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Veronica gazed in the mirror, analyzing the details of her face. In the last 24 hours, she had hardly slept, hadn’t showered, consumed too much coffee, and…oh yeah…fallen hard for a hot guy she barely knew.
Splashing another round of cold water on her face, she pulled the rough cloth over her skin, hoping to erase the purple bags under her eyes. Nope. Still there, she thought and let out a sigh. Drawing her wet hands through her hair, she pulled it back into a tight ponytail.
“Well, you’ve hidden in here long enough,” she whispered to her reflection, her stomach doing a little nervous flip.
Opening the door carefully, Veronica peeked out, half expecting to find that Logan had fled the apartment, while she was taking her time in the bathroom. Instead, she found him sitting on a kitchen chair, his arms crossed on the table, his head resting on top while he snored softly.
“He’s asleep,” she said out loud, dumbfounded by the discovery. Stepping closer, Veronica reached her hand out to wake him, but thinking twice, she retreated, leaving Logan to slumber peacefully on his arms.
She stood for a moment, taking in his form. His hair stuck out in every direction, from being inside his hat as they walked outside, and his face was still tinged pink from the cold. The t-shirt she gave him was slightly too short and it rode up his torso, showing off the bones of his spine. Following them down towards his hips, she focused on the rounding skin of his buttocks that disappeared under the sweatpants. She allowed her mind to wander, briefly imagining what else was under the thin fabric, before the embarrassment of the image made her cheeks grow red.
Tiptoeing around the table, she took the kettle off the small stove and filled it with water, placed it back on the burner and turned on the heat. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she opened her cupboard to find the tea. Seeing it way up on the top shelf, she groaned. Stupid tall Piz putting things out of reach.
Grabbing the broom hanging on the side of the fridge, Veronica swung the handle up into the air, maneuvering it into the cupboard. Clipping the side of the metal tin of tea, she nudged the package little by little until it fell from it’s shelf, opening in mid-air, and raining down on Veronica. She let out a little scream as the loose tea leaves scattered.
“What?” Logan gasped, waking from his nap.
Veronica turned with the broom in her hand, clipping the cupboard door and slamming it loudly against the other doors. Logan stumbled from his chair, his eyes wide in shock, his hands up defensively. “What the hell – ?”
Glancing up at the broom handle waving above her head, Veronica dropped it to the floor. “No! I’m not attacking you!” she exclaimed. “I was just trying to get some tea from the top shelf!”
Logan glanced between her and the tea that was now strewn across the kitchen, a smirk beginning to appear on his lips.
“Mission accomplished,” he teased.
Veronica bit her lip and looked around, inhaling the scent of peppermint that was in the air. “At least it smells nice in here,” she said with a shrug.
Logan let out a low chuckle and held out his palm to her. “Give me the broom. I’ll give you an hand cleaning up.”
“Thanks,” she replied, an embarrassed blush crossing her cheeks. “Maybe you can reach another tin of tea? It’s a little high up for me to get.”
“Hence the broom?” he said, coming over to take it from her hand. Wrapping his fingers around the handle, he inadvertently brushed her hand, sending a rush of pleasure through her body. She held the broom a split second longer than she should, as their eyes connected.
“Top shelf,” she said, finally releasing her grip. “Any tin will do.”
Logan stepped closer, keeping his eyes connected to hers. Without looking up, he reached his long arm to the top shelf, arbitrarily grabbing a tin. Pulling it down, he looked at the label and grinned.
“Passion,” he remarked with a chuckle, turning to show her the label to the TAZO brand container.
For a moment, Veronica was at a loss for words. The tea is trying to tell me something, she thought wildly.
“Fuck it,” she muttered, stepping up to Logan.
Reaching up on her tiptoes, her lips pressed against his, only for a second, before she dropped back down. His eyes were wide, in shock once more, and in his hands he still held the broom and the tea.
Veronica stood stone still, her heart beating so hard it echoed in her ears. Logan’s face began to relax as a wide grin pulled at his lips.
“Again,” he responded, licking his lips in anticipation.
Rising once more, Veronica brushed her lips gently across his, once, then twice, before catching his lips with hers completely, her fingers weaving through his hair to pull him close to her.
The tea tin and broom hit the floor with a sharp bang, as Logan wrapped his arms around her waist, gently guiding her closer to him.
Veronica’s entire body surrendered to the delicious tingling that ran through her, as her lips played with his; brushing, nipping, exploring.
This is what it’s supposed to feel like.
Emotion began to bubble in her chest as she acknowledged the harsh truth that she had given up ever finding someone who made her feel this way; someone who she wanted in every way, with every fibre of her being.
The kettle’s shrill whistle broke through her thoughts. Pulling away from Logan slightly, she opened her eyes to find him smiling down at her, his eyes twinkling.
Dropping her head, Veronica stepped out of her arms, moving towards the stove to silence the kettle. Once the sound stopped, she paused, her back towards Logan, trying to return her breathing back to normal. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him leaning against the kitchen counter, his head lowered, a small smile now on his lips.
He glanced up, his smile growing larger, and held his hand out to her. Veronica placed her hand in his and he eased her over into his arms, wrapping her gently against her body. Her hands slipped around Logan’s waist as she anchored herself to him. When he kissed her forehead tenderly, she wished for the ability to stay this way forever.
“This is insane,” he murmured, resting his cheek gently on her head. “I stayed up last night, trying to tell myself that what I was feeling for you was crazy. That it couldn’t be real.”
“You didn’t sleep last night?” she asked, concern in her voice.
“No. I tried,” Logan said. “But you were on ‘repeat one’ in my brain.”
Veronica giggled and he gave her a soft squeeze.
“All I know,” he continued, taking a deep breath “Is that whatever this is, I want it to go on for a long time.”
“You do?” she asked, letting her cheek rest against his chest.
“Yeah. I do,” Logan said. “So, if it’s okay with you, can we maybe take things slow?”
A little wave of relief washed over Veronica. “You mean slow, as in – ?”
“As in not jump into bed together right away,” he said quietly. “I’ve been doing that for a while now, and frankly, I’m kind of sick of it.”
“You are?” she said, incredulously. “Really? You’re not just saying that because of…well…me?”
Logan’s fingers began trailing up and down her spine, causing her to shiver with delight.
“I just don’t want this to be about sex,” he said. “I want to get to know you. Really know you. I want to spend time wooing you. Wining and dining you; taking you to the top of the Empire State Building, Hansom Cab rides through Central Park, skating at Rockefeller Plaza, sort of stuff.”
His fingers strayed across her shoulders, up her neck, and finally rested delicately on her cheek. Veronica glanced up at him, her breath hitching as his eyes met hers.
“And then, when we’re both ready,” he continued quietly. “I want to make love to you all night.”
His words ignited a fire inside of Veronica, so powerful it threatened to overtake her. Passion. The fear was gone, burned away by this new feeling.
I’m not broken, the thought came from deep inside her brain. I’m not broken.
Before she could stop them, tears sprang to her eyes. She dropped her head, trying to hide them, but Logan must have seen, because his thumb swept under one eye to wipe them away.
“Where did you come from?” she whispered through her emotions.
“The same place you did,” he replied, kissing one of her tears from her skin.
And there, in her tiny apartment, Veronica let Logan hold her, for a little while longer.