Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Danielle

I toss my bag in the back and get in the passenger seat, handing the keys to Logan. I left most of that vodka untouched on the breakfast table, but I’m still feeling a little tipsy, so having Logan drive is the safer option. Plus, I read that some of the roads are really narrow and twisty. That kind of driving would stress me out too much.

“I brought water and snacks.” I pull the seatbelt over my lap and click it into place.

“Good. I’ll be able to last a few hours.”

I laugh. “I could never be on one of those survival shows. Going more than like six hours without eating is torture. While I’m awake, I mean. I can make an exception when I’m sleeping those solid twelve hours.”

“You do not sleep for twelve hours.” He backs out of the parking space. “You stay up until two or three watching YouTube videos almost every night.”

“That’s not true.”

Logan steals a look at me, raising his eyebrows.

“Sometimes it’s TV or just mindlessly scrolling through the social media sites I don’t post on that often yet still suck the happiness right out of me like a Dementor.”

“Maybe not looking at those sites would be a good idea.”

“Gee, you think so?” I tip my head toward his, smiling. “Though, really, I consider unplugging or even getting rid of some of my social media accounts altogether.” I watch the resort get smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror. I haven’t checked any of my social media since we landed, and I’m quite proud of myself for that. Waking up, grabbing my phone, and starting my day by comparing myself to others is really self-defeating and not worth it at all.

It’s easy to fake a perfect life in fifteen-second clips or with a posed—and photoshopped—image. Hell, even I can make my life look fulfilling and amazing and not full of fuck-up moments.

“You should,” Logan says. “If I didn’t run Getaway’s social media, I wouldn’t be online much at all. Well, other than to read articles and find spoiler-filled memes to send to Dean. He’s always behind in whatever show we’re watching.”

“Poor Dean.”

“He brings it upon himself.” Logan’s eyes light up. “And if he’d read the fucking books said shows were based on, I couldn’t spoil it at all.”

“Yeah, but who has time to read?” I huff, dramatically rolling my eyes.

Logan just shakes his head. He reads several books a week, and I’ve found him in the office with a book, hiding away from the busy crowd at the bar more than once. I turn on the radio, flipping through stations until I find one we both like. Then I turn up the radio and watch the gorgeous island pass by.

The breeze picks up a bit when we get to the other side of the island, and gray clouds overhead bring the promise of rain. We park along the side of the road and get out. There are a few other cars parked along the road as well, but right now, everything is silent.

“So, from what I read online,” I start, looking around, “we need to find an access point, which is not really anything bigger than a deer trail.”

Logan locks the car and looks at the foliage lining the road. “There’s one.” He points to a trail that’s so narrow it’s easy to miss. I start forward but hesitate, getting a flash of running into thick spider webs as I ran through rows of corn back when I was a kid.

“Want me to go first and break the spider webs?”

“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

Logan’s eyes meet mine, and my heart gets all fluttery again. “You’ve brought up that emotionally scarring story of running into what you called a banana spider even though they live in the tropics in South America.”

“It was big and very yellow.”

Logan chuckles and steps off the road, leading the way to the little path. We only make it a few feet before feeling like we’ve been transported away from a busy tourist site to the middle of a jungle, surrounded by nothing but wildlife and trees. We continue on the path, which is muddy like Diana feared, for a bit and then emerge onto the bigger path. A group of people are a few yards ahead of us, talking and taking selfies every few feet.

“Hang on a second.” I grab Logan’s wrist, pulling him back toward me. It was meant to be an innocent gesture, but wrapping my fingers around his arm stirs something inside of me. I’ve touched Logan before—all friendly touches, of course—and I’ve never gotten this kind of response before.

Because right now, feeling his warm skin under my fingers is causing my sensitive parts to swell with desire. It’s hot and humid under the thick of branches and leaves, but a chill makes its way through me.

“What?” Logan twists his hand, breaking out of my hold. But he doesn’t move away like he normally would. No, this time he flips his hand over and curls his fingers over mine. I’m well aware we’re standing here, literally doing nothing more than hold hands.

And yet, he was able to get such a strong physical reaction out of me.

“I, uh…uh…” What was I doing? Why did I reach for Logan again? Oh right. “Those people up there.”

“What about them?”

“I like feeling like we’re actually out exploring the jungle and wanted to put some distance between us and them.”

“Okay.” He watches the little group slowly move down the trail. “We shouldn’t wait too long, though, or someone will be behind us. Though if you really wanted to feel like you’re exploring the jungle, we should go off the path.”

“They have the path here for a reason. We might get in trouble if we move off the trail.”

“Maybe you should rethink your life of crime. If veering off a path in a park is pushing it for you, then how are you going to handle all the smuggling and murder?”

I come to a dead stop, crossing my arms over my chest, waiting for Logan to turn around before I make my next overly dramatic move.

“We should—” he starts but cuts off when he realizes I’ve stopped walking behind him. Narrowing my eyes, I take a big step off the path. Amused, Logan watches as I take another step off the path. And another.

And another.

“I’m a rebel.” I whirl around and march forward, but this time I really do walk right into a spider web. I bring my hands up, frantically trying to get the web off me and spin around. I didn’t see Logan rush over to help me, and I end up whacking him hard in the face.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” I jerk back, slip on wet leaves, and my feet go right out from under me. I land in thick mud, and Logan can’t stop laughing. “Jerk!”

“Here.” He extends his hand, still laughing, and helps me to my feet. I turn around, looking at my butt. “It looks like you shit your pants.”

I purse my lips and try to glare but then start laughing too. “And to think I felt bad for hitting you.”

“You barely grazed me. Also, there’s a spider in your hair.”

Suddenly looking like there’s poop on my pants is the least of my worries. Instead of freaking out, I freeze. Logan reaches forward, pulling a spider out of my hair by one leg. He holds it up so I can see and then tosses it aside.

I shudder. “I need to shower for like a week now. In hot water. And bleach.”

“Get used to the bugs, princess. You never know when you’re going to have to go on the lam once you start your crime ring.”

“Princess?” I put my hand on my hip and glare at Logan. His brown eyes are shining, and that smile on his face is doing bad things to me right now. Bending down, I scoop up a handful of mud and raise my arm back.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I would. I mean, I will.” I throw the mud at Logan, who easily dodges out of the way. He slips, but recovers, and jumps across a tangle of greenery. Both of my hands are muddy from falling. I can still get him.

I take off after him, laughing as I reach out with muddy fingers. Logan dodges between bamboo shoots, moving through the thick forest with ease. Damn him and his natural athletic ability. My hair catches on a piece of bamboo, and I slow, turning to see how bad it’s tangled before pulling it free. When I start forward again, I don’t see Logan.

Coming to a dead stop, I look around and realize I have no idea which direction the path is in. We could have only come in a few yards away from the trail, but the forest is so thick it’s hard to see through.

Holding my breath, I slowly turn around, listening for any sounds of life. And then something comes crashing through the trees behind me. Logan jumps out at me, and I let out a little shriek as I lunge forward, ready to smear mud on his face. He catches my wrist, blocking my attempt to run my fingers down his cheek.

“Nice try!”

“I know, right?” I bring my other hand up and pat his cheek.

“Dammit,” he laughs.

“Now we’re even.”

“Even? You’re the klutz who fell in the mud.” He lets go or my wrist and brings his hand up, pushing a loose strand of hair back out of my face. I drop my hand from his face and rest it on his shoulder. Logan steps in a little closer and the heat coming off of him is a hundred times more intense than the heat of this whole damn island.

He takes in a breath. It’s a simple gesture—a necessary one—yet with my hand on his shoulder, I feel every muscle moving under my fingers. I swallow hard, not sure if I’m going to be able to resist him for much longer.

I want him to kiss me as much as I don’t.

The breeze picks up, rattling through the bamboo around us. Logan rests his other hand on my waist. Looking into his eyes, I slowly run my hand down, splaying my fingers over his peck.

Damn him and his muscles.

And the way the faint scent of his cologne is mixing with the fresh scent of the forest.

“Are we lost?” I ask, voice coming out a faint whisper.

Logan widens his stance and presses his fingers into my skin. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“On what you consider lost.”

My lips curve into a smile. “Not knowing where we are.”

“Then yes, we’re lost.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Nah, I think we’re—oh, shit another spider!”

I jump forward, crashing into him. “That’s not funny!” He’s laughing, and brings his arms in, folding them around me. Warmth rushes through me, tingling my core and making me never want to move away from him.

“You do know spiders crawl all over you at night, right?”

I tip my head up. “I refuse to believe that.” My arms are smashed between my chest and Logan’s, and my muscles are twitching as I resist wrapping them around his torso. It’s been a while since I’ve snuggled or cuddled with anyone, and being close to Logan feels amazing right now.

But it’s more than that, and I know it.

“You eat them in your sleep too.”

“I have never in my life eaten a spider.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“I will. And I will believe it until the day I die.”

Logan chuckles, and the laughter rumbles his chest, which I’m still very much up against. My heart threatens to take over, but that traitor has led me down the path of disappointment and pain way too many times before.

That’s why I left.

And why I left is why I met Logan.

Maybe things do happen for a reason.

But I swore I’d listen to my head instead of my heart, though right now…right now my head can’t come up with a single reason not to give in. Not to tip my head up and lock eyes with Logan. To finally feel what those full lips would feel like against mine.

My heart hammers away in my chest, so fast I’m sure Logan can feel it. I can feel his gaze on me, and I know if I look up this will be it.

The moment our friendship changes forever.