Four voices called “Aye.”
Miranda jumped up from her seat and let go of it all. The air trapped in her lungs. The resentment toward her family. The frustrations about Salvation’s citizens. And, most of all, her second thoughts about her future with Logan. It didn’t fit into her ten-year-plan, but she didn’t give a damn.
“Motion fails. Meeting adjourned.” Sheldon banged his gavel and sprinted from his seat faster than a jackrabbit on speed.
A few hours and several celebratory beers later, she and Logan were tucked into the porch swing at Uncle Julian’s house. A blanket and Logan’s strong arms kept the fall chill at bay as they watched the stars twinkle above. The rest of the party had dispersed thirty minutes ago, and Natalie had scurried upstairs to start working on plans for reorganizing the brewery for prime efficiency.
As she sat with her back to his chest and her ass firmly against the growing bulge in his pants, he had the perfect angle to torment her, while she couldn’t reach him at all. His fingers danced up her inner thigh, coming so close to the juncture but always stopping short. The man had her strung high and tight. If he didn’t touch her soon, she was going to file a formal protest.
“You scared me there, you know.” She squirmed against his hard cock as his fingers made their way up her leg again.
He nuzzled her neck, right at the sweet spot where her shoulder met her throat. “How’s that?” He nipped her sensitive flesh, and her nipples tightened in response.
“When you left during the meeting. I thought you were gone for good.” Saying the words out loud pinched her heart.
“Sweetling, I’m not going anywhere except upstairs, where I’m going to make love to you until you pass out happy.”
“On a bed?” She couldn’t keep the giggle out of her voice.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside. “First time for everything.”
While he bounded up the stairs, she started unbuttoning his shirt, relishing each inch of skin revealed. They reached the landing and crossed into her room.
“And hopefully a second, and a third, and a—”
Hungry for Logan, Miranda silenced his words with her lips. Her pulse thundered in her ears as pleasure jolted through her, electrifying every nerve until she could focus only on his touch.
A groan vibrated his chest, and he tossed her onto the center of the bed. “You make me crazy.”
“We Sweets have that effect.” She whipped her shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor.
His hands went to work on his belt. “Nope. Only the woman I love does that to me.”
Her fingers slipped from her bra closure as her brain tried to process the word. “Love, huh?”
“You don’t have to say it back.” He tossed his shirt into a corner. “Not yet anyway, but yeah, love.”
A sense of rightness filled her. This was how everything was supposed to happen. Maybe it didn’t happen on her schedule or according to her expectations, but being with Logan was the plan from here on out. “I love you, too.”
He grinned. “Good, because otherwise this conversation was going to get very awkward.” Logan’s pants dropped to his ankles, and he stepped out of them. “Now, where were we?”
He kicked the bedroom door closed, shutting out the rest of the world, and proceeded to keep his promise.
Chapter Twenty-One
A hint of fresh paint hung in the air at the redesigned Sweet Salvation Brewery tasting room, but none of the thirty people who’d just finished a brewery tour complained. If anything, the inaugural tour crowd was a relaxed, chatty bunch. Miranda had been hesitant to start the tours only a few months after the dust up with Tyrell and the county council, but in the end she had followed Natalie’s advice.
Now her sister had turned her focus on Sean and getting him to agree to change the brewery’s organizational flow. The whole thing was like watching two stubborn donkeys bray at each other.
Miranda grabbed a short glass of beer from the tasting room bar and stepped onto the stage where a local band had just finished setting up.
“If I could have your attention.” Her voice boomed through the speakers, and she took a step back. “Sorry about that.”
The glass shook in her hand, the liquid sloshing around as she tried to calm her nerves. God, she hated public speaking. At least this audience was more receptive then the first talk she’d given at the brewery.
Ruby Sue held court by the bar. Natalie and Sean wove through the room, making sure everyone had a glass of their latest batch. Logan sat at a corner booth with his dad and Hud. Larry and Hud were laughing about something, but Logan looked straight at her and mouthed: Love you, Sweetling.
Her nerves melted into a gooey warmth that heated her better than a sauna in July. She sucked in a deep breath and her hands stopped trembling.