Page 46 of The Lost and the Found

Hayden

Logan droppedme off at home a little after six so that I could get ready, while he drove home to get ready himself.

Before bringing me back, he had taken me to the salon to get my hair and makeup done, so the only thing left was to shave and dress. It took me less than thirty minutes to get ready, and when I looked in the mirror that night, I felt like a stranger.

The girl staring back at me was too beautiful, too eloquent, to be me. Her skin was flawless, her hair in place, and whatever exhaustion might be hiding behind her eyes was masked with her utterly flawless makeup.

My long blonde hair, usually frizzy and untamed, was braided on one side, tied down to a low bun at the nape of my neck, and with a few strands of pale curls falling around my face, creating a wispy effect. My lashes were nothing but a dark curl around my too-big blue eyes, which stood out on my olive skin, and my lips were painted in a light red, matching my dress.

My breath caught in my throat, and for the first time in my life, I felt like one of those princesses my mom read about to me in those fairytales books she used to buy.

I loved the way I looked, and I loved how pretty I felt, but a part of me was worried that once we arrived at the function, the people Logan associated himself with would take one look at me and figure out I was a fraud.

That this wasn’t me.

That I wasn’t always put together. That the dress I wore probably cost more than my monthly wage, tips included, and that I spent most of my nights talking to drunks and has-beens. And how would I deal if we went to the function and run into someone Logan had slept with? Someone who was put together all the time, and had a piece of him, when all I had was a fleeting taste that was in no way enough.

All of my insecurities were coming out to play, and they had sharpened their claws since the last time they showed up.

I placed a hand on my stomach to keep the lunch Logan took me out to several hours before from making its appearance, but my anxiety only became more prominent when I heard three small knocks at the door.

Logan was here.

The event started at seven, but he said it was fine if we showed up a little late, since the main course wouldn’t come out until eight. It was a charity event Logan’s law firm was sponsoring, and surprisingly, it was a cause close to my heart: teen homelessness.

I would have thought Logan set this whole thing for me since I mentioned I used to live on the street, but even I wasn’t that self-involved. Plus, I knew an event as big as this took months to plan, while Logan and I hadn’t known each other that long.

I grabbed the heels from the box and hooked them onto my fingers, grabbing my coat and phone when I passed them, before walking to the front door. I hesitated a bit before opening it and was greeted by Logan’s exquisite smile.

“Hi,” I said, looking down a little before I caught myself and quickly brought my eyes back to him.

“Hey, you look beautiful.”

I moved my hand to my hair, looking for anything to grab onto, but I came away empty-handed and remembered I had my hair tied up tonight. “Thank you. Do you want to come in? I just need to put on my shoes, and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Of course. Take your time.”

Logan walked in, and I took in his appearance for the first time. He was wearing a black tux—a freaking tux!—with a black bowtie and everything. He was still clean shaven, and his short hair was parted to one side, combed and held together by gel, completing the look.

I was wrong. Even when I loved how untamed Logan usually looked, him being this put-together was turning me on like crazy. I had half a mind to say fuck the function and beg him to let me explore his body with my tongue instead.

“Hayden?”

I shook myself out of my thoughts when I realized Logan had been trying to get my attention for a while. “What?”

He smiled knowingly. “Don’t look at me like that, or I might not let us leave. Put on your shoes, baby, and let’s go before I peel that dress off your delectable body and fuck you on your couch like I wanted to do two days ago.”

I coughed and quickly put on the heels. “Right. Let’s go.”

He pulled me to him just as I passed him on my way to the door. “I love red on you. But I bet you would look even better with nothing on.”

My thighs clenched together. “Are you prophesying that?”

He shook his head. “I’m making you a promise.”

Logan leaned down and kissed my cheek. I was part relieved and part disappointed when he didn’t kiss me.

“We’ll see,” I said, and his smile widened.

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