“What?” I hadn’t expected that question.
He moved a step closer to me. “Your hand is shaking a little bit.”
I crossed my arms. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” His tone ceased oozing sex and switched to concern. “You never did respond to my texts, you know.”
“Oh, yeah. I—” I glanced to the clock on the microwave. It was almost eleven. “Whoa. I slept late this morning.”
“You’ve been sleeping this whole time?”
“Yeah.” A chill went through me as I remembered the nightmare. “I couldn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Because you’re alone?” He glanced around the place. “The team should be back. We had breakfast with them before we took off. Mason rode back with us.”
My heart sank. “My dad will probably…” Fuck it. “I have no idea where my dad is. He’s been absent the last year.”
His voice softened. “I know.”
“That’s right.” He would know. He drove me that one night. A sad laugh wrung itself out of me. I leaned back against the counter and held my coffee cup with both hands. That had been back when I knew he wouldn’t care. If I saw pity or judgment in his eyes, it wouldn’t cut me deep—not that I’d expected to see that from him.
Things were different now. There were feelings involved. What type of feelings, I had no idea, but they were there. The lines had blurred.
“If he comes home, it won’t be till late.” My chest burned. “And that’s if he comes home. He could stay out all night…somewhere else…” With someone else, someone who wasn’t my mother. The burning grew stronger.
“Okay.” Logan took the coffee cup from my hands.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he put it on the counter and took my hand.
He led me out of the kitchen. “Go to your bedroom.”
“Already?” I blurted, then cringed.
He gave me a smug smirk, but stopped at the stairs and pointed up. “Go up there.”
“And do what?”
“Change.”
I looked down. “My oversized sweater and yoga pants aren’t working for you?”
He shook his head. “Those are period clothes. I know a thing or two about females. That’s the stuff you put on when you’re feeling like shit.” He held his hands up, palms toward me. “Not that I’m saying you’re on your period, but—” He gestured to my face with a finger. “I can tell something’s wrong. So go up and change clothes.” He turned me around and urged me toward the steps with a gentle push.
“Where are we going?”
“Does it matter? We’re going to have fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah. Go.” He made a shooing motion. “I’ll be in the car waiting.”
And with that, the decision was made. Logan went outside to the car. I went upstairs to change.
A few minutes later, I stopped in front of the mirror before I went outside. I smoothed a hand down my form-fitting black shirt and jeans. My mother had bought this shirt for me. It was the last time we’d gone on a shopping spree together.
I sucked in my breath, expecting a wave of sadness. It didn’t come… Why didn’t it come? Logan was waiting for me. I didn’t have time to wonder. Releasing the breath, I held my head up and went out to the car.
We had sex.
We had fun.
That was it.
Why was this feeling like more?
ABANDONED ROLLER COASTER HAVEN
TAYLOR
I didn’t know what to expect, but the entire day was different—a good different. We went to a few different places, and he had the normal one-liners and pick-up jokes, but he was different, a little more withdrawn and a little quieter than normal. Every time we left a place, I expected him to take me home. But he never did. It was a movie first, then the arcade across the street, then Pete’s Pub for a meal, and by the time we left my place of employment, it was evening.
I considered asking him back to my house, but I didn’t, and he drove to an old part of town. We pulled up outside a large door, and he put the vehicle in park to text someone.
“What is this place?”
The walls were high. It was a gated entrance to something, but I couldn’t get any idea what was on the inside. I glanced around at the abandoned houses and saw one of the street signs. “Is this the old amusement park?”
Logan nodded, sending another text before putting his phone away. “Yep.”
“This place went bankrupt years ago. I remember coming here when I was kid.” I twisted back around, lingering over some of the houses. They were rotting. The front porches were half falling off. Paint had peeled off, replaced with graffiti. “I haven’t been back in so long. I knew this place went downhill, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”
“My dad saw this place last year and bought it.”
“Your dad?” I settled back in my seat. Logan wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was trained on the dashboard, and I had a faint sense that he wasn’t even in the vehicle.
“He came to buy me out of a sticky situation last year.”
My mouth went dry. “What happened?”
A dry laugh slipped from him before he glanced over at me. His eyes weren’t laughing. “I got the shit beat out of me, that’s what happened.”
“What?”
He moved a step closer to me. “Your hand is shaking a little bit.”
I crossed my arms. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” His tone ceased oozing sex and switched to concern. “You never did respond to my texts, you know.”
“Oh, yeah. I—” I glanced to the clock on the microwave. It was almost eleven. “Whoa. I slept late this morning.”
“You’ve been sleeping this whole time?”
“Yeah.” A chill went through me as I remembered the nightmare. “I couldn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Because you’re alone?” He glanced around the place. “The team should be back. We had breakfast with them before we took off. Mason rode back with us.”
My heart sank. “My dad will probably…” Fuck it. “I have no idea where my dad is. He’s been absent the last year.”
His voice softened. “I know.”
“That’s right.” He would know. He drove me that one night. A sad laugh wrung itself out of me. I leaned back against the counter and held my coffee cup with both hands. That had been back when I knew he wouldn’t care. If I saw pity or judgment in his eyes, it wouldn’t cut me deep—not that I’d expected to see that from him.
Things were different now. There were feelings involved. What type of feelings, I had no idea, but they were there. The lines had blurred.
“If he comes home, it won’t be till late.” My chest burned. “And that’s if he comes home. He could stay out all night…somewhere else…” With someone else, someone who wasn’t my mother. The burning grew stronger.
“Okay.” Logan took the coffee cup from my hands.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he put it on the counter and took my hand.
He led me out of the kitchen. “Go to your bedroom.”
“Already?” I blurted, then cringed.
He gave me a smug smirk, but stopped at the stairs and pointed up. “Go up there.”
“And do what?”
“Change.”
I looked down. “My oversized sweater and yoga pants aren’t working for you?”
He shook his head. “Those are period clothes. I know a thing or two about females. That’s the stuff you put on when you’re feeling like shit.” He held his hands up, palms toward me. “Not that I’m saying you’re on your period, but—” He gestured to my face with a finger. “I can tell something’s wrong. So go up and change clothes.” He turned me around and urged me toward the steps with a gentle push.
“Where are we going?”
“Does it matter? We’re going to have fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah. Go.” He made a shooing motion. “I’ll be in the car waiting.”
And with that, the decision was made. Logan went outside to the car. I went upstairs to change.
A few minutes later, I stopped in front of the mirror before I went outside. I smoothed a hand down my form-fitting black shirt and jeans. My mother had bought this shirt for me. It was the last time we’d gone on a shopping spree together.
I sucked in my breath, expecting a wave of sadness. It didn’t come… Why didn’t it come? Logan was waiting for me. I didn’t have time to wonder. Releasing the breath, I held my head up and went out to the car.
We had sex.
We had fun.
That was it.
Why was this feeling like more?
ABANDONED ROLLER COASTER HAVEN
TAYLOR
I didn’t know what to expect, but the entire day was different—a good different. We went to a few different places, and he had the normal one-liners and pick-up jokes, but he was different, a little more withdrawn and a little quieter than normal. Every time we left a place, I expected him to take me home. But he never did. It was a movie first, then the arcade across the street, then Pete’s Pub for a meal, and by the time we left my place of employment, it was evening.
I considered asking him back to my house, but I didn’t, and he drove to an old part of town. We pulled up outside a large door, and he put the vehicle in park to text someone.
“What is this place?”
The walls were high. It was a gated entrance to something, but I couldn’t get any idea what was on the inside. I glanced around at the abandoned houses and saw one of the street signs. “Is this the old amusement park?”
Logan nodded, sending another text before putting his phone away. “Yep.”
“This place went bankrupt years ago. I remember coming here when I was kid.” I twisted back around, lingering over some of the houses. They were rotting. The front porches were half falling off. Paint had peeled off, replaced with graffiti. “I haven’t been back in so long. I knew this place went downhill, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”
“My dad saw this place last year and bought it.”
“Your dad?” I settled back in my seat. Logan wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was trained on the dashboard, and I had a faint sense that he wasn’t even in the vehicle.
“He came to buy me out of a sticky situation last year.”
My mouth went dry. “What happened?”
A dry laugh slipped from him before he glanced over at me. His eyes weren’t laughing. “I got the shit beat out of me, that’s what happened.”
“What?”
