Page 43 of The Lost and the Found

Logan stopped suddenly, and I ran into his back. I grabbed his shoulders, hoisting myself up a little. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “Kenny’s just being Kenny.”

Logan turned around and scowled at my neighbor, a hard glint in his eyes that I had never seen before. He took a step forward, and as stupid as Kenny was, he could sense danger when it was directed at him. He took a small step back before he realized his mistake, stopped, and tilted his chin up, as if that would make himself appear bigger.

But Logan was a big man. He had at least nine or ten inches on Kenny and was about a hundred pound heavier, with nothing but hard muscles. I would know, after all—he had all of those muscles pressed against me not too long ago.

I made a grab for his coat, but Logan was no longer paying attention to me.

“What did you just say?” he asked Kenny.

“N-nothing, man. Hayden knows I was just joking around with her.”

“You think it’s okay to disrespect her like that, all for a joke?”

“No, man. That’s not what I meant.”

“You’re going to apologize to her, and if I ever hear you talk to her like that again, I’ll find you and let you know how I feel about you joking around with Hayden.”

“Sorry, H-Hayden,” Kenny stuttered out. And though he was apologizing to me, his eyes never strayed from Logan.

When Logan didn’t say anything, Kenny shifted on his feet. I grabbed Logan’s hand. “It’s okay,” I said to Kenny. To Logan, I asked, “Can we leave now? I’m cold.”

That got him out of his stare-down. He pulled my shivering body close to his, as if he could block out the harsh wind, and led us downstairs.

We got in the car and Logan turned the heat up all the way. I leaned back against the soft cushion, savoring the warmth. I didn’t remember my mom’s old car heating up this fast during the winter.

I stared at Logan, but he wasn’t looking at me. His fists were clenched around the steering wheel, and there was a frown on his face.

“Has he been bothering you?”

I shook my head. “Like I said, Kenny’s harmless. Don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry? My heart literally aches every time I drop you off at this apartment.”

I smiled. “I’ve been living here for almost two years now. I’m okay.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I grabbed his hand and brought it to my lips. I could feel the fight leaving him instantly. Logan wasn’t unaffected by me.

That was good to know.

“Thank you for sticking up for me. No one has ever done that before.”

He pulled his hand back and wrapped it around the back of my neck, pulling me close to him. Then he kissed me so hard our teeth clattered against one another, and I wiggled in my seat, trying to get close to him. “Always,” he whispered. “I would keep you with me at all time if that was possible.”

I smiled against his lips. “I know.” And oddly enough, I did know. That statement rang true in every syllable. And I trusted that he wasn’t just saying that in the heat of the moment. Logan honestly wanted to protect me from all that was bad in the world.

That was more than anyone had ever tried to do for me.

“Should we get going?” I asked, pulling away.

He shot me a heated look and shifted a little in his seat. “Yeah. Let’s go. Put your seatbelt on, Haybear.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Haybear?”

His eyes stuttered for a moment, as if trying to hide his emotions, and then he angled his face away from me. “Sorry. That just slipped out.”

I looked at him in amusement. It was fun to see Logan flustered for a change.

“That’s okay. But if you’re into pet names, can I suggest using something else? Haybear sounds like something you would call a little girl. And I know you’re older than me, but I doubt you’re that much older.” Which brought me to the next question. “How old are you?”

“Thirty-four,” he answered.

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