“What would you have said?” Logan asked softly. “If I asked you to go?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head and thought hard about my answer. “I think, back then, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for you.”
At my words, Logan’s eyes closed for a fraction of a second. When they opened, I could see the pain he’d been hiding rise to the surface. Without thinking, I reached across the table and held his hand. He stroked my palm with his thumb.
We sat in silence, holding hands and staring at each other, for what felt like hours. I knew he was remembering the same things I was: all those nights together in my room or his, in my car or his. Just the slightest touch made those desires flood back to the surface for us both. As he watched me, I saw that familiar glint in his eyes. He wanted me just as badly as I wanted him.
This easy date was about to turn into some night.
Seventeen
Logan
“Thank you for walking me home,” Piper said with a shy smile. We were standing at the edge of her driveway, both of us shuffling our feet awkwardly.
“Piper,” I said breathlessly.
“Please,” Piper said quickly. “We can’t, okay? We can’t go there.”
“Why not?” I asked, taking a step toward her. “I know you felt it, too. At the restaurant. You felt that spark between us. I know you did.”
“Of course, I did,” Piper said emphatically. “But that doesn’t change anything.”
“Doesn’t it?” I asked. “Because for me, it changes everything.”
“How?” Piper demanded.
“Knowing you still feel that way,” I said. “Knowing you still want me… it changes everything.”
As I spoke, I watched Piper’s face for any sign of a reaction. The second our hands touched over that table at Martello’s I knew we would end up here. There was something between us, something primal and intense. Our attraction was one that could never be ignored and now that we were once again in each other’s lives, ignoring it wasn’t even worth the attempt. It would never work. I knew
that and judging from the hungry look in Piper’s eyes, she did too.
I reached over and wrapped my arm around Piper’s waist. My fingers trailed along the waistline of her skirt as I pulled her roughly along. I led us around the side of the house and into the backyard.
“What are you doing?” Piper hissed.
“You know exactly what I’m doing,” I told her with a mischievous grin.
“My parents are home,” Piper reminded me.
“That’s why we’re going to the guest house,” I said. “I’m assuming it’s still empty? Used only for storage? The perfect place for a nightcap.”
“Yes, but…”
I stopped walking and turned to face Piper head on. My hands rested on her hips and I pulled her closer to me.
“If this isn’t what you want, I’ll go,” I promised her and I meant it. “Just tell me.”
Piper’s breathing was irregular as she laid her hands on my chest. She traced my muscles with her fingers and I could see the wheels in her head turning. The way she stroked my chest through my shirt was deliciously familiar. She used to do the same thing when we were together. It was her way of telling me how badly she wanted to feel my skin against hers.
“Logan,” my name was a growl on her lips. It was all the encouragement I needed. I lifted her off her feet and carried her up the stairs to the door of the guest house. The door was unlocked. I shoved it open and stepped inside with Piper still in my arms.
When I set her down, she stood on her tiptoes to stare into my eyes. The door swung shut behind us and we continued looking at each other. We didn’t move. We didn’t speak. We didn’t kiss. We just looked into each other’s eyes. I tried to read her every thought and I knew she was doing the same. It had been years since we were together and yet, in that moment, it felt like just yesterday. I could see the familiar flash in her blue eyes that told me to kiss her.
I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist and pulled her against me. She lifted herself up further, wrapping her arms around my neck. We were moving slowly, slower than we’d ever moved before. I wanted to remember every moment of this night. I wanted to memorize the feeling of her arms around me, her lips against mine…
When our lips finally touched, I sighed deeply. A shot of electricity went through my body, starting at my head and propelling its way down to my toes. Every inch of my skin was on fire from just the beginnings of a kiss. I could tell from the way Piper’s arms were trembling around my neck that she felt it too.