Page 48 of Under the Mistletoe
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Logan reread the final words. A level of satisfaction with his writing he hadn’t felt in a while coursed through him. He opened his email and sent the scene off to Christina. Hopefully, she’d be just as happy with it, because there wasn’t much time for changes before it was supposed to go live.
Logan hurried across the hall and showered and brushed his teeth. When he returned, Cal had claimed his bed in the corner. Logan leaned over his laptop and checked his email. One unread message. His hand hesitated over the email a moment before he clicked.
You nailed it. Well done. I think you’ve broken through whatever was holding you back.
He let that roll around in his head. Holding him back. Maybe denying his heart had been holding him back. What had his dad said? His character couldn’t feel until he allowed himself to feel. A deep guttural laugh rolled out of him. He’d definitely let himself feel, all right.
He read the last of the email.
Try to get me the next chapter a little sooner. Looking forward to finding out how this ends.
He shut his laptop and walked to the bed. He was looking forward to seeing how it ended too. Logan’s mind flipped back to when Devin had insinuated that he was Victor Holt’s editor. He should’ve just said no, but he’d been so caught off guard that he’d stood there looking guilty, which led her to draw her own conclusions. False conclusions that were both a convenient explanation for things he couldn’t say and potentially big trouble.
He needed to fix this before they could really move forward, but everything was getting so tangled.
He flopped back on his bed. It turned out he’d been wrong, that the person standing between him and Devin wasn’t Liam. No, it was Victor Holt.
eight
This wasn’t her house, and she needed to get up, but Devin hadn’t been able to resist starting the day with her dose of Victor Holt. And now that she’d read it, all she could think about was last night. The chapter seemed to mirror her evening with Logan. Not the kidnapping or trekking through the forest. But the way Rand had held Astryn, the way he’d touched her face, even the interrupted kiss. Although Astryn should’ve had much more of an internal scream with that interruption. Devin sure had. She had never hated phones more than she had at that moment when that ringtone had ended Logan’s kiss before it had begun.
She may have lost that chance yesterday, but she was determined to find it today. Even if Astryn couldn’t.
Devin pulled the blankets a little higher, savoring the events of the night before. She had no idea what moving forward would look like between her and Logan, but she’d never recover from the way he’d answered her when she’d asked if he wanted to kiss her.
More than I want to breathe.
Even now, the words and that rough voice sent a hunger through her that she hadn’t known before. Sure, she’d dated a handful of guys, but it’d never been like this.
Logan had always been this enigma, just out of reach. He kept everyone but his brother at a distance. But he had opened up a bit last night for the first time, and it was enough to give her hope. No doubt he still had doors he hadn’t shown her, but even a glimpse of who he was confirmed what she’d always known. Logan was the kind of guy she wouldn’t just crush on. He was the guy she could fall for.
She brought the collar of his T-shirt to her face and drew in a deep breath. It had the scent of soap but, underneath that, the musky hint of Logan.
Forgetcouldfall for, she was falling. Hard.
Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up.
Logan
Pancakes will be ready soon. I’d let you sleep more but your stocking event starts in two hours.
Devin sat up with a jolt. Two hours. She really had lost touch with life. She jumped out of bed and walked into the bathroom when her phone buzzed again.
Logan
Also, my family is due to show up in about thirty minutes so you might want to eat yours before they do.
Right. They were alone, but not for long, and she couldn’t help but want to hold on to this moment a few minutes longer. She glanced at the mirror. Her curls had a mind of their own this morning. She finger-combed them back into a messy bun and secured it. She brushed her teeth and then pulled on her jeans from the night before, but the sweater was too scratchy for this early. Maybe she’d stick to the T-shirt, even if it was a little chilly.
She opened the door to the hall and found a large, navy sweatshirt folded neatly in the hallway. Devin couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she pulled it over her head. His scent and warmth enveloped her again.
Yup, completely falling.
Devin walked down the hall toward the kitchen, passing photos of the family at different stages. The French doors to the kitchen were open, and the faint music of “We’ve Got Tonight” floated in the air.
