Page 51 of Best Kept Secret
Literally the last thing I feel like doing tonight is socializing beneath the watchful eye of my big brother. I want to eat the pizza that’s in that humungous box and spend the night hanging out with Logan, just the two of us. I want to talk to him about last night, about his brother. I want to keep flirting with him and see where it goes. But if Logan and I don’t go to Dallas’s, I know my brother will think something is up.
“Should we take our pizza to go?” I suggest with a resigned sigh.
“Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I guess.” Logan shrugs a shoulder. “Let’s go home and get the car.”
I don’t mistake the flutter in my tummy at the way he says that.Home. And while I would love nothing more than to stay athomewith Logan, I guess if I have to go and suffer through group dinner with Dallas and Emily mauling one another across the table, at least I have him with me.
CHAPTER 25
MILLIE
In the time it took to drive through rush hour traffic in the city, across the bridge and into Brooklyn, Logan doesn’t say more than a few words. His jaw is set tight, fingers gripping the steering wheel like it’s his lifeline, and the tension in the car is heavy.
“Are you okay?” I ask as we navigate the cobbled streets of Dumbo, looking for a parking spot near Dallas and Emily’s apartment.
Startling, like he’s only just realized I’m still here with him, Logan looks across at me, his face softening when his eyes meet mine. “Oh, shit. Yeah. Sorry, I—” He exhales a rushed breath. “I don’t want to talk about last night.”
My brows draw together. “Hey. That’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it, remember? Not until you’re ready.”
He meets my eyes again, a lopsided smile tugging up the corner of his lips. “No, Red. I mean, with these guys.” He nods his head in the direction of the red brick warehouse we’re parked across from.
The engine cuts and silence ensues, and I watch Logan as he allows his head to fall back, resting against the seat, closing his eyes, the sharp jut of his Adam’s apple bobbing with a thickswallow. “I didn’t talk much after the game because I was in a hurry to meet my dad. And I know they’re gonna ask—” He trails off, shaking his head, and when he looks at me again, his smile seems a lot less genuine than it had moments ago. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
I narrow my eyes, studying him a moment. And then, knowing this is risky, given my brother’s apartment is right across the street and for all I know he could be up there right now, watching us through a pair of night vision binoculars from one of the big arched windows, I reach across, placing my hand on Logan’s leg, gently squeezing his thick thigh through his jeans.
“Choose a safe word,” I say.
Logan’s eyes widen, and I see him swallow hard again.
When I realize what he’s thinking, I roll my eyes, playfully shoving him. “Head out of the gutter, Cullen.”
He chuckles.
“A safe word to use for when you need me to interject or even if you wanna leave. I can fake a headache like nobody’s business.”
“And diarrhea, apparently,” he quips.
I waggle my eyebrows.
“Nutella,” Logan finally says, a grin playing on his lips.
Logan and I don’t say a word as we ride the freight elevator up to the top floor of Dallas’s building. We stand next to one another, a respectable amount of space between us, both of us just staring at the cage as we climb higher.
I can almost feel the tension radiating off him, and it’s taking all I have not to reach out and touch his hand in a show of support. But I don’t. Instead, I fold my arms across my chest and chew on my bottom lip.
When we make it to the top, I step off first, leading the waydown the hall to Dallas’s door, grimacing at the sound of voices and music coming from the other side.
Since I’m family, I don’t knock, instead pushing open the heavy door and letting myself inside, holding the door open for Logan to carry the pizza box over the threshold.
“Oh, my God!!!” Emily cries, spotting me first and running across the wide-open space, tackling me in a giant hug. “I missed you.”
“Is that Papa G’s?”
I turn as Happy sprints from the couch to Logan, practically ripping the pizza box from his hands and opening it to sniff the contents.
Removing his jacket, Logan glances briefly at me before following Happy to where the guys are in the living area, set up in front of the big screen.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” Emily says, wrapping her arm around me and guiding me inside, walking toward the long oak dining table where Hannah and Fran are sitting with glasses of wine almost as big as their heads. I momentarily panic when I remember that I never responded to Hannah after my random DM to her this morning.
