struggles, Emma tilted her head, her cheeks reminding him of a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. With a twinkle in her eye and a small smile pulling at her lips, she shrugged as she stated defiantly, “She deserved it.”
Her puffed-out cheeks and her borderline cocky attitude made Logan do something he didn’t do often. He laughed.
She chewed her food and then took a long sip of coffee, moaning as she did. When she set the cup down, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and her gaze narrowed ever so slightly.
“Perfect. Two sugars and a splash of cream. Did you remember that too?”
Yes .
Since he had no rational explanation for that one, it was time to change the subject. “Have you given any more thought to whether or not you want to stay? It was all Drew talked about this morning.”
Dropping her head back, Emma sighed. The heavy breath pushed her hint of cleavage up, and Logan fisted his hand as the desire to reach out and touch her there crashed over him.
Since the second she’d walked into the kitchen this morning—hell, who was he kidding? Since the second she’d shown up on his doorstep yesterday, the overwhelming compulsions to touch her, kiss her, and pull her body against his so he could feel her soft curves melt into him, just about consumed him. It was unnerving, to say the least.
He’d experienced intense attraction before, especially in his early twenties. But this was more than that. Although what Emma inspired in him was no less primal than what he’d felt before for other women, it was also layered with a need to protect and care for the woman he wanted to strip naked and bury himself in.
Which wasn’t ever going to happen. Not only could he never betray Andrew like that, but Emma was like an angel. She was good. Logan was as far from angelic as someone could get. He’d done things no one should have to. In war. On the job. He’d seen things, unspeakable things that had taken him to dark places. That darkness was in him. It didn’t just go away because he was no longer in those situations. Bringing someone else intimately into his life wasn’t an option.
It lived in him. It breathed in him. It saturated his being.
Lifting her head, she grabbed a piece of bacon. “I know he’s going to want an answer the second he gets home.” Emma stuffed the slice in her mouth and chewed it as she stared at her plate.
Out of sheer self-preservation, Logan should’ve suggested what he had originally envisioned happening. That he would keep Drew for the rest of summer break so Emma could head back to Seattle and have the luxury of uninterrupted work.
But instead of laying that plan out, he heard himself say, “I really would love for you guys to stay. It’s no trouble. Really.”
Emma’s aqua-blue stare was boring into him. He knew she was trying to detect whether or not he was telling the truth.
So he half-teasingly threw out, “My cousin Adam has a lie detector test and is licensed. Do you want me to take a polygraph?”
Her blue eyes twinkled with amusement as she let out a belly laugh that squeezed his hardened heart. It hit him square in the chest like a ray of light in a pitch-black space.
She sounded so happy. So light. So carefree. He could listen to her laugh for the rest of his life and never get tired of it.
The thought scared the shit out of him.
“ You ? Take a lie detector test? How many girls would love that opportunity? That might just be too good to pass up,” she teased as she rubbed her hands together like she was plotting his demise. “Would I get to ask you anything I want?”
“You can always ask me anything you want.” Logan’s answer had come out much more serious than he’d meant it to. His voice had also sounded a hell of a lot more gravelly than he’d wanted it to.
The energy between them had already felt electric, but now, it was crackling with tension as their stares remained locked. Emma’s smile faded as she nervously licked her
Her puffed-out cheeks and her borderline cocky attitude made Logan do something he didn’t do often. He laughed.
She chewed her food and then took a long sip of coffee, moaning as she did. When she set the cup down, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and her gaze narrowed ever so slightly.
“Perfect. Two sugars and a splash of cream. Did you remember that too?”
Yes .
Since he had no rational explanation for that one, it was time to change the subject. “Have you given any more thought to whether or not you want to stay? It was all Drew talked about this morning.”
Dropping her head back, Emma sighed. The heavy breath pushed her hint of cleavage up, and Logan fisted his hand as the desire to reach out and touch her there crashed over him.
Since the second she’d walked into the kitchen this morning—hell, who was he kidding? Since the second she’d shown up on his doorstep yesterday, the overwhelming compulsions to touch her, kiss her, and pull her body against his so he could feel her soft curves melt into him, just about consumed him. It was unnerving, to say the least.
He’d experienced intense attraction before, especially in his early twenties. But this was more than that. Although what Emma inspired in him was no less primal than what he’d felt before for other women, it was also layered with a need to protect and care for the woman he wanted to strip naked and bury himself in.
Which wasn’t ever going to happen. Not only could he never betray Andrew like that, but Emma was like an angel. She was good. Logan was as far from angelic as someone could get. He’d done things no one should have to. In war. On the job. He’d seen things, unspeakable things that had taken him to dark places. That darkness was in him. It didn’t just go away because he was no longer in those situations. Bringing someone else intimately into his life wasn’t an option.
It lived in him. It breathed in him. It saturated his being.
Lifting her head, she grabbed a piece of bacon. “I know he’s going to want an answer the second he gets home.” Emma stuffed the slice in her mouth and chewed it as she stared at her plate.
Out of sheer self-preservation, Logan should’ve suggested what he had originally envisioned happening. That he would keep Drew for the rest of summer break so Emma could head back to Seattle and have the luxury of uninterrupted work.
But instead of laying that plan out, he heard himself say, “I really would love for you guys to stay. It’s no trouble. Really.”
Emma’s aqua-blue stare was boring into him. He knew she was trying to detect whether or not he was telling the truth.
So he half-teasingly threw out, “My cousin Adam has a lie detector test and is licensed. Do you want me to take a polygraph?”
Her blue eyes twinkled with amusement as she let out a belly laugh that squeezed his hardened heart. It hit him square in the chest like a ray of light in a pitch-black space.
She sounded so happy. So light. So carefree. He could listen to her laugh for the rest of his life and never get tired of it.
The thought scared the shit out of him.
“ You ? Take a lie detector test? How many girls would love that opportunity? That might just be too good to pass up,” she teased as she rubbed her hands together like she was plotting his demise. “Would I get to ask you anything I want?”
“You can always ask me anything you want.” Logan’s answer had come out much more serious than he’d meant it to. His voice had also sounded a hell of a lot more gravelly than he’d wanted it to.
The energy between them had already felt electric, but now, it was crackling with tension as their stares remained locked. Emma’s smile faded as she nervously licked her
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