, in all honesty."
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Ashley Bostock
"Dad," Logan felt terrible. He wanted his father to be proud of him,
wanted to give him what he wanted. He wanted his father happy, "I'm
not miserable. Don't blame yourself." "Maybe not miserable, but not
great either." Both men sat on the black leather couch Logan had in his
office. "This isn't home to you and I do blame myself. I wanted you to
work here. I've always had a dream that you and I could work together
some day and I wouldn't take no for an answer." He chuckled, "I even
sicced Hiroshi on you in the hopes he could actually change your mind
about working for me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for pressuring you into
something your heart isn't in to." Logan stared at his father. Was it
possible for a man to age in
one sitting? The creases around his eyes seemed deeper, his hair a tad
bit more grey. "I don't know what to say, Dad." "You don't have to say
much. I know I'm right. That has been one thing I'm proud to say about
you, that I can read you pretty well. It was my fault for pushing you into
this. I just wanted to know there would be someone I could trust to
work at the firm and you're it."
"Well, I don't know about that, but thanks. Aren't you going to retire
soon?"
"Look at this old man. Hell no, I can't retire. I'm a workaholic. Maybe
some day in the near future. I met a woman and she likes to travel. I
might try to take more time off and join her." He shrugged his
shoulders, "Who knows?" Logan contemplated their conversation. This
was Logan's chance if he wanted one. His father was giving him an out,
a chance to go back home. But did he want to take it? "Thank you so
much."
"Thank you, I absolutely love your store! And this new line,
Possessive? My husband loves it too." PISTOL WHIPPED 145
Warmth spread across Gabriella's chest as she watched the woman's
face light up in pure joy. This was one of the main reasons she owned a
store like this: it made women happy. The no-strings-attached feel
good feeling of pure joy. She loved it. She
handed over the woman's bags and thanked her again for shopping at
Lolita's.
It was almost closing time and she'd had a hell of an afternoon. She
packed up her belongings to take home with her, tidied up the store,
closed out her register system and headed home. Home alone. With the
break-in and Logan moving, she'd been emotional more than was
acceptable for her. She didn't like feeling...mixed up, desperate,
unwanted - many different emotions coursed through her body at any
given time and all she really felt like doing was hiding in her closet.
Much like a temperamental child would. Ahh, but she knew that would
get her nowhere.
After her bath, she put on her t-shirt and gym shorts - the same pajamas
she'd worn with Logan when they went to Japan. She bent her head
down, pushing her nose into the fabric of her shirt, unconsciously
hoping that they would smell like him but all they smelled like was the
fresh scent of clean laundry. Just as she considered changing, her phone
rang. It was him.
"Hello?"
"Gabbie. Hey, it's me...where are you?" his voice was low,
quiet, he didn't sound quite right.
"I'm home, why?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
Her heart dropped, he did? "Where are you?"
"At Lolita's."
Without thinking she shoved her feet into her flip-flops she kept by her
front door, grabbed her purse and keys and told him, "I'm on my way."
CHAPTER THIRTY
Logan shut his truck off and stepped out into the cool night air. It
smelled good to be home. New York did not smell like Colorado. There
was a garden scent here, maybe it was from nearby cornfields, and you
couldn't smell humidity - nor could you smell sewer - like you
sometimes could in New York. Logan stretched his arms above his
head and marveled at all of the stars in the sky. Stars you could see
because there wasn't much light blocking them out. He tried telling
Gabbie he would head to her condo but she cut him off so fast, he had
no choice but to wait here.
No way in hell was he going to risk missing her. Not after the crappy
flight he'd been on and the terrible drive from the airport home where
he'd found himself stuck in traffic on one of those shuttle drop-off
buses. It had been a nightmare. Breathing in the fresh scent, he walked
up to the back door of Lolita's. Interesting. It stood open, slightly ajar,
with the key still stuck in the lock. Had she gotten sidetracked and
forgotten she was in the act of locking the door when she'd left? She
couldn't have been in that big of a hurry when she'd left tonight. She
had probably been on the phone with Amber or Brandi when she left
and had thought she shut it tight enough to catch. He found it strange
that her key was still in the lock though. He once again wished she
hadn't hung up so quickly on him. Pushing open the door, the hinges
creaked announcing his
arrival. In the dark, he could make out the shapes and features of her
store - everything he knew by heart appeared to be where it should. As
he fumbled along the side of the wall, trying to locate her light switch
with his free hand, the sound of running water PISTOL WHIPPED
147
caught his attention and for a brief second he glanced over his shoulder
only to be assaulted by a cloud of white smoke. Argh, his eyes were
stinging. He became too disoriented to flip the light switch on. What
the fuck was that? It wasn't smoke, it was a cool substance although it
continued to irritate his eyes, making them watery as hell. Fire
extinguisher. It had to be what it was. Where did Gabriella keep hers?
His thoughts couldn't be formulated enough to come up with an answer
as he breathed in the cool powder and tried to blindly fight his way out
of it. With his eyes closed, still stinging beyond belief, he could feel the
powdery residue attaching onto his skin. His heart beat with sickening
thuds as he considered the possibility of what this desperate man might
do. The intruder pushed him from behind, Logan fell flat on his face,
his eyes still seeking relief from the spray. "What the fuck do you want,
man?" Was this the same person who'd broken into her store the other
night? He blindly turned around hoping to see the
intruder. He tried opening his eyes, squinting into the still dark room
and could only barely make out a dark figure. What dim moonlight
there was, shone through the open door but only darkened the man's
appearance, making any type of facial recognition impossible. "How
do I get in the safe?" the man demanded. Logan knew how to get in the
safe. He didn't know if Gabriella actually knew he knew the code, but
he'd watched her lock it and unlock it so many times, he couldn't help
but know it. "I don't know."
"Tell me!" the man demanded again.
Logan considered his options. He could tell the intruder he
knew the code and be able to get up and maybe take him by
surprise. But then what? Even if he was able to get the upper
hand, its not like anyone knew they were in here rolling around
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in the dark. Gabriella. She would be here any minute and would get
caught up in this lunatic's plan. Shit. His eyes were much better, still
watery, but at least he was able to keep them open. The fire
extinguisher had made a mess of her back room. The powder was
everywhere.
Stalling, Logan repeated, "I don't know the code. I don't even work
here. I came to meet a friend," shit, make something up! And fast. "I
came to meet a friend but once I got here, she
cancelled. Honest, I don't know the code."
Was the man holding a gun? Shit no, it was a butcher knife.
Desperation rose in Logan's throat as he considered his options.
Would this guy really try to stab him to death? And Gabriella
was going to show up at any given moment and the chances of
this psycho hurting her were pretty good.
Think Logan.
He nonchalantly surveyed his surroundings, looking for a weapon - any
weapon, he could use on the guy and gain the upper hand. Was that a
paintbrush? Fuck, what the fuck could he do with a paintbrush? His
mind continued to race as he considered the possibilities and options he
had available to him. The sad truth was he didn't have a whole lot to
work with. There wasn't anything in his immediate vicinity he could
latch onto and making any sudden movements would only create more
trouble.
"I'm in no mood for games, man. Give me the code and I will get outta
here. Hurry up! Get up!" He kicked Logan in the leg, "Come on, let's
go."
Gabriella pulled into the alley wondering how Logan could have
possibly gotten into Lolita before she'd gotten there. And why hadn't he
turned any lights on? "Logan, you can't surprise me, I already know
you're here." PISTOL WHIPPED 149
She grabbed her purse and headed for the back door but the second she
got within earshot she could hear men's voices. Overpowering she
could hear one of the men yelling, "I'm in no mood for games, man.
Give me the code and I will get outta here. Hurry up! Get up!"
Gabriella gasped, how could this be happening again? She slid back
against the outside wall, opened her purse, grabbed her phone and
dialed 9-1-1 and, leaving the phone on, she pressed the volume down
-just in case - and shoved it back into her purse. Then as quietly as she
could, she unzipped the secret compartment inside her purse and
grabbed her gun. What was she going to do? She couldn't kill the guy.
She kept the safety on because she had a bullet in the chamber. Despite
what some people's opinions were about carrying a weapon around
with a bullet in the chamber, she did. She didn't have children in her life
and because it was her safety, she kept it in there at the ready. She
couldn't possibly use the gun on this man though. But she had to help
Logan! With her nerves bundled in tight knots, she quickly glanced
around the doorjamb into her store.
What she saw frightened her. White powder covered the floor. The man
was standing, his back to her and she could barley make out Logan in
the dark, lying on the ground. The man was holding a knife. Oh gosh. It
could be worse, it could be a gun. Was Logan hurt badly? The next
thing she knew, she was creeping up
behind the man and was bringing her gun down on top of the man's
head. The sickening crack of his skull forced her to hold back the bile
rising in her throat. The man slumped to the ground. His knife clattered
to the floor. Turning the light switch on, she rushed to Logan, who was
already getting into a standing position, "Are you okay? Logan, he
could have killed you! Oh my gosh, Logan, is he dead?" She was
trembling uncontrollably and Logan's hands steadied her grip and
pulled the gun out of her hands. Checking the 150 Ashley Bostock
safety, he set it on the counter next to her sink and turned back toward
her.
Logan bent and checked the man's pulse, noticing right away
he was breathing, "No, he's alive. You pistol-whipped him pretty
good, huh? He was trying to rob you, Gabriella."
Her breaths were coming out short, "I think I'm having a
heart attack, Logan. What happened to you?"
"He blasted me with your fire extinguisher. And kicked me a
few times but I can handle it."
"I am so sorry you got involved in this. The police are on their way. At
least, I hope." She remembered her phone and pulled it from her purse.
The line was dead. She dialed 9-1-1 again and was connected to a
dispatcher. Relaying the situation, he confirmed police were on their
way. She watched Logan hover over the
intruder. With minimal effort, he pushed the man onto his back
and took off his ski mask.
Gabriella was taken aback. The locksmith?
"He had a key, who is he?"
"He's the locksmith I hired to rekey everything when I lost all of my
keys. The same company also rekeyed them after the break-in." It made
perfect sense to her. But still! How could something like this happen?
"Police! Is anyone armed?" The police and fire department strolled in
together. The first officer was older, balding and had a faded scar
across his cheek. The second officer wasn't much younger by the looks
of it. He must've lost weight recently because his pants were hanging
from his hips and there was an overload of cloth cinched inside his
waistband from his belt buckle.
"No," she squealed. "I have a concealed weapon permit. My gun is on
the counter."
She pointed to the counter where one of the officers followed her
direction and stood between them and her gun. The firemen went to the
man on the floor and began checking his vitals. PISTOL WHIPPED
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"He's alive," she told the officers, "I just hit him over the head with my
gun. That's why he's bleeding so badly. But I don't think I hit him that
hard. He should be okay. Right?" She looked to
Logan for confirmation. Logan shrugged and nodded.
The firefighters checked the man's head wound and although it
appeared to be only superficial, they had a few words with the officers
and waited for him to regain consciousness. "Let's cuff him before he
wakes up. I don't want to take any chances. Especially since he was
armed." The balding officer motioned for his partner to stay against the
counter while he knelt down and began frisking the still unconscious
locksmith. The officer handcuffed one wrist and then the other. Task
completed he stood and turned to Gabriella, "Do you know this man?"
"I can't remember his name. He's a locksmith, I-"
"That's how he got in, when I got here the key was still in the
lock."
"I lost my keys and had to hire him to rekey the locks and let
me in. He broke in before. Only a few days ago."
Logan pulled some paper towels off her counter and wet them
at the sink. He began using the towels to wipe the remnants of
the fire extinguisher from his face and arms.
The man on the floor began stirring and everyone's attention
focused on him.
"Sir? Can you hear me? Open your eyes. Sir?"
He opened his eyes, winced and brought his hands up to his
head. "This is your fault," he pointed to Logan.
"Sir, have you been drinking? Are you on any kind of drugs we should
know about?
"I haven't been drinking. My head hurts like hell. I think I'm
gonna puke."
"Are you on drugs, sir?"
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Ashley Bostock
"No. Look, I'm just a normal guy who needs money, okay?" At that, the
man turned and emptied his stomach all over Gabriella's rug. "Can I at
least get a towel?"
The officer gave him a paper towel and continued, "Well, that knife just
put you in a whole new category of trouble." Logan's hand pressed into
the small of her back and led her toward the officer whose only job
seemed to be was keeping an eye on her gun. "Are you okay?" "Yes,
not as scared as I was when I walked in on him towering over you. Are
you okay? You're going to need a shower." "I'm fine. Nothing I can't
deal with. This isn't how I imagined seeing you again though. I can
shower at your place." It was still there, that fire between them she'd
been suppressing since he'd moved away. The butterflies dancing
inside her stomach took flight as she studied his gaze on her. He looked
the same as when he'd left. The fire extinguisher hadn't covered his hair
completely and she noticed his hair had lost some of its blond
highlights, telling her he hadn't been spending
much time outside.
Hearing he had every intention of going to her place made her
insides tickle. His eyes were dangerous. He wanted her and he
wanted her right now. The tension that radiated off him sent
shockwaves to her entire system.
She swallowed, "You are coming to my place?"
"Do you think there's somewhere else I'd rather be? I'm going
home with you. You and I have a lot to figure out."
Once the firemen verified he was okay, the police hauled the guy
out of her store. Verified she was indeed able to carry a concealed
weapon and gave her gun back to her. Logan rolled up the rug
and took it to the dumpster. This time, a different locksmith
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company, the owner himself, came and rekeyed her locks before Logan
and she went home.
They rode to her house in silence. She couldn't quite figure out what he
was thinking. He was much too silent, taking up too much room in her
tiny car - he left his truck at her store - and much too handsome. Even
with fire extinguisher stuff on his clothes, he still looked damn good.
Good enough to eat.
"Do you normally wear tiny shorts when you go out? And no bra?" She
pulled into her space and her eyes widened as the realization that she'd
talked to the police officers and Logan
wearing nothing but a flimsy t-shirt and teeny tiny shorts. How
embarrassing.
"Had I not been so busy saving your butt, I could have worn something
more acceptable."
"Oh, it's acceptable. I just don't like other men checking out your
nipples." He cleared his throat, "But I like them just fine." Heat pooled
between her legs, his husky voice was satin over her hot skin. She shut
her car off and looked down at her shirt, her tiny shorts that rode so far
up her thighs you couldn't tell if they were shorts or panties. She didn't
know what to say to him. She shut the car off and hopped out. Oh God,
she was on fire. She wanted him desperately but she wanted to blame
him for moving away and leaving her alone like she didn't matter to
him. She wanted to yell at him for not calling her, for leaving her alone
with her thoughts, not knowing what he was thinking. She heard him
slamming the car door and coming after her. She picked up speed and
made it to her door in record time but he was quick to follow her there.
She could feel his body heat behind her, the slight brush of his clothes
as she unlocked her door. He didn't let up. He nudged her into the
condo and kicked the door shut behind him. Setting her purse on the
table, she turned the lights on and turned to face him. 154
Ashley Bostock
"What do you want from me Gabriella?" Oh, he was mad, too. The
deep V lining his forehead, the grim look on his mouth and how he kept
flexing his hands into fists had her wanting two things: to fight with
him and make love to him. I want to be mad at you for leaving, I don't
want be in love with you like I am. "I want you to not look at my
nipples." Even as she said it, she knew it was a lie. She didn't even have
to glance down to know her traitorous nipples-in-question were hard as
pebbles as she spoke.
His hard gaze traveled to her chest, "Don't lie to me." "I'm not."
"They're hard as fuck right now, and when they're hard, it means you're
turned on." She folded her arms over her chest.
"Don't do that. Don't cover them from me. Anyone else but not me."
"Why not you? You haven't even called me since you left." She closed
her mouth abruptly, not wanting to say anymore. Not wanting him to
know how this entire situation made her feel...worse than she ever
imagined.
"I've been busy, there's been no time," his voice softened, "I've wanted
to, believe me."
"It's not that hard to pick up the phone, Logan. Why are you here,
anyway?"
She watched Logan run his hand through his hair, causing a
mild dust storm of fire extinguisher residue. Poor guy needed a shower.
"Look, go take a shower. We can talk about this later." Logan shook his
head back and forth, "We're dealing with this now. I'm not getting in
the shower alone." There it was again. The painstakingly feel-good
feeling he elicited out of her like no one else could. Her nipples were
hard again, his gaze was once again on them. His tongue came out in a
brief flicker and licked his bottom lip. She'd never experienced
PISTOL WHIPPED
155
arousal and anger bundled up together in one package before. It was
like a plastic bag floating in the wind - up, down, up, down. She folded
her arms back over her chest, "I'm not showering with you." "You want
to. Why won't you do it?" This time he reached out to her and pulled
her arms away from her chest. "Because we can't be together, Logan.
And I'm mad at you." Her voice was a little louder this time, a little
more confident. "Well I'm mad, too. But that doesn't stop me from
wanting to peel off your teeny Barbie clothes and sink my cock into
your
body."
She swallowed. How much longer can I take this before I wind up in
the shower with him? Images of them in the shower, water falling all
over his body, grasping his erection and guiding it into
her body wasn't what her brain was supposed to be thinking about. One
glance south told her he was ready and wanting. How much longer
would he wait? Focus, Gabbie. "Excuse me, why are you mad at me? I
didn't move away, I have at least called you AND I just pistol-whipped
some guy to save your ass! So what could you possibly be mad at me
for?" Oh crap, she forgot about the college pregnancy. Any chance he
would forget that?
"Because you didn't trust me enough to tell me about what happened in
college. You didn't even give me a chance to form my own opinion or
to kick Jed's ass, because I would have...just because. You know, I've
trusted you with everything I've ever known. And talk about a huge
slap in the face to discover you didn't share my sentiments."
"That's not true," she was shaking her head, "I've trusted and
told you everything there is to tell you."
"Just not about this. Not about how you've been afraid to
have sex 'cause you don't want to be pregnant again. How you
have never had great enough sex to desire it from anyone.
156
Ashley Bostock
Gabriella, I'm me. I'm Logan. It hurts that you couldn't trust me with
your deepest secret."
"I'm sorry. I truly am sorry. Once so much time had passed, it became
more of just a secret that was no longer a big deal."
"Except when you never wanted to have sex!"
"Stop this, please. I can't change what I did. I'm sorry I never
told you. It doesn't matter now about the sex stuff because you've
changed me. You've made me want sex. You've made me want to
explore my sexuality and be a vixen that only I can be when I'm
around you." Her voice got quieter, "You have made me desire it
and love it and then you moved away."
The tension in Logan's body visibly disappeared, "I thought
you were okay with our arrangement?" He began taking off his
shirt.
"I was. At least I thought I was, until you've been gone for what feels
like forever already and not a day or night goes by that I don't think
about you, or that I don't want you. It's hard to sleep. It's hard to eat..."
He threw his shirt on the floor and started unbuckling his
belt.
"What are you doing? Logan, you have to tell me, don't you feel this
way at all? Has any of this been difficult for you? Is it just me? Say
something. So far, I've poured my heart out and you haven't given me
anything in return." He slowly pulled the belt from the loops of his
jeans and threw it on top of his wadded up shirt lying on her floor.
"Don't even begin to assume this has been easy for me, okay? Don't
make me feel bad for moving to the city to help my dad. And definitely
don't tell me you've poured your heart out to me
because that wasn't heart pouring." She tried not to look at his chest, the
abs she'd missed so much, tried to ignore the way his jeans sat loosely
on his hips showing the band of his boxer-briefs. She tried not to be
annoyed
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157
by his keen observation that she hadn't poured her heart out...at least
not all the way.
Yet.
"I don't want you to feel bad about moving away. I understand it was a
smart business decision. I didn't plan on falling for you though." He
loomed over her; she could feel the heat from his body, see the one or
two freckles on his chest, "Fall for me the way I've fallen for you?" He
kissed her softly on the lips, and she reluctantly gave in. She wrapped
her arms around his neck as he hoisted her legs onto his hips. He carried
her down the hall and into her bathroom. Setting her down, he reached
out and rubbed her once again, hard-as-hell nipples through the cotton
of her shirt. "You've fallen for me?"
He tossed his jeans aside and turned on the shower. He stepped out of
his boxers and picked her back up. His throbbing erection pushed on
the fabric of her shorts. He carried her into the shower, and together
they were doused by the hot water.
With her soaked clothes, the hard lines of her nipples protruded
through the fabric that much more. Tight and much bigger than they
were in the living room.
Her body slid down his as he rested her on her feet. He bent his head
down, taking her cloth-covered nipple into his mouth. He stroked it and
teased her eliciting a moan from her lips. He moved to the next one and
roughly pulled the soaked shirt up, exposing the rose colored bud. He
bit it and swirled his tongue around her flesh, making her gasp. "Yes,
I've fallen for you, Gabriella. Yes, you have been all I could fucking
think about since I've been in New York. Yes, thoughts of your body
keep me awake at night." He placed kisses on her mouth, her cheek, the
sweet spot near her ear as he spoke all of these things to her. "Your sexy
curves, the way you moan 158 Ashley Bostock
when I shove myself inside of you. The way your lips part open when
you take me in your mouth."
His hand came between her legs, rubbing her mound as the
water sprayed in every direction. "I haven't wanted anything as
badly as I've wanted you. Turn around."
She did as she was told and the hot water pouring between
them, Logan's hands on her waist pulling her shorts down, had
her shivering beyond belief.
"Talk to me, Cinderella."
"What do you want to hear?" she asked, her voice was high-pitched.
She was aroused beyond comprehension as she tried keeping up with
his touches. His erection pressed into her back while the water
saturated her front. She leaned her head back on his chest. "I want to
hear you pouring your heart out. Bend forward. Put your hands on the
faucet."
She once again did as she was told. Placing both hands on the faucet,
bracing herself for his entrance, she remembered what he wanted to
hear from her. The problem was his hands on her body, feeling like
they were everywhere - in her hair, on her hips, cupping her breast,
helping her shimmy out of her soaked shorts - she couldn't formulate a
single thought other than if he would just get inside of her. His large
hands came down across her ass, rubbing her butt cheeks, slightly
pulling them apart as his fingertips grazed the sensitive skin between
her cheeks. He rubbed the flesh between her legs, finally making his
way to her clit where he flicked it with his fingertips. It was almost
enough to bring her to orgasm. Still holding herself up by the faucet, he
shoved his fingers inside her aching channel. She cried out in ecstasy.
"I'm not hearing anything, Cinderella," he reminded her. "Do you want
me to stop?"
He began pulling his fingers out of her, inch by devastating inch.
PISTOL WHIPPED 159
"No. Don't stop. Please don't stop." "Talk to me then."
He slid his fingers back inside her, pushing hard enough on
her g-spot, giving her the pressure she'd been craving.
"I haven't been sleeping well," she admitted.
"You've already told me that."
"I haven't been eating good enough."
"I can feel in my hands that you've lost weight. Tell me
something I don't know." He continued his slow assault, pulling
his fingers out, rubbing her clit, and pushing them back in.
"I... I tried touching myself, hoping it would feel the same as
when you do it." That answer got her more sweet goodness. He
rubbed her clit, harder and harder, nearly bringing her to the
brink.
"Did you imagine it was my fingers? Doing this to you?"
"Mmmm-hmmm. Keep going, I'm almost there."
"You keep going. Tell me more. You are so fucking beautiful.
I wish you could see what I'm seeing right now."
She turned her head as much as she was able to, seeing his
hard cock and the dark gleam in his eyes nearly brought her to
orgasm again. One more rub from him and she would fall into
the depths of surrender. She could feel his erection bob against
her butt, his hands fluttering around her backside, her stomach,
the slickness between her legs. She was getting ticked off again and she
wasn't sure why. Why was he doing this? Why was he bringing all of
this out of her?
"I fucking love you, Logan and I can't fucking have you, is that what
you want to hear?"
He rubbed her clit once more, creating fireworks of painfully good
pleasure that soared through her body. Her toes curled, her nipples
ached and she felt her knees begin to buckle as she rode his fingers and
came harder than she ever had before.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Was she fucking crying? You've got to be kidding me. How can a
woman cry out in ecstasy from an orgasm one minute and the next be
crying...in pain? The water was no longer hot and it was obviously time
to get out. He shut the water off and pulled her towels off the rack. He
gently began to pat her dry. Starting with her legs, he worked his way
up her body, passed her luscious sex that was pink and red from his
heavy assault, and up to her shoulders where he wrapped it around her,
securing her arms inside. Helping her out, he finally asked, "Why are
you crying?" "Why did you make me tell you that?" she pushed her
finger into his chest. Ouch. "I didn't want to tell you that. It changes
nothing, do you hear me?"
Damn, yeah, loud and clear. But screw this, he was tired of being Mr.
Nice Guy and he wasn't letting her off the hook. "Stop running away
from everything, Gabriella. You are not shutting me out of your life
like you did your parents. Its not happening."
"Me? You live in New York, Logan! I have to shut you out, don't you
get it? If I don't, all that will happen will be me sitting here pining over
you, praying for something to happen between us and it's not
happening." She threw her arms up at him and walked off. Fuck she
pushed his buttons. He stormed after her, wanting to put this argument
to rest.
"It could."
"No, it couldn't. I'm not giving up Lolita. She has been my dream. I
can't do it. And I'm not asking you to give up yours." PISTOL
WHIPPED 161
"You don't have to ask. We don't have to give up our careers
in order to be together, Gabbie."
She looked so beautiful sitting on the edge of her bed, it
tortured his heart. Is this what love felt like? Anger and passion,
tenderness and longing? And so many more emotions he didn't
even know how to categorize them. This is why he'd never been
in love before because of this messy emotion shit. Well...and
because he'd never met anyone like Gabriella. Who was sweet
and classy, calm - mostly, except for right now, and who would
spare her feelings so he could have New York.
"Well, it's not like I could move to New York and open up
Lolita. Think of the competition!"
"Look, I've had enough of this arguing with you back and
forth. This is what's going to happen, whether you like it or not.
I'm moving back here."
"What?" God, was she even madder? "You can't do that. Not for me."
"I know. But it's my decision. Here's the thing, okay? I'm not going
back. Not just because of you but because my heart isn't there. That's
not where I want to be. It's a great place, I enjoy
visiting and spending time with my dad, but New York isn't me. My
dad knows it isn't me. But when I come out here and see the mountains
and the stars, Colorado is me. You're me. And I'm not letting you go...if
you'll have me?" Tears were starting to fall down her face yet again and
he knelt down onto the ground in front of her, "Don't cry, Gabriella.
You are the only woman I've ever loved and the only woman I will ever
love. Please tell me, you'll be with me?" Silence. "Come on, I'm
desperate. Say something," he demanded. "But you want kids and I
don't."
Fuck. There was that, but he wasn't entirely certain she could follow
through with that conviction even though she claimed she could. 162
Ashley Bostock
"I do want kids. A whole bundle of them. But I want you more. I want
you more than anything and if that means no kids, I can live with that."
Was it a good time to tell her he thought she would want some
someday? Screw it, as long as they were pouring their hearts out.
"Besides, I think down the road you might change your mind. You
would be a great mom. A mom who would be nothing like Tammy
Crawford." She sniffled, "You would've been so proud of me, the
Kingston kids came to Lolita's a week or so ago and I let them
paint in the back shop. Dakota spilled the paint and I didn't even
hyperventilate."
"See? This will all take time, but you and me are meant to be together
and after these hellish few weeks without you, nothing is making me let
go of you. You are mine, Gabriella, only mine." The next two days,
because Lolita was closed, Logan and she never left her condo. They
stayed together the entire time, making love and catching up - doing all
of the things they did as best friends and now all of the things they
would do as a couple. They had just finished watching some
action-adventure movie and were still nestled into the couch. Logan
behind her with his arms wrapped around her torso and she with her
legs threaded through his. Life was good.
This was good. She felt whole again. Complete with him here.
"Why didn't you tell me right away you were coming back?
Why'd you wait so long to say something? That may have saved
our entire argument."
"I wanted to know that you wanted me."
She turned and looked him in the eye.
"Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking
about. It's easy: if you didn't reciprocate my feelings, I would
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have gone back to New York. But you did. Of course, I had to
force it out of you... "
"Bending me over in the shower, teasing me until I would admit my
feelings?...Yeah, that was pretty forceful. Pretty sneaky." She instantly
felt his erection against her thigh, "I am sneaky. Can I ask you
something?"
He became serious. It made her nervous. "Sure. You can ask me
anything."
"Good," he let out a deep breath. "Will you marry me?" She was getting
ready to laugh his comment off but then something inside her clicked
and she realized he was dead serious. "Like, right now? Today?" she
wanted to cry. "How about tomorrow?" "Tomorrow?" she squeaked
out.
"Okay, soon. Very, very soon. I want you to be mine, in every single
way possible. Will you marry me, Gabriella Crawford? Will you
become Gabriella Reeves?"
He was her knight. He was her best friend and he was all hers. "Yes!"
she threw her head back onto his arm, "Yes, I will marry you! And yes,
soon! This week."
"Really?" he smiled, "You don't want a big fancy wedding like Blake
and Marilyn had?"
"Oh God, no. It's not like I would invite my parents anyway," she rolled
her eyes. "I just want you. I want us to be there. It's not the wedding part
that matters most to me anyway, it's after that.
It's you and me, being together, being us against the world." He kissed
her hard, his erection pressing into her thigh, "You know, Gabriella, I
couldn't agree more." He reached for his phone then. "Who are you
calling?"
"Everyone. Gage, Blake, Donna, my dad - I have to tell them
all because this is too great of news not to share."
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Ashley Bostock
The next day Logan helped her install security cameras at the front and
back entrance of Lolita's, although he fiercely instructed her that she
never, under any circumstances, go there at night by herself again. She
opened up, doing her morning routine as usual when she was
bombarded by the most amazing girls she knew. Marilyn, Amber and
Brandi took over Lolita's like having them all together was another
normal day. She loved these girls. She could go a few days or a few
weeks without talking but the minute they saw each other, they could
pick up right where they left off as if there were no time lost. "Where's
Logan? Let me see the ring," Brandi demanded. "I would just like to
reaffirm that I knew, I knew, this was bound to happen all along."
Amber rolled her eyes, "No, you didn't. She doesn't have a ring. Why
don't you have a ring? Where is it?"
Gabbie started to speak but Marilyn cut her off, "Oh no, something
didn't happen with the two of you already did it? I swear to all that's
holy, I told Blake he better not hurt you or I would kill him." "Guys,
chill!" Gabbie exclaimed. She looked pointedly at Marilyn, "At ease
soldier, nothing has happened between us. We are happily in love," she
sung. Then she looked at Amber, "I don't have a ring. Logan went out
today to do a few things and I'm assuming that means he's going to find
a ring. I can't wait! And Ginger-Ginger," she looked at her red-headed
friend and held up her thumb and forefinger, "you might have been a
little bit right about us hooking up or being meant for each other. Or
whatever you said."
She blew out a breath, "Gosh, it was quiet in here before you
all showed up!"
"Ahh, but you still love us."
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"That is true, I still love you guys. And again, I'm sorry I didn't tell you
about the break-in sooner. It's been a little hectic since Logan's gotten
back to town."
Amber rolled her eyes, fingering a pair of lace stockings, "Oh, I bet.
Has he seen Possessive yet?"
Gabbie blushed, bending her head down, "It's his favorite line so far."
"That's what I thought."
"But in all seriousness, the break-in wasn't too big of a deal. I got here
just in time and I just hit him over the head with my gun. It was
obviously in the right spot because it knocked him out cold. It was a
scary moment but nothing terrible. Anyway, this morning Logan
helped me install security cameras so I'm good there." "And you guys
are getting married!" Marilyn exclaimed. She hugged Gabbie, her
protruding belly bumping into her friend. "And I can't believe one of us
is going to be a mom!" "I know. Blake and I are so blessed. We really
are." "Yeah well, he's clearly not the fucked-up brother. Blaze is much
more moody than Blake has ever been," Brandi said. "Yeah, I sense he
has deeper issues. What's his sign? I'll look him up." Amber pulled her
phone out, ready to search Blaze's horoscope. Marilyn started to
answer but Brandi hushed her up, "No. Don't look it up. I don't
want to know. I don't even care. He's an
egotistical....pompous...pretty fucking hot guy." They all laughed.
"Okay, back to Logan and Gabriella. When's the wedding?" "So, that's
actually something I wanted to talk to you guys about. Logan and I
aren't having a wedding." For once since they'd walked into Lolita's, all
three girls were silent.
Finally Brandi spoke, "What do you mean you guys aren't having a
wedding?"
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'We don't want to wait you guys. We are getting married at
the courthouse. Like in two days. And I need some kind of dress.
But nothing fancy, just something Logan will like."
"I can help with that," Amber told her, "I know a place for
pretty dresses."
"Not a full-blown wedding dress, Amber." "You have to have
something white and pretty though." "Okay. And I need old, new,
borrowed, blue. That is a tradition I cannot skip." "You can wear the
blue sapphire necklace Amber got me for my wedding. That will be the
blue." "Will that be the borrowed, too?" "No," the girls all said in
unison. "Not worth taking any chances." "Okay. Now what else? I need
new, old and borrowed." "Here is the new," Brandi held up some
lingerie from the Possessive line.
Gabbie laughed, "I like it."
"Okay, old and borrowed."
"You can borrow my hair piece. I wore it for this masquerade function
Gage and I went to a few months ago. Mother Nature
knows we aren't getting married anytime soon!" "Okay, that just leaves
something old for me to figure out." Just then Logan came in and
interrupted their moment together.
"Sorry, ladies, to intrude, but I need to speak with my fiancee." The
ladies packed up, hugging each other, saying their goodbyes and
congratulating Logan on the way out. "That was a nice visit," she told
Logan. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her mouth and her
cheek before pulling back. "I have something that will make you
happy...I hope, anyway" "What is it?"
PISTOL WHIPPED
167
He sank to his knees and held open his hand, "I didn't ask you properly
before, but Gabriella, will you be my wife?" In the palm of his hand,
was a ring. "You went and bought a ring?"
"No, I didn't. This ring belonged to my great-grandmother, Mary
Sinclair. My mom's mother's mother. I hope you like it." She sank to
her knees, reaching for the ring but Logan snapped his hand together,
"Please allow me. Do you like it?" "Oh gosh, Logan, I love it. It's
beautiful." She held out her shaking hand, "will it fit?"
"Let's find out." Not taking his eyes off her, he slid the ring onto her
finger. "How's that?
She moved it around with her thumb, "A little loose but overall not bad.
So how old is this ring? Do you know?" He shrugged his shoulders,
"Maybe a hundred years old. I know it's a little antiquated but..." "No,
it's perfect. I had no idea they made jewelry that looked like this that
long ago. It's the most beautiful ring I have ever seen." The diamonds
sparkled up at her and she was taken aback by Logan's kindness and
thoughtfulness at giving her a ring that had been in his family for
generations. "You love it?"
"I love it and I love you, thank you."
He kissed her again, pulling her so she half-crawled to him,
their bodies flush with one another. His erection pressed into her
pants and it felt too good. Wetness pooled between her legs, "I
have to work. You have to go."
"Nooo," he groaned, trying to hold onto her.
"Yes. You have clients you need to visit."
"But I want to visit with you. I have something in my pants
that wants to visit you."
She laughed at his lame joke, "That was bad, even for you.
He's going to have to wait until Lolita closes."
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Standing up and pulling Logan to his feet, she told him again how
lucky she was and how much she loved him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Gabriella drove to the courthouse alone, not wanting Logan to see her.
He hadn't spent the night with her last night; she'd made him stay at his
mom's. His house had already been rented out so going there was out of
the question. He didn't appreciate the fact that she had kicked him out
their last night together as an unmarried couple. She'd worn her dress
Amber helped her pick out. They'd gone to the place Amber wanted,
only to end up at Brenda's Bridal Boutique where Gabbie insisted she
wasn't looking for a wedding gown. It wasn't a bridal dress, so to speak.
It was a toned-down satin white gown. No frills, nothing fancy - she'd
insisted, much to Amber and Brenda's, who owned the store, dismay.
The gown hugged her curves in the places she knew Logan loved. It
had a deep V-neck and straps that hooked over her shoulders crossing
in the back. It was simple and gorgeous. She parked and made her way
into the courthouse. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of
Logan. He was wearing a black suit with a black shirt and a white tie
and the look in his eyes took her breath away. He sauntered toward her
as she made her way down the short hall. He handed her a small
bouquet of flowers. Lilies! They smelled heavenly. "My mom insisted
you needed these." "They smell wonderful, thank you. You look
amazing." "You look so beautiful, you take my breath away, Gabriella.
My very own Cinderella." "Let's go get married." 170 Ashley Bostock
Logan and Gabriella walked down the short hall and spoke to the lady
behind the counter. Just as they were being ushered in, footsteps
pounded the floor behind them. "Wait, wait, wait for us. Please."
Gabriella and Logan turned to find their friends, Marilyn and
Blake, even Blaze had come. Gage, Amber and Brandi trailed
close behind the trio. Even Donna was in the crowd.
"What are you guys doing here?" Gabbie cried.
"You didn't think we'd let you do this alone, did you?"
She hugged Donna, just as the Justice of the Peace arrived and
asked them to join him in the small room.
Gabbie hugged Donna and thanked her again for Mary's ring.
She hugged her girls and they all had to ask once again, about her
old, new, borrowed and blue pieces.
"Yes. I've got the ring. The ring is my old and my sexy bridal
panties are new. The necklace," she tugged on with her free hand,
"and my hair piece." She touched her hair carefully, not wanting
any piece to slip out of the barrette.
"I'm good, let's do this."
"Please, let's do this," Logan groaned.
They all went to sit as Logan and Gabbie walked up to the
front of the room. It was a small room, with pew seating of eight rows
on either side. There was wood paneling everywhere: along the walls,
along the floor and of course at the front where judges and witnesses
took the stand.
"No guys, don't sit. I want you all up here with us. Come on." She
ushered the group to the front. The women stood on her side and the
men stood on Logan's side, each lining across from their significant
other. Except for Brandi and Blaze, everyone was happy. Blaze rolled
his eyes at Brandi and she rolled her eyes right back. The Justice of the
Peace began and the room got quiet. The ceremony was over rather
quickly and Logan scooped up his bride and kissed her. He wanted to
be alone with her. Right PISTOL WHIPPED
171
now and for...well, ever. She was his, all his and there wasn't a
happier man on this planet. His kisses were rough, biting and
sucking and he didn't care. He wanted her badly.
"Down boy," Gabbie breathed into his mouth. Her face was
flushed, her lips glistening and pink where he'd just devoured her.
Even with the clapping, they'd forgotten their audience in the
room.
"Not a chance in hell, Mrs. Reeves. Let's get the hell out of here."
"Gladly, Mr. Reeves. Bye everyone, Logan and I have some
things to do."
"Wait, wait. I need a few more pictures," Logan's mom pleaded.
Everyone stand next to your date so I can take some." Everyone
scrambled and once again, Brandi and Blaze were stuck with each
other due to lack of having anyone else. "Smile." She snapped a few
photos with her phone and once she was satisfied, the group broke up.
Logan handed Brandi Gabbie's bouquet of flowers, "take these, please.
We gotta go. See you later, mom."
"Thanks everyone. Love you guys." And the newlyweds made a
beeline for the door.
Logan sped to her condo and like a true groom, carried her over the
threshold.
"I couldn't keep my eyes off you. I've been hard the second you walked
into the courthouse. You have to get out of this dress."
He carried her directly to her bed, letting her fall onto the mattress. He
yanked his coat off, loosened his tie and pulled it over his head.
"Stop." Not a chance. He cocked his head to the side and stopped with
his fingertips on the buttons of his black shirt, "let me, please."
He moved his hands and Gabriella unbuttoned his shirt, slowly one by
one and all he wanted to do was yank the damn 172
Ashley Bostock
thing off. She smoothed her hands down his chest to the waistband of
his pants.
"No way," he grabbed her wrists and pushed them away. "Out of the
dress," he demanded, "now." He pulled her up, steadying her as she
stood on the bed. She turned and waited for him to figure out the hidden
zipper and slide it down her back passed her dimples. She shimmied
out of the sleeves and let the dress fall, bunching at her feet. Her white
panties sparkled with...something. He didn't know what, but they
sparkled like they were made of diamonds...glitter, maybe? Logan's
heart hurt. Something he'd never felt before squeezed his heart and
made it difficult for him to breath. He tried speaking and nothing would
come out.
He cleared his throat and tried again, "I've never seen anyone more
gorgeous than you Gabriella." His voice was crackly and he couldn't
think of anything else to say - her pure beauty rendered him speechless.
He kissed her back, not missing her small dimples, and helped her
down onto the bed.
"I want to do this." She slipped her fingers into the waistband
of his pants and helped him unbuckle and unzip.
He slid her panties off her. She slid his boxers off him.
He pushed her onto the bed, hovering over her, finally
managing to produce a coherent thought, "I will look forward to
this every single day for the rest of my life, Mrs. Reeves."
"And I too, will do the same, Mr. Reeves."
Did you enjoy Pistol Whipped? Read ahead for a
sneak peek of book four in the Girls with Guns
Series
Brandi finished cleaning up Dakota's mess she'd made from lunch. She
had since put her down for her nap and was getting ready to make
herself something for lunch when she heard the security system
signaling someone opening the garage door. She knew it was Drake -he
had called to confirm she would be home when he stopped by at lunch -
something having to do with work he'd said. Drying her hands on the
dishtowel she made her way toward the entry way that led from the
garage bays into the terrace and then into the entry way where the
family hung their coats, kept their shoes and outside items of that
nature. A normal mud room for regular folks but since it was the size of
her old apartment, it was anything but.
She heard the male voices before she approached. Definitely Drake's
but she wasn't familiar with the other, much deeper, male voice. She
turned the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. You've got to be
fucking kidding me. In all of his badass, hotter-than all that's right, no
one notices he's been walking with a limp, wearing a black suit self was
Blaze Bryant walking behind Drake, surveying his surroundings. What
in the hell was he doing here? "Brandi, how's it going?" Drake asked.
She watched Blaze turn his attention to her and saw the
surprise on his face but just as quickly it disappeared. His eyes
gave nothing away. He watched her, her face no doubt in shock,
questioning what he was doing here with her boss.
"I'm good, Mr. Kingston. Dakota is down for her nap and I
was just cleaning up the kitchen."
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Ashley Bostock
"Very well. Brandi, this is Blaze Bryant. Diane and I hired him to be
the children's bodyguard. And by extension, yours as well." What? He
had to be kidding right? Was this some kind of joke Blaze was playing
on her because of the way she had come across at Marilyn and Blake's
barbeque not that long ago? And what exactly did Drake mean by
bodyguard? For her and the children? "I'm sorry, sir. I'm confused."
She eyed the men back and forth, Blaze giving nothing away in his
features. His icy gaze blazed (no pun intended) bright with...with what
she didn't know. Which made her question, if this wasn't some sick
joke, did he know he would be working side-by-side with her? He
couldn't have. The vibes he gave off the few times she'd seen him,
weren't particularly friendly vibes and she couldn't imagine him
choosing this job if he'd known she was working for the family. "There
is no need to be confused. Blaze will be starting
immediately. I've come to show him around. You know I have a very
prestigious career and with that, the lives of my family could be at risk
on any given day. Which, as the nanny for the past two years, you are
aware of how incidents can happen, are you not?" This was too fucking
much for her. Her body felt mushy like she was going to faint any
second. The children and her at risk? Blaze living here with them? She
couldn't fathom. At the risk of sounding utterly ignorant, she asked,
"You're saying Mr. Bryant," she had a hard time choking that out, "is
going to live here with us? And what else will he do?" Yes, that sparked
a how-dumb-are-you look from Drake. "Brandi, I don't have a lot of
time nor patience, for having to repeat myself. We hired Blaze as
security for you and the children. What that means," he spoke to her in
the same tone he used with his four-year-old, "is that he will live at the
house with us. He will go where you go. He will be with you and the
kids every day. Is that clear?" PISTOL WHIPPED 175 Someone take
her gun and shoot her now. At the risk of being once again reprimanded
by her boss, she pleaded, "But Mr. Kingston, you know very well that I
am armed at all times. We really don't need Blaze, err...Mr. Bryant to
protect us. Besides, we're safe in Windsor. Who could possibly want to
harm us?" "You know as well as I do there could be a multitude of
people. Especially when Global Electronics unveils their newest
product. You can never be too cautious. Anyway, I don't have a lot of
time. Come with us, I want to show him the cottage. Since there are two
bedrooms, Mr. Bryant will be staying in the house with you from here
on out." Also by Ashley Bostock Girls with Guns
Gun Shy
Trigger Happy Pistol Whipped
Watch for more at
www.AshleyBostock.com.
About the Author
Ashley Bostock was born and raised in Colorado where she currently
resides with her husband, two children, her dog and two cats. She loves
reading, writing, and music and is always trying to find more time in
the day to incorporate all three. Seeking an outlet and pursuing her
life-long passion for writing, she began composing her first novel in
late 2013. She has traveled all over the world, but still has an extensive
list of places she would love to visit. Anywhere near a sky-blue ocean
will always be at the top of that list. She carries a Bachelor's Degree in
History with a concentration in Elementary Education from
Metropolitan State College of Denver. While she loves children, she
now fears teaching, which probably has something to do with being a
stay-at-home mom. Visit her website and be sure to sign up for her
newsletter. Read more at
www.AshleyBostock.com.