Mad Enough to Marry - By Christie Ridgway Page 0,29

soft. Private.

Elena scowled at him. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Instead of answering, he reached across the table with his napkin. '*You missed some sauce."

She snatched the paper square away before he could touch her mouth. ''I'm not a child."

His gaze on her Ups, he leaned back in his chair and sent her a lazy grin. "No kidding."

She balled the napkin and barely resisted throwing it at him, even as she tried to compose her face into

neutral lines. Why couldn't she handle herself more coolly around him? But she'd never been able to.

Eleven years ago, his first kiss had melted her, more, it had inflamed her. Several kisses later, she'd been so excited by his touch, so eager to know what came next in the ladder of sexual desire, that she'd been breathless when he'd sUd his hand beneath her shirt and then beneath her bra.

None of her grandmother's admonitions had pricked her conscience, not when there were long, strong fingers on her flesh and Logan's praise whispering in her ears.

Her sister's reentry into the room returned Elena's focus to the present. Gabby dropped back into her seat. 'Tyler's coming over for dessert," she announced.

The happy note in her Uttle sister's voice suddenly put Elena's nerves on edge. "Didn't you see him today at school?"

Gabby paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Sure I did."

"Don't you think that's enough togetherness for one day?"

Before Gabby could answer, Elena's watch alarm pinged. With a sigh, she pushed back her chair and got up to fetch her shoebox with the egg babies. Back at the dinner table, she pulled out her journal to note the date and time of the latest feeding.

"How are the twins doing?" Logan leaned across the table to peer into the shoebox. "Hey—" he fished out one of the eggs "—they have faces."

'*Be careful," Elena warned. *'That's one-third of my class grade you're holdmg."

He was inspecting the Kewpie-cute face painted on the surface of the egg. "Gabby, these are charming."

*'How'd you know it's my work?" she asked, obviously pleased.

*'Elena in Bed/' he answered.

Elena looked up, a bit miffed. "What? What about me and Fred-the-Egg are remotely alike?"

Grinning, he shrugged. **I don't know. Maybe if I slept with Fred, Fd have a good answer."

"You've never slept with me!" she exclaimed, snatching the egg out of his hand.

Gabby and Logan exchanged glances, then laughed. At Elena's expense. When she scowled at them, they laughed even harder.

"Have you forgotten where my painting of you is hung?" he finally got out.

In his bedroom. Directly opposite his bed. Feeling awkward and embarrassed, she bent her head and pretended intense concentration on the tending of her babies.

Logan continued consuming his massive portion of food. "When did you start painting?" he asked Gabby, spooning another helping of spaghetti onto his plate.

She shrugged. "I remember loving those water-color sets little kids get. You know, the ones made out of aluminum with squares of dry paint and tiny brushes."

Elena glanced up. "Before you were even old

enough for kindergarten, you painted a landscape on the closet door of our room," she said. **Mama was so mad, because she was afraid we'd lose the security deposit."

*'I can top that," Logan said, shaking his head. *'My grandfather gave me a beginning woodcarver's set. I carved my name in several pieces of heirloom furniture before my mom found out and took the tools away. I wasn't allowed to play outside with Griffin for two weeks and I had to go into work with my father on Saturdays and Sundays for a month."

**Ouch," Gabby said. **Did you get your wood-carver's set back?"

**I have no idea what happened to it," Logan replied, a faraway look on his face. '*! don't think I ever asked." Then he blinked and smiled at Gabby. **I don't know much about art, but I can say that from one person who works with his hands to another, you have a remarkable talent."

Her face turned pink. "Thanks," she said. "I love to paint."

"You love the idea of being a doctor," Elena automatically reminded her. "Don't ever forget that."

Two pairs of eyes turned on her, one blue, one brown. "They're not mutually exclusive," Gabby said, her voice tightening. "Can't you lighten up fcH" even a minute, Elena?"

"Not when it comes to your future," she replied. "Not when it's so important."

Gabby let out a long breath. "Okay. Fine." She

Stood up. "I think FU go over to Tyler's instead of having him come over here.'*

Elena frowned. '*Gabby..."

Her sister stiffened. ''Don't start with that