Chapter 25
twenty-five
LOGAN
The ladies are all curled up under blankets on Griffin’s couches when we file in, carrying stacks of pizza boxes. Isla and Lexi don’t look surprised to see us, but Blair’s pretty brown eyes widen, and I’d bet money the girls didn’t tell her they’d be getting company of the hockey-playing variety.
Will she be okay with us being here? Even though I want a chance to spend more time with her, I don’t want to ruin her night, either.
“Ladies, your pizza has arrived,” Griffin says with a flourish. He sets his boxes down on the coffee table before leaning over and pulling Mira in for a passionate kiss. “Hey, sunshine. Missed you.”
They’re disgustingly cute together. Normally, I’d feel a quick little pang of annoyance at their PDA, but tonight, I’m straight-up jealous.
I must be losing my damn mind.
Maddox and Ryder greet Isla and Lexi in much the same ways while Bash says hello before making his way into Griffin and Mira’s kitchen to grab a stack of plates and some napkins.
“Hey,” I say to Blair. “It’s good to see you.”
“Oh, um, yeah. You too.” She twists a springy curl between her fingers and shifts so her feet are no longer tucked beneath her on the couch.
I chuckle. “You had no idea we were showing up, did you?” When her full lips curve into a tentative smile, something inside me loosens. If she seemed upset by our presence, I’d leave. But I don’t want to.
“No, but I should have known.”
“Bad surprise?” I ask.
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that, really. I just…”
“It’s okay,” I reassure her, chuckling as she stammers in an effort to make me feel better. “I get it.”
“It is good to see you, though.”
Bash sets the stack of plates down on the coffee table, and I take one. “What kind of pizza did you order?”
“Sausage, black olive, and feta,” she says. Her voice is quiet, all the fire she shines with when we’ve verbally sparred before tempered into something hesitant and shy. It’s cute, but I want to fan those flames again. I love her fire.
Before she can protest, I grab a few slices of pizza out of the box and hand it to her.
“Thank you.”
“That looks delicious,” I say. “I don’t think it’s a combination I would have chosen, but it smells good.”
“Help yourself. I don’t mind sharing.”
I consider it for a moment, then grab one slice of hers before adding two slices of the everything pizza I prefer. When my plate is piled high, I turn, surveying the couches. Blair is tucked into a corner seat, the spot next to her open. But do I take it? Does she want me to sit next to her?
Sebastian catches my eye and gives me a subtle nod, telling me to go for it.
Seriously, how have I gotten to this point? When have I ever been scared to sit next to a beautiful woman?
Maybe when you started caring about more than just having sex.
Sucking in a deep breath, I lower myself into the spot next to her. Bash sits in an open spot close by on the other couch.
“What did you ladies do tonight?” I ask before lifting a slice of pizza to my mouth and taking a big bite. If I don’t, I might start rambling, and I want to impress Blair, not make her run away from me.
“We went to a bookstore. We’re going to start a book club.”
Why does she look embarrassed by that? Fuck, she’s cute. “That sounds fun. What book did you ladies get?”
“Oh, um, I can’t remember what it’s called.” She ducks her head. Suddenly, the pizza on her plate is very interesting.
“What kind of book?” I press. I want her to talk to me, not hide.
“A romance.”
“A hockey romance,” Mira pipes up from her spot beside Griffin. “A spicy one.”
That seems to get the attention of all my teammates. Even Bash is smirking.
“Oh, baby, you know I like it when you read spicy romance.” Griffin waggles his eyebrows at his wife. “We’re going to have so much to act out with a hockey romance.”
“Dude,” Maddox groans. “How many times have I told you to keep your bedroom shit to yourself? She’s my little sister.”
Griffin shrugs, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiles broadly. “And she’s my wife. Sorry, not sorry.”
“I don’t know why Madds is complaining. I’m the one who has to hear all about their book reenactments,” I murmur low enough that only Blair can hear it.
“One time they were reading some stalker romance, and I had to listen to Wright debate the pros and cons of the different masks he was trying to choose between so they could act it out.”
Blair’s lips twitch. Encouraged, I continue.
“I don’t really get why women are turned on by the Ghostface mask, but he eventually decided against it because it would cover his mouth, and…” I cut myself off, realizing Blair may not want all the slutty details. “Well, I’m sure you get the picture.”
She rewards me with a bright, loud peal of laughter, and I feel like I just won the fucking lottery. What is happening to me?
“He did not.”
I nod solemnly. “Oh, he did. God help me if they ever read a werewolf romance. I don’t even want to think about the kind of costumes I’m going to have to help him choose then.”
That draws another round of laughter out of Blair.
My guys grin around me, and so do the ladies.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say they’re as invested in whatever this is between us as the boys.
It makes me feel a bit like an animal in a zoo—a spectacle—but I’m glad they seem supportive.
The guys will always have my back and root for me, but if the women had reservations? It would probably make me doubt this.
“That’s… Yeah, I’m not sure any of that surprises me,” she says, smiling.
It illuminates her whole face when she smiles, and holy shit, she’s gorgeous. Luminous golden-brown skin, curls that skim her collarbone, making me want to trace the skin there with my mouth, and deep, dark mahogany eyes that look like they hold the secrets of the world.
“So, a hockey romance, huh?” I ask, trying to keep from smirking. Something tells me I have one of the other ladies to thank for that.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I didn’t even know that was a thing,” she mumbles before taking another bite of pizza. “Then again, hockey was never on my radar before taking this job.”
“You’d really never watched a hockey game before the family night?”
She shakes her head, making her curls bounce. “Nope.”
“So you really had no idea who I was that night we met.” I don’t mean to say the words, but they’re out there now.
That night plays in my mind every time I close my eyes, and I’ve been dying to talk to her about it.
It’s probably a stupid thing to say, but my curiosity has only grown with every moment I spend with her.
“I really didn’t,” she responds quietly. “If I’d known, I never would have…”
Noting her obvious discomfort as she shifts in her seat, I reach over and cover her hand with mine. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“No, it’s fine. I just—I’m still so embarrassed about how all of that went down.”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m the one who should feel like an idiot.”
The world narrows when she looks up at me, those deep brown eyes of hers holding an understanding that makes me feel seen. Like maybe someday I could tell her everything. The whole lonely story.
“It’s okay. I’m sure I would have been suspicious in your position too. It was quite the coincidence. Definitely not a plot twist I saw coming.”
“Me neither. But I guess the best plot twists are the ones you don’t expect.”
Blair smiles at me. It’s a hesitant thing, like she doesn’t quite trust that I’m being honest. She doesn’t need to worry, but I get it. I haven’t given her many reasons to trust or believe me so far. We’ll get there.
“How’s Reed doing?”
That perks her up and pulls her out of her momentary shyness. “He’s great. Out at his friend Eddie’s house tonight. I think you met Eddie? The two of them met at family night.”
The kid I thought Reed was related to. “Yeah, I remember him. What are they up to tonight?”
Blair shrugs. “No idea. What do teenage boys do together?”
“Play video games and eat tons of food?”
“Probably about right. Hopefully, they’re also doing some homework somewhere in there too,” she says with a chuckle.
“I’m sure they are. They seem like great kids.”
“Yeah. They are.”
The look of pride on Blair’s face is everything I wish my mom had felt toward me but apparently never did. And Blair isn’t even Reed’s mom; she’s his big sister. He’s a lucky kid. Well, not that losing their parents was lucky, but they’re both lucky to have each other.
How many times had I wished I had a brother or sister to share the shitshow of my life with?
More times than I could count.
We slip into easy conversation after that.
Blair fits in seamlessly with everyone. She jokes around with Griffin, asks Navarro about being a goalie and nods along seriously when he describes what he does in a game.
She laughs with the ladies, commiserates with Ryder about losing parents too young, and even draws Maddox into a long conversation.
I don’t want the night to end, but I know Blair has to get home to her brother. So when it hits nine fifteen and she turns to Mira, I’m ready.
“Do you think I could get a ride home?”
“I can take you,” I offer, stretching. “I need to get home, anyway.”
Blair turns to me, eyes wide. “Are you sure? I know it’s early.” She glances at Mira and the other girls, who give her encouraging nods.
“Of course. Come on.” Rising from the couch, I offer Blair my hand. She hesitates for a moment before placing her warm palm in mine and letting me pull her up.
Goodbyes are said, hugs are exchanged, then I’m riding the elevator down to the parking garage with the beautiful woman who’s drawn my attention all night. The woman who is still not wearing a coat. I want to give her a hard time about it, but I won’t. I’ll just take care of it.
When we get to my sleek SUV, I open her door for her and am rewarded with a pretty blush. “Where do you live?”
She rattles off her address, which I plug into my GPS, and then we fall silent.
It’s not an uncomfortable one, but I want to break it all the same.
I want to know everything about her, and if I thought she’d tell me, I’d ask her a hundred questions.
But I don’t think she’s ready for that, yet, so we slip into small talk.
All too soon, I’m parking in street parking in front of her building, turning the car off, and getting out. Blair’s expression is surprised when I round the car and open her door for her.
“What are you doing?”
“Walking you to your door.”
“Oh. You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. But I’m still going to.” Blair clutches her new book to her chest once she’s out of the car, looking unsure.
“Come on,” I say, offering her my arm like some fancy gentleman of yore. What the fuck was I thinking, doing that? Luckily, she takes my arm after giving me a curious look, and I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Which floor?”
“The second,” she says, pushing through the external door. It isn’t locked, and I don’t like that. At all.
Her building is older, and it shows. Everything looks like it could use an update, but at least it seems clean.
A couple of older guys linger by the mailboxes, but otherwise, it’s quiet.
Nothing about it screams unsafe, but compared to my building, I would find most apartment buildings in this area lacking.
Maybe that makes me sound like a snob, but oh well.
I grew up in a huge house that always felt too empty.
It was in a gated community that had security driving around regularly, and my dad always had the most up-to-date security systems installed and constantly monitored.
Now, in my building, there’s a private garage, doors that require a passcode or key fob to enter, and security at the desk. No one could just walk in from the street like they can here in Blair’s building.
Are she and Reed safe here?
“You really don’t have to walk me to my door,” she says again.
Like hell. “I know, angel. Still going to.”
“Angel?” she mutters under her breath.
I grin. I hadn’t meant to say it, but as soon as it slipped out, it felt right.
Her hand is still tucked under my arm as we climb the stairs to the second floor. The hallway smells faintly of smoke, and the lights are slightly too dim, but Blair doesn’t seem to notice. Or she’s used to it.
“This is me,” she says, stopping in front of a door toward the end of the hall.
Unit 208. I miss her warmth immediately when her hand falls from my arm so she can dig her key out of her purse.
When I don’t make a move to leave, she glances up at me through the fringe of her lashes, then slips the key into the lock. “Thanks for walking me up.”
A strand of curls falls in front of her face, and I don’t even stop for a moment to think about what I’m doing.
I just reach up and gently drag it out of her face and tuck it behind her ear, my fingers lingering on her cheek.
Blair sucks in a startled breath, and my attention goes to her lips as they part.
I want to kiss the hell out of those lips. To taste her again. I want to push her back against the door and press my knee between her thighs.
But I need to take it slow.
Fuck, I hate taking it slow.
“See you later?”
Her eyes drop to my lips, and I swear to god, I deserve a medal for the restraint I’m showing right now.
“Yeah. Thanks again for bringing me home.”
“Any time. Go on, angel. I want to make sure you’re safely inside before I leave.”
Her lips part again at that, and I can’t tell if it’s because she’s surprised or because she wants to tell me off. Whatever the reason, she shakes her head, then pushes the door open, giving me a view of their apartment.
The walls are that off-white that somehow looks dreary, the carpets are old and have seen better days, and even though it looks like they’ve unpacked, the place seems to lack any of Reed’s or Blair’s personalities. All of it looks temporary and kind of sad.
“Good night, Logan.” Blair sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, shifting on her feet like my perusal of her space has made her uncomfortable or embarrassed.
She has nothing to feel embarrassed about.
“Night,” I murmur. Once again, I pat myself on the back for not tugging her lip from between her teeth and kissing the hell out of her.
Not yet, but soon.
Only after she closes the door and I hear the soft click of the lock, do I leave.
My head is full of ideas, and my chest is vibrating with an unfamiliar sensation I can only attribute to the beautiful, curly-haired woman who has thrown my life into chaos from the minute she showed up in the Twin Cities.
Affection? Worry? Hope? I’m not totally sure, but I don’t hate the way it feels.
I don’t hate it at all.