Logan Chapter 103

-Emory-

I can feel Logan’s mental state becoming… sneaky? I really do try to give him as much privacy as I can, and we’ve both found that keeping ourselves busy with our own things helps us stay out of each other’s business when necessary. It’s a little bit like having a radio station playing in the background all the time. You stop noticing it after a while, but when you slow down or something shocking is said, you tune back in. I know I’ve been driving Logan crazy with the songs that get stuck in my head- he’s not a fan of country music- so we’ve both been very productive when we’re not together.

Most of the time, I like being able to stay far enough apart to do things in separate rooms of the pack house. We get to have the “How was your day” conversation just like any other couple would, and it’s charmingly domestic. I suppose it might be less so once we’ve been together a little longer. Times like this, however, I can feel that he’s up to something that he doesn’t want me to know about and I’d rather be glued to his side to keep the both of us out of trouble.

I get the feeling that Logan and Landon grew up a little bit feral, or that they’ve been just the two of them at the top of the heap long enough that they’ve stopped remembering what it was like to have to run things by someone else in the household. I’m a new addition to their dynamic, and we’re all getting used to things, still. Especially now that my family has gone back home and we’re suddenly realizing that this is what it’ll be like here most of the time- just the three of us bouncing off of each other as we keep the pack running as smoothly as possible. That’s my goal, anyway. Landon seems to be craving some kind of excitement- good or bad- at all times. He can end up stirring a pot that needs to be left alone. He’s almost like a little kid in some ways and I wonder if that’s how he’ll always be or if he just needs someone to help him grow up.

I decide to put a pin in my discussion with the cooks- they really are coming along pretty well, Nanette will be pleased- and find Logan to see what he’s up to. It could be anything from a present for me to sexual shenanigans. I try to “feel” for where I think he is, but I haven’t gotten a firm enough grip on the telepathy to be able to reliably locate him yet. It feels like something that will come with time, though. I wander through the pack house room to room, absent-mindedly thinking about things I might change when I feel like I have a second to spare. He’s not on the first floor, which is where I was, so I head up the stairs. I realize he’s in his home office up here and I hesitate a little. I try to let him have his privacy in his office even more than anywhere else in the house. His business is his own, and I don’t want to stick my nose into things I wouldn’t understand anyway.

You’re always welcome anywhere I am, Emory. You belong in here just as much as I do. Logan noticed me loitering outside the door. Or he felt me looking for him. Same result, either way. I walk in and see him leaned back in his chair, feet propped on his desk, tossing a baseball up in the air as he ponders. He looks like any bored executive portrayed in the movies. I take a quick minute to trace my eyes over his sharp jawline with a slight shadow from his stubble, how his biceps pull at his sleeves while he tosses the ball from one hand to the other. He acts like he doesn’t notice me noticing his body, but he’s always pleased that I like what I see. I can never decide how I feel when I’m under his perusal, and I admire his confidence to let me just stare at him as much as I admire his physique. He’s trying to think of anything other than what he wants to think about, trying to preserve whatever the surprise for me is.

I resign myself to letting him keep his secrets and decide to help him out. “I didn’t know you played baseball.” I lean back against the edge of his desk, weathering his returning stare. I feel my cheeks heating as I try to keep from hiding or preening under his gaze, but I know he notices my nipples hardening and smells my arousal.

“That’s progress, little rose. I wasn’t in your mind when we first met, but I didn’t have to be to see you hiding.” He grabs my hand and kisses the tips of my fingers. “But no, I didn’t really play baseball. Kids will always set up games together and play casually. Landon and I were pretty good because it was physical, but we couldn’t play against other teams or anything for obvious reasons. There was always a kid with a hair-trigger temper and weaker control over his wolf that had to be accounted for if there was a close call on who was out, or whatever.” I tried to imagine that- a comparatively tiny Logan and Landon, running the bases and getting into shouting matches with other kids until one of them became a pup. It’s a charming thought, honestly.

“I guess I’ll have to get used to the thought of our future kids exploding into fur when we have to discipline them. How do you put a wolf pup in time out?” I smile at Logan when he chuckles.

“It’s about the same, honestly. Baby gates work either way, and baby proofing is both easier and harder. We have elders we can ask for advice, when the time comes.” I can feel him latching onto the subject. “We haven’t talked much about kids up to now. I can tell you want them. Do you have a number in mind?”

I hum for a moment as I think about it for what feels like the first time. “I always wanted a lot of kids, growing up. I grew up with three siblings, and it felt like we split off into duos most of the time. I feel like we would’ve done just as well with a couple more little siblings. It especially makes sense if we’re going to be living longer than humans would. We have way longer to raise a whole pack of kids. Ha, no pun intended.” Logan rolls his eyes at the last bit.

“So lots of kids? I wouldn’t mind keeping you pregnant for a while, mate.” He flattens a hand against my belly, and I feel my heart flutter at the gesture.

“I’m not so sure anymore. I feel like I’m better equipped for human babies. I think we should see how the first one or two do before we decide to have a ton of them. And I don’t know about staying pregnant for a long time, either. We have time to space them out a bit. Give me some time to recover in between.” I pat his hand before I kiss the top of his head. “I guess you’re not going to tell me what you’re trying so hard not to think about?” I get a flash of the guys- he must’ve been plotting something with them. “It better not be another of Deek’s idiot schemes. Please tell me you at least ran it by James before deciding to go with whatever you’re doing. Seems like he’s the brain of y’all’s operation.” Logan scoffs and takes his hand off me as he stands from his chair.

“Of course we talked to James. He tweaked things a little bit, but he thinks it’s a sound idea. I just want it to be a surprise for you. I think you’ll like it better that way.” He kisses my cheek and escapes to go distract himself with something else so I can’t interrogate him enough to break his carefully concentrated mental dodging.

I guess it is one of Deek’s idiot schemes. I don’t have a good feeling about this at all.