Page 56 of The Lost and the Found

He looked down at me, and I swore I saw his eyes soften as they took me in. “Of course.” He turned to Clarissa, and I was happy to note all the softness he presented to me didn’t extend to her. His tone was nothing but distantly polite when he said, “It was nice seeing you again. Take care of yourself.”

Logan pulled me out of there before she could say anything else. I didn’t look back to see if she was watching us. At this point, I didn’t care.

I didn’t know what I was feeling save for tired, but that was probably because I was way out of my element.

We didn’t stop for anyone on the way out, even when the few people we passed seemed to recognize Logan.

He got our coats from the coat station, and while we waited for one of the valets to bring his car around, Logan helped me with my coat and scarf before zipping me up all the way—as if I were incapable of doing so myself.

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

Logan looked at me questioningly. “Don’t thank me for taking care of you.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “I love taking care of you. It makes me feel important. Like I was put on earth solely for this purpose.”

I took a step toward him until there was hardly any space between his body and my own. “You’re much more of a romantic than me. I don’t think I can ever say that kind of thing to you.” I paused, taking in his green eyes. “Does that bother you?”

Even when he was guarded, I never had to question how he felt about me. Logan was so free in expressing his feelings, I didn’t have to look for the hidden meaning beneath them. But that wasn’t me. I wasn’t open. Telling Logan how I felt wasn’t something that came naturally. And I realized then that I’d never really expressed how I felt about him. How much he had come to mean to me in such a short period of time.

“No, baby. It doesn’t bother me. I know you’re not used to being in a relationship with anyone. I know you’re still trying to find your way around this. I don’t mind. Besides, your face is so expressive, I don’t need your words to know how you feel.”

I let out a small sigh and leaned forward until my face was hidden in his chest. I didn’t want him to see my face when I asked my next question. He might see the hope in my eyes, and I didn’t want to make myself more vulnerable than I already had. “Is that what we are? In a relationship?”

“Absolutely.”

“Is it safe to assume then that this relationship is exclusive?”

“Hell yeah, baby. If I see another man touching you, I’d be sentenced to life for murder.”

I smiled into his dress shirt, loving the way he smelled. Both familiar and comforting.

“Only if you get caught.”

I didn’t have to look at him to know he was smiling. “You’re right. Only if I get caught.”

“So does this mean you will tell Clarissa, your ex-girlfriend, that you’re no longer interested and that maybe she should back off?”

Logan was quiet for a second or two before he pulled me back so that I looked at him. “Who told you?”

“Gage. I didn’t realize it was a secret.”

“It’s not. It’s irrelevant. We broke up about two months ago. I told her I wasn’t interested anymore, but I don’t think she got the message.”

I shrugged, like I didn’t care, but I did. I fucking did, and I hated that.

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