Page 65 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
“Kyle,” I began. “I didn’t want—I didn’t give him permission to?—”
“I know.” Logan’s eyes traced my shoulders, as if he could still see Kyle’s arm draped over them. “Next time I see him touch you, though, I’ll break his hand.”
If he wasn’t so soft-hearted, I might’ve believed him.
“Are you okay?” Logan asked, the words a murmur that could’ve gotten lost in the wind if they’d been any quieter.
When I drew my next breath and caught Logan’sscent clinging to the collar, everything snapped into focus. Each inhale pushed my thoughts further, the pieces sliding into place until the answer I’d been avoiding became clear. The fight inside me gave way, like the final whistle blowing on a game I’d already lost.
Jade gave me permission to ogle, but for the first time ever, I didn’t want it.
My body moved on its own accord, arms wrapping around Logan’s waist in one swift movement. I tucked myself into his firm chest, breathing in the scent of him as if that alone would fix me. “I’m chalant about you.” The words slipped out easier than they should have—like it hadn’t been a leap off the cliff I’d been teetering on ever since I found out where he went to school. “I’m really, really chalant about you, Logan Castle.”
For a beat, he didn’t move, but I didn’t let go. I closed my eyes, listening to the thump of his heartbeat, holding tighter. Maybe he’d come to a crossroads of his own, needing to decide whether to push me away or pull me closer.
And then he finally made up his mind. Logan’s arms swept around my frame, returning the embrace and pulling me tightly into him. There wasn’t an inch of space between us, and the surety of his hold chased away any doubt of his hesitation a second ago. The drop in my stomach was instant, like a rollercoaster tipping over its highest hill. “I’m chalant about you, too,” Logan murmured, fingers trailing through my ponytail. “You have no idea.”
My rubber band had snapped, and I was left with two frayed edges that I wasn’t sure I could tie back together. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. His jacket brushedalong the hem of my cheer skirt, and if anyone were to glance over, they’d think I went to Jefferson. No one would even know.
“I don’t want to be remembered as someone who was obsessed with high school,” I whispered against his chest. “I don’t want to look back and regret pushing you away just because of the school you went to.”
When I tipped my head back, his lips parted, then snapped shut—flustered, the way I remembered. “So we’re continuing exposure therapy?” he asked.
I gave a soft nod. “We might need to be a bit more hands on with our sessions, though.”
A startled laugh broke out of him, quick and unguarded. Logan shook his head, still smiling faintly. “Why do you always have good comebacks?” But then he blinked hard, his voice turning soft. “Madison?—”
“It’s more than just exposure therapy, though,” I went on. “I like you.You, Logan. Not the idea of you. I… really, really like you. And I want to see you again.”And again, and again, and again.
A small smile touched Logan’s mouth, but one he immediately tried to lock down, to force his lips back to a straight line. “Madison?—”
“Unless you’re afraid of your friends finding out.” My eyes flicked over his shoulder at the diner. “If you don’t want to risk it, then I?—”
“Madison.” Logan suddenly lifted one hand off my waist and lightly pressed the tips of his fingers to my lips, silencing me. Electricityzingedthrough me. That shy smile tugged at his lips again, pinched as he unsuccessfully tried to fight it. “You’re such a rambler, you knowthat?”
In that flash of a smile, all the weight pressing down on my shoulders evaporated. The anxiety tying a knot underneath my ribcage, gone. Under the weight of Logan’s flash of happiness, there was nothing but peace.
I tightened my hold on his waist, gripping onto him in case I floated away. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Downtown Brentwood was filled with different shops and boutiques, and over the years, I’d gone into nearly every single one of them. In fact, there were only three I’d never stepped foot into.
Smitty’s Smoke Shop, for obvious reasons.
The Kraft Barn, because it was a quilt shop and I’d start quilting in maybe… fifty years.
And then there was one of the newer openings: Dice & Dragon, a store for absolute dweebs.
Guess which one Logan wanted to go into Saturday afternoon.
“Thisis the cool store you wanted to show me?” I stopped dead in my tracks when the green and blue awning came into view. “You’re joking.”
Logan, who’d taken a step forward after I stopped, turned toward me. Wind stirred his golden hair, and his dark gray T-shirt tugged as he reached up to shove it back. He would’ve looked totally handsome if it weren’t for literal Dweeb Capital over his shoulder. “It’s just for five minutes,” he told me. “I have to pick up Noah’s die.”
“His die,” I echoed flatly. Hisdie, because his bestfriend was someone who played with dice. “Cool. Go ahead. I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Logan snatched my wrist before I had a chance to take a step backward. “Just come inside and see,” he coaxed, warm fingers pressing into my skin. If he wasn’t trying to drag me into hell, my pulse might’ve jumped at the contact. “You’ll probably think it’s cool.”
“I’m starting to think you don’t know what the definition ofcoolis.” I gave my arm a weak tug, but he didn’t release it. “You—you’re like the definition of a nerd being trapped in a hot body, you know.”
