Shh!

by Stacey Nash

  “Will do,” Logan said.

  Back outside, Logan tugged open the Corolla’s back door and leaned inside. Looks like he’s actually planned something. I’d assumed we’d go to a restaurant … but this felt almost romantic. He backed out of the car and in his hand Logan held a blanket plus a small backpack.

  “Want me to take that?” I asked.

  He bumped the door closed with his delicious rear end. “All good.”

  Hanging the bag over his shoulder, Logan shoved the blanket under his arm, balanced the pizza box on his palm and took my hand in his other one once again.

  Across the road was a park I’d never really visited. Parks were something that didn’t make a lot of sense for me these days. The lack of Wi-Fi made it no use to students who spent every waking moment in study time.

  Logan led us across the road and onto the lush green grass that almost sponged underfoot it was so soft. The air smelled fresh and clean, like pine and grass clippings, and I drew in a long breath. We walked so far in that I could barely make out the surrounding roads. It was tranquil and quiet, as if we weren’t in town at all, but rather at a beautiful landscaped garden on private property. Or maybe Sydney’s Botanic Gardens less the people, since we were the only ones about. We stopped under a giant pine tree and Logan released my hand then passed me the pizza. An entirely different smell filled my nose, and made my tummy grumble.

  He laid out the blanket and plopped the bag in a corner, then retrieved the pizza from me and gestured to the rug. “Dinner, my lady.”

  “You’re such a gentleman.” Smiling, I lowered myself onto the ground.

  Logan sat beside me and laid the pizza between us, flicking open the box. It smelled divine and I had no idea how he knew what I liked, but it was ham and pineapple. My mouth watered as I reached for a slice.

  A loud pop echoed through the air. I turned to Logan in time to see champagne flowing from the bottle he held onto the grass.

  “I’ve always sucked at that.” He poured the sparkling liquid into two glasses that no doubt came in his backpack.

  “Good thing you’re not planning a career in bartending.”

  “I dunno. I could apply sociology to handling drunks.”

  I laughed as I took a slice of pizza. Turned out it was just as good as it smelled. It was Mozzarella’s, after all. Staff-in-training or not, they did make the best pizza in town. “Really?” I asked. “What’s a degree in socio worth anyway?”

  “Are you asking what I want to be when I grow up?” Logan half-smiled. “I want to work in schools or for a government organisation. Somewhere I can use my psychology degree to help people.” He scooped up a slice and doubled it over, biting into the gooey cheese, which oozed out the side.

  “Pysch?”

  “Surprised?”

  “A little … I always assumed you were doing … I can’t believe I never asked.”

  He made short work of another slice of pizza, and took a sip of bubbles. We both concentrated on eating for a while. I took a sip of my drink. The sparkling wine went straight to my head, making it a little light. I set the glass down.

  “I hear pysch’s a full-on degree.”

  “It’s not too bad,” he said. “I do all right.”

  “Just all right?”

  “High-distinction average.”

  Good lord. I didn’t mean to ask about his grades. Heat flooded my cheeks, drowned the tips of my ears.

  “You …” He tapped me on the nose. “… have no idea what I do when we’re not together. I could study my guts out, for all you know.”

  The finger still resting on my nose trailed down the side of my cheek, over the curve of my jaw and cupped my face. Logan leaned forward and claimed my mouth again, his lips crushing into mine, his tongue sweeping over them and into my mouth. He kissed me like he had this morning, with as much need, as if I could stop him imploding. I sure felt like that was the way I was headed. My ears no longer burned. Instead, the fierce heat spread through my body and I wanted him closer, needed him closer.

  As if we were of one thought, Logan shoved the pizza box away and pulled me toward him. I scooted across the soft blanket, my chest crashing into his solid mass. Logan planted a hand on the ground and gently pushed me onto my back with the force of his kiss. His hand was now by my head as he hovered above me. His tongue explored every part of my mouth, sweeping across my lips, my teeth, my tongue, exploding a need deep inside me I hadn’t felt in months. There was a tingling in my tummy that drew from someplace lower and deeper.

  I trailed burning fingers from his shoulders up into his soft hair, tangling them in its length, and I tugged him down until his weight rested against me, his hard chest pushed against the too-thick fabric of my dress and his knee planted between my thighs.

  Logan’s kisses grew softer, but I held him close with my hand at the back of his neck. I’d waited so long that I wasn’t about to let him get away now. He groaned into my mouth and his lips moved, sliding over mine to place a gentle kiss on the corner of my mouth.

  “Public place,” he growled.

  I tipped my head back and despite his declaration, his mouth moved over my cheek, his tongue gliding along my jaw. Sweet kisses dropped in its wake. Playing kids be damned—they should all be home in bed by now anyway. The daylight was pretty well gone. My back arched, my breasts ached even though they couldn’t possibly be pressed closer. Logan’s warm breath skated over my ear.

  “I could get used to this.”

  “Uh-huh,” I moaned. Me too.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  It was Wednesday before I even entertained the thought of talking to my parents and even then, it was only because Logan convinced me that it was better to get it over and done with than wait until the issue had been blown into something huger than what it was. Of course, it was huge already, and I didn’t think he truly got that, but he was right. Putting it off only made me stress about actually doing it. So, if I just bit the bullet and talked to them, hopefully I could put it behind me and the stress would be less intense.

  I pulled my hands through my loose hair and yanked it up into a ponytail. I could do this.

  “Liv, it’s okay,” Logan said from his position on my bed with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out in front of him. “I’ll be here the whole time.”

  It still felt weird having him in my room when I’d refused to admit him so often before. Things had changed though and I hoped he’d be here often, so I tried to smile at him then glanced at my phone. There had been exactly thirty-two text messages and four missed calls since I’d hung up on my mother on Monday.

  I briefly entertained the idea of sending a text instead, but that would only lead to her calling me, and it was better to do this when I was ready. I took a deep breath in through my nose and firmed my resolve. Then I tapped on my mother’s number and held my phone to my ear. She picked up on the second ring.

  “Olivia.” Her voice was terse. “How dare you ignore my messages? I am one day away from booking a flight up there. Don’t think I won’t, young lady.”

  If anyone could make me feel like I was twelve years old again, it was my mother. I turned my back on Logan so he wouldn’t see the guilt on my face. Best to make this quick. I’d do it like tearing off a Band-Aid—once it was done quickly, I could hang up.

  “I failed Torts and got a credit in constitution.”

  She exhaled down the line. “What about the other subjects?”

  “They’re year-long.”

  Logan’s hands slid around me, and he pulled me back against him, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me tight as he trailed soft kisses across my shoulder. My mind reeled into a nothingness, my concentration solely on the feel of his lips against my skin. His touch sure was a welcome distraction, muddled thoughts and all.

  “You’re an embarrassment, Olivia. Ella Parry said … no. I know this is because of that boy. You listen to me, young lady, stop wasting your time dilly-dallying around wi
th him, and get yourself back in control of this mess before it’s too late to fix. If you don’t improve your grades, we will cut you off. There’ll be no more money to support your partying, do you hear me?”

  I flinched as if I were standing in front of her with those dark eyes of hers searing my soul and making me feel two feet tall. In an effort to stop the tears coming, I clenched my teeth and said, “I’m not partying, and there is no guy distracting me. Logan—” I clamped my mouth shut before I said too much. How did she know about Logan anyway? I’d never told her who the messages where from over the break. Ella’s mum … I swear there were no secrets.

  His sweet kisses stopped and he squeezed me tighter, holding me together with his strength.

  “I expect better results at the end of the year.” The phone was still at my ear, but the line went dead. If it weren’t for Logan’s arms around me, I think I would have collapsed under the weight of failure.

  ****

  The next few weeks were pure bliss. I never would have thought that saying ‘walking on cloud nine’ was actually possible. But every time I saw Logan or even thought of him there was a bigger bounce in my step, and something felt like it floated inside of me. I’d managed to avoid any sleepovers and even though I knew I couldn’t put it off forever, for now I was happy to cruise along as we were. It was hard to maintain control around him, but with the thought of Logan experiencing my sleep disorder firsthand, I managed.

  We’d made it to the finals in hockey and as I shoved my shin pads in my socks and positioned them, I felt ready. This was the grand final and we’d made it, despite the team’s earlier issues, and I wasn’t surprised in the least that Evan’s Hall was the team facing us.

  I tossed Logan a smile and took my position in the centre of the field. The umpire asked me, heads or tails. “Heads,” I yelled as she flipped a coin in the air. She caught it in her palm and a grin spread across her face as she called, “Heads.”

  “We’ll take the first hit.”

  The game moved slowly at first, neither team achieving much at all, just wearing both our sides out as the play continually changed from one direction to the other. I had our best players on the field, but no matter what we did, we couldn’t seem to pull away from them long enough to score a single goal.

  When the countdown clock read 4:00 in the second half of the game, things changed in our favour. The score was 0:1 our way, and their response times seemed to be slowing. I dribbled the ball along the left wing, running as fast as I could. Both teams ran behind me, but their captain, the same girl from the now infamous ‘Orgasmic Olivia’ game, made a wide run down the field and she was almost in front of me when she yelled, “Hey Dean. I see you snagged Logan Hays. You must have something the rest of us don’t, ’cause god only knows a ton of girls have tried to tie him down.” The laugh that burst from her could only be described as a cackle. “Must be the master debate.”

  I put my head down, and continued dribbling the ball, all the way out. Then I sprinted past my heckler, the goal circle in sight.

  “… guess he likes to watch a girl get herself off.”

  I fumbled. The ball slipped from the safety of my stick.

  It’s not worth it.

  Logan’s words about Ella’s bitchy retorts blazed in my mind and I swung the flat side of my hockey stick around, using the end like a hook to snag the ball back into my play. I was inside the circle and their goalie feinted from side to side, her bulky gear making her look like a rocking marshmallow. And that’s exactly what she was; something that was slow and soft and I could totally get this ball past her. With a high swing of my hockey stick, I slammed it against the hard ball, which glided across the astro-turf in a straight line. The goalie dove to the side, but she was too slow. The ball slipped past her fingers and slammed against the back of the goal.

  The buzzer sounded and suddenly my teammates surrounded me, all squealing and shouting and holding their sticks in the air.

  We did it.

  We’d won the grand final, and boy it felt good. Adrenaline pounded through me, making my head buzz.

  I caught Logan’s gaze and he held his hands above his head in a slow clap while he grinned. Good lord, I was lucky to have such an awesome guy in my life. After shaking each of my opponents’ hands, I was left with the heckler, and I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to be a good sport despite her nasty scowl. I moved toward her, my hand extended and she grasped it, giving a quick shake. She dropped it just as quickly, but I didn’t care. I ran to the sidelines, my duties over. Logan met me at the gate, and I threw my arms around his neck, relishing in the moment as he pulled me against his firm body.

  “Congrats, Liv.” He nuzzled into my neck. Then he pulled back and planted a solid kiss on my lips.

  My life was almost perfect.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  With the hockey season over, it was only a matter of weeks before netball started up. I wasn’t too keen about that as it had never been a sport I’d loved, but I was the team captain last year and needed to reclaim my place. That meant I only had two Saturdays free from sport, and Logan had organised something special for this one. Not that he’d tell me where we were going or what we were doing—it was a huge surprise.

  We drove through town in companionable silence. With every turn he took, I tried to guess where we were headed, but Logan just tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music pouring out of the speakers. Clearly, he enjoyed my every incorrect attempt.

  We drove all the way to the other side of town, past the Berry Best, and through the roundabout that lead out onto the highway, at which point he pulled the car to the right and headed north. Scrunching my brows, I couldn’t figure it out. There was nothing out here but the wide open plains filled with sheep farms. When we reached the second roundabout he took the exit back into town and I was completely baffled. We’d come full circle after a little scenic drive on the bypass. Logan chuckled, amused with his game.

  As we pulled into his driveway I said, “What? This isn’t special. It’s just … just …”

  “My place?” He grinned. “I had to make it a little fun.”

  “You’re so crazy.” I rolled my eyes, and that only made him laugh harder.

  Logan jumped out of the car, but I’d be damned if I was moving my butt out of here. He’d promised fun, and I liked his little brother. Hanging out with Jordan would be enjoyable, but I’d built my hopes up for an adventure like our trip to the falls, and now I felt a little miffed. He could deliver on his promise, darn it.

  Logan went inside without me. Well, that backfired. He’d called my bluff, and must have decided I could sit in the car. Too bad I was more stubborn than him. I shuffled until I was diagonal in the seat, kicked my feet up onto the dash, crossed them at the ankles, and scooched down with my shoulder pressed against the door, smirking. It was warm enough in the sun to take a nap.

  The door fell from underneath me.

  I righted myself just before I toppled out and Logan laughed then grabbed my hand. Feigning annoyance, I crossed both arms over my chest and raised my chin. It was a fight to keep from smiling. But then an arm pushed under my legs, another behind my back and Logan lifted me out of the Corolla. I squealed as he spun around and kicked the car door closed. Holding a straighter face than I could manage, Logan said, “You can either come willingly or I’ll carry you.”

  “This isn’t so bad.” I snuggled in, resting my head against his firm chest.

  Logan didn’t move toward the front door as I’d assumed. Instead he started walking up the street with me cradled in his arms, like a bride being carried across a threshold. Just as I figured out his house wasn’t our destination, the world turned upside-down and I found myself dangling over his shoulder with his arm hooked behind my knees to anchor me in place. I squealed because holy hell, surely he was going to drop me. The ground looked so close it felt as if I might slip fair over his shoulder at any second.

  “Sure you don’t
want to walk, Butterfingers?”

  Pinching my smile between my teeth, I said, “Nope. I’m good.”

  My body started sliding down Logan’s back and I squealed again. Gosh, I was beginning to sound like a ten-year-old. My hands clamped onto his tight rear to stop my headfirst descent into the ground. I might have enjoyed the feel of his round muscles a little too much. So it was a while before I yelled, “Put me down!”

  Logan laughed even harder as he did some manoeuvre that had me slipping off his shoulder from the side while his arm slid from behind my legs to my waist and he set me on my feet.

  With my heart racing so fast it made me lightheaded, I asked, “So, this is your big adventure, huh?”

  “Yup.” Logan put his arm around my waist and slid his hand into the back pocket of my jeans, effectively cupping my butt cheek as I did to his earlier. He gave no futher explanation, instead we fell into silence for a few minutes. “You going to miss hockey?”

  “Maybe … though, I won’t have much of a chance, since netball season’s about to start.”

  “I don’t get why you play; you said once before that you didn’t like it. Doesn’t make any sense to spend so much time on something that doesn’t make you feel good.”

  I pulled away from him and shoved my hands in my jacket pockets. “I wouldn’t say hockey doesn’t make me feel good. I like it …” I stared at the street ahead, wondering where this walk would take us. “When I’m on the field I feel alive, and like I can be whatever I want. There are no rules about how to behave or talk, or even who to be. It’s kind of liberating.”

  “Sounds like you do enjoy it.”

  We walked along the street and it was so quiet it almost felt abandoned, except for the occasional passing car. Maybe Logan was right. I’d never really stopped to think past the responsibility of captaining the team and the fact that it was yet another thing that dragged on my time while I ensured people liked me. But being on the field was good, and I really did like the way fighting for my team felt.