Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 23 – The Opposite of Hate
Logan closed his eyes and rested his head against the steering wheel of his car. He was exhausted. The fight with Rory the night before afforded him a restless evening of tossing and turning despite the copious amount of alcohol he poured down his throat. Being awoken with the news that Rory was gone, having escaped in Kevin's car, and the subsequent trip to the police station, completely unnerved him. All that, combined with the long drive back to Harford with a less than comforting Kevin in his passenger seat, left him feeling drained. To top it all off, he pulled into the Hayden's driveway just in time to witness the rather touching farewell between his girlfriend and her ex. When Rory and Tristan embraced, an action he couldn't help but notice she initiated, he felt his stomach lurch and his chest compress. For that moment in time, he literally stopped breathing. After the taller blond finally drove away and his eyes met Rory's for those few seconds, he felt almost hopeful, but that emotion was quickly dashed away by the cold manner in which she turned away from him before entering the house. So he sat with his eyes shut tight, his head resting against the steering wheel, willing himself to breath.
Kevin looked over at his friend. Never had he seen Logan—his best friend, the Logan Huntzberger—look quite so…quite so…defeated. Defeated was not a word one normally attributed to Logan, but at that moment, it was the only word that came to mind. "Logan?" he asked tentatively.
Logan didn't move or make a sound.
"Logan?"
Still nothing.
Kevin was worried. Logan sat perfectly still. Kevin wasn't even sure he was breathing. "I'll fix this," he vowed. The guilt he felt in the pit of his stomach at having created this situation for Logan intensified about a million fold when he saw his friend's reaction to Rory and Tristan's hug. "Look, man, I'm not sure how, but I swear to God I'll fix this." When Kevin woke up that morning he had no intention of caving to the pressure of apologizing to his sister. In fact, he still believed with all his heart that he did the right thing and that he shouldn't apologize. The legendary stubborn streak inherent in his Gilmore genes was strong. However, to make things right between Logan and Rory, he would apologize. He would gladly apologize. "It'll be ok."
Logan's head remained planted on his steering wheel, but he turned to his right and tentatively opened his eyes. "I don't understand, Kev. What is going on?"
"I don't know."
"Are they back…?" He couldn't say 'together.' The word wouldn't—couldn't come out of his mouth. The thought of Rory, his Rory, being with someone that wasn't him, and especially that slimy jerk, made him sick.
Kevin said nothing.
"Are we…?" He couldn't say 'over.' He couldn't even entertain the thought. He wouldn't let that word come out of his mouth.
Kevin was very much aware of what Logan didn't say. "I'll fix this," he vowed.
"Why him? She was in trouble. Why did she call him?" he asked in a weak voice.
"I…I don't…" Kevin shrugged and sat back in his seat. He didn't know what he could say to make Logan feel any better. So, he decided to say nothing.
Meanwhile, the three passengers of the black SUV parked behind the silver Porsche were anything but silent.
"Why are we still sitting in the damn car?" asked an agitated Finn. It was never a good idea to keep Finn in a confined space for an extended period of time.
"I told you," replied Colin, "let's just wait until Logan and Kevin get out of their car."
"Why?" Finn whined like a petulant child.
"Because."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Why?"
"Oh will you two please give it a rest," said Joanna. She'd hardly said a word to anyone the entire trip home. She'd been sick with worry ever since Kevin discovered Rory's empty bed that morning. Despite how responsible she knew Rory to be, Joanna was also very much aware of how impulsive her friend could be when she was upset. The night she and Tristan broke up, Rory, stricken with grief, attempted to walk to Joanna's apartment. That may not seem irrational, but considering Joanna's apartment was at least ten miles away and the fact that it was the middle of the night, made Rory's decision to go on foot far from a sound one. Joanna ended up driving to pick up an exhausted and trembling Rory at two in the morning on a deserted London street. The look in Rory's eyes after Tristan drove away reminded Joanna of that evening and that made her worry even more.
"How much longer are we going to sit here, mate?" Finn asked Colin.
"Just wait," insisted Colin. He was staring at the backs of Kevin and Logan's heads. The top was down on Logan's car which gave him a good view of the goings on in the Porsche. Right now Kevin was saying something, but Logan had his head bent over the steering wheel. Something in Kevin's expression and Logan's body language told Colin to hang back for a while.
"Let's just go inside," suggested Kevin breaking the unbearable silence.
Logan sat up. "No. I'm not going in there," he declared. "She obviously doesn't want to talk to me."
"Logan…"
"No!" he yelled banging his hand on the dashboard.
"She's just mad," said Kevin. "Just talk to her and try to…"
"No. I'm not going in there," he repeated. "This is so messed up. Everything is so messed up. I can't go in there."
"But…but…" Kevin sighed in defeat. This is exactly what he'd been afraid of when Logan first approached him about dating Rory. Now the two were in a fight and Logan didn't want to come into the Hayden's house—the same house he'd been escaping to since they were both kids.
"I just…I can't right now, Kev." He looked up at the house and for the first time in his life, it looked unwelcoming. "Look, she's home. She's safe. I'm exhausted…really exhausted. I just…I need some sleep. I just want to go home."
Kevin nodded. "Ok." He took a breath before opening the car door.
Logan remained in the driver's seat of his car while Kevin, Colin and Finn unloaded Rory, Joanna and Kevin's luggage.
"Call me later, Logan," said Kevin.
He nodded.
"I'll fix this," Kevin assured him.
Logan looked at him and said, "Get some sleep, Kev. You look like hell."
Kevin smirked. "I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah," muttered Logan.
Kevin then turned to Colin and Finn. "Follow him," he ordered. "Make sure he gets home ok."
"Will do, mate," answered Finn as him his duffle bag.
"Call me if you need anything," offered Colin.
"Just make sure Logan gets home ok. I've never seen him like this."
Colin nodded. "You got it."
"Thanks for ride, boys," Joanna said.
Finn walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It was our pleasure, love. You are more than welcome to occupy my backseat anytime you wish."
Joanna rolled her eyes but returned the hug. "Thank you, Finn. I appreciate the offer." She then turned to Colin and hugged him as well. "Bye, Colin."
Colin pulled her into a tighter embrace. "Make sure she's ok," he whispered to her. Although outwardly he seemed to be the least effected out of the group, he was far from it. He cared a lot about Rory and was as concerned for her well being as anyone involved.
Joanna gave him a small smile and a reassuring nod before walking over to the driver's side of the silver Porsche. She placed a hand over Logan's. He reacted to her comforting touch only by shifting his sad gaze to her face. "Rory cares so much about you," she told him.
Logan smiled and squeezed her hand finding a small bit of comfort in her words. "Could you tell her that…that I…umm…" He looked toward the house and sighed. "Never mind," he muttered before starting the engine.
Upon hearing Logan's engine, Colin and Finn climbed back into the SUV. The two cars drove off in the direction of the Huntzberger's mansion leaving Kevin and Joanna standing in the driveway. Joanna reached for her bags.
"No," said Kevin blocking her path. "I've got it. I can carry them in. Just…could you get the door?"
She knew it was a small attempt to make up for the tiff they had that morning. "Are you sure? I don't mind…"
"I've got it," he repeated placing a hand on her arm. "Could you…?" He looked toward the house his eyes full of concern.
Joanna nodded and granted him a reassuring smile. "I'll check on her," she said. She placed a hand over his and looked up into his eyes. "It'll be ok."
"Thanks," he said with a small smile.
Joanna opened the front door, left unlocked by Rory, and went in search of the brunette. Kevin picked up the smallest of the bags and carried it into the house. Although he was more than capable of bringing in multiple bags at once, he decided to stall for time by carrying in each piece of luggage one at a time. He needed to confront his Porsche-thieving baby sister and somehow make things right between her and Logan. And for the life of him, he had no idea how he was going to do that.
Joanna made her way up to Rory's bedroom to find the door locked. She was about to knock but then thought better of it. "This conversation is going to require some ice cream," she thought to herself. Rory had a tendency to clam up when she was upset and nothing loosened Rory's tongue during those times like ice cream. She headed for the kitchen to see what flavors were available.
Rory sat on the floor of her bedroom with her back against the door. She heard footsteps come and then go and couldn't be sure whose they were. Running a hand though her hair, she sighed. She felt completely overwhelmed. Her mind was full of images of her days in London and brief flashes of her time with Tristan. Her emotions were so jumbled at that point, she wasn't sure if she was more mad, sad, or glad. It was frustrating. She then remembered the fight with Kevin the night before and instantly, a wave of anger flashed through her. She got up, opened her door and stormed off in the direction of Kevin's bedroom.
Kevin dropped the last bag unceremoniously in the foyer. He was about to carry Joanna's bags up to the guest bedroom, but just as he reached for them, he heard angry footsteps above him. Looking up, he saw his sister stomping towards the east wing of the house, his wing. He frowned and curiously headed in that same direction. Slowly, he made his way over to his bedroom and looked inside to find Rory ransacking through his belongings. She had pulled out a few drawers and emptied their contents on the floor. The books on his shelf had been knocked over, his desk drawers open, and his belongs strewed all over the room. She was making a mess.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kevin asked angrily.
Rory poured out the contents of the drawer she'd just opened before looking up at her brother. "Where are they?" she demanded.
"Where are what?" he asked walking toward her, kicking things out of the way as he did.
"You know what, Kevin," she spat matching the look of rage in his eyes. "The gifts Tristan left for me. Where are they?"
Kevin groaned. "So that's what she was looking for," he thought. He knew he should make every effort to remain calm, but at the sight of his room, it was not going to happen. "Look at what you did to room," he yelled. "You can't just come barging in here…"
"Where are they?" she shouted pulling open another drawer and dumping more of his belongings on the floor. Rory wanted to make it very clear she had no intention of backing down.
"Stop it," he yelled pulling her away from his dresser. "You're cleaning this up!"
"Where are they, Kevin!?"
"Clean this up!" he ordered.
"Tell me where they are!"
"Clean up this mess, Rory!"
"They're mine! They were meant for me! You had no right keeping them for me! Now let me have them!"
Kevin stepped menacingly toward her. "Clean this up, Rory," he uttered furiously.
She stepped toward him, her eyes equally menacing, "Tell me where they are."
The two glared at each other for several long seconds before Kevin stepped back. He grumbled to himself as he headed toward his walk-in closet and pulled a box off the top shelf. In his anger, he dropped it harshly onto the floor and kicked it in her direction. "Here," he yelled. "Take it and get out of my room."
Rory walked over to the box that landed a few feet away from her and knelt down to pick it up. She quickly surveyed its contents before turning back to her seething older brother. "I only see three packages here," she said. "Where are the rest of them?"
All the guilt and sympathy Kevin had been feeling were now completely gone. All he felt at that moment was rage. "Ask dad," he said smugly.
Rory's eyes gleamed with renewed anger. "I can't believe you got Daddy involved in all of this."
"Got him involved? Please, Ror, he was happy to jump in. He agrees with me. Why do you think he let you go to the Vineyard?"
Rory's memory flashed back to the night her father found out about her and Logan—the night Kevin had miraculously convinced Christopher to let her go to Martha's Vineyard despite Logan's presence. "I can't stand you," she muttered through gritted teeth before heading towards the door.
"You better come back here to clean up the mess you made," he shouted after her.
Without even acknowledging him, Rory slammed the door behind her.
Even from the opposite wing of the house, Joanna could hear Kevin and Rory's shouting match. She thought it wise to wait in Rory's room, pints of ice cream in hand. She didn't have to wait long as Rory stormed in less than a minute later carrying a box. Rory huffed and let out a frustrated shriek before placing the box gently on her desk.
"Hey," said Joanna softly.
Rory looked up. In her rage, she hadn't even noticed Joanna was in her room. "Oh…hi," she answered meekly.
Joanna studied her for a moment. She looked disoriented. "Are you ok?"
"What? Umm…I don't…"
Joanna held up the one of the pints in her hand. Rory's body, through its own will, carried her to the cold comfort of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked. She ripped off the top of the container and scooped out a generous spoonful before collapsing on the floor. Joanna took a seat next to her and opened up the pint of the Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Joanna repeated her question. "Are you ok?"
Rory sighed and said, "The last twenty-four hours of my life have been a bit…"
"Dramatic? Draining? Dreadful?" she offered.
"All of the above," muttered Rory as she reached over to scoop out some ice cream from Joanna's pint.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "I talked to Tristan and that was…" She laid down on the carpet making sure to prop the ice cream carton on her stomach so it remained easily accessible despite her new position.
"It was?"
"It was…good…I guess."
"Did you two settle things?"
"Yes, but…" She stared at the ceiling.
"But?"
"I'm not sure if talking to him made me feel better or worse." Rory spooned more ice cream into her mouth. "I mean… everything is out in the open now and I'm happy about that, but I still feel…I don't know…not right. I mean…I still feel…."
"Guilty?" offered Joanna.
Rory sat up and looked at her quizzically. "Yeah. I guess I do…feel guilty. Why do I feel guilty?"
Joanna seemed to think for a moment before answering. "Because you care about Tristan," she stated simply.
Rory said nothing, but let her words sink in.
"You spent so much time being angry at him and blaming him for what he did to you. But now you know the whole truth. And part of you blames yourself for what happened."
"It was my fault," she admitted.
"No," argued Joanna.
"If I hadn't made that stupid list…"
"Even if you hadn't made the list, even if Tristan hadn't found it, what you wrote in that list would still have been true," she pointed out.
"I still feel like it was my fault."
"It's not anyone's fault: not yours, not Tristan's, and not Logan's. It just…it just happened that way, Rory."
"Maybe you're right."
"I know I'm right. And I think Tristan knows it too. "
"Yeah," she muttered absentmindedly.
"So," she began cautiously, "what about Logan?"
Rory sat up again. Garnering her ice cream spoon she asked, "What about Logan?"
Joanna eyed her carefully. "Logan, your boyfriend."
Rory rolled her eyes and laid back down. "Joanna, I've had a really intense day. I can't think about him right now. I don't have the energy. Not right now…not yet."
"He was really upset after your fight last night."
"Well I was pretty upset myself," she retorted.
"And he was worried sick about you this morning. We all were."
"Look, I'm sorry I just took off like that, but I just…I really needed to talk to Tristan. It was the only thing I could think about." She let out a long sigh, "And as far as Logan, I really can not process him right now. I'm too…"
"Just call him, Rory," she interrupted.
"I'm still mad at him."
"I know, but he's really in bad shape. Just call him ok…even just to tell him that you're not ready to talk yet. He just really needs to hear from you."
She took a deep breath and put the lid back on her ice cream. "I'm really tired." She got up and walked over to her bed. "I'm going to try to get some sleep."
Joanna looked a bit defeated, but attempted to smile anyway. "All right, get some rest." She collected the half empty pints of Ben & Jerry's and left Rory to her solitude.
Kevin surveyed the disaster that was his bedroom. He'd spent the last half an hour trying to calm himself down, but he was still so angry. In the past twenty-four hours, Rory had yelled at him, taken off without so much as a note, stolen his car, got it impounded, and ransacked his bedroom. On top of that, she'd made him sick with worry.
"Wow," said Joanna from his doorway. After dropping off what was left of the ice cream in the freezer, she'd decided to check on Kevin. "What happened in here?"
"Hurricane Rory," he muttered.
"Do you want some help cleaning up?" she offered.
"No. Rory made this mess. She's going to be the one to clean it up."
"She's taking a nap. I don't think that she'll…"
"No one's touching this mess, but Rory," he stated. "I don't care if it stays like this for the rest of the summer. She's cleaning this up."
Joanna couldn't miss the determined look in his eyes so wisely dropped the subject. It was also hard to miss how angry he still seemed. "Hey," she began walking toward him. "It's still light out. What do you say we hang out by the pool and just try to relax? I think we could both use it." She reached for his hand and laced their fingers together. "Come on, Kevin. Let's salvage what's left of this day."
He felt his anger begin to melt when he felt her hand on his. With a small smile, he said, "Are you trying to make me feel better?"
"Yes," she answered truthfully.
He laughed. Lounging by the pool with a pretty girl was exactly what he needed to calm his nerves. "Well alright then, I accept." Taking advantage of their joined hands, Kevin pulled her body flush against his. He took a moment to enjoy the contact before saying, "Any chance you'll put on that lovely pink bikini you had on a few days ago."
Joanna, though initially surprised at how intimately he was holding her, made no attempt to pull away. "That depends. How upset are you right now?"
"Very upset," he said overly dramatically.
"I suppose," she said in an overly dismissive tone. "If it'll make you feel better."
He smiled down at her and couldn't help but notice how beautiful she really was. "You know if didn't know better I'd say you were doing this because you cared about me," he said in a teasing voice.
Joanna took in his smirking face and pulled herself out of his grasp. "Well it's a good thing you know better then," was her cheeky response.
Kevin laughed and watched her retreating form as she walked out of his bedroom.
A few hours later, Lorelai and Christopher Hayden entered their home and were surprised to find it not empty. It was just starting to get dark, but still very warm outside. Kevin and Joanna were still poolside and engaged in a lively conversation.
"You're back early," greeted Lorelai as she walked toward the comfortable looking pair. Christopher followed behind her. "Did you have fun?"
Kevin frowned slightly, not appreciating his parents' timing. He was really enjoying his alone time with Joanna. Plus, it gave him an excuse not to think about his fight with Rory. His parents' arrival brought him crashing back to reality. "It was fun…for the most part."
Christopher raised an eyebrow at that. He recognized that particular tone in Kevin's voice. It was the one he used whenever he was in trouble. "What's going on, Kevin? And where's your car? I didn't see it when we pulled up."
"Oh…um…my car was sort of…impounded," he said softly.
Lorelai's eyes went wide. "What happened?"
"What do you mean it was impounded?" asked Christopher. "Were you in an accident? Are you hurt? Oh God, where's your sister?"
"Dad, calm down," said Kevin getting up. "Rory's upstairs sleeping. The car is fine. We weren't in any accident. No one was hurt."
He heard his parents let out identical sighs of relief. "So what happened?" asked a much calmer Christopher.
"I'm going to take a shower," said Joanna who quickly excused herself, but not before giving Kevin's shoulder a comforting squeeze.
Kevin saw no point in hiding the truth. His parents would find out one way or another. At least this way he could control how much of the truth they knew. "Last night, Rory and I got into a bit of an argument…about Tristan."
Christopher groaned.
"And this morning she left to go meet him and she took my car."
"What!? She doesn't have a driver's license," said Christopher.
"Yes, I know," said Kevin. "Which is why when she was pulled over for speeding, the state troopers brought her in and impounded my car instead of just writing her a ticket."
"She was arrested!" screamed Christopher.
"Oh my God," muttered Lorelai. "My poor baby."
"NO!" shouted Kevin. He needed to downplay the severity of the situation as much as possible. "She wasn't arrested. She paid a few fines and they let her go, but because she didn't have a license, they impounded my car. But I can pick it up tomorrow so don't worry. Everything's fine." He unrealistically hoped his parents would accept that explanation and let the matter drop, but the odds of that happening were slim.
"Everything is not fine," snapped Christopher. "I can't believe Rory would be this irresponsible. You were supposed to be watching her, Kevin."
"But, Dad…"
"How could this happen? Why would she just take off like that? What was she thinking? And this is all because of Tristan? I swear I am going to kill that little punk."
"Christopher calm down," ordered Lorelai. "Let's just take a breath ok. Let's not assign blame. It sounds like the worst that happened today was a few traffic tickets and an impounded car. Rory and Kevin are safe so let's just not lose our heads."
"How did all of this happen?" demanded Christopher.
"She…she found out about…the Tristan thing," said Kevin reluctantly.
Christopher paled.
"What Tristan thing?" asked Lorelai.
Father and son remained silent.
"Christopher," she said sternly, "what Tristan thing?"
"It's nothing, Lor," insisted Christopher.
She was not falling for that. "Chris."
"It's nothing."
"Christopher Hayden."
"It was for her own good, Lor."
"What was for her own good?"
Still no answer.
"Kevin."
Kevin looked away.
"Kevin Hayden, answer me."
Silence.
"Now, Kevin."
Kevin looked back and forth from his father to his mother. Staring down an angry Christopher was something he was accustomed to. He could handle that. Doing battle with an angry Lorelai was an entirely different situation. He was not at all prepared for his mother's angry glare. Kevin therefore gave his mother the Reader's Digest version of the Tristan situation—everything from the daily gifts, the reason behind the escape to Martha's Vineyard, the run in with Honor, all of which led to the fight between him and Rory and the succeeding drama.
When he was finished, Lorelai eyed her husband and son with a disgusted look on her face. "I can't believe you two. What the hell were you thinking?"
"It was for her own good," they said in unison.
"Oh my God. I don't believe…I can't…" She literally growled at them. "I'm going inside to check on my daughter…my eighteen-year-old daughter," she stressed. She moved back toward the house.
"Lor…" Christopher made a move to go after her, but she stopped him.
"Don't. I need to...not look at you right now. I can't believe you, Christopher."
"Lorelai," pleaded Christopher as he began to follow her into the house.
Kevin let his body collapse back into the lounge chair. He ran a hand through his hair. As his parents neared the patio door, he suddenly bolted up and called out, "Hey, Dad."
Christopher momentarily took his eyes off Lorelai's retreating back. "What?"
"The packages that Tristan left, where are they?"
Christopher frowned for a moment, but rather than finding out what was behind that question, he decided his best move was to chase after his angry wife. "In my study. Bottom left drawer of my desk," he answered absentmindedly.
Kevin sat outside for a few more minutes enjoying the serenity of the early evening before entering his father's study to retrieve Rory's packages. He carried them up to her room and tentatively knocked on her door. When she didn't answer, he let himself in. Rory was lying on her bed, propped up against her pillows, staring at an opened book, but not reading it.
"Can I help you?" she asked coldly.
"These are the other things that Tristan left for you," he informed her.
She nodded and turned back to the book she wasn't really reading.
Kevin placed the box he was carrying on the floor and stared his sister for a moment before speaking again. "Look, Ror, I know you're still pretty pissed at me for what I did. And to be honest, you're not exactly my favorite person right now either," he said thinking of his car and his room.
Rory remained silently staring at the book in her lap.
"But I just want to say that this whole thing was my idea. I guilted Logan into going along with it so don't blame him. It wasn't his fault. He only did what he did because I asked him to do it."
Still, she remained silent.
"Be mad at me all you want, Rory, but could you please talk to him? Work things out with him. In twenty years of friendship, Logan has never been uncomfortable about being in this house—until today. You're angry at him and it's affecting my friendship with him. That's exactly what I was afraid would happen. It was one of the reasons I didn't want you two getting together. This is something I warned you both about and something I did not want to happen."
Rory's flinched slightly letting Kevin now he was getting through to her on some level. However, she still refused to look at him.
"So, like I said, Rory, be mad at me. Yell at me. Blame me. Give me the silent treatment. That's fine. But talk to Logan. I've never seen him this upset about anything. And quite frankly, you don't look all that thrilled either. So just call him, ok?"
Rory maintained her silence.
Kevin, though frustrated by her lack of a response, felt he did all he could do at that point. He turned to leave, but before he exited the room, he added, "And you're going to clean up the mess you made in my room."
That comment made her turn her head angrily in his direction. However, he'd already closed the door behind him.
Logan sat, silent and miserable, poking his fork at the pasta in front of him. He wasn't hungry. The last place in the world he want to be was sitting at the dinner table with his parents and grandfather. Yet here he was—not that he had much choice in the matter.
"So did you kids have fun at the Vineyard?" his mother asked.
Logan gave the slightest of nods and continued to sulk.
"Logan, your mother asked you a question," said Mitchum sharply.
"Sorry," he muttered. Logan looked up from his plate and with a tight smile said, "It was fine, Mom."
Shira gave him a questioning look. Something was definitely off. Her son was never sullen. Angry and rebellious? Yes. Sullen? No. In fact, in the days leading up to his trip to Martha's Vineyard, she'd never seen Logan so happy. But now, he was just sitting there like a blob, very un-Logan like. Something was definitely wrong.
"So you kids had a good time?" she persisted attempting to draw him into some semblance of a normal conversation.
"Yeah."
"How was Kevin's birthday?" she continued.
"Great."
Shira let out a sigh and looked over to her husband silently asking him to say something.
Mitchum look annoyed with the non-verbal request, but couldn't miss the fact that there was definitely something wrong with his son. "So, Logan," he began. He never knew what to say to the boy. "You didn't burn anything down this time did you?"
Shira clanged her fork against her plate and gawked at her husband. "That's what you come with to ask him?" she said with a glare.
Logan's jaw visibly clenched, a sure sign he was angry and gearing up for a fight. However, he surprised everyone in the room, especially Mitchum, when he let out a sigh and weakly answered, "No. No fires."
Shira, Mitchum, and Elias all shared a confused look at that point. It was not at all like Logan not to rise to that kind of bait. Shira looked over to Mitchum and made another silent plea for her husband to speak to their son. Mitchum, not sure what to do or say, shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat. Shira let out a small frustrated sigh at her husband's response before turning her pleading eyes to her father-in-law.
Elias audibly cleared his throat before saying, "So, Logan, how's the new sailboat?" Elias knew how excited his grandson had been about that boat. "Did you get a chance to take her out?" He figured if something would get the boy talking, it would be that.
Unfortunately, the question created the opposite effect. Being reminded of his sailboat only reminded Logan of the boat's beautiful namesake. And that only added to his depressed state.
"Logan, your grandfather asked you a question," said Mitchum though less sharply than before.
Logan tried to muster up some enthusiasm and said, "The new sailboat is great, Grandfather. She handles like a dream."
Elias nodded in approval. That was the greatest number of words Logan had strung together all night. "Excellent. What did you end up naming her?" he continued.
Logan inwardly groaned. Answering that question truthfully would definitely open up a huge can of worms. And frankly, he was not in any state to handle that. "Oh…uh…"
Luckily, he didn't have to answer. The maid entered at that moment drawing the focus off Logan. "Excuse me."
"What is it, Louisa?" Shira asked in an annoyed tone. She hated having dinner interrupted.
The jittery young servant turned to Logan and said, "Miss Hayden is here to see you, Sir."
Logan sat up suddenly very alert.
"Rory's here?" asked Mitchum.
"She said it was important, Sir."
"Well bring her in here for God's sake," said Mitchum clearly irritated. "Why didn't you do that in the first place?"
"Mitchum," chastised Shira.
He ignored her. "Well why leave the girl standing in the foyer? It's ridiculous. Tell her to come in."
"Yes, Sir," muttered the maid.
Mitchum hadn't seen Rory since his last trip to London four months ago. He'd been meaning to get in touch with her to tell her how impressed he was with the work she did for him in London. He also wanted to congratulate her on graduating—valedictorian no less. "Rory," he bellowed cheerfully as she and the maid approached the table. "How are you?"
Louisa stopped when they were a few feet from the dinner table and quickly took her leave.
"Oh…I'm…fine, Mitchum." It was obvious to everyone at the table that Rory was everything but fine. She was pale as ghost and her eyes were pink, a clear indication that she'd been crying. "I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner," she said remembering herself.
"Rory dear, are you all right?" Shira's face was full of concern. "Louisa, bring Rory a glass of water," she ordered.
"Rory, what's wrong?" asked Mitchum in an uncharacteristically gentle tone.
"Oh…nothing. I'm fine. A bit tired…maybe," she said weakly. "I just…I needed to talk to…" She turned to face Logan her eyes full of emotion. Her bottom lip began to tremble as she felt her resolve slipping from her.
Without another thought, Logan got out of his seat and walked around the table. He instinctively pulled her into his arms, embracing her fully, not caring how the scene looked to his family. Relief washed over him the second he touched her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into his neck.
He nodded his head against her. "It's ok," he said soothingly. He wasn't sure what she was apologizing for, and he really didn't care. Rory was there. She came to see him and that's all he cared about. He ran his hands up and down her back hoping to bring her as much comfort as he could. "It's ok," he repeated.
Confused, Mitchum, Shira and Elias watched the scene.
"Logan, what's going on?" asked his father.
As if suddenly remembering where they were was and who was watching them, Logan pulled away from her but made sure not to break contact. He kept one arm firmly around her waist and cupped her face with his other hand. "Come on," he gently whispered before leading her out of the room and away from the prying eyes of his family.
"Logan," his father called after him.
"In a minute, Dad," he said sternly as he continued to lead Rory away. He guided them into the solarium and looked over his shoulder to confirm that no one had followed them before embracing her again.
Rory melted into his arms. "Logan, I'm sorry. I…"
"No, I'm sorry," he interrupted placing kisses all over her face. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have…"
"No," she interrupted frantically kissing his face and neck. "I was upset and I overreacted. I didn't mean to…"
His lips cut her off and for the first time since before the fight they kissed. The kiss was far from gentle as both desperately poured all their emotions into it. Logan maneuvered them into a chair in the far corner of the room. The last twenty-four hours had been hell for him, for both of them. Never had a fight, not even the few times he'd fought with Kevin, affected him quite so much. He'd been miserable and felt completely helpless. All those feeling disappeared the moment he had Rory in his arms again.
Logan sat down on the chair, pulling her into his lap. He couldn't believe how incredible she felt. There was definitely something to the concept of 'making-up' because after spending a day away from her—a day where she wouldn't speak to him, or let him touch her—every kiss, every touch felt so much more intense. He ran his hands up and down her bare thighs reaching underneath her skirt.
Rory repositioned herself until she was straddling him. She pressed her body against his, rocking her hips intimately over his groin and eliciting a very primal moan from Logan. She could feel his growing need for her and was only to happy to help him satisfy that need. Her hands busied themselves with untucking his shirt so she could feel the hot skin of his torso. When her nails began to scratch across his lower back, Logan came out of his lustful fog and pulled her hands away.
"We can't do this here," he said struggling to catch his breath.
It took a disoriented Rory a few seconds to comprehend what he was saying. "What…oh…God," she said getting off his lap and smoothing out her skirt. She suddenly felt very exposed. Logan's parents, not to mention his grandfather, were having dinner just in the other room. "I'm sorry…just got a little carried away."
He rose from the chair to tuck his shirt back in after which he pulled her in for another steamy kiss. "I think we both got a little carried away."
"That seems to happen a lot with us," she said with a small smile.
He kissed her lips once more, this time much more gently. "Are you ok?" Those three simple words encompassed so much. He knew they had a lot to talk about, but right now all he wanted to do was hold her.
Rory smiled at him then nuzzled her face into his neck. "I've had a really long day," she whispered. After Kevin had left her room, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about Logan. The reality of what she'd said and how she'd treated him the night of the fight hit her and she began to panic. Yes, she was angry, but the last thing she wanted was to lose him. Without informing anyone in her household, she slipped out and headed to the Huntzberger's estate as fast as her legs could carry her. All she could think about then was getting to Logan. "A really, really long day."
"Me too," said Logan as he caressed her back. "Worst day ever, Ace."
"Too much happened today and…when I saw you earlier…I couldn't think straight. I just couldn't deal with you yet" she rambled. "And then Joanna said something and then Kevin said something and then I just… knew that I needed to see you…so I ran over here."
"You ran?" he asked with a playful lilt in his voice.
"Well, I guess it was more of a speed walk," she admitted, "but still much faster than I would ever go for anyone."
"You speed walked for me?" he teased.
"I needed to talk to you…in person. I don't like being mad at you."
He pulled her in for another hug. "I don't like you being mad at me either. I'm so happy you're here, Ace, you have no idea."
She let him hold her tightly, reacquainting herself with the safe and warm feeling that engulfed her whenever she was with Logan. She pulled away so that she could look into his eyes when she said, "I really need to talk to you, Logan. Can we…can we go somewhere?"
Logan cupped her face and pressed their lips together. He'd meant t to be a short kiss, but it quickly grew more and more passionate. Only when Rory moaned into his mouth did he come back to the real world. He placed a gentle kiss on her head and said, "Wait right here. I have to do some damage control in there. If we don't want them getting suspicious I'm going to have to tell them something."
"Just stay in here for another minute," she suggested. "I don't think you should go back in there until you…" She reached for his still present erection giving him a light squeeze. "…calm down a bit."
Logan threw he head back and groaned as he instinctively thrust his hips further into her hand. Rory, though somewhat surprised at the boldness of this move, smiled at his reaction. There was definitely something about making-up. She began stroking him through his pants as she placed open mouthed kisses on his neck.
"That's really not helping, Ace."
"No?" she asked playfully continuing to pleasure him. "Do you want me to stop?"
"God no!" He pushed her back against the nearest wall and kissed her senseless. As Rory continued to stroke him, Logan reached under her skirt running his fingers gently over her panties. He broke the kiss in order to look over his shoulder. Breathing heavily he said, "We really shouldn't be doing this here."
Rory struggled to catch her breath. "I know," she said, not taking her hand of him. Through the thin layer of khaki, she could feel how much he wanted her, making her feel unbelievably sexy. Despite the fact that any member of his family could walk in on them at any second, she seriously couldn't help herself.
Logan groaned before violently shoving off of her. His sudden movement caught Rory off guard, and when she stepped toward him, he held up a hand in protest. "Don't move," he said keeping her at arms length. "You stay right there," he ordered. Logan began pacing back and forth attempting to regain control over his body.
Rory watch him and giggled in amusement.
After about a minute, he stopped pacing and said, "I'm going to go back in there just to make sure they didn't get the wrong idea about us."
"Don't you mean to make sure that they DO get the wrong idea about us?"
Logan frowned. "Well, yes, I suppose. We can't have them thinking we're romantically involved can we?"
"Not if we want to keep our sanity," she added dryly.
"Right. So, I'll make sure the secret's not out and then you and I can get of here and go…"
"Talk?" she offered her voice laced with innuendo.
"That too," said Logan knowing full well they really did need to talk.
"Ok," she said placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "What are you going to tell them?"
"The truth…or at least a watered down version of it." He straightened his clothes and winked at her before strolling back into the dining room.
It was almost as if they were waiting for him because Logan was barely in the room before they began firing questions at him.
"Logan, what is going on?" asked Mitchum.
"Is Rory all right?" asked Shira.
"Should we call a doctor?" asked Elias.
"Rory's fine, Mom," he began. "She's really upset and pretty shaken up, but otherwise fine."
"What happened?"
"There was a big, big fight at Martha's Vineyard last night between her and Kevin. It got pretty ugly and it's why we came back early. Apparently it escalated when they got home…Christopher got involved and Rory just…took off."
"Why did she come here?" wondered Shira.
"She's been away for four years," he reminded them. "None of her friends live around here so she just ran to the nearest house she knew." There. That was plausible—plenty of half truths to make the story believable. Logan watched their faces and was satisfied that they seemed to be buying it. "Anyway she's really upset. I'm going to take her out and try to calm her down before I take her home."
Mitchum nodded and smiled proudly, though somewhat skeptically, at his son. "That's very responsible of you, Logan."
"Yeah well, she's my best friend's little sister," he said solemnly. "So…I'm going to go. Rory's waiting." Logan left the room as quickly as possible. He was eager to get away from his nosy family and even more eager to get Rory alone.
"I'm going to call Lorelai," said Shira getting up from the table. "I don't want her to worry." Over the years, Lorelai had extended her the same courtesy. She'd always made a point to call Shira whenever Logan decided to seek sanctuary at the Hayden's house. Shira was happy to return the favor.
When she was out of earshot, Elias turned to his son as asked, "You buy any of that?"
Mitchum shrugged. "Knowing Logan, there were at least a few partial truths in that story. But they're obviously hiding something."
"Did you see the way he looked at her?" Elias asked knowingly. Despite being in his seventies, the lifetime reporter still had an eagle eye.
"A blind man could have seen the way he looked at her," said Mitchum.
"This could be trouble, Mitchum. She's from two very important families and your son is…well let's face it, the boy is too much like you were at his age."
Mitchum nodded in agreement. "Yes, but I don't think even Logan is that irresponsible."
"You better be right."
"I know I am," said Mitchum. "Whatever infatuation he may feel for her, he's not stupid enough to act on it."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Kevin Hayden would kill him if he did. And I know for a fact that that's one friendship Logan would never dream of jeopardizing. Whatever's going on, it's not that."
Logan took Rory out the back way stopping in the kitchen to throw a few things into a bag. Suddenly, his appetite had returned.
"What are you doing?" asked Rory.
"Sustenance," he replied fishing things out of the pantry. "I'm starving."
"Sorry I interrupted you dinner."
"I'm not," he scoffed recalling how awkwardly that dinner was progressing. After he'd rummaged through the fridge and the pantry, the cloth bag he was holding looked nearly full. "Apples or pears?" he asked as his hand hovered over a fruit bowl.
"Neither," she said disgusted. "Ew."
"Right." He laughed, but grabbed an apple for himself before moving back to the pantry. "Oreos or chocolate chip?"
"Or?"
"Right." He laughed again and dumped both types into the now overflowing bag. "Ok, let's go," he said opening the back door.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Someplace where we can talk. Hold this," he said smiling as he handed her a blanket. Logan led them through the backyard, past the guest house and down the path that led to the lake.
Rory had to laugh at the fact that he brought her there, the scene of the 'bridge dive' that basically changed her life.
"What's so funny?" he asked as he spread the blanket out over the grass.
She stared over at the footbridge. "It seems smaller," she said not really answering his question.
"What does?"
"The bridge. It seems smaller."
Logan finished laying out the blanket and looked over the lake where the bridge stood. "When was the last time you were here?"
"The summer before I left," she replied seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
"I remember. It was Kevin's birthday right?"
She smiled. "Yeah. The four of you threw a party and everyone jumped off that bridge."
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Rory instinctively leaned back into him. "Not everyone. If I recall correctly, you didn't make the jump, Ace."
"No thanks to you," she said.
His face took the most innocent of expressions. "Me? What did I do?"
"You had to go and tease me and make me the center of attention. Everyone was looking at me and yelling. I was too scared to jump after that."
He laughed remembering the terrified and embarrassed look on the face of a then fourteen-year-old Rory. "You were too easy to rile up back then," he said laughing.
"Stop laughing," she halfheartedly commanded.
He stifled his laughter knowing that, although she didn't seem to be angry anymore, he was still on shaky ground. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok," she replied automatically.
"No, I mean I'm sorry," he said his face serious.
Rory glanced at his expression over her shoulder before turning around to face him.
"I'm sorry for…lying to you about the flowers. And for not telling you what Kevin was up to. I just…I thought I was protecting you. He'd hurt you, Tristan I mean, and…I didn't want him to get the chance to do it again. I didn't want him to mess things up between you and me so…I just went along with what Kevin said. I shouldn't have and I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."
Rory looked up at him and smiled. "Apology accepted." She got on her toes and lightly kissed his lips. "I'm sorry too, Logan. That night…I found out something about Tristan and I was upset and…I took it out on you even though it really didn't have anything to do with what you did…at least not directly. Anyway, it was unfair of me to do and I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about my disappearance this morning. I just…I needed to do something. I didn't mean to worry anyone."
"Apology accepted." He leaned down and kissed her lips.
"Good," she said with a nod. "So?"
"So? Fight over?" he asked playfully.
She smiled. "Fight over."
"Thank God. I'm not a fan of fighting, Ace. Let's not do it again."
"Good deal. So? Time for cookies?"
He laughed and pulled her down onto the blanket. "Eat up, Ace."
Logan unceremoniously dumped out the contents of the bag he packed. Rory dug into the cookie supply as Logan made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There was a brief discussion on the merits of strawberry verses grape jelly where Rory insisted he bring only strawberry the next time they had a picnic. Rory mocked him mercilessly for bringing fruit and tossed bits of cookie at him as he ate his apple. Once they were done eating, Logan packed up what was left over and the two got comfortable on the blanket to gaze up at the stars.
Logan was lying on his back carelessly stroking the dark locks that were splayed over his chest. "What were you upset about last night?" he asked suddenly.
"Huh?"
"You said you were upset about something that didn't really have anything to do with me? What was it?" He felt her body tense and she didn't say a word.
Rory was feeling very at peace with the situation. She'd just devoured a large amount of sugar and was feeling the beginnings of a coma when Logan broke the serenity of the moment with his question. She sat up, keeping her back to him, and looked out over the lake towards the bridge that held so much meaning in her life. Telling Logan the details of her break-up with Tristan would mean revealing to him how she'd felt about him all these years. And while she wanted to share everything with him, she wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him that.
Logan watched her closely. It was dark and even though she wasn't facing him, he knew she was making a mental pro-con list trying to decide how best to answer his question. He waited silently, not wanting to push her.
"Do you remember that first night in your dorm?" she asked not daring to turn around as she decided this may be easier if she wasn't looking at him.
"Yes."
Rory kept her eyes lock on the bridge finding her courage in that memory. "What I told you about my break-up with Tristan?"
"Yes."
"Well, there's a little more to it."
"Ok."
"Tristan…wanted to break up with me. And he wanted it to hurt as much as possible. That's why he ended it the way he did."
Logan felt his blood pressure rise.
"You see he found my…" She paused. "This is hard."
"It's ok. Take your time." He reached out and let his fingers graze her back. It was barely a touch, but Rory found comfort in it.
"He found my pro-con list, the one that helped me decide between Harvard and Yale."
"Wasn't I suppose to build a shrine to that list?" he kidded.
She laughed but didn't turn around. "I do remember you proposing to erect a shrine of some sort, yes. Well, he found it and he kind of freaked because…" She paused again.
"Because?"
"Because he wasn't on it."
"Oh."
"And because you were." She stopped, not daring to go on until he said something.
Logan wasn't sure what to make of what she'd just said. "I don't understand."
Rory took her eyes of the bridge and looked over her shoulder. "You were on my list."
"Pro or con?"
She smiled down at him and grabbed his hand. "Pro."
"Phew," he said wiping imaginary sweat off his forehead.
She laughed and gave his hand a squeeze.
"I was on your list?"
"Yes, well…you see…I've kind of…" She turned away from him and looked off at the bridge again. "I wanted to go to Yale because that's where you were."
He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.
"You see…I've sort of had…feelings for you…for a while now and…I wanted a chance to be with you." She stared at the bridge. "I've been carrying around that secret for a while and I always thought I would feel this huge sense of relief once I told you."
"Do you?"
"No," she said looking down. "This feels pretty humiliating."
He laughed.
"And you laughing at me doesn't help," she shouted dropping his hand.
Logan continued to laugh. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her placing a kiss on the skin behind her ear. Rory tried to wiggle out of his grasp but he held her tight. "Ace, look at me."
"No."
The moon and stars afforded him enough light to see that she was blushing brightly.
"Please, Rory."
She sighed. "Why did he have to use my name?" she thought. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm going to count to ten and turn around and when I do, you better not be laughing, smiling or smirking. Do you understand?"
He laughed. "Ok, Ace."
"1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10. Ok, I'm turning around."
"Wait, hold on. I need another ten seconds," he said suppressing his laughter and trying to school his expression into something she wouldn't find offensive.
Rory rolled her eyes, counted to ten again and after receiving no objection from him, she slowly turned around. "Hi," she muttered.
Logan took in her adorably embarrassed face and despite his best efforts his own face broke out into a smirk.
Rory glared at him. "I hate you," she declared trying to turn away from him.
Logan grabbed hold of her and pulled her to him as he laid back down so she was on top of him. "I don't think you mean that, Ace. Seems to me you 'the opposite of hate' me."
Rory groaned and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She could feel his chest vibrating as Logan continued to chuckle. "Stop it," she demanded pounding her fist lightly on his chest.
He made only a half hearted effort to stop laughing. "You're too cute, Ace."
"Logan, please stop laughing."
He went on for a few more seconds before finally finding the self-control to stop, though he continued to smile. "I'm sorry, Ace, but you're just way too cute."
"You're making fun of me."
"No," he insisted. "I swear I'm not. I just…can't believe you told me that. You had a crush on me?"
"Yes," she begrudgingly admitted. "Although right now I can't remember why."
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "And you decided to come to Yale to be with me?"
"That wasn't the only reason," she said still obviously very embarrassed.
"But it was a big reason?"
"Yes."
"And you put all of this in your pro-con list?"
"Yes."
"A list that your boyfriend found?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"And a list that had no mention of said boyfriend?"
She sighed. "Yes."
"Wow, that must have sucked," he said feeling a tiny bit bad for Tristan—a very tiny bit.
"He was pretty crushed."
"I don't blame him," said Logan. "I would have been too."
"Yeah."
"I don't know that I would have gotten back at you the way he did."
"You never know," said Rory. "I hurt him pretty badly."
"I assume this is why you needed to see him?"
She nodded. "I had to make things right, Logan. He was really important to me for a long time. That's why what he did hurt me so much. Because the Tristan I knew would never act that way…never treat me that way. When I found out he read that list…I was so…I was so… It made sense. Why he acted the way he did. So we talked and we apologized and we forgave each other."
He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.
"I just needed the closure, Logan. That's all it was."
Relief washed over him at that admission. "I'm glad you got your closure, Ace. Does this mean we'll be seeing more or less of Mr. DuGrey?"
"He leaves for Boston in the morning. What you saw this afternoon was two friends saying goodbye."
More relief. "Well…I wasn't really worried," he said casually.
"Good," she said smiling. "Because there was never any reason for you to be worried. I'm with you. And as long as you're honest with me, I'll stay with you."
Logan didn't miss the little dig. He wanted to stay away from the subject of his lying so he said, "I can't believe you had a crush on me. How long have you had a crush on me?"
She blushed again. "A while."
"How long of a while?" he asked playfully.
"Do you remember that Christmas party at my grandparents' when you found me hiding upstairs?"
His eyes widened in surprise. "That was like eight years ago."
"Six," she corrected.
He paused for a moment staring up at her. "I remember that Christmas. That was the year our parents made us kiss under the mistletoe."
She blushed at being reminded of that moment.
"You've had a crush on me since then? For six years?"
"Yeah," she answered weakly.
He chuckled finding great amusement at her embarrassment. "Ace, that's adorable. I'm flattered. I can't believe that. Why didn't I know about this? Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"Do you remember what I was like back then?" she asked eyes wide with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment.
He thought about that for a moment. "You were…quiet."
"I was ridiculously shy. And it's not like you knowing would have made a difference," pointed out Rory. "Except maybe you would have teased me even more."
"Is that why you didn't want to go to Chilton?"
"Partly," she confessed. "I really did want to try something new and boarding school gave me a chance to do that. And it was so hard for me to be around you sometimes. I got all awkward and self-conscious."
"Aww, Ace." He pulled her closer.
"You never would have seen me…that way. And I knew it would have just gotten worse if I went to Chilton. High school kids have a tendency to be shallow and cliquey. It would have been torture being in the same school as you. I would have always just been Kevin's baby sister, the shy, quiet bookworm and you...you were Jordan Catalano."
"Who?"
She gasped. "I'm going to pretend you didn't ask that."
"Ok."
"Regardless, I couldn't…say anything to you about it."
"You're too hard on yourself, Ace. Yes, you were a little shy, but you were also the sweetest girl in the world. I adored you."
"You did not," she scoffed.
"I did to," he insisted. "You were the nicest girl on the planet. You still are. I admired you for how hard you worked and for putting up with me and the guys the way you did. I know we didn't make it easy for you. I know I made things hard for you a lot of times with the way I used to tease you and all those pranks I played on you. But I was a kid. It was how I showed I cared."
"That's crap and you know it, Logan."
"It's true," he said. "I care about you. I've always cared about you. Even back then, Ace."
She smiled and leaned down to place a light kiss on his lips.
"I adored you. We all did."
"You adored me like you would a little sister."
Although Logan was a bit disturbed by that accusation, it was accurate. "Yes, I thought of you like a sister. We all did. But I still would have done anything for you back then."
"And now?"
"Now? Ace, now I would do anything for you times infinity."
She smiled and moved her body completely over his. "Really? Would you rob a bank for me?"
"Because you don't have enough money?" he teased.
"Would you?" she challenged.
"Yes."
"Would you…give up fruits and vegetable for me?"
He laughed. "Yes."
"Would you…take your shirt off for me?" Her eyes locked onto his and her voice dropped to a husky whisper.
"Yes," he replied his own voice full of lust.
Rory sat up and repositioned her legs so that she was straddling him. She slowly began running her fingers along the outline of his penis until he was fully erect. "Would you show me how much you want me?
"Yes," he said in a throaty moan.
"Would you show me right now?" she asked gripping him fully.
Logan responded by sitting up to meet her in a hard, bruising kiss. His hands immediately went to her thighs gripping them tightly and pulling her more intimately against him. Rory responded with a groan as her core was now pressed up against his straining cock. She rocked her hips back and forth loving the sensation the friction created. When their tongues met, Logan felt the fire in his belly roar to life. It always surprised him how the incredible she tasted. He slowed the kiss down just long enough to reverse their positions and he gently laid her down on the blanket.
Rory pushed at his chest, breaking the kiss, and moved so he was kneeling between her legs. With her back now on the ground, she arched her body and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. She lost herself in pleasure as she began rubbing herself against his hardness. Logan gripped her hips helping to support her movement. He loved what she was doing. Not only was she effectively pleasuring them both, but watching her lift her hips up and down, her skirt pushed up to an obscene height, as her long, long legs were wrapped around him was a truly beautiful sight. Their eyes stayed on each others and Logan struggled to keep himself in his kneeling position.
"Shirt," she said in between moans. "Take it off."
Logan took his right hand off the hip it was holding and quickly pulled his shirt over his head. Rory smiled in appreciation loving the view she had. Logan, with his beautiful toned chest, eyes full of lust staring down at her, gripped her hips and helped her move up and down over his erection. He moved his hands underneath her skirt and yanked at her panties. He unhooked her legs, much to her frustration, so that he could pull those panties off completely. Tossing them over his shoulder, Logan gave her a wicked grin before taking her right leg and propping it on his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed his way up her calf and along the inside of thigh. He did this at an agonizingly slow pace, swirling his tongue over her sensitive flesh. Rory laid back, closed her eyes and concentrated on how amazing he was making her feel. Logan brought his mouth close enough to her core so that she could feel his hot breath on her folds. Just when she thought he was about to pleasure her with his mouth, he pulled away, leaving her confused and overcome with want.
"Logan," she pleaded. She tried to rub herself against him to relieve the pressure he'd created, but he had one hand firmly on her waist, holding her down. Before she could express her frustration, Logan's moved her leg off his shoulder and his lips came crashing down on hers. For Rory, the kiss, though mind blowing, did not completely distract her from the aching pool between her legs. She tried to wrap her legs around him again, but the weight of his body held her thighs prisoner. She writhed, seemingly in agony, underneath him, her body begging him for more.
Logan could sense her frustration and was purposely keeping her at bay. He moved off her long enough to lift her shirt off her head. He looked down at her, messy hair, bruised lips, eyes dark with lust, wearing only a bra, a skirt, and no panties. "You're so beautiful, Ace." He leaned back down and buried his face between her breasts. He turned his head from side to side kissing and licking the tops of her breasts, but making sure to skirt around her nipples.
Rory knew he was teasing her, giving her just enough to want more, but staying away from her most sensitive areas. Hoping to take the matter out his hands, she pushed him off slightly so she could arch her back and unhook her bra. He watched mesmerized as she did this. Knowing she had his attention, Rory felt around her breasts, and slid the flimsy material off in a burlesque style tease. After tossing it aside, she gave him a coquettish grin before covering her breast with her hands. Logan involuntarily thrust his hips against her finding the sight unbelievably sexy. He was further aroused when Rory's small hands began to move over her breasts, rubbing them and pushing them together. At the look of intense desire in his eyes, Rory smirked, grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to her chest.
Logan nearly lost all sense of control. His mouth found a puckered nipple immediately and sucked it into his warm mouth. A wave of pleasure shot through Rory and the ache between her legs became almost unbearable. Unfortunately, Logan had a very steady hold of her thighs and she could do nothing to relieve that ache except press her legs together…hard.
"Logan, please," she begged.
He smiled against her skin and moved one hand to undo his pants. As his mouth continued to lave at her breasts, Logan pushed his pants and boxers down until they bunched against his thighs. He gripped his erection and tentatively moved it underneath her skirt.
"Ace, look at me?"
Rory opened her eyes and looked into his. Distracted by the pleasure he was giving her, she had no idea that he'd lowered his pants.
"You wanted me to show you how much I wanted you?"
"Yes."
Logan slid his body up hers until his hardened cock pushed against her wet folds.
"That's how much I want you."
Rory threw her head back and moaned.
"Look at me, Ace."
Rory opened her eyes and began rocking her hips over the head of his penis. With each movement, he pushed further in her. "Logan," she cried out. "Please."
He wanted to take her right then and there. He knew she was so far gone with desire that she wouldn't stop him. However, rather than thrusting his hips forward to enter her, he pulled his erection away from her, away from temptation. Rory cried out as if in pain. She was about to scream in anger when she felt his fingers enter her, instantly moving to give her the release she so desperately needed. Logan watched as she writhed in pleasure, her face contorting, her voice calling out his name. He shifted lightly to his side to enable his erection to rub against her thigh. Feeling his hardness against her skin, Rory forced herself out of her haze and sat up. She used one hand to prop herself up and reached for his erection with her other hand. Logan adjusted his body in order to optimize their position. As he continued to pump his fingers into her, Rory stroked him to an almost identical rhythm. They felt their climaxes building. Logan left her walls tighten around his fingers and Rory could feel him pulsating in her hand.
Out of no where, a loud crack could be heard over them and a light drizzle began to pour. Logan looked up, trying to decide what to do. He stopped moving his hand only to have Rory call out to him, "Don't stop. Please."
As she made that request, she tightened her grip and began working him harder. In response, Logan redoubled his efforts to bring her over the edge. The rain continued to come down harder, but Rory and Logan lost in each other and consumed by their pleasure, didn't seem to care how wet they got. On the contrary, watching each other's bodies glistening in the pale evening light seemed only to fuel their desire. Logan watched as Rory found her release the sight of which triggered his own. Their screams rang out in the air and the two collapsed against each other, soaking wet, but blissfully satisfied. It took a flash of lightening to bring them out of their daze.
"We need to get out of here," said Logan.
They quickly collected their belongings, getting dressed as quickly as possible, a task made complicated by their wet bodies and rain soaked clothing. Hand in hand, and laughing all the while, Rory and Logan made a mad dash back to the Huntzbergers.