"Right. Austin and I don't kiss quite like that anyway," he says, adding a smirk for effect.
Avery giggles at him and playfully swats at his arm, but when her hand connects with his arm he takes her wrist in the grasp of his other hand and tugs her closer. His arm snakes around her shoulders and he strokes his fingers through her hair.
She looks up at his handsome profile and asks, "What are you doing, Logan?"
He responds in a very valley-girl accent, "I'm, like, playing with your hair. That's, like, what we do at slumber parties. And then we're going to have, like, a naked pillow fight."
Laughter explodes from Avery’s chest and she has a hard time catching her breath. She is grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood.
Once she finally calms down, Avery replies through bits of lingering chuckles, "Yes, to the playing with my hair, but no to the pillow fight."
"Damn," he says before tugging her head back onto his shoulder and commencing the hair stroking.
The feel of his fingers sliding through her hair settles her into an atmosphere of contention. They slowly slide into a lying position on the couch, Logan's chest to her back, as they continue to watch the Scream marathon.
At some point, they both drift off into companionable slumber with Logan's arm wrapped around her and her head pressed against his shoulder.
THAT’S EXACTLY HOW NIKKI finds them the next morning.
Avery hears Nikki’s shriek of surprise before she has a moment to collect her thoughts. Opening her eyes, she finds Nikki looking down at her with a sated smile adorning her face. Avery returns her smile and Nikki gives her a thumbs-up before turning toward her room.
Knowing she’ll need to diffuse her thoughts about this situation later, she struggles to find a way to pry herself out of Logan's grasp. Before Avery
has the chance, he turns her in his arms, smiling at her adoringly, and she can't help but return the gesture.
"Good morning," he whispers as he strokes his free hand through her hair again.
"Morning. Sorry we fell asleep on the couch," Avery says, closing her eyes against the decadent feel of his hands in her hair.
"I'm going to kiss you again if you keep closing your eyes like that," he adds, and she pops her eyes open at his admission. "And don't be sorry, I slept great."
They sit up on the couch, Logan stretching his arms above his head and causing his shirt to ride up, revealing a firm set of abs.
Catching the direction of her gaze, he laughs and asks, "Like what you see?" before standing and pulling his shirt higher. "Please get your fill, I work hard on these."
Damn!
He's beautiful, perfect even. His dark hair is an unruly mess that anyone else would have spent hours trying to recreate. His hazel eyes are bright and glowing above his straight nose and a wide smile. Logan has a lot of muscles, more than she’s ever seen in person, but they don't make him intimidating. The way they stretch beneath his shirt and pull the material taut makes you fantasize about his arms wrapping around your body.
Friends, Avery. You can only be friends.
The smile on her face dissipates and he releases the shirt.
"You okay?"
"Yea," she replies sullenly.
"What did you want to do today, Mistress Avery?"
"What?"
"You won Uno. It's your day."
"Oh, um...I think I heard there is a fair in town. I'd like to do that."
"The fair? You’re sure?"
Tucking her chin to her chest, Avery replies shyly, "I've never been to one."