Logan Nash

Spits of rain begin to speckle the sidewalk as I set foot out of the town car. Allowing the door to slam shut behind me, the sound reverberates down the street and Shelby turns to see me. Her joyous sapphire gaze ignites when it finds mine and a radiant glowing smile spreads across her face.

"Logan!" She calls excitedly, rushing recklessly forward towards me. The collision of her soft body as it slams into mine as much takes my breath away as it knocks the air from my lungs. The stitches that pull at my wounds tighten with a sting and for a split second small white speckles spot my vision.

The walnut cane that I had been propping my weight upon drops from my hand as she crashes into my chest and I allow my arms to encircle her waist. "Oof! Easy, Woman!" I chuckle through a pained wince.

"Oh shit, sorry, did that hurt?" Shelby panics, drawing back in my arms to inspect me for damage, but it is all hidden beneath layers of bandages and a tailored navy suit. She runs her hands across my shoulders and down my chest to where those fresh scars still ache so deeply. But I don't have the presence of mind to notice the pain, all I can think of is the chaotic and uncontrollable beauty I hold in my arms.

I'm fucking mad about her.

"It's alright, Barbie." I can't keep the grin from my face as I lean down to kiss her golden crown, the light floral perfume of her shampoo wreaking havoc on my senses. Breathing her in is addictive, her sugary aroma is now so comforting and familiar. "I'm fair to middlin', I swear."

Burying her face in my chest, her petite body tremors with a silent sob. White knuckled fingers cling to the font of my suit jacket. "I thought I lost you."

"Never Butterfly." I sigh in contentment at the feeling of her warmth. "Not even for a second."

"Please tell me it's over, Logan." She squeezes at my forearms as she peers up at me from beneath a thick fan of lashes. "Tell me you didn't take Alistair's offer."

I shake my head as the rain begins to spill thicker and faster. "I didn't have to, thanks to Iris."

"Thank God." Shelby melts in relief, reaching up to brush the damp hair from my eyes, her delicate hand cupping my cheek. "The Spymaster has her moments, huh?"

"I guess she ain't all bad." I smile.

The Army Barbie nods in determination. "Maybe with the right incentive I could convince her to pursue Wyatt Bennings. We can't let that piece of shit get away with this, not after what he did to you."

"No." I seize both her hands, bringing them to my chest. "You don't gotta fight anymore, Butterfly. Not for me."

"Oh, Lone Star. Yes I do." Shelby sniffles, the raindrops splattering her cheeks disguising her tears. "I should have fought for you every single day from the moment I met you. I should have treated you better. I should have seen how much you were sacrificing for me. Logan, I've made so many mistakes-"

"None of this has been a mistake, Shelby." I whisper, drawing her close to me until I can feel her body heat. "All of the pain, the loss, the fucking torture- I'd live through it all again just to find you."

"I don't deserve you." With the sweetest sincerity shining in her hypnotic sapphire eyes, the Shelby who stands before me now is softer than I've ever seen her. Stripped of all her sarcasm and bravado, she is entirely open to me, her heart lain as bare as my own. It had taken almost losing each other for both of us to see how much time we had wasted pushing the other away. "Logan, I've been so selfish. And I know I'm impatient and I can be a stubborn ass at times. I'm well aware that on a bad day I'm petty and jaded and jealous and needy-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I chortle at the ridiculousness of her grand speech. "Shelby, you ain't anything less than perfect."

How could she have it so backwards?
I am the selfish one.
The stubborn ass.

"No, Logan, I'm not. But despite all that, I still wanted to ask-" She swallows anxiously, jittery with nervous energy as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "Will you marry me?"

"What?!" I choke on a surprised laugh, her question hitting me with all the force of an unexpected hurricane.

The heavens above us open and the clouds darken the sky as a downpour drenches us both.

"When you were shot, I realised something." She wobbles, raising her voice to speak above the rumble of thunder and clinging to my hands for balance. She sinks gracefully down to both knees at my feet, looking up at me with a kissable pleading pout. "I realised that I can't live without you, I need you."

I shake my head in confusion and shock, my pulse thumping in my ears as my blood pumps faster. "Shelby, what the fuck are you doing?"

"I know there's a million reasons why you should say no. But if there is just one reason you should say yes, let it be because I love you, Logan Nash." She wipes the water from her face before quickly returning her hand to mine. "And I'm pretty sure you love me too."

It takes several seconds for her proposal to process in all corners of my melting brain, but once my head catches up with my heart, the answer to her question is glaringly obvious.

"Shelby, what kind of idiot do you think I am?" With gentle force, I pull her up to her feet.

"I- what?-" Her cheeks flush a delicate shade of embarrassed pink. "I don't think that-"

"Of course I'm gonna marry you." An undeniable grin pulls at my lips and her own beaming smile greets me in reward.

"You tease!" She laughs merrily, wrapping her arms around my waist.

My heartbeat hammers behind my ribcage as she pressed up on tiptoes, bringing her soft strawberry lips to meet my own, tasting of sweetwater and honey.

"Mmh." A guttural groan rumbles in my chest as I kiss her harder, claiming her mouth. The sweet roll of her tongue is a hypnotic and dangerous rhythm, and soon I feel a surge of blood rushing down to my cock. "Aw hell, Barbie. You drive me fucking crazy as all get out."

"You ain't seen nothing yet, Lone Star.." Her fingers spear through my hair as she presses her lips to my jaw, leaving a seductive stream of heat in their wake.. Her arms link around the back of my neck as she presses her pillowy breasts against me with a sensual sigh. "So. What happens now?"

"Now-" My hands slip down to the small of her back and then lower. Cradling two handfuls of her perfect peachy ass as I pull her flush against me. "You invite me upstairs." Leaning down to taste her neck with a kiss, I whisper against the shell of her ear. "Unless you want your neighbours to watch while I tongue-fuck you so good you scream my name."

"Oh." She swallows hungrily, hurriedly bending down to collect my cane for me before linking her fingers through mine. "Do you wanna come inside?"