Page 21 of Reject Him

Eme grins. “Were you planning to make breakfast? Because I sure as hell can’t.”

He grins too. “Absolutely not.” He lets go of her pinky and steps away. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

It takes Eme fifteen minutes to get ready. Her hair is the toughest to tame, and her straightener took forever to heat. Finally, she walks down the stairs to find Logan at the bottom, waiting for her.

“Ready?” he says, handing over her coat.

“Yes,” she breathes. She’s excited to see what the marketplace has to offer. They’ve never had anything like that at the Stonewell Pack, but she supposes that, with a pack this size, they’ll need supplies and businesses to make everything go round.

They move to the door together, and nerves tickle her insides. He’s so close they can almost touch, almost bump shoulders. He reaches for the door and opens it for her, gesturing for her to step outside. She does so, breathing in the cold, crisp air as the snowflakes gently fall against her cheeks.

“This way,” he directs, steering her in another direction. She had been ready to head down the road she came on when she first arrived at the pack. She failed to notice the pathway that leads to this secret marketplace.

With his hand against the small of her back, he guides her up the path. She doesn’t brush his hand away like she would have yesterday morning or the day before.

The path winds and weaves between a few pine trees and eventually spills out onto a larger road. On each side of the road are the businesses that Eme saw from her window.

“Oh,” Eme says as she stops and takes it all in. He stops with her.

“Oh?” he asks, frowning.

“It’s charming.” And it is. Signs are posted above each of the businesses and shops. They’re larger cabins than the houses, and each window is lit up. Their chimneys have smoke coming out of them, rising toward the ominous clouds. Snow is piled in various places, but there are no cars, only sidewalks and paths that lead to each shop.

The first shop she sees is named Bella’s Bakery. The scent of donuts reaches Eme’s nose. The first shop on the right is Aime’s Hardware. She notices that each shop is named after someone, and she wonders if they’re named after the owners. It would make sense, she supposes.

They begin to walk down the path. She notes that each person on the sidewalk either calls to Logan or waves at him. Children mill about with their parents, and the elderly are posted throughout, having conversations with one another.

A couple waves Logan over, and he steers her in the direction of the couple waiting for them ahead. “This is Eme Stonewell,” he introduces.

“Oh, we know who she is,” says the blonde about her age.

“Eme, this is -” she doesn’t hear the names. She’s too engrossed in how Logan’s eyes twinkle as he talks about his pack mates.

They continue a conversation for some time while Eme watches him. He’s beautiful, and with the snow peppering his hair and skin, he’s even more so. How could she not see it? How could she be so blind to his kindness? He genuinely means well, and now that she’s seeing something in him – promise, perhaps – her heart begins to thaw toward him.

The couple walks away, and Logan turns to Eme. “They’re a nice couple. You would like them.”

“It sounds like it,” she says, smiling, even though she didn’t hear a single word that they had said.

Her grin continues, despite her best efforts to wipe it off her face.

“What?” he asks. A hint of a smirk plays at his lips.

“You’re a decent guy, Logan.”

“Well, thank you.” He blinks, confused.

“Can I - Can I try something?” She nibbles on her bottom lip, waiting for his answer.

He cocks his head to the side. “Depends on what it is.”

“Just . . . stand still.” She stands on her tiptoes, and searching his curious eyes carefully, she leans forward and shuts her own. Her lips find his, a gentle kiss, a peck, an explosion of warmth both externally and internally. She leans away and stands flat on her feet.

She watches his eyes spark with fire. “Was that okay?”

He wets his bottom lip, and she watches the movement of his tongue. “Can I try something?”

She chuckles. “Depends on what -.”

Before she can fully finish her sentence, Logan’s hand snakes up her neck, and then he cups her cheek. His lips part, and he leans down and brushes them against hers. She responds, lips sliding against lips, and she tries to hold back a moan. He tastes wonderful, like the wild, just as he smells.

Snowflakes touch her eyelids as they stand there, kissing one another. The kiss ends too soon, however, and to thaw her impatience, Logan rubs his nose against hers.

“What changed your mind?” he asks, his breath fanning her skin.

“I told you already.”

He pulls away to look at her, frowning.

“I said you were a nice guy.” And that’s all she wants to tell him because, truth be told, she’s still working out the rest. All she knows is that the kiss they shared sparked something in her, made herself feel . . . wanted. She’s known that he wants her, but she hadn’t known it had been for the right reasons. She thought it was just attraction, just an alliance happening. But the way he kissed her, he meant it.

He removes his hand from her cheek, slides it over her shoulder, and takes her hand in his. “Come on, let’s go find something to eat.”

She follows him obediently as he leads her past the healer’s clinic, past the trinket store, past the market, until eventually, they arrive at the Spears’ diner.