Nathan threw a smile over his shoulder at her as they descended the stairs. It always got to her that he was such a morning person. For the first twenty minutes after she woke up it was a good idea if no one spoke to her. She hesitated on the stairs; she could hear two voices down in the kitchen, two male voices. If she could hear them she realized Logan would be able to sense her stopping on the stairs, she was going to have to work on being around someone else with such keen senses.
“Logan what are you doing here?” Nathan asked as he chuckled. “You do realize it isn’t past eleven yet.”
Logan grunted behind his newspaper.
Scott turned around from the stove and smiled at the two of them. “Logan’s helping me move the firewood hut closer and work on the fences.”
Nathan joked, “What a samaritan.”
“Least I could do since his son can do jack all,” Logan spoke behind his paper.
Nathan smiled as he took a seat. “I love the way you show your love for me through teasing.”
“Nathan,” Scott interrupted. “Eat your breakfast.”
Rogue slid into the seat opposite Logan who still had the paper raised in front of his face. By some means, she knew his stare was continuing on past the paper and into her. An electric heat passed between them, she could feel it calling her and she tried to clamp it shut, ignoring the smell of pine and cigar that wafted up from him, along with musk. She’d never taken the time to really analyze Nathan’s scent; just that somehow it had smelled familiar, Logan’s went beyond that.
“Morning, Sam,” Scott spoke as he laid her plate in front of her.
“Morning,” she replied back quietly smiling at him.
She looked down at her plate and found her eyes fixated on it. It was exactly how she liked everything. Not even Nathan had ever made her breakfast so he couldn’t have told his father. Her bacon was crisp and almost burnt just how she always liked it since she could remember. Gazing at everyone else’s plates, she noticed they had fried eggs but she never much cared for them and instead her plate had scrambled eggs. Brown bread was placed neatly on the side while everyone else had white.
“Something wrong?” Scott asked innocently.
“No,” she added quickly, her head coming back up. “Nothing, its fine thanks.”
There was the rustle of the paper as Logan placed it beside him and Nathan picked it up. She didn’t have to look across the table to know Logan was looking at her. Slowly, she met his eyes and found them widening in shock, her breath escaping her. He had shaved since she last saw him. His hair trimmed and his cheeks not exactly smooth but with the hint of a shadow. He was even more handsome then she had originally guessed. She found herself holding her hands under the table trying to ignore the instinct to reach out and run her hands through his hair. She was seriously beginning to wonder what was wrong with her, her libido was out of control and she knew he could sense it.
He smirked at her and reached for his coffee. Carefully she reached for her fork and started to eat her eggs, she realized she didn’t have much to be embarrassed about, he seemed just as interested in her as she was him, maybe not visibly but she could sense the spike in his scent when he was around her. Did this mean she had really known him before or was she just reacting like any woman would when around such a man, she figured he didn’t have trouble getting woman into his bed. But the question was, what was it about her that made him so interested?
“Morning,” he spoke suddenly, his voice calm and velvet like.
She looked up at him. “Good morning.”
He gave her a brazen smile. “I just wanted to say sorry for last night, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or if I scared you…” he paused as if he knew without out a doubt that perhaps he had of made her uncomfortable but at no point had she been scared. “Anyways, it was just that…”
She interrupted him not waiting to hear whatever lame excuse he and Scott had come up with. “It’s alright.”
He sat back.
“Really?”
“Really,” she murmured, scooting her feet as far back as she could behind her chair, well aware that he had his legs sprawled out under the table.
One eyebrow rose up as he looked at her, her forehead creased as she took in the action; she already knew it was a trademark of his, she could tell he used it in more ways then one, the simple action and she felt her body flare with attention.
“You normally accosted by men like that when you meet them the first time?”
“Only since I’ve been here, there isn’t another neighbour around that I should prepare myself for,” she quipped not even realizing it until the words were out.
And he did the one thing she hadn’t expected, he laughed out loud, a big laugh that warmed her up and traveled down to her toes. It was such a contradiction for a man of his dark appearance to have such an inviting laugh. Although she supposed maybe he didn’t laugh like that much, Nathan was staring at him oddly over the paper; she quickly realized she had totally forgotten he was sitting with them.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Whatever you say, darlin’.”
She hissed as she found herself quietly gasping for air. She remembered the guard calling her darlin’ and how it had oddly ticked at her but right now with Logan in front of her, it felt ten times more powerful, the way he dragged it out, the way it was filled with affection, it was suddenly too much. She didn’t understand the difference between the man in front of her and the guard back at the facility. It was just a word.
The skin underneath her knuckles started to itch again. She dropped her fork and pulled her hands back. She was well aware of how intently Logan was looking at her now, the laughter gone and replaced with a serious gaze. She didn’t miss the look that passed between Scott and him, no matter how quick they made it. She stood up abruptly her chair skidding back.
“Are you alright?” Nathan asked in concern.
“Fine,” she muttered. “Just going to use the bathroom.”
She walked away feeling a pair of hazel eyes burn into her back, she realized that maybe she wasn’t up for their games.
Reaching the bathroom, she quickly turned the cold water on and ran her knuckles under the tap. What was it about that man that had her so wound up she wondered. They’d barely even had a conversation and yet she felt like they’d already had many just by being in each other’s presence, just from his eyes. It was stupid she thought; this was all impossible. He wasn’t as charming as Nathan; he wasn’t outgoing or particularly friendly. He just seemed to like to push her buttons and more then that he enjoyed it. And yet, she realized as she gazed up at her reflection in the mirror she somehow felt like she knew everything about him.