Page 16

16

QUENTIN

T hree days later, dressed in a suit Audrey and Theo bought me for Christmas, I waited in our hallway for Logan to leave her room.

I did what she asked, even though it felt wrong, and agreed to meet my mom and her new dude for dinner. Instead of our usual places, Mom wanted the steak house to celebrate a nice occasion. She even sent me a dress code.

This was so not the woman my mom used to be. The one who raised me hadn’t cared about status symbols or fancy dinners. She liked wearing sweats and T-shirts and letting us do science experiments in the backyard. This new version of her conflicted with my childhood memories, and a part of me, deep down, hoped that the older version would return.

It was foolish and pathetic because she’d shown herself numerous times. Audrey even cut her out of her life, but that small flicker of hope remained.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry I’m late!” Logan flung the door open as her and Jordan walked in. “Jordan helped me with my hair and then we had to try a few styles.”

“Your hair is gorgeous, and we lost track of time. Sorry, Hawthorne. Hopefully it’s still cool to be fashionably late.”

While I heard them speak, my gaze roamed over Logan. Holy shit. Pressure built in my chest, right behind my ribcage, like someone had blown a balloon in there, and it kept enlarging. Logan looked insane. Mind-blowing. Her deep orange dress dipped low in the front, sheet fabric stretching over most of her chest. The material looked soft and clung to her curves, my fingers literally tingling with the desire to run my hands over her. I took my time eyeing her, moving toward her neck and face.

Logan was always pretty, but the way her makeup was done…

”Fuck, Logan, you look…” I shook my head, my thoughts clouding at her beauty. Her hair was done in a braid thing at the top but hung down in waves, and dark smoky colors were around her eyes. Her lips though…cherry red.

“She looks hot, doesn’t she? Spin for us, Log.” Jordan held her hand and spun Logan, the two of them giggling.

The back of the dress was sheer and just as pretty.

“Wait, before you go, I want to post about this.” Jordan snatched her phone while Logan rolled her eyes. “What? You need to make him weep, and you’re a walking wet dream right now.”

“Wet dream?” Preston joined us in the hallway, and there were far too many people around me for what I wanted to do with Logan.

“Look at our girl.” Jordan whistled as Preston blinked a few times.

“Holy shit, Log. You’re beautiful.” Preston put a hand on his chest, a slow grin stretching over his face. “I’m speechless, seriously.”

“Stop, you guys.” The tips of Logan’s ears pinkened, and the blush I was obsessed with grew from her chest to her face. “Thank you, but you can stop it now.”

“No, the people in your circle are supposed to hype you up all the time. You look hot as hell, and Gage and Rat Queen will be jealous.”

Logan’s face tightened for half a second before she masked it, waving a hand in the air. “Honestly, I don’t even care about them right now. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Atta girl.” Preston held out a hand for a high five. Once she hit his hand, he put his on my shoulder and squeezed pretty hard. “My man, you take care of our girl tonight, alright?”

“Please, Quentin has been great.” Logan defended me instantly, coming to my side and looping her arm through mine.

All I could think about was vanilla and peaches. Her perfume distracted me, invaded my brain until all I wanted was to taste her again. It had been a few days since our night together, and while we agreed to be a fling, I hadn’t kissed her again.

“Oh, you both look amazing. Here, let me get this.” Jordan held up her phone while Logan leaned into me.

Glancing down at her, she beamed at her friend, and my lips quirked up with how happy she seemed. She was healing if she wasn’t even thinking about Gage, which was a good thing. I remembered how sad she looked all those weeks ago.

“Damn, you two could be models.”

“Enough, J.” Logan nudged my hip with hers. “Ready, date?”

I nodded, not quite able to look away from her. Her chestnut eyes sparkled at me, like she was a moment away from sharing an inside joke. I wanted to know that joke.

“Are we walking there? I have two pairs of shoes that could work, but I don’t want to wear heels if we’re walking.” She chewed the side of her red lip, her wide eyes watching me. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar. You’ve barely said anything and now I’m nervous.” She twisted her fingers together, her brows pinching. “Is it your mom? Is it me?”

“I’m okay, really.” I intertwined our fingers and winced that I hadn’t thought about the car situation. Hated the thought of making her walk there but didn’t have other options.

“I’ll take your word for it, but I can read you pretty well, Hawthorne.” She stared at our hands, a blush forming on her cheeks. “Your hands are so large compared to mine.”

“Mm, and why did that make you blush?”

“You know why.”

“Still think you should tell me anyway.” I lowered my lips to her jaw, pressing a kiss right by her ear. “You look so good it’s not fair. I want to skip this dinner and eat you instead.”

She shivered, and goose bumps broke out down her neck and arms, her little gasp going straight to my chest. I loved her sounds. I then nipped her earlobe, pulling it between my teeth until she mewed.

“Quentin!”

“Say my name louder.”

“Oh my god.” She laughed and swatted at my hands; her eyes lit up. “Knock it off. We’re going to dinner with your mom, despite your attempts at stalling. Now let’s go.”

I made the game-time choice to order a rideshare. It wasn’t too expensive, but it was the right move. She’d never say it, but Logan’s body relaxed when I told her we’d take a car. She wasn’t one to complain, ever, and now I wanted to know what she didn’t like. I wanted to know everything about her.

“Where did you get that dress?” I held the door to the rideshare open, groaning into my fist as the material clung to her ass.

“Jordan had it, I think. We’ve shared clothes so much I don’t know whose it actually is. I know I never wore it though.”

“Why not?” I made sure she was buckled before I did mine.

“Not that we need another reason to hate on Gage, but he didn’t like me wearing revealing clothes. Said it was too distracting for others and that I should only show off my body to him.” She sighed and scrunched her nose. “It’s annoying that he said those things in a way that made sense to my love-addled brain at the time. He wasn’t aggressively horrible, you know? I’m not some pathetic, weak woman who let a man boss me around, but when I say it like that…”

“No. That thought should never cross your mind.” I took her hand again, my chest warming with anger at her ex. “You’re the furthest thing from weak.”

“Thank you.” She sighed, a cute content little sound. “That’s why this thing between us has been so healing and freeing. It’s helping me relearn what is okay, who I can be without him, you know?”

My throat tightened with emotion I wasn’t ready to deal with. I pushed the feeling and thoughts accompanying it away. Instead, I focused on her. “You should wear whatever makes you feel good. It’s your body. And yeah, you look good enough to eat, and everyone will stare at you, but that’s your choice. I love seeing you own your confidence, Logan. It’s sexy as hell.”

“Ooooh baby.” She fanned her face with her other hand and grinned at me. “You have a way to my heart, Hawthorne. You better knock it off.”

My lips twitched. “Nah, I like seeing you blush. A lot. Might be my favorite hobby now.”

“Then you should definitely find a new hobby. Make playlists. Read. There are plenty of options, my guy.”

Damn. My chest ached again, almost like longing. This banter, her fiery attitude, her zest, and her positivity were addicting. Despite the fact we’d arrive to see my mom in two minutes, I didn’t have the usual body tension I was used to. Logan distracted me without meaning to. “Why reinvent the wheel though? I can do this—” I ran a finger over her thigh, up her sides, and grazed the side of her breast. “And watch your whole face flush and your lips part. That is wildly fun.”

Her breathing picked up, and sure enough, her skin flushed. “Damn you.”

That made me laugh. I squeezed our hands, unable to stop myself from blurting out, “You’re so fucking cute.”

“New hobby, Hawthorne. I’m serious.”

The driver stopped outside the restaurant, and while I wasn’t ready to be done with Logan, my demeanor shifted. I helped her out of the car and through the entrance, and my skin tightened with unease. I never felt good seeing my mom, but something felt off. Different. I scanned the entrance and bar area, searching for some unknown threat that had my body tense. Nothing stood out.

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” Logan tugged my hand, so I looked down at her. Her eyes were filled with concern, and her lips were in a pout. “I’m with you.”

“Promise me you won’t hate me,” I said, my voice serious. “I’m addicted to how you look at me right now, and this could change everything.”

She shook her head. “It won’t.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me right on the lips. It was quick but tender. That gesture gave me the strength I needed. “I know the real you that you hide from most people. He’s one of a kind.”

I lifted her chin, gently rubbing my thumb over her jaw. Words caught in my throat. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say, but someone cleared their throat behind us, and I dropped my hand.

“Quentin, you made it.”

My mom.

I stiffened and held Logan’s gaze for one more second, taking in the way she looked at me with joy. She wouldn’t after this. “Mom,” I said, turning around and facing her.

She looked the same, yet with more money. The dude she was with took care of her physically, which made me feel better a little bit. I didn’t want her to suffer. I just wanted her to be the mom she used to be.

“And who is this? She’s not the usual girl you bring. Where is she? Katie or something?”

Fuck.

I never explained that to Logan. See, already was an asshole. “She moved away over the summer.”

“Ah, that explains why you brought a new one.” My mom studied Logan, her gaze moving up and down in a way that made me uncomfortable.

“I’m Logan, the replacement!” Logan held out her hand, smile wide and eyes wild. “Did you want me to spin around too so you can judge the dress?”

My mom sucked in a breath, a hand going over her chest. I’d say my mom looked embarrassed, which was unusual. “What… oh, no, child, I was admiring how beautiful the dress is.”

“Thank you, Quentin seemed to like it too. He was even speechless at one point.”

My mom’s eyes softened for a moment before her usual indifferent, smug attitude returned. “Ramon is waiting for us. He brought his son too. He plays football at the school, maybe you know him?”

I shrugged, sliding my arm around Logan’s shoulders. “Might.”

My mom pursed her lips before twirling around, her expensive dress swooshing in the air as she waltzed. She never used to walk like that. Every step was used for attention. Somehow in the last year, she’d reinvented herself, and I wasn’t sure I liked this person. That was a lie. I knew I didn’t like this version. The word performative kept repeating in my head. She was putting on a show for this Ramon guy.

“He figured he could talk to you and his son, who will be joining us, about an agency he’s familiar with.” My mom stilled and gripped my forearm, her eyes similar to mine and Audrey’s yet filled with different motivations. “This will be good for you.”

“We’ll see.” I bit the inside of my cheek as the same weird something’s not right feeling buzzed over me. It was an intuition. I had it on the ice, sensing a hit before it happened. It had to be from years of evolution of our bodies keeping us from being eaten by prey.

We turned the corner into a private room toward the back of the restaurant, and Logan’s entire body tensed before I saw him.

“What… no,” she whispered, her hand digging into my side. “Why?”

It took a second for my brain to catch up. I searched for the threat, the reason that made her gasp, and it hit me.

My mom beamed at an older, dark-haired man. But sitting next to him was Gage.

“Do you know Gage, Quentin? This is Ramon’s son.”