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“Dead or on the ground?”
He shot her a disgusted look. “You’re hopeless.”
“It’s heavy, so unless you have some sort of magical powers, it’s staying right there on the ground.”
He bent down and began to lift the tree when Fuzz leapt out from under it, and Logan screamed.
Laughter exploded from her chest. She bent over at the waist, trying to contain her mirth. “That’s Fuzz. Remember? The cat you supposedly saved from oncoming traffic. He isn’t keen on visitors.”
Logan grumbled something under his breath, then bent over to get a better look at him. “He’s pretty cute, even if his name is lame.”
“His name is awesome.”
Logan gave Fuzz one final pat, then hoisted the tree up like it weighed nothing. “Fuzz? You couldn’t get more creative than Fuzz? And you named your childhood goldfish Goldie. I see an uncreative pattern here we should be concerned about.” He shook his head, then moved around the tree to assess the back. “At least you didn’t name him Fluffy, I guess.”
“My childhood cat was Fluffy,” she muttered under her breath.
“What?” he asked behind a wall of branches.
“Nothing.”
Logan bent down by the base of the tree and started messing with the screws in the plastic base, while Marti watched. The muscles in his arms flexed with the movement. She could make out the outline of his toned back, which led to a tapered waist, and she had to wipe a little drool from the corner of her mouth when he stood back up and placed both hands on his hips. “Done.”
“What?” She retrieved her mind from the gutter and focused. “No way. It took me hours to get that thing up.”
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “What can I say? I’m good with my hands.” He smirked.
An instant blush heated her cheeks. She busied herself, toying with her mug, hoping he didn’t notice. “Hot chocolate?” She raised her mug.
“Sure.” He took it and lifted it to his lips.
Marti’s eyes honed in on his mouth, transfixed as he swallowed.
He cleared his throat, snapping her out of her daze. Before she could act any more insane, she hurried to the couch and flung herself into the cushions.
Logan sat down beside her and stretched an arm behind her back, but not before he snatched a cookie from her plate and shoved the whole thing in his mouth.
Marti laughed. “Hot. I always wanted a man that could cram entire cookies into his mouth.”
“So, you admit, you’ve always wanted a man,” he said, his mouth full.
Marti snorted. “You wish.”
“Maybe.” He winked, and her mouth went dry.
They stared at each other for a long beat. Something shifted in the room, tightening around her chest like rubber bands. This was the most awkward exchange they’d had yet.
What was he doing here? And why was she so glad he came?
She wondered what type of women he typically dated and her mind flashed to Allison—his Ex. Tall and blond with eyes like honey. And though that relationship ended badly, Marti was sure emotionally unavailable women weren’t his go-to. In fact, he had told her as much the first time they met. She wondered what had changed, because she certainly hadn’t.
“What’s up?” he asked, trailing his finger against her collarbone.
“Nothing.” She shrugged, feeling the lie in every ounce of her being.
“You’ve got a lot of thoughts churning. I can see it.”
“A writer’s mind never sleeps.” She tried for a smile, but it fell flat.
