I arrivedat Logan’s house just as the first rays of the morning sun began rising out of the horizon. The air was bitter cold as I got out of my car and shut the door, but I knew that once we made it to the hiking trail and got our bodies moving we would warm up. Still, I’d put on an extra scarf for good measure and was wearing my heavier knit beanie over my ears.
It had been three days since I’d seen Logan. After spending that incredible night downtown, we both jumped right into a heavy work week. The shop had kept him busy from sun up to sun down these last few days, and I used the time to catch up on things I needed to get done for my clients.
We texted each other every day, but I’d felt an overwhelming need to see Logan yesterday as I was wrapping up a campaign outline for a local flower shop. I sent him a text to ask when he might have free morning to go on a hike with me—also feeling the urge to get out into nature—and he responded within seconds,Tomorrow?
Adam worked at the hospital last night and I’d left the apartment before he got home, but if he later asked where I’d been this morning, it would be easy to tell him the truth. I was hiking.
I stood for a moment at the sidewalk, taking it all in. Logan’s house was endearing. The exterior was painted a cozy, dusty blue with white trim around the large windows that flanked either side of the front door. There were brick steps leading up to a front porch that looked like it might wrap around the whole house. A wooden porch swing hung on the right side, and I found myself picturing us sitting side by side on it in the summer, rocking lazily as I curled into the crook of his body, his arm wrapped around me tight.
It was a place that was truly his. Where he began and ended each day. Where he was, undoubtedly, his purest and most honest self. I wanted to know the secrets contained within the walls. The noises he made when he dressed in the morning. Is that what he was doing now? Did he brew himself coffee? Make himself breakfast? Or did he merely go through the motions to get out of the house and on with the day before him?
Taking in a deep breath, I skipped up the seventeen steps it took to get to his front door and knocked. It had been only three days since I’d seen him, and yet my body was rattling with anticipation. Was it normal to feel this crazy about someone? I had no idea, but I didn’t care either way as long as it meant I could have Logan.
Immediately, the sound of barking came from within. I’d almost forgotten that Logan had a dog, a fact that was still bewildering to me. We’d never had pets growing up—unless you counted the sea monkeys that Adam and I had for about two weeks when he was in fifth grade and I was in first. That was, until one unfortunate day when I’d spilled the plastic container that held them all over my bed, and that was the end of that. My mother was allergic to dogs and my father was against cats, so we were forced to grow up in a home without animals. I’d never been to Logan’s grandmother's house, but I was fairly certain there were never any pets there either.
I heard the swipe of the deadbolt turning before the door swung open to reveal a yawning Logan. His face was still swollen from sleep, his eyes not quite all the way open. His hair was adorably unkempt, sticking out in all directions. From the looks of it, he’d managed to put on clothes suitable for a winter hike, although I was pretty certain his shirt was on inside out. The unmistakable smell of hazelnut coffee filled my nose.So he did brew himself coffee, I felt satisfied to know.
“Good morning,” I said.
Logan regarded me for a moment before responding. “Any chance I can convince you to lie down with me instead of going on this hike?” His voice was deliciously raspy. All of his hard work at the shop must have been catching up to him because he looked tired.
“As tempting as that sounds”—and I did meantempting—“you made rules.”
“Cuddling isn’t against the rules.”
I felt a flush to my cheeks at the thought of lying next to Logan, possessively wrapping my limbs around him. I’d give just about anything to slide under the sheets next to him in his bed. But I knew that wouldn’t be enough. The hunger I felt couldn’t be satiated with cuddling.
The truth must have been evident on my face, because Logan’s eyes darkened before he cleared his throat and moved out of the way. “Come in, it’s freezing out. Have a cup of coffee and then we can go.”
I stepped over the threshold and into his house, and was immediately ambushed by a fifty-pound gray tornado at my feet. The impact against my shins nearly knocked me down to the floor, but I felt Logan’s hand wrap around my arm, holding me upright.
“Hook! No!” Logan commanded firmly. Immediately, the tornado stilled and transformed into a politely sitting pitbull. He panted excitedly as his tongue hung out the side of his mouth, and it was then that I realized he was missing one of his front legs.
I bent down to say hello to him, scratching a patch of white fur on his chest as he began licking my arm, making me giggle. “Hi, Hook! Nice to meet you.” His name suddenly dawned on me. “Oh my gosh! Captain Hook!” I smiled up at Logan. “That’s amazing . . . I loved Peter Pan as a kid.”
Logan was leaning against the wall by the front door, watching me with an amused look in his eyes. There was the slightest uptick in the right corner of his mouth. “I know.”
Those words hit me like a sucker punch.
He pushed himself off the wall and held his hand out to lift me back into a standing position. “Let me show you the house, and then we can drink our coffee.”
I nodded silently, my thoughts still stuck on Hook’s name. Had Logan really named his dog after my favorite movie from twenty years ago?
I followed him through the house as I soaked in the details of every room. The living room was charming and comfortable with a worn leather sofa, low wooden coffee table and a large flatscreen television. Down a narrow hallway were three bedrooms—one was converted into an office space with a deep mahogany desk, one looked to be a guest room, and finally at the end of the hall was Logan’s bedroom.
I felt a thrill rush through me as I looked inside and saw a king-sized bed against a dark gray wall. The room held minimal decor, but didn’t look empty or unfinished. A sleek, black dresser stood against the far wall, and an armchair perched in the corner of the room next to a reading light. A small, black bookshelf full of books was pushed up against the wall near the chair, creating a charming little reading nook. I thought of my own book collection, and how nice it would be to sit in that chair together at the end of a long day, a soft blanket pulled over both of us as we read our books.
I turned to meet Logan’s eyes, finding that he was watching me. “I like this room,” I said, raising my eyebrows with mock flirtation. Although, despite making light of the moment, there was no doubt that I was feeling the tension in the air. The sudden need to slide my hands under Logan’s shirt was almost overwhelming.
I watched as he gave me that sexy side grin that he was so good at. “Is that so?”
“Mhm. It suits you.”
He dipped his head and looked down at his feet before his eyes found mine again. “I’m glad you like it.” His tone was teasing, but I could see the desire mirrored in his eyes and I felt my mouth go dry. He tilted his head back toward the hallway behind him. “The coffee is still warm, would you like a cup?”
“Absolutely.”
We made our way back through the house and into a big, lovely kitchen. From the dishes in the sink, it was clear that he cooked for himself. It made me happy to know that he’d created such a comfortable home.
