Darcy

The sky was dark like it was midnight, even though it was hours before and the rain echoed off the windows and roof as if it were trying to find a way in. Woolton Hall always seemed quieter and emptier when Ryder and Scarlett left, compared to how it had been before they arrived. I stood in the doorway, sheltering from the rain, warmed by the half hour of hugs and goodbyes I’d managed to squeeze out. I continued to wave long after the car disappeared down the drive and out of sight.

The sense that something had been missing grew in me as I closed and bolted the door. I hadn’t seen Logan since dinner on Friday night, and although I appreciated that he knew I was spending time with my family, things didn’t feel quite right without him with me.

I missed him. I missed him, and that was a problem, because I’d never missed any man before and I didn’t know what to do with it.

I pulled my phone from my jeans to see if Logan had messaged. I hadn’t heard from him since he left after dinner on Friday, and something seemed off.

There was a distance between us. Perhaps I was creating it. The desire for him was unnerving. I’d always had to make an effort to find time for people I dated, but with Logan, space for him just appeared. I didn’t need to try. Maybe I was holding back. And perhaps I’d created too much space for him.

I shouldn’t read anything into it—we were both busy. Independent. We didn’t owe each other anything. If I wanted to hear from him, I should message him. I brought up our last exchange and began to type different ways of telling him I missed him, then deleting them. I wandered into the library and collapsed near the unlit fire.

My phone buzzed.

“Hello,” I answered.

“Hey,” Logan replied. “Are your family still there?” His voice was like a warm blanket I wanted to sink into.

“They just left. I was thinking about lighting a fire—it’s so dark and miserable out.”

“Sounds nice. You going to toast some marshmallows?”

I laughed. “Maybe. You want to come over and join in the fun?” A knock on the door interrupted my grin. “Hang on, there’s someone at the door and Lane left for the day.”

I sped down the hallway and unbolted the door. Whoever was outside would be getting soaked to the skin.

As I swung the door open I came face to face with Logan. He held up a bag of marshmallows. “I missed you.”

I wasn’t sure if it was relief or excitement that meant I jumped into his arms and tangled my legs around his waist. “I missed you,” I said as I kissed his damp nose.

“Can I come in? It’s pretty wet out here.”

“Yes, but I’m not getting down.”

He chuckled and carried me through the doorway, closing it behind him.

It was so good to be in his arms, to feel his warmth and breathe in the clean, fresh smell of him. Maybe a little too good, but right then I didn’t care. I didn’t want to analyze or worry I was feeling too much. “I wasn’t expecting to see you, but I’m so pleased you’re here.”

“You’re just using me for my marshmallows.”

“And the sex—don’t forget about the sex.” I pressed a kiss to his neck.

He laughed as he carried me down the hallway toward the library.

“Wait. You brought marshmallows—how did you know I’d want a fire?”

“I didn’t. I just thought it was the weather for it.”

I pulled back to look at him. “You, Mr. Steele, are a mind reader.”

He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, then thought better of it and continued into the library. “I have no idea how to light a fire,” he said.

“City boys.” I slid out of his arms. “I’ll show you—I’m going to cheat anyway and use firelighters.”

I tried not to stare as Logan unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves before kneeling with me before the empty fireplace. I handed him the kindling and wood in the order he needed it and coaxed him to shift things so they were set up for a perfect fire. Finally, I handed him the matches.

“Just light the firelighters and they’ll do the rest.”

“Whoa,” he said as the flames took hold, poking at the logs.

“I’m going to get marshmallow stuff,” I said as I got to my feet and headed to the kitchen, unable to wipe the smile from my face. The distance between us had fallen away and we were back to how we were together. Here he was, his hair a little damp, a day’s worth of stubble on his chin, every bit as sexy and good company as I knew him to be.

When I returned to the library, he was still sitting in front of the fire, watching the flames.

As I closed the door, he turned and held out his arm for me to join him.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said as he concentrated on opening the bag of marshmallows he’d brought with him. “I thought maybe Friday was a little…”

“I like it when it’s just us,” he said. “In the here and now.”

Perhaps dinner with Ryder and Scarlett had freaked him out a little—even though he’d seemed relaxed and happy at the time, perhaps it had been too much. “You didn’t like Ryder and Scarlett?”

“I liked them a lot,” he replied, offering me the open bag of marshmallows.

“But you prefer when it’s just us? It was you who didn’t want to hide in the bathroom.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “I don’t like lying or misleading people.”

“I understand that. But you said yes to dinner.”

“I know, and I genuinely wanted to come. And I enjoyed it.”

“But?” There had to be a but, a reason for the distance.

He sucked in a breath. “I’m new to this. Navigating it the best I can. All I have for you is that I like spending time with you. It’s easy. When you introduce external factors…it’s less…it’s more comfortable when it’s just us.”

His answer provoked a thousand questions to burst from my brain. What was this between us? Was he looking for forever? Was I? Could I ever be with someone like Logan who was the opposite of the men I’d dated before him? I knew that if he wanted comfortable, then the kind of adjustment it took to build that kind of life together wasn’t going to be what he was aiming for.

“I’ve been thinking.” He took a marshmallow and spiked it with the end of his skewer. “What are you doing next weekend?”

“I don’t think I have any plans. Why?”

“I thought we’d go away. There’s a place in Scotland.” He concentrated on getting another marshmallow on his skewer, then he looked up and found me watching him. “What do you think?”

Scotland would be just the two of us. He wanted to spend time with me, but wanted it to be easy. I wanted to go, and I wanted it easy and comfortable, didn’t I? He wanted us to go away together. And I wanted exactly the same thing. As long as our expectations matched, that was all that mattered. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

He nodded and if it hadn’t been dark and if the flames hadn’t been casting strange shapes across the room, I could have sworn a slight blush crossed his cheeks. “Come and sit here.” He pulled me between his legs so we both sat facing the fire.

So far, it was good between us when it was just us—easy and comfortable. Maybe it would stay that way. But if time with Ryder and Scarlett was a bump in the road, I knew from experience that life created far bigger obstacles that would be far from comfortable.