"-attitude," he finished with a chuckle that bounced his shoulders. His normal voice was a pleasant beacon shining through a storm of irritating, frustrating arrogance, until he added, "Keep thinking like that, and my brain will be in the gutter." I rubbed my throbbing forehead. My patience ran out five teasing lines ago. "Then what!?" "You." What? My jaw was almost unhinged from how fast my jaw dropped. Was he… kidnapping me? The same realization must have hit him because he braced his hands behind him and locked his gaze on mine. "A date." A what? He'd better mean the damn fruit. All sensations drained from my face. Dropping my mouth, my tongue was burnt toast coated with peanut butter and sawdust. Terrible metaphor, Ellie. Who would eat that? Wait, he said- "What!? Absolutely not!" I drew in a sharp breath and screeched at his delusional face, "Why would I date someone I've never met?" "I didn't say date. I said a date," he clarified as if that distinction calmed the raging nerve endings frying in my brain. How was he so calm? Sweat appeared on my upper lip, behind my knees, and where my palms squeezed them. My poor heart wanted to leap out of my chest. Logan shrugged. "One date. We hang out, have some food and pleasant conversation, and see where the evening takes us. What's there to lose?" His serious face exuded a relaxed, confident vibe. He expected me to say yes, lifting those broad shoulders. He was in for a rude awakening. Behind us, Harper's insane head nodded. I ignored her double thumbs up and followed my gut instinct. "Logan, you wouldn't know how to have a pleasant conversation if I slapped you in the face with an etiquette book." I tipped my head back and laughed at the sky. "Date!? I'd rather kiss you than go on a date." "Fine." His answer snapped my gaze in his direction, wincing under more neck pain. Of course, he smirked. "A kiss works. Your choice, baby." What!? That wasn't - I wasn't. My brain does not work. No. Just no. Under the midnight blue sky dotted with faint, wispy white clouds, the sand shone grayish and black waves were tipped with white glacier peaks. Ordinarily, I would have been enraptured by such a beautiful scene, but at this particular moment, I only had one thought in mind. No romance today. In my silence, Logan's hand moved behind me. His gigantor body radiated warmth, leaning over and entrapping my personal space. Our lips inches apart, he expelled the air I breathed, and looked at me like nothing else mattered except my answer. A sliver of light green passed in between us. His stick of gum wasn't a peace offering, but a challenge. The big guy was ballsy. Thanks to Jake, guys never got this close. It made my skin prick with hyperawareness. I couldn't believe I entertained this insanity. After three years, head-first and blindfolded wasn't how I wanted to dive into the dating pool. I didn't date or kiss anyone, let alone strangers. This was extortion. Then again, peace of mind was priceless and I could gargle bleach at home. Spearmint pricked my tongue was a start. "One kiss and I get my privacy back?" I couldn't believe I preferred this option. "Deal?" "You should take the date." Logan's smirk faltered but heat rose in his eyes as they wandered over my appearance. His voice kept the same level of cockiness. "Your choice, but don't fall for me with one kiss, okay?" Under his gaze, my cheeks flushed warm. Awareness pricked my skin where his eyes traveled the outline of my cheek down to my lips. Logan wasn't the first guy with more than a friendly interest. Yet, for the first time in years, reactions to an appreciative gaze bubbled up inside me. Goosebumps raised the hairs on the back of my neck and my body hummed with a warm glow. His true self, the guy who assumed I would roll over under his charms, turned the attractive parts of him ugly. I bit down until spearmint seared my tongue in the sting of reality I needed to douse those fluttering sensations. My voice snapped in an octave higher than I intended. "Not a chance, Logan!" "It's okay, baby." That damn smirk reappeared as he reached over and held up one of my ratty strands. "Take the date. Might want to clean up a little, or it'll limit the possibilities of where I can take you." Under the urge to jab his round, muscular shoulder, my voice bordered on an unattractive screech. "You're not taking me anywhere!" Logan leaned forward until his lips were inches from mine. My breath hitched and stalled in my lungs. "You're adorable when irritated. Like a basket of tiny, angry kittens." I - ugh! I am not - oh no! This guy was so… Argh! My brain farted at his words and the onslaught of insults they inspired. Random, fragmented thoughts clashed against each other for dominance over which insult I hurled at him first. Starting with having him choke on this gum. "Logan." I suppressed a groan. "While I'm stating the obvious," he continued in his deep, low-toned, arrogant voice when my traitor brain stepped in. Good Lord, I needed to stop looking at his eyes. Look at his feet, Ellie. Oh, his feet were big. Harper said that meant - His fingers brushed a few strands behind my ear, brushing my cheek on the withdrawal. "You're as cute and sexy as I remember, Ellie." He… Hold up. That was a line. I saw him not long ago. "Elle." I stared at him to read those blue eyes. His words, which he probably counted as a compliment, flew in one ear and out the other. The corners of his lips curled up with his steadfast stare. He was so close, with a fresh scent of mint gum on his breath. I scoffed and lowered my eyes. "Fine." Heat flamed my face as I forced my eyes back up. "I… Let's rip the kiss Band-Aid off." Two blonde eyebrows shot up and genuine surprise filled his voice. "Really?" Skepticism and interest fought each other as his eyes narrowed. The slight pink creeping on his cheeks would have been adorable, endearing, and flattering… except he was an asshole. "Yes. If you leave me alone, in person and online." I rolled my lips inward and wet them with my tongue. "I'll give you a kiss." On my knees, I crawled between his long legs, swallowing the pressure on my throat from being bracketed by his thighs. Painful beats leaped from hammering my chest to pounding in my ears. Trembles shook my fingers as I palmed his shoulders and pretended to steady my breath. Rock-hard muscles tensed under my grip. "For what it's worth…" The back of his fingers stroked my cheek. "Ellie suits you better." Damn those mesmerizing eyes. The depths of his blue irises, edged with and cut by a few striations of darker blue and burning in intensity, were the type to get lost in for days. Fuck, I was already lost. Abort, Ellie. I swayed on my knees, which pressed my cheek into his palm. The warmth in my face grew to a hot tamale level and spread down my neck. I exhaled a shaky breath. My brain Hail Mary tossed –oh fuck, now I was reduced to football terms– its best arguments against his touch on my cheek. His gentle but secure and comforting touch contradicted the intentions behind those pretty blue eyes. It was the soft prick of a Venus fly trap before it ensnared and swallowed its prey. Football player. Smelly jock. He smells good. Self-absorbed asshole. He's cute though. Bros before hoes. Chicken parmesan. Chicken muscles. This wasn't helping. I tipped my chin to align our mouths and palmed the strong, wild beats on his chest. He couldn't have faked that if he tried. To Logan's credit –his only credit– his hands remained on his thighs, curled into fists that stretched his skin white over his knuckles. Guiding my lips to his, I sucked in a slow breath and half-closed my eyes. The crashing waves disappeared under the pounding beats in my ears. His chest muscles tensed and his lips parted when mine lingered a breath away. The temptation to steal a taste or even grace a feathered touch made my eyelids heavy. With a sucked-in sharp breath, I shoved his chest with as much force as my arms exerted. He jolted back an inch. "I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last asshole on Earth." "I think you forgot." Logan's tone was soft, almost wistful. With one quick hand, he palmed my mouth and his cocky armor slipped back into place. "You were the one who was sick earlier. Take the date, Ellie." His rough skin on my mouth lifted my eyes to his. They filled with sympathy and… hope? My poor heart twisted under the pressure crackling the air between us. It was too much. He was too much. For the protection of both my ego the and weakness that threatened my knees, I needed to hold my ground. So, I locked my legs, albeit shaky. I pulled upright and glared straight into his eyes. "Not in a million years, Logan." "Wait." Long fingers wrapped around my wrist as I stood. Logan's eyes studied mine before he blurted out, "I have to see you again." Have to. Not that he wanted to. This guy had seen me at my worst. 'Have to' screamed ulterior motives. Should I be flattered or insulted by that choice of words? Blank wasn't the most accurate description of how my face must have looked. More apt descriptions included white-washed, stone-cold frozen, and dead fish, but all my thoughts were erased. Logan was the mind wipe I never wanted. My mouth dropped, then closed. Opened and closed, at least three times, while Logan stood an inch away. He rendered my vocal cords dysfunctional with one squeeze of his hand around my wrist. Not that I had any words to say. I cupped my elbow and squeezed my legs against the urge to lean into his warmth. I hated his effect. It made me want to be weak. "Ellie." His voice was soaked with all the right emotions - remorse, sadness, and regret - that my heart wanted to believe, but I wasn't buying what he was selling. "Give me a -" "Elle," I cut him off and squeezed my eyes shut. "Just… Get away from me." I yanked my hand free and hurried toward Harper. My heart raced, my breath hitched, and the black night sky blurred from view. The crashing waves faded under my deep breaths. I gazed at each sand patch in front of my steps until the pounding beats in my ears subsided To her credit, Harper slipped an arm over my shoulders. "Elle, are you alright?" "Peachy," I muttered. "Heated moment. I'd ask if you want me to kick his balls, but I think you verbally accomplished that." She managed to look both impressed and disappointed. "Doesn't matter." I exhaled a slow, loud breath. "I'll never see him again." "I hate to point this out, but he does have your number," she said. "You called him. So, he can contact you." The trembling sensations in my spine were enough proof that Logan wasn't a smart idea. I unlocked my phone. One press of my finger over his number in my call history cemented the most rational decision I could make. "Not anymore." [ Blocked caller. ] I think he deserved it