Free Counting Stars (A Donnelley Brother's Novel) by Alannah Carbonneau Page A

to be an abundance scattering the
forest floor.
    Piling my arms high with wood, I carried it back to the
makeshift camp. The closer I got, the louder the sound of chopping
became. What was he
doing?
    Pushing myself forward
through the pain of overused muscles in my thighs, I quickened my
pace. Through the thinning of the trees, I saw him lift his axe
high above his head before he swung it down. The blade sliced
through the wood, splitting the chunk in two.
    Sweat glistened on his
bare chest, dripping down the contours of his defined upper body.
He was wearing different shorts than he’d been wearing before.
These reminded me of something I would see at a gym. They were
black and airy, clinging to narrow hips by cinched fabric.
    Even though I knew I
should look away, I couldn’t. The man was built. Muscles bulged
from beneath tanned skin with every swing of the axe. His stance
was firm and his expression was a mixture between rage and
confusion. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.
    As I moved forward I
tried to figure out what exactly it was that I was attracted to
about Logan. I’d never been attracted to men like him—but I
couldn’t help it. There was just something about him that made my
blood feel warm and my heart race. I should feel guilty for feeling
this way toward him—but I don’t feel guilty for my attraction. I
feel guilty because he is everything Derek wasn’t.
    Derek had been tall and
lean—a runner. He’d been clean-cut and clean-shaven. Always. He’d
been soft spoken and kind-hearted. Laughter had always sparkled in
the depths of his green eyes. There was nothing in Logan that
reminded me of Derek, and yet I found Logan stimulating.
    “Are you just going to
stand there, staring at me all night, or are you going to drop the
kindling in the pile?” He asked gruffly.
    Startled, I blinked. I
hadn’t even realized that I had stopped walking to stare at him.
Shaking the haze of embarrassment from my mind, I stepped toward
the pile of firewood he’d started. “Why send me for wood if you
were just going to cut it?”
    He shrugged. “I thought
we needed a few minutes apart.”
    The man was
astonishingly honest and downright infuriating. “Why?”
    Serious black eyes
lifted to look into mine. “You know why.”
    “Because I told you what
I thought of you?” I folded my arms over my chest. “I find it
peculiar how you can dish it, but can never take it.”
    “Are you trying to pick
an argument with me, Reese?” Logan stepped forward, the axe
dangling from his fingers as though it weighed nothing more than a
feather.
    “No, Logan.” I replied
tightly. “I’m just stating facts.” I turned my back to him, walking
to where I’d left my pack on the ground. “The next time you want
time alone, don’t send me on a pointless task. Just tell me you
need a minute. I know what it feels like to need time away from
others, but I don’t appreciate games.”
    “I wasn’t playing games
with you.” He stated, but I didn’t bother to look behind me as I
walked toward the tent.
    As I moved toward the
bright blue fabric, I noticed for the first time that it was
awfully small to be a two-person tent. I unzipped the zipper and
pushed my head inside only to realize that there was no barrier
hanging from the middle. Did that mean Logan had another tent and
he just hadn’t set it up yet?
    I spun around to find
him watching me curiously. “Do we have another tent?”
    “No.”
    “Where are we supposed
to sleep?” I asked, growing stiff. Inside my chest, my heart was
racing so fast it bordered on painful.
    Logan lifted a lazy
finger. “In the tent.”
    “Together?” I squeaked.
I could have sworn the color drained from my face in a matter of
seconds as I watched him nod. “I can’t sleep in there with you.” I
paused. “I won’t sleep with you.”
    Logan shrugged. “Then
you can sleep outside.”
    My mouth dropped. “We
have to go back and get another tent.”
    Logan closed his