Coming Alive: Welcome to Carson, Book One

by Renee Harless

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Sure, it is. Come on. Nikki’s tied up and I know you want to celebrate. There’s a great place right up the road.” Holding out his hands in mock-surrender, he continues, “Completely harmless, I swear.”

  The adorable pleading look he gives her is her down fall. Avery doesn’t think anyone could say no to that face.

  “Alright. I’ll go with you.”

  “Awesome,” he says as he moves toward the parking lot. Avery following closely behind like a lost puppy.

  He stops at a beautiful bike and she excitedly looks around, hoping that he isn’t yanking her chain.

  “Is this yours?” she asks gleefully.

  “Yep, I ride her whenever we have nice days like today. I only have the one helmet so I’ll let you wear it.”

  Avery claps her hands excitedly as she walks around the parameter of the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S. It is white with black and chrome accents, beautiful in every way. And boy does the bike fit the man. As he straddles the bike, igniting the engine, Avery gazes at him in awe. Logan puts all those bad boys in romance novels to shame.

  It’s quite tragic, really, that she can’t act on her attraction to him.

  I am my own grim reaper. Taking the lives of those I love, she repeats in her head.

  Avery takes the proffered helmet from Logan’s hand and climbs onto the back of his bike. Her form fitted pencil skirt slides towards her waist, revealing most of her thighs as she wedges herself onto the seat. She gently reaches around Logan’s body, trying not to awkwardly molest him, but he takes his hands and tightens her arms around his waist. Avery can feel his deep inhale as she presses herself closer to him.

  “Ready?” he asks as he revs the engine.

  Avery nods, uttering a breathless, “Yep,” and clings tighter as they take off.

  HAVING AVERY’S THIGHS PRESSED against his own and her body tightly resting along his back is one of the best feelings in the world. When she wrapped her arms around his waist, he couldn’t help but hitch his breath on his intake of air. She was either going to be his worst undoing… or his life’s antidote. Logan could already tell she was going to be important. He had this pull toward her that he couldn’t explain, and couldn’t help acting on - even though he knows he shouldn’t. He was no good for her. And from the empty look in her eyes – a look of someone that has been through hell - Logan knew that she was going to be a complication. And he doesn’t need any complications.

  But for now, in this moment, he can enjoy her. Hell, any man would enjoy a beautiful woman pressed against him.

  Logan takes the road slowly, more cautiously than normal since he isn’t wearing a helmet, and revels in the feel of her body and the rumble of the engine. The bike comes to a stop outside a fifty’s era diner, located just off the main road. He dismounts and his hands have a mind of their own, because soon he’s grabbing Avery by the waist and lifting her off the bike. It takes all of his strength not to tug her skirt higher on her thighs, exposing more of the soft, pale skin.

  They stroll casually into the diner and he waves at Ethel, who’s manning the register behind the counter. After they take their seats, Ethel makes her way over to them and places the laminated menus on the table.

  “Hiya, Dr. Chamberlin. How goes it?”

  “Fine, Ethel. This is our new medical assistant, Avery. I’m sure you’ll be seeing her around.”

  Avery and Ethel exchange greetings before both turn to glance at him.

  “I’ll take a water and your loaded big-bubba burger.”

  “That sounds great. I’ll have the same,” Avery says.

  “How old are you?” Logan asks abruptly, as Ethel turns to walk away.

  She is startled from a brief reverie and says, “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Just a simple question. I’m trying to get to know our new employee.”

  “Oh, I’m twenty-four. You?”

  “Twenty-nine. Favorite color?”

  “Green.”

  “Me too.” He grins, “I know you’re from the same town as Melanie, did you grow up there?”

  She simply shakes her head before taking a sip of water from the cup Ethel placed on the table.

  “Outside Atlanta.”

  “Any boyfriend, girlfriend, husband?” Logan inquires, trying to get to the nitty-gritty.

  A hushed, “No,” escapes between her lips as she continues to stare down into her drink.

  “So, what brings you to our small town then?”

  At his simple question, she completely shuts down. He can see all signs of life completely drain from her eyes and face… in a word, she looks numb.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. And really, can we just finish our burgers then head to the apartment?”

  Faking a yawn, she feigns exhaustion as an explanation for her attitude.

  Whatever. I don’t need to deal with some girl’s problems anyway. Even if said girl makes me feel things I hadn’t felt in years.

  Ethel drops the burger-filled plates on the table and the two eat in an uncomfortable silence. Every so often, Logan lifts his eyes to meet hers. She offers a small smile, trying to patch the heavy feeling they’ve let settle over them.

  Finishing his lunch, he leans back in the seat and patiently waits for Avery to finish eating. She really is stunning. Even after her outburst, Logan would still be willing to slide himself right into her smart mouth. He shakes his head at the vision he has created in his head. Logan can tell through her morose appearance that home is a touchy subject with her. He figures for the sake of his working environment, he need to make things right.

  “Avery?” Logan starts and she looks up at him, large blue eyes questioning. “I’m sorry I upset you. I’d like for us to get along, friends even, since we’ll be working together.”

  The most beautiful smile in the world glides across her succulent lips and Logan can feel his heartbeat quicken. All is right with the world.

  Yep, I’ll deal with all of her problems if she’ll smile at me like this every day.

  “Thank you, I’d really like that. To be friends, I mean.”

  His mouth has become significantly drier after watching her speak and he has to lick his lips before he continues, but as his tongue settles back inside his mouth. Logan sees Avery’s eyes dilate and her cheeks redden.

  Interesting.

  “Friends it is. Are you ready to go home?”

  “Yea, I guess so,” she says wistfully, hesitantly moving out of the booth to stand next to him at the head of the table.

  Placing his hand on her elbow, Logan tries to ignore the sizzle of awareness as he guides her out of the diner’s door.

  The ride back to her apartment is much quicker than he had hoped. Her body pressed against his sends delightful sparks racing through his nerves.

  As she hands him back his helmet, Logan can’t help staring at her as she glides her hands through her hair, unweaving it from its elegant up-do. Her head is tilted to the side as she fixes her wayward strands, eyes closed, lips pursed, and the sun beaming behind her. She looks like an angel. Logan finds that he has to adjust himself on the seat in the hopes she won’t notice the effect she’s having on him.

  “Thanks for the ride,” she says, her attention back on him, eyes scanning his face.

  “You’re welcome. Do you want me to leave you my number in case you need another ride?”

  Shuffling her feet timidly, she tucks some loose strands of hair behind her ear before gazing at him behind her long lashes.

  “I don’t have a phone, but I was going to go purchase a new car this afternoon.”

  No phone? Who doesn’t have a phone?

  “Ok well, if you need me, just use Nikki’s phone I guess.”

  Strapping the helmet back onto his head, Logan instantly regrets the deep breath he takes. His helmet is engulfed in her sweet floral scent. It must be from her shampoo.

  “Well, see you later, Avery,” Logan hollers as
he turns the engine.

  “Bye,” she says, her mouth moving as if she wanted to say more but stopped herself.

  Back at the office, Logan finds himself distracted by thoughts of Avery while he’s busy seeing the remainder of his patients.

  Logan’s past is the reason why he doesn’t trust women - or really anyone for that matter - but she wants him to be her friend… and all he wants to do is sink deep inside her. Sex with Avery would be explosive; their chemistry is volatile just when they’re in the same room together.

  But friends?

  That’s just something he hasn’t done with a woman. They throw themselves at him and he willingly accepts, none of this mental foreplay that a friendship seems to require.

  Logan releases a sigh as he opens the folder and views the symptoms for his next patient. All he can think about is her smile. Not her rocking body, not her lush tits and ass, no. Her smile, and that just infuriates him more.

  Friends?

  Yeah, for her, he’ll take whatever he can get. Something about Avery makes him feel more than he has felt in years. She seeps into his bones, filling the empty crevices of his heart.

  Logan’s phone vibrates in his jacket as he exits the room where he was treating a little boy with a sinus infection. Fishing it out of his pocket, he peeks at the caller ID and sees Austin is on the line.

  “Hey, man.”

  “Hey, Logan. Do you want to go bowling tonight?” he asks hopefully.

  “Bowling?”

  “Yea, this chick I met said she’ll be there with some friends tonight.”

  Logan chuckles into the phone, having already figured there had to be a good reason why Austin wanted to go bowling. To Austin – chicks are a good reason.

  “Sure that sounds good. What time?”

  “Seven, I think.”

  “Alright, meet you there.”

  Glancing at the clock, he realizes he has about an hour and a half before he needs to meet Austin. Logan hastily grabs his helmet and rushes out the office doors, charging his way home.

  Walking into the bungalow he rents from Al, Logan chucks his keys into the small bowl on the hallway table and moseys down the hall to his bedroom. The house is bigger than what he needs, but it was available and Al gave him a heck of a deal in return for some handiwork on the place. It’s a four bedroom, two and a half bath, 1940’s craftsman, desperately in need of a complete overhaul. It’s been a long process as he has slowly worked to finish his projects, but at last all that remains are the full guest bathroom and the hardwood floors both upstairs and down. Logan had planned on simply refinishing them, but there was too much water damage after a previous tenant let the washing machine overflow. He makes a mental note to finish laying the hardwoods this weekend.

  Stripping off his work clothes, he twists his shower knobs hoping to wash away his thoughts of Avery as Logan focuses on the group of girls he and Austin are going to meet. The water cools too quickly and he’s forced to shorten his cleansing.

  Tugging on a pair of jeans and a short sleeve Henley-style shirt, Logan slides on some shoes before grabbing his keys and a bottle of water and heading out the door. He slides into the BMW, anxious to meet a potential bed-warmer, and heads speedily towards his destination.

  The bowling alley is fairly full when he arrives and he searches the lanes for his friend. Austin’s Viking stature is usually a dead giveaway, but he is nowhere to be found, at least from Logan’s view. As Logan turns on his heels to head to the food counter, he sees Austin duck out of the door leading to the men’s bathroom.

  “Hey, man,” Austin shouts from a distance.

  Logan meets him halfway and shakes his hand in a friendly gesture.

  "Hey, Austin. Did you see the girl that dragged you and me here?"

  "Yea, she's over in lane ten," he adds sheepishly.

  Logan’s gaze scans the room until he land on lane ten and he immediately bursts in obnoxious laughter.

  "I know, I know," Austin adds shamefacedly, looking down at the ground.

  "Dude, she's like barely eighteen and here with her family."

  "Well, I didn't know that when I overheard her."

  "Obviously."

  "Do you still want to play?"

  "I'm here, might as well. I could go for beer and some pizza, and maybe some nachos, too."

  They exchange their shoes, order a few pitchers of beer and head to their designated lane. Neither of them has played since they were younger, so they’re definitely rusty at first, but a couple rounds and a few beers in, they get the hang of it.

  It's Austin's turn at the lane, and while he waits, Logan occupies himself watching a rowdy group of cowboys farther down the room enjoying themselves with their ladies. That's when he feels it - that inexplicable pull, that prickling that travels down his neck and out through his toes, causing the baby fine hairs on his body to stand on end.

  Thinking that the air conditioning in the building has clicked onto full blast, he glances up, but quickly realize that the AC isn't the reason for the chill as sweat drips off of his brow and Austin's. Logan scans the room, beginning with the cowboys, and works his way towards the entrance. He shakes his head to clear himself of the sensation, but it does little good. Logan had just begun thinking that he’s imagining the feeling, but then suddenly he sees her. She is standing at the front desk, exchanging worn black Chuck Taylors for ill-fitted bowling shoes. Her soft, satiny hair flows in glorious waves down her back, stopping right above the waist of her perfectly-fitted jeans. Enraptured, he can't help but continue to stare in her direction as her petite blonde friend, whom he realizes is Nikki, says something to make her chuckle. The movement causing the waves in her hair to bounce against her back, like a ripple in motion.

  "Your turn," Austin announces, slapping him on the shoulder to garner his attention.

  "Huh? Oh, yeah. My turn," Logan replies, but makes little effort to move from his seat,completely captivated by the new arrival.

  "I see what has your attention. Damn."

  "Back off," he growls as he stands up and marches over to where Avery stands, struggling to tie her shoes.

  "Want me to get those?" Logan asks, his voice a bit huskier than he had planned.

  At his question, she turns her head towards his voice and sets her mesmerizing eyes on him, a growing smile gracing her face when she finds him and not a stranger.

  "No thanks, I'm almost done. Broken three shoe strings already," she chuckles as she commences her tying.

  When her task is complete, she stands quickly and allows her gaze to travel his body, the penetration scalding his skin.

  "Hi, Logan. What are you doing here?" she asks, returning her eyes to his.

  "Hey, Avery. My friend Austin and I have a lane over there," he says, pointing in the general direction, "If you and Nikki want to join us."

  "You sure?"

  "Yep," he replies, tucking her hair behind her right ear. "Friends can bowl together, right?"

  The question is posed as Logan looks into her eyes, watching the small black pupils dilate, the response causing his heart to pound.

  Not waiting for an answer, he takes her hand and calls over his shoulder, "Hey, Nikki, you and Avery are going to play with us."

  Logan can't help but secretly rejoice when Avery doesn't remove her hand from his grasp. If anything, she squeezes his hand a bit tighter as they walk toward the lane. Logan gazes down at her and smiles when she peeks up at him.

  When they arrive at the lane he and Austin claimed as their own, Austin looks at him questioningly, his gaze bouncing between Avery and their intertwined hands.

  "Austin, this is Avery. She just moved here and is working as a medical assistant at my practice."

  Nikki joins them moments later and as Logan makes the introductions between her and Austin, he can see the spark of interest between the two. He isn’t sure how they haven’t met prior to this point, especially since they were all together the other night. But now that he thinks about
it, they would make a great match; his calmness complimenting her quirkiness.

  As Logan resets the game to include their two new players, Avery comes to stand beside him.

  "I've never bowled before," she whispers in his ear, her sweet breath floating across his nose.

  It takes all his strength to maintain his position at the kiosk and not cart her off to the bathroom to take his fill.

  "You'll be fine. It's an easy game and I can help you, if you want."

  "That'd be great. I don't want to make a fool of myself."

  Looking at her, listening to her shaky voice, Logan murmurs, "You couldn't be a fool, even if you tried. Come on, you're up first."

  Logan begins by showing Avery how to hold the ball, then line up her wrist with the arrows on the lane when she releases. She mimics the walk he demonstrated a few times before trying to release the ball on her first round.

  On her first try, she gets a strike.

  She jumps into his arms, completely exhilarated, while the rest of them stand stock-still, mouths agape in shock.

  It takes him a few breathless seconds, but Logan quickly wraps her in his arms as her excitement seeps into him.

  "You did great, Avery. Are you sure you haven't played before?" he asks as she slides away from his arms.

  "No, never. I can't believe I got them all. I never expected that to happen."

  "Well, you're a natural then. Congratulations on your first strike. Now we get to celebrate!"

  Austin hands around cups of beer to celebrate Avery's score and they drink them in gusto before resuming the game.

  They all acquire a few spares and strikes, the girls sharing another pitcher of beer to celebrate while he and Austin switch to water.

  After the fourth game, Nikki and Austin can't seem to keep their hands off of each other.

  "Looks like they're having a good time," Logan jokes to Avery, waggling his brows.

  She laughs and smacks him lightly on the arm. He grabs her hand at its removal and he places it gently between his two significantly larger ones.

  "I don't think your ride is going back with you tonight. You want me to take you?"

  She glances in Nikki's direction, finds her in a close embrace with Austin, and nods her head.