Chapter One #2
More than anything, she wanted to slink back to her rental car and drive away.
This entire thing had been a mistake, and if she was being honest with herself, she hadn't even wanted to do it in the first place.
Dahlia had talked her into it. She was not an in-person type of individual.
Her preference was to stay home with her cats, where it was familiar and comfortable.
Not that she was agoraphobic or anything.
She went out. She just preferred it to be in a small setting, with people she knew.
She gave him a small wave, an attempt at brushing whatever it was that was happening away. "You know what? Never mind." She tipped her lips up in what she hoped was a genuine smile. It was hard to tell with her cheeks frozen by the cold. "Sorry to have bothered you."
He stared at her hard for a moment. Like, really hard. It was the kind of stare that felt like a real touch. Her skin actually tingled. Then he nodded and slipped past her and out the door.
She turned and scanned the area, searching for someone to help her.
A small seed of something—she wasn't quite sure what it was—sprouted to life in her belly.
It rapidly grew, twining around her heart and her lungs, squeezing a little, trying to get her attention.
She glanced over her shoulder at Logan's retreating form through the glass doors.
Could she really let him drive away without at least getting his autograph?
After all, he had played a big part in the majority of her teenage fantasies.
It kind of felt like a wasted opportunity.
Her inner teen self would never forgive her.
With a deep breath for courage, even though her insides were vibrating like they were about to shake apart, she hurried back outside. "Excuse me, again. Mr. Keller?"
He turned back toward her, his face completely blank. Half of the cells in her body screamed at her to just turn around and leave, but it was too late for that. She'd already called out to him, acknowledged she wanted his attention. Doing a one-eighty before even speaking to him would be weird.
She'd been following his career for a decade and a half, unconsciously—and sometimes consciously—absorbing all the information she ran across.
And now that she thought about it, it was really strange and kind of creepy.
She stuffed that information down, trying to pull her professional persona to the surface.
He already thought she was a weirdo. No need to add to the pile.
She hurried forward, willing her heart to stop its erratic thud against her ribs. She hadn't realized how much distance he’d managed to put between them. Probably because his legs were so freaking long.
He just stood there, watching her. Which did nothing to help calm the jitteriness inside her.
Get it together, Avery.
She kept her focus on him, finally getting close enough where she didn't have to shout across the now mostly empty parking lot.
She could do this. "I'm sorry to take up more of your time, I just—" Her foot slipped out from under her, her ridiculous high heeled boots sliding on a patch of ice she clearly hadn't spotted.
The momentum drove her backward, and within microseconds, she knew there was no way she could save herself. She flailed her arms but there was nothing to grab on to. She was going down, and it was going to be a hard landing.
Before she could blink, arms wrapped around her, pulling her from doom and into a large, warm body. She clutched at him, her brain still caught on the idea that she was about to smack into the ground.
Her face was pressed against his chest, and he smelled nice, like the outdoors and pine trees or something. It wasn't a cologne she was familiar with, but on him, it smelled good. Like, mouth wateringly good. It probably had price tag that matched the impeccable suit he wore. Without a coat.
He pulled back to stare down at her. She blinked up at him. For a moment, the world stopped turning.
“Are you okay?” There was concern in his voice.
She nodded, unsure of what else to say.
He righted her, making sure she was on solid footing before he let go.
“Umm, thank you for saving me.” She waved in the vague area of the parking lot.
His lips turned up in a devastating smile. The kind that made the dimple on his right cheek pop out. The kind that could ignite panties up and down the west coast. Hers definitely hadn't escaped the onslaught. At least she wasn't cold anymore. “It was my pleasure.”
“I’m Avery, by the way.” She stuck out her hand, intending to be all professional and go for a handshake. Instead, she rammed her fingers into his stomach.
He oofed at the contact and took a step back.
Holy Mary, mother of God, could she be any more awkward? Once again, her cheeks pulsed with heat. At this point, she was going to be the cause of climate change.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting all the full-body contact, is all." He chuckled, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement.
She wanted to climb into the nearest snow bank and curl up until at least the first thaw. This was why she was happiest behind the computer, in the safety of her own office. She was a disaster in the real world.
"Again, I'm so sorry." She reached for him, and then realized what she was doing, and dropped her hand back to her side. Even her fifteen-year-old self was cringing hard. She was as smooth as sour milk.
"It's fine." He brushed her apology away with a sweep of his hand. "No harm, no foul." He glanced around and then back at her. “I’m Logan, by the way. Logan Keller. But I’m suspecting you know that already.” His gaze slid down to her feet and then back up to meet hers.
Suddenly, she was regretting her choice of attire.
The puffy, down coat was practical, but far from flattering on her plus-sized frame, especially in the off-white color, which had been the only one available in the store she'd ducked into last night after freezing her ass off once she got off the plane.
It wasn't something she ever would have bought if it hadn't been an emergency.
Not that she should care what other people thought, but she did.
She always had. And it was much easier said than done to throw off the cloak of society's expectations and all of that.
Again, another reason she preferred the safety of her home office.
There, she didn't have to dodge the world's expectations.
At least once she stopped doom-scrolling all the social media sites.
“It’s nice to officially meet you, Logan.” There, that sounded normal and not like a weirdo at all. Her lips were super dry, and she rubbed at them with her fingers and then gave them a lick. None of which helped.
He was staring at her, probably waiting for her to say something else.
But for the life of her, she couldn't think of anything useful to say.
For some stupid reason, her head was filled with all of the snide comments about her weight and her height that she'd received over her lifetime.
Which was the last thing she needed right now.
She opened her mouth to say something—the jury was still out on what the actual words were going to be—but nothing came out.
Which was probably a blessing. Although it didn't help with the embarrassment still coursing through her bloodstream, making her feeling like she was burning up from the inside out.
Any moment, she was positive she was going to burst into flames.
There was tickle in the back of her throat, and she swallowed, but it didn't stop.
Her lungs suddenly felt tight, and she couldn't draw a deep breath.
Or any breath. Panic skated over her skin like little icy fingers.
An ache built in her chest, and the world suddenly tilted. She staggered a little.
He grabbed her arm, probably to make sure she stayed on her feet. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good. Do you want to sit down or something?"
She stared at him, giving a nod and a shake of her head at the same time. Talk about a mixed message. But she didn't have the bandwidth to worry about it. Her lungs ached to draw a deep breath.
He didn't wait for an answer, just ushered her back toward the arena. She made it about ten steps when the world tilted again. Although this time, she was pretty sure it wasn't the world, it was her.