24. Thea
thea
We take dessert to the couch, both settling into the supple leather of it. It gives me a small chill, and Logan notices, setting down the plates of pie he served on the coffee table and grabbing me a throw blanket off the back of a chair.
He settles it over me, giving me a wink before taking his seat and handing me my pie.
We sit and chat about lighter topics than our siblings, both of us actively trying to talk about something other than serious topics. The pie is divine and is from the local bakery in town.
We finish our desserts and face each other, my knees pulled up under me. He’s got one leg bent on the couch and one leg with a foot on the floor so he can face me on the couch.
I groan and let my head fall onto the back of the couch, feeling more content than I’ve felt in a long time. “Why did you let me eat so much?”
He chuckles. “I can’t help it. You need to be fed.”
“Why do you think that?”
Logan raises a brow at me, his knowing look making me squirm. “If I had to bet, I would guess you maybe get one full meal a day, and the rest is fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants stuff.”
“I eat,” I protest, looking down at my full hips. I wasn’t a skinny person, by my definition. I was thick in the thighs and butt, with a healthy set of shoulders and a soft stomach. I was… normal. Not fit, but not fat, I guess. “It’s hard to make time for it when I’m so busy.”
“That’s what I’m for.”
I look back at him then, and his eyes catch mine. I sigh and snuggle into the blanket. “How come it’s so easy to be around you?”
“Are you insinuating that you thought I’d be difficult?” His teasing makes me laugh, and I’m glad to see that smirk curve up on the side of his mouth.
“No, I’m insinuating that we’re new to dating each other. Usually, there’s a warm-up period.”
For a moment, he doesn’t answer me and seems to be thinking that over.
“Well, maybe consider that you’ve felt there’s a warm-up period with everyone else because you weren’t with the right person.”
I blink at him, wondering if his train of thought is the same train I’m on or if we’re on different tracks. I don’t think we are though.
I lick my lips and swallow, watching the intensity in his gaze heat up. “Are you suggesting you’re the right person?”
He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he gently takes his hand and cups the side of my head, his thumb resting in front of my ear and his fingers wrapping around the base of my skull in a way that makes me feel protected .
With a slight encouraging lift of my chin, his lips come down onto mine.
It’s not a crushing kiss, it’s not meant to be rushed or painful or too exciting, but gentle and passionate and romantic.
I open my mouth to him, and he sweeps his tongue into my mouth. I moan at the contact, feeling like I’m floating on a cloud with him, and for just this moment, we’re the only two people in the world.
He pulls me into him, and I grant his wish, crawling onto his lap until I straddle him, our mouths barely taking a moment to breathe while we readjust before we’re right back in it with each other.
My hands roam over his shoulders and into his too-long hair. I may not think it’s too long now. With my fingers digging into it, I feel like it may just be the perfect length.
His hand finds purchase under my shirt, his bare hand on my stomach, and I feel like I’m on absolute fire.
I’m about to suggest something else when a lock clicking makes me freeze. The front door opens, and thankfully, we’re hidden from view by the wall separating the foyer from the living room.
“Dad?”
I jump off Logan’s lap, landing ungracefully onto the couch where I’d been just minutes before.
Logan’s eyes focus on the floor as his elbows rest on his knees, taking deep breaths, and I cover my mouth when I realize what he’s trying to do.
“We’re in the living room,” I call out, unsure if Logan can properly speak yet.
“Oh.” Lue pops her head in and smiles broadly at me. “I’m glad you’re still here! ”
She bounds into the living room, taking invitation to sit in the small space left between Logan and myself on the couch. I smile a nervous smile as she snuggles right in between us, and Logan props his arm over the back of his couch and smiles at me over her head.
“Did you have a good time?” he asks, now completely casual as if this happens all the time.
Gosh, if I didn’t know any better, I would think it did.
“Yeah, it was fine. I think I’ll go to Anna’s next time,” she says, then looks at me. “She has this awesome library in her house, so we can hang out in there and pretend we’re in a fantasy book or something.”
“That sounds really cool,” I comment, smiling at her.
“Thea had a nice idea,” Logan starts, lifting his brow at me in question. I nod my head. “What if you invited your friends here, and you didn’t have to choose?”
“I thought you didn’t want to have my friends over.”
Logan looks conflicted, like he doesn’t want to tell her he’s uncomfortable having a bunch of squealing fourteen-year-olds in his house.
“Well, Thea will be here when they come over, and we can make some pizza or something. You can have a movie night.”
“Really?” she asks excitedly, turning from me to her dad. Her excitement was palpable. “I want to do that! It’s way more fun to have them here than at Grandma’s.”
“Hey.” He nudges her shoulder.
Lue turns to him. “I love Grandma, but this is my house, and all my stuff is here.”
“That makes perfect sense,” I tell her, hoping I’m not overstepping my bounds. “It could be a very fun night for you and your friends. ”
“Okay! I’ll tell them at rehearsal tomorrow.” She stands and jumps in place for a moment, making me laugh at her. Logan looks over at me, amusement on his own face. “I’m going to bed! See you tomorrow, Thea!”
I laugh at her presumption that I’ll be here tomorrow. “Good night, Lue.”
She rushes down the hall to her room, leaving the room in silence.
Logan sighs and rubs his hand over his face. “Damn. I didn’t think she’d be that excited.”
“She’s a great kid.”
For a moment, I let my mind imagine what could happen if we lived together. Would we stay up late chatting, watch some TV, then head to bed together? Or would we sneak down the hallway, waiting until we were sure Lue was asleep so that we could be together each night?
A blush forms on my cheeks. It’s been such a long time since I was intimate with anyone, my confidence in the matter was completely shot after my ex tore me apart, and my trust…well, that is something that is hard to get back.
“Well.” I stand from the couch, afraid that Logan will read my face. “I should head home. We all have busy days tomorrow.”
Logan stands and takes my hand, pulling me into his arms. “I wish you didn’t have to go, but I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.”
“Right, darts,” I say, remembering our weekly bar schedule. Tuesdays were dart league.
“Ah, and…” He pauses, wrapping his arms around my lower back. I have no choice but to hold him back just as tight. “You and your sisters are invited to the wedding on Saturday.”
I blink. “Saturday? They’ve already got it planned that fast? ”
“They do.” He laughs. “And I’d love if you would be my date.”
That blush that was nearly gone rises again. “I would love to.”
“Great.” His hazel eyes burn into mine, and he leans forward, dipping his head to take my lips with his in a sweet yet still passionate kiss. I can’t believe how much feeling can be put into a kiss.
I can’t believe how hard I was falling for him and how nervous I was that I was going to screw it up.