Page 29 of Structure of Love

Clearly some part of my brain trusted Logan if it fantasized about being spread out under him. Granted, he was a parade of green flags walking around, so no surprise there.

Still.

I was thirty years old and figuring this shit out? Really?

Well. I would definitely sleep on this realization. This was something I needed time to adjust to, because wow. That was a lot.

Logan and I obviously hadn’t talked sex yet, nor would we for a few dates, probably. When the conversation came up, I was going to need to explain a few tragic sexcapades first, so he understood my history before I put the offer of fucking me on thetable. I’d bet anything he’d be super good to me as he eased me into this new aspect of sex.

In the meantime, sleep. And avoid Asher until I knew how to keep my revelation off my face. I refused to give him any more mileage than he already had.

Fridays were busy for Blackbird, but I hoped that by swinging by for lunch, as I’d teasingly promised Logan, I wouldn’t be too much of a bother. He’d be busy for lunch but not slammed, not like he would be for the dinner and after-dinner hours.

Or so I prayed.

Everyone had been gone this morning at the office, all off on their own errands, so it was easy to sneak out early for lunch and go to Blackbird. I even found a decent parking spot; a miracle in downtown Plymouth. I also brought the DnD character sheets, the player’s handbook, and a character idea, as promised. I wanted him to play with me, which meant prep needed to happen.

I entered through the parking lot door, into the dimmer lighting of the bar. It was a nice relief from the blazing hot July sun for sure. Most of the lighting inside seemed to be from the big picture windows.

The crowd in here was quite the mix. I saw professionals on a lunch break, teenagers hanging out with friends, a few young mothers with older grandparents grabbing a bite for lunch. If memory served, Logan employed good cooks, as the food here had been pretty decent the few times I’d ordered takeout.

Speaking of, there he was. Knowing he’d worked at a bar before ever owning one, I could see his history in his actions.Logan was perfectly comfortable behind his bar, chatting with customers and slinging drinks.

I couldn’t make myself behave. I had my phone in hand, taking a picture of him, because I wanted to capture the moment. He was so competent, so naturally himself, I felt I had to preserve this time somehow.

One of his customers pointed a finger in my direction. Oop, caught now.

Logan turned his head, caught me with my phone still in hand, and didn’t miss a beat. He slapped a hand to his right butt cheek. “It’s my ass, isn’t it? I know it looks amazing in these jeans.”

“Oh, thank god, so you do know.” I put a theatrical hand to my forehead in relief, then walked up to the bar. “That was going to be so awkward to explain otherwise. Here, face away again, I want to get five or ten closeups—”

He caught my arm, tugging me over the counter to smack a kiss against my mouth. Oh, yum, I had not expected him to kiss me in front of an audience. His confidence was also sexy as hell. So much of this man was a turn-on, I was in danger of losing the bet with Asher. Because goddamn.

“Be good,” he murmured against my mouth.

“So, after due consideration, that soundsfarless fun. Can I interest you in something else, perhaps? Mischief, shenanigans, lunch date?”

“Lunch date I’ll take.” He took a half step back and indicated the bundle I held in my other hand. “What’s this?”

“Character sheet, player’s handbook, and a wacky character idea.”

“Oooh. You do bring goodies.” He tilted his head to look behind me. “Heather, you got it?”

“Sure,” a female voice answered airily. “Go smooch.”

“Happily.” He focused back on me. “What do you want for lunch? I’ll submit the order to the kitchens before we retreat to my office.”

“I have no idea. Where’s a menu?”

He handed me a menu, and I gave it a good once-over, but those fish and chips looked delicious. I ordered that, a side salad, and a Coke. Logan took his own order, submitted it to the kitchen, the led me into the back area expressly marked as Employees Only.

Made me wonder… “I’ve seen three Employees Only signs. Do you really have that many people who wander back here?”

“Sure. Drunks can’t read.”

He had me there.

Now, his office looked more lived in than I’d expected but was somehow cleaner than I’d expected, too. He had three chairs, all of them clear—a feat my own office chairs could not claim—plus I could see different patches of his desk. Aside from a stack of what looked like bills and such and a laptop, he didn’t have a ton of things on its surface. A few family pictures, but that was about it.