Page 34 of Logan

After tucking her hair behind her ear and taking a fortifying sip, she peered up at him. “What are you doing here?”

Another grin slipped out as he replied, “I live here, remember?”

She snorted. “Okay, smart-ass. I mean, why haven’t you left for work?”

“Staying here today. Got some things I want to do and?—”

Frustration spread through her. Setting the mug down on the counter harder than she meant to, she said, “Look, Logan. I get it. I fucked up yesterday. It won’t happen again, so you don’t have to stay here and babysit me. I’ll watch next door and get my lab equipment ready. Nothing else, I promise?—”

Logan leaned over the counter, pressing his fingers over her lips, stilling her protest. “Viv. Hush.”

The feel of his rough fingers against the softness of her lips sent a tingle throughout her body. She stared into his eyes, drowning in their sea-stormy midsts. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and she could have sworn they held lust. He pulled his fingers away, dragging them gently over her lips likethe touch of a kiss. She sucked in a ragged breath, still not speaking, but her gaze remained locked on his face.

Swallowing deeply, he cleared his throat. “We’re fine, Viv. You and me. I want you safe, and this kind of setup should have never happened. You should be safely ensconced in a lab somewhere, waiting for me to send you samples. Not here, in the middle of Alaska, next door to more danger than you could ever imagine. Not here, in a dumpy little house, sharing it with a grumpy-ass man.”

She didn’t protest his description, but her lips quirked as she kept her gaze steady.

“But we are here. Together. And I need to make this right. I need to make sure you’re safe. And we’ll figure out how to work together as a team…not as individuals.”

Her head moved in a slow nod, still quiet as she took in his words. “What do you have planned?” Hesitation coated her words.

“I have a delivery to pick up today.”

“Okay.”

“And I want you to go with me to pick it up. It’ll get you out of the house. You’ve been cooped up here, only going to the grocery. You need a break. We’ll pick up my delivery and have lunch somewhere.”

“Okay,” she repeated.

He leaned back, his weight resting on his hands planted on the counter, a smile still on his face. “You gonna keep being this agreeable?”

Taking another sip of the fortifying coffee, Vivian nodded. “Yes. No more making any decisions without you.”

He sighed, and his smile slipped. She watched his eyes change color, getting darker. The idea that the color changed almost every time she looked at him fascinated her. Blinking, she realized he was staring back.

“What?” she asked.

“I just want to keep you safe,” he replied, his warm gaze not leaving hers. “And that’s what I’m going to do.” Standing to his full height, he turned back to the stove and plated eggs and bacon for them both. Grinning over his shoulder, he said, “But first, we gotta eat so I don’t have to drag zombie Viv to town.”

Energized by breakfast and coffee, Vivian sat in the cab of the old pickup truck and listened to the classic rock music blaring from the radio. Tapping her foot on the floorboard, she watched the scenery roll by as she lip-synched to the song.

Logan glanced her way, and she caught his grin from the corner of her eye. He seemed less grumpy, and her heart felt lighter than it had in days now that the two of them finally seemed to be on the same page. The desire to know more about the enigmatic man she was with filled her.

“How long did it take to become a SEAL?”

His head swung around, surprise filling his eyes as his brows snapped together. “Uh?—”

“I know you can’t tell me a lot, but I was just wondering how long it took for your team to become a team.”

His hands relaxed on the steering wheel. “Well, the easiest answer would be that it can take close to three years.”

“Holy moly,” she breathed. She sat silent for another moment, thinking of all the training he would have gone through. “No wonder you can’t stand working with me.”

He reached over and grabbed her hand, then squeezed her fingers. “Viv, that’s not true. Yeah, I was thrown for a loop when I first got here, but shit, SEALs are trained to think on their feet and adapt to any contingency. I fucked up. Guess the yearsI’ve been out have made me rusty, but considering I’m running a security company now, I need to adapt more quickly to other people. We’re in this, and we’re in this together.”

She remained silent, thinking about the new company he now ran, but didn’t want to pry too much.

“You with me, Viv?”

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