Chapter 44
Family
Moving into Logan’s house felt like stepping
oping into forbidden territory. It was his personal space, designed exactly how he liked it, and it didn’t seem like anyone else had been welcomed before.
The place was stimming and immaculate. It had high ceilings, polished wood floors, and a kitchen that looked like it belonged on the cover of some high–end magazine, Everything smelled faintly of cedar, spice, and something I had started to associate with Logan himself..
I’d brought a few of my own things and made à quiet effort to make a space for myself, but it was impossible not to feel like I was a quest in a world I didn’t quite belong in
Sharing a living space with the man I’d been trying to keep up boundaries with was dangerous
My mind was reeling after every brush of his shoulder in the hallway. Every time we reached for the same coffee mug was laced with a tension that clung to the air like static.
He wasn’t even trying to tease me. That would have been easier. No, it was worse. He simply existed.
The way he moved through the space, his space, with that quiet, predatory grace of his was remarkable. Watching him pad barefoot through the hallway in low–slung joggers and no shirt should not have made my mouth go dry.
But it did. And I hated it.
The first few days were bearable only because we both kept busy. I had work to do and calls to make, and he was off doing business that I wasn’t fully allowed into yet,
That didn’t stop the friction from growing-
But it wasn’t the only friction in the house either. We constantly but heads, especially in the way we liked to clean.
I preferred a tidy space. If I used a dinner plate, I washed it immediately. If Logan used one, he left it in the sink for the maid to get in a day or two. It was repulsive to me, but Logan didn’t care.
In fact, the man didn’t clean anything. The maid came twice a week and took care of the house. While I thought Sarah was perfectly nice, it didn’t seem like she needed to be cleaning up after us when we were perfectly capable of it.
Logan remained completely unbothered by it, which only made me more irritable. It mattered to me, so why couldn’t we at least
have a conversation about it?
We finally snapped one morning.
I walked into the kitchen, bleary–eyed and craving caffeine. Instead, I found dirty dishes. Logan had already gone through the kitchen like a whirlwind, dirtying up pots and pans left on the stove and leaving his dishes in the sink.
I stopped in my tracks and stared.
“Seriously?”
Logan appeared from around the corner, shirtless, and mug in hand. He was entirely unfazed by my distress.
“Good morning to you too.”
“Do you not know how to clean up after yourself?”
He blinked, then shrugged. “The maid comes this afternoon.”
threw my hands in the air. “That’s not the point! This is a shared space. I live here now, remember?”
Believe me, I remember.”
Chapter 44
+25 BONUS
I froze at his tone. It was too teasing for the moment, and It only made my anger flare mote
We stared at each other for a moment too long. Then I turned awajjand grabbed a sponge.
“If I wanted to live in a frat house, I would’ve moved in with college wolves.”
Logan leaned against the counter. “You’re cute when you’re mad
“I’m not trying to be cute. I’m trying to not lose my mind.“.
Something shifted in his expression. “I’ll try harder Okay?”
I sighed and put my hands on the counter, leaving over them. “You keep saying that, Logan. It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t actually make an effort, I don’t think what I’m asking for here is too difficult.”
He let out a heavy sigh, nmming one hand through his dark hair. “Im sorry, Thaven’t had to live with anyone like this before.”
“I’m worried. We are supposed to look like a married couple. If we can’t live together, it could turn into a real problem.”
“Is it really that big of a problem?”
I was on the verge of exploding “Yes! It matters to me. I can’t live without things being clean. I’m simply asking you to take care of your own messes.” For the last week, I had been taking care of Logan’s dirty dishes for him on the days the maids were gone. However, it was really starting to weigh on me.
It bothered me most that he didn’t care that it bothered me.
“I’ll do my dishes, Emily, I promise.” He looked sincere, maybe even guilty. It completely threw me off. He’d been so dismissive about it in our previous conversations.
Despite that, I wasn’t sure he was capable of change.
