“Yes.”
“With you?” God, was my brain even on right now? “Like, as your fake girlfriend?”
A half-smile crept on his face. “As my real girlfriend. If I’m doing this relationship thing full-out, I should get the perks that go along with it.”
I’m sure my face filled with surprise. Or maybe panic. I barely knew him, and going to his brother’s wedding was like throwing me in the deep end. Not to mention I was still reeling from the concept that Logan Stone was now my boyfriend.
“I can always make up an excuse for you to miss it,” he said. “Now that my mom believes you’re a real person, she’ll leave me alone.”
“Are you in the wedding party?”
“I’m the best man.”
A thousand thoughts went through my head. I would undoubtedly meet his entire family. He’d have wedding duties that would probably have me on my own most of the time. But, dear god, Logan in a tux.
“Yeah, I guess I can do that.”
After declaring we were in a relationship, it felt weird to be standing there, staring at each other and not touching, and I must have force-quitted my filter. “I thought you weren’t interested in . . . compromises.”
He gave a sort of bitter laugh. “Well, your tall friend made an impression on me. Specifically when he grabbed you.” Then, Logan’s gaze hardened. “I won’t be doing any compromising, though, Evelyn. Let’s be clear. I spent too much time doing that.”
“That’s why you’re single?”
“I’m not single anymore.”
“Logan.”
He stalked toward me, cupped my face, and kissed me. My knees melted. No, my whole body melted into him. How did he do that?
“You realize refusing to answer only makes me more curious,” I whispered.
His lips on mine weren’t sweet. They were persuasive and sinful and demanding. “Be curious a little longer.”
“You can’t kiss me,” I blurted out, pulling back. “Not until you answer the question you passed on. That’s your consequence for breaking the rule.”
He gave me a predatory look that made me nervous but thrilled, and my heart beat faster.
“You may think you’re being smart, but you’re going to cave before I do.” It came out as arrogant as he usually sounded. “Take off your clothes.”
The smile froze on my face. “What?”
“You heard me.” His hands unbuttoned his shirt and it fell open, showing
me that glorious chest I wanted to drag my fingernails down. He pulled one sleeve off and then the other, folding his shirt and tossing it onto the couch.
There something about a gorgeous half-undressed man with an expensive watch on one wrist that is undeniably appealing, and there was one currently standing in the center of my apartment. His fingers undid the clasp, and he set the watch on his shirt. So neat and tidy. His fingers went to his belt.
“You’re falling behind,” he said.
His power was goddamn fascinating, and I was a slave to it.
My hurried hands undid the clasp on my necklace and set it on the kitchen counter, which was the closest flat surface I could find. I stumbled back a few steps to snap off the light, so only the bulb in the closet lit the room. Not that it mattered, he’d thoroughly seen me naked, but it felt more intimate somehow when the room was darkened. The shirt went up over my head, and I tossed it on the pile.
“No, leave that on,” he said when I reached behind myself to undo my bra.
He removed his shoes, socks, and pants and added them to his neat pile. All he had left was a pair of black boxer briefs that made me want to drool. I undid my pants, which fell to the floor, and I simply stepped out of them, leaving them wadded there.
“I want to clarify,” he said, brushing a finger over my lips, “I can’t kiss you here. But everywhere else is allowed. You will let me kiss you here.” The finger drew a line down my neck, down into my cleavage, and over to trace the top of the cup of my bra. “And here.” The finger traced down my stomach. Further until it touched my center and made my mouth drop open. “And certainly here.”