When You’re Ready (Ready #1)(56)
Author: J.L. Berg

“When I fell in love with you,” she started, “I accepted all of you, including your past. I refuse to let my jealousy over some hussy doctor or anyone else get in the way of our happiness.”

“You were jealous?” I asked, astonished.

She snorted, saying, “Jesus, Logan. She was practically purring, like she was reliving the entire event right there in the lobby. Damn right I was jealous. I wanted to scratch her eyeballs out.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed, feeling so relieved she’s wasn’t storming out the door.

“You’re vicious, you know that right?”

“Don’t laugh at me,” she pouted, “Besides, if the tables had been reversed and that had been my casual f**k we’d run into, how would you have reacted?”

I instantly saw red. My fists tightened, and my breath grew rapid. Just the thought of seeing another man, knowing he had touched Clare, seen Clare….

“Exactly,” she said. “See? I was quite reserved.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I stated. I was done with talking about our pasts, the many mistakes I made, and a lifetime of regrets. I wanted Clare and Maddie, and nothing else.

“Really?” she grinned,” ‘cause I think I would really like to continue this conversation. It’s titillating”

“Nope, sorry. We’re done talking for the evening.” I announced right before I stood, pulling her from the couch and swinging her up in my arms with my intention set on the bedroom.

“Put me down! Why do you insist on carrying me everywhere?” she laughed, throwing her arms around my neck.

“I thought it would have been obvious by now,” I answered, “I’m not whole without you in my arms.”

Without warning, she pulled my head down, kissing me hard, as I stumbled in the doorway to our room. Struggling to stay upright as we devoured each other, I entered the dimly lit room, setting her down near the middle. We continued our frantic kiss as her body slowly slid down mine.

“You know, I never had a chance to dance with you tonight,” I said, pulling back to whisper in her ear.

“We don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to dancing in a public place,” she laughed softly.

“Ah, but we’re not in public now, are we?”

“No, we’re not. But we don’t have any music,” she pointed out as I wrapped my arms around her and began to move us back and forth.

“Who needs music?”

Our bodies swayed as I led us in an intimate waltz.

Ever so slowly, my hand found the zipper of her strapless dress, pulling it down inch by inch until the fabric pooled to the floor in a billowing heap. Clare was left wearing nothing but coral panties and a matching strapless bra. She looked radiant, and I didn’t think I would ever grow tired of seeing her body, touching her skin, or feeling her writhe below me. Tucking my fingers under the waistband of her panties, I slowly slid them down until the joined her dress on the floor. I made quick work of her bra, unsnapping it with a flick of my hand and it too fell to the ground, leaving nothing but Clare.

She took her time undressing me, running her hands over my naked skin, making me groan. We danced to a symphony of beating hearts, slow lingering kisses, and our combined breath. It was the most beautiful song ever created.

When we finally made it to the bed and our bodies came together, I found my home again. My solace. My shelter from every terrible memory of my life. This woman with the beautiful red curls and bewitching green eyes who captured my heart had given me everything.

“I love you, Logan,” she murmured as our tangled bodies moved together in tandem

“I’ll love you forever, Clare,” I vowed before we both fell over the edge, lost in our mutual release.

She was my salvation and if she would have me, I would spend my entire life worshiping at her feet.

Chapter Fifteen

~Clare~

“There’s something wrong with him, Leah,” I said to her on the phone, while continuing to slice vegetables for a salad.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“His mood, it’s all over the place. He’s been distant, making excuses and staying at his place for several nights in a row. And then he’ll show up out of the blue and practically attack me on the doorstep, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear,” I explained, throwing the remainder of the carrots into the bowl.

At first I thought it might be work, maybe he was just stressed. I was dating a doctor. They had stressful jobs, right? But this was something else entirely. The longer he acted this way, the more worried I became.

“When did it start?” Leah questioned. I could hear her at a checkout stand, the familiar sound of items being rung up, and her speaking to a clerk as she paid. Clearly she was buying her contribution to today’s cookout.

“Right after we got back from New York. He got a call when we landed at the airport and he’s been distracted and moody ever since. He usually shares his entire schedule with me, but now I don’t know where he is most of the time, except when he’s at work, and he doesn’t answer many of my calls. You don’t think he’s changed his mind, do you?” I asked, biting my lip in worry.

“About what? You? No. That man is head over heels in love with you. You can just flip a switch like that,” she assured me.

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. I set down the knife and dumped the rest of the vegetables into the bowl. Today, Logan and I were hosting our first cookout together. I had brought up the idea when we got home from the wedding. He’d nodded absently, looking at something on his phone and said he thought it was a good idea, but hadn’t mentioned it since. It was a good idea, right? I wasn’t moving too fast, was I?

No, no…I was being ridiculous. He told me he loved me, and wanted to be with me forever. He wouldn’t change his mind all the sudden.

“I’m sure he’s just planning on proposing or something like that. Men get all sorts of weird when they decide to pop the question. Don’t you remember what Ethan was like the weeks before he asked you?”

Yes, I do. He was a nervous wreck. Fumbling and tripping over himself. If I had known that was what he was planning, and the reason he was such a nervous ball of energy, I would have just done it for him.

“You’re right. I’m sure it’s nothing,” I said, trying to convince myself.

“Exactly. Besides, men are known for having PMS symptoms occasionally. It’s like a scientific fact. So, it could just be his time of the month,” she teased, causing me to roll my eyes and laugh. But I silently thank her. I needed that. Even though I told her I agreed and it must be nothing, there was still a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me something was wrong. That soon, my world was going to come crashing down, again. And I didn’t know if I was strong enough to pick up the pieces again.