Page 13

13

LOGAN

I could do this without falling. Probably.

“I’ll be with you the entire time, okay?” Quentin kneeled before me, sliding my feet into a black skates. I had no idea where he got them, but they fit perfectly. “I was in your domain the other day, so now you’re in mine.”

“Your sister is with us too,” I said, like a dork. It felt too intimate to hang out with them, like we were a real couple. Audrey and her fiancé were nice, and yeah, while Theo was hot and intense, he had a softness about him whenever he spoke to Audrey. This felt like too much.

Hell, I’d been with Gage for three months before hanging out with his family. I had to earn it, where this was so fast, so easy. I liked seeing this side of Quentin though, how much he cared for his sister.

“Is that a problem?” He paused and stared at me, one brow arched. “Hey, you’re not uncomfortable, right?”

“You’re asking a lot of questions today, Quentin Hawthorne.” I swallowed a ball of nerves and breathed in the cool air. The rink here at Central State was super nice. It was also colder than I realized. Shivering, I rubbed my hands over my arms as Quentin’s frown grew.

“Damn, didn’t think to tell ya to wear a sweatshirt.” He tied the skate and gently squeezed my calf before he reached behind his head and pulled off his long-sleeved shirt. “Wear this.”

Whoa.

“Aren’t you… cold?” I eyed the white T-shirt. The material clung to his body, his broad shoulders and massive chest. “That’s so much skin.”

He smirked, and a playful glint crossed his eyes. “I worked out for three hours today, and I’m hot. I don’t need the extra shirt, and you definitely do, Logan.”

Was there an innuendo in those words? My head spun, and I felt so disoriented. I had a small, minor crush on Quentin, and it was becoming a problem for a lot of reasons. The first—we’d agreed neither of us was available from the start. The second—he kept reminding me we weren’t for real. The third—my heart was still healing, so how could I be into someone else? Fourth—roommates never fooled around. It was law.

Yet that didn’t stop my skin from tingling or my heart from racing when he put his shirt over my head and helped me slide my arms through it. The fabric smelled like sweat and laundry, and it was still warm.

“Cute.” He winked before he put on my other skate. “You didn’t answer my question though. Are you uncomfortable being here? Truly, we can leave if you want to.”

I shook my head. “Nervous, not uncomfortable. Promise.”

“Noted, I’ll take care of you. We’ll start slow, but you have to learn how to skate.”

I stood and wobbled, his arm wrapping around my waist as I leaned into him. “And if I break something?”

“You won’t, promise,” he said the word same as I had. He walked backward onto the ice, and the second his skates connected with it, he became another person. His body floated on the ice, almost like he was made to not even walk on land. “Okay, you’re going to want to get used to standing first. Legs shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Can you do that for me?”

I nodded and moved onto the ice completely. A part of me wanted to ask a million questions, like how he got the rink free? Were we allowed? Was there an ambulance nearby? What if I broke my entire body?

But I quieted those voices. It was simple: I trusted him.

“Okay, standing. Doing the whole standing thing really well.” Sure, I held onto the wall like my life depended on it, but that was fine.

He licked the side of his lip, his eyes lighting with amusement. “You’re going to want to lean forward slightly, putting your weight over your feet. Don’t go too fast though.”

“Can we go back to the whole standing thing?”

“Of course.” Quentin frowned. “I got you, but if you want to sit back?—”

“I’m doing this. I’m going to skate, goddamn it.”

“Yeah, you are!” Audrey joined us from the other side of the ice, her ease on the ice clear. “I love that you’re teaching her, Q.” She did a swirl thing that made her look really cool, but her fiancé didn’t like that.

“Audrey, knock that off. You just learned how to do that.” Theo skated toward her. “I don’t want you hurt.”

“Oh my goodness, settle down.” Audrey spun again with a wild look in her eyes. “Is Em stopping by too?”

“She has a discussion class until five, then she will.” Theo picked up a stick and casually hit pucks into the net. “So, Quentin, tell us why you’re pretending to date Logan.”

Shit. I weebled and I wobbled, my legs moving left to right, and Quentin gripped my waist to settle me. We were chest to chest, his forest green eyes holding mine as he reassured me. “I got ya.”

I swallowed down the fear and nerves, but the unanswered question remained in the air. I was so not prepared for the fake dating to come up, and my insides were as messy as my outside. Would his sister dislike me? Would she hate this idea? How did she find out? He had to tell her, right?

I wanted her approval. Even if it made no sense. Quentin and I were friends. That was all.

Quentin smiled, his eyes softening at me before he responded over his shoulder. “Em has a big mouth, I see.”

“We all know this,” Theo said, laughing as he did a wicked cool skate move where he stopped and a bunch of ice flew up in the air. “But help me understand it.”

Audrey stared at her brother, her brows furrowed like she disapproved of this idea, and the need to defend him surged through me. “I begged him,” I said, not caring that my legs shook and my balance was crap. “I have an ex who won’t leave me alone, so I begged Quentin to help me out. Right?”

Quentin’s grip on me tightened, questions in his eyes. “Sure,” he mumbled, not approving of my answer. “We’re friends though. We help each other out.”

“Duh.”

His dimples popped out again when he jutted his chin down. “You’re skating, Log. Look at you.”

I hadn’t even realized. He held my waist and glided backward, guiding me the entire time. It was surreal, but as soon as I realized I was skating, my balance went to shit. One leg when into the air, then the other. Quentin tried to prevent the inevitable, but I fell to the ground, heart in my throat and fear sizzling down my spine. I slammed my hip onto the ice with a loud shit.

“Logan!” Quentin kneeled to the ice, worry etched on his face. “Fuck!”

“It’s fine.” I winced as I rubbed my hip bone. Definitely a bruise. A big one. It’d probably turn purple or green or something. The pressure throbbed as I sat up. My poor breath came out in pants from the shock of it all.

Audrey and Theo were there in an instant, their faces alert. “Logan, do you feel any numbness or tingles anywhere?” Audrey asked.

I shook my head. “Just pain.”

Theo kneeled and ran a hand over my shoulder, his jaw set in determination. “No dislocations. That’s good. We’ll want to make sure there isn’t a fracture. Come on, let’s get you off the ice.”

“Q, can you get some ice for us? And pain meds?” Audrey asked her brother, her face set in the same worry lines as Theo’s. “I want to assess if it’s a contusion or a not.”

“It’s fine, really,” I said, wincing when they nudged me closer toward the side of the rink. Everything hurt, hip down. It was embarrassing that I’d fallen so spectacularly. “I promise.”

“Mm, it’s better to rule out any tissue damage. You never know how a fall can affect your muscles. You could’ve strained your muscles, which causes more issues.” Audrey patted my arm gently. “Or, it’ll be a real nasty bruise and you’ll have a funny story to share.”

“I have a surplus of embarrassing stories. I really don’t need anymore.”

Audrey laughed as they led me to a bleacher chair. I sat, wincing at the shot of pain down my leg. She clicked her tongue and gestured to my shorts. “Can you lower your shorts?”

“Not sure if Q told you, but we’re nurses. Well, Audrey is a full-time one. I graduated to be one if hockey doesn’t work out.” Theo grinned, putting me at ease. “Just wanted to make sure you knew before my fiancée asked you to lower your pants.”

Audrey laughed before she smiled at me. “He has way better bedside manner than me. With that face, psh, he has it easy. No one would dare spit on him.”

“I wouldn’t, that’s for sure,” I said, making them both laugh. Audrey pressed down on my hip and thigh, frowning when I jumped. “Ah, damn it.”

“No evidence of a fracture that I can feel. Seemed to get you real good though. Can you move your ankle?” she asked.

I twisted it in a circle.

“Good, okay, what about bending your knee?”

I did that as well, earning a nod from Theo. “It’s only when I put my weight on that it really hurts. Everything else is just a throb.” I frowned, thinking about walking everywhere. To the grocery store, to the library, to class. “I bruise so easily.”

Quentin jogged down the stairs, his brows set in a firm line as his gaze landed on me. His green eyes darkened, and he flexed his jaw over and over. I could almost feel the tension coming off him.

“Here is an ice pack and heating pad, along with some pain meds.” Quentin handed them to his sister. “How is she?”

“ She is fine,” I said, hoping he’d grin, but he stared blankly at me. His hand was fisted against his side, and a pang formed in my chest. He felt bad. “Honestly, I wanted to cause a scene, be a little dramatic. I actually really enjoy attention.”

Theo snorted, and that filled me with pride.

“Yeah, that was my take on you immediately.” Theo chuckled and put a hand on Audrey’s shoulder. “We can help them back to the house, then we can go visit my mom.”

She smiled, leaning into him before nodding. “Sounds good. Q, want to hang out tomorrow with us? We’re gonna spend time with Theo’s siblings and probably go shopping.”

Quentin shook his head. “I’ll need to make sure Logan is okay. It’s my fault she fell, so I can’t?—”

“It’s not your fault, you dingo.” I rolled my eyes. “Stop blaming yourself for this. I’m clumsy as hell. I fell. It was gonna happen with or without you there.”

“But I’m the reason you’re here.”

“Quentin Hawthorne. You cannot play the bad guy card all the time. You used it already this week. You already got your punch. No more.” I pointed my finger at him, my voice rising. “So take that attitude and shove it somewhere.”

“Marry her,” Audrey said, her voice firm. “Not joking.”

I grinned, my gaze landing on Audrey, where she was dead serious. Something warm and gooey formed in my chest at the thought of her liking me for Quentin. Not that it mattered—because it didn’t. But it still felt nice.

Quentin swallowed and bent down again, his touch soft as he undid my skates. While he spoke to the other two, his gaze was on me. “I’ll hang tomorrow but only once Logan shows me she’s alright.”

“That’s fine,” his sister said, bent over and taking her skates off too.

Quentin flexed his jaw as he gently placed his hand on my shin. His gorgeous green eyes clouded with tension. My stomach clenched with our proximity, the way his touch lingered more than normal.

“There, skates are off.” He set them to the side of us just as Audrey shook the ice pack.

“Put this on your hip and take two painkillers to stop the swelling.” She smiled as she handed them all to me. “If you’re bored, hang out with us tomorrow. Theo’s place isn’t far, and his siblings are the best.”

“You’re more than welcome, Logan.” Theo smiled, the guy’s face way too damn charming. It was probably a good thing he wasn’t a nurse because I’d blush like a fool if he had to check on me in just a cloth or something.

“Thank you. I might take you up on that. Depends on my homework calendar. I’ve been reading a bit too much and am behind.” Ugh. The truth spilled from my mouth despite how nerdy that sounded. These two were cool. A nurse and a professional hockey player?

“I can’t tell you how jealous I am,” Audrey said. “Between traveling and work, I haven’t lost myself in any books lately.”

“Oh, that’s unacceptable,” I replied. Quentin guided me to stand up, placing his arm around my waist and supporting my weight. “You need to find time to read. It refuels the soul.”

“It does.” Audrey smiled at me, then her brother. “Get her home, and we’ll put the skates away.”

Quentin nodded as his grip on me tightened. It was hard not to wince while we headed up the stairs, but his proximity distracted me from the sting.

“I can walk, you know.”

“Cool.”

He kept his arm around me, and after ten steps, he straight-up lifted me wedding-night style. My breath rushed out of my lungs, my heart beating wildly as my face pressed into his neck. I forgot all about my bruise. That pesky little thing didn’t matter when my body was so close to Quentin’s. “Wh-what is this?”

“You’re wincing each step, and it’s killing me to see your pretty face with a frown. Appease me, okay? I need to do this.”

I’d never felt more treasured or taken care of, and damn, I liked it.