From her heavy-lidded eyes, Lacy had expected him to drag her upstairs and let the games begin again. He was sorely tempted.
Logan lowered the back of the truck and slid the chaise out. It wasn’t that heavy. Lacy helped him guide it down then held on to the light end, leading him to her door and up the stairs to her apartment.
He’d been in her place once before three years earlier, when he, Tyson, Joel, Walt, and Evan had helped her move in. He had spent the day lugging furniture, placing it here, there, and then back to here as she directed their movements and changed her mind every five seconds. Logan hadn’t been back since.
Once she opened the door to her apartment, he followed her in and whistled. Damn. The place had been nothing more than white walls and a few hand-me-down pieces of furniture last time.
“You like it?” she asked, setting the chaise down just inside the door. He followed suit, letting his gaze travel around the space. Logan knew she had an eye for decorating and a knack for taking someone else’s trash and uncovering hidden treasures. But seeing all her efforts put together like this…
“It’s beautiful, Lace. So homey.”
Her apartment looked like the kind of place where a man could come home, kick off his work boots and sink into the comfy couch with a beer. He could spend hours just looking around at all the cool pieces she’d found. While he knew most of the decorations in the place were flea market and yard sale castoffs, everything worked together. More than that, it looked damned elegant.
Lacy was clearly pleased by his praise. “Thanks. You know, if you ever want to redesign your showroom, I’d be happy to help.”
“Is that your subtle way of telling me the place looks like hell?”
“Well…”
He chuckled. “I’d love your help. Keep intending to work on it, but I never manage to shift around more than a couple pieces before I get overwhelmed and give up.”
“I was thinking that if you added some funky artwork to the walls and maybe set it up like a house layout, it would show off your furniture better. Plus, I could add a few vases, knick-knacks, stuff like that, to add some color and some visual interest. I think it would make the whole place pop.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’d really like that.”
“Awesome. I’ll come by next week on my day off and we can draw up a layout. And then I’ll start hitting the sales looking for the pieces I’m envisioning. It won’t cost much. Promise.”
“Money’s not an issue. I suspect the investment will be worth it in the long run.”
“And you’d be helping me out too.”
“How’s that?”
She grinned as she waved around the room. “I’m sort of at maximum capacity for crap in here. This way I can still fuel my bargain-shopping addiction without crowding up my apartment.”
“I see. Speaking of, where’s this going?” he asked, pointing at the chaise. There didn’t seem to be a spot for it in the living room.
“My bedroom.”
Of course.
Logan blew out a long sigh. “Listen, Lace. I think?—”
She stepped closer and placed her finger over his mouth. “You promised me three times.” She smelled like flowers and French fries; the combination was ridiculously appealing.
“We need to be practical about this.”
“Okay. So be practical. You said Jane wasn’t an issue. Is that true?”
He nodded though he wasn’t sure that answer was entirely accurate. While he wasn’t still hung up on his ex, he was struggling with the fallout, trying to find a way back to normal.
“And what do you think Evan would say if he found out?”
Logan knew the answer to that. “He wouldn’t say anything. He’d beat the shit out of me very quietly.”
“You’re best friends, Logan. He loves you like a brother. What makes you think he’d disapprove of us as a couple? Is it the age difference?”
He shook his head. “No. It has nothing to do with your age. We’re both consenting adults.”