Fuck no! “Stay here.” The words fly from my mouth.
“I can’t stay here.”
“Why the hell not?” I bark at her.
She flinches at my words. I know they sounded harsh, but, damn it, I don’t want her staying alone in her apartment, and I’m putting my fucking foot down now. She’s not going to stay in some cheap hotel.
“Yeah, why the hell not?” Cole asks her.
Thank you, Cole! “Logan, listen to me. I have the space. There is no reason for you not to stay here. You’re here every day anyway. It’ll give you time to get your car fixed.” I stop there before I start pleading with her.
“At least stay until Stacy comes home. You don’t need to be staying in a hotel by yourself,” Gavin chimes in.
My boys got my back. “I’ll drive you to your apartment and we’ll get whatever you’ll need for the next week or so,” I offer.
“They said it could be two weeks, possibly more.”
“Okay.” This is not something that is going to change my mind. I want her here.
“Yeah, you can hang out with us, join us in a few writing sessions. Besides, who doesn’t like a sleepover?” Tristan winks at her.
Fucker! He’s doing it to rile me up, and if it were not for the fact that he’s trying to convince her to stay, I would punch his ass.
Gently squeezing her arm, I ask, “What do you say, Logan?”
“Really, I should get a hotel. When Stacy comes home, she’ll need a place to stay as well.”
“Done. She can stay here too. It’s a nonissue.”
Those big brown eyes take me in. She’s looking for a sign that this isn’t really what I want. She won’t find it.
“Fine. Yes, I’ll stay. Thank you so much for offering,” she says softly.
She has no idea. “Let’s head to your place, check out the damage, and pick up whatever you need.”
“If you don’t mind, I can borrow a vehicle and go myself. I know you have things to do.”
“I’m actually still tired, heading back to bed. You all good with writing a little later?” Tristan asks.
He just redeemed himself.
“You don’t need to be packing all that shit by yourself.” I realize my words sound harsh. “Logan, let me help you. I want to. Trust me, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t offer.”
“Thank you,” she says, a slight blush crossing her cheeks. I want to grab her face in my hands and kiss the hell out of her. Instead, I just nod and stand to get rid of the trash.
I want her here, but now I have to worry about how I’m going to keep my damn hands off her while she is.
Chapter 21
Logan
I cannot believe I agreed to this. Just as he said, Kacen drove me to my apartment so we could survey the damage and pack up what I would need for the next week or so. Our kitchen ceiling is pretty much on the floor. I just left it as it was. There were a few picture frames on the counters that I didn’t want to get ruined, everything else was either already ruined or could be replaced.
So here I am, in my room at Kacen’s. I followed him up the steps as he led me to the room across from his. “Make yourself at home, Logan. If there’s anything you need, let me know,” he says as he sets my luggage on the bed. “I’ll leave you to unpack.”
He was out the door before I even had a chance to thank him. There seems to be some tension between us today. Then again, maybe it’s just me. I can still feel his arms around me.
I unpack my two suitcases and decide to call Stacy to let her know what’s going on. Her cell goes to voicemail so I leave her a message. “Hey, Stace! There was a leak in the apartment above ours. Our kitchen is pretty much destroyed. I’m staying at Kacen’s until it’s repaired. He said you are welcome here as well. When you get home, call me. We can pick up what you need from the house. Call me.”
There’s a knock on the door. “Come in,” I call out.
Cole opens the door and sticks his head in. “Hey, we’re going down to the basement to start writing. You want to come sit with us?” he asks.
“I don’t want to be in the way.”
“Trust me, you will not be in the way. Besides, my boy seems a little distracted, not sure he’ll be worth a shit knowing you’re upstairs,” he admits.
“I’m always upstairs when you’re writing,” I remind him.
He nods. “Yeah, you are, but that’s during the day. Now you’re here sleeping in his house.”
“I’m not sure how that makes a difference. I can go to a hotel if that will help.” Panic starts to rise. I thought they wanted me here.
“Fuck no! You are not going to a hotel. Listen, he wants you here; we all do. It would be nice for you to come downstairs and join us.”
I nod that I heard him. He taps twice on the door before softly closing it behind him. I think about what he said. Why would Kacen not be able to concentrate? Is he worried about me being here in his house? Why did he offer for me to stay if that’s the case? Gah! I’m such an idiot. Why did I agree to stay here? He’s my boss, nothing more. But he’s sexy and sometimes when he looks at me, I can’t think clearly.
Damn hormones!
I pull up hotels on my phone and call to make a reservation for the night. I’ll figure out which one I can stay at long-term tomorrow. Right now, I just want to get out of here. I quickly re-pack everything I just finished unpacking, grab my purse and my phone, and open the bedroom door. Kacen is there with his arm raised as if he was getting ready to knock.
He smiles as he looks down at me. I can tell the minute he sees my suitcases. “What the fuck, Logan? Where are you going?” he demands.
I square my shoulders and lock my eyes on his. “To a hotel.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing, I just don’t want to be in the way here. I’m your employee. I should not be staying here.”
Kacen places his hand on my shoulder and gently guides me back into the room, shutting the door behind him. He keeps walking until the back of my legs hit the bed, gently pushing me to sit down on the edge. With his index finger, he raises my chin to meet his eyes. “Logan, we both know you are more than just my employee. We don’t talk about it, but it’s there.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I feel it just as strongly as I did then, standing on the beach the first time I laid eyes on you.”
I nod. He’s right. There is something more, and neither one of us has acted on it.
“I want you here. Hell, you’re practically a part of the band.” His blue irises study me. “What changed your mind?” he asks softly. Almost as if he’s afraid to hear the answer.
“Cole asked me to come down while you all write tonight.” He nods and smiles.
“Yeah, you should.”
“He also said you would be too distracted if I was up here while you all were trying to work.”
“Hmmm. He’s right, you know. I would be distracted.”
My chest is tight from his admission. I try to stand, and his hands come to my shoulders and push so that I continue to sit on the edge of the bed.