Not Just Another Billionaire

by Emma Kingsley

  He considered her question before answering. “Yes and no. My work is there, that’s for sure. But there’s always more to life than work.”

  “Like sitting on the beach?” She giggled.

  “Don’t forget that we have some pretty decent beaches in Chicago too.” He smirked, arching an eyebrow.

  “But you can’t compare ocean beach and lake beach.”

  “In your company, I would be happy even on the swamp beach,” he admitted, his eyes locked with hers.

  She froze. This wasn’t an abstract reference to the right person or real love. He said “in your company.” Logan Marshall was talking about her, Emily Taylor. Her pulse thrummed, and she worried she would faint from her inability to breathe. She tilted her head, staring into his eyes with her lips parted. He ran his fingers across her cheek.

  “I’ve been dreaming about this moment since that night in Aspen,” he whispered.

  She took a deep, trembling breath.

  “Me too,” she said, her voice hardly audible as she allowed her true emotions to show. She resisted the temptation to tell him that she had been dreaming about that moment all her life.

  His brown eyes burned into hers, and she could smell the spicy, woodsy scent of his cologne. He slid his hand behind her neck and gently pulled her to him. His lips touched hers. At first soft and tentative, his kiss became deeper and more intense. Her senses buzzed with the warmth of his breath, her fingers drifting into his hair.

  “You remember what you told me when we first met?” she asked when they finally pulled apart.

  “That you’ll never see me again?” He squinted his eyes, smiling.

  “Not that.” She shook her head, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “You said you don’t want to play any games. You’re not playing games with me, right?”

  He knelt in front of her, turning his back to the ocean, and clasped her hands in his.

  “Emily, listen to me, I would never play games with you. Please, don’t doubt that even for a second.” His expression was thoughtful. “It may sound crazy because we’ve known each other for such a short time, but I’ve never been more serious about anyone or anything in my life.”

  Tears threatened to spill over as she pulled her hands out of his grasp and wrapped her arms around his neck. Watching the sunset behind his back and feeling his uneven breathing against her chest, she knew that her heart was lost to him, and she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

  Chapter 11

  Emily

  Emily watched Logan’s deep, dark eyes as he dipped toward her one more time for a warm, chaste kiss on her lips before taking her hand and walking her to her cabana. They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. The moment was too sweet to put into words. She was still half floating on air as she lay on her bed and tossed and turned most of the night. She was amazed that he had managed to keep the pace of their first kiss perfectly tense and innocent at the same time. He made it sweet and exciting without being demanding or pushy. It was perfect. He was perfect.

  The next day, the team had been given free time. She was going to stick around the resort and get more beach time in while the others were heading into Santa Barbara for some sightseeing. Emily tried not to wonder when she would see Logan again. After all, he was a busy man, and having expectations was a good way to disappoint herself before anything even really began between them. She grabbed an early breakfast and said goodbye to the executives as they got on the resort’s shuttle bus for a trip to town.

  Now that she didn’t live in Los Angeles anymore, beach time was harder and harder to come by, so it was the perfect way to distract herself. From her research, Oregon coasts were breathtaking, but in much different ways. Settled into her lounge chair a few feet from the water, Emily applied her sunscreen and put the large, floppy straw hat on her head as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

  She couldn’t help but notice that Logan wasn’t with the others in the lobby as she had watched them depart earlier and that he hadn’t gotten on the shuttle bus either. She glanced over at his cabana, and seeing that it was closed suddenly made her anxious. She wondered if he was avoiding her because he regretted kissing her. What if he had left early to avoid seeing her in the lobby, or maybe he was still in bed, hoping she would be gone when he got out. These thoughts made it hard for her to relax, but she had slept little that night and sitting in the lounge chair under soft sun rays was so comfortable that she dozed off. The next thing she knew, a dark shadow had passed over her head. She hadn’t realized that she had fallen asleep until his presence startled her awake.

  “You know,” a deep voice sent shivers straight to her toes, “you’re an awfully cute sleeper.”

  She looked up and smiled. “Who’s the sleeper here?” she teased. “You were the last one to wake up.”

  “That’s actually your fault. You kiss me like you did last night and then you expect me to fall asleep? I couldn’t close my eyes until 5:00 a.m.”

  She felt herself blush at his words, and when he winked at her, she thought she might turn the color of a tomato permanently. Her lips split into a wide grin.

  “That’s so sweet,” she said, aware that she sounded like a teenager with her first crush.

  “What are you doing today?” he asked casually. Waiting for her answer, he sat on a lounge next to hers as she sat up.

  “I didn’t really have any plans beyond this.” She gestured toward the beach around her.

  “You don’t want to go to town with the rest of them?” He leaned closer to her as he spoke.

  “Not really.” She shook her head, trying to keep her thoughts clear though his proximity made it nearly impossible. “By the way, they left a while ago.”

  “So, you’re free then?” He lifted his eyebrows in the cutest way.

  “I suppose. Why do you ask?” She wondered what exactly he had in mind. His playful expression made her more than curious.

  “Because I want to go get some lunch and check something out,” he said with an easy grin. “And I want you to come too. What do you say?”

  “Sure,” she answered, knowing that the warmth she suddenly felt had little to do with the sun and everything to do with the fact that he wanted to keep her close to him.

  He beamed at her. “Great.” He pushed himself to his feet. “Wear something comfortable and sneakers, preferably. Meet you back here in twenty?” With that, he disappeared toward his cabana.

  Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of her cabana as Logan came strolling out of his with khaki cargo shorts and a white linen shirt, unbuttoned at the top. He had on blue canvas boat shoes and a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses. She had picked a pair of loose-fitting batik shorts with a drawstring waist and a dark tank top to match with a sweater tied around her waist just in case. True to his advice, she had worn comfortable sneakers.

  “I like it,” Logan said with a quick nod to her clothes.

  “Likewise.” She followed him as he started walking toward the resort.

  They moved wordlessly through the lobby, and Logan nodded to employees who greeted them. Out front, a valet was waiting for them with a gorgeous white convertible, top down.

  “Yours?” She slid into the passenger’s seat while he held the door open for her.

  “It belongs to the property,” he said. “Courtesy vehicle. Since we are guests, I thought we should take advantage of all the amenities the place has to offer.”

  The drive into town took about ten minutes, and they moved through the touristy downtown district out toward the marina. He parked the car in an understated area. They had passed an elegant seafood joint a few blocks back, and Emily guessed that was where Logan was taking her. Instead, he led her down a twisty and turning path to arrive at a small court of food trucks.

  “What’s this?” she asked with a smile.

  The smells coming off the trucks were mouthwatering. In particular, there was a fish taco stand that had a line around the block as proof of the quality of the food they
offered.

  “I read that these were the freshest fish tacos in the area,” Logan said. “I wanted to see for myself.”

  They waited nearly ten minutes before placing their order, and then found two open spots at the end of a large picnic table occupied by other diners.

  “Are you okay out here?” She glanced around.

  Logan looked confused. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, isn’t this roughing it a bit for you? You don’t look like the street-food type,” she teased. Though she was attempting humor, it was also her way of reminding herself that he was from a different world than her.

  He frowned. “I’ll have you know, in Chicago, I know where all the best taco trucks are. I know which ones make their own salsas on what day, and I even know the ones that hand press their own gorditas. I live for food trucks.”

  She smiled at the thought that, with all the fancy appearances, this man was one of the most simple, down-to-earth and genuine persons she had ever met. She looked at her food. The corn tortillas had been fried to perfection, and the white fish chunks inside were sprinkled with bits of cabbage and doused with some dressing heavy on lime. She took her first bite and had to stop herself from groaning in pleasure. Flavor exploded in her mouth—everything was simple and served a purpose in the dish.

  “How is it?” he asked between bites.

  She closed her eyes before answering, allowing the tart lime and buttery fish to blend. “It’s delicious.”

  “I agree.” Logan seemed pleased that she approved of his choice.

  “Where are we going now?”

  “Remember I told you I could take you sailing that first night at dinner?” he said with an eager smile. He handed her an unopened packet of motion sickness pills. “We’re about to go out on the water. If you’re not used to it, it’d be shame to lose the tacos over the side.”

  “Well, aren’t you considerate? A real prince charming.” She giggled as she downed the pills quickly. The last thing she wanted was to get sick in front of him.

  She was curious about the new experience, but more than anything, she was thrilled that Logan felt the need to share with her something he was so passionate about. Within a half hour, they were boarding a beautiful wooden boat that was being captained by a man Logan introduced as “Captain Felix.” Felix was an older man with a salt-and-pepper beard and an adorable white captain’s hat. Logan held his hand out to Emily during boarding, helping her across the gangplank. He kept hold of her hand until she was seated.

  While Logan and Felix spoke, Emily took in the beautiful boat. It was older, it seemed, and made of beautiful polished wood. Not knowing much about boats, even she could tell that the craft was well made and lovingly maintained. When the two men were done, Logan made his way toward her and sat down beside her.

  “Life jackets are over there.” He pointed to a storage chest. “I don’t usually wear them, but you can if it’ll make you feel safer.”

  “Am I safe?” she asked, her eyes searching his. To Emily, the question was about so much more than just life jackets.

  “Absolutely safe with me,” he said quietly, squeezing her hand.

  Trusting him, she leaned back and settled in as the boat picked up speed. The winds carried the boat softly into more open water.

  “What do you think of the Lottie Moon?” Logan watched Emily as she eagerly stared at the water.

  “Who’s that?” she asked, drawn from her admiration of the sea back to their conversation. She had never heard of anyone named Lottie.

  He chuckled. “The boat. It’s the name of the boat.”

  She felt silly for not noticing, blushing with embarrassment. “It’s stunning.”

  He seemed pleased with the answer and smiled. “I finished restoring her two years ago. I did all the work in my backyard in Chicago, believe it or not. Felix here bought her last year and has taken her out on at least a hundred sunset cruises since then. He said Lottie Moon has more proposals aboard her than any other craft in the marina.”

  Emily didn’t miss the note of pride in his voice. She knew in her heart that he wasn’t the loveless man the media portrayed him to be. He was a romantic to his core.

  “You’re pretty amazing.” She suddenly realized she might have overstepped. After all, he hadn’t tried to kiss her again. “I mean amazing at ship restoring,” she added, trying to cover herself.

  “That’s all you mean?” he teased, touching the tip of her nose with his finger. Something about the gesture told her that he wasn’t at all regretting their passion the night before.

  “At kissing too,” she whispered in his ear.

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer.

  “That’s one more thing we have in common then.” He gave her a mischievous look before pressing his lips to hers again.

  They sailed around the bay for two hours. They didn’t talk about their future. They simply sat close, his arm wrapped around her as she lay her head on his shoulder. Everything was spectacular—the sun, the sea, the company.

  Captain Felix was a charming storyteller as they enjoyed a snack later in the afternoon before returning to the marina. He told her about the first time he had met an eighteen-year-old Logan Marshall—a young man off to college who’d come to Santa Barbara for the summer, demanding to learn about sailboats.

  “So, what did you do?” Emily asked.

  “I taught him—the hard way,” Captain Felix said with a chuckle. “He swabbed decks for me and all of my buddies that summer. He scraped barnacles off a fleet of yachts. He even repaired the pier. I’d written him off as some spoiled rich kid, but he worked harder than most of our paid men combined. And he learned everything we taught him.”

  Logan didn’t say much while Felix talked and looked decidedly uncomfortable as the praise was heaped on him by the older man.

  “And he came back every summer until he got too busy for us old sailors,” the captain said. “He went on to graduate school, and I figured that’d be the end of Logan Marshall and sailboats, but he stayed in touch over the years and comes out to see us at least once a year.”

  Beside her, Logan shrugged.

  “What can I say, old man.” He grinned. “You grew on me. Like a barnacle.”

  Emily laughed and nearly shot sparkling water out of her nose. She really liked Logan’s sense of humor and ease with people he was comfortable with. He was impressive when he was in business mode, but this side of Logan was nearly irresistible.

  Back at the pier, they docked the Lottie Moon and Emily said her goodbyes to Captain Felix.

  “Have a great stay in Santa Barbara.” He wrapped her in a big hug. “Logan’s never introduced us to any girl. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again, young lady,” he said, making Emily’s heart swell.

  Chapter 12

  Logan

  Emily and Logan agreed not to expose their relationship to the gaze of their curious coworkers. Others could often see them sitting together at team meals or chatting after work sessions, and rumors about something going on between them couldn’t be prevented. The couple wasn’t interested in providing any more fuel for the gossip though. No kissing or hugging in the presence of Marshall Resorts employees, they decided.

  On the last day of the retreat, the executive team had been left to their own devices before returning to Portland because they had accomplished so much in their discussion in the days after Emily presented her idea. Logan stopped in the resort restaurant to get a quick breakfast and found Emily at a table by herself, reading a newspaper. He made his way over toward her, and it was not lost on him that this exact sort of scenario was how they first met.

  “Miss, I don’t know what my mother told you, but I don’t like to play games,” he joked, pulling out the chair across her table.

  She immediately picked up the allusion to their first encounter.

  “That’s such a shame because I love playing games,” she teased, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
/>   The heated smirk he gave her made her laugh.

  “Even if we don’t say anything to the others for the moment, our faces are telling it all, I’m afraid,” she said.

  That was true. They beamed with joy since the night they kissed for the first time.

  “You’re definitely right about that. I can’t wipe this stupid grin off my face. My brother just caught me singing ‘Love me tender, love me sweet’ in the men’s room.”

  She giggled and had to fight the urge to reach out and place her hand on his cheek.

  “You’re such a cutie,” she gushed, her eyes dancing with happiness.

  “Cutie? Don’t let Robbie hear you. He’d tease me to death,” he groaned, though he loved every minute of it.

  “Talking about brothers, someday I’ll have to show you Lucas’s place that I told you about. He’s doing really well for himself.”

  “Well for himself? He’s got a month-long reservation list to get in on a weekend night. I’d say that’s more than doing well for himself,” he observed.

  Emily grinned. She was incredibly proud of her big brother for what he had accomplished in the past few years.

  “I can get you in there whenever you want,” she said with a wink.

  “Talk about celebrity treatment.”

  Lost in the conversation, Logan noticed that something was wrong only when he saw the laughter and light die out of Emily’s face as she looked over his shoulder. Confused by her expression, he turned in his chair and followed her gaze right to his mother and Pippa Ballard. His stomach dropped. Pippa was the daughter of Trevor Ballard, one of the biggest real estate magnates on the entire West Coast and the perfect daughter-in-law candidate for Mimi Marshall. Logan had ignored the last few e-mails from Mimi that had insisted on an arranged date with Pippa. He should have known better than to assume that his mother would get the hint.