Page 6 of Meet Me in the Valley
“Okay, enough wasting time. I’m fucking hungry, and you had me waiting outside like a stray dog while you were corrupting yetanotherreceptionist.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” he tells me, with those big brown puppy eyes.
“Mhmm.Sure,” I drawl sarcastically. “You’re buying.”
“Of course. That’s no question,” he croons, pinching the apple of my cheek. “You drive here?”
I shake my head. “I walked from the office. It’s nice out today.”
Logan leads me out of his room toward his front door, jingling the keys to his bike in front of my face. My eyes light up, and his beaming smile warms my skin.
My body zings with excitement as he hands me a helmet. I love riding on the back of his bike. The weather is perfect for it today, and I’m secretly hoping we go down some back roads after lunch so we can push the speed limit. He knows I love going fast.
Once we’re in the parking garage of his condo, I’m practically sprinting toward his bike.
“Easy, killer,” he teases, grabbing the helmet out of my hands, placing it snug on my head. He closes my visor, patting the top of my helmet twice, then we hop on. My front to his back. Logan revs up the engine, and it comes to life with a roar. Electricity hums through me, and I squeeze tighter around his waist, nearly bouncing behind him with anticipation.
With some finagling of our helmets, a beep comes through, signaling that Bluetooth is connected.
“Can you hear me?” Logan says, turning his head to face me.
“Loud and clear, Captain.” I give him a small salute, then slap the side of his helmet, which causes him to chuckle.
“Song requests?” he asks, swiping through his playlists on his phone.
“Hmm…I’m in the mood for Blink.”
“Yeah? That’s a vibe.”
I watch him type “blink-182” into the search bar and play their Essentials playlist. “Feeling This” comes on through our ears as we peel out of his parking garage into the gorgeous daythat awaits us. Logan bobs his head to the beat as I drum my fingers on his stomach.
We’re caught at a red light, and I smirk at hearing Logan singing along to the music. I’m lost in the song when I almost miss it.
I squint through my visor, noticing a faint mark on the side of Logan’s neck.
Lipstick.
My stomach plummets for a split second, like the feeling you get right before you hit the first drop of a rollercoaster. The imprint of a faint kiss mark taunts me as flashes of Valerie’s moans play in my head louder than the music that Logan is still jamming out to.
There’s an ache in my chest imagining what Logan did to cause those noises coming from her, and a weird sort of possessiveness washes over me so fast it rolls around in my belly, making me queasy. Uneasy.
Without even thinking, I reach out with my thumb to the mark on his neck, scrubbing it back and forth to erase it. Startled, Logan smacks my hand on impulse.
“Ah! What is it?” he yelps in a panic. I snort at his dramatics, but then a ripple of shame covers me like a sheet in an instant. Confused by my body’s reaction, I ramble to mask my wariness.
“Sorry. I thought I saw a bug or something. It’s gone.”
But it’s not gone. If anything, it’s bolder now, as if she freshly placed her kiss right there. I know that’s not the case, though. I’m seeing things. The smudged cherry red stain stares back at me—taunting me. Confusing me.
What if I just pressed my lips there to erase … No. Stop it, Tia.
What. The. Hell?
Chapter Two
LOGAN
Valerie
