“It’s fine,” he replies, the corners of his mouth twitching with suppressed laughter. “I just wanted to check in on you two after all that … but I guess you’re all good.” His gaze doesn’t linger long on me; it’s clear he doesn’t want to intrude any more than he already has.
Logan runs a hand through his tousled hair. Without even thinking about it, I do the same. “We’ll live,” he tells Yasser. That’s when he turns to me, his face still flushed. But he’s no longer embarrassed. There’s concern etched into the lines of his face. “We should get you warmed up. You’re shivering.”
He’s right about that. But I’m not just shivering because of the cold.
Yet, much as I’d like to throw myself back at him and shoo Yasser out of his own break room, I can’t ignore the fact that my body is still chilled to the bone from the icy water. The North Atlantic is no Caribbean.
“Good idea,” I murmur, suddenly feeling the weight of exhaustion bearing down on me. My limbs tremble, caught between desire and fatigue.
“Let’s head to your cabin, then,” Logan suggests, offering me his hand. “You need to get warm and dry. We can talk more later.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agree, taking his hand and allowing him to lead me out of the break room. Yasser watches us go with a knowing smile but says nothing.
As we walk, I can’t help but replay the last hour in my mind—the exhilaration of the open waters, the terror of the same sea once it unleashed its true self. And now that I know how Logan truly felt about the kiss, the memory fills me with warmth and longing for him.
It was a moment of desperation, but not just for any physical touch. It was a moment where his true desires came out along with mine.
Even though Logan blasts the heat as much as he can in his car, I’m shivering down to the bone. I want to talk, to acknowledge what happened, but I’m too cold to think. Or maybe it’s the adrenaline finally coming down, leaving me defenseless.
Soon, Logan pulls up at my cabin. As soon as he’s parked, I rush out from his car and fumble with my keys. Now I know exactly what I want.
I want him in my cabin, in my shower, with me. That’ll warm us up.
“Come on in,” I say as I open the door, my voice barely above a whisper. I walk inside and turn, leaving the door open.
Logan hesitates in the doorway, his hazel eyes searching mine for a moment before responding. “Avery, I—I don’t think I should come in just yet.”
Confusion clouds my thoughts as I process his words. Didn’t he make it clear this is what he wanted? “Why not?”
“Look,” he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’ve just been through something really intense, and … I don’t want to take advantage.” The way I want him right now, I can’t possibly see how he would be taking advantage of me. “We’re both still processing everything, and I want to make sure we’re both on the same page before …” He weighs his words. “… anything else happens.”
His honesty pulls at my heartstrings, making me appreciate him even more. But at the same time, the desire for him is so strong that it’s hard to accept his reasoning. I bite my lip, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me.
And I can’t help but think this could be an excuse. Maybe, now that the adrenaline is out of his system, he doesn’t really want this. Doesn’t really want me.
“Just go get warm,” he continues. “And then we can have dinner at the lodge later? I can pick you up after I’ve …” He gestures to his soaked clothes.
My heart thuds like a drum against my rib cage. Dinner. Okay. We’ll have a chance to talk it out.
“Alright,” I agree, trying to hide my disappointment. “Yeah. Good idea.”
He smiles gently, his hand brushing against mine as he steps back. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay,” I murmur, watching him walk away before closing the door behind him.
I make my way to the bathroom, peeling off my wet clothes as I step onto the cool tiled floor. Stream fills the room as I turn on the shower, enveloping me in a cloud of warmth. The hot water cascades over my body, soothing muscles I didn’t even realize were tense. I tilt my head back, allowing the spray to wash away the remnants of fear and adrenaline that still cling to me like tendrils of seaweed.
As I stand beneath the pounding water, I can’t help but think of Logan’s hungry touch. The way it seemed like he couldn’t get enough of me. My skin tingles at the thought made more intense by the cold thawing out of me.
I lather my hair and rinse it clean, the scent of lavender shampoo mingling with the steamy air. Smelling this scent feels strange. I haven’t changed my shampoo in a long time, which means this is the same shampoo I use back home. The same shampoo I’ve been using all those years with Jasper. The scent brings back flashbacks of the two of us in the shower together—laughing, kissing, his weight pressing against my back. Oddly enough, the heartache that once overtook my entire being is only a whisper. Now all I want to do is chase this memory away and imagine Logan with me here instead.
When I’ve finished washing away the salt and the cold, I turn off the shower and wrap myself in a plush towel. As soon as I open the door, the steam disperses in the main room, and I see my bed.
I know I should get dressed right away. I’m not sure when Logan is coming back to walk me to the lodge for dinner. But the hot shower only made me more groggy than before.
Exhausted, I lie down on my bed, the soft mattress cradling my weary body.It’s only for a little while, I tell myself,just enough to regain my strength. Just a little catnap.
As I lie there, the weight of the day presses down on me like a heavy blanket. The air in the room feels thick, saturated with the remnants of fear and adrenaline that still linger in my veins. Too tired to fight against the pull of sleep any longer, I let my eyes flutter shut.
