He informed the hostess at the entrance of the restaurant that he was expecting someone and immediately found Hiroshi standing from his table across the restaurant waving for his attention.
“Hiroshi, how are you?”
Hiroshi was a few years younger than Logan’s father. Unlike Jack, though, Hiroshi had short, jet-black hair. He wasn’t as tall as his father, but he was slim and fit, always making jokes about how his wife kicked him out of the house every morning before dawn just so he could run and stay fit.
Born in Kyoto, Japan, his family started a business in the late eighteen hundreds making Japanese playing cards called Hanafuda. But this venture only got the family so far before they realized they would need something bigger and better to succeed and get the company out of the debt it had fallen in. In the early seventies, they had created the first-ever commercially available home video game system, which could still be found in stores today.
His family still owned a dynamic chunk of the video game company but because of the massive amounts of production and new consoles that were being built on a daily basis, the family could no longer own it completely. Hiroshi himself invested in many commercial buildings all over the world with the majority being in Manhattan and Tokyo. He still held a prominent spot on the board for the video game company and when he wasn’t busy doing that, he bought and sold commercial properties.
Spending a lot of time in the states, his accent was not difficult to understand.
“Logan, how was the flight?”
“It was good, Hiroshi. How are you? How is your family?”
“They are all very well. Thank you. Please sit.” He gestured toward the unoccupied chair.
Logan took his seat and the waitress immediately offered him a warm glass of lemonade. “Lemonade?” he questioned Hiroshi.
“Yes. Very good, yes?”
Logan took a sip, “Yes, very good. Gabriella will love this.”
“Where is your friend? I thought I might get the chance to meet her.”
“She is freshening up. You know how women can be.”
“Yes, I do. Listen, as you already know, I want to show you around my country because I want you to work for me. Your father said you were undecided about taking on his law firm. My hope is that by getting to know me and my business, along with my family, you will change your mind.”
Logan tried not to let out the big sigh that was building inside of him. He knew that was what Hiroshi was after, but he didn’t like feeling pressured. And this felt like pressure. He could make the decision on his own—In fact, he had. He was going to work for Jack, and he would eventually take over REEVES.
Under his own terms, though. His plan wasn’t exactly solid yet…but he had a plan. Now he needed to decide if he should go along with Hiroshi or tell him the straight-up truth. He opted for somewhere in the middle.
“Hiroshi, I will most likely move to New York. But it will have to be under my terms. I do not feel it is right to have everything handed to me at such a successful corporation and I have done nothing to deserve it. However, I am glad I came to Japan. I look forward to meeting your family. Gabriella is looking forward to riding the Bullet Train to Kyoto.”
“Ah, yes. The Shinkansen will get you to Kyoto in approximately two hours, yes?”
“Yes. It will be quite the experience.”
The men discussed business for a little while longer, mostly discussing how Jack and Hiroshi had become great friends. Logan finished off his hot lemonade and out of the corner of his eye, saw Gabriella walking toward them. He set his drink down and pushed back his chair, standing, he motioned to Gabriella. “Here she is now.”
“Hi. I hope I’m not interrupting.” Gabriella smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She had changed into a white pantsuit that covered her from head to toe. She looked amazing.
“Not at all. In fact, Hiroshi was just asking about you. Hiroshi, meet Gabriella.”
“Gabriella, you are as beautiful as Logan has said. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you! It is so nice to meet you as well.”
“Logan was just telling me how he is going to work for his father.”
“Hiroshi—”
The news obviously took Gabbie by surprise, but only Logan could tell. She raised her eyebrows at Logan, trying as hard as she could not to look hurt. Ah, the burden of knowing someone so well. Fuck.
“Is that so? He was still on the fence the last I heard.”
“It seems Japan has helped him come to his senses.” Hiroshi laughed, obviously delighted by the fact.
“Now, Hiroshi,” he eyed Gabriella, “that’s not exactly what I told him, Gabbie.”
“Well…it’s fine. It’s your decision, right? Only you can decide what is best for you. I’ve told you that over and over.”
Hiroshi excused himself to take a phone call, leaving Logan and Gabbie alone. “Look, I was going to tell you. I have a whole plan I want to run by you and see what you think. Don’t be hurt.”
“I’m not hurt. I’m happy for you…really.”
Was she really trying to lie to him? He could hear the hurt in her voice although she tried to sound happy. It was her fake voice. When something was bothering her and she didn’t want to tell him what it was, she sounded much like she was sounding now.
“Let’s talk later. Let me say bye to Hiroshi. Our meeting is over.”
Logan watched Gabriella’s shoulders half-slumped as she walked away from Logan, out into the lobby to wait. Damn it, Hiroshi. Nice of him to take it upon himself to tell Gabriella about Logan’s decision. All he could do now was make sure Gabriella knew his half-formulated plan and understood his decision.
Chapter Seventeen
Gabriella knew what she was being selfish. Logan moving? All the way to New York? Her stomach ached thinking about it. When Hiroshi told her that, she thought he was joking but when Logan didn’t deny it, she felt like she wanted to run and hide. Pout like a baby. She didn’t want to feel this way, she did want Logan to be happy…it was harder than she thought to hear the actual words out loud.
Logan was going to move to New York.
It was like she felt a sense of…jealousy maybe…she couldn’t exactly name all of the emotions she was feeling. She was a bit hurt because he hadn’t yet chosen to say anything to her. She was already starting to feel…left behind! And he hadn’t even gone anywhere yet.
This was ridiculous.
Logan’s decision wasn’t all about her. It was about him and what was best for his life. They’d been so close to one another it was easy for her to get caught up in his life being their life.
“Let’s go explore, Cinderella, and discuss our future.” Logan had snuck up behind her and squeezed her shoulders. “Don’t be so depressed.”
“I’m not,” she lied.
He held the door open for her and as she passed, he playfully swatted her ass. “Don’t lie to me. I know when you’re lying to me. Where do you want to go first?”
“Let’s walk down by the train station and see what’s around. We could always catch a train to somewhere.”
As they walked, Gabbie could feel the tension radiating from Logan. She wished he would just speak. Tell her about his decision.
“I have this handy booklet the front desk gave me. Do you want to sit on this bench and look through it really quick?”
They both sat down and Logan began thumbing through the booklet. He would read aloud anything sounding remotely interesting or anything he thought Gabbie might want to try. As they sat on the bench, Gabbie had no problem getting sidetracked watching the massive amounts of traffic weaving in and out, and how no one used their horns. It was calm chaos. Black taxies were everywhere. People would cross the street in droves heading to and from the train station. Logan pointed out one thing he wanted to see, and they agreed to get up early in the morning and go to the world-famous Tsukiji Market where people could buy tons of fresh meat and fish.
“But that still leaves
us with today. See anything you like?”
“Let’s walk to here.” She pointed to the map. “We could visit the temple and then find some Ramen noodles to eat.”
“Whatever the lady would like.”
He stuck the brochures in his pocket, and they started off, crossing the street and heading through the train station in order to get to the temple. “Listen, Cinderella, I’m sorry about earlier with Hiroshi. I didn’t want to spoil our trip by discussing my decision.”
“Have you made a decision, Logan?” She hated how she could hear the own hurt in her voice.
“I have. I’m going to move. It’s going to be a huge process. This is only if my father will accept my offer. I’m not comfortable with him giving me the company and any of the clients that will stay onboard. I’m sorry. I should have mentioned this sooner. Perhaps while we were flying over.”
She stayed silent. She didn’t know what to say.
He stopped, grabbed her arm and faced her. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”
Tears started welling up in her eyes. “No,” she shook her head. “I’m not mad.”
“You’re going to cry. Don’t cry, just tell me what’s wrong.”
How could she explain every single emotion she was feeling when she wasn’t sure what every single one was? “I’m hurt you didn’t tell me, but I’m crying because you will be moving away. Away from me. Like, you’re just…leaving me.”
Her tears spilled over and Logan reached for her. Right there in the middle of Shinagawa Station, he pulled her into his warm embrace and comforted her. People flooded out from the turnstiles, swarming around them as she cried in his arms. The carousal music sounded every few minutes signaling a stopping train somewhere near them. The announcer continued to boom through the loudspeakers, indicting which trains were approaching, while Logan whispered and begged for her not to cry.
“I’m sorry, Gabriella. This is the most difficult decision I’ve ever made in my life and trust me, you have been a big part of my indecision.”
She looked up into his eyes. She could see his tormented expression and the hurt she’d caused him by telling him her feelings. “I am? I was?”
“Hell, yeah. You know me better than anyone and we’ve been friends for a long time. I don’t want to ruin our friendship, Gabriella. You and I both know there’s something—I don’t know what it is or why it’s happening—but something is changing between us. You can’t deny the tension that’s been surrounding us lately. Can you?”
He’d felt it, too. Was this really happening? Miles away from home, where she had nowhere to run and hide from Logan. At least at home, she could hide behind her store, pretend she was asleep at home, but here, with him sharing the same bed with her—she couldn’t hide.
And she knew Logan and knew he would want answers. He would expect answers. What could she say? She could deny what he just said and tell him he was wrong. But... he could see behind her lies, even though she tried to, sometimes. Yes, she has been feeling something weird going on between them. Even though she has been extremely confused about it and has for the most part, successfully blocked it out of her mind.
A few instances flashed through her mind as Logan stared into her eyes. When she stepped out of the dressing room at Lolita’s and his eyes roamed all over her body, giving her that feeling deep and low in her tummy. When she had kissed him at his house and the heated way he’d kissed her back.
Then, there was the moment between them when they had been at Blake and Marilyn’s house and he’d grazed her chest with his fingertips. Goosebumps had coated her arms and sent a wave of desire shooting through her core as she stood looking into his desire-laden eyes. There was also the last moment inside their hotel room, when he was standing behind her, the mixture of heat from his body and how the window had reflected the erotic moment.
All of those moments, each sending shivers of arousal through her core all on their own, had made for one big moment between them, right here and now.
She sensed it coming just before it happened. He tightened his grip around her body, bowed his head and his lips touched hers. It was a soft, tentative kiss at first. As if he wasn’t certain he should be doing this. But oh gosh, the second his mouth touched hers, she was lost. His lips were feather light. He lingered slowly before she parted them, hoping to feel his tongue as their kiss deepened. His mouth moved intoxicatingly slow as she heard herself whimper in delight—still praying for his tongue to seek entrance.
It finally did.
He moaned into her mouth as their tongues met and she couldn’t help that her body kept vying to get closer to his. The surrounding sounds she had heard before—the people, the announcer, and the carousal music—were all drowned out as she let herself be taken by Logan’s passion. His erection pressed against her pelvis and she threaded her fingers through his hair as she succumbed to his drugging kiss.
I like this.
He was so good at this. How had she never kissed him before in her life?
He pulled away abruptly. Her mouth was still open, wanting more, and her eyes were closed when his husky voice invaded her cloud of arousal.
“You can’t deny it. That kiss proved it. Come on, Cinderella, follow me.”
Chapter Eighteen
This was going to be the worst night ever. He wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink with the smell of Gabriella’s vanilla-scented skin this close to him in bed. Not when he knew she was lying there in the dark next to him wearing a skin-tight, barely-there t-shirt and the tiniest gym shorts he’d yet to see her in.
She walked out of the bathroom. Her dark hair hung down, parted around her face and—Oh, fuck. No bra. Her hair came to just above her nipples. Hard nipples, as far as he could see. He turned his back to her and walked around their bed into the bathroom so she couldn’t see his instant hard-on.
“Ready for bed?”
He swallowed. He was ready, but for something else entirely. “Ahh, yeah.”
They parted the sheets. He pulled off his shirt and dropped his shorts. He didn’t dare even peek at the braless goddess across the mattress.
He climbed in and specifically lay on his side facing away from her. He didn’t trust himself not to crawl over to her side of the bed and pin her down while he took his sweet time enjoying every delicious curve of her body. He wanted to though. He desperately wanted to, and he normally wasn’t a betting man, but he’d bet she wanted to, too.
After their kiss inside the station, they’d gone to the temple where Gabbie had taken an obscene number of pictures. They’d walked around the neighborhood and had gotten a recommendation for a great restaurant that served ramen noodles. Every now and then, he’d caught Gabriella staring at him and it was all he could do but smile and carry on.
He had it bad.
He was going to lie there with a hard-on all night.
In the quiet, he was able to make out sound from the traffic below. He strained to hear her. Was she asleep? Did this tense situation have her lying awake too? Her breathing sounded normal, but he didn’t know if that was awake breathing or asleep breathing. He longed to find out. To reach over and touch her, but he didn’t dare.
They didn’t address their kiss, but a few times throughout the day, they’d flirted back and forth with each other. He’d even been so bold as to grab her arm and hold her hand once or twice. She hadn’t pulled away, but he didn’t necessarily think that was a green light either.
She was truly a complex woman. What he couldn’t figure out was why she was so afraid of sex. Had someone hurt her? Done something much too imaginable for his brain to accept? The thought had his heart pounding inside his chest. What other explanation could there be? Surely, she would have told him if something that terrible had happened.
“Are you awake?” Her sweet voice flowed over him like honey.
“Yeah. Are you?”
She giggled. “Yeah. What are you thinking about?”
He turned away from the wall and lay on his ba
ck. “Are you sure you want to know that answer?”
“Yeah. I want to know.”
“I was thinking about what it would be like to have my way with you.”
“Me, too.” Her voice was low.
He stretched, folding his arms underneath his head. “I don’t know what to do about this, Gabriella. I’m leaving Colorado.”
“I know.”
“We are really good friends.”
“I know.”
“There is nothing I want more right now than to touch you.”
Silence.
“Does that mean you don’t want me to touch you?”
“Touch me how?”
Logan removed his hands from behind his head and turned to face her on the bed. “Look at me,” he demanded.
Gabriella turned toward him. In the dark, he could barely make out her face with only a small fraction of it illuminated by the alarm clock. But she was just as beautiful as ever.
“How would you like me to touch you?”
“I’m nervous, I don’t know. You could come closer though.”
She was tearing him apart. There was a mile-long list of so many things he wanted to do to her and not enough time in the world. The irony was he’d been with her step-by-step the majority of their lives and the moment he wanted her more than anything, he was going to be heading to Manhattan.
He reached for her in the darkness. “Come here, Cinderella. When’s the last time you’ve been in a man’s arms?”
She moved into him, turning so her back was up against his front. He wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her in as close to him as possible. His face was level with her hair. He drew in a breath. Strawberry and her vanilla lotion permeated his brain and he was rock hard.
Fuck. What had he been thinking? This wasn’t going to work. He tried pulling back some and she grabbed his arms.
“Don’t pull away. I’m sorry for making you do this. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a man’s arms. Especially a man I trust implicitly.”
“You aren’t making me do anything. I want to do this. I want to do more as you can no doubt feel,” he chuckled. “I’ve been wanting to touch you all fucking day.” He kissed her hair. He kissed her ear. “You smell so good. You feel better than I imagined you would feel.”
Pistol Whipped (Love on Target Book 3) Page 8
