new arrival.
"I see what has your attention. Damn."
"Back off," he growls as he stands up and marches over to where Avery stands, struggling to tie her shoes.
"Want me to get those?" Logan asks, his voice a bit huskier than he had planned.
At his question, she turns her head toward his voice and sets her mesmerizing eyes on him, a growing smile gracing her face when she finds him and not a stranger.
"No thanks, I'm almost done. Broken three shoe strings already." She chuckles as she commences her tying.
When her task is complete, she stands quickly and allows her gaze to travel his body, the penetration scalding his skin.
"Hi, Logan. What are you doing here?" she asks, returning her eyes to his.
"Hey, Avery. My friend Austin and I have a lane over there," he says, pointing in the general direction, "If you and Nikki want to join us."
"You sure?"
"Yep," he replies, tucking her hair behind her right ear. "Friends can bowl together, right?"
The question is posed as Logan looks into her eyes, watching the small black pupils dilate, the response causing his heart to pound.
Not waiting for an answer, he takes her hand and calls over his shoulder, "Hey, Nikki, you and Avery are going to play with us."
Logan can't help but secretly rejoice when Avery doesn't remove her hand from his grasp. If anything, she squeezes his hand a bit tighter as they walk toward the lane. Logan gazes down at her and smiles when she peeks up at him.
When they arrive at the lane he and Austin claimed as their own, Austin looks at him questioningly, his gaze bouncing between Avery and their intertwined hands.
"Austin, this is Avery. She just moved here and is working as a medical assistant at my practice."
Nikki joins them moments later and as Logan makes the introductions between her and Austin, he can see the spark of interest between the two. He isn’t sure how they haven’t met prior to this point, especially since they were all together the other night. But now that he thinks about it, they would make a great match; his calmness complimenting her quirkiness.
As Logan resets the game to include their two new players, Avery comes to stand beside him.
"I've never bowled before," she whispers in his ear, her sweet breath floating across his nose.
It takes all his strength to maintain his position at the kiosk and not cart her off to the bathroom to take his fill.
"You'll be fine. It's an easy game and I can help you if you want."
"That'd be great. I don't want to make a fool of myself."
Looking at her, listening to her shaky voice, Logan murmurs, "You couldn't be a fool, even if you tried. Come on, you're up first."
Logan begins by showing Avery how to hold the ball, then line up her wrist with the arrows on the lane when she releases. She mimics the walk he demonstrated a few times before trying to release the ball on her first round.
On her first try, she gets a strike.
She jumps into his arms, completely exhilarated, while the rest of them stand stock-still, mouths agape in shock.
It takes him a few breathless seconds, but Logan quickly wraps her in his arms as her excitement seeps into him.
"You did great, Avery. Are you sure you haven't played before?" he asks as she slides away from his arms.
"No, never. I can't believe I got them all. I never expected that to happen."
"Well, you're a natural then. Congratulations on your first strike. Now we get to celebrate!"