Logan groaned and closed his eyes.
Her mouth.
Her mouth, curved and laughing at something he’d said. Her mouth parting in shock under his. Her mouth responding, greedily to his demands. Her mouth touching him…
He’d been celibate for over a year but he knew that what he’d shared with Evanna had been so much more than just a physical release.
So much more than sex.
They hadn’t just shared their bodies. They’d shared everything.
And that sharing, that giving of everything, had somehow cleared his thoughts and he’d realised at the moment of deepest intimacy just how much he loved Evanna. Just how much he needed her. How much he’d always needed her. Her warmth, her kindness, her endless compassion.
Her gentle hands, her soft mouth and her warm, amazing body.
He’d always thought that what they’d shared had all been about friendship, but he realised now that it was so much more than that.
So much more than he’d imagined possible.
A smile touched his lips. He wished now that he’d called the babysitter and asked her to stay the night. Then he would have been there when Evanna had woken up. He wouldn’t have had to wait to tell her that he loved her and he wouldn’t have had to wait to look into her eyes and seen that love returned. And he had no doubt that it was returned. Why else would she have responded to him with such unrestrained passion?
Evanna was an old-fashioned girl. She didn’t do one-night stands or casual flings. She never had. There was no way she would have allowed him to make love to her unless she had strong feelings. True feelings.
All he had to do now was give her the chance to tell him how she felt.
‘Logan?’
Her soft, breathy voice came from right beside him and he felt his body’s immediate response.
‘Evanna?’ He swung his legs out of the hammock and stood up, seeing immediately how nervous she was.
Her hands were clasped in front of her, she was wearing a simple white shirt with a linen skirt and her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes were shy and there was more than the usual amount of colour in her cheeks.
Her smile faltered, as if she wasn’t entirely confident of her reception. ‘You were gone when I woke up and I thought we ought to talk.’
She really was nervous and he frowned. ‘Evanna—’
‘No, wait.’ She lifted a hand to cut him off, her smile slightly shaky. ‘There are things I have to say and I won’t be able to say them if you interrupt. I know you must be worrying about what to say but you really don’t need to. Last night was very special to me.’ She stumbled over the words and he found himself wondering yet again how he could have taken so long to discover just how much he loved Evanna. She was gorgeous. Incredible.
‘It was special to me, too.’ He held out a hand but she took a step backwards and gave a little shake of her head, as if to warn him off.
‘Don’t touch me. Not for a minute. I have to say this and I won’t be able to if you touch me.’
With a dark sense of foreboding Logan let his hand drop to his side. ‘Have to say what? What is it you have to say, Evanna?’ Why wouldn’t she let him touch her when they’d spent almost all of last night touching? Intimately.
‘Last night was a really big step for you. Something you needed to do. And I’m pleased that you chose me.’ She stumbled slightly over the words. ‘Really pleased that you turned to me. After everything that’s happened—it was a really big thing for you. Important. I understand that. A big step in the recovery process. And that’s fine.’
He frowned. Recovery process? What was she talking about? She was making an incredible, mind-blowing night of passion sound like some sort of therapy. ‘Evanna—’
‘We’ve been friends a long time, Logan. A very long time.’
And he didn’t want to be friends any longer. He wanted so much more than that. And he’d assumed that she did, too. ‘I’m glad you came because I wanted to talk to you. There are things I need to say, too.’
‘You don’t need to say them, Logan,’ she said quickly, her eyes sliding from his. ‘We both know how things are. One steamy night isn’t going to ruin our friendship. Nothing is going to change. Our friendship is precious and nothing is going to damage that. So we’re just going to forget it.’
‘Forget it?’ He stared at her, stunned by just how sick her words made him feel. He wanted things to change. He wanted everything to change. He wanted them to be together. And he certainly didn’t want to forget it. ‘You want to forget it?’ Her fingers were clasped in front of her and he saw that her knuckles were white.
‘Of course. I think we should both see it as what it was. An interlude. Hopefully now you’ll be able to start going out more. And eventually you’ll find someone that you can share you life with.’