Page 42 of Wilde Secrets

“Did you want me to leave?”

She shot a glance at him with wide eyes and took the pen out of her mouth. “No, not at all. I need to take a break anyway.”

Logan lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve been at it for hours, haven’t you?”

She sighed, slipping the guitar’s strap from her shoulder and placing the instrument on the decking behind her. One of the notebooks lay next to her, scribbled notes on the page, the cover turned backwards underneath the book.

Harper saw what he was looking at and flipped the book over, hiding her work.

She doesn’t trust me.

The thought hurt, but how could he expect her to? They’d known each other so short a time. He turned away and took another swig of his beer, staring out across the waters of the small cove.

You trust her.

That was true. But not everyone was the same. She’d learned the hard way—and recently—that not everyone was to be trusted. Logan wondered how often that lesson had been drilled into her by her father.

He didn’t even know the man and yet Logan already had a lot to say to him.

“Is that one of my cookies?” She asked, looking pointedly at the baked item in his hand.

Logan grinned and took a bite. “Mmmhmmm.”

“That good, huh?”

The smile on her face was something Logan would do almost anything to keep there. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to work hard. It was that he had seen so little of her smiling, and he’d do what he could to keep her that way.

She deserved a little happiness.

She deserved alotof happiness.

Logan finished the cookie and moaned in appreciation, not missing the glances Harper slid his way.

“They’re good cookies.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How many have you had?”

Logan laughed and lifted his hands into the air in surrender. “I plead the fifth.”

Harper laughed and looked out across the water, her features now cast in shadows.

She was so beautiful he found it hard to breathe. Hard to look away from her. But he did.

Logan managed to not notice the curve of her hips under the stretchy leggings that she had changed into.

He also managed to not notice the dip of her top that showed the tops of her breasts.

He also—and gave himself a pat on the back—managed to not think all the thoughts about what he would like to do with Harper if she was ever in his arms for more than just a comforting hug.

He shifted uncomfortably on the hard wooden step.

Well, maybe he didn’t quite manage to not think about that.

“It’s beautiful.” There was a wistful note in her voice.

“Yeah,” Logan agreed, but he wasn’t looking at the water.

Harper sighed and rested her head on her hand with her elbows on her knees.

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