AN: just a shortish addition more today before we get on with the day of the big stunt.
Chapter 16
Rory woke to feeling a warm body shift underneath her, the contrast against the sharp chill all around them doing most of the waking.
"Mmm..," Rory mumbled, through her haze, not quite registering the situation, nor the state of her undress.
"Go back to sleep, I just need to move my arm..," Logan whispered and moved his arm around her, sounding like he was struggling a little.
"Sorry...," Rory said, peeking through her half closed eyelids, only now realizing she'd spent the night. They'd never spent the entire night together before, and this time it had in no way been a conscious choice, the setting in the narrow camping cot being the least comfortable option imaginable. Her body felt stiff, having probably not moved through the night, her chin having spent most of the night on his chest, the red spot on his skin being evidence of that. And considering he was complaining about his arm, that was possibly lost all feeling by the way he was trying to let blood flow back into it, so was probably his body as well.
Logan pulled the blanket over Rory's shoulders, making her feel warm again, protectively.
"It's fine.. I'm sure I'll regain feeling in it in no time," Logan said, trying to make it sound like no big deal.
"I must've fallen asleep…," Rory said, hesitantly. Deep down she was worried, unsure if this was crossing some unwritten boundary. Having fun was one thing, spending the night not quite. They really hadn't discussed it.
It was his other hand that intertwined softly into her hair and kissed her, what finally calmed her, wordlessly telling her it was fine. He didn't seem annoyed nor in a hurry to get rid of her.
But Rory was still a little self-conscious, unsure what she looked like waking up like this or whether her mouth smelled or tasted bad, having forgotten to brush her teeth last night. But then again so had he.
"Good morning," Logan murmured as the kiss broke, as if he'd felt like they hadn't gotten to a good start.
"Uh-uh," Rory replied, lingering in a state of bliss, his kiss doing wonders on her.
"Want to go grab a shower?" Logan asked, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary with that statement.
"A shower? Out here?" Rory asked and eyed him skeptically, her eyes now being wide open.
"Yeah. It's got hot water and everything. There should be a robe and towel waiting for you out there," Logan suggested, nodding towards the exit.
"Is this just your way of wanting me to get out of here while you go back to sleep?" Rory asked, pretend-grumpily, leaning herself onto her elbow, slipping from her earlier hesitance to her true self again. Each one of Logan's touches gave her that extra feeling of power. It felt incredible, something she'd never truly experienced and acknowledged before like this.
"Nah, I was thinking of coming with you," Logan said, sneakily.
"Oh, did you now?" Rory exclaimed, laughingly.
This was indeed a new dynamic. Not just for the two of them as whatever they were, but for Rory in too. The only time she'd technically spent a night with a guy having been the time she'd fallen asleep at Ms. Patty's with Dean - and that did so not compare. In Florida, they'd fallen asleep really late and she'd snuck out with a very quick goodbye in the early morning hours. There was a lot she yet didn't know about this morning after etiquette - like how to slip out of the bed and not feel awkward about it, needing to go pee, which was indeed a pressing need presently.
Logan just smiled back at her sneakily, deciding to just take the first step and pull himself out of the bed, into the brisk morning air. While she had naturally seen him naked before, more than once, seeing him just move through the tent like that, all naked, not even necessarily in a sexual way, he still looked like he could well be a Greek god of somesort - his toned muscles showing now a lot better than late last night in candellight. She felt like she could watch him for a while like this, admiring his physicque even if technically that would've been considered objectifying him.
Logan popped out his head from between the tent door, and grabbed the robe that had been set out for him, the hired help having already been busy this morning.
"Here," he suggested, offering the robe to Rory.
"Thanks," Rory said, again feeling the chill as she pushed the blanket aside, shivering in her nakedness, feeling a lot less confident compared to Logan at this moment.
Logan himself pulled a towel around his hips and grabbed his toothbrush to bring with.
"That shower actually sounds like a good idea," Rory replied, her teeth shattering, having not expected the morning to feel this chilly.
Logan was clearly more hardened than she was, not appearing to be bothered by the coolness of the air which was a little surprising considering he was not exactly the typical outdoorsy type of guy, rather someone who one might expect to complain at the lack of space heaters.
"Alright then," Logan replied with a broad smile, and slipped on his shoes. Rory did the same, and after picking up her robe, handing it to Logan and her towel and toothbrush from her tent next door, its bed remaining not slept in, they made it down the forest path to a direction past the breakfast buffet that was already being set up. The smell of coffee was already so tempting, but Logan's warm hand around hers was even more so.
They both made a quick stop to relieve themselves, clearly both having all the natural bodily needs.
There weren't a lot of people up yet, just a couple, but most looked sleepy enough not to really pay much attention to the two of them in their own little bubble. The morning was a beautiful one, sun slowly rising, its rays causing the Tyndall effect, making Rory almost hope she'd brought a camera.
There was a wood-burning water heater, a chimney with smoke coming out from the top making that clear, and eight outdoor showers, separated by some simple wood panels, set up underneath some taller pine trees.
There were a few people showering already, only their feet being somewhat visible under the curtains, steam rising from the top of the stalls.
"Oh no…," Rory fretted, the thought of getting undressed out here in the cold seeming like the worst idea. She'd hoped for somewhere indoors at least.
"It's warm, trust me. You'll feel better in no time," Logan urged, lifting up her chin and kissing her again. It was really that little convincing she needed in that moment. After all the other people didn't sound like they were very uncomfortable.
With a small yelp, Logan pulled Rory inside a stall furthest in the row, allowing them some privacy.
Assertively Logan untied the belt on her waist, exposing her delicate skin underneath. But it was his gaze that willed her not to focus on the cold, excitement filling her every cell. Whatever this was... god, it felt good.
It was more about the tease - the game, than actually planning on having sex out here in the shower, possibly with limited water sources. But it was about closeness. After hanging up their robes and towels, Logan simply held her as the water poured down of them. The initial water in the pipes was cold, causing Rory to yelp out loud in panic.
"Cold, cold, cold," Rory yelped loudly. The scream soon replacing with a more satisfying sight, as the water warmed.
"Reporter girl, is that you?" Finn's voice asked from a few stalls over, causing Logan to groan at the loss for their private moment, audibly at least.
"It's me, Finn," Rory replied, seeing no sense in hiding it, but sounded no-doubt unenthusiastic.
"Now isn't this lovely and intimate, you and I, sharing a shower on this fine brisk morning?" Finn teased, talking as if this was completely normal.
"I'm in here too, Finn," Logan pointed out.
"Hey, I can swing both ways," Finn exclaimed, laughingly, causing the two to giggle amongst themselves. It didn't seem to be a big shock to Finn at least that they were in there together, which to Rory almost felt like approval, having not realized she'd needed it. It felt like that simple thing had washed away a lot of her worries - concerns about what others might think if they knew she'd slept with him, along with the hot water that washed over the two of them, staying there, enjoying their closeness, barely bothering to properly wash themselves.
Rory nearly didn't believe the day could get any better than this.