laptop from her limp hands and discarded it behind him on the couch. Then he tucked his fingers under her chin, tilting it toward him. He waited, prolonging the moment. He dipped his head closer, her sweet scent filling his lungs as he breathed in her essence. His mouth touched hers, sparking his senses as it always did. Warmth furled in his belly as he brushed his lips against hers, savoring her taste.
He closed his eyes and shut out the world, his mind reeling with sensations.
A hand pushed against his chest, forcing him back, tearing their lips apart.
“Logan…” Ellery’s chest heaved with rapid breaths. “I have something to tell you.”
An anchor dropped to the bottom of his abdomen. This couldn’t be good.
“What did I do? Whatever it is, I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything.”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes. His mouth went dry. They’d never had a fight before, but he knew what to do. He was ready. Finn had been giving him advice about women.
“I have chocolate,” he babbled. “Lots of it. Any kind you want. Milk or dark. Truffles. Soft centers. Nuts. I’ve got it all.”
Her nose wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”
“Chocolate,” he repeated. “Finn told me he always gives it to Laurie when he’s in trouble. Don’t you like chocolate?”
“No… I mean, yes, I like it… but you’re not in trouble.”
“I must’ve done something wrong. You stopped me in the middle of a kiss.” He racked his brain. Had he insulted her? “Is it my breath? I brushed my teeth after dinner—”
“Logan, I stopped you because we can’t kiss anymore.”
“What?” He stared at her, hoping what she’d said would somehow change. “We can’t kiss? But why?”
“Because I think it’s time to take a step back.”
“You can step anywhere you like, and I’ll go with you.”
“We need to step apart.” She let out a long, slow breath like steam from a kettle. Her lips pressed together in a hard line. “I think we should date other people.”
Her words socked him in the chest.
“Why? Have you met someone?”
“No.”
Was she telling the truth? She’d never lied to him. At least, not that he knew of.
“Then why? Why break up? Am I still too awkward?”
“No. No. No.” She pounded her palms against her forehead. “There’s nothing wrong with you. But I said from day one this was temporary. I said we had to stay friends. And you agreed.”
“That was a lot of five-minute kisses ago.” He gripped the edge of the couch seat. Every breath sent a knife into his lungs. “Didn’t that mean anything to you? Anything at all?”
What was he doing, whining like a wimp? He’d done that before. When Allegra dumped him, he’d fallen to pieces.
Not this time. He grasped for a thread of anger, seized it and willed it to grow. I’ll never let a woman destroy my life again. If Ellery can turn off her feelings like this, she’s not the woman I thought she was.
“Do you care about me or not?” he demanded.
“I do, but—”
“Either you want to be with me or you don’t. It’s that simple.” He glared, holding onto his fury. “Make a choice.”
He watched as indecision flashed across her face. At last, her spine went as stiff as her jaw.
“You’re the one who doesn’t know what he wants.”
“I know what I want. I’ve never wavered.”
“Not yet, you haven’t.” She pushed to her feet and paced in front of him. “Because you haven’t seen another couch.”
He stared, trying to make sense of her words. “What?”
“You have to try other couches. Look at all their features. Do you like the recliners? The built-in chargers? Leather? Cloth?”
“I like leather.” He had no idea what she was talking about.
“Then get off your rear and go shopping.” She flung an arm toward the door. “Go to a showroom and sit on every one. Give it some real thought before you make a commitment. You can’t keep trading out couches every time a new one comes along.”
Whatever she was trying to communicate, she was passionate about it.
“You don’t like this couch?”
“Arghh!” She grabbed two handfuls of her hair at the scalp. “I’m talking about women! You need to date other women. To compare.”
“I don’t know any other women.”
“Exactly!” She threw her hands in the air. “You know two women. You lost Allegra and settled for me.”
“That’s not true.” He gritted his teeth so hard the enamel squeaked.
“Oh, yeah?” Her arms folded across her chest. “Prove it.”
“How am I supposed to do that? You don’t believe anything I say.”
“Call her.