Counting Stars (A Donnelley Brother's Novel) (20 page)

If there was one thing
that would weaken my heartstrings for Logan, it would be the way he
made me laugh with such abandon.

Sitting on the log, I
watched as Logan sprinkled the cinnamon into the boiling black
liquid. I wasn’t too sure about the cinnamon in the coffee—until he
handed me the mug.

And then my world
changed.

“Yummy.” I practically
purred as I closed my eyes, allowing the taste to take over my
senses. “This is really good.”

When I opened my eyes, I
was startled to see Logan watching me with hunger in his
expression. Instantly, I straightened.

His voice was husky. “I
don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone moan over a cup of coffee the way
you just did.”

Okay, so my face turned
fire engine red. “I told you I was an addict.” I added. “And it’s
been a while.”

“I can tell.” He smirked
and I blushed even deeper. “Are you hungry or do you just want to
munch on walnuts as we hike?”

I grinned. “I’ll
munch.”

My legs were
burning—but it was a good kind of burn. The kind that let you know
you were doing something good for your body. We’d been hiking up
the mountain for a few hours, stopping to munch on berries whenever
we came past a tree. Logan seemed to know where all the berry trees
were—and thankfully he knew which ones were poisonous as well,
because I had no clue.

“So, what do you think
you’ll do after our month is over?” Logan’s voice carried into my
thoughts and I found myself instantly replying in my mind with—I
don’t want our month to ever end.

Instead, I said, “I
honestly don’t know.”

“Do you want to go back
home?”

I winced at the word. I
hadn’t told Logan that I’d sold my house and now had nowhere to
live. Now, the thought of telling him this made me feel nervous. “I
don’t exactly have a home to go back to.”

“I thought you bought a
house with Derek?” He frowned.

“I sold it the same day
I drove here.” I shrugged, trying not to let the thought of the
house close my throat up with emotion. “Most of my things are in
storage. The stuff I couldn’t part with I packed into my car.”

Logan was quiet for a
while and I didn’t say anything more. Finally, he replied. “I’m
sorry, Reese.”

“For what?”

“For being such an
asshole when we first met.” He toed the rocky earth with his
runner. “As soon as I saw you, I felt you under my skin and I
didn’t want to feel you anywhere.”

“What do you mean?” I
focused on the ground I was walking on rather than looking at him.
“Under your skin how?”

He shrugged. “I felt
protective of you, I guess. There was so much pain in your eyes and
I just wanted to make it go away. I hated that I felt that way over
a woman I just met.”

“You hated that you felt
that way over a woman you just met—or because that said woman was
from the city?”

He chuckled, but the
sound was tense. “You know me well.”

“Why do you hate the
city so much?” I asked.

“I have my reasons.” He
shrugged and I tensed.

“I’ve told you so much,
Logan. The least you can do is be honest with me in return.”

He nodded and his eyes
flickered up to the sky. “I just don’t like the way people from the
city view their lives. They’re always in such a rush that they
never live. It’s irritating, is all.”

“That’s it?” I didn’t
believe him when he nodded, but I also didn’t press.

He asked, “So, do you
think you’ll hang around here for a while after the tour?”

I nodded. “That was
actually my plan.”

“What was your plan
exactly?”

“I booked a cabin for a
week after the tour. I was planning to use that time to figure out
where I want to go.” I looked down. “I don’t really want to go back
to the city, but I need to find a place to live.”

“You could always move
out this way.” He shrugged. “If you wanted to.”

I tucked a stray strand
of hair behind my ear. “I don’t know.”

He nodded. “What about
family? Do you have family you’re thinking of staying with?”

“God no.” I shook my
head. “I love my parents and all, don’t get me wrong, but I
couldn’t live with them.”

“Friends?”

“Most are married or in
a committed relationship. If I moved in with one of them, I’d feel
like a third wheel all the time.” I sighed. “I’m looking to rent a
condo until I can figure out where I really want to be and the kind
of life I want.”

“Do you think you could
see yourself out here?”

“Living like you?” I
asked. I couldn’t hide my surprise. “As a guide?”

Logan nodded. “I could
train you.”

I pondered it. “Maybe,”
I shrugged. “I really don’t know. I like my job right now a lot and
I don’t think I’d ever want to give it up.”

“What do you do?”

“I work from home,
actually.” I smiled, I was always so proud to tell others what I
did. I might not make a million dollars, but what I did made me
happy. Happiness was worth so much more than millions, and to find
happiness in your career is a rare and precious thing in this
world. “I’m a freelance editor.”

I watched his brow
furrow. “You like your job?”

Now it was my turn to
frown. “Yeah, I love it.”

“How can you sit staring
at a computer screen all day?”

“Wow,” I shook my head.
“I think I finally understand that saying ‘different strokes for
different folks.’”

Logan ran a hand over
his head. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just can’t imagine liking
that.”

“I can’t imagine you
liking anything that doesn’t involve the outdoors.” I stated.
“You’re narrow minded like that.”

“Now who’s the
judgmental one?”

I shot him a pointed
glare. “I’ve been spending too much time with you, obviously.”

He laughed. “You’re
feisty when you defend something you enjoy. I like it.”

“Thanks.” My reply was
dry.

Logan shook his head.
“We should probably be getting back to camp. We still have to catch
supper and I have a feeling tonight is going to be another wet
one.”

“Great.” I huffed.

He raised a brow. “I
thought you liked sleeping next to me.”

“I do.” I blushed. “I
just don’t like the wet mornings.”

Another week
had passed and my time with Logan was now standing at its halfway
point. This made me both nervous and excited. I couldn’t help but
admit that I longed for a hot shower in ways I never thought I
would ever long for anything. Bathing in the chilly river water was
in no way something I would consider doing for the rest of my
days—nope! But my time here also solidified the fact that I would
forevermore be appreciative of the luxury of a hot shower when I
received one.

Thankfully, the weather
had been pleasant since the large storm when I’d first spent the
night in another mans arms. Don’t get me wrong, it had rained a few
times during the night, but for the most part, it was sunny with
slight cloud.

Thinking back to the
night of the first thunderstorm on the mountain, I couldn’t help
but blush. That night had been so many things to me. It was a
turning point I didn’t know I needed. Since then, Logan and I had
spent every night snuggled tight in my little sleeping bag.

When I’d slept with
Derek, we’d never really cuddled. He was always so damn hot that
snuggling up to him was almost uncomfortable. From the very
beginning of our relationship, I’d slept beside him without ever
touching him. With Logan, it was so very different. The man
practically slept on top of me and his arms were always around me.
I never thought I could enjoy sleeping with someone this way, but I
honestly loved it. There was something so wonderful about being
wrapped up in Logan, the thought of returning to camp and sleeping
on my own was almost frightening.

In Logan’s arms, I
didn’t dream of Derek.

Shaking my thoughts from
my mind, I shifted on the sleeping bag before peeling my eyes open.
“I can’t believe how hot it is out here!”

Logan grunted from where
he was leaning against the bark of a tree in the shade. He felt no
need to lie in the sun to work on a tan as I did. “Yeah,”

“What do you think the
temperature is?” I asked. I couldn’t remember a day in my life when
the sun was this hot. I wasn’t even moving, but I felt the sweat
forming on the small of my back and dripping from my hairline. It
was ungodly!

“High thirties or low
forties.” Logan mumbled. “You want to go for another swim?”

“We just went a half
hour ago.” I moaned. “I don’t think I can handle the walk. I feel
exhausted.”

“You should get out of
the sun, Reese.” He stated. “You’re going to get heat stroke.”

“Kay,” Using all the
energy I had stored within me, I peeled myself up from the sleeping
bag. Clutching the corner of the blanket in my fist, I dragged it
to the spot in the shade where he was sitting before laying it flat
on the ground. I was wearing nothing more than my mint and gold
swimsuit, but it was just too hot to bother with anything more. If
I was alone, I would have gone completely nude.

“I still can’t believe
your bathing suit has gold rings holding the fabric together.”
Logan stated with a slight shake of his head. “City girls.”

“
Hey,” I scowled. “I am
the
city girl and
again this proves that you know absolutely nothing about
fashion.”

He shrugged. “I don’t
see the point in bedazzling a bathing suit.”

“
I can’t believe a word like
bedazzling
just left your mouth.” I smirked, lying back on the sleeping
bag. “Are you telling me it looks bad on me?”

His eyes popped open and
he picked his head up from the back of the tree. “I never said
that.”

“Then why are you
complaining?” I asked innocently.

“I’m not complaining. I
just don’t see the point.”

“It’s cute.” I fluttered
my lashes at him and he narrowed his eyes. “That’s the point.”

“It’s a lot more than
cute, city girl.” His voice was thick and I felt my blood warm
inside my already overheated body.

“My point exactly.”

He gave a throaty growl.
“Watch yourself, city girl. Tempt only what you can handle.”

I laughed. “I think I
can handle you, Logan.”

A single brow raised,
“Really?”

“Really.” I confirmed
challengingly.

“Hmm,” he grunted.
“We’ll see.”

I closed my eyes,
feeling mighty satisfied with myself. “I suppose we will.”

The hottest day of my
life went by agonizingly slow. By the time the sun bowed to the
moon, Logan and I had been in and out of the river so many times
that I lost count. Now, the sky was dark and the stars were
shimmering against the ebony backdrop. The air was still muggy, but
it wasn’t so warm that it was as stiflingly uncomfortable.