Twisted Love by Summer Cooper

6

Logan

“Do I really have to go?” Logan spoke in the car on his way to Keily’s a week after he’d handed her his last gift. He’d had to work really late the last few days; a new product was launching, and he’d had to be at the office to oversee everything. This was his first chance to spend some time with her and he’d been looking forward to it.

Then he got the call that ruined his evening.

“Yes, it’ll probably just be continued, but you have to be there if you want the judge to take this seriously. It’s only assault and battery in the third degree, which would get him thirty days in jail with a fine if he wasn’t on probation already, so I’m pushing for the judge to take it seriously. I can go alone, but it looks better if you’re there.”

“Fine, I’ll be there.” Logan groaned, noting the date a few weeks away in his calendar.

“Great, Logan, thanks. I’ve been wanting to nail this jerk ever since we were in high school.” Felix, his lawyer, laughed. “I’d almost do this case for free.”

“I thought the prosecuting attorney didn’t charge plaintiffs anyway?” Logan laughed and shook his head.

“Yeah, you’re right. I need to go back to being a defense lawyer, my kid needs a new retainer. How she keeps breaking them I’ll never know.”

“Kids find ways, you know that.” Logan didn’t know personally, but he’d been a kid once. Shit happened.

“Yep. Right, that’s all I need, you be safe driving home.”

“I will. I guess you heard the traffic?”

“Yeah, you could have rolled your windows up, you know?” Felix groused, but Logan just rolled his eyes. The prosecuting attorney was a good guy and had been a year behind Joe, Keily’s ex, in high school, apparently. The man detested Joe and had made no bones about it. That made him a friend in Logan’s book.

“I could have but then the noise wouldn’t have annoyed you, would it?” Logan quipped and heard Felix groan.

“You’re such a dick, Logan,” Felix said but laughed it off.

“I am. Talk later, Felix. Take care.”

“You too.” Logan heard Felix say just before he pushed the button on the display to end the call.

The call would only ruin the evening if he let it, he decided as he drove through evening traffic to Keily’s apartment. He hadn’t seen her in days now and he was eager to be with her. He couldn’t believe it, but he missed talking to her, feeling her, even smelling her. His hands clenched on the steering wheel as he thought about her, his need for her growing.

He hated it, but he had to admit to himself that he wanted her. He insisted to himself that it wasn’t getting out of hand, as he drove into a parking spot and turned the car off. He’d gone days without seeing her and it hadn’t killed him. But he’d hated every moment of being without her. He squashed that thought with a frown and got out of the car.

“Hi there.” She met him at the door with a smile, wearing only a long-sleeved t-shirt that barely covered her ass, much less anything else.

“Mm, hi there.” He swept her into a hug that soon turned into a kiss as he pressed her against the wall and kicked the door shut.

He pulled away when he inhaled and scented something delicious that wasn’t her. “What’s for dinner?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure if you were coming but I made a Belgian stew and some bread to go with it.” She replied and pulled further out of his arms. He noticed she was barefoot and frowned for a moment.

She was an excellent cook, that wasn’t why he frowned at all. The stew sounded, and smelled delicious, it would taste the same way, he was certain. No, it was her lack of shoes that bothered him.

She was a great conversationalist and they’d had many conversations that intrigued him, made him think. And she was always eager for his touch, most of the time. The lack of shoes was a signal though.

He’d become accustomed to the subtle signal of her footwear since he’d become her lover. She’d always worn some very sexy shoes. He’d never realized he had a thing about women’s shoes until he’d seen her in his office in those black heels. Those heels meant she wanted sex rough and dirty, usually as soon as he walked in the door. She wore boots when she wanted sensual and long play with him, a slow tease that lasted throughout the evening. But on evenings when she was barefoot, she wasn’t interested in sex at all. After a long absence, he’d expected the heels to be on her feet.

He looked up at her to see she was grinning.

“Noticed that have you?” She asked with an even wider grin. “I didn’t know that you were coming, or I’d have put on some proper clothes.”

She kissed his cheek and turned away. “Come in the kitchen, I need to stir dinner.”

He followed behind her after he pushed his own shoes off his feet and walked in to see her stirring the pot happily. She had some music playing softly in the background, and a glass of red wine sat on the counter by the stove.

She followed his eyes and tilted her head. Those gray eyes of hers caught his attention and he forgot what he’d been thinking about.

“Want a glass?” She asked softly, and he watched as she picked up the glass and took a sip.

Her lips were beautiful, and he wanted her, but if the lack of shoes had indeed been a signal then he wouldn’t push. Pushing meant they were in a relationship and hinted at a need that he didn’t want to admit to her. He’d leave her be, if she didn’t make any moves, he decided. But damn if her lips pressed to that glass weren’t tempting to kiss.

“What?” He asked, knowing she’d said something but uncertain what she meant.

“Wine? Want a glass?” Her left eyebrow tilted up telling him she was amused at his state of distraction.

“Sure, yeah, sounds good.” He nodded, stuck his hands in his charcoal gray trousers, and frowned at the floor. He was like some lovesick schoolboy and he hated it.

“Sit down, I’ll bring our glasses over to the table.” She gestured towards the table with her chin and he followed her directions, still not happy with himself.

Still, he’d been with her longer than he’d been with any other woman. Maybe it was time to allow himself to feel…something. Or not, he immediately rebuked himself. He was not the settling down kind.

“I might have some scholarship money, you know? For school.” She added when his brows knitted together.

“For getting a degree?” He asked, even though she’d said she had one.

“Yeah, uh, another one.” She lied smoothly, and he smiled again. She still hadn’t admitted she’d lied on her resume. He didn’t care anymore.

“Good. Education is never wasted, after all.” He offered and she nodded.

“That’s what I was thinking.” She said and came to sit at the table in the chair next to him. She slid his glass over to him and took a sip from her own. “I might need another option in life, one day, and I have free time now, so what better way to spend it?”

“Indeed.” Logan nodded again, looking away from her with guilt eating at him. She hadn’t asked for a guarantee or definition of their relationship, but it was there, between them for the first time. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“Thanks.” She nodded and he could see her disappointment, though she did try to hide it. He ignored the tight sensation in his chest and tapped his fingers on his glass. “Any other news? It’s been a few days since I saw you last.”

“Not much really. You said you were busy, so I kept myself occupied trying to find out about these scholarships and everything.”

“Well, you’re a smart woman, Keily. If you want to go back to school, I think you’ll do great at it.” He believed it and wanted her to believe that as well. She was smart, it was one of the things he liked about her most.

“Thanks. I didn’t do too bad in school, when I bothered to pay attention, that is. I wasn’t the best student when I was in high school.”

“People need a little maturity sometimes, be less influenced by…outside forces and teenage hormones to focus.” He said but felt like it might sound judgmental. “I just mean…”

“It’s okay, I was one of those boy-crazed morons that spent more time worrying about whether my boyfriend would like my outfit and hair than my grades. I’m not saying it was the brightest thing to do but, I guess, well, I got it into my head that the only way to succeed was to marry well, and so that’s what I tried to do.” She shrugged and then went on. “I can’t blame anyone but myself for where I’d ended up when you hired me.”

Her eyes were clear, without reproach of any kind, and full of acceptance of her own decisions. She wasn’t proud of those decisions, but she was proud of who she was at that moment. Logan smiled, seeing that look on her face wasn’t something he’d expected from her all those months ago.

“Speaking of, I have to go to court in a couple of days over your ex-husband’s shenanigans. The prosecuting attorney says it will probably just be a continuance, but I have to go.”

“Oh. Well, I was a witness, do I need to go too?” She turned to him, her face clear and open for once, a woman who truly only wanted to help.

“I don’t think so.” Logan shook his head and touched her cheek, cupped it, as he smiled down at her. “No need to drag you into it until it’s totally necessary, right?”

“I don’t mind. I don’t know why I haven’t been subpoenaed; you’d think the prosecutor would have done that already.” She leaned into his touch, her eyes closed and Logan simply…enjoyed touching her.

“I’m sure he’ll get around to it, don’t worry.” He moved away and let her have some room to breathe.

“Well, dinner will be ready shortly, if you want to wash up or anything.” She got up from the table abruptly, a knot between her eyebrows.

Something was bothering her, but he wouldn’t push. Keily would talk if she wanted to. Trying to force anything out of her was like trying to force water out of a stone, he’d learned that long ago. She’d talk if she wanted to.

He had an idea of what was troubling her, though he didn’t want to think about it any more than she wanted to talk about it. They’d been sleeping together for a while now; some might even call it a relationship. Even if it was one based on sex and nothing more. But was that all it really was? a little voice jabbed at him.

Of course, that’s all it was, he knew that, even if getting up and walking away felt like he’d just let her down somehow. He went into the bedroom they shared when he stayed over and changed into some black cotton pajama pants and a t-shirt. He’d shower later, he decided, for now, something drove him to get back into the kitchen with her.

“That smells really good.” He said as the scent of fresh bread and the stew melted into his nose once more.

“I’m glad you think so.” She replied, something shy in her glance. She looked away quickly and put the lid back on the pot. “I’ll get the bread out of the warmer and cut it up. Want to set the table?”

They worked around each other as he selected tableware and she poured the stew into a serving bowl a few minutes later. She set the bread and the stew on the table and they both went quiet as they started to eat.

Logan watched Keily, uncertain of how to proceed. He didn’t want to be in a relationship with her but staying over on a night when she’d worn no shoes meant he was there for more than sex. Was it a good idea to keep doing that? One look at her beautiful eyes and the way she smiled at him told him he wasn’t leaving tonight for anything. Not even if that part of his brain that wanted to protect him from hurt told him he should run as far away as he could, as fast as he could. Before it was too late.