His words, the friction, the way he’s looking at me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen—it all crashes over me at once.
I come with a scream, my body clenching around him, pleasure radiating through every nerve ending. He doesn’t stop, working me through it, extending my orgasm until I’m shaking, boneless, and barely able to hold myself up.
“Fuck, Tessa,” he groans, his thrusts becoming erratic.
He buries himself deep, his whole body going rigid as he comes with a guttural groan, my name falling from his lips. I feel him pulse inside me, feel the warmth of his release, and something about it feels sacred—this moment, this connection, this man who’s given me back pieces of myself I thought were lost forever.
We stay like that for a long moment, foreheads pressed together, breathing hard, hearts pounding in sync.
“I love you,” Logan says suddenly, the words raw and unguarded. “I’m in love with you, Tessa. I have been for a while now.”
Tears spring to my eyes—happy tears this time. “I love you too,” I whisper back. “So much it scares me.”
He cups my face, his thumbs brushing away the tears spilling down my cheeks. “Don’t be scared,” he says softly. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever,” I say without hesitation. “I want forever.”
He kisses me then, slow and deep and full of promise, and I know—despite everything, despite Preston, despite all the darkness I’ve survived—I’m going to be okay.
Because I have this. I have him. I have us.
And that’s everything.
We eventually climb out of the now-cool water, pruned and thoroughly exhausted. Logan wraps me in a fluffy towel and carries me to bed, both of us too tired and content to bother with clothes.
I curl into his side, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow to a steady rhythm.
“Thank you,” I murmur sleepily.
“For what?” he asks, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my back.
“For giving me firsts instead of lasts. For showing me what love is supposed to feel like.”
His arms tighten around me. “Thank you for trusting me and letting me love you.”
I press a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. “Always.”
Wrapped in his arms, safe and loved and finally free, the fear from earlier doesn’t return. There’s no way this incredible love would be given to me just to have it be ripped away. Things are going to work out. I don’t know how but they have to. Now that I know what it feels like to be loved, wholly and beautifully, the way that Logan loves me, I’m never letting it go.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT
LOGAN
Penny’s office at the arena is all function and focus, the kind of space where problems come to get handled. Her desk is covered in manila folders, legal documents, and at least three laptops, all of them open. The walls are lined with framed photos of the team, championship memorabilia, and her various PR awards. The coffee station in the corner seems to get more use than any other piece of equipment in the building.
She gestures for us to sit in the chairs across from her desk, and Tessa’s hand immediately finds mine, her grip tight. I can feel the tension radiating off her in waves.
“Thanks for coming in,” Penny says, settling into her chair and pulling one of the folders in front of her. “I know this isn’t easy, but I wanted to give you both an update in person rather than over the phone.”
“Okay,” Tessa says, her voice small. I squeeze her hand.
Penny opens the folder, scans the top page briefly, then looks up at us. “So first things first—Preston’s father posted bail. He’s out.”
Tessa’s breath catches, and I feel my jaw clench. “Figures.”
“Yeah, it’s no surprise,” Penny says. “There’s more important information to discuss, however.” She flips to another page. “The district attorney’s office has reviewed the evidence—Cole’s testimony, the police report, the photographs of your injuries, witness statements from the coffee shop—and they’re moving forward with charges. Assault and battery, plus violation of a restraining order, and all of this is in addition to the previous assault and battery charges.”
