Page 127 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
“Is it aRomeo and Julietsort of thing?”
“Kind of.”
Logan, with his warm and steady grip, pulled me into a slow rhythm in the center of the living room. The soft music played between us, but I barely heard it over the sound of my own heart. This wasn’t quite the same as slow dancing underneath the homecoming lights, but it was close. Actually, it was almost better. To be in Logan’s arms without anyone watching us, stuck in a moment that was justus.
Something occurred to me, and I narrowed my eyes. “Your play is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, next weekend.” He had on a sort of awkward smile. “It’s okay if you don’t want to come.”
I’d been on the fence about going, mostly because I was afraid I’d cringe at the sight of Logan on a stage. But that was the shallow part of me talking, wasn’t it? “Are you Romeo?”
Logan dropped the smile part and just looked plain awkward. “Ah. No.”
“Oh, you’reembarrassed. Are you the friar guy, or whoever? The church guy?”
He closed his eyes. “No, I’m…Paris.”
I pictured Paris from the 2016 version Mom and I had just watched, and scrunched my nose with a small grin. “So, I’ve been calling you Romeo all this time, when I really should’ve been calling youParis. You should’ve corrected me.”
“Yes, because being the guy who doesn’t get the girl is a lot cooler than the one who does.” Logan pulled me closer, his left hand settling on my hip while his right held mine. “If I’m going to die in the end, I might as well get a taste of what I want, right?”
I pinched the top of his shoulder. “No one’s dying.”
“If things fall apart,” he amended, “I might as well get a taste of what I want, right?”
“Things won’t fall apart. Sheesh, you’re such a pessimist.”
Logan groaned a little as he pulled me closer. “I feel like we switched roles. I’m worrying about the secret coming out, you’re… not.”
Theoretically, I should’ve been even more alarmed since Jade knew the truth. I was no longer dreading the other shoe to drop—in fact, I was almost anticipating it. I knew I should tell him that Jade knew, but I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the moment now. After the dance, I decided. I’d tell him after the dance. “I’m just happy.” I looked into his beautiful blue eyes. “Can’t I be happy?”
Logan’s gaze scanned mine, his head slowly nodding. “That’s exactly how I want you.”
The song picked up in tempo, but only a little, and Logan matched our pace to it. I felt like I could close my eyes and fall asleep in his arms while simultaneouslyfeeling like I’d stuck my finger in an outlet. Relaxed, but alive. Calm, electrified. It was a strange contrast, one that barely made sense, but in Logan’s arms, I felt it all.
Logan Castle was everything I never knew I needed. I didn’t recognize the girl I’d been before him, but this one—the girl who didn’t care about what others thought so long as this beautiful boy with blue eyes smiled down at her—was one I liked. A lot.
With a slight grin, Logan raised our hands and guided me into a slow spin, and I twirled beneath his arm. As I turned back, my heel caught in the carpet, bumping me into Logan’s chest. His hands found my waist as he steadied me, and my palms rested lightly on his chest, and we wereclose. Closer than we’d been before. Our laughter faded, replaced by something quieter, heavier.
His eyes flicked to my mouth, just for a second, and my breath caught. Since I was in heels, I didn’t have to push onto my tiptoes. All I had to do was close my eyes and lean forward.
“Ican’t.” The words were dragged from him, ripped out, almost pained in quality. It reflected on Logan’s expression, too, brows drawn together as if there was some physical ache inside him. “I—I can’t kiss you.”
“Why?” It was a soft, curious whisper, becausecan’twas a strange word. Logan’s hands, which had been pulling me closer moments ago, surely seemed eager enough. His pulse, which I’d felt at the base of his throat, also seemed to want it.Can’t. “Do you have a secret girlfriend you haven’t told me about?”
A bit of his pinched frown cleared as the absurd thought hit him, cracking his tension for a moment. “No.” He opened his eyes, finding mine. “ButI… can’t kiss you.”
The living room was near steamy now—or maybe it was just me. Heat pooled underneath my hair, trapped beneath the material of my dress. We weren’t far apart at all, but the scant inches he’d stopped at seemed so far away. Too far.
I didn’t miss Logan’s emphasis, whether intentional or not. Ican’t kiss you. Whatever his reasoning, he couldn’t bring himself to close the gap.
But I liked to think of myself as a good co-captain—I knew when to take the lead.
So, I took Logan’s face in my right hand, my tips of my fingers pressing into the hair at the nape of his neck, and I brought his lips to mine.
A soft exhale escaped his lips, like he’d been holding a breath he could finally let out. The tension that wound his body tight seemed to ease, his shoulders relaxing the second our lips touched. Logan’s were velvety soft, exactly how I’d imagined them to be against mine, and for a moment, we both stayed still, savoring the first touch.
Then Logan’s hand settled back to my waist, five fingers becoming a steady pressure, tugging me closer. His lips became a confident pressure on mine now, giving in to the desire and forgetting whatever it was that held him back. Logan kissed me deeply, my top lip first captured between his, and then my bottom, each given its own kind of spotlight. My fingertips slid a little higher into his hair, anchoring myself to him.
