She looked up at him, floored by his words. “You’ll really do that? Keep at this for months, if need be?”
“Like sleeping with you is such a hardship,” he said warmly. He quirked a grin, making her return it. “As long as it takes. I made you a promise. I keep my promises.” He wiped her tears from her cheeks.
She stared up at him. The gentleness of his touch never ceased to amaze her. That such big, powerful hands were capable of such tenderness . . .
He searched her face. “You okay now?”
“I’m a hot mess today,” she grumbled. “The hormones own me. I’ll be back to normal tomorrow.”
“Okay.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then leaned down to pick up the cookies. “Well, look. These are damn good cookies. From Pistelli’s bakery, you know them?”
She nodded. “Best pastries in Aspen, some say.”
“Those ‘some’ are right. So you don’t wanna waste ’em.” He grinned softly, making the corners of his eyes crinkle, appealing as hell to her. “Why don’t you make some tea, and we can just hang out and watch a movie or something. Or, if you’d rather just be alone, that’s fine. Don’t be shy, tell me to go, I’ll leave if you want. I just wanted to check on you and bring these by.”
She sniffed hard and swept her hair back from her face. He was such a good man. A good friend. Affection welled inside her. “Please stay. Cookies, tea, and a movie sound wonderful, actually. I’d like that.”
“Cool.” He smiled and unzipped his coat. “What movie do you want to watch?”
* * *
Logan went through the next few weeks feeling lighter. It was the only word he could think of to describe it. Work was fine, his mother was happy for him, and his evenings were either spent at the gym or with Tess. For a fake girlfriend, it was the best relationship he’d ever enjoyed. The lack of pressure was ideal. He’d tried to do that with other women, but it hadn’t worked. With Tess . . . everything worked. It was so easy, felt so natural. Knowing there were no expectations, and none down the road, enabled him to be himself. He hadn’t let himself do that with anyone since Rachel. He’d made a connection with Tess that was real, and the truth was, it felt really good. He could admit that to himself.
January turned into February. They went skiing three times, since Tess wanted to get her time in on the slopes before the next cycle. Once they started again, she didn’t want to go skiing, possibly jostle anything, and he understood. He loved skiing with her, it was always a rush. Some nights, they went out. To dinner, or to Ford’s Coffee House. It amused Logan that Ford was a little jealous of his new “girlfriend”; Logan knew that, given the opportunity, Ford would’ve pursued her himself.
Some nights, they stayed in. They had dinners with his mother, or watched movies together at Tess’s place. He hated to admit that Annmarie was getting weaker; he saw it little by little. But his fake relationship made her happy. She wasn’t just happy for him, she really liked Tess. And Tess was great with her, always bringing flowers or pastries when she visited, being attentive and sweet when they talked. Her kindness toward his mother made his genuine affection for her grow. He adored her. She was a great friend, and held up her end of their bargain beautifully. He couldn’t ask for more.
By early February, among his small social circles and her larger ones in Aspen, he and Tess were thought of as a couple. And Logan was oddly proud of that association. If he had to be thought of as tied to someone, who in the world was better than her? She was an incredible woman. He found himself thinking of her often . . . okay, almost all the time.
Their friendship had put a spark back into his quiet life. He loved their chats, the playful banter and texts that made him smile. And their chemistry was so compelling, that the time they spent together almost always ended up in hot and heavy make-out sessions. Yes, they were just friends, but they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. But always, they had to stop before it got too intense. She’d explained that the dry weeks meant no action for him. The longer he went without sex, the better his sperm count would be when they started up again. It made him ache, but he understood and was fine with it. They had an agenda to stick to, and the rules made it easier to stay clearheaded.