‘Super-cool.’
‘We played dinosaurs.’
‘Of course you did.’ She grinned, lowering him down and straightening up again to look at Logan, almost shyly. ‘Hi.’
He looked unreasonably fit and handsome as usual.
‘Hi.’ His blue eyes glittered and made everything inside her turn liquid. ‘Are you ready for this?’
‘If you mean can I ice skate? Then, yes, I can. At least, well enough.’
‘Shame.’ Those blue depths darkened. She would have said in anticipation. ‘I had visions of having to hold you upright.’
She didn’t want to shiver. She told herself not to. But the hint of promise in his words sneaked under her skin. Straightening her shoulders, Kat tried to act as though she couldn’t think of anything duller.
‘Well, it’s a good job you don’t, then, isn’t it?’
He smirked as though he could read her thoughts and she felt a rattle of warning deep inside her. Something had changed with Logan, and she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
‘This isn’t a date, Logan.’ She kept her voice low so that Jamie, who was mercifully absorbed with watching the skaters, didn’t hear. ‘You said it yourself the other day.’
‘That was before I touched you. Tasted you,’ he murmured, leaning in so close that she could feel his breath tickling her skin. Making her tremble.
‘Logan...’
‘I want you, Kat. And I want to get to know you.’
‘I’m not... I can’t... This isn’t—’
‘You want me to,’ he cut in simply. ‘You know my recently troubled past, and even thought I don’t know what happened in your life to make you travel halfway across the country to take up a job here in Seattle, I know it must have been significant. Right now, we seem to be what each other needs. Why not just go with it?’
He made it sound so simple. So easy. When surely it should be anything but?
‘Logan,’ she whispered. ‘You said it yourself, you like to compartmentalise your life. Just going with it isn’t what you do.’
‘And look how well that’s worked out for me so far.’ He pulled a self-deprecating face.
‘So what is this? Us?’
Did that sound too presumptuous?
‘We’ve both come to Seattle for a new start. I’ve returned home because I want to hit the reset button with Jamie, and you’ve left your old home because you want something different.’
‘Last night I told you things I’ve never told anyone else—I’ve never wanted to.’
She told herself that his words didn’t make her feel raw. Precious.
‘I like the way you can relate to Jamie and understand what he’s going through, and I like your company, Kat. I more than like it.’
‘I more than like your company, too.’ The words were out before she could bite them back.
His expression darkened.
‘So why deny the sexual chemistry between us?’ he demanded, making her mouth go dry. ‘You once told me you wanted “no-commitment fun”. So if neither of us want a relationship, why can’t we just enjoy time together for as long as it lasts, whether that’s a week, a month? Two months?’
A no-strings fling? She wanted to agree, and yet something held her back. She didn’t care to analyse it further.
‘And Jamie?’ she asked instead.