Page 42 of Playing with Fire

He kept his gaze trained on me for a beat before glancing over at Maggie. “I told her she needs to talk to Zack about fire safety week. That he handles all that, and I have no idea of the schedule.”

“Smart.” She chuckled. “Zack will have no problem shamelessly flirting with her.”

He focused back on me. “That's my hope. Then maybe she'll leave me alone.”

Nikki and Alice appeared, cutting our conversation short and waving the colorful donut crafts in their hands, excitedly showing them to all of us.

“I'd better get them home. It’s almost past their bedtime.” Maggie pushed to her feet. “Thanks for bringing them tonight, Izzy. That was such a huge help.”

I nodded. “No problem.”

Once everyone said their goodbyes, Maggie and the girls headed for the exit. Logan stood, that intense stare of his burning into me as I rose to my feet. I swallowed, almost nervously, because I could clearly see the need radiating off him.

“I'll walk you out.” The majority of kids and parents had already emptied out, and his hand landed on my lower back as he ushered me in front of him toward the double doors that led out of the cafeteria.

Once outside in the parking lot, I slowed my feet and pointed toward my car a few rows over. I'd brought my car because I'd planned to leave from here to head home. “I'm over this way.”

He nodded and gestured up the row in front of us. “Okay. I'm up here. I'll drive you over.”

I tilted my head. My car was literally fifty feet away. But the way he was looking at me sent excitement racing down my spine, and I nodded. Anticipation bubbled up as we walked to his truck. The minute I had my door closed, he was backing his truck up and heading to the other side of the lot, passing the row my car was parked in without a second glance. I couldn’t help but smile.

He pulled into an empty spot, throwing it into park and turning toward me. “I feel like a teenager again.” His fingers threaded through my hair, and he pulled me toward him. “But I need to kiss you.”

Our mouths fused, and my core tightened as his tongue pushed its way past my lips. I leaned further over the console trying to get closer to him, needing to be closer. As if he could sense my need, he broke the kiss and reached down, lifting the lever that pushed his seat back. I clamored over the console as he gripped my hips and guided me to straddle him.

“Fuck, these shorts.” His fingers dug into the bottom of my asscheeks, now exposed since my cutoffs had risen up.

I pressed my palms against his chest, pushing him back against the seat, and moved my hips forward, grinding against him, loving the groan that slipped from his lips as he threw his head back. I did it again, watching his face as he fought against the pleasure. After the third time, his fingers dug into my hips, preventing me from doing it again.

“Sweetheart,” he hissed out between clenched teeth. His gaze softened as he stared at me, bringing his hands up to cup my face. “I've thought about this all day. About kissing you again. I could barely think about anything else.”

I smiled, and those ridiculous butterflies took off in my stomach again. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. What started off as slow and gentle quickly turned into desperate and passionate. It was such a new thing for me. I was so turned on I couldn't stop my hips from moving again, seeking friction.

I moaned into his mouth, and after a moment, I pulled back. Was I really trying to get off by rubbing myself shamelessly against him?

He stared at me and tucked my hair behind my ear. “There's so much we need to talk about.”

I nodded and focused my gaze on his chest, suddenly feeling nervous. “I know.”

He gripped my chin, tipping my head up so I met his intense gaze. “I like you, Izzy. Far more than I should. You're young, and I'm not sure what I have to offer you.”

I opened my mouth to respond because I wasn’t sure what he meant, but he quickly went on.

“My life revolves around my girls and my job. You could find a young guy who could give you the things I can't right now. But selfishly, I want you to myself.”

“I don't want anyone else.” I shook my head. I didn't want to come off desperate, but I needed him to understand. “I like you too. And I get your life is busy and you have a lot of responsibilities.” I blew out a breath, trying to find the words to ease his worry. But maybe the answer was simpler. “Can't we just see where this goes?”

He stiffened but quickly relaxed, and I wasn't sure if I'd said the right thing or not. It was hard. On one hand, I understood the restrictions we would face. But when I really thought of those restrictions, they didn't bother me. Maybe allowing time to show him that would be best.

“Yeah.” He searched my face before pulling my head forward and pressing his lips to my forehead. “We can do that.”

But his tone made it seem like that wasn't what he wanted.

LOGAN

I couldn't blame her for not wanting to label this quite yet. But the need to make her mine still coursed through me as we got out of my truck and walked the few feet back to her car.

“I start night shifts tomorrow for three days.” Tonight was supposed to be my first shift of a four-night rotation, but I switched with someone so I could try to make it to donuts with grown-ups. Either way would have been a crap shoot, but I thought there would be more of a chance if I had the day shift. That was also why Maggie and I came up with a backup plan in case I got stuck on shift.

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