Page 8 of Playing with Fire

The tic was back in his jaw, and the scowl deepened.

Note to self: Don't poke the bear.

Although teasing him was fun. Just an occasional small poke to keep things interesting.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder as Nikki jumped from the second step from the bottom and they both raced past us into the kitchen.

Assuming our conversation was done, I turned to head after them.

“Izzy,” Logan growled.

A shiver raced down my spine at the way he said my name. What. The. Hell? I shouldn't be turned on by the grumpy dad who definitely didn’t seem to like me. I turned slowly, taking in his piercing gaze that anchored me to the spot. He closed the gap between us in three strides, and I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.

“I'm serious.” His lips pressed together into a thin line.

“I'm aware.” My lips twitched as I fought a smirk. Teasing him was truly a bad idea. Or maybe I wanted to hear him growl my name again. But I couldn't help it. I gave him my best cutesy smile and spun, leaving him standing there as I headed into the kitchen.

“Alright girls, what do you want for breakfast?”

“Pancakes?” Nikki asked a second before Alice piped up with, “Bacon?”

“How about both?”

They smiled, bouncing slightly on their stools that lined the other side of the island.

Logan stepped up behind them, wrapping an arm around each of them. “Have a good day at school.” He pressed a kiss to each of their heads.

“Bye, Daddy,” the twins chimed in unison.

He looked up and inclined his head to the front of the house. “Keys to the SUV and house are hanging by the door.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

He hesitated, staring at me, luckily without a scowl this time. Finally, he grabbed his duffel sitting by the entrance to the great room and threw the strap over his shoulder. One more quick glance our way and he was gone.

Thankfully, the twins would be with their mom for two days starting this afternoon. That would give me a two-day break from this confusing man who went from smiling to growling at me all in the span of fifteen minutes.

Chapter Six

IZZY

I leanedmy elbows on the kitchen island and swiped open the text thread with my sister.

Angie: So any update on the Logan situation?

Me: Not really. I’ve been at Maggie’s since yesterday afternoon.

I wasn’t telling her how my traitorous body responded to him when he growled my name. Or when he came so close, I had to remind myself to breathe.

Angie: When do you see him again?

Me: Tomorrow night.

I couldn’t help but wonder how things would end up being between us. Would he get used to me? Chat with me like Maggie did when she got home. It was hard to compare the two since I only had that one weird night and following morning at his house to compare anything to. But so far, he was growly and grumpy, while Maggie was friendly and chatty. The differences were drastic.

“Can we have three snacks?” Alice held up fruit snacks, a Little Debbie cake, and a bag of chips.

After that first night at Logan's, and now two at Maggie's, I had the evening routine down pretty well. The girls did their homework and then helped me make dinner, and they both did a great job. They would color or play with toys while I cleaned up, then they’d help me pack lunches before starting the bedtime stuff.

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