Page 61 of Logan

“It sounds like you’re on the right track then. And I understand that this is all probably very confusing for you. Take as much time as you need to figure things out. I’m not going anywhere.”

Blue eyes peered at me from under half-lowered lashes, and there was a playful glint back in Clay’s eye as he pouted.

“But you did go somewhere. You’re all the way over there in Louisiana while I’m stuck here, so many miles away. Long-distance relationships are hard. What if you get bored waiting for me, or find someone prettier?”

Based on his tone, he was mostly joking. Even if his words had a few real worries hidden in them, he was confident enough to turn them into a joke.

I laughed and shook my head, flashing him with a smile. “Is this your way of fishing for compliments? How could I possibly find someone prettier? You’re already perfect.”

Twirling a lock of hair around his finger, Clay started to bite his lip for a whole different reason. His actions were a bit stilted, like he wasn’t sure what he was doing and was just going through the motions, but the distress he’d felt earlier had completely left his eyes and his posture was relaxed.

“Am I pretty enough for someone to make a statue of me?”

Apparently, Clay was amused by my comparison of him to the sexy statue of Lucifer. It had come up several times since our conversation in the plane. So much so, that it was becoming a running joke between us.

I shook my head, acting as if I was burdened by a great sorrow. “I’m afraid, if anyone tried to make a statue of you, it would be banned for being too distracting. Even keeping pictures of you on my phone is practically the same as carrying a concealed weapon.” I smirked as I watched him struggle to contain his laughter. “Luckily, I’ve got a permit to conceal carry.”

The dam broke, and Clay started laughing hard enough that he had to clutch his stomach to keep himself from falling over.

“Logan,” he gasped through his laughter. “You’re a total dork. You act all cool and badass, but you’re actually just a weirdo.”

His laughter caused me to laugh, until we were both howling.

“Oh no. My secret’s been revealed. Now we’ll have to stay together so I can make sure you never tell anyone.”

It took a few minutes, but we eventually calmed down, and basked in the cathartic silence left behind after the outburst of positive emotions.

We sat so long in silence that I had no idea what time it was when Clay finally spoke up again.

“Thanks.”

While we’d been enjoying the silence, I’d slumped back against my bed, and was already half asleep. I raised my head to get a better look at the screen, and the little shy smile on Clay’s face made my heart stutter in my chest.

“For what?”

“For always knowing how to turn my craziness around into something positive. For taking everything so well. For just… being you.”

The miles between us felt so long and so small at the same time. It hadn’t even been a day since I last saw him, and I already missed him so much, yet it also felt as though he were right there next to me.

“I’ll keep being me if you keep being you. Deal?”

Clay’s smile was so bright I feared it would burn out the screen of my phone.

“Deal.”

CHAPTER 25

Logan

I slammedthe door behind me so hard it rattled the wall. A dozen curses all welled up from my throat at the same time, and the only reason I didn’t start shouting was because I didn’t know which one to say first.

Every person in the office watched me with wide eyes and a silent mouth as I stomped over to my desk and collapsed into my chair. My head hit the solid top of my desk with an audible thunk, and I groaned into my own paperwork.

The noise of the FPA office slowly started up again, but I could tell just from the sound of people’s footsteps that my coworkers were giving me a wide berth.

Eventually, a familiar pair of shoes stepped into my line of sight, and I looked up to see Roland standing beside my desk with an eyebrow raised and a concerned look on his face.

“Soooo, I take it your meeting with my brother didn’t go well.”

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