Page 59 of Switching Places

“So are you.”

Emma stared at him, seeing the soft glow from the dashboard illuminate part of his face. He seemed serious. He looked over at her, back to the road.

“What changed while I was in Italy?” he asked.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

She swallowed hard. Chalk up another lie.

“We’ve known each other for two years, and yet there’s something different about you. Or maybe it’s different about me. I noticed it as soon as I returned from Italy, this attraction between us. It was never there before, was it?”

Emma swallowed So he hadn’t been attracted to Lily. A huge weight seemed to roll off her shoulders. The attraction wasn’t one-sided, and while he didn’t know yet she was not Lily, he’d never been attracted to Lily.

Maybe when she told him why she’d pretended to be someone she was not, he’d forgive and forget.

“And don’t play innocent about what attraction I’m talking about.”

“I’m not,” she said quietly, her heart racing.

How did she handle this?

“So where do we go from here?” he asked.

“Where do you want to go?”

Panic set in. What if he wanted more than she could offer? What if it was just a lark to him, as impersonating Lily had started out for her?

“For starters, I thought you could spend the night.”

She swallowed and gazed blindly out the windshield. Here it was, laid out plain for her to say yes or no. And she wanted to sayyes. She had waited all her life to experience this glow of love and enchantment that enveloped her. Could she risk everything and say yes? To spend the night with Logan, to love him, sleep with him, and wake up together in the morning

Nervously she rubbed her damp palms against her skirt. She was so unsure and inept at this.

When his warm hand enveloped one of hers, she jumped. He brought their hands to rest on his thigh.

“Say yes, cupcake.”

“I’m not sure.”

Her heart melted at the endearment. She felt cherished and special that he had a pet name for her.

David always called her Emma. Only her family ever shortened it.

“About what?”

“Us, you and me. This. It seems so monumental. And we haven’t known each other very long.”

Was it less than a week?

“Two years is a long time. I see your staying over as the next logical step in our relationship,” Logan said. “I know what I want. If you want the same thing, what’s the problem?”

“Well, for one thing, you don’t know about me.”

“I know all I need to know. I’ve felt this attraction since you came downstairs in that terry-cloth robe and fixed me French toast. Being with you this week has strengthened that attraction.”

“You say we’ve known each other for two years, but not well. I mean—”

“Tonight you met a few of my friends, I met some of yours at that party last fall. We’ve talked a lot over the last week, actually spent more time together since I returned from Italy than over the past two years.”

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