Page 2 of Annika's Aurora

Logan held his hands up in surrender as she threatened to punch him again. “No! No, of course not. I only look for a woman with brains, not a great set of …” he held both hands up in front of his chest suggestively.

Annika shoved him again, but as he fell backward, he grabbed her. She tumbled with him, ending up sprawled across his chest. Their eyes met, and the laughter died. Her stomach jolted, and her body heated. There was a tingling between her legs that was hard to ignore, and her nipples had hardened. Staring down into Logan’s dark eyes, she wished she could lean forward and kiss him.

She’d been feeling those electric jolts more and more often whenever Logan touched her. It was scary. She didn’t want things to be awkward between them. If he knew she’d developed more romantic feelings for him, it might push him away. She never wanted to lose him like that.

She rolled off and lay beside him on the blanket, her head on his outstretched arm, hoping no one noticed her aroused state. Jamie came and laid down on her other side. She grabbed his hand as together they quietly watched the clouds roll by, the tranquility of the afternoon settling over them.

“Okay, lay it on me, Sunfire,” Logan said. He was talking, of course, about Annika’s penchant for quoting literary greats. Annika’s dream was to be a literature professor someday and, never without a book, she always had a quote for every occasion.

“Well, let’s see,” Annika began. “There’s the usual ‘parting is such sweet sorrow.’”

Both men groaned, remembering having to struggle throughRomeo and Julietin tenth grade. They would never have made it through if Annika hadn’t interpreted it for them, tutoring them through the entire play. She even made them sit through Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie in hopes that they’d get a better sense of the story if it were played out for them to see. They hated it.

Annika laughed at their reaction. “Okay, not a fan of Shakespeare. I get it.” She thought for a moment, then remembered a nice one she’d read once. “‘Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.’ J.M. Barrie.”

“You are an endless supply,” Jamie remarked.

Annika shrugged. “I like words.”

“Yeah, but where do you keep all those words?” wondered Jamie. Annika smiled at him.

“What’s that from?” Logan asked.

“Peter Pan.”

Jamie groaned. “Seriously! A kid’s book! That’s the best you’ve got for us?”

“Some of the best quotes come from children’s books,” Annika stated.

“‘How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,’” Logan quoted.

Annika smiled. “Milne. Nice. See, Jamie. Children’s books. Winnie the Pooh is very wise.”

Jamie snorted. “Whatever.”

Logan’s thoughts were in turmoil later that day after they had enjoyed dinner at a favorite hangout of theirs. The trio sat listening to the band while he dwelt on that moment by the river when Annika lay across him …Fuck.What was that?That needed to stop happening.

Something intense passed briefly between them. Annika was like a sister to him, a best bud. He couldnotbe havingthosetypes of feelings about her. He hoped that Jamie hadn’t noticed his reaction, praying his shorts were baggy enough to hide his erection.

And even as she lay tucked against his side, he could still feel her with every fiber in his being. He’d concentrated very hard on squashing his raging hormones as her fruity scent drifted over him. He could still smell her even now as they sat side by side, listening to the band. Something citrusy. How could one scent be such a turn-on?

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, willing his hard-on to go away, but he couldn’t stop himself from stealing glances at her. The girl he’d known for most of his life was growing more beautiful by the day. Her long blonde hair lay loose past her shoulders and was windblown from the ride in his jeep. He found it extremely alluring. She wasn’t one to wear much makeup, so her skin was smooth and flawless. There was once a word he read that described her skin perfectly?alabaster. Like pure white marble carved from the heavens.

Christ.Now he was spouting poetry. It was bad enough he’d spent last night trying to find the perfect quote for Annika. He must be losing his mind, or there was too much blood flowing to other regions. He shifted in his seat again.

Annika caught him staring at her and smiled, causing his heart to skip a beat. She reached over and squeezed his hand. He turned his over and laced their fingers together, not wanting to break contact. Relishing the feeling of her hand in his, he gently stroked his thumb across the soft skin. An image of stroking other parts of her skin popped into his mind, and his dick throbbed. He ruthlessly pushed those thoughts aside.

Annika was a hand holder, often holding hands with both Logan and Jamie. Christ, how he was going to miss that. He suddenly felt very sad to be leaving tomorrow. But also extremely grateful to be able to share these last few hours with her. And Jamie.

Jamie. His best friend. Hisbrother. Logan owed him so much. He’d been there for some of Logan’s darkest times. From dealing with his mother’s incarceration when he was very young to when he’d found her on the floor in the bathroom where she had OD’d shortly after she’d been released.

Jamie was the first person he’d called after nine-one-one. Rushing over, he’d sat by Logan’s side through the whole awful ordeal. He’d quietly packed up a few belongings and brought him home. The Northrups, of course, had welcomed him as a son. And they’d all stood by his side as his mother was lowered into the ground. Their tears for the boy and not for the dead woman.

As the band ended their last set of the night, the trio stood, knowing their time together was ending. They were quiet as they left the bar. Annika, being Annika, grabbed both boys’ hands as they walked to the jeep. She swung their arms back and forth, attempting to add some levity to the moment.

He’d promised them he’d come home as often as he could, but the twins were soon going off on their own adventure; they would both start at Purdue in a few days. Annika wanted to be a teacher. Jamie was “still exploring his options,” which was code for: he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. But Logan wasn’t worried. Jamie was smart, he’d soon find his way.

Logan held the car door open for Annika but stopped her before she could get in. “‘There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.’ Gandhi.” Another quote he’d spent far too much time looking up just for her.

---