Mad Enough to Marry - By Christie Ridgway Page 0,25

pulled out the keys with a triumphant flourish. **Never mind."

His steady regard didn't let up as she unlocked, then opened the door. '*You worry me," he said.

She was in the process of swinging it shut in his

face because getting inside and getting away from him seemed like a good idea. ' 'What?''

'*You worry me."

*'I don't need anyone worrying about me," Elena responded automatically, despite experiencing a marshmallow softening in her chest. She was the chief worrier, after all, and always had been. "I don't want anyone worrying about me."

His eyebrows rose. *'Such a stubborn chin," he said, tapping the edge of her jaw with his fist. *'Be careful of having a hard head too."

Elena frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

He sighed. "I wonder if that's true."

She didn't like game-playing and that's what it felt like Logan was doing. "If you have something to say, just spill it."

"All right." He straightened. "Don't you remember what it felt like to fall in love?"

Elena's stomach somersaulted. "What kind of conversation is this?"

"One I'm afraid to let you avoid."

It sounded like one conversation Elena didn't want her sister walking in on without warning as well. She gritted her teeth, recalculating the price of living in such close proximity with Logan. Judging by the determined expression on his face, it was a price that would only go up if she tried to run away from him now. Grimacing, she held the door open. "Coffee?"

He stepped inside. "I don't want anything."

She slid him, a look. "Except to keep me up nights."

That brought a smile to his eyes. Golden eyes. Warm. Elena experienced that traitorous softening again and she found a wall to brace herself against.

'*! asked if you remember falling in love, Elena."

Her gaze shifted away from his. ''That's a very personal question, Logan."

**You think? Even when I was there?"

At that, she had to look back at him, but then she couldn't look away. "Quite an assumption." Instead of sounding cool and detached, the words came out stiff and false.

'That night—"

"You promised we wouldn't talk about that night!"

"—^we fell in love." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "You and me, Elena. Can you deny it?"

Neither of them had ev^ affirmed it before—at least not aloud, not to each other. Her mouth dried and she was glad of the supporting wall behind her. "That was a long time ago, Logan. We were young."

He nodded shortly. "As I said before, you were too young."

But despite how long ago it was and despite how much more cynical she was now, her memories of her feehngs that night were crystal-clear. New to Strawberry Bay, she'd gone to a party with a girl from the apartment building next door and the girl's group of friends, all of them seniors at the local CathoHc high school.

There had been dozens of cars outside a big home in Logan's part of town. Several students from Straw-

berry Bay High had attended the party too, including one tall and—to her starry eyes, anyway—suave Logan Chase. He'd found her standing in a comer and charmed her with talk and then dancing and then they'd found an isolated spot in the darkened backyard.

Remembering that, a blush, fierce and hot, rose on her face.

*'It was hormones." She sounded hoarse.

He laughed.

Already embarrassed by the situation and those memories, the sound jabbed her, right where she felt raw and tender. Her temper flared, and without thinking she flew at him—^to push him out, to slap him, who knew? He caught her by the shoulders, then slid his hands down to imprison her wrists.

She glared up at him, her body thrumming with anger, her breathing fast and shallow. "Let go of me.

His face was hard and set, all good humor, any kind of humor, had vanished. "Pretending it was something else won't make it less true, Elena. Neither will being angry with me."

She wanted to deny her anger, but it was too late for that. "Nobody falls in love like that," she said instead. "Nobody falls in love that quickly."

"I knew the instant I saw you. L..recognized you, even though we'd never met."

She wrenched from his grasp and half turned away from him. "I don't know why you bring it up now. That was years ago."

**You know exactly why Fm bringing it up. Because I don't think you should belittle or underestimate what Gabby and Tyler might feel for each other."

*'You don't know them."

"You're right." His voice was soft. "But how about you? Are you so sure you know what's