“Is something wrong?” she asked sweetly, walking over to Logan as he leaned back in his chair, allowing her to sit on his lap.
“Nothing’s wrong, baby,” Logan smiled, and Tag saw the same mix of admiration and longing on Logan’s face that was always there when he looked at his wife.
“Are you sure?” she asked again, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. There was a few seconds of silence as Sam got comfortable.
“I don’t know her,” Sam began when it was clear no one else was going to speak, turning her attention to Tag, “but I think she’s exactly what you need.”
The statement was so far out of left field, Tag felt blindsided by it. He didn’t know what to say, or whether he was supposed to say anything at all. “Look, Sam, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” To his surprise, Sam smiled knowingly. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Tag.”
“I know you two are looking for someone...” He wasn’t sure what he was trying to say at this point, so he stared down at his beer bottle, tearing at the label.
“Tag.” Sam’s stern tone forced him to meet her gaze. “Please don’t ever worry about me and Logan. We have each other, and that’s honestly all we will ever need.”
Tag watched as Logan wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight and resting his forehead against her arm. It was a sweet gesture, and it effectively made Tag feel like the outsider he had been all along.
“I care about you,” Sam clarified. “How can I not? What we’ve had these last few months has been amazing. I’ll always care about you, which is why I understand that this isn’t permanent. We would never expect that from you just as you didn’t expect it from us.”
No, Tag hadn’t expected a permanent relationship with Logan and Sam, which was why he had opted to be with them in the first place. His relationships were always temporary, and he enjoyed them that way. He wasn’t sure what he wanted from McKenna, but for some reason, maybe he was just plain crazy, he felt there was something else between them. Whatever it was, he knew he had to at least pursue it to find out.
“Trust me, Tag,” Sam said as she wrapped her arm loosely around Logan’s head, holding him closer to her. “Logan has taught me so many things about myself, I still feel like I’m evolving. You never have to worry about me or him, for that matter. When it comes down to it, we know what the other one needs and I can assure you, we’ll figure out how to satisfy all of the cravings one day.” Her smile was sweet and gentle, so much like the woman herself.
Tag would never forget the time they had together, but he also knew that as far as long term, it wouldn’t have worked for much longer anyway. The sex was phenomenal, and there wasn’t a single time that he hadn’t found exactly what he was looking for from the two of them, but he knew something was missing.
Truthfully, he didn’t want to feel as though anything was missing, but he felt it nonetheless. When he looked at McKenna, he felt something more than the intense physical attraction, and it may just be a figment of his imagination or some misplaced desire to have what the others around him had obviously found. No matter what it was or what it wasn’t, Tag had to take this chance. For his own sanity, if nothing else.
“She’s a lucky woman,” Sam grinned. “And I think she might just be what you need.”
Tag wasn’t sure about all that, but he smiled anyway.
“Thanks, Sam. Well, I need to get going.” Tag had to get over to the club and talk to Luke as soon as possible. He needed to have an answer for McKenna by morning, or risk some more shit being broadcast worldwide.
“I’ll call Luke and let him know what I think that way when you talk to him, it won’t be a surprise.” Logan said, looking up from where he sat still holding Sam.
With a nod and a smile, Tag walked away.
~*~*~
McKenna had only been home for a few minutes before she found herself pacing the floor. After checking her emails, hoping mostly for her editors to return both of her potential articles for tomorrow, she’d been disappointed not to find anything from either of them in her inbox.
This left her with precisely nothing to do except get on her own nerves.
In order to avoid that, she found herself back in her car, heading downtown. Figuring that the lesser of two evils would be to get out of the house, it had been an easy decision to head over to Club Destiny for a drink. Except now, as she drove through the darkened streets, McKenna was beginning to wonder whether her masochistic side was making another appearance.