Sand & Snow (Sand & Clay #1.5) (2 page)

  “Caroline, come back to New York and get back to real life.  Your mother and I have not even met this Logan character and the thought of our only daughter traveling the world with a stranger isn’t exactly what we dreamed for you. We did not raise a daughter so irresponsible that she would just up and leave the country without telling anyone, leaving her job in the lurch like that.” He started.

“That’s what I’m upset about, Caroline. I’m not upset that you want to change careers. Sure, I’m not pleased, but that’s not what bothers me. It’s that you’re behaving like someone I did not raise, and I don’t even know I recognize. It all seems to revolve around this Logan character entering your life.”  She could hear her mother chiding her father in the background, telling him to ease up on her.

Her mother had always been more supportive of her relationship with Logan as well as her independence. In fact, she had been the main encourager to pursue a relationship with Logan, rather than stay with dependable and safe Turner Schwartz that she had dated during their separation.

Despite his misgivings about Logan, she knew that her father was right about her irresponsibility surrounding her trip to Greece. She should have given notice at her job and she did feel guilty about that, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t have passed up. If she had to do it over again, she knew that she would still go to Greece with Logan.

“Dad, Logan has nothing to do with this. I’m doing this, I’ve been trying to do this for a while. I need to figure it out for myself.”

“God, Caroline, you are infuriating sometimes.” He groaned.

“We will be back soon, it’s almost the holidays. You and Mom can both meet Logan then. You will get to know him and see that he really is a wonderful man.” Caroline attempted a peace offering.

“It might be better if you spend the holidays somewhere else this year, Caroline.” His voice was cold and harsh.

“Dad, please,” she felt a lump forming in her throat.

She knew her father would be angry at her, but they had always spent the holidays together. Christmas was her favorite time of year. She had always been Daddy’s little girl growing up, singing Christmas carols and listening to stories about Santa Claus on her father’s knee.

“Caroline?” A higher, feminine voice rang through the phone after some rustling sounds.

“Mom, did you hear-” Caroline started, trying to keep from crying even though tears were starting to slip onto her lower lashes.

“I did. Let me just talk to him, baby. Give me a few days to get him to calm down. I want to see you, sweetheart. You’re always welcome here.” Her mother soothed.

“Okay,” She sniffed.

“Let me just talk to him and see how it goes, okay? We’ll talk soon, baby?”

“Yes, Mom. I love you.” Caroline swallowed hard.

“Love you too.” The line went quiet and Caroline dropped the cell phone onto the chair next to her, letting out a small sob which she quickly covered with her hands over her face.

“Beautiful, why are you crying?” Logan walked out onto the balcony and immediately leaned down over the lounge chair to kiss her forehead.

She just shook her head, not able to say anything since the lump in her throat seemed to only be swelling into her chest, threatening to burst into a fountain of tears.

“Alright, come here.” He reached both arms down, taking her hands in his, and pulling her up to a standing position.

Logan wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against his chest. Sighing, she laid her head against him, closing her eyes as she tried to focus on regaining her composure. Something about the strength of his arms squeezing her against his rock hard body was unbelievably calming, beginning to relax her entire body.

Logan began to kiss her neck softly, nipping the skin exposed from her hair being tossed over her shoulder. He looked even more irresistible in Greece than he had in New York since he was now sporting a darker tan, seeming like he had lived there his whole life with his dark features and strong bone structure.  They had been in Greece for only a month, but it already felt like a lifetime. An entire life created and fostered on the hills of Athens overlooking the beautiful green and blue waters.  Waking up every morning curled up against each other, with nothing to do but spend the day enjoying Greece and each other.

Their villa was so exclusive that it prevented any paparazzi from vying for Logan’s attention, leaving the two of them in the breathtaking silence of being so high above the city. The stone railing of the balcony boasted the view from one of the highest hills in Athens with a shockingly high drop down beneath them. They could see straight over the southern edges of Athens to the Mediterranean Sea, which always glistened under the bright sun.

Logan continued to kiss Caroline’s neck and rub his across her back. She felt a tingling throughout her whole body as she pushed her arms up, wrapping them around the back of his neck and finding his lips with hers.

His lips teased hers and slid his hand down, gripping her, and lifting her up off the ground, carrying her back over to the lounge chair. He gently placed her down, quickly joining her as his body pressed down on hers.  She smiled into his kiss, enjoying the feeling of his skin against hers and the warm sun beating down on them.

There was nothing like an afternoon on a balcony in Athens. 
 

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      “He is going to come around, beautiful.” Logan pushed a stray piece of hair off her cheek as he looked down at her, sprawled against his side with only a thin linen sheet draped across their lower halves on the bed.

“You didn’t hear him.” Caroline replied, making patterns on his skin with her index finger as her cheek pressed up against his bare chest, his arm around her.

“He’s your father and he loves you.” He comforted her, squeezing her tighter and turning slightly to angle his body parallel to hers, pulling her naked body flush against his beneath the sheet.      

“What about Christmas? It’s almost December, we already missed Thanksgiving which I don’t really mind, but I’ve never spent Christmas without family.”

“How about we go to East Haven to see my family? Connecticut isn’t that far from your parent’s place in the Hamptons anyway, so if he does change his mind, we will be close.” Logan kissed her cheek, then her forehead, her other cheek, finally ending with the tip of her nose.

“You want me to meet your family?” She giggled, squirming beneath his touch.

“I want you to meet everyone, beautiful.” He whispered, trailing his lips across hers gently.

“Is that so?”

“Yup, I’m going to take you to McGinny’s where I played my first show. To Lighthouse Point Park, where I first learned to swim. Fishing on Lake Saltonstall, walking the shops in Town Green, everything.”

“I get to see where you grew up?” She grinned, trailing her finger from the top of his jaw, down to his chin, enjoying the feeling of his short stubble.

“Anything you want. I bought my parents a newer house near Mansfield Point, but I can take you by the old house we used to live in by the airport.”

“I can’t picture you as a child.”

“I was fucking adorable.”

Caroline burst out laughing at his remark and tossed one arm around his shoulders, pulling him against her and over her. He happily obliged her request, covering her body with his as he found her lips. They were both laughing, but it quickly dissolved into heavy breathing and tiny moans as the couple made the most of their time left in Greece.

CHAPTER TWO

New York City

“What are you talking about?” Caroline tilted her head as she stared at him.

“Surprise?” He attempted to appease her by flashing his famously dashing smile while sitting across from her in the town car they were taking back from the airport.

“You moved everything I own without telling me? What about my condo? My dad owns that, you know,” Caroline gaped, looking flustered.

“It’s still there, it’s just empty. He can sell it or lease it out or something like that.” Logan shrugged, taking a drink of water from a bottle.

“Logan, you didn’t even ask me.” She looked mad, although he wasn’t really sure why.

They had just spent a month living together, he figured moving all her things before they got home would save her the headache of having to pack and do it herself.

“I didn’t know I needed to, I thought you would want to live together. I thought I was giving you a nice surprise.” He began to feel a little defensive as he saw her brows furrowed in frustration.

“No, it’s not that. I don’t know. I mean, yes, I do want to live together. I just really hadn’t thought about it.” She rubbed her hands over her eyes and Logan bit his lip nervously.

Climbing over to the bench she was sitting on in the car, Logan pulled her up onto his lap and kissed her.

“Caroline, please don’t be angry.” He nipped at her bottom lip, then trailed kisses up her jaw line toward her neck.

“Logan,” she was trying to hold back, but her breath was quickening, encouraging him to continue.

“I just can’t stand the thought of waking up without you next to me,” he growled into her ear, his voice deep and rumbling as he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist.

She whimpered slightly as his hands roamed over her skin freely, sending shivers through her. She tilted her head slightly to the side, affording him more reach to kiss her neck. His lips traveled softly down from her ear to her shoulder, causing Caroline’s breath to become thick.

“Face me,” he instructed and she happily obliged, sliding one leg around each side of him so she was on her knees on the car seat bench, straddling his legs.

He grasped the soft material at the bottom of her skirt and roughly pushed it up her legs, a cold breeze tickling her. Their lips were entangled in a war of intensity, as if both were trying to get as close as two people possibly can. Her hands slipped down his front, unbuttoning his collared shirt and sliding her hands across his bare, chiseled chest.

As he got her skirt up around her waist, her hands drifted lower, unbuckling and freeing him from his pants. With a quick tug, he pulled her panties to the side and pulled her down onto him, a gasp escaping her at the sudden impact. Closing her eyes and leaning into him, she allowed his hands on her hips to move her the way he wanted, the way she wanted.

A few miles later, Caroline slid off of Logan and onto the seat beside him, one leg still splayed across his legs. Both of them were flushed and panting, smiling at each other. Logan slipped his hand behind her neck, pulling her into a lazy kiss.

“I should probably get my clothes in order before we arrive,” she giggled.

“Before we arrive at our home.” He winked at her and she groaned, pulling her skirt down.

“Logan, I was serious about that. I don’t want to be dependent on you. I want to take care of myself.” She whined.

“You do take care of yourself, what’s the harm in letting me pick up a few tabs? Plus there is no point in paying two rents when you know that there is no way I’m going to let you out of my bed.” He raised one brow as his blue eyes pierced into her.

“I know you can, but I want to. I need to. I’ve never been allowed to take care of myself before, I need to know that I can.” She adjusted her shirt and sat back across from him.

“This is really important to you, huh?”

“Yes, very.”

“Alright, well then I’m going to charge you rent. And utilities. Might even charge you for groceries too.” He smiled at her, teasing.

“I know you’re playing around right now, but that’s actually a fantastic idea.”

“Caroline,” Logan rolled his eyes and started to protest.

“No, I’m serious. If we are going to live together, I have to pay rent.” She crossed her arms over her chest, demanding with both her words and her pose.

“Your father just cut you off and you don’t have a job, how do you plan on paying your rent?” He looked amused and she could instantly see flirty ideas crossing his mind on how she could pay him.

“I’m going to get a job. I’ve actually already been looking into places and submitting my designs. I really want to illustrate books, magazines, anything.” Caroline told him as the car pulled to a stop in front of their luxury apartment building.

“How did I fall in love with someone so stubborn?” Logan kissed her forehead as they climbed out of the car.

“You love it.” She teased back.

“I do love her.” He replied.

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      “Holy cheese whiz, am I dead? Is this my heaven? Let me see the closet.” Aralia Gatti, Caroline’s oldest and best friend, breezed past Caroline into her new home the moment she opened the door.

“Hello to you too, Aralia. It’s not like I haven’t seen you in over a month.” Caroline laughed and closed the door behind her friend.

“Babe, we are cradle to grave friends. A month is nothing. Now, I was asking about a closet?” She popped her hands up on her curvy, Italian hips.

“Come on,” Caroline chuckled and motioned for her to follow as she walked over toward the hallway that led to the bedroom.

She was still getting used to the layout herself, the penthouse took up the entire top level of the building and had a full view of the entire city since the outer walls were floor to ceiling glass.

“Girl, my apartment would fit in your bedroom. Look at that bed!” Aralia ran up to it, turned, and tossed herself backwards onto the extra large, king size bed covered in a plush comforter, and dozens of pillows.

“Like any of this is new to the one and only Aralia Gatti? Your parents had the biggest house in all of the Hamptons when we were growing up.”

“Yeah, but once you live in this city you forget about space. You just get used to rubbing elbows with everyone, including your walls.” Aralia laughed and pushed herself up on her elbows.

“Come on, sit, tell me everything about Greece. And when I say Greece, I actually mean rockstar.” She grinned.

“Logan is amazing,” Caroline plopped down on the bed next to her friend, smiling.