I can take care of you.How long I had wanted someone to say that to me … since my mother got sick and I had become the adult. Normally I was independent and didn’t like the idea of depending on a guy, but hearing Logan say he could take care of me did funny things to myinsides.
“I’ll share next time. I like to pay my own way,” I toldhim.
He smiled and nodded. “As you wish.” He turned to leave and I nearly melted at the fact that he’d probably unknowingly made aPrincess Bridereference.
As he closed the door, I collapsed back in bed and kicked off my boots. This crazy day was catching up with me and I felt the pull of sleep weigh down mylimbs.
I was a dragon and there was no getting out of it. Might as well embracereality.
7
AT SOME POINTin the night the upstairs got too hot, so I opened my door and cracked my window to allow for a cross breeze. This permitted a certain tiny kitten to jump up on my bed and sleep atop my head. As the early morning light peeked into the room, I cracked open my eyes to see a small paw on myforehead.
I groaned. “Mittens, get off.” I shook my head a little to dislodge her, and she must have thought it was my invitation to play, because she began attacking my hair, causing me to yelp and situp.
“Ow!” I shouted at her, and her mood changed lightning-quick as she leapt onto my lap, purring and kneading my thigh like a well-trainedmasseuse.
A shadow at the open doorway caught my attention. Logan was standing shirtless in low slung sweats. He looked perfect, and here I was with a cat-hair rat’s nest on my head and yesterday’s makeup.
“She’s a horrible bed mate,” Logan warnedme.
I scratched Mitten’s head and her purr ramped up a notch. “Yeah, I gathered that when I woke up at 2AM with her tail in mymouth.”
Logan smiled sheepishly. “Ready to train? Nadine is suitingup.”
I groaned. I hated working out. Like, my workout hate was so strong I didn’t even own workout clothes. I was the only chick in America not to own a pair of yogapants.
Logan’s brows knitted. “If you’re not a fan of lifting weights, we can start with arun.”
A run! I groaned louder and Mitten’s hair stood up on end as she hissed at me.Crazycat.
“Look, there’s something you should know about me. My favorite activity is sitting on the couch and drawing while devouring a bag of potato chips. Unless I’m running for my life from some hunters, I don’trun.”
Logan’s eyes danced with amusement but his face didn’t crack a smile. “Have you ever playedsports?”
I nodded. “I played competitive soccer for tenyears.”
He looked shocked. “Perfect.”
I cocked my head to the side. “I was thegoalie.”
“Oh.” His facefell.
I was damn good at stopping that ball; my reflexes were insanely fast. Almost not human now that I thought of it. But running? Lifting weights.Never.
“Do you like living?” Logan finally asked me as Nadine slipped into the open doorway besidehim.
I rolled my eyes. “Obviously.”
Logan shrugged. “Then this is going to be the hardest week of your life, because there will be running. There will be lifting weights. And there will be no potato chips. If you want to survive attacks from hunters and druids, you need totrain.”
Dammit. My twenty-one years of laziness were gone.Rest inpeace.
Nadine looked at my pathetic pile of clothes stacked in the corner of the room. “Do you own workout clothes? Tennisshoes?”
I shook my head. “Nope. All a part of my genius plan to avoidexercise.”
Nadine smiled. “I like her,” she told Logan, and chucked a pair of hot pink sneakers at me. I caught them midair as Mittens flew from my lap and into the safety of Logan’sarms.
