“Geez.” Brooke half chuckled and half rolled her eyes. “I can only imagine what you said.” She stopped in front of Logan and tilted her head to meet his gaze. “Hey, you.”
Molten lava filled his gut. He attempted to swallow. “Hey back.” Then he leaned in and kissed her gently on the temple.
“What do you have in there?” Brooke peered down at his bag of food. “I’m starving.”
“I picked up some Chinese food.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Perfect.” Then she went up on her tiptoes, leaned in and kissed him gently. “I’m glad you’re here.” She smiled, making his knotted ball of nerves disappear.
“Me too.”
George cleared his throat. “Well don’t keep the guy waiting. Go eat.”
Brooke laughed. “Come on.” She tugged his free hand. “See you soon George.” Then she led him to the elevator bay.
Once alone behind the closed doors of the elevator, Logan gained his courage. He wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her closer. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Interesting,” Brooke smirked. “I haven’t thought about you once,” she teased.
Then she rested her hand on his chest.
“Is that right?” Logan kissed her lightly.
“Umm, maybe.” She pulled away enough to glance up at him. “But if you keep doing that, I might start thinking about you a little bit more.”
The elevator dinged open, and they shuffled off it. He filed behind her down the long hallway.
“Just keep in mind,” she led him to her apartment, “this is the nicest apartment I’ve ever lived in, so if you make fun of anything I’ll be devastated.” She slipped her key into the door then pivoted to peer back at him.
“I hope,” he leaned his hip against the wall next to the door and crossed his arms, “you don’t think I’m someone who would ever tease someone about where they live. I’m not that guy.”
“I know.” She turned the key. “I guess it’s my insecurities bubbling up again, but you’d be surprised what people say.” She pushed open the door and held it open for him to pass through. “The places I lived in when I was a kid were horrible, run down apartments with leaky roofs, rusty pipes, and people yelling way too loudly in the hallways. This is finally a place I’m proud to show people. Justin always complained about how small it was.” She removed her key from the latch.
He walked into the apartment. “Justin sounds like a total tool.”
Brooke laughed. “No argument there.” She closed the door behind them and came up beside him as she tossed her keys on the bowl on top of the long credenza.
His jaw clenched as he thought of Justin. What kind of person made fun of where someone lived?A jerk, that’s who.
“I’m beginning to believe he was a quote,tool, too.” Brooke gathered up her hair and tossed it over one shoulder. “I don’t know how I didn’t see it until now.”
“I’m nothing like him,” Logan added.
“I know,” she said softly. “That’s why I like you.”
He smiled as he peered out at her apartment. It was small but there were large floor to ceiling windows which looked out over the city.
“This is incredible.” He walked the few paces across the living room and dropped the food on the small table to enjoy the scene out the windows. “What a view. My apartment faces another wall. I can only see the other residents in their apartments and nothing else. But this—” he glanced over his shoulder. Brooke wrung her hands together as she came up next to him, “might be the best view I’ve ever seen.”
“I thought so.” The deep lines on her forehead eased. Brooke pointed. “I love seeing the Chicago River. It sparkles in the evening. See?—”
He wrapped an arm around her and drew her closer. “It does glimmer.” The lights of the city reflected in Brooke’s gaze. “A lot like you.”
Geez, he sounded cheesy, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew he couldn’t stop it even if he wanted to. Brooke mattered to him. Now that he had her, he never wanted to let her go. For a minute, they stared outat the view together. Their steady breathing competed against the sounds of the city on the street way below.
Then his phone rang and broke their blissful spell.
“I hope,” he lowered his arm from her shoulders and retrieved his phone from his pocket, “this isn’t the hospital.”
