“And I’m not wearing one of my old beige bras.”
“Even better. This night is already more than I imagined it could be.”
And then we stripped. It was like we were teenagers again. Jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, shirts, sweaters, pants—all came off in the freezing Montana air. We stood there, facing each other in the dark, the trees whispering, the owl hooting from another tree.
Logan looked amazing. Like some Greek god. Broader, bigger, not an ounce of fat, but just…manly. He was a full-grown male.
“Bellini,” he said, his voice husky. “You haven’t changed.”
“Is that good?”
“You’re beautiful. Always have been. Always will be.”
I sniffled. He always makes me tear up in a happy way. I was wearing purple lacy underwear and a new, satiny red bra. I’d been wearing the same dull bras for years, but I went shopping online when I got to Kalulell and first saw Logan. Seeing him reminded me of how frumpy I’d gotten. I went straight to Lace, Satin, and Baubles because their stuff is the best. A box full of satin and lace arrived in two days.
I did not buy new “delicates” because I thought Logan might see me in my boring underwear. No, not at all! I didn’t buy slinky lingerie thinking I might get naked with Logan. Not a chance!
I bought them because…because…hmmm… Well, that’s it! My underwear had holes, and my bras were beat up and dreary, and they all deserved to be trashed. But I was prepared…in case! The bra—devilish red—pushed up my boobs. I was grateful I’d gone shopping!
Logan smiled and offered me his hand, and I grabbed it. His hand was warm and strong, and mine was soon lost in his.
“Thanks, Logan,” I said as we stepped into the hot spring together. It was slippery, and I balanced myself against him.
“Anytime, Bellini.”
I laughed as the hot water swirled around us.
I had no business getting into the hot spring with Logan. I shouldn’t have been there. Not in a bra, especially a red one. Or wearing lacy purple underwear. In fact, I shouldn’t have been anywhere outside, alone, with him, with the moon shining down and inviting romance and naughty thoughts of activities that Logan and I had engaged in for years.
We should not have been rolling around naked together when we were in high school. We were too young, but we’d found each other irresistible. We did use birth control, which is why there are no little Logans or Bellinis running around.
It started to snow again, a few delicate snowflakes floating on down. They landed on Logan’s black hair.
What was I thinking, being near naked with him? I wasn’t thinking. Or I was refusing to think. “Statistically speaking, I should not have come here,” I drawled, then laughed because I couldn’t help it.
“Statistically speaking, I’m glad I’m here, and I’m glad you’re here. One hundred percent, to be precise.” His face grew serious,that slight stubble giving him a bit of a menacing look, which made me smile at him. Sexy mobster!
“You still look like a mermaid.”
“My shiny green tail has been growing from the time I hit the water.”
He ducked his head under the water, then came back up, pushing his dripping wet hair out of his eyes. “I saw it. Very green. Very shiny.”
And that was our evening. Joking around and teasing each other. Talking about light subjects. Nothing heavy. Nothing that happened in the past. I flirted; he flirted back. We laughed until we cried. He threaded his fingers through mine. I stopped talking, so did he. He sat on a ledge in the hot spring and pulled me onto his lap. I linked my arms around his shoulders, as I’d done for so many years. I leaned in because I could not help myself. He’s like a magnet. A steaming-hot, seductive magnet. I placed my lips on his and might have made some sort of groan.
It didn’t take but a second for Logan to handle things from there, maneuvering my legs so that I straddled him as we had ourselves a good ol’ kissing session that quickly got out of control. My bra came off, and he tossed it to shore—not that I cared. His chest was warm against mine, the water hot.
“I missed you so much, Bellini,” he whispered between kisses.
I teared up, couldn’t help it. “I missed you, too, Logan.”I have missed you every single day,I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. Tears slipped down my cheeks, and he paused to kiss each one, and I saw that his eyes had tears in them, too, and that broke my heart all over again.
As my new panties were about to join my bra, I stopped him. “I can’t. We can’t.”
“Okay.” His arms wrapped around me, and he kissed me again. “Damn,” he whispered.
I thought I would drown in passion.
And pain.
