I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 55: Logan

A/N: ^ Mt. Ranier!

"Seattle Ballooning," I read off the entrance sign off the road but the words stuck in my ears. "This is it?"

"Yep." Ellie's dark eyes flashed with excitement at me.

Her confirmation stirred a few reactions in me. First, I was relieved we hadn't gone to another farm since the one date where we dodged cow pies and horse shit piles was enough. While our actual date had been horseback riding, just the memory of my slapped-up balls afterwards confirmed that once had been enough.

Ellie definitely has different ideas for dates.

Second, uncertainty and apprehension knotted in my stomach because, well, I'm a big guy. I wasn't afraid of heights, loved rollercoasters until my stomach was done with them, and flying was no problem.

A straw-woven basket hundreds of feet in the air, giant gas flame-powered balloon, no seatbelts... That's another story.

"Thought I'd get you off-campus," Ellie's sweet voice cut through my thoughts as I drove up to what looked like a regular split-level house with white siding and blue shutters. The large, flat, and grassy property had a gigantic back yard and I couldn't help but wonder the obvious question.

We just take off from here?

"How do you find this stuff?" I asked Ellie, who definitely surprised me here.

"Can't reveal my secrets," she teased and refused to say anything further.

Ellie had definitely started out our date on a high note and for sure took me by surprise when we shared by far our hottest make out session since I'd been here. Kissing her resurfaced all of my desires and arousal for her within two seconds flat and both my hands and mouth couldn't get enough of her.

Although I would've been completely fine had we taken what we started in the library back to our place and spent all night there, I knew Ellie and I needed to talk over some hurdles that remained between us. Plus, now that we were here and with the excited look in her eyes, I knew I was just along for the ride.

Literally.

We exited my truck, well I stepped out while Ellie adorably jumped down, and walked up to the front of the house with her small, warm hand tucked in mine. Just inside the front entry was an office set up with three metal desks. An older man with gray streaks in his dark brown hair sat behind one desk and balloon paraphernalia, posters, and pictures hung on every available wall surface.

"Miss Harrison?" The man stood up from behind his desk, walked over to us with a welcoming smile, and shook Ellie's free hand. He looked more like a mountain man than a pilot dressed in black jeans, red flannel, and a puffy navy blue vest coat, but introduced himself, "Captain Elias, we spoke on the phone."

"Hi Captain Elias." She smiled brightly, lifted her hand, then patted my chest. "Yep, I'm Ellie and this is Logan."

"Nice to meet you Logan. You look familiar..." He looked up and studied my face while his hand shook mine. "For a big guy."

"Too big for this?" I looked around the office like some of the pictures showed this was best for people who barely stood taller than the baskets.

Like Ellie.

"Well..." He craned his neck back and studied me curiously. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-thirty," I confessed and ignored the surprised look on Ellie's face that yes, I now weighed more than twice her weight.