He came home totally unexpected. Yeah, you guessed it. Logan. After more than three years of being away he decided it was time to come home. I'd missed him terribly. Distance really does make the heart grow fonder and in the time that he was gone, I think mine expanded larger than my body could contain. It was hard at first, walking through the mansion and not having him there to stir up trouble, but after awhile I got used to the emptiness and continued on with life. It wasn't like he was too far away; I mean he was still in me. The after effects of prolonged touch. I still can't decide if it's a blessing or a curse. But since it's made me all the more closer to Logan, I'll consider it a blessing.

One day I had to get away from everybody. It was just one of those days where you start feeling really claustrophobic and the overwhelming need to run away takes over. If you don't then you know you're just going to scream your head off. It was just one of those days. Bobby, who's my best friend, was really starting to tick me off. I know it's irrational but he wouldn't stop talking and I knew I had to go when thoughts of slapping him silly popped into my head. So I muttered some excuse and went to seek refuge.

I decided to go for a swim over on the far west wing of the mansion. There's an indoor pool over there and blessedly, not a soul in sight. Perfect. I changed into my teeny bikini (no one's supposed to know about that!) and plunged into the chilly water. It was wonderful! I could feel the tension drain off of my stiff body as I began swimming my laps. I refused to dwell on any thoughts, instead counting off determined to break the number of laps I did the other day. This continued for a while, me just stroking away, pushing the water back and forth, feeling it run over me. Five...breathe in...breath out. Six...breathe in...breathe out. On the return lap of my sixth one, I popped my head out of the water to take a breath and almost drowned. The bastard! After three years, there he was crouched by the side of the pool. And that stupid smug grin was shining on his face. As if he knew what he did to me! Oh wait, maybe he did. Ooooh! The bastard, how dare he!

I swam to the ladder to step out of the pool, not paying him any attention, pretending I never saw him in the first place. But he knew I did. Damn. I bent down to grab my towel and as I did I saw his leather shoes step into my line of vision. My wet hair dripped onto the tops of those shoes, he was that close. Drip..drip..drip. My heart stilled and leisurely I moved back to stand, looking at his body as I went. First his jean clad legs, then the apex where his legs met. I refused to stare at the bulk there instead focusing on the buckle. Up his chest, (what a mighty fine chest may I add) and finally to his fuzzy chin where I couldn't find the courage to look all the way up just yet.

"Hey kid, you ain't gonna say hi?" His deep voice rumbled. Oh yeah, I missed him and I wanted to say hi. Hell, I wanted to do more than say hi. But I wouldn't let him see me lose my composure. I gathered the courage to look in straight in the eyes. The same haunted eyes burning into my own. Three years older, three years wiser. Much like how I felt.

"Hiya, Logan." I had to force myself not to wince at the twang in my voice. Damn! I don't do that unless I'm nervous. For heaven's sake! What do I have to be nervous about? This is Logan! Yeah, Rogue, keep telling yourself that, I thought. I told my head to shut up.

We just continued staring into each other's eyes letting that be the source of our communication. I suppose we were beyond words at that point. Something in him changed. I could see it hibernating just beneath him, willing it to stay that way. He broke his gave and looked down. Then he took a step back and stared at my shivering almost naked body. It's more skin than I've ever shown anyone else. I'm glad he was the first one to see me like this. His jaw practically hit the ground and he struggled to screw it back into place. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes were glued to my chest. And I knew perfectly well why. It was the amount of cleavage showing. What can I say? Typical male. I had to fight hard to hide the smile that threatened to burst threw at how ridiculous he looked. A flutter flapped in my stomach at the realization that I caused that reaction. I shook it off, ready to leave.

I caught his movement from the side of my eyes. He moved forward, reclaiming the step he left a few moments earlier. I froze. I saw his hands move to touch me and panic arose in me. But he knew better. He placed two slender fingers on the band of thin cloth on my waist. I could feel the electricity crackling between the elastic material of the bikini.

His words stilled any further motion on my part. "I missed you, Rogue." Rogue, not Marie, not Kid. An admission that I earned that name and it has become who I was. I turned back to look at him and gave him the first full genuine smile I felt, teeth and all. "I missed you two, Wolvie." His lips pouted with mock annoyance. And for the first time in years, I was truly happy. He waited for me to wrap my towel around my dripping body then we left together, chattering away, catching up on lost time. Talking as if we'd never been separated, the past three years a distant memory. He was back and he was here to stay. For good.

That was a few months ago. Logan quickly became my best friend again. We did normal things, as normal as you can be when you can't touch a living soul. But we managed. I'd say all in all it was a good partnership. Logan always refrained from telling me why he came back, but I guess he just missed human contact and was too proud to admit he needed it like any other warm blooded person. Like I said before, we didn't need words, sometimes a look in the eyes said a lot more than words could. And like I said I felt, something had changed in Logan while he was gone. I just couldn't figure out what.

During the months we spent rebuilding our relationship, I'd spend a lot of time in his room either studying or doing something. Maybe it was just an excuse to be with him. Who cares? He enjoyed the company anyways, and so did I. On one particularly boring afternoon, I sat in his room talking away, watching as he did a crap load of pushups. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to keep from stuttering like a buffoon. I had to get out quick because seeing his naked torso stretch and flex like that was more than I could handle.

I told Logan that I had to go, uh, run errands! Yeah, errands. He just watched as I nearly ran out the door. God! That man's body is a lethal weapon. Any woman in her right mind would swoon and melt into a puddle at the sight of it. Glistening in sweat, hard muscles clenching and unclenching. Oh God.

I power walked all the way to my room, determined to not make a fool of myself. At least any more than I already had. I was sitting in my room just staring at the tv when Kitty walked in. She wanted to know if I'd go to the mall with her. Time away from here was just what I needed. I told her to wait for me so I could put on my sweater. Shit! My sweater! I'd left it in Logan's room. Damn. I told Kitty to wait for me while I went to retrieve it. I should've told her to call an ambulance because I was about to go into cardiac arrest any second now.

At Logan's door, I leaned into the oak wood to hear for any signs of movement, but I didn't. I thought maybe he'd left the room to go work out in the gym or something. I pushed the door open, hearing its moan as it moved. For some cockamamie reason, I had the urge to tiptoe. I saw my sweater on the bed where I left it. I grabbed it and turned to leave, but I saw something half hidden under the bed. It looked like a magazine haphazardly dropped onto the ground. I bent down to pick it up when my eyes widened in shock. I knew what magazine it was. Shit. My stupid stint of rebellion lay as evidence on Logan's bedroom floor. My mind raced with all sorts of thoughts. I was stupefied when I saw how careworn the page of my feature was. It looked as though it had been thumbed at time and time again. That's what had changed! Logan saw this and he loved it enough to look at it over and over. My feelings surged through me, not repulsed at all, but flattered and tingly.

I heard a door open and I realized he'd been in the bathroom the whole time. He must have just taken a shower because he was in the doorway, gripping the too small towel around his beautiful waist. God! It was more of a hand towel than a bath one. Thank you whoever! His eyes were as wide as saucers, not having expected me. His mouth formed a round "O". We both stood frozen, not knowing what to do in a situation like this one. Those same brown eyes flicked to the magazine in my hands, which was still opened to my centerfold. Before I knew it, his hands went slack with shock and that little towel fell to the floor. Dang, things just keep on getting better.

Not to be sappy, but he was the epitome of perfection. His chest and abs were rippled from repeated exercise sessions. Those pushups, situps and God knows what else had done him a hellavu lot of good. Logan's body was shaking with the erratic breaths he breathed.

His waist was lean and connected to the most gorgeous thighs I'd ever seen. Not that I've seen a lot of naked men before, if any, but I just knew he was perfect. His calves were straining with the tension he must have felt. His body was a taught wire ready to spring into action. I could feel the heat in my face flush a bright red as I gave into the temptation to look at his penis. Hey! I'm human. I nearly fainted right then and there. This man was gifted. Yup, like I said before, he was the epitome of perfection. A Greek Adonis. His penis was erected, engorged and dark, ready for my touch alone. And God almighty, how I wanted to touch him. It seemed so natural, but something inside of me forced me to back away. I was in a situation beyond what I could control. This was not the time to lust over a man as hunky as Logan. He was my friend (and deep inside, my love but that was beside the point.) Whatever stopped me, I guess I knew now was not the time for something like this. And I refused to run away again. I decided to handle this like a real woman.

I flicked my gaze from that beautiful show of masculinity to meet his eyes. If I had been any other person, I would have laughed at the light redness that settled into his cheeks. Wolverine! Blushing! The idea was as absurd as the situation we were in. But I didn't laugh. My lips slid into a sly smile and my eyes conveyed mischief. I placed the magazine back on the bed, keeping my stare focused on him. I reclaimed my sweater and moved for the door. As I turned the handle, I looked back at Logan, smiling at his bewilderment. I purposefully let my gaze fall back to his aroused cock then up to his face one last time.

"Logan, you dropped your towel." Not missing his slack jaw at my admission, I shut the door behind me and walked to where Kitty waited. The smirk on my face never left me the entire afternoon.