Deceiving Lies

“Please,” she begged and wrapped her long legs around my back, bringing me down to rest against her.

I moved against her twice and smiled when a breathy exhale left her, and her head fell back onto the mattress. I loved seeing her like this, and I’d missed it. With a kiss to her throat, I slowly made my way down her body and ran my fingers along her folds to her opening before leaning forward and tasting her again for the first time in way too long.

“Kash, oh God,” she whispered, her body already writhing against the bed.

She came fast, and hard, as I worked her with one hand and tortured her relentlessly with my tongue. I hadn’t had enough, but I needed her—needed her around me, needed to be moving inside her. I shed my jeans and boxers quickly and positioned myself over her again. She grabbed the back of my neck and met my mouth hungrily as I lowered myself to her. I groaned and stopped moving completely when I was finally inside her, just to enjoy the feel of her again. And when I moved . . . Christ, I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to last.

Kissing her hard once, I began teasing her mouth with my tongue and about died when she bit down on my lip ring and smiled coyly as she gave it a little tug. Fuck, I’d missed that.

“I don’t like it when you tease,” she whispered when she released the metal, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Liar.”

But I didn’t have the patience for teasing her any more than I already had. Keeping one hand firmly fisted in her hair, I lifted myself higher with the other and quickened my pace. Her eyes fluttered shut and a needy moan sounded in the back of her throat seconds before she urged me to go harder.

“I need you to go with me,” I said into her ear as I reached down between us and began teasing her sensitive bud.

“Oh God—”

“With me, Rach.”

I locked my jaw and pushed into her harder as she tightened around me until I felt her shudder and come undone, causing me to fall over the edge with her. A low growl tore from my chest as my thrusts slowed to a stop and I shakily lowered myself onto her body. Kissing her softly, I rolled us to the side and let out a labored breath.

“Christ.”

“Ditto,” she said breathily and kissed my bare chest.

I laughed softly and put my fingers under her chin, raising her head back so I could look into her dark blue eyes. “In a little over a month, you will be my wife. This time . . . nothing is stopping us. I’m going to marry you, I’m going to make you mine, and I’m going to keep you by my side for the rest of my life.”

She took a deep breath in through her nose, and a smile crossed her face when she released it. “I can’t wait, Logan. I’m so ready for my life with you. I just hope it’s really boring compared to this first year.”

I laughed hard and kissed her forehead. “Me too, Sour Patch. Me too.”

22

Rachel

IT’S FUNNY, the things that used to seem so big—so hard to deal with—suddenly seemed like nothing more than having a bad hair day. The situations that threatened to ruin my life now seemed like nothing more than stubbing my toe on the coffee table. The events that seemed impossible to get through without my parents, all seemed as easy as stepping over a microscopic hurdle.

I was ready for anything. I was prepared for whatever difficult or unexpected situations might arise for Kash and me, or our families. I trusted Kash to take care of us, and was finally opening up to the family that I did have. My parents were gone, that would always be hard . . . I would always wish they were here. But I had to give my future in-laws and Candice’s family the chance to be there for me in their place.

As soon as I saw Candice and Maddie walk into the café, I closed my journal and put it away in my bag. Kash had surprised me with Candice almost a week after Trent had gone into witness protection, and it couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. She’d been able to help plan the wedding, and when she wasn’t with Mason, we were spending almost all our time together.

I was glad Maddie and Candice were getting along now. There was a little over a week left until the wedding, and it had been tense between Candice and Maddie when they first met. Maddie wasn’t exactly thrilled that Candice was one of her brother’s fuck buddies. Who could blame her, though?

“Hey, Rach!” Candice bounced her way over to me and hugged me hard. “Guessing you’ve been here a while, since you were writing when we walked in?”

I nodded and hugged Maddie after Candice handed me off. “Just an hour or two . . . or four.”

“Mason said you’ve been writing a lot more since you came back.”

“Wait”—I shot Candice a confused look—“how would Mason know that I’ve been writ— Oh . . .”

“Kash,” we all said together and shrugged.

“It was worse at first, I’d gotten so used to having nothing really to do all day except write, so it was hard to get off that. But I’m getting back to a point where it’s normal. Well, uh, for me anyway. I just had a lot to say today.”

Maddie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest as Candice’s green eyes widened. “Oh really? Do tell!”

I laughed and sat back down in my chair. “Nothing to tell, just all the wedding stuff with it being a week away. I figured with your parents, Eli, and his fiancée, Paisley, coming in a couple days, I wouldn’t have a lot of time to write then. So I’m getting it out now.”

Candice frowned. “Well, that was boring.”

Maddie laughed out loud before covering her mouth and looking around. “Uh . . . I’m go

“I’m coming with,” Candice said as she picked up her purse, which she’d dropped on the chair earlier. “Rach?”

“No, I’m good.” When Candice eyed me curiously, I lifted an arm out to the side before letting it flop back onto my lap. “What? I already had something earlier. I’m good. I won’t sleep if I have anything else.”

“Whatevs.” She turned, and the ever-present bounce in her step was even more prominent than usual as she made her way to where Maddie was in line.

I wanted to tell her she didn’t need any more caffeine or she’d turn into a squirrel on speed, but that would probably just make her get an extra shot of espresso in her drink. So I kept my mouth shut.

“You okay, Rachel?” Maddie asked when they sat down at the table again. “You look like something’s bothering you.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Candice snorted and crossed her legs as she took a sip of her drink. “Fine. Good. Keep using those words, Rachie, see if I start believing you.”

“But I really am!” I said on a laugh. “I’m having a great morning, I’m excited to see everyone, I’m ready for this week to be over so I can get married. I really am fine.”

She studied me for a few moments before pointing at me with her coffee cup. “Are you and Kash okay? Are you having sex regularly?”

Maddie made a gagging noise and my lips twitched as I fought back a smile.

“Yeah, we’re fi—”

“Don’t say that word!” Candice nearly shrieked in the café.

The three of us looked around at the people giving us odd looks, and I nodded awkwardly at the old woman closest to us, who no doubt had heard Candice’s questions.

“Okay, Candice, we’re incredible. Is that better?”

She didn’t reply to my question before asking her next one. “And the sex?”

“Oh God,” Maddie said, and made another gagging sound.

“Uh, Candice, that’s so not your business . . . but I know you love sharing yours. So how are you and Mason doing in bed?”

“Shit.” Maddie didn’t need to fake the gag that time. She looked like she was about to throw up what little she’d already drank. “Can we stop talking about them? Just . . . gross.”

“She’s being weird,” Candice hissed to Maddie.