Page 12 of Twisted Love

He looked up at her to see she was grinning.

“Noticed that have you?” She asked with an even wider grin. “I didn’t know that you were coming, or I’d have put on some proper clothes.”

She kissed his cheek and turned away. “Come in the kitchen, I need to stir dinner.”

He followed behind her after he pushed his own shoes off his feet and walked in to see her stirring the pot happily. She had some music playing softly in the background, and a glass of red wine sat on the counter by the stove.

She followed his eyes and tilted her head. Those gray eyes of hers caught his attention and he forgot what he’d been thinking about.

“Want a glass?” She asked softly, and he watched as she picked up the glass and took a sip.

Her lips were beautiful, and he wanted her, but if the lack of shoes had indeed been a signal then he wouldn’t push. Pushing meant they were in a relationship and hinted at a need that he didn’t want to admit to her. He’d leave her be, if she didn’t make any moves, he decided. But damn if her lips pressed to that glass weren’t tempting to kiss.

“What?” He asked, knowing she’d said something but uncertain what she meant.

“Wine? Want a glass?” Her left eyebrow tilted up telling him she was amused at his state of distraction.

“Sure, yeah, sounds good.” He nodded, stuck his hands in his charcoal gray trousers, and frowned at the floor. He was like some lovesick schoolboy and he hated it.

“Sit down, I’ll bring our glasses over to the table.” She gestured towards the table with her chin and he followed her directions, still not happy with himself.

Still, he’d been with her longer than he’d been with any other woman. Maybe it was time to allow himself to feel…something. Or not, he immediately rebuked himself. He was not the settling down kind.

“I might have some scholarship money, you know? For school.” She added when his brows knitted together.

“For getting a degree?” He asked, even though she’d said she had one.

“Yeah, uh, another one.” She lied smoothly, and he smiled again. She still hadn’t admitted she’d lied on her resume. He didn’t care anymore.

“Good. Education is never wasted, after all.” He offered and she nodded.

“That’s what I was thinking.” She said and came to sit at the table in the chair next to him. She slid his glass over to him and took a sip from her own. “I might need another option in life, one day, and I have free time now, so what better way to spend it?”

“Indeed.” Logan nodded again, looking away from her with guilt eating at him. She hadn’t asked for a guarantee or definition of their relationship, but it was there, between them for the first time. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“Thanks.” She nodded and he could see her disappointment, though she did try to hide it. He ignored the tight sensation in his chest and tapped his fingers on his glass. “Any other news? It’s been a few days since I saw you last.”

“Not much really. You said you were busy, so I kept myself occupied trying to find out about these scholarships and everything.”

“Well, you’re a smart woman, Keily. If you want to go back to school, I think you’ll do great at it.” He believed it and wanted her to believe that as well. She was smart, it was one of the things he liked about her most.

“Thanks. I didn’t do too bad in school, when I bothered to pay attention, that is. I wasn’t the best student when I was in high school.”

“People need a little maturity sometimes, be less influenced by…outside forces and teenage hormones to focus.” He said but felt like it might sound judgmental. “I just mean…”

“It’s okay, I was one of those boy-crazed morons that spent more time worrying about whether my boyfriend would like my outfit and hair than my grades. I’m not saying it was the brightest thing to do but, I guess, well, I got it into my head that the only way to succeed was to marry well, and so that’s what I tried to do.” She shrugged and then went on. “I can’t blame anyone but myself for where I’d ended up when you hired me.”

Her eyes were clear, without reproach of any kind, and full of acceptance of her own decisions. She wasn’t proud of those decisions, but she was proud of who she was at that moment. Logan smiled, seeing that look on her face wasn’t something he’d expected from her all those months ago.

“Speaking of, I have to go to court in a couple of days over your ex-husband’s shenanigans. The prosecuting attorney says it will probably just be a continuance, but I have to go.”

“Oh. Well, I was a witness, do I need to go too?” She turned to him, her face clear and open for once, a woman who truly only wanted to help.

“I don’t think so.” Logan shook his head and touched her cheek, cupped it, as he smiled down at her. “No need to drag you into it until it’s totally necessary, right?”

“I don’t mind. I don’t know why I haven’t been subpoenaed; you’d think the prosecutor would have done that already.” She leaned into his touch, her eyes closed and Logan simply…enjoyed touching her.

“I’m sure he’ll get around to it, don’t worry.” He moved away and let her have some room to breathe.