I followed behind him mutely, not sure if I should stare at the globe of an ass or his shockingly toned calf muscles.
He started to turn around, and I forced myself to look over my shoulder, like the black-and-white art print of patterns in sand I was passing was fascinating.
“I guess itisa little confusing, trying to find it,” he said. “This staircase looks exactly like the one at the other end of the hall.”
“Yup,” I agreed.
Logan pointed at a picture window. “That’s your landmark. And here we are.”
He pushed against the heavy wood door and into the hush of a midnight library.
The room managed to match the perfectly perfect minimalistic aesthetic of the rest of Logan’s house, despite the many different colored spines lining the shelves.
“I have to say that this is the last thing I expected to find in your mansion,” I admitted. “The bowling alley and basketball court, sure. Typical dude stuff. Even the kitchen with the butler’spantry and prep room make sense, since I assume you entertain here. But alibrary? When do you even have time to read?”
He paused with his hand on the light switch before flipping it on. “You literally just saw me reading.”
I ignored the teasing in his voice.
“Leave the light off,” I asked, partly because the moon was bright through the skylights, but mainly because I didn’t want him to notice I was barely dressed.
“There’s a nice vibe in here tonight,” he agreed. “Beautiful moon.”
I was already scanning the shelves. “I’m impressed with your selection. I figured you’d only have, like, athlete biographies and war rehashes, but you’ve got literary fiction, and poetry, damn, even some romance…” I kept walking along the shelf, “and plays and…hold on, why are these books locked away? You worried about book thieves?”
I pointed to a shelf with books behind a glass barrier.
He shook his head. “No, that’s more for them than for us. Those are all first edition or early edition copies of some of my favorite books. Many are signed. It’s a climate-controlled mini-universe. Museum-quality.”
I leaned closer to read the titles. “Tender is the Night.Great Expectations.The Torrents of Spring. Okay, I get some of these choices, but you also haveThe House on Pooh CornerandThe Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle?”
He grinned. “Great art knows no age. And I might’ve gone on a little buying spree when Noah was born. I have plenty of Dr. Suess in the stacks as well.”
Adorable that he could see the value of children’s books. One day, if I was lucky enough to manifest the future I was hoping for, I wanted to have my own little library filled with books for readers of all ages.
“Well, I need something to read that can handle fingerprints and the occasional crumb, so clearly none of these.” I pointed to the precious collector’s editions. “Got any suggestions for me?”
He scanned the room. “Definitely a classic of some sort. My mom insisted we read them when we were younger.”
“Doesn’t your mom have a wing named for her at the Los Angeles Public Library?”
Logan nodded. “She sure does. And she spearheaded the children’s reading room rebuild. She’s the reason I’m a reader.”
“What was her favorite book?” I asked.
“Anything Austen,” he answered quickly, striding to a section of the skybrary right next to the fireplace and cozy side chair.
“Oh, I knew I liked her,” I sighed. I followed behind Logan.
“I haven’t managed to get my hands on any early editions of her works, despite years of attempts. No one wants to part with them,” he said. He leaned closer to scan the shelf. “I did manage to get a special full set re-release with these stunning leather covers and hand-painted edges.Pride and Prejudicewas her absolute favorite.”
He handed the book to me, and I kept one hand plastered to my chest as I reached for it, because being this close to him half dressed in the dark and talking about great works of literature had me feeling a certain kind of way.
“Sure, I could always go for a re-read,” I said as I tucked the substantial book against my chest. “You’ve read it, I assume?”
He snorted. “Several times. She created the blueprint that writers are still following to this day.”
I might’ve swooned a tiny bit. Not that I would’ve let on, though.
