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“Aww,” I say, patting his face. “I love it when you get all mushy.”
He scowls at me, trying to cover up his smile but failing. “Careful or I’ll be forced to show you all the things about me that aren’t mushy at all.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t deliver on, Storm,” I purr, straddling his lap and pressing my hands to his chest.
“You trying to get me riled up? I can’t think of any other reason you’d call me Storm. Unless you want me to spank this gorgeous ass.” He grabs my ass through the cotton shorts I’m wearing, and I gasp, grinding down on his lap. “You know the pizza’s gonna be here any minute. Why are you teasing me now?”
“Oh, that reminds me – did you remember to get extra mushrooms on the pizza?” I ask.
He sighs and moves his hands up to my hips. “Kitten, give me a little credit here. I know how you like your pizza.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know that?”
“Just assume that if it’s about you, I already know the answer.”
My brow arches, and I study him for a moment. “What did you do? Have someone dig up information on me?”
“Yes,” he says, nodding. I can’t believe that he doesn’t even bother trying to deny it.
“I don’t know if I should be worried or flattered.”
Reaching up, he brushes his thumb over my cheek. “I told you, Baby, the moment I met you, you owned me, and I had to know everything about you.”
“Well, when do I get the dossier on you?”
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me, Ali.”
I watch him, skeptical of his statement. I’m not sure that he would tell me anything I wanted to know. In the past, getting him to talk about things has been like pulling teeth.
“All right, we’ll start off easy. How old are you?”
He laughs. “That was your big burning question? I’m thirty-one.”
“Oh, man, you’re so old,” I tease, and his fingers dig into my sides. I squeal and wiggle in his lap, trying to get away as he tickles me.
“Anything else you’d like to know, nosey?” he asks as he stops tickling me, and I let out a breath.
I’d love to ask about other things but I’m still not sure that he’d tell me. I open my mouth to test it out and ask him something when the doorbell rings. Bear lifts his head and barks once before rolling onto his back and falling back to sleep.
Logan scoffs. “Some guard dog he is.”
“I’ll get the pizza,” I say, hopping off his lap, and he stands, handing me his wallet. I start to argue with him but he gives me a look, and instead, I snap my mouth shut and go over to the door. I swing the door open and scowl. There’s no one here.
Scanning the street, I step out of the door, and my foot hits something, drawing my eye down. I suck in a breath and back into the house, my gaze fixed on the two dolls lying on the welcome mat. Logan’s wallet falls to the floor, and my hand covers my heart as it beats against my ribcage.
“Ali?” Logan’s voice comes from behind me but it sounds far away somehow, like I’m underwater, and I don’t move, frozen to the spot as the rest of the world fades in and out of focus. Each breath I take rings in my ears, drowning out everything else except the sound of my heart frantically pounding in my chest.
Breathe in.
Boom-Boom.
Boom-Boom.
Breathe out.
Again and again as I stare at the two dolls that look like exact replicas of Logan and I. My doll is delicate with golden blonde hair piled up on her head and striking blue eyes, her hands folded in front of her as she smiles in a white satin wedding dress. Logan’s doll looks just like he does now – t-shirt, jeans, and boots – but there’s a pocketknife sticking out of his chest and X’s drawn over his captivating eyes.
I whimper, my body shaking violently as I struggle to draw air into my body.
