Page 57 of Game On

“We’re fine. Now go get ready and wear something sexy!”

I shook my head. “Why are you such an instigator?”

“Because you and Logan are cute together.”

“V, I told you, it’s just fun.”

She grinned. “Well, make it count then.”

I waved to them as Veronica drove off with my daughter, giving me the time to get ready for my date with Logan. I went back inside and pulled out the date outfits again. They were nice, but were they sexy enough for the hunky hockey player? He hadn’t told me where we were going yet.

I pulled out my phone and texted him.

ME: Where are we going?

LOGAN: Secret. Dress casual again.

I chewed on my lip and looked at my outfit choices again. I ended up going with the black skirt and chunky sweater with my thigh-high boots. The boots would be sexy. I laid my clothes out on the bed and then took a shower. After showering, shaving, and plucking my eyebrows, I was almost ready. Maybe it was a mistake to go on another date with Logan, but there was something about him that made me want to give in to my desires. Even if it was only for a temporary fix.

I was also eighty percent sure Logan might be my gamer friend. I wasn’t sure how to bring that up to him. Like, ‘hey, I know you also play Dragonspire. What’s your gamertag so I can find out if you’re my friend I’ve been playing with since high school?’ What a weird question. How could I even go about asking him that? Unless I was a creep and started his console up to see what username it logged him in as. That was ridiculous. I wasn’t doing that.

I heard the front door open while I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup. Footsteps came up the steps, and it surprised me when my mom leaned against the bathroom doorway.

“Are you going out with Logan again?” she asked and had a giddy look on her face. What spell had Logan cast on her to make her like him so much after one meeting?

I nodded. “Yup. Don’t wait up for me.”

“Did Seth pick up Rosie like he said?”

I cringed. I was hoping she wouldn’t ask about that. “He had a work thing. Veronica took her for the night.”

Mom’s mouth was a thin line. “Are you sure he really had a work thing?”

I shook my head. “Mom, can you drop it?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “This is exactly what your father did. I don’t want Rosie to grow up without her dad.”

I sighed. “Mom, can we talk about this later?”

She looked like she wanted to argue more, but I was saved by the bell. Literally.

“I’ll get it,” Mom offered, and I didn’t stop her as I did one final swipe of my lipstick.

Downstairs, their voices floated up the steps, and I tried to remember what else I needed for tonight. Logan was charming the pants off my mom, but I didn’t want her to get any ideas. Logan was well-mannered, so I could see why my mom immediately took a liking to him. I had to admit, she had a point about Seth never coming to the door but rather honking his horn and waiting for me to come out. Logan wasn’t even my boyfriend, and he made more of an effort than Seth ever had.

I grabbed my purse from my room but paused before going downstairs. I found a small overnight bag in my closet and shoved spare clothes inside. I checked my face in the mirror once more, and then I walked downstairs.

It was unseasonably warm for October, so tonight Logan wore a black t-shirt that contoured to his rippling muscles and a leather jacket over top of it. He wore a pair of dark jeans and sneakers that I was sure cost a lot of money. I looked down at my outfit and contemplated changing. I wasn’t too dressed up, but he was dressed a little more casually.

He looked up at the sound of my heeled boots hitting the hardwood. A smile spread across his freckled face when his gaze came across mine. His eyes were dark with want as they walked down my body, like he was peeling back all my layers in his mind. I didn’t hate the way he looked at me like I was something he wanted to feast on. I liked that he desired me. That he wasn’t an asshole jock who only liked women who sported the so-called perfect figure.

“Wow, you look great!”

Mom beamed. “You do, sweetheart. Have fun, you two. It was so good to see you again, Logan.”

“Likewise, Ms. Mathews,” Logan said and gave my mom a wink.

Logan helped me with my light jacket, and then we walked out the door together. I tried not to think about the mixed signals he gave me as I slid into the passenger side of his car.