Chapter 6
POV: Suzy
He caught me staring, just briefly, and his mouth curved into something that might’ve been smug. Or maybe hopeful.
“Sorry,” he said, not looking sorry at all. “Didn’t mean to flash the goods this early.”
“I’ll survive,” I said, voice a little hoarse.
His brow lifted. “You sure?”
No. I wasn’t. Not at all.
But I nodded, because the girls were sleeping and my body didn’t care about timing, only that this man was making my heart race just by existing.
We sat down to eat, knees bumping under the table, the silence between us soft and electric.
And beneath it all, unspoken but loud—last night happened. We were closer. Looser. And whatever we were pretending not to want... it was getting harder to deny.
The faint rustle of blankets and soft yawns signaled the end of our quiet bubble.
Lily stirred first, blinking up at me with sleepy eyes and wild hair. “Auntie Suzy?” she whispered, rubbing her face. “Is it competition day?”
I brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and nodded. “Semifinals, baby girl. You ready to rock the mat?”
She gave a sleepy thumbs up and rolled toward Izzy, who was still deeply asleep, clutching one of the spare pillows like a stuffed animal.
I smiled and quietly grabbed my phone, slipping into the bathroom.
Once the door was shut, I texted my sister.
Suzy: Morning! She’s doing amazing. Today’s the semifinals ???. You’d be so proud. I’ll keep you posted.
Then I snapped a picture of Lily yawning, half-buried in the covers, and recorded a quick voice note of her humming while brushing her teeth.
Back in the room, the girls were now a flurry of energy—giggles, hairbrushes, leotards, and sparkly clips.
Logan stepped out of the bathroom in a fitted black T-shirt and dark jeans, rubbing a towel through his hair. His eyes found mine for a beat longer than necessary. Something unspoken hung in the air between us. Something warm. Curious. Unsteady.
But before either of us could say anything, Izzy dropped her comb and let out a sharp, panicked breath.
“My braid’s not even,” she snapped. “I look stupid!”
She shoved the comb into her gym bag with more force than necessary, eyes glassy. The pressure was clearly getting to her.
Logan stepped forward, already straightening his spine. “Izzy, breathe. Fix your posture—”
“Hey,” I cut in gently, placing a hand on her shoulder before he could switch into full-coach mode. “No one’s looking at your braid. You know what they’ll see out there?”
Izzy blinked at me, annoyed but listening.
“They’ll see a girl who trained her butt off. Who’s smart and strong and talented and has this crazy laser focus that could probably scare a grown man.”
That earned the smallest twitch of a smile. Lily giggled behind us.
“You think they’ll see all that?” Izzy asked, her voice a little shaky.
“I know they will.” I tugged her in gently, forehead to forehead. “You’ve got this. And if not, we riot.”
Izzy laughed, the tightness in her chest melting.
“And let me help you with this. After that tutorial you sent me, I’m basically a braid expert now,” I said, gathering her hair with mock seriousness. A few minutes later, the braid looked—shockingly—pretty good.
“Thank you. You’re amazing,” Izzy said, wrapping her arms around my legs. I stroked her newly braided hair, warmth blooming in my chest.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
When I looked up, Logan was watching me. His expression unreadable at first—but something in his face had softened. His arms dropped to his sides. His jaw unclenched.
He looked at me like I’d just done something he didn’t know he needed.
Something he couldn’t do himself.
“Thanks,” he said quietly, once Izzy and Lily started goofing off again. “For knowing how to reach her.”
I smiled. “Sometimes a little chaos helps.”
He looked at me for another second—longer than he should’ve—then nodded. “Let’s get them to the arena.”
—
The arena buzzed with nervous energy and glitter.
Parents, coaches, judges, and competitors all swirled into organized chaos. Logan slipped into his role with ease—checking warmups, coordinating with other staff. But every now and then, his eyes found me in the crowd.
And mine always found him.
When Izzy stumbled midway through her beam routine, my heart dropped. I saw her face tighten in panic. Her foot hesitated.
Logan stood near the sidelines, frozen for a breath.
But before he could react, she steadied herself. Finished. Breathed. Walked off with trembling hands.
She held it together until she made it backstage, and I followed on instinct.
Izzy stood alone, back to the wall, blinking hard. I touched her arm and she flinched—then leaned into me like a wave breaking.
“I messed up,” she whispered. “It was supposed to be perfect.”
“No one saw a mistake,” I told her softly. “They saw a fighter. You kept going. That’s what they’ll remember.”
Logan arrived just in time to hear that. His hand brushed Izzy’s back, his eyes meeting mine, and in that moment, I knew—I was no longer just a spectator in their lives.
I was in it.
God help me, I was in it.
—
Later, back at the hotel lobby, Logan approached while the girls shared a soda and giggled over TikToks.
He cleared his throat.
“I was thinking…if you and Lily aren’t too tired…maybe we could grab dinner somewhere outside the hotel tonight. Just the four of us.”
I blinked. “You want to… go out?”
He nodded, a little awkward. “I figured they earned it. And you—”
He stopped himself, eyes darting toward the girls.
“And maybe we could all use something a little less formal.”
My heart did a strange, buoyant flip.
“Dinner sounds perfect,” I said, smiling.
And it did. Too perfect.
Which, if I was being honest, scared the hell out of me.
The restaurant Logan chose wasn’t fancy, but it had this cozy, wood-paneled charm—soft lighting, white tablecloths, a quiet corner table far from the buzz of the host stand.
The girls sat on one side of the booth, already busy arguing over which dessert they’d share. I sat opposite Logan, trying to pretend my heart wasn’t doing a slow backflip every time he looked my way.
Which was often.
He’d insisted on ordering for all of us—turns out, the man not only paid attention to my coffee order but remembered everything I liked at the buffet. The grilled salmon, the roasted veggies, even the lemon spritz I’d said once tasted like summer in a glass.
It should’ve felt creepy. It didn’t.
It felt like being seen.
“You always this observant?” I teased, picking at my food.
His mouth lifted just slightly. “Occupational hazard. Noticing things.”
“And what else have you noticed?”
I hadn’t meant it to come out quite that flirty. But I didn’t take it back.
He looked up slowly. “That you care more about Lily than you admit. That you’re trying really hard to hold everything together and still make her smile. That you love sparkling water with lemon and ginger—because I saw it in your room. You’re creative, and simple, and complicated all at once.
And you’re not used to being taken care of.”
He paused. “Also, when you’re nervous, you talk fast and use your hands a lot.”
My hand froze mid-gesture.
Busted.
“And you…” I narrowed my eyes, teasing, but my voice had softened. “You act all grumpy and controlled, but you have a gentle side. You show you care by doing things—protective, intentional things. You keep this cold armor around you, but your eyes... they give you away.”
“Do they?”
“They’re always warmer when Izzy’s around.”
I swallowed.
I almost added and softer when you look at me.
But I caught the words before they slipped out.
He didn’t say anything. Just held my gaze. That silence? It said everything.
Then he shifted slightly and broke the tension. “I want you to try a dessert.”
“Oh yeah? Which one would you be?” I raised a brow, playing along.
“Salted caramel cheesecake,” he said, already flagging down the waiter.
When it arrived, I took one bite and couldn’t stop the sound that escaped me. “Mmm.”
“You are a man full of surprises, Dr. Kaiser,” I said, licking the fork. “I might let you pick my desserts more often.”
He stared at me, like he heard everything I didn’t say. “I’d like that.”
His voice was low. Rough. It made my cheeks flush.
Before I could respond, the girls’ chocolate lava cake arrived, saving me from saying something even worse—or better.
The ride back to the hotel was quiet. Warm. That soft, glowing kind of silence that only comes after a perfect night.
The girls got into pajamas, still whispering and giggling. Logan helped them settle into bed, and I slipped into the bathroom to change.
I pulled his shirt over my head.
And wished it was him on my skin instead of just his clothes.
Damn him. This Greek god is under my skin.
When I came out, he was already in sweats and a T-shirt—casual, barefoot, and stupidly hot.
Real.
Like the man behind the surgeon mask.
And I loved seeing him like that.
I climbed into bed again. But instead of returning to the mattress on the floor, he sat down on the edge beside me.
The air shifted.
Thicker. Charged.
“I had fun tonight,” I said softly.
He looked over at me, smiling. “Me too.”
This man, who barely smiled… smiling because of me?
I forgot how to breathe.
Then he reached out—his fingers brushing a loose strand of my hair, tucking it gently behind my ear.
My heart just about exploded.
“Logan…” His name came out in a whisper.
He leaned in. Closer. “Yeah?”
I could feel his breath on my skin.
My body, traitorous and aching, leaned in too.
Our lips were inches apart. Close enough for me to see the flecks of gold in his green eyes.
His hand came up—slow, careful—fingertips brushing the side of my neck.
And then we kissed.
Soft at first. Curious. Reverent.
But it didn’t stay that way.
His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. My fingers tangled in his shirt. His mouth parted and his tongue met mine—and suddenly we were no longer pretending.
It was deep and hungry and aching, like we’d both been starving for far too long. His other hand gripped my waist, dragging me flush against him.
I straddled his lap without thinking—one knee on either side of him—his breath hitching as I settled into him.
He broke the kiss just long enough to murmur, “God, why do you feel so good?”
Then his lips were back on mine, coaxing, claiming, tasting like he was devouring me from the inside out.