“No, what? No, I mean, you, yes. You’re my girlfriend; Maria isn’t. She’s a friend.” He stood and laced his fingers behind his head. “Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t ever want to lie to you. She is a friend, and for a long time I felt something for her, but we never did anything, I never once kissed her, and before I met you, I knew that she wasn’t what I needed. Maria, she kind of wants her cake and wants to eat it too; she’s with someone else—”
“—If she wasn’t, would you be with her?” I asked, my heart slowly breaking from his words.
“No,” he said instantly. “Maria, she means a lot to me, her friendship is important. She’s best friends with my sister, so she will always be in my life, but I don’t love her. I never did. I want you, Abigail.”
“Does Maria always text you wanting to talk?”
“So you did read the message from last night?” He didn’t sound angry; he had a crooked grin instead.
“Of course, I did. If she is with someone, why is she messaging you?”
“I don’t know,” he answered with defeated shoulders. “I don’t, but I’ll talk to her, okay?”
His phone beeped again, and this time it was Lucy. I glanced away, not wanting to intrude on his conversation. I didn’t mean to read the message from Maria last night, but it was right there as I looked at the menu.
“It’s my sister asking if I’m going to come over for Easter and to have dinner. You’re going to come with me, right?”
Easter, I vaguely remembered it from last year. “You want me to go?”
“I don’t ever want to go anywhere without you ever again,” he said.
“I’d meet your family?” That made me nervous. I knew what they would think of me the moment they met me. They would probably think I was using Logan, and I wasn’t. I loved being with him, but if he didn’t want to be with me, I’d move on, and I’d live because that was what I did. I always survived.
I always figured out a way.
“Just my sister and her husband. Our parents died awhile back. It’s just her and me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. My parents died too. That’s what the hospital told me. I guess we have that in common.”
“We have a lot in common, Abigail. More than the simple things, like favorite colors and food. It’s deeper than that. You feel it, don’t you?”
I went to nod, but he held my head still.
“Words,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and fought a tiny smile, trying to form on my lips. He always wanted me to speak, and as much as it annoyed me, I loved it too. I wasn’t a burden to him; at least, he didn’t act like it if I was. “I feel it, Logan.”
“It’s impossible not to.”
My stomach flipped, and my heart lurched forward in my chest when he leaned down and kissed me again. It was one peck, two, and by the third time he placed his lips on mine, he held them there, moving his firm mouth against mine. His five o’clock shadow rubbed against the skin, and I loved the slight burn it gave.
He pulled away, much to my dismay, leaving me breathless with wet panties. “You’re trouble. I have a feeling there are going to be times where I am late to work, which says something, since I’m going to be building houses in this neighborhood, so I never have to go far.”
I stared up at him through my lashes, marveling at how handsome he was. His hair was messy from sleep, and he stilled had a pillow crease line on his cheek. I found it endearing. It felt like I had known Logan my entire life.
“The guys will be here soon. If I don’t get in the shower now, I never will, and I’ll just stay in bed with you all day.”
“Would that be so awful?” I got onto my knees and placed my hands on his shoulders.
“Awful? No. Amazing?” He kissed me. “Delightful?” He kissed me again. “Perfect? Yes. Would it pay the bills? As much as I wish it would, it doesn’t. Plus, you need to get ready too. You’re my intern, remember? I bought a new coffee pot. Why don’t you make a pot for me and the crew?”
“Sure,” I said, not admitting that I had no idea how to make coffee.
“Thanks, baby.” He bent down to give me a kiss again and then vanished into the bathroom. The shower turned on, and I imagined the water dripping down his body, shining against the contours of his abs, and I wanted to go in there, rip off my shirt, and slide my body against his.
I wasn’t ready for that.
Instead, I focused on my first task as an intern and searched for the coffee pot. It couldn’t be in the kitchen because there were no appliances there, but I decided to check anyway. The hallway was long and wide, probably for Logan to fit through since his shoulders were so big