22. The morning afters and the surprises

Who dare question fate and its frivolous plans and ploys? If it is what made me meet you, and what made me fall in love with you, I am grateful for it. Even if it is the same that is going to break my heart. - Alexandra

~~~

22. The morning afters and the surprises

(Alexandra)

After a while, it got harder to keep snuggling, and it felt like Logan had the same idea. He stretched and she turned around, pretending to take a glass of water and then they both pretended they were fine where they were.

She wanted to sleep, of course, she was tired from the wedding party, but she couldn't. She closed her eyes, and somehow she felt too wound up to sleep. And a little bit guilty. But a lot turned on.

She felt like a wavering pendulum, oscillating between this and that.

Now her back was to him, but she knew he wasn't sleeping, either. She could feel his every weary breath vibrating along her skin.

She turned around, trying not to make a sound. And breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his back was to her.

She didn't know what she was doing, but her hands had a mind of their own, and they crawled around his naked back and the moment she touched his skin, he jerked up, and then stayed calm. But she could feel his shiver as she wrote his name on his skin with the tip of her finger.

It was like a game. They both knew they were playing this, but nobody knew the rules. They made it as they went along.

She drew a line on his spine before she wrapped her hands around his torso and pulled herself closer to him.

She was still afraid, but she trusted him not to hurt her, not this time.

Yes, she also knew it would hurt when she said goodbye, but she almost felt like this was the right time to give in. After seeing how soft and gentle he had been when she said no, she was sure he was the only one who could take care of her, and he was the only one she wanted to have sex. To make love.

So... If she let this moment pass, she wasn't sure when it would knock again.

Not missing this.

Her fingers, slowly, hesitantly crawled down his stomach and further down and she could feel how hard he was. How very hard and she knew what it would have taken him to say no and then invite her to sleep in his bed, just to comfort her.

If he wasn't the right man for her, who else would ever be?!

His breathing hitched when she shyly touched him and he groaned.

"What are you doing?" His voice was pained and breathy. She loved it. She loved how she made him feel. How she made her feel.

It wasn't love that he felt, but she would take lust now. At least he wasn't indifferent to her. He had never been.

"This time I am sure."

"I- I don't know." He said as he grabbed her teasing fingers and pressed it against his lips. "Do you really want to or is this just some misplaced guilt, Alex?"

"I want to be friends with benefits. No strings attached." Even as she said that, she knew she came with strings, strong strings, but she would be very careful not to let him see those strings and tangles. She could pretend that her heart was not involved in this game.

That this was all some primal, lusty instinct.

She could do that.

I can.

Look how far she had come in lying, since she met him. Once upon a time, not so long ago, she would have messed his plan from the the get go, but here they were, in the bed, together and no one was the wiser.

"You know what, why don't we just go to sle-"

"Don't you want me anymore? Did you change your mind?" She bit her lips as she stared at his back.

"Does this feel like I have changed my mind?" He pressed her hand against his tented briefs and she sighed.

"No? So why not?" She said as she tried to sneak inside those boxers, but he was strong and he held her hands back.

"I am just looking out for you. You know-how"

"How I am a virgin. I know. But it is not like I am totally innocent, Logan. So why don't you just shut up and kiss me."

"You were afraid... And-"

"Oh God, are you going to keep talking?" She said as she rolled him to face her.

"God, woman, what are you-"

"You are still talking. God." She said as she grabbed his hands, pulled it over his head and kissed the hell out of him, until he started to thrash and moan her name.

"Now, this is exactly what I had in my mind when I put this thingy on." She said as he pulled her in, and kissed her, passionately. And she was begging for oxygen.

This is hot. The inner voice said with a snicker. But dangerously addictive, so...

God, I don't need lectures right this moment.

When he pulled the thingy off, she instantly wanted to cover up, but then she looked into his gentle gray eyes as he caressed her body with his eyes. The look on his eyes was warm and adoring and - like he had never seen anything so beautiful, like she was a fragile rose made out of blown glass and she stopped herself from closing herself or her eyes.

He made her feel beautiful.

Sometimes when she was out, she had seen eyes that wandered over her, but those eyes made her feel disgusted, feel like worms were crawling in her skin, but when Logan looked at her, it made her feel warm, tingly, excited and safe, at the same time.

She looked up at him. She wanted to see every moment she had with him. She wanted to see the look on his eyes, sometimes warm and placid, and sometimes hot and urgent as he touched her and made love to her.

"You are so beautiful."

"You are beautiful, too."

"Oh my God, no man ever want to be called beautiful. Handsome, yes. Sexy, hot, okay. Smart, can take that."

"Sometimes you talk too much."

"I have never been a fan of talking, that is until you came and messed up all my dynamics." He said as he grabbed her hips and she chuckled. "What, I am trying to be sexy here."

"And you look funny." She said and he grimaced. "And beautiful." She gave him a salacious wink and he groaned before he grabbed her. "God, don't do that. No, don't do that."

"What? What am I doing?" He asked as he continued to tickle her and she laughed and thrashed beneath him.

"Stop. Stop."

"Tell me I am handsome and I look really, really sexy, minx."

"Yes. Yes."

"What? I don't hear you."

"Wow, you are annoying, Logan and do you think this is the time to be your usual annoying self?"

"That is not what I want to hear." He said with a smirk and she smiled up at his beautiful face, with his eyes crinkled at the sides with a smile that made him glow like those glow in the dark stickers.

"You are handsome." She said, her voice soft and husky and he stopped tickling her. "So handsome that I want to keep looking at you." She moaned when he drew circles on the inside of her leg and she let her fingers memorize his face, his body.

"Come here." He pulled her to him. "You want me?"

"Yeah. So much." She groaned when she felt him closer to her, so much closer.

He touched and teased and made her feel impossible things. His hands were everywhere, opening her up. She bloomed like a flower with his every touch. He kissed her neck, down, down and she moaned his name.

He opened the drawer and grabbed the condom and with Swift fingers, he wore it and she stared at him, mesmerized. He was handsome. He was like a magical being.

He rolled her over and kissed her, nipped her earlobes until she couldn't take it anymore. Her whole body was begging.

"I want you now,"

"Not yet, baby, not yet."

"You are killing me."

"No, I am learning you." He said as his fingers teased her wet core and she moaned against his lips.

"You can learn later. Now. Please." She said when she felt like she was going to explode.

And then he was inside her, all the way, and there was pain, the sting was undeniable. She almost cried.

He pulled back and stared at her. "You okay?"

"I am."

And then the pain was gone and the pleasure stole her breath away. It was like the stars colliding, like the storm brewing in the secret depth of the ocean. It made her eyes roll and her breathing hitch.

She could almost see herself floating in the cloud of rainbows with liquid chocolate running, her legs weak and trembly as he pushed her to ecstasy. It was something so different, so unlike anything she had ever felt and she loved it. She loved it was him.

When she thought this was the end, he pushed her further. She closed her eyes and she screamed out his name.

"Logan." Her voice stuttered as he pleasured her beyond the lines of pleasure, until she could not keep her eyes open, or ears, until all she could feel was him and the building pleasure, and then she shattered into a million tiny stars and fell down the earth.

He followed. "Oh, my, this is-" He sighed and rolled down from her.

He pressed a kiss to her sweaty, slick shoulder and she pushed her face inside his chest.

"Wait, are you like, shy? After all this?"

"Shut up." She said before he pulled her closer. She felt warm and fuzzy and this was the only time she had ever been closer to magic.

Her eyelids drooped and for a moment, there was silence and then she gasped. His fingers made a beeline to her stomach.

"What? It is only been ten minutes." She almost purred.

"Tell that to this one." He said as he pulled her back to him and then he was lost inside her and she was found by him.

~~~

(Logan)

Something was ringing. He didn't want to wake up. He was perfectly fine where he was, snuggling against his -

Wife? Friend with benefits?

He groaned when the thing kept ringing.

Get a hint. I don't want to pick up. Shut up, phone. He ordered it, but the thing was not picking up his mind voice frequency.

"Logan, that is your phone." She said groggily as she leaned against him and he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"I know, I am hoping that whoever it is will decide to grow some brain cell and stop." He yawned.

She tried to sit, but he pulled her back to him and she hissed at him like a steamy kettle.

"What?" He gave her a strange look and she blushed.

Okay? That is interesting.

He tried to grab her again and she swatted his hands away and this time he couldn't help but chuckle. She looked red as a tomato and she looked like she wanted to sneak out of his room, but was caught trying to do just that.

"Are you just trying to sneak out? Before my phone rang?"

"No, what are you talking about?"

"You did. Oh my God, you did. But- just humor me. Are we or are we not living in the same house?"

"Shut up and can you please turn around and hand me over a shirt."

"Do you want mine or do you want that scrap of cloth you called as a negligee." He felt like irritating her. She was so cute when she was annoyed.

"Something, anything. I would even take a dress made out of leaves."

"Okay, so to be clear, the woman who didn't want me to sleep after the second time and wanted to tease me about how lazy my thing was --which was not really lazy, if you ask me-- is now so shy she wants leaves to cover herself up."

"Don't sound too smug, you arrogant little-"

"There is nothing little about me."

"God, your head is much much bigger than everything else."

"Are you one hundred percent sure?"

"Narc." She scoffed at him. "The damn phone stopped. I am going back to sleep." She said, looking indignant.

"Not trying to sneak off anymore?"

"No."

"Good, now let me sleep for a while." He said as he spooned her and she snuggled back against him and then the phone started ringing again.

"The hell." He picked up the phone and Daniel's name flashed on the screen.

"Hey, man, are you still sleeping?"

"So? I just got married and what are you doing calling me at eight?"

"You know, you and your wife have a plane to catch at eleven. Remember that?"

"Oh shit I have totally forgotten that."

"I know, that is why I called you."

"And that is why I keep you around." Logan said and Dan chuckled.

"Okay, up and about and Em said she packed Alex' bag."

"Good."

"Wayne will pick you up in Limo."

"That is kind of over the top, don't you think?" Logan scrunched his nose.

"It will be romantic. You said you want to surprise her."

He said that, yes, but he didn't say anything about Limos.

"Okay, if you are sure."

"She will love it. So..."

"Okay." He said as he stood up. Alex screamed.

"Gosh, wear something."

"Now, she wants me to wear something." He taunted as walked to his bathroom. "I have my boxers on."

"Ugh, you are insufferable."

"Alex, you have twenty minutes to get dressed. We are going out."

"I want to sleep in." She grumbled as she pulled the cover up and snuggled inside. "It is so warm." She moaned.

"No, we have some place we need to be."

"Where?"

"Just drag your lazy ass out of the bed and take a shower, or you can join me. We can save water and time."

"Perv." She mumbled.

"What? I am trying to be sensible." He chuckled as he opened the warm water and the water slid down his body, soothing and comforting.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall when the door opened. He jerked upright and his eyes widened when he saw Alex standing there, with a smirk on her beautifully flushed face.

"What?"

"What what? I am just looking for some shampoo. Mine is empty." She said with a wicked smile.

"Brat." He muttered as he grabbed his shampoo and threw it at her. "Catch."

She tried, but the bottle slipped down her hands and hit the floor.

"God, idiot, warn me next time before you decided to throw random things at me." She bent down to pick it and the slippery floor was too much. She slid down and looked up at him, her eyes furious.

"I asked you to catch it."

"I can't stand."

"Here, hold my hand." She did and as he tried to pull her up, he slipped and fell down, over her, hitting his head in the glass.

"Oh my God, what are you doing?" She screamed as her back hit the tiled floor with a thud. Now she was fully wet and he was fully awake and aroused. "Ow, ow, God."

He rubbed his head as he looked at her. "You alright there?"

"Yeah, I am so comfortable here in your cold tiles with soap suds and freezing water that I just want to go back to sleep." She said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"No need to be all sarcastic. It is not my fault that you can't catch a bottle." He said as he sat down next to her. "Come on." He said as he grabbed her by her hips and pulled her next to him. She grumbled as he rubbed the back of her head. "Did it hurt?" He looked into her dizzying green eyes and she shook her head.

"Nah, fine." She stood up and he picked up the shampoo.

"You can stay, you know, you are already half done."

"No thank you, idiot." She said as she grabbed the shampoo and stormed out.

"Be careful." He said at the same time he heard her cursing at the damn door. He chuckled as he went back to his shower.

After he was done showering, he wore a black turtle neck with his leather jacket and pulled out his favorite denim pants. Combing his fingers through his hair, he started himself at the mirror and shrugged. That was as casual he could ever be.

When he walked out, she was already in the kitchen, scrambling eggs. She looked up and stopped as she stared at him.

"What?"

"You look different."

"Good or bad different?" He smiled as he pulled out a chair for him and her and poured two cups of steaming coffee.

"Sexy different." She said in a matter-of-fact tone before she went back to her eggs.

That was something he liked about Alex. She was shy, yes, but she wasn't all games. When she wanted to say something, she said it without overthinking it or being coy or subtle. He loved how straightforward she could be.

"Thanks. You look okay yourself." He said and she threw a sliced pepper at him with a grumbled. He caught it and took a bite out of it with a smile.

When they finished dinner, he walked her to the limo and he loved how her magical green eyes were sparkling with mirth when he opened the door for her and poured her a glass of bubbling champagne.

"Whoa, this is fancy. So where are we going?" She asked as she leaned back on the leathery cushion. He pondered to think before he gave her a wink.

"Surprise."

"Ugh, I don't like surprises very much. I kinda abhor it." She wrinkled her nose and he had this urge to tweak her nose. She looked too cute when she was annoyed.

When the limo stopped in front of the airport, she rolled her eyes.

"What?" He asked.

"Are we going somewhere loud and glamorous for our honeymoon? Please tell me no."

"No." He shrugged. He grabbed their suitcase and rolled them inside as she followed him, peppering him with questions.

"Oh come on, stop asking." He said, when she asked for the hundredth time where they were going. "Woman, please."

"I really don't fare well with unanswered questions. They claw and claw on my insides, until I burst. It is going to happen and then you will be the one to blame."

"Ah, don't be so dramatic." He said.

"I am not. It is the truth. And if I burst, there will be no surprise anymore." She gave him that doe-eyed look that sometimes made him want to do things he would not typically do. Like buying a new table. Like asking her to sleep with him even after she said no to sex. Like... Like marrying her.

"No, can't tell. You have to learn patience, Alex." He taunted as they walked in through security check. She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

"Oh, wait." He said as he stopped and picked up his ringing phone.

~~~

(Alexandra)

Alex watched as he stopped on the tracks. Just a minute ago, he looked so warm and naughty, but now the look was replaced with stark seriousness and cold aloofness. He was full on business mode now.

It was such a contrast, the two face of his. He pointed her to sit and she didn't want to, but she took the seat, anyways, as he paced the room, looking like a caged tiger wanting to rip off its cage. He was saying something to the person on the other end in an angry whisper, but she couldn't hear anything.

Whatever the person had said might have irritated or angered him, because he looked like he wanted to punch through the walls.

He said something, and then shook his head as he stalked towards her.

"I have to go." He said and she felt the deep pit of disappointment widening in her stomach, but she nodded he head as she stood up.

She was so excited to be with him, to be alone, to have him all for herself. Just for a few days.

"Okay." She stood up, hauling a bag and he waved at her.

"You can go by yourself if you want." He looked like he meant it, too.

Like I want to go on her honeymoon all alone. How pathetic would that be!

She really wanted to throw that bag at his face, instead she scoffed.

"Yeah, like I want to go anywhere in the first place. It was your stupid surprise. Well. Consider me surprised." She said as she marched past him.

He didn't say anything as he followed her out of the airport and called in a cab.

"I am sorry." He said when they sat in the cab.

She shrugged.

"It is okay. It is not like any of this is real. So it will be better if we stop pretending that this is. It will be much, much easier." She said before she looked out the window.

"I know you are angry, but..."

"Please don't say anything."

This is not real. We are not the real deal.

She had to remind herself how unreal this was. Over and over and over again.

Because her stupid heart was not getting the damn gist.

~~~

Alex: Well, God, this is the best surprise I have since the damn contract

Me: It is the thought that counts, no? He planned for this.

Logan: I did. I was really excited too.

Alex: whatever. I am going to go. This is just too much.

Logan: I said I am sorry.

Me: She is already gone... So...

Logan: It is all your fault.

Me: why is everything my fault?

Logan: because...

°°°

That went pretty well, huh???? Ruined surprises!

Did you like it, not?