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rensahannouTitle: Beautiful, Unusual (The Prettiest Thing) - Part 3/6
Disclaimer: Not my boys, although I kind of love them like they were.
Pairings/Characters: James/Logan
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~5,300 this part (in total over 25,000)
Warnings (overall): language, crossdressing, slight angst
Summary: Logan likes doctors and scientists and smart people, but what he really likes is girls—so that's what James is going to give him.
Previous chapters: Part 1
Author's Notes: Written for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
palmwoods Harvestfest. This...kind of got away from me. I wanted to post it all at once but there is still a bit of adding/editing left to do; the full fic should be posted by the end of the week.
Also after I wrote this and re-read the prompt I realized I may have taken it in a different direction than desired? But I'm still really happy with how it's turned out. Oh, and I'll also be writing a side-story to show what Kendall & Carlos were up to the whole time. :)
The title, of course, comes from "Time of Our Life," which became the official theme for this story after the first time I paid attention to the lyrics. So thanks for that, Logan ;)
And forever thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shisou_eimin for her help with this ♥♥♥
Prompt: (#25) "James/Logan: Halloween. James sets out to seduce Logan. He dresses up as a girl with some sort of costume that includes a mask and a way to hide his masculinity (i.e. gorgeous muscles). He plays the part perfectly and wins Logan over, discovering in the process that it's not just his looks that make him amazing--he has a lot to offer personality-wise, too, when he lets down his diva wall. What happens when Logan realizes it's James is up to you, it doesn't even have to be a happy ending (though that would be nice). Bonus points for James trying to sound smart and dancing with Logan (and not awkwardly like in BTProm), and Logan feeling bad for James for being such a "tall" girl."
----
Part 3
Meeting Carlos while in costume had been kind of fun for James. Aside from getting slightly upset at Carlos and Kendall both wearing pirate costumes, it was a bit of a thrill seeing his familiar friend treating him like a complete stranger. And making a fool of himself in the process, but as anyone who actually knew Carlos would, James had found it endearing in a weird way.
Meeting Logan, on the other hand, had nearly given James a heart attack.
For one, well. It was Logan. The whole reason James was going to all of this trouble. And there was so much riding on the meeting; if Logan recognized him all of his hard work, his sacrifice, his discomfort wearing these clothes, would all be for nothing. (Though there was a tiny part of James that was almost hoping Logan would be able to tell it was him, because the idea of Logan being able to see through any disguise, to see James no matter what, was sort of…romantic?)
Then there was the way Logan was dressed. Camille hadn't said anything to James about Logan's possible costumes, although obviously she had come prepared for two different choices. James thought it was highly unfair of her to keep high-risk information like that to herself, but of course he couldn't tell her that because he'd have to tell her why it was a problem.
It was a problem because Logan was really fucking hot in his sheriff's costume. With his cowboy hat, and his vest and his black slacks and his boots and that long coat, kind of like the one James was wearing but black instead of a dusty tan color. And a hip holster like James's, too, though the gun had been hidden. Unfortunately.
The way Logan was dressed reminded James of their duel a year ago, except Logan was even hotter this time.
Luckily Logan had started talking to Camille as soon as he walked up, giving James time to get over his initial reaction of Oh fuck it's Logan oh God look how hot he is what if he knows it's me oh shit oh shit oh shit fuck he looks good and respond like a relatively normal human being when Logan finally looked at him.
He even did his voice right. Camille had been insisting for like the past week and a half that whenever they were together for their 'rehearsals,' James was only allowed to talk like a girl. He'd gotten pretty damn good at it, if he did say so himself. And even if he didn't, the fact that Logan didn't seem at all weirded out by his voice showed how good he was.
James had another internal freak-out moment when Camille pinned the star to Logan's coat. Because Logan was a sheriff, and James was a bandit-outlaw-whatever, and did they have handcuffs in the Old West? Did they have pat-downs? Camille had seemed to tell Logan they weren't planning any sort of robbery that evening but James was pretty willing to stage a heist if it meant Logan would chase him down and push him up against a wall and rough him up all authoritatively.
…But that was a very unsafe train of thought when James was supposed to be focusing on the Logan in front of him and not the Logan of his fantasies, so he tried to jump back into the conversation by blurting out something that sounded remotely relevant and earning a grin from Logan for it.
And then, and then, Camille had gone and offered James—Jade—up for a dance and wow that was rather suspicious of her, but like hell James was going to turn it down so whatever. Agreeing to it had gotten him something he'd been wanting from Logan for what felt like forever: that crooked, flirty, faintly cocky grin he'd been perfecting ever since they arrived in L.A. and that he used exclusively on girls.
It made everything up to that point—even the pain of getting his damn eyebrows plucked—more than worth it. James was glad he had a bandana over his mouth because he gaped for a second at Logan before grinning like the silly girl he was for the evening, overwhelmed by the butterflies in his stomach and the tingles going down his spine and the general light-headedness he felt at the prospect of getting to spend more time with Logan, and maybe getting some more of those smiles.
——
"Well that went well," Camille said after Logan had walked away.
"It did," James agreed. "I can't believe none of them could tell."
"Oh, you doubt my skills?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Never," James replied solemnly, shaking his head. "But I mean…well, if anyone would be able to tell…"
"Exactly. We've gotten the worst over with. I think you'll be fine with any guy in here. It's the girls we have to watch out for, but you probably aren't here to flirt with them anyway, are you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Camille," James said, hoping he sounded believable.
"Oh sure," she told him with a wink. "Well, dancing with Logan shouldn't be too traumatic, and that'll get you used to it so you can dance with whoever you want after that. You can't hang around me all night, you know."
James let out a silent sigh of relief that Camille hadn't seen completely through him. "Trying to get rid of me already?"
"No, but you should mingle. You've passed the first, and worst, test! Get out there and have some fun, Jade." She winked again, and then stepped away, seeming to melt into the crowd.
After a brief moment of panic that his safety net was running away from him, James realized this was a good thing. It meant he didn't need to come up with an excuse to get away from Camille so he could talk to Logan some more.
But he had to be casual about this. He had to let Logan know he was interested without seeming pushy or like a crazed fangirl or anything. He had to be subtle but amazing. Understated but alluring. He had to let Logan realize he was everything Logan could want; had to be so perfect that it wouldn't matter whether he was a girl or a guy.
This was a lot to live up to, but he was James Diamond, and he had all night to make Logan his.
——
"Hey."
James recognized the voice but had to pretend he didn't, looking up and faking surprise to see Logan standing close by. "Oh, hi," he said with a smile that Logan couldn't even see. "Logan, right?"
"Yeah," Logan answered, smiling back. "Are you all on your own now?"
"Just taking a break." James was sitting—in a very lady-like manner—in one of the chairs he had helped set up along the walls of the room earlier in the day. He'd picked a spot close to Logan in hopes of attracting his attention, and had obviously been successful. While sitting there James had also been dodging glances from some other guys who so obviously wanted to come talk to him, but none of them ever did. The cowards. "You can keep me company if you want…as long as you're not here to arrest me," James added with a wink.
Logan chuckled. "I haven't seen any evidence of criminal behavior yet, but I won't be letting my guard down," he said, expression mock-stern.
"I'll be on my best behavior, Sheriff." James didn't put the suggestive emphasis in the statement he would've liked to, because he was supposed to be easing into this whole seduction thing.
"See that you are." Logan's face broke into a smile before he sat in the chair next to James.
"Did you ever find your friend?" James asked, knowing as he did it was about the stupidest thing he could've done. Plus it made him feel guilty, because although he hadn't technically lied to Logan—he was, after all, hanging out with him at the party—Logan thought that James was being a lying jerk and that sucked. But it was also the only thing he could really reference from their earlier conversation, and showing he'd been listening was good, right?
"No," Logan answered with a distinctive huff. "Jerk. I finally texted him and he hasn't even answered, he's probably—whatever, you don't want to hear about that. Oh, right, um, I know Camille kind of forced you into agreeing to that dance with me, but uh, really, if you don't want to, don't feel obligated or anything."
"Hmm, sounds like you're the one who's trying to get out of it," James said, tilting his head daintily at Logan.
"What! Oh, no, it's nothing like that!" Logan rushed to say, a blush starting to color his face. James grinned; a flustered Logan was always a cute Logan. "No, I'm, I'm looking forward to it, I just…don't want you to feel pressured or anything. I mean, we just met…"
"What better way to get to know someone than with a dance?" James was pretty sure that was an indirect quote from some movie or something, but even if it was he totally had an excuse with being a drama major and all.
"Well, call me old-fashioned," Logan began, and there was that smile again and if James didn't need to keep this stupid—not stupid, never stupid, cool—bandana on he would be kissing Logan right this instant, "but I'm a fan of just talking."
James had to stop a smart-ass remark as it was forming. "Well then, let's 'just talk,'" he said instead. He wasn't really sure how to have a conversation with someone you'd known most of your life while pretending to be meeting them for the first time, but that was one of those things he'd figured he could improvise. Now was the chance to prove that theory.
"Ooookay," Logan said, nodding a little, his cowboy hat bobbing up and down with the movement. James wanted to take it off; as much as he liked the look of it, it blocked Logan's eyes and James didn't like that at all. "So, you said Camille has told you stuff about me and my friends? But I hardly know anything about you. Are you from Connecticut too?"
"Yes," James told him, trying to remember the whole story he and Camille had come up with. "I'm a freshman right now at a local college; drama major."
"Oh, cool! I had heard you liked acting, but I didn't know you were studying it in school. Is that hard?"
"It can be," James admitted. He might not really be a drama major, but he did have acting experience. He was gaining more of it as he spoke. "I'm not as good as Camille is, which is why she's already out here in Hollywood, living her dream."
"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself," Logan said, leaning back to give James a smile. "I'm sure you're great. Plus, there's nothing wrong with going to college before starting your career. Education is important."
James smirked, but his tone was impressed, with a flirty edge. "Says the future doctor."
Logan beamed at that, which was funny because it was something James would have said anyway and not gotten nearly that reaction. Hearing it from a stranger, or maybe hearing it from a girl, apparently turned it into something special for Logan. It made James happy and sad at the same time.
"It doesn't matter what you want to do in life, Jade," Logan said, and James's heart did a funny skipping thing at hearing him use the name, "education is still important."
"That's what my mom says." That was true, too; James's mom did say that. She usually meant 'education in the ways of running a company' but the specifics weren't important. "But that doesn't mean it's not hard. I've always had trouble in school. I don't mind learning things for new roles, that can be kind of fun, but math? Science? No thank you."
"Hey, those are my favorite subjects," Logan said, teasing.
"That figures. Camille said you were a genius."
"Well." And that tone was embarrassment. Which was also new, because with the guys Logan was often the first to mention his intelligence.
"Although," James said, cutting off Logan's stuttering attempts to complete another sentence, "if I actually understood them maybe I would like them better. It's hard to like things that just confuse you."
What the hell was James saying? Admitting how dumb he was was not the way to win Logan over! James wanted to be himself, yeah, but he'd prefer to only show the good parts. Or maybe he should have like, memorized a fucking poem or something so he could recite it and sound smart. What if he could text Camille and—no, he couldn't, because he'd left his phone at her place. It was too risky to have it on him at the party.
"Oh I don't know about that," Logan said, interrupting James's silent self-berating. When James glanced at him, Logan had a thoughtful look on his face.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…there have been things, or…people that confuse me, but I like them anyway. Sometimes a lot."
"What could possibly confuse you?" Okay that might have come out a tad more sarcastic than James intended. Logan probably meant Camille or something, and now James was wishing he just hadn't asked.
"A lot of things confuse me, Jade," Logan said, giving James a half-smile. "Math and science are two of the few that don't."
"And that's why you like them so much." James wasn't losing this without a fight.
Logan laughed softly. "Okay, so maybe you have a point there. Hey, do you want something to drink? Or eat? I can go get us some snacks."
"Um—" James stopped himself just in time. He couldn't have anything to eat or drink around Logan, because he had to keep his bandana mask in place. Dammit, and he was thirsty, too. "Not right now? I'm good. Thank you, though."
"Okay, just checking," Logan said with another smile. "So then, how have you been liking—"
"Hey there party-goers," a voice said, cutting through the music and halting Logan mid-sentence, "I know we've been keeping things pretty upbeat so far but I had a request from a lovely young lady who said if I didn't do as she asked she had no problems robbing womenfolk, so in the interest of not being held at gunpoint I'm gonna play a slower song for you guys right now. Enjoy it while it lasts!"
James fought down his laugh so that the only thing that escaped was a light chuckle that he hopefully passed off as feminine. Logan was laughing too, though, so he might not have noticed either way. "Your cousin is a little crazy," he said, shaking his head.
"It runs in the family," James said with pride he didn't have to fake. "I guess that's our cue?"
"Only, um, like I said, only if you want to."
"And I said I did," James told him, standing up to face Logan even knowing how tall it would make him seem. He held out his hand, hoping the fingerless leather glove was doing its job and Logan didn't think his hand looked too manly. Camille had also been making James grow out his nails for the past several weeks, and had filed and painted them that afternoon. (Fake nails, she said, wouldn't have been in-character—not for Jade, but rather for the cowgirl bandit he was dressed as.) He was going to have to remember to take the color off tomorrow. "Dance with me, Logan."
"If you're sure." Logan took James's hand, smiling that damn flirty smile again and James had to restrain himself from pulling Logan all the way in and staring at his eyes and touching his face and—
"I'm sure. Don't worry."
Logan took the lead and James let him, ignoring that nervous feeling he was getting and absolutely refusing to remember the last time he and Logan had danced together and how horrible it had been. Tonight would be better. Well, it would be hard for it to be worse, but James had to make it better. He would, too.
* * * * *
After making the party rounds, saying hi to many of the guests, and finally convincing himself that no, James was nowhere around, Logan had given in and tried to text his liar of a friend. He waited for a reply that never came, and was on his way out of the room to find a quiet place to call and vent his frustration via voice mail when he'd spotted Camille's cousin sitting by herself along a wall.
It had bothered him, her sitting alone like that, and so Logan had thought Screw James, I'm talking to a pretty girl tonight and headed over to say hi.
Logan didn't know what he had been expecting from Jade, but it wasn't what he found. He was, generally speaking, good with girls nowadays; he didn't have Kendall's effortless charm or James's attitude and smoldering good looks, but he definitely ranked way above Carlos in the interacting-with-girls department.
But there was something…different about Jade. Something easy, and not in an insulting dirty way but in a way that made Logan feel like he wasn't even trying to have a nice conversation even though he knew he had to be, because Logan always had to try when he talked to girls.
Less so with Camille, though, so he figured it had something to do with them being related. There was definitely an air of familiarity to Jade, though Logan's initial interactions with Camille had been nothing like this. And his current level of casual, natural camaraderie with Camille was the result of them knowing each other for so long and being through so much, relationship-wise. So it didn't exactly explain what was going on with Jade, unless it was just because she was good with people, and there was that underlying connection to something familiar that made it easier for Logan to relax around her?
Whatever, he was overthinking it. He liked talking to the girl, she was pretty, she seemed to be flirting with him, and she wanted to dance with him. What the hell did he need to worry about? That would just ruin things before they even went anywhere.
Not that they really could go anywhere, since she was only in for the weekend. Although…not to quote Kendall or anything, but there was some sort of opportunity he'd be missing if he didn't make the most of tonight, right?
When Jade stood up to convince Logan to join her on the dance floor, and Logan looked up into those weirdly familiar eyes—which was kind of strange because Camille's eyes were a completely different color, but maybe it was something else that was familiar about them—he realized that even when Kendall wasn't around to give speeches he was still usually right.
——
Logan had been afraid it would be awkward dancing with Jade because of their height difference. That was mainly the reason he had been hesitant; he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
Okay, okay, so he also didn't want to relive that particular part of prom night any more than necessary, when he'd felt utterly ridiculous dancing with James.
That had mostly been James's fault, though. If he had just relaxed and stopped acting like he hated being there…
There were a lot of things about prom, actually, that Logan preferred to not think about.
Anyway, his fears were unfounded. The only thing slightly awkward about it was their costumes; they were both wearing long coats so it took some adjusting to find comfortable hand placements. And Logan's hat was in the way; it seemed he wasn't the only one who thought so when Jade took it off of him and placed it lightly on her own head. He looked up at her, smiling but surprised.
"I couldn't see you," she said, as they started to move to the music. It wasn't a super-slow song, but it was slow enough that they could talk.
He grinned, although he could feel his face heat up. "And now I can barely see you, between the hat and the bandana."
"Then the disguise is working. Concealing your identity is always important when staging a robbery."
"Oh? Camille said you two weren't working tonight. Gonna tell me your secret plans?"
"Nope, don't think I will," Jade said, something mischievous in what little Logan could see of her expression.
"Oh come on." Logan tried to stay stern but his smile was breaking through. "It's two against one, I don't even get a hint?"
"I think a genius sheriff such as yourself doesn't need one," Jade countered. "But maybe…maybe later I might decide to give you one. We'll see."
Logan ducked his head to grin, momentarily unable to think up a comeback. Instead he focused on the music and the feel of Jade under his hands; how she let him guide them around the floor. And as much as he didn't want to think about James, or prom, he couldn't help but make a comparison. James had been so stiff and jerky, refusing to allow Logan to take the lead but not taking it himself either, so they ended up as two people dancing individually—and poorly—while joined together.
With Jade, though, they were moving together, flowing with the music. Logan wasn't the best dancer, and he got the feeling his partner was way better than she was letting on, since Logan was doing the leading. But he still didn't feel like a screw-up, or an embarrassment. He thought they probably looked pretty good together, and more than that he was really enjoying himself.
"This is fun," Jade said, drawing Logan's eyes back to hers. He couldn't read the expression in them.
"Yeah," he agreed, smiling. Then the DJ was talking again.
"Okay guys, have fun with that one? Let's pick this party back up now!"
The music shifted into something faster, and Jade laughed softly. "Well, it was fun while it lasted, at least."
"Maybe they'll play another one later." Logan kept his hold on her hand as they wove back through the crowd of dancers towards where they had been sitting. When they got there, though, their seats weren't available. "Oh, looks like our chairs are taken."
"That's okay, you don't have to keep staying with me," Jade told him. "Isn't this your party? I'm sure you have friends you want to spend some time with."
Logan shrugged. "I've already talked to everyone I needed to talk to." Except for the one fucking person who isn't here, he added silently. Dammit I have to stop thinking about James. "Anyway, I see these people all the time, you're only here for the weekend, right? It makes sense to spend time with you while I can—although you know, you could be making all kinds of friends here. You were only obligated to dance with me once, and we have, so…you're free to go, ma'am."
He said the last part in his best official-sheriff voice, and tried to tip his hat but he realized he still wasn't wearing it.
"Missing something?" Jade asked, touching the brim of the hat lightly.
"That's what you were trying to steal all along, wasn't it?" Logan asked with a smile. He was smiling a lot more tonight than he would have thought, given how pissed he should be.
"It wasn't, but it's a nice bonus. I guess you're stuck with me until you can get it back, hmm?"
There was an unmistakable flutter in Logan's chest at those words. "You're missing out, you know. There are tons of people here way more interesting than I am."
"Well, you haven't bored me yet, so I think I'll take my chances," Jade replied, winking.
Logan bit his lip. He was just setting himself up for disappointment, right? Spending more time with Jade had seemed like a great opportunity before but now it was starting to feel like a countdown, and the more he got to know her the worse he would feel when it hit zero. It was smarter to cut his losses now.
"Since our chairs are taken," Logan heard himself say, and when the hell did he even give his voice permission to speak, "want to take a tour of the studio?"
Jade's eyes widened. "We can do that?"
"Who knows," Logan said with a shrug. Maybe he was taking Kendall's advice a little too far. "But we're going to. If you want."
"Hell yeah," she said excitedly, and Logan couldn't help laughing.
"Let's go then." He gripped her hand a little tighter and led her out of the room.
——
Logan had spent so much time at Rocque Records he knew it like the back of his hand. If the back of his hand had secret passages, anyway. The boys had tried to find others after Gustavo showed them the one through his office, but so far they hadn't had any success. If they could only get a hold of some blueprints…
Taking Jade on a clandestine tour of the place, though, was like seeing it in a whole new light. Logan was no longer the 'talent' or the 'dog,' no longer under a watchful eye and relegated to being bossed around and doing as he was told. As much as any of Big Time Rush did as they were told, anyway.
No, now Logan was the guide, the expert. Jade hung on every word Logan said as he showed her all of the posters and awards on the walls, then took her to their rehearsal areas. Their actual recording studio he saved for last.
"Do you ever produce your own songs?" Jade asked while Logan was explaining some of the mixing equipment.
"Oh no," Logan said with a laugh. He loved this; having someone's extended attention, having someone listen to him for so long and care about what he was saying. The fact that Jade might be into him certainly didn't hurt things. "Gustavo's too much of a control freak for that. He's only barely been allowing us to help write the second album."
"Well that sucks," Jade said, looking over the controls. "Seems like it could be fun. Do you ever want to?"
"Um…I don't know." Logan blinked. "I've actually not thought much about it before. The other guys might have, though. Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if Kendall even has some experience by now. Carlos…would probably think it was cool, but I don't know if he'd want to learn how to do it. James…" Logan let out a bitter little laugh. "Who the hell knows. Either he thinks he's above the production side of things, or he thinks he would be amazing at it and it's a crime no one's allowed him the opportunity yet. There's no way to know for sure."
And now Logan was thinking about James again. Stop ruining my mood, asshole.
"Have you ever talked to him about it?" Jade asked after a moment, voice quiet. Logan wondered how obvious his anger had been. The last thing he wanted was to take it out on her, or to let James get in the way of this night any more than he already had.
"No. He's never mentioned it, and James isn't exactly quiet about the things he wants, so." Logan shrugged. "I'm guessing he thinks it would be too much work, or just not enough fun to bother with."
"Hmm. Maybe you should ask him sometime? If you want I know, I mean. And after you're done being pissed at him for tonight."
"God, I'm sorry," Logan said, looking at Jade in apology. "I won't mention James again, okay? You're only here for tonight, I don't want to ruin your night with my…issues."
Jade seemed to be hesitating. "Okay," she finally said. "And you're right, I'm only here till tomorrow, so…" She chuckled. "I was going to say let's make it a night to remember, but I think there's already no way I'm going to forget tonight."
"Me either," Logan admitted, smiling again. "Although I do hope by the end of it I'll get to see your whole face, at least?"
"Depends," Jade replied, regarding Logan coolly from under the brim of his own hat. That must have been another Camille expression because it was so familiar. "Think you can earn my trust, Sheriff?"
"You and Camille are a lot alike, aren't you?" Logan blurted out. Jade chuckled again and blinked, and Logan felt like he needed to explain himself. "I mean, with your whole dedication to staying in character, and all."
Just because it wasn't the whole truth didn't mean it was a lie.
Jade tilted her head in consideration. "In some ways, I guess. We definitely have the same taste in guys, at least."
Logan's eyes went wide and he felt his face go hot almost instantly. "Oh, um, she uh…told you about us?"
There was that cool look again, but now it was accompanied by an eyebrow raise and did Camille do that, too? Maybe…
"You think I was talking about you?" Jade asked, and Logan wasn't sure what to call that feeling he had now. Not the one deep inside his chest, anyway; on the surface there was embarrassment, shame, disappointment.
Inside, it felt kind of like someone had opened a hole under his heart and let it fall through. Which was too much, too soon, but—
"I, well, I, um, I—" Logan was stuck in a loop, unable to spit out enough different words to form a coherent thought.
"I'm kidding, Logan," Jade said, her eyes going soft as she stepped forward, crowding Logan's personal space. She lifted one gloved hand and cupped his cheek, her fingertips soft against his skin. Wasn't that gesture a little too intimate for someone he'd only known a couple of hours? Wasn't this all just a little surreal?
Although, considering who Jade was related to, Logan should just be glad he wasn't getting slapped. Or kissed.
…Well, maybe that one wouldn't be so bad.
"Of course I meant you," Jade went on, looking Logan straight in the eyes. "And I know…I'm only here for tonight, but I want to make the most of it, and right now…that means spending as much time as I can with you."
Words were still failing Logan. Jade's reassurance had restored the floor under him, let him try to reclaim his footing, but before he'd managed it she'd gone and knocked him off-balance again. It wasn't fair, for some girl he'd met that night to have this effect over him. It wasn't fair at all.
His right hand started rising on its own, and he didn't know what he was planning on; he couldn't honestly be trying to kiss her, could he? So soon? No, that was—
Logan never found out what his hand was about to do because his cell phone text alert interrupted it. Dammit that had better not be James, not now, he thought, as Jade took a step back, dropping her hand.
"Duty calls, Sheriff?" she asked, playful but with a rough sound to her voice.
The laugh Logan attempted was an utter failure, and he fumbled with his phone as he tried to check it. "It's Camille," he said once he could read the display. "She…oh, she put in a song request for us, she wants me to come dance with her."
He looked up at Jade to get her reaction, but she had turned away some and with the hat in the way Logan couldn't see her face well enough to read it. "I do owe her a dance," he said, trying to sound upbeat and casual about it.
"You do," Jade agreed. "We better get back out there, then."
"But after that…I'm all yours, okay?" What the hell was Logan even saying?
Jade looked at him then, and something in those blue-green eyes made Logan shudder. Hopefully not enough to be noticed. "I'll hold you to that, Sheriff," she said.
Disclaimer: Not my boys, although I kind of love them like they were.
Pairings/Characters: James/Logan
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~5,300 this part (in total over 25,000)
Warnings (overall): language, crossdressing, slight angst
Summary: Logan likes doctors and scientists and smart people, but what he really likes is girls—so that's what James is going to give him.
Previous chapters: Part 1
Author's Notes: Written for the
palmwoods Harvestfest. This...kind of got away from me. I wanted to post it all at once but there is still a bit of adding/editing left to do; the full fic should be posted by the end of the week.Also after I wrote this and re-read the prompt I realized I may have taken it in a different direction than desired? But I'm still really happy with how it's turned out. Oh, and I'll also be writing a side-story to show what Kendall & Carlos were up to the whole time. :)
The title, of course, comes from "Time of Our Life," which became the official theme for this story after the first time I paid attention to the lyrics. So thanks for that, Logan ;)
And forever thanks to
shisou_eimin for her help with this ♥♥♥Prompt: (#25) "James/Logan: Halloween. James sets out to seduce Logan. He dresses up as a girl with some sort of costume that includes a mask and a way to hide his masculinity (i.e. gorgeous muscles). He plays the part perfectly and wins Logan over, discovering in the process that it's not just his looks that make him amazing--he has a lot to offer personality-wise, too, when he lets down his diva wall. What happens when Logan realizes it's James is up to you, it doesn't even have to be a happy ending (though that would be nice). Bonus points for James trying to sound smart and dancing with Logan (and not awkwardly like in BTProm), and Logan feeling bad for James for being such a "tall" girl."
----
Part 3
Meeting Carlos while in costume had been kind of fun for James. Aside from getting slightly upset at Carlos and Kendall both wearing pirate costumes, it was a bit of a thrill seeing his familiar friend treating him like a complete stranger. And making a fool of himself in the process, but as anyone who actually knew Carlos would, James had found it endearing in a weird way.
Meeting Logan, on the other hand, had nearly given James a heart attack.
For one, well. It was Logan. The whole reason James was going to all of this trouble. And there was so much riding on the meeting; if Logan recognized him all of his hard work, his sacrifice, his discomfort wearing these clothes, would all be for nothing. (Though there was a tiny part of James that was almost hoping Logan would be able to tell it was him, because the idea of Logan being able to see through any disguise, to see James no matter what, was sort of…romantic?)
Then there was the way Logan was dressed. Camille hadn't said anything to James about Logan's possible costumes, although obviously she had come prepared for two different choices. James thought it was highly unfair of her to keep high-risk information like that to herself, but of course he couldn't tell her that because he'd have to tell her why it was a problem.
It was a problem because Logan was really fucking hot in his sheriff's costume. With his cowboy hat, and his vest and his black slacks and his boots and that long coat, kind of like the one James was wearing but black instead of a dusty tan color. And a hip holster like James's, too, though the gun had been hidden. Unfortunately.
The way Logan was dressed reminded James of their duel a year ago, except Logan was even hotter this time.
Luckily Logan had started talking to Camille as soon as he walked up, giving James time to get over his initial reaction of Oh fuck it's Logan oh God look how hot he is what if he knows it's me oh shit oh shit oh shit fuck he looks good and respond like a relatively normal human being when Logan finally looked at him.
He even did his voice right. Camille had been insisting for like the past week and a half that whenever they were together for their 'rehearsals,' James was only allowed to talk like a girl. He'd gotten pretty damn good at it, if he did say so himself. And even if he didn't, the fact that Logan didn't seem at all weirded out by his voice showed how good he was.
James had another internal freak-out moment when Camille pinned the star to Logan's coat. Because Logan was a sheriff, and James was a bandit-outlaw-whatever, and did they have handcuffs in the Old West? Did they have pat-downs? Camille had seemed to tell Logan they weren't planning any sort of robbery that evening but James was pretty willing to stage a heist if it meant Logan would chase him down and push him up against a wall and rough him up all authoritatively.
…But that was a very unsafe train of thought when James was supposed to be focusing on the Logan in front of him and not the Logan of his fantasies, so he tried to jump back into the conversation by blurting out something that sounded remotely relevant and earning a grin from Logan for it.
And then, and then, Camille had gone and offered James—Jade—up for a dance and wow that was rather suspicious of her, but like hell James was going to turn it down so whatever. Agreeing to it had gotten him something he'd been wanting from Logan for what felt like forever: that crooked, flirty, faintly cocky grin he'd been perfecting ever since they arrived in L.A. and that he used exclusively on girls.
It made everything up to that point—even the pain of getting his damn eyebrows plucked—more than worth it. James was glad he had a bandana over his mouth because he gaped for a second at Logan before grinning like the silly girl he was for the evening, overwhelmed by the butterflies in his stomach and the tingles going down his spine and the general light-headedness he felt at the prospect of getting to spend more time with Logan, and maybe getting some more of those smiles.
——
"Well that went well," Camille said after Logan had walked away.
"It did," James agreed. "I can't believe none of them could tell."
"Oh, you doubt my skills?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Never," James replied solemnly, shaking his head. "But I mean…well, if anyone would be able to tell…"
"Exactly. We've gotten the worst over with. I think you'll be fine with any guy in here. It's the girls we have to watch out for, but you probably aren't here to flirt with them anyway, are you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Camille," James said, hoping he sounded believable.
"Oh sure," she told him with a wink. "Well, dancing with Logan shouldn't be too traumatic, and that'll get you used to it so you can dance with whoever you want after that. You can't hang around me all night, you know."
James let out a silent sigh of relief that Camille hadn't seen completely through him. "Trying to get rid of me already?"
"No, but you should mingle. You've passed the first, and worst, test! Get out there and have some fun, Jade." She winked again, and then stepped away, seeming to melt into the crowd.
After a brief moment of panic that his safety net was running away from him, James realized this was a good thing. It meant he didn't need to come up with an excuse to get away from Camille so he could talk to Logan some more.
But he had to be casual about this. He had to let Logan know he was interested without seeming pushy or like a crazed fangirl or anything. He had to be subtle but amazing. Understated but alluring. He had to let Logan realize he was everything Logan could want; had to be so perfect that it wouldn't matter whether he was a girl or a guy.
This was a lot to live up to, but he was James Diamond, and he had all night to make Logan his.
——
"Hey."
James recognized the voice but had to pretend he didn't, looking up and faking surprise to see Logan standing close by. "Oh, hi," he said with a smile that Logan couldn't even see. "Logan, right?"
"Yeah," Logan answered, smiling back. "Are you all on your own now?"
"Just taking a break." James was sitting—in a very lady-like manner—in one of the chairs he had helped set up along the walls of the room earlier in the day. He'd picked a spot close to Logan in hopes of attracting his attention, and had obviously been successful. While sitting there James had also been dodging glances from some other guys who so obviously wanted to come talk to him, but none of them ever did. The cowards. "You can keep me company if you want…as long as you're not here to arrest me," James added with a wink.
Logan chuckled. "I haven't seen any evidence of criminal behavior yet, but I won't be letting my guard down," he said, expression mock-stern.
"I'll be on my best behavior, Sheriff." James didn't put the suggestive emphasis in the statement he would've liked to, because he was supposed to be easing into this whole seduction thing.
"See that you are." Logan's face broke into a smile before he sat in the chair next to James.
"Did you ever find your friend?" James asked, knowing as he did it was about the stupidest thing he could've done. Plus it made him feel guilty, because although he hadn't technically lied to Logan—he was, after all, hanging out with him at the party—Logan thought that James was being a lying jerk and that sucked. But it was also the only thing he could really reference from their earlier conversation, and showing he'd been listening was good, right?
"No," Logan answered with a distinctive huff. "Jerk. I finally texted him and he hasn't even answered, he's probably—whatever, you don't want to hear about that. Oh, right, um, I know Camille kind of forced you into agreeing to that dance with me, but uh, really, if you don't want to, don't feel obligated or anything."
"Hmm, sounds like you're the one who's trying to get out of it," James said, tilting his head daintily at Logan.
"What! Oh, no, it's nothing like that!" Logan rushed to say, a blush starting to color his face. James grinned; a flustered Logan was always a cute Logan. "No, I'm, I'm looking forward to it, I just…don't want you to feel pressured or anything. I mean, we just met…"
"What better way to get to know someone than with a dance?" James was pretty sure that was an indirect quote from some movie or something, but even if it was he totally had an excuse with being a drama major and all.
"Well, call me old-fashioned," Logan began, and there was that smile again and if James didn't need to keep this stupid—not stupid, never stupid, cool—bandana on he would be kissing Logan right this instant, "but I'm a fan of just talking."
James had to stop a smart-ass remark as it was forming. "Well then, let's 'just talk,'" he said instead. He wasn't really sure how to have a conversation with someone you'd known most of your life while pretending to be meeting them for the first time, but that was one of those things he'd figured he could improvise. Now was the chance to prove that theory.
"Ooookay," Logan said, nodding a little, his cowboy hat bobbing up and down with the movement. James wanted to take it off; as much as he liked the look of it, it blocked Logan's eyes and James didn't like that at all. "So, you said Camille has told you stuff about me and my friends? But I hardly know anything about you. Are you from Connecticut too?"
"Yes," James told him, trying to remember the whole story he and Camille had come up with. "I'm a freshman right now at a local college; drama major."
"Oh, cool! I had heard you liked acting, but I didn't know you were studying it in school. Is that hard?"
"It can be," James admitted. He might not really be a drama major, but he did have acting experience. He was gaining more of it as he spoke. "I'm not as good as Camille is, which is why she's already out here in Hollywood, living her dream."
"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself," Logan said, leaning back to give James a smile. "I'm sure you're great. Plus, there's nothing wrong with going to college before starting your career. Education is important."
James smirked, but his tone was impressed, with a flirty edge. "Says the future doctor."
Logan beamed at that, which was funny because it was something James would have said anyway and not gotten nearly that reaction. Hearing it from a stranger, or maybe hearing it from a girl, apparently turned it into something special for Logan. It made James happy and sad at the same time.
"It doesn't matter what you want to do in life, Jade," Logan said, and James's heart did a funny skipping thing at hearing him use the name, "education is still important."
"That's what my mom says." That was true, too; James's mom did say that. She usually meant 'education in the ways of running a company' but the specifics weren't important. "But that doesn't mean it's not hard. I've always had trouble in school. I don't mind learning things for new roles, that can be kind of fun, but math? Science? No thank you."
"Hey, those are my favorite subjects," Logan said, teasing.
"That figures. Camille said you were a genius."
"Well." And that tone was embarrassment. Which was also new, because with the guys Logan was often the first to mention his intelligence.
"Although," James said, cutting off Logan's stuttering attempts to complete another sentence, "if I actually understood them maybe I would like them better. It's hard to like things that just confuse you."
What the hell was James saying? Admitting how dumb he was was not the way to win Logan over! James wanted to be himself, yeah, but he'd prefer to only show the good parts. Or maybe he should have like, memorized a fucking poem or something so he could recite it and sound smart. What if he could text Camille and—no, he couldn't, because he'd left his phone at her place. It was too risky to have it on him at the party.
"Oh I don't know about that," Logan said, interrupting James's silent self-berating. When James glanced at him, Logan had a thoughtful look on his face.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…there have been things, or…people that confuse me, but I like them anyway. Sometimes a lot."
"What could possibly confuse you?" Okay that might have come out a tad more sarcastic than James intended. Logan probably meant Camille or something, and now James was wishing he just hadn't asked.
"A lot of things confuse me, Jade," Logan said, giving James a half-smile. "Math and science are two of the few that don't."
"And that's why you like them so much." James wasn't losing this without a fight.
Logan laughed softly. "Okay, so maybe you have a point there. Hey, do you want something to drink? Or eat? I can go get us some snacks."
"Um—" James stopped himself just in time. He couldn't have anything to eat or drink around Logan, because he had to keep his bandana mask in place. Dammit, and he was thirsty, too. "Not right now? I'm good. Thank you, though."
"Okay, just checking," Logan said with another smile. "So then, how have you been liking—"
"Hey there party-goers," a voice said, cutting through the music and halting Logan mid-sentence, "I know we've been keeping things pretty upbeat so far but I had a request from a lovely young lady who said if I didn't do as she asked she had no problems robbing womenfolk, so in the interest of not being held at gunpoint I'm gonna play a slower song for you guys right now. Enjoy it while it lasts!"
James fought down his laugh so that the only thing that escaped was a light chuckle that he hopefully passed off as feminine. Logan was laughing too, though, so he might not have noticed either way. "Your cousin is a little crazy," he said, shaking his head.
"It runs in the family," James said with pride he didn't have to fake. "I guess that's our cue?"
"Only, um, like I said, only if you want to."
"And I said I did," James told him, standing up to face Logan even knowing how tall it would make him seem. He held out his hand, hoping the fingerless leather glove was doing its job and Logan didn't think his hand looked too manly. Camille had also been making James grow out his nails for the past several weeks, and had filed and painted them that afternoon. (Fake nails, she said, wouldn't have been in-character—not for Jade, but rather for the cowgirl bandit he was dressed as.) He was going to have to remember to take the color off tomorrow. "Dance with me, Logan."
"If you're sure." Logan took James's hand, smiling that damn flirty smile again and James had to restrain himself from pulling Logan all the way in and staring at his eyes and touching his face and—
"I'm sure. Don't worry."
Logan took the lead and James let him, ignoring that nervous feeling he was getting and absolutely refusing to remember the last time he and Logan had danced together and how horrible it had been. Tonight would be better. Well, it would be hard for it to be worse, but James had to make it better. He would, too.
* * * * *
After making the party rounds, saying hi to many of the guests, and finally convincing himself that no, James was nowhere around, Logan had given in and tried to text his liar of a friend. He waited for a reply that never came, and was on his way out of the room to find a quiet place to call and vent his frustration via voice mail when he'd spotted Camille's cousin sitting by herself along a wall.
It had bothered him, her sitting alone like that, and so Logan had thought Screw James, I'm talking to a pretty girl tonight and headed over to say hi.
Logan didn't know what he had been expecting from Jade, but it wasn't what he found. He was, generally speaking, good with girls nowadays; he didn't have Kendall's effortless charm or James's attitude and smoldering good looks, but he definitely ranked way above Carlos in the interacting-with-girls department.
But there was something…different about Jade. Something easy, and not in an insulting dirty way but in a way that made Logan feel like he wasn't even trying to have a nice conversation even though he knew he had to be, because Logan always had to try when he talked to girls.
Less so with Camille, though, so he figured it had something to do with them being related. There was definitely an air of familiarity to Jade, though Logan's initial interactions with Camille had been nothing like this. And his current level of casual, natural camaraderie with Camille was the result of them knowing each other for so long and being through so much, relationship-wise. So it didn't exactly explain what was going on with Jade, unless it was just because she was good with people, and there was that underlying connection to something familiar that made it easier for Logan to relax around her?
Whatever, he was overthinking it. He liked talking to the girl, she was pretty, she seemed to be flirting with him, and she wanted to dance with him. What the hell did he need to worry about? That would just ruin things before they even went anywhere.
Not that they really could go anywhere, since she was only in for the weekend. Although…not to quote Kendall or anything, but there was some sort of opportunity he'd be missing if he didn't make the most of tonight, right?
When Jade stood up to convince Logan to join her on the dance floor, and Logan looked up into those weirdly familiar eyes—which was kind of strange because Camille's eyes were a completely different color, but maybe it was something else that was familiar about them—he realized that even when Kendall wasn't around to give speeches he was still usually right.
——
Logan had been afraid it would be awkward dancing with Jade because of their height difference. That was mainly the reason he had been hesitant; he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
Okay, okay, so he also didn't want to relive that particular part of prom night any more than necessary, when he'd felt utterly ridiculous dancing with James.
That had mostly been James's fault, though. If he had just relaxed and stopped acting like he hated being there…
There were a lot of things about prom, actually, that Logan preferred to not think about.
Anyway, his fears were unfounded. The only thing slightly awkward about it was their costumes; they were both wearing long coats so it took some adjusting to find comfortable hand placements. And Logan's hat was in the way; it seemed he wasn't the only one who thought so when Jade took it off of him and placed it lightly on her own head. He looked up at her, smiling but surprised.
"I couldn't see you," she said, as they started to move to the music. It wasn't a super-slow song, but it was slow enough that they could talk.
He grinned, although he could feel his face heat up. "And now I can barely see you, between the hat and the bandana."
"Then the disguise is working. Concealing your identity is always important when staging a robbery."
"Oh? Camille said you two weren't working tonight. Gonna tell me your secret plans?"
"Nope, don't think I will," Jade said, something mischievous in what little Logan could see of her expression.
"Oh come on." Logan tried to stay stern but his smile was breaking through. "It's two against one, I don't even get a hint?"
"I think a genius sheriff such as yourself doesn't need one," Jade countered. "But maybe…maybe later I might decide to give you one. We'll see."
Logan ducked his head to grin, momentarily unable to think up a comeback. Instead he focused on the music and the feel of Jade under his hands; how she let him guide them around the floor. And as much as he didn't want to think about James, or prom, he couldn't help but make a comparison. James had been so stiff and jerky, refusing to allow Logan to take the lead but not taking it himself either, so they ended up as two people dancing individually—and poorly—while joined together.
With Jade, though, they were moving together, flowing with the music. Logan wasn't the best dancer, and he got the feeling his partner was way better than she was letting on, since Logan was doing the leading. But he still didn't feel like a screw-up, or an embarrassment. He thought they probably looked pretty good together, and more than that he was really enjoying himself.
"This is fun," Jade said, drawing Logan's eyes back to hers. He couldn't read the expression in them.
"Yeah," he agreed, smiling. Then the DJ was talking again.
"Okay guys, have fun with that one? Let's pick this party back up now!"
The music shifted into something faster, and Jade laughed softly. "Well, it was fun while it lasted, at least."
"Maybe they'll play another one later." Logan kept his hold on her hand as they wove back through the crowd of dancers towards where they had been sitting. When they got there, though, their seats weren't available. "Oh, looks like our chairs are taken."
"That's okay, you don't have to keep staying with me," Jade told him. "Isn't this your party? I'm sure you have friends you want to spend some time with."
Logan shrugged. "I've already talked to everyone I needed to talk to." Except for the one fucking person who isn't here, he added silently. Dammit I have to stop thinking about James. "Anyway, I see these people all the time, you're only here for the weekend, right? It makes sense to spend time with you while I can—although you know, you could be making all kinds of friends here. You were only obligated to dance with me once, and we have, so…you're free to go, ma'am."
He said the last part in his best official-sheriff voice, and tried to tip his hat but he realized he still wasn't wearing it.
"Missing something?" Jade asked, touching the brim of the hat lightly.
"That's what you were trying to steal all along, wasn't it?" Logan asked with a smile. He was smiling a lot more tonight than he would have thought, given how pissed he should be.
"It wasn't, but it's a nice bonus. I guess you're stuck with me until you can get it back, hmm?"
There was an unmistakable flutter in Logan's chest at those words. "You're missing out, you know. There are tons of people here way more interesting than I am."
"Well, you haven't bored me yet, so I think I'll take my chances," Jade replied, winking.
Logan bit his lip. He was just setting himself up for disappointment, right? Spending more time with Jade had seemed like a great opportunity before but now it was starting to feel like a countdown, and the more he got to know her the worse he would feel when it hit zero. It was smarter to cut his losses now.
"Since our chairs are taken," Logan heard himself say, and when the hell did he even give his voice permission to speak, "want to take a tour of the studio?"
Jade's eyes widened. "We can do that?"
"Who knows," Logan said with a shrug. Maybe he was taking Kendall's advice a little too far. "But we're going to. If you want."
"Hell yeah," she said excitedly, and Logan couldn't help laughing.
"Let's go then." He gripped her hand a little tighter and led her out of the room.
——
Logan had spent so much time at Rocque Records he knew it like the back of his hand. If the back of his hand had secret passages, anyway. The boys had tried to find others after Gustavo showed them the one through his office, but so far they hadn't had any success. If they could only get a hold of some blueprints…
Taking Jade on a clandestine tour of the place, though, was like seeing it in a whole new light. Logan was no longer the 'talent' or the 'dog,' no longer under a watchful eye and relegated to being bossed around and doing as he was told. As much as any of Big Time Rush did as they were told, anyway.
No, now Logan was the guide, the expert. Jade hung on every word Logan said as he showed her all of the posters and awards on the walls, then took her to their rehearsal areas. Their actual recording studio he saved for last.
"Do you ever produce your own songs?" Jade asked while Logan was explaining some of the mixing equipment.
"Oh no," Logan said with a laugh. He loved this; having someone's extended attention, having someone listen to him for so long and care about what he was saying. The fact that Jade might be into him certainly didn't hurt things. "Gustavo's too much of a control freak for that. He's only barely been allowing us to help write the second album."
"Well that sucks," Jade said, looking over the controls. "Seems like it could be fun. Do you ever want to?"
"Um…I don't know." Logan blinked. "I've actually not thought much about it before. The other guys might have, though. Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if Kendall even has some experience by now. Carlos…would probably think it was cool, but I don't know if he'd want to learn how to do it. James…" Logan let out a bitter little laugh. "Who the hell knows. Either he thinks he's above the production side of things, or he thinks he would be amazing at it and it's a crime no one's allowed him the opportunity yet. There's no way to know for sure."
And now Logan was thinking about James again. Stop ruining my mood, asshole.
"Have you ever talked to him about it?" Jade asked after a moment, voice quiet. Logan wondered how obvious his anger had been. The last thing he wanted was to take it out on her, or to let James get in the way of this night any more than he already had.
"No. He's never mentioned it, and James isn't exactly quiet about the things he wants, so." Logan shrugged. "I'm guessing he thinks it would be too much work, or just not enough fun to bother with."
"Hmm. Maybe you should ask him sometime? If you want I know, I mean. And after you're done being pissed at him for tonight."
"God, I'm sorry," Logan said, looking at Jade in apology. "I won't mention James again, okay? You're only here for tonight, I don't want to ruin your night with my…issues."
Jade seemed to be hesitating. "Okay," she finally said. "And you're right, I'm only here till tomorrow, so…" She chuckled. "I was going to say let's make it a night to remember, but I think there's already no way I'm going to forget tonight."
"Me either," Logan admitted, smiling again. "Although I do hope by the end of it I'll get to see your whole face, at least?"
"Depends," Jade replied, regarding Logan coolly from under the brim of his own hat. That must have been another Camille expression because it was so familiar. "Think you can earn my trust, Sheriff?"
"You and Camille are a lot alike, aren't you?" Logan blurted out. Jade chuckled again and blinked, and Logan felt like he needed to explain himself. "I mean, with your whole dedication to staying in character, and all."
Just because it wasn't the whole truth didn't mean it was a lie.
Jade tilted her head in consideration. "In some ways, I guess. We definitely have the same taste in guys, at least."
Logan's eyes went wide and he felt his face go hot almost instantly. "Oh, um, she uh…told you about us?"
There was that cool look again, but now it was accompanied by an eyebrow raise and did Camille do that, too? Maybe…
"You think I was talking about you?" Jade asked, and Logan wasn't sure what to call that feeling he had now. Not the one deep inside his chest, anyway; on the surface there was embarrassment, shame, disappointment.
Inside, it felt kind of like someone had opened a hole under his heart and let it fall through. Which was too much, too soon, but—
"I, well, I, um, I—" Logan was stuck in a loop, unable to spit out enough different words to form a coherent thought.
"I'm kidding, Logan," Jade said, her eyes going soft as she stepped forward, crowding Logan's personal space. She lifted one gloved hand and cupped his cheek, her fingertips soft against his skin. Wasn't that gesture a little too intimate for someone he'd only known a couple of hours? Wasn't this all just a little surreal?
Although, considering who Jade was related to, Logan should just be glad he wasn't getting slapped. Or kissed.
…Well, maybe that one wouldn't be so bad.
"Of course I meant you," Jade went on, looking Logan straight in the eyes. "And I know…I'm only here for tonight, but I want to make the most of it, and right now…that means spending as much time as I can with you."
Words were still failing Logan. Jade's reassurance had restored the floor under him, let him try to reclaim his footing, but before he'd managed it she'd gone and knocked him off-balance again. It wasn't fair, for some girl he'd met that night to have this effect over him. It wasn't fair at all.
His right hand started rising on its own, and he didn't know what he was planning on; he couldn't honestly be trying to kiss her, could he? So soon? No, that was—
Logan never found out what his hand was about to do because his cell phone text alert interrupted it. Dammit that had better not be James, not now, he thought, as Jade took a step back, dropping her hand.
"Duty calls, Sheriff?" she asked, playful but with a rough sound to her voice.
The laugh Logan attempted was an utter failure, and he fumbled with his phone as he tried to check it. "It's Camille," he said once he could read the display. "She…oh, she put in a song request for us, she wants me to come dance with her."
He looked up at Jade to get her reaction, but she had turned away some and with the hat in the way Logan couldn't see her face well enough to read it. "I do owe her a dance," he said, trying to sound upbeat and casual about it.
"You do," Jade agreed. "We better get back out there, then."
"But after that…I'm all yours, okay?" What the hell was Logan even saying?
Jade looked at him then, and something in those blue-green eyes made Logan shudder. Hopefully not enough to be noticed. "I'll hold you to that, Sheriff," she said.
