“Two brothers fallen, Jackson. Here’s to remaining single.” Cooper held his beer bottle up, and Jackson tapped it with his. “Mick?”
Mick’s eyes were locked on Amanda and her date. “Huh? Sorry.”
“I think Ally’s sister has an admirer,” Logan said to Heath.
Heath arched a brow at Mick, who shook his head and said, “She works for me.”
“So?” all four Wild brothers said at once.
“On that note, I think I’ll go grab another beer from Dylan.” Mick looked around the table. “Anyone else want one?”
Cooper nudged Jackson. “Check out the two blondes at the bar.” He and Jackson joined Mick, leaving Logan and Heath alone.
Heath read Ally’s text.
I don’t want to spoil your fun. I’m reading one of the journals you gave me.
It was just like her to put him first.
“Tell her to meet us,” Logan said.
“You read my text message?”
“No. I read the look on your face. Heath, being jealous is totally normal. Missing her is normal. If you’re like me, you’re sitting here trying to have a good time when you really want to be with her. Don’t you think I would rather be with Stormy every minute of the day?”
Heath shrugged. “I assume you would, but what do I know?”
“You know more than you think you do.”
“Logan.” Heath scrubbed his hand down his face in frustration. “Ally has become everything to me way too fast. I think about her when I wake up. I want to be with her the minute I leave work, and the messed-up part is that I trust her explicitly, when the way we met should totally nix that idea from the get-go.”
“One-night stand?”
One quick nod gave Logan his answer.
“Big shit. Stormy and I started off with hate sex.”
“Hate sex? What does that mean?” Heath asked.
“Sex to escape all the stuff in life that you hate. You know, get it out of your system.” Logan wrinkled his brow. “Okay, so you probably don’t know hate sex. That’s not really your thing, but that’s how we started. So what? Would it have been better if we’d started on a blind date? Would I love her more? Trust her more? Care for her more? Hell no. Life isn’t neat. Why should relationships be?”
“That’s just it,” Heath admitted. “I don’t think I could care for her more than I do, and then the next day comes, and that feeling just gets bigger. Now I’m sitting here itching to see her, and I’ve become the clingy bitch I avoided all these years.”
Logan’s blue eyes twinkled with a brotherly taunt. “Shit, look at you. Man, don’t tell Coop and Jackson that. They’ll eat you alive. But I get it.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t you think I’m wondering how many guys are checking out Stormy right now? Even though I know she’s coming home to me, my gut’s on fire.”
“Join the club.” Heath inhaled a deep breath and blew it out fast. “Listen, tell Thing One and Thing Two I’ll see them at Mom’s Sunday, and tell Mick goodbye. I’m going to take off. You’re a bigger man than me, bro. I can’t sit here wanting to be with her for another second when my legs work just fine.” He patted his brother’s shoulder as he stood to leave. “Thanks, Logan. I needed to hear every word you just said.”
“Who would have thought you’d learn a lesson from your younger brother?”
“Logan, you’ve taught me more about bravery and loyalty in the last few years than anyone else ever could.” He tipped his chin as a way of saying goodbye and thank you, and headed for his woman.
Chapter Thirteen
ALLY PEERED THROUGH the peephole of her apartment door and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Heath pacing the hallway. Before pulling the door open, she allowed herself an extra second to gawk. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were trained on the ground, as if he were mulling something over or was annoyed. He rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. She wondered if something had happened with his brothers. It had been a while since she’d texted him about not meeting him at NightCaps.
She opened the door, and the second he lifted his eyes, all that tension seemed to melt from his body and float away. His full, beautiful lips curved up, and his gaze softened as he reached for her. There was a tingling in the pit of her stomach as one arm circled her waist while the other wrapped around her back and pulled her against him.
“You’re supposed to be out with your brothers.”
“I missed you too much to stay away a second longer.” The emotion emanating off of him was different from the fierce sexuality she was used to. The way he was looking at her spoke of the bond she felt forming between them.