Page 53 of Attractive Forces

She’s still in her diner uniform, standing in the middle of the pigsty that is the kitchen, and for a moment, I hesitate. Because she looks so tired.

But nothing I say will make a difference to Aaron when he’s in one of these moods. And Logan will be pulling up outside at any moment. I don’t want to keep him waiting.

“I’ve got to get going,” I mumble.

Mum’s shoulders slump. “Okay.”

When I open the door, Logan’s car is already waiting in the driveway.

“Hey,” I say as I climb into the car.

“Hey, yourself.” His tone is slightly flirty, and I try to stop blushing like an embarrassed milkmaid, but it’s difficult.

I clip my seat belt, and the engine purrs to life.

Logan makes normal conversation as we cruise through town. He talks about classes and his friends and rugby opponents while my mind churns.

Are we going to talk about it? Or just pretend it didn’t happen? Did he invite me out tonight to take things further? Or are we heading straight back into the friend zone?

I’m not being as responsive as normal, and Logan slides a glance at me. “You want to listen to some music?”

“Sure.”

His hand shakes slightly as he reaches forward to turn up the radio. And I suddenly realize the cool, casual vibe he’s projecting is just an act.

How much does Logan have to pretend? A lot.

I take a deep breath. “So, are we going to talk?”

He shoots me a look. “What have we just been doing?”

But I’m not letting him get away with playing dumb. My nerves can’t handle it. “You know what I mean.”

Logan huffs out a sigh. “Yeah, I’m heading out to a place where we can park up and talk.”

“Okay.”

He ends up driving to a picnic place by a river twenty minutes from town.

As he parks in the shadows of a large willow tree, my heart starts to beat erratically. Because, yeah, it’s a secluded place to talk. But there are other things I’d quite like to do with Logan in a private location.

“This looks like the kind of place you’d bring someone if you wanted to murder them,” I say because it appears I’m naturally gifted at creating a romantic mood.

Logan huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, murder isn’t high on my agenda.”

“I’m hoping it’s actually not anywhere on your agenda.”

He smiles. “No. Definitely not.”

I fiddle with my seat belt, unclipping it so I can turn to face him easily. “What’s on your agenda then?”

He clears his throat. “I was thinking something along the lines of this.”

He leans toward me, and I mirror him. There’s this moment when we are a mere inch from each other, seeing his eyes search my face intently, and my heart beats so furiously it’s surprising it doesn’t erupt from my chest.

And then his lips are on mine.

Although this isn’t our first kiss, it’s what I’d expect a first kiss to be like. Logan kisses me gently, his mouth soft. We stay like that for a few moments, just lips pressing against lips, before his hand comes up to cup the side of my face. He opens his mouth, and suddenly, our tongues are tangling, and it goes from sweet and gentle to ridiculously hot.