“Oops,” Avery said.“I was going to get my sweetener.For coffee.”
Logan put some space between us.
I said, “Sure.I’ll grab it,” and reached the agave syrup out of the cupboard for Avery.
She hustled out again, and Logan laughed.“Maybe food’s a good idea.”
“Only kind I have.I picked up Italian takeout on the way home from school.Just needs reheating.”
“You’re the best boyfriend.”
I turned.Logan looked at me, a shine in his gray eyes, full lips parted in a smile.He stood a little crooked, probably favoring that hip, but every inch of him was fit and strong and perfect.And here.In my kitchen, where we’d spent a hundred hours, made dozens of meals, shared sleepy morning coffee, fucked more than once with Logan perched on the counter while I sucked him, or on his knees, or bent over… “Fuck.Kiss me first,” I said.“Food after.”
I’d kissed Logan a thousand times, but this might’ve been my favorite— slow and deep and sweet, swaying together, no place to be, no goodbye in sight.We weren’t warming up to fuck each other, or hiding from the world.This kiss was “Hello” and “You’re here,” “I missed you” and “I need you.”Our lips brushed, tongues stroked, breath mingled as we fit together in familiar ways.Logan fisted his hands in my hair, the little pull grounding.I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, not frantically but powerfully, his body plastered the length of mine, every inch reminding me Logan was back in my life at last.
“Ack, sorry,” Avery said.“Just me again.I wanted to let you know my ride’s here and I’ll, um, text before I head back in the morning.”
Logan pressed his forehead to my throat and laughed.I smiled at Avery over his head.“Thanks.Good plan.”
“See you tomorrow.”
We stood there, leaning on each other and listening as the front door opened, then closed.
“Okay.”Logan nipped my chin.“Where were we, boyfriend?”
I was going to quip about foreplay, or food, but instead I cupped his head between my hands and met his gaze.“We were remembering how much we love each other.”
“Oh!”A slow, sweet smile crept over Logan’s face.“You know, that’s exactly what we were doing.”
“Want to do it some more?”I asked.
Before he could answer, his stomach rumbled loudly.
“Let me rephrase.”I set him aside and opened the fridge.“I’m going to put food in the microwave, and then kiss you some more, and then feed you, and take you to bed.You may not get much sleep.How does that sound?”
“Perfect.”Logan pressed a kiss to my flannel-covered shoulder.“Absolutely perfect.”
“For how long?”I asked before I could stop myself.
Logan tilted his head, his eyes fixed on mine.“How does forever sound?”
That should’ve been too much, too soon.I should’ve wanted to go slow and protect myself, but there was only room for one answer in my heart.“Perfect,” I echoed.“That sounds absolutely perfect.”
Epilogue – four months later
Logan
“Heeeey, Valleeeey!”Corky reeled across the lawn and clutched my arm in a tight grip.Someone needed to take the beer away from this kid.We were in Coach Nery’s backyard, and getting totally plastered around your coach as an eighteen-year-old rookie was a bad idea.In fact…
I plucked the open can from Corky’s hand and chugged the last third.
He stared at me in goggle-eyed outrage.“I was drinking that.”
“I saw.”I shoved him off me.“Go eat some food.Soak up the beer.”
“Fuck.Okay.”Corky turned away, then whirled back, a little unsteady.“I came to say, did you see who’s here?”His grin slipped.“Yeah, maybe I need food.”
“Who’s where?”
