Lonely Souls (26 page)

Logan reached up and pulled the chain down from the ceiling, bringing the peculiar wooden staircase down. It was very narrow, and the opening into the attic was even smaller than I remembered.

“Oh, my gosh. Remember, we used to climb on the shelves to reach that chain? I guess you’ve grown up a bit,” I joked.

“The shelves would probably break,” he said smiling.

“Off your weight, not mine,” I smiled.

“You want to go first or do you want me to?” he asked.

“I’ll go.”

I climbed up the first two stairs, and the nervousness began passing through me. Logan tapped my leg. I was actually at his height now on the step.

“What’s up?” I asked, turning around.

“I think I should go first after all,” he whispered, climbing onto the ladder next to me. Before I could move up or down to let him by, he gently touched my chin, bringing my lips up to his. “Now close your eyes.”

His lips met mine, and the familiar energy began racing between our bodies. I couldn’t continue to fight my feelings for Logan much longer. I remembered back to the very first time I’d been kissed. It was right on these very stairs by Logan, and I thought it was the best day ever. Now we were older and his lips were searching mine for a meaning that was so much deeper, and I knew I might not be able to turn back. With every kiss I returned, I felt his embrace tightening around me, and my fear diminishing. His fingers began running up my spine, the thin camisole not creating much of a barrier at all, as I felt his lips press harder against mine, sending my emotions into another world.

He slowly let his hands fall from my waist, his lips breaking from mine leaving a smoldering mess deep inside of me to deal with.

“Don’t stop,” I pleaded, looking into his deep blue eyes.

His lips tugged upright slightly as he realized the effect he had on me; I let my body lean on him a little more. His eyes were blazing with an intensity I wanted to tap into, but it seemed he was uncertain.

He leaned down, kissing my hair, moving it back off my shoulders slowly with his hands, tickling my skin as he went. I began squirming on the ladder, and he steadied me with one glance.

“Be still,” he murmured. “I can’t have you falling off the ladder.”

I giggled a little and tried to detach my gaze from his, but I couldn’t. His eyes were mesmerizing and the longer he held my gaze, the weaker I became.

Trailing my neck with his finger, he leaned back down tracing the path with his lips, sending a divine amount of bliss through me while he worked his way back up to my lips.

“Surely, you’ve done that before,” I replied, breathless.

“Only in my dreams,” he whispered, wearing a shy smile, “with you.”

And he began kissing me once more, producing a quiver that ran down my spine thinking of everything that statement implied. With everything that I had been going through, hearing those words created an overwhelming amount of emotions that crashed down on my soul. I could feel the tears begin to develop, but they weren’t tears of sadness. I was beginning to surrender my heart to his, and I didn’t want anything to get in the way.

The softness of his lips left mine and I wanted so much more. I wasn’t ready for it to end, but he wasn’t coming back for more. I slowly opened my eyes to see him watching me, gauging my reaction.

“I’m sorry, Triss. I know you’re not ready, but having you so close is harder than I thought,” he confessed, biting his lip, looking at me with his deep blue eyes that always caused me such confusion.

“Don’t be sorry. I liked it,” I murmured. His lips were so soft, and the connection between us meant something. I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I needed the comfort his embrace provided. His arms were still wrapped around my waist as I leaned against the stairs, and I hoped I wasn’t about to do something I would regret.

“Now close your eyes,” I whispered.

His lips twitched upright into a brief smile as his eyes closed, following my command, and before I knew it, his hands moved quickly up my spine reaching my neck, bringing my lips to his once more. The desire that was stirring inside of me was unquenchable, but there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn’t time for our worlds to be connected, no matter the frenzy that was building inside. The tenderness of his lips stopped their journey, and his hands slid back down to my waist as he sensed my reluctance.

I opened my eyes to have him studying me.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “I needed that.”

“Is that so?” he asked.

“You’ve given me more than you know, Logan.”

“I think I understand more than you realize, Triss, and I get why you’re holding back. I don’t want put you in an awkward position, and I feel like I just did.” His eyes were conflicted with the same feelings I was harboring.

“Are we still on for the attic expedition?” I asked, trying to lighten the heaviness that we were both feeling.

“I think the sooner we get off this ladder, the safer we’ll be,” he said, grinning.

“I agree,” I replied and started up the stairs again, leaving Logan balancing on the lower step. Being that close to him was only confusing things for me.

I crawled into the attic batting away at cobwebs while hoisting myself the last little way through the opening. There was only a small amount of light spraying in through the louvers making it difficult to see much of anything, but I had my wind-up lantern and so did Logan, which would hopefully light things up. I don’t know what either of us really expected to find up here.

I scooted away from the opening so Logan could pop in, and he arrived the same way as I, waving his hands at the cobwebs that seemed to be dangling from every direction.

The dust was thick as I slid my way across the floor and a tickle was already beginning in my nose and throat.

“It seems a lot smaller up here than when we were here last,” I said.

“Tell me about it,” Logan replied, ducking in between the beams.

“Oh, my gosh! Look at those trunks! Remember we always wanted to open them up but couldn’t figure out how?” I asked.

He nodded, coming over to stand near me as I had made him promise downstairs. The attic wasn’t nearly as frightening as it was so many years before, but I didn’t want to take any chances and certainly wouldn’t want to be up here in the dark.

“Think we can open this one up?” I asked, wondering what would need to be locked away for so many years. The trunk was dark green and looked as old as the house, and there were several more like it scattered around the attic.

“I’m going to go get a screwdriver. Do you want to come back down with me?”

“Nah, I think I’m okay for the moment. If it was nighttime, it’d be a different story. Just leave your lantern,” I replied, pointing at the small light source he was holding.

Logan set it down and went over to the attic opening and scooted his body down the stairs. It was hard not to notice how muscular his shoulders were from that angle. I let myself drift back to only moments before when he held me so closely. His embrace felt so healing and so right. In those few minutes, I was able to set aside the pain and worry that seemed to plague my existence.

He was downstairs fishing through the drawers, looking for the tools he needed for my latest idea, and I wondered if it really would be bad to let myself fall for him? He was climbing back up the stairs, and I looked away from the opening so that I could let my mind get back to the task at hand.

“One of these tools ought to work,” he said, holding up about five different tools that all looked pretty similar to me.

I slid back from the trunk, allowing him easy access as he attempted to open it.

“Is that a flathead?” I asked.

“Pretty impressive,” he said. “You know your screwdrivers.”

“Growing up with just my mom and I, one of us had to figure it out, and she made it clear it wasn’t going to be her,” I laughed.

While Logan attempted to open the trunk, my mind flitted from one possibility to the next on items that we might find in these trunks. Would jewelry or photographs be hidden inside these, or possibly spells from another era? I had no idea, but the anticipation was getting stronger.

Logan switched to another size flathead and then abruptly turned around.

“Would you mind if I just unlocked it with this?” He whipped out his wand.

“Are you serious? Of course I wouldn’t mind. Hurry up. This is killing me.” I came behind him and rested my hand on his shoulder, and I noticed a small smile briefly grace his lips.

“With my luck it’ll be full of some relative’s taxes or something.” I chuckled.

Logan pointed the wand at the lock and looked at me signaling to take a step back.

“
Reserare Metalli
!” he instructed.

The lock popped open, and he turned around grinning from ear to ear.

“Why didn’t you just do that in the first place?” I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. “You get more excited this way,” he teased. “It’s fun to see.”

He helped me open the lid on the trunk, releasing even more dust into the air, and I was stunned at what I saw. It really was like opening a treasure chest.

“Oh, my word!” I squealed, backing up into one of the hundreds of cobwebs that were hanging in the attic, and I didn’t even care.

“What is that?” he asked, staring in the trunk.

“I think it’s a dress,” I whispered in awe.

Black silk fabric was puddled in the bottom of the trunk, with layers and layers surrounding a red bodice. It was absolutely beautiful. The girl in me wanted to pick it up and try it on, but I was afraid I might destroy it.

“It would be beautiful on you, Triss.” He leaned over me, examining the garment closer, his hand on my shoulder.

“I wonder if it would fit,” I whispered, running my fingers along the fabric.

“There’s only one way to find out,” he said.

I carefully picked up the dress, worried that I would somehow ruin this treasure and held it up to examine while Logan held the lanterns close to the material. The shine from the black silk skirt was almost iridescent, and the ruffles fell from one layer to the next. The detail on the bodice was gorgeous, with red threading inlaid throughout, and I suddenly wished my mom was here with me to examine this gem of a find.

“There’s more in the trunk,” Logan said.

“Like what, I wonder…” I was completely enamored with the detail on the dress, and I was sure nothing could compare to this piece.

“We can look later. I don’t want to spoil this moment with you,” his smile lit up my heart. How could I be so lucky to have someone care about me so deeply and yet be so conflicted about allowing the natural emotions that kept trying to make their way into my life?

“Okay, turn around and let me put this thing on,” I told him, pointing my finger at him.

“All right,” he teased, frowning at me as he turned around.

“Nice try, Logan,” I said, happy deep inside that he was intrigued enough to want to see me.

Taking off my camisole, I unlaced the corset and slipped the dress over my head, feeling the silkiness glide over my skin. I couldn’t even imagine what I looked like in this dress.

“Okay, today’s your lucky day,” I said, realizing there was no way I would be able to lace myself back up alone.

“I doubt it could get any better than it already has,” his voice low, sending the chills through me again.

“Well, I need help lacing the dress up. I can’t reach it,” I said, grinning. “It’s okay to turn around now.”

I could sense his smile before he even spun around. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, but that was nothing compared to the flutter that was overtaking my belly. Something about being this close to him with this diminutive task began to get me flustered.

“Think you can manage?” I asked, pulling my hair up from my back.

“Absolutely,” his breath hovering over my back as his fingertips softly began tightening each loop, every once in a while skimming my back as he reached for the next lace to tighten. It was almost more than I could handle. I reached out to one of the wooden pillars for support, but my legs still felt wobbly.

“Am I doing it too tight?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“No, no. Not at all.” I tried to dismiss the feelings that were washing over me. “Just getting comfortable.”

He started laughing and began interlacing the corset even slower, knowing exactly what my problem appeared to be. I tried everything to distract myself, but he seemed to be on to me because with every diversion came another pause over my skin, or he’d help with a piece of hair that fell down by tucking it back in the bundle I was holding. I didn’t want it to end, but I needed it to. He was killing me inside.

“Almost there,” he mused, giving one last tug, but not before his finger and thumb weaved their way against my flesh while he tied everything up. The softness of his fingers sent a thrilling sensation through me.

“Thank you,” I breathed instead of spoke on accident.

“A little flustered there, Triss?” he asked, teasing.

“You certainly know what you’re doing, don’t you?” I asked, scowling at him, but only briefly because the feeling of history this dress presented made me come back to reality.

I felt like I didn’t belong in this dress, like I was invading someone else’s dreams and hopes, but I didn’t want to take it off. I had never been in something so grand. They didn’t even make things like this any longer. I didn’t know when this dress was from, maybe turn of the last century. I just didn’t know, but it was so magnificent.

“Quit fidgeting. You look absolutely breathtaking. It’s like the dress belongs on you,” Logan’s words were filled with the love I felt on the stairs.

“Really?” I asked spinning in it, feeling the skirt widen.

“I was waiting for that,” he laughed. “Come here, my dear Triss.”

His word choice fit the decadence of the dress, and the excitement was building. He held out his hand, waiting for me to grab it. I hesitated momentarily but couldn’t resist playing along, and I held his hand as he brought me toward his body. He began holding me closely in his arms, dancing to the quietness that this location, this moment had to offer. There was no music for us to drift to, only our souls, which were in synch once more.