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The urge to grab Kevin back and keep him away from her nearly overwhelmed Logan, but he fisted his hands down at his sides and managed to restrain himself. He crept backward, slowly and inconspicuously nearing the closest escape while Kevin called out to her, distracting her attention.
This was his chance to leave without her ever being the wiser. But for some reason, he couldn’t go quite yet. Watching her and Kevin together held him entranced.
She jumped and spun toward Kevin, eyeing him warily, even as she offered a tentative smile. “Hi. Um…is this the grief group?”
“Sure is.” Kevin held out a hand for her to shake. “I’m Kevin.”
“Oh!” A bright smile of recognition bloomed across her face. “How lucky is that? It’s so nice to meet you.”
Shifting into a shadow, Logan sucked in a breath as he watched her. An ache started in his breastbone as she smiled prettily at Kevin. He’d never seen her smile before. It was…devastating. He wanted her to aim that bright, beautiful, dazzling smile at him.
“I think my suitemate has a class with you,” she told Kevin. “Her name’s Tess. She said she met you in World History, and you told her about these meetings. That’s how I learned about them, incidentally.”
Kevin stared at her blankly, looking utterly awed, probably held under the spell of her smile as well. Then his face flushed, and he cleared his throat. “Tess?” he repeated only to nod. “Yeah. Yeah, sure. I know Tess.”
“I’m Paige.” She relaxed her stance, showing Logan how much she already trusted Kevin
. “I’m glad I met you first thing.”
Logan’s throat burned. She knew next to nothing about Kevin, had no idea what horrible things he might have done in his life, and yet she automatically liked him more than she would ever like Logan, on principle alone.
“Help yourself to something to eat,” Kevin offered, leading her over to the refreshment table.
Again, Logan realized this was another timely moment to flee without getting noticed, but he wanted to watch her, just a little longer. She held so much power over him, could decide his fate with a few simple words. It made him strangely curious about her. Like an idiot captivated by the lethal beauty of a cobra that was poised and ready to strike.
“Oh, yum.” She brightened as she scanned the food. “Blueberry muffins. These things are my absolute favorite food.”
Sensations roared through him as he watched her pick up one of the muffins he’d brought and sink her teeth into the tender breading. He could almost taste the tart berry on his own tongue as he watched her close her eyes and moan. It made his mouth water, but not because he was hungry.
He wondered what she’d do if she knew her favorite food had come to this table courtesy of him. He hoped no one told her; he liked watching her enjoy the pastry. He liked it a little too much.
“These wraps are really good too,” Kevin told her as he picked up another and popped it into his mouth. He grinned as he chewed as if sharing some kind of inside joke with her. Then he shifted just so, blocking Logan’s view.
Logan frowned, disappointed yet relieved the spell she held him under was broken. He wanted to keep staring but with his sanity returned, he decided to make a break for it.
Until Samantha spoke up. “Looks like we have a newbie tonight,” she called, thankfully interrupting Paige and Kevin’s moment. “And more of you showed up than I was expecting. Logan?” After a quick glance around the circle, Sam looked at the faces of the members as if searching for someone. “Could you get us another handful of chairs please?”
Logan froze only two steps from the doorway.
Sweating like crazy, he looked over just in time to catch Paige’s face drain of color. She swerved around and spotted him. As their gazes connected, he felt struck hard in the chest, watching the dazzling smile she’d flashed a second before disappear as if it had never existed.
Sick about sucking the joy out of her, he waited a beat, braced for her to point and scream, “Imposter!”
But when her face only darkened with silent hate, he yanked his stare away and gave Sam a tight smile. “Sure.”
As he stumbled from the Crimson Room, he knew this was his last opportunity to run. But Sam was counting on him to return with more chairs. He couldn’t let her down.
He couldn’t let anyone down. Not ever again.
Not even to fetch some stupid chairs.
Gritting his teeth, he silently cursed his overwhelming need to be responsible all the way to the supply closet. Running was meaningless now anyway. Paige knew he was a member of the group; she was going to out him whether he stuck around to watch the horror or not.
He’d rather not, but Sam was still waiting on him to return.
A cold kind of numb coated his skin as he lugged four chairs from the supply closet. By the time he returned to the Crimson Room, everyone but he and Sam had found a seat. She took one from him and sat down.
He put all his attention into unfolding the other three just a little behind Jamie and Brenda. Then he paused, making his final decision to stay before slipping into one of the three empty seats. When he looked up, he found himself directly across the circle from Kevin.
