Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,289

like I do Kacen. He never made my heart skip a beat just from entering a room. It never felt like bolts of electricity flowing through my veins when he touched me.

That only happens with Kacen.

I’m in love with him.

“Logan, do you want to go lie down?” he asks.

“No, Kacen, I’m fine, really. I just couldn’t stop coughing,” I reassure him.

He cups my face in both hands and stares into my eyes. He must see what he’s looking for as he finally relents. “Okay, you all ready to get started?” he asks, releasing me.

“Yep, we’ll see you down there,” Gavin says. The three of them leave us alone.

“Come here, you,” Kacen says, pulling me back against his chest. “I know I just acted like an ass and completely overreacted, but your face was red and you were gasping and couldn’t stop coughing. Everyone was just standing around and . . . Fuck!” He pulls out a chair and sits down, pulling me between his legs. His head rests against my belly. I run my fingers through his hair. We stand like that until he gets himself under control.

“That’s a first for me. I’ve never flipped out like that over . . . Logan.” He lifts his head and pulls my hand from his hair to rest over his heart. “You own me. I’m offering you everything I have to give.”

“Kacen—”

“Shhh. Don’t say anything. I just needed you to know.” He pulls my hands to his lips, kissing each one, and then stands. He doesn’t say anything else as he leads me down the steps to the studio.

If I had not already realized that I loved him, that last little speech would have pushed me over the ledge.

Chapter 35

Kacen

Last night sucked ass! After I laid my heart at her feet, the guys and I tried to write. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I seriously thought something bad was wrong with her and flipped my shit. Who does that? She basically had a fucking tickle in her throat. Yes, that’s how she’s referring to it now. I lost my shit when I thought she was hurting. That is most definitely a first.

We listened to the rhythm Cole worked out the night before and then we called it quits. I apologized that I just wasn’t feeling it. They know me well enough to know why. We decided they would all stay and maybe we could hit the ground running first thing tomorrow morning. We usually don’t work in the mornings, but then we don’t usually call it a night by ten o’clock either.

To make matters worse, I slept alone. Unlike the night before when I held her in my arms all night. She went to her room and I went to mine. This made my already bad mood even worse. I’m fucking gone for this girl.

So, here I am at six in the damn morning, crawling out of bed. I slept maybe two hours. I kept waking up and reaching for her. Instead of lying in bed awake, I decide to go for a run, something I’ve not done much of lately. I need to add that back into my daily routine, especially since I’m up early anyway waiting for Logan.

When I get to the bottom of the stairs, I see the light is on in Logan’s office. My feet carry me that way with the hope she’s up too. I stop and gently knock against the doorframe.

“Shit!” she screams as she jumps in her chair. “You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing up?” she asks.

I will never lie to her. “I missed you. I kept reaching for you, but you weren’t there. I couldn’t get back to sleep. What are you doing up?” I counter.

She bites her bottom lip. “I couldn’t sleep,” she says, her voice barely a whisper.

I step into the room. “Why couldn’t you sleep?”

Those big brown eyes pull me in. “I missed you,” she replies.

Finally! I fight hard not to grin. I feel like I’m making a breakthrough. I walk around her desk and kneel beside her chair, resting my hand on her leg. “You should have come to me, or called or texted or sent a fucking carrier pigeon. You could have yelled for me, and I would have been there,” I say emphatically.

She reaches out and places her hand on my cheek. She’s initiating contact, another breakthrough that has my heart pounding in my chest. “I didn’t want to wake