Savannah
Ishriekattheunexpected noise and shove Logan back like I should have done as soon as he got close. When I catch sight of Cole leaning against the door frame with a quirked eyebrow, I want to melt into the floor and disappear. It’s my first day on the job, and I just got caught getting cozy with one of the players.
“Evanson,” Logan says calmly. His body language is less calm, hands in fists at his sides and his jaw tight.
“Callahan.” With a glance between us, Cole smiles with amusement and gestures to the hall with his head. “Savannah. I’d like to close everything up for the night, if the two of you are done here.”
“Yep!” I squeak. Technically, the tray needs to be cleaned, as well as a few other utensils, but I’m too mortified to ask Cole to stay any later. I slip past Logan and sweep a few things into my giant bag, then heft the bag over my shoulder with a grunt. “Ready to go.”
Wordlessly, Logan tucks his fingers under the bag’s straps and pulls it from my shoulder, moving it to his own and giving mea heavy look that keeps me from complaining. We follow Cole down the hall and out to the dark and empty parking lot, and Logan walks with me to my car.
Though we’re alone again, I’m not about to linger.
I don’t know if there are rules against me dating a player if I’m employed by the team, but it’s better if I don’t find out. Now that I’m out in the open air, it’s easier to remember that Logan leaving is avery bad thing. More than a minor inconvenience. I can’t get attached and entertain ideas of being more than casual friends, no matter how tempting his mouth might look. Not if I want to survive.
“Um, most of this can go to your place, if you’re still cool with that,” I mumble as I stuff my hand into the bag on Logan’s shoulder and start digging for my phone and keys. I’m way too close to him right now, my nose once again filled with his clean scent, but my keys are refusing to be found. It’s a conspiracy.
“Of course.” I can feel his heated gaze, but he keeps incredibly still during my search, which I appreciate. It’s like any sudden moves from either of us will trigger something dangerous. As soon as I finally locate my keys, he takes a step back and wraps a hand around the straps of the bag. “Er, there’s something you should know about. A bet.”
I almost forgot about the bet. I was too busy thinking about how much I’d like to kiss Logan. “Oh. Yeah, Tink said something about it.”
“Yeah.” Logan grimaces and rubs his jaw, clearly uncomfortable. “A few lads on the team have a pool going. Winner is the bloke who stays single the longest. It’s mental, but Moxie gotme to join in at the start of the season. I agreed for a laugh, but at this point…” His mouth shuts tight.
How was he going to finish that sentence before he chickened out? Unfortunately, I’m just as chicken and can’t bring myself to ask. “What do you get if you win?” I ask instead, while my thoughts spin enough to make me dizzy. The only reason he would feel the need to tell me any of this is because he’s worried he might lose. Right?
He shifts his weight, dropping his gaze to the asphalt. “Bragging rights and a heap of cash.”
Tink said something about a money pool, so that makes sense. “And you’re planning to win?” My words are breathless now, lacking any strength because I know what it means if Logan wants to win this bet. It’s for the best if we don’t get involved, but that doesn’t make the indirect rejection sting any less. If Logan’s planning to win the bet, he’s planning to stay single.
Stay away from me.
Sighing, Logan lifts a hand and brushes his knuckle across my cheek. His eyes meet mine, eyebrows low. “I’m not out to complicate things for you now that you’re on the up and up,” he says in a tone far gentler than what I’m used to from him. “You need stability, not a mess.”
The sentiment is insanely sweet. And that makes it hurt even more. “You’re not a mess, Logan.”
“But I’ve proven I have a knack for making them.”
So does my cat. “That’s not—”
“And since I don’t need the money from the bet, it could go toward your business if I win. Give you some room to breathe.”
“My…” His offer feels like drinking hot cocoa on a chilly morning, warming me from the inside out. Where’s the gruff and arrogant jerk who had no qualms about using me to get what he wanted? He was so much easier to dislike. “Why would you give it to me?”
His lips lift in a half smile. “Because it’ll take both of us to get it. I won’t be winning anything unless you put in some effort and stop looking at me like that.”
Indignation bubbles up inside me, and I purse my lips. “I’m not looking at you in any particular way,” I complain, even though I totally am. “You’rethe one who pulled that whole hand move in the kitchen! How am I supposed to resistthat?”
As his smile builds, he lets my bag slide down his arm and sets it on the ground. “Which move?” he asks at the same time he presses forward, backing me up against my car. “This move?” His hands rest against the car on either side of me, then make their way down at a glacial pace until they settle on my hips again, this time with some pressure. “Or this one?”
He’s practically flush with me, warm and solid and so very tempting, and my body is working hard to make sure my brain knows about every single point of contact. I feel electrified, and I can’t decide if it means I’m coming alive or crashing out. I want this.Him. I want his deep, searching looks, and to see his hard-earned smile as often as possible, and to experience the way he fully supports me without getting in my way.
It’s going to hurt to lose him. It’s why I have to keep fighting this.
“Logan,” I whisper, not sure what I’m going to tell him.
“Sav.” He seems to be waiting for me to decide what happens next.
“What are we doing?”
