“Princess?” She managed to ask, proud that she could look him in the eye and not ogle his muscled chest. He smelled like cut wood, leather and sandalwood. She decided breathing through her mouth was preferable to drooling over her host.
“I thought you’d sleep forever,” he said with a grin. “You know, like sleeping beauty?”
Harper blinked, stunned. Surely, he didn’t mean he thought she was beautiful? Harper had long since resigned herself to being the plain sister.
No, that wasn’t what he meant.
She shook her head and took a step backwards, looking away and over the water.
“It’s a lovely spot,” she said, changing the subject.
He hummed a response, and she knew without looking that he was still staring at her.
Harper shifted from foot to foot and darted a look at Logan. As he lifted an arm to wipe sweat from his forehead the muscles in his chest flexed. She watched as a trickle of sweat rolled from the base of his neck down the slope of his collar bone to dampen the hair covering his chest.
Her fingers itched to touch him again, remembering how surprisingly soft the hair over his very defined pectorals felt last night.
Breathe through your mouth, girl!
“Harper?”
She jolted. She had completely zoned out. How embarrassing. Caught ogling the guy who has been forced to give her a place to stay—who gave up his own bed, no less, to sleep on the couch.
“I’m so sorry,” she managed to get out. Refusing to look anywhere near Logan, she stepped backwards.
The heel of one too-large boot caught on a stick, and she fell with a squeak.
Logan darted forward with a speed that surprised her almost as much as the fall itself, catching her before she hit the ground, one large arm around her back.
She teetered precariously on one foot, leaning backward and clutching at Logan’s arm.
“You are disaster prone, aren’t you, princess?” He grinned, swinging her up into his arms, bridal style.
Harper’s mouth dropped open in shock, and she wriggled. “Put me down! You’ll hurt yourself!”
He chuckled as he carried her to the wide, sheltered porch at the back of the house. “I’m starting to think you really do need rescuing,” he said softly, his breath stirring her hair.
Harper stopped moving and relaxed in his arms. She could hear the steady beat of his heart next to her ear. Breathing in, she gave in to temptation and let herself enjoy his scent. She marveled at how he could smell so good while being so sweaty. She had never been attracted to sweaty men—the thought had always grossed her out a little—but Logan?
Given half a chance I will climb him like a tree.
She closed her eyes, willing herself not to make a bigger fool of herself than she already had.
He’s just being nice.
Logan lowered her feet to the wooden deck, and she reluctantly stood, dusting her hands on her jeans for want of anything else to do with them.
“Uh, thank you.”
Logan smiled and took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest. The breeze picked up again and Harper shivered, but he didn’t seem to even notice.
“I checked on your car this morning,” he said.
Oh yes, how could she have forgotten? She needed to contact the rental company and organize a replacement. Oh, and contact King and her sister, get her phone fixed, find a guitar, and figure out if West—Mason—had returned from his hiking trip yet. If not, where was she going to stay? Her head began to swim with everything she needed to accomplish in the next three weeks.
She managed to control her breathing and pushed everything aside. One day at a time. And today, one thing at a time.
First: get to town and sort out the car situation. She did not want to be reliant on others for transport. “When can we go to town?”
