Chapter Three

Payback

She woke up starving; actually starving didn't even begin to describe her growling stomach. She looked at the clock, 6:29 and gave a little smirk thinking of waking Logan up.

She made her way into his room; it wasn't uncommon that she disturbed him sleeping, though it was normally in the middle of the night and not bright and early in the morning.

She forgot food for a second as she approached his bed. He was asleep on his stomach, the sheet riding low on his waist, exposing his bare back as he slept holding the pillow like a little kid, just his profile exposed. She focused on his cheekbones, he had amazing cheekbones that she wouldn't notice all the time, she didn't know if it was from his hair or the facial hair, but they didn't appear all the time. He has an amazing jaw too, she thought as her eyes moved downward. Logan Cale had definitely been blessed with good genes.

His eyes started to flicker as he sensed someone in the room with him, his head remained flat on the pillow as he looked up and squinted at her, "Max." His eyes opened completely as the final remnants of sleep disappeared, "What time is it?"

" 6:30 and I'm starving so get up."

"You ate less than four hours ago," he said not moving.

"Get up and feed me or I'm gonna go attempt to make something myself."

"Ugh," he said groaning as he pushed himself up on one arm and looked at her. "Please don't do that to my kitchen," he turned himself around. "It would be like me kicking your bike," he said sitting and looking at her.

She was laughing until he settled himself into a seated position giving her an early morning glare and she realized his torso was completely exposed. He had a body that would make any guy envious. His arms had been made spectacular because of his workouts for his life in the chair as had most of his abs, the final perfection arriving with the arrival of the exo. His legs were even at their pre-accident level now, well minus the fact that he couldn't move them on his own anymore.

He realized his state too, "Toss me the shirt off my chair would you," he nodded.

She turned around to where she'd moved his chair out of the way to wake him up, "Logan Cale modest, who'd have ever thunk it." She smiled grabbing his shirt, thinking of that damn cocky bastard she had first met, that same charmer she experienced as she watched him talk to anything female.

"Can I just get my shirt Max? Or at least my chair?"

She smiled tossing him the shirt and moving the chair back to its spot. She stood back as he pulled on the shirt, put on the glasses he had on his nightstand before tossing back the covers and transferring into the chair. She followed him out of the room now thinking about his clothing instead of his lack of it.

He had on pajama pants now, he never wore them unless she was staying over, her unexpected visits had taught her this. She figured it out before the first time she caught him off guard, when he'd wheeled in to ask her if there was anything she needed before he went to bed. The bottom of his pants were immaculate, no small rips, no tiny stains from where they would hit the floor, not even Logan Cale could avoid things like that. She doubted though he'd even bothered with the shorts before the accident, there was just something about his personality then and even know…

She shook her head, wasn't the type of thing she was ever going to find out and watched as he opened the fridge and yawned running a hand over his neck looking in.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Max," Logan's voice called out from his room as he sat on his bed putting on the exo, "can you get the door?"

"You've got to be kidding me, what am I your butler now?" she emerged from his bathroom dressed in a long white robe, comb still in hand from combing the tangles out of her hair.

"Legman Max," he said looking down at his bare ones only covered by the boxer briefs.

She made an almost halfway serious face dropping the comb down on the dresser and walking out of the room, which settled into a smile as she opened the door.

"Bitsy," Max said in shock seeing Logan's cousins at the door, " Brittany."

"Hi Max," they both said at the same time, but Brittany trumped her mother's smile by hugging Max's waist.

"I hope we haven't come at a bad time."

"Uh no," Max said looking down at the little girl still clinging to her, "not at all." She looked back up at Bitsy, "So what brings you guys by?"

"Max," Logan called from the bedroom where he was still putting on the exo, "Who was at the door?"

"It's your cousin Bitsy and Brittany," Max smiled knowing the face and groan her words had just caused in Logan.

"Uncle Logan," the little girl called out and started jetting towards the door.

"Oh no no no," Max said chasing after her. "Uncle Logan will be out in a minute," she said pulling the girl back and lifting her up into her arms, "How about we get you something to drink?"

"Soda?"

"It's not even nine silly, you can't have soda this early." That and Logan didn't have any, "How about some juice? Bitsy the coffee's still fresh."

"That would be great Max"

Max walked into the kitchen and plopped the little girl on the counter before moving to get a glass and sighed wondering what this day had in store for her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Bits," Logan smiled walking out into the room dressed now in a pair of jeans and a fitted light blue shirt, "What brings you by?"

Max interjected before Bitsy had the chance to speak, "I told Bitsy we'd keep Brittany with us for the day."

There was a slight hesitation before Logan spoke that only Max noticed, "Really."

"Yea Logan, that isn't a problem is it? The nanny the agency sent over…"

Logan stopped his cousin before she went on anymore, "No, no it's fine. I just don't know how exciting the market will be for a-"

It was Max's turn to cut him off, "I told Brit we'd go play in the park for a little bit before we went and did all that boring stuff."

"And then we're going to come back here and you're gonna make us lunch," the little girl smiled.

"Sounds like you ladies have everything all planned out," he said with the fake smile still attached to his face, so much for his quiet morning with Max.

"Thank you so much for doing this Logan," Bitsy said standing, "I really owe you." She kissed his cheek.

He just smiled, you're not the only one, he thought turning to Max the moment Bitsy's head turned to say goodbye to her daughter.

Max just smiled at Logan's face, "I'm gonna go get dressed, I'll see you in a couple hours Bitsy."