Page 39 of Twisted Fate

“Sorry about that.” He said as Keily came into his home office, her eyebrows knitted together in a death glare. “I missed dinner, I know. One of the machines broke down and I ended up having to call in the repair crew to fix it. And the main supervisor I told you about, the one I’m getting all the complaints about who had left all those safety hazards unrepaired the day I got hurt? He’s now fired.”

“I don’t blame you,” Keily answered succinctly. Logan didn’t fire employees over nothing. He gave them a chance to improve and if they didn’t, he gave them the boot. The guy wasn’t to blame for Logan’s accident, but someone else could have been hurt because of the supervisor’s lax standards.

“There were safety hazards all over the place.” Logan continued, going over it all again in his head. “I fixed what I could, but some of it needed to be blocked off until a repair crew fix it. Anyway, that guy is gone.”

It was nice just to talk to her and get this stuff off of his chest. That was one of the nice things about their relationship, they actually talked about their day together, discussed problems, and worked together to fix them. Yeah, he missed the fuck out of sex with her, but talking was important, he’d come to learn. It helped to relieve some of the stress he felt, and he slept better at night.

Especially since she’d seemed to conquer those nightmares of his and he’d managed to climb his way out of a coma. The nightmares hadn’t woken him up since that night she slipped into bed and cradled him until he went back to sleep or since he woke up from his coma. He almost worried he was in for another year of torment after the nightmare of that coma but something about her seemed to have vanquished the kid in him that was still afraid of being attacked.

“He definitely deserves to be fired then. He knows people are there on the weekends, even if he’s off at the lake or whatever it is he does. He’s always going on about fishing.” He heard Keily say with irritation. “I didn’t like the guy either when I was working there, I have to say.”

“No, you didn’t.” Logan agreed and nodded, his leg up on a chair in a soft brace to protect it. The break hadn’t been that bad and he barely felt any pain in it at all now. “Are the girls asleep?”

It was dark already, so they probably were.

“Yes, Zoe just went off at last. I didn’t think she was going to stop fighting her sleep, but she did.”

“Okay. Want to watch a movie together or something?” Logan held his breath as he waited for her answer. It had been a while since they’d had time to themselves, alone, watching movies like they used to. Maybe he’d get a chance to work up the nerve to say all the things he’d promised himself he’d say.

“Yeah, we can watch it in my room if you want? That way we can hear the girls if they need us.” Logan wasn’t sure but he thought he heard a note of hope in her voice too, as if she really wanted him to say yes and not just because of the girls.

“Let Avery do her job, Keily. Relax for a change.” He urged her, even though he knew she wouldn’t listen.

“I know, I just worry so much about them.” She let the words trail off.

“And I understand that, but they’re fine, honey. They’re okay. And we’ll be right there.”

“I know. You’re right.” She didn’t say anything else, so he let her off the hook and dropped the subject.

“I’ll join you in about ten minutes. I have one more phone call to make. Want to pick something out and I’ll join you in your room?”

“Sounds good. I’ll see if Judith is around to heat up something for you to eat, too.”

“No, that’s alright. I’m good on that front.”

“Oh, good. Okay. I’ll see you in a little while then.”

“You will, Keily.” He picked up the phone and focused on getting the call over with as quickly as possible.

By the time he joined her in her bedroom, she was dressed in a white cotton nightgown and a cotton robe with hibiscus flowers decorating it. It was something he’d bought her when they went on vacation together and did little to calm the tension that came to life the moment he walked in the door. The robe, the memories of that vacation just made him more tense, in fact.

“Hey, how are you doing with those?” Keily asked as soon as he came in on his crutches.

“I’m fine, just tired.” He had on gray pajama pants and a t-shirt, but wished he’d put on jeans that morning, they might have hidden how much he wanted her.

He rushed to sit down on the couch, hoping she hadn’t seen. He knew her body was ready for sex, but was her mind? She’d left him hanging not long ago, backed away from him like he was the worst mistake she’d ever made. Yet here he was, about to watch a movie in her bedroom. He’d behave, until and unless she made a move of her own.

“It’s been a long week. It’ll do you some good to relax for a little while.” She replied and turned the large flatscreen on to start the movie she’d chosen.

Logan kept his eyes on the TV, wanting to not be obvious about where his mind was. When he looked back over at her she’d pulled a blanket off the bed and had it wrapped around her feet. “You’ve got cold feet?”

“Not about watching the movie, no. Oh, you mean the blanket? Yeah, I should probably put some socks on, but I like having a blanket.” She bit at her bottom lip and looked up at him, almost as if she felt guilty. “Do you really want to watch a movie, Logan?”

His heart thudded to a stop before it raced back into life, awareness almost electric between them.

“I want to do whatever you want to do, Keily.” Instinct told him to shut up and do what he wanted to do, take what he wanted to take, say what he wanted to say but he held back, gave her some space. “What do you want to do?”

“I think I want to do something else, Logan. I just have to know it’ll be different this time. That you won’t run out on me, even if the reason you did was my own fault.” She looked up at him with pain and desire in her eyes.