Page 15 of It Should Have Been You

He doesn’t look up as he grunts. “You’re lucky I’m here”.

I’ve been too busy peeking over my canvas to notice everyone else has already begun drawing. Cassie spouts off something about the ridges of his muscles and how to draw them, and another thing about anatomy—I think. But I’ve been sitting here with my mouth hanging open and engulfed by a warmth spreading further than just between my thighs. I shouldn’t be drawing him. I want to photograph him.

“Ready?” I jump as Cassie appears at my side like a ghost, scaring what life I have left in me. She winks at me as if to say, “I know, girl.”

We share a smile before she floats away, and I fumble to grab a pencil.

That’s when it happens. The pencil simply rolls away from me and hits the floor, bouncing once, twice, three times, and then rolls right to the stage. I slide off my stool, bending to pick it up, all the while trying to hide behind my hair.

It’s no use. My spine stiffens, and a shock roots itself at the base, radiating to my fingertips. Heart racing, I look up to see his eyes are already on me.

Why is he so beautiful?

Handsome doesn’t seem like enough of a word to describe Logan King.

Everything about him is somewhere in between. His jade eyes have a hint of boyish mischief but are also so masculine they make me want to run in the opposite direction. His full beard is neither long or short, the facial hair somewhere between well-kept and scruffy. The tick of his jaw is stuck in a constant state of pissed off and intrigued. His black hair is short at the sides, but there’s plenty on top to feel through my fingers and tug.

Christ, Beth.

What has gotten into me?

A fire erupts deep in my belly because one thing is for certain, the man with his eyes locked on me is absolutely lethal.

I gulp to moisten my dry mouth. The heat of his stare has me sizzled from head to foot. His nostrils flare, his hands balling into fists earning him a warning from Cassie to stay still. Then ever so slowly, one side of his mouth lifts to a barely-there smile. It’s not comforting. I feel like vulnerable prey, and it hits me right where it intended to… Square in the ovaries.

A smile shouldn’t have this amount of power, especially with a man I don’t know.

Something’s wrong with me today.

And as if a lightbulb goes off in my head, the realization hits me, and everything makes sense. My fuzzy brain, the limbs feeling like lead, the giggles I’ve managed to suppress until this moment because all hell breaks loose in my head, and I laugh so hard I really do snort this time.

“Is everything okay?” Cassie asks, sounding concerned while a fiery gaze remains on me, his frown unaffected.

I choose not to talk, knowing from experience that when I’m stoned and hit by a fit of giggles, it won’t stop until I tire myself out or hunger strikes. So, I abandon the pencils, manage to murmur a “I’m so sorry” through my fit of laughter, grab my bag, and make a hasty exit.

Damn Kim and her brownies.

Four

Food is glorious.

My stomach grumbles even as I stuff a mouth full of pancakes down my throat. I’ve never been this hungry and food has never tasted so good. I’m going to kill my sister for allowing me to eat that brownie, but I need to be mad to commit murder, and right now, I’m downright giddy.

There’s a food coma incoming, but I can’t find the strength to stop as I wash down the syrup with my second cup of coffee.

When I feel eyes on me from a judgmental woman across the diner, I finally realize I probably look like a pig and put the fork down. Her brows knit together before she shakes her head.

“You should eat a brownie,” I tell her, giggling to myself. I’m surprised she doesn’t stand and usher her children out of the diner and away from the indulgent crazy lady.

I laugh again. It’s too loud and more eyes turn my way. I bite my lip and sink farther into the chair while removing my phone from my bag to text my traitorous sister.

Me:Never trusting anything you make. Ever.

Kim:What I wouldn’t do to see you stoned right now.

Me:It’s disgusting. I can’t stop eating.

Kim:Everything tastes amazing, right?

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