Irreplaceable
Page 56“Does it look like I am?”
I turned to focus on the flowers and he stood at the stove, our backs to each other.
“Do you know what Caleb has planned for Hilary tonight?” I asked, breaking the silence hanging around us.
“I do.”
“Care to tell me?” I prompted, a smile on my lips.
“I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” he replied, still busy at the stove.
“Well, what time was he going to surprise her?”
“About now.”
“Then she’s probably already enjoying the surprise, so there’s no reason not to share now, right?”
“Possibly.”
I turned and chucked a piece of stem at the back of his neck.
“Still not telling you,” he said, and I couldn’t stop the laugh I released at his nonchalance.
Focused back on snipping another end from a beautiful rose, I felt his breath tickling my neck. I didn’t move, my entire body still as his fingertips caressed a trail back and forth under my shirt, over the bare skin at the small of my back. A chill raced up my spine, and a heated shudder wracked my body.
“I love how you react to me.”
“I sometimes hate it,” I replied quietly.
His moist lips drew over the back of my neck, my head tilting to the side to give him better access as his tongue peeked out and ran up to the tender flesh behind my ear. Before I knew it, a sensual moan was pouring from my open mouth, my legs trembling with desire.
“Grab some plates. It will only be another minute before dinner,” he murmured. And then he was gone, back working at the stove as though he hadn’t just worked me up and left me famished.
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, then let it out, my legs clenching tight to quell the heat pooling.
Yeah, it was definitely going to be a long night.
The flowers were set in the center of the table, with two plates on each side of the vase. However, when I looked over to Logan, he was shaking his head.
“What were you and Luke planning on doing tonight?” he asked.
My brow cocked up as a provocative grin played on my lips, teasing him with what could’ve been with Luke.
“Funny, sweetheart, but you can’t fool me. Let me guess: dinner and a movie on the sofa?”
I allowed a pout to play on my lips before answering. “Maybe. Why?”
“Because if that was your plan, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Did I hear him correctly? “You want to sit and watch a movie with me while we eat this amazing meal you just cooked?”
“Yes, it not like we never did so last fall.”
I couldn’t disagree—we had watched a few movies together before the crash, but it was at his house, with Oliver, in an enormous theatre hidden in his basement. This was different—friends territory, for sure—but then again, how long could I deny that we were already there again?
Grabbing the plates, I took them over to the stove. He filled them both full of shrimp linguini, and I carried them out to the living room. Logan came in while I was debating which movie to watch between the two I rented, and set a glass of wine in front of my plate on the coffee table.
He raised his brows. “Was there a theme you guys had planned tonight?” he all but laughed, sitting down on the couch with his glass of wine.
“Yes, anti-romance. Clichéd but timeless, and these movies definitely have no love story to tell. I don’t think, anyway.”
“All right, put in whichever you’d like.”
“Hmmm, let’s start with scary and end the night on a comedy. I hate going to bed after watching a horror flick. I need something nice in my head or else I’ll have a chainsaw freak chasing me through my dreams.”
“I could always spend the night and help with distracting your nightmares.” He brow rose suggestively but the gleam in his eye was all humor.
“No, but thanks,” I scoffed.
“Anytime, Sweetheart.” He shot me a boyish smile that made my knees wobble just the slightest.
Turning away, I glanced out the window at the setting sun casting an orange-ish hue of light through the window. It was going to be a long night.
After loading the DVD in, I flicked off the lights and plopped down on the opposite end of the couch from Logan, watching as he slipped Scout—who was at his feet—a piece of shrimp.
I shook my head. “You’re gonna regret that. He’ll never let you eat in peace again,” I said, lifting my plate to my lap.
“Is that your way of saying I’ll be enjoying many more meals here in the future?”
“Let’s not get carried away with the manys.” I shot him a teasing smile.
The first bite of the shrimp and pasta with a creamy sauce he’d prepared from scratch was heaven, as was the closeness of Logan’s body as he set his wine glass down, lifted his plate, and moved over just the slightest bit. I fought back my smile, focusing on the dark screen as the previews began.
An hour or so later, my plate was empty, as was my second glass of wine, and I had a terrified death grip on Logan’s shirt. I was scrunched up in a ball with my head buried in his chest, peeking out occasionally when the chainsaw stopped roaring.
The rumble of laughter in Logan’s chest shook through me, yet my tight grip never faltered. I was going to have it out with Luke for telling me to pick up this movie. No comedy was going to remove it from my mind, ever.
“Not yet, she’s hiding,” Logan said, his hand stroking my back.
I peeked out just as the chainsaw rumbled back to life on screen, followed by a blood-curdling scream from the girl who shouldn’t have been having sex in a horror movie. I shoved my head back into Logan’s chest, my feet on the couch pushing me into him as close as I could crawl until the horrible sound was gone. The room quieted.
I glanced up to see Logan had switched off the television. I sat up with a cool shrug. “You could finish it, I don’t mind.”
His head fell back from his boom of laughter, and I took that as my cue to crawl back to my side of the couch, slightly embarrassed at my inability to sit through the movie without having an aneurysm. However, Logan held me close—one hand around my back, the other sliding over my warm cheek, not letting me get away.
“How about we stay away from scary movies?” he offered.
“I guess. They really don’t bother me that much,” I lied, smiling.
He laughed again and then stood, holding me close to stand with him. The room was dark. The only light now shining in was from the bright full moon outside.
“I don’t like seeing you so scared, but I do love being the one you cling to.”
My teeth caught my bottom lip to hide my embarrassment and control the spread of my smile.
“Wait here.” Logan released his arms and walked to the kitchen, coming back a second later with something in his hand that he set on my bookshelf. He pressed buttons, and music began.
He turned back and walked over, his dark eyes glittering in the dark.