With Stacey ready to go off to college, Dylan was beside himself with grief, feeling as though he were losing his daughter.
Trevor was a good natured boy, who apparently had just come out with the news that he was gay. Both Alex and Logan had long conversations with Dylan, advising him that there wasn’t anything wrong with that, as long as the boy was comfortable with his sexuality, which was the most important part. To their surprise, Dylan agreed, but as the boys’ father, he still worried. The world was a hateful place, and he only wanted to keep his kids safe.
“Is Stacey still considering going to UTD?” Logan asked.
“That’s the only good part of this whole thing. Stacey’s got her heart set on it and Dylan doesn’t want her to be that far away.”
“That far away? Hell, he’s only two hours out.” Logan knew Dylan was overprotective, but two hours?
“That’s what I told him. She’s asked if she can come stay at the house, and of course, I can’t refuse that girl anything.”
Logan smiled at the way Xavier referred to his ten thousand square foot mansion as a ‘house’. With more rooms than some hotels, Xavier had more than enough room for Stacey and anyone else who wanted to visit.
“You think that will get him back here?”
“He’s mentioned it. Talked about selling the ranch.” Xavier said, leaning forward, his arms resting on his desk. Logan noticed the sorrow that filled his boss’s eyes. “I think living in that house brings back too many memories of Meghan. It might be time for Dylan to move on.”
Logan knew that wasn’t easy for Xavier to talk about. Knowing Dylan as well as he did, Logan didn’t disagree. At thirty-nine years old, Dylan had a lot of life left, but no one could tell him that.
“Everything will work out for the best.” It had to. “Is that why you called me down here?” Logan changed the subject.
“Of course not. I wanted to talk to you about the California fiasco.” Xavier replied, once again relaxed, the sadness in his eyes a few moments ago just a memory.
“I take it you’ve heard.”
“I did. I’m sorry you had to endure that. Honestly, I had no idea. If I had, I would have called Ron myself and had a long talk with him about his daughter.” Xavier referred to Heather’s father, a man Xavier had been in business with for the better part of the last four decades.
“It was fine. Apparently there are some rumors going around and Heather must have gotten wind of them. Not sure how that could have happened.” Logan said as he leaned back and crossed one leg over his knee.
Wanting to sound as nonchalant as possible, Logan knew Xavier could read him like an open book. The rumors he referred to must have been about him and Sam, and Logan worried what Xavier’s reaction would be once he figured it all out, if he hadn’t already.
“Well, you know Angelica. As for those rumors, have you heard what they’re saying?” Xavier asked, his expression serious.
“You know I try to ignore those things. They run rampant around this office.”
“Yes, well, most of them are certainly insignificant. However, this one did get my attention. Apparently there’s a rumor about an intra-office romance involving you and a very attractive V.P. of project operations.”
Logan wondered who started that rumor. Since Heather had apparently heard of it before today, he knew Deanna wasn’t likely the source. Possibly Alex, but since the two of them were friends, he didn’t think Alex would run off at the mouth about something he wasn’t sure of. Unless it could possibly interfere with XTX.
In a desperate attempt to save face, Logan’s first inclination was to deny the rumor. “Well, I assure that those rumors…” Logan didn’t get a chance to finish his statement.
“Don’t you dare bullshit me, boy.” Xavier’s voice was raised, and he pounded his fist on the desk.
Logan had been privy to a number of heart to hearts with Xavier Thomas, but he’d never been on the receiving end of his disapproval. Based on his reaction, Logan knew he’d crossed the line.
“Xavier, I –”
Standing from his chair and walking around to perch on the edge of the desk, a few feet from where Logan sat, Xavier’s hard glare made Logan want to squirm for the first time in as long as he could remember.
“If you want to lie to yourself, so be it. But, you won’t sit here and tell me that something hasn’t changed in your life. Quite frankly, I’m not surprised that it’s a woman.” Xavier stated.
Logan didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned. Instead of attempting a rebuttal, no sense denying it anyway, he sat patiently, waiting for Xavier to continue.
“If you ask me, it’s about damn time.”
Xavier Thomas was as straight forward as they came. Logan respected the older man for that. Having worked for Xavier for the last decade, Logan had gotten to know Xavier, as did most of his employees. The man treated his staff like family, and Logan and Alex had both been invited to more than one family dinner.
Sitting before him now, Logan realized that no matter how much he didn’t want to share the details of the situation with Xavier, he didn’t have the heart to lie to the man.
“We’ve been on a couple of dates.” Logan confirmed. “I don’t know that it’s serious yet or not, but I assure you it doesn’t affect either of our jobs.”
“No?” Xavier questioned. “Then why is it that my vice president of project operations ran out of the building today? Crying?”
Shit.
Logan wasn’t sure if Xavier had actually seen the incident or if he’d gotten wind of it from someone else. Either way, he needed to smooth the waters. Sam didn’t need this type of exposure within the company. Especially being so new to the Dallas office.
“It was a small misunderstanding, and I plan to resolve the situation as soon as I can.”
“Boy, why are you still here? If you want to rectify the situation, you wouldn’t be sitting in here with me.”
Logan knew the comment was rhetorical. This conversation had ventured into the personal side of things. When it came to business, Xavier wouldn’t tolerate something as trivial as this to interrupt his daily operations. But, the man also had a heart bigger than the state of Texas and he didn’t think business all the time. Still, Logan wasn’t comfortable responding.
“Logan,” Xavier started, turning back to his desk, “son, I’m not going to interfere in your life. I expect you’ll come to me if it gets to the point that you need help in making a decision.”
Logan heard the concern. He waited for the other man to continue, watching as he once again resumed his seat behind the desk. When he didn’t, Logan responded.
“Yes, sir. I wouldn’t let that happen.” Logan assured him.
“I know you wouldn’t. This needs to stay as quiet as possible. I happened to get word of it from Angelica. Apparently she and Heather got together and managed to squeeze some information out of some of the project managers. I’m disappointed in the way Heather handled this, but she must still have feelings for you. I just don’t want this to become a big deal. We have things to do and the less hiccups in the process, the better.”
“I completely agree.” Logan leaned forward, resting his head in his hands, applying pressure as though trying to force himself to think. “I need to go talk to Sam. I don’t want this misunderstanding to come between her and her job. She’s the best damn project manager this company has ever seen, and I need to make sure that, on a professional level, she’s secure.”
“Damn boy. You sure do like to lie to yourself. You need to go after her because of yourself.” Xavier retorted, catching Logan’s attention again. “Sam doesn’t have anything to worry about regarding her job. We’ll address that when the situation arises. For now, you need to get your ass up and go talk to her. I expect tomorrow won’t have any disruptions, and we’ll be back to business as usual.”
“Yes, sir.” Logan stood from his seat and stared back at Xavier. He knew that if he had been at any other company, wi
th any other boss, this would be an entirely different conversation. “Thank you.”
“Go on. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Xavier commanded, waving him off with a hand.
Logan turned and headed out. It was clear that Xavier could see right through him, and Logan knew it was ultimately time he admit his feelings for Sam before he lost her.
The thought of that had his heart plummeting to his stomach.
Chapter Twenty Two
~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~
Sam awoke feeling groggy and disoriented. Her eyes were gritty, like she’d poured sand in them before she’d drifted off into a restless sleep. Wondering how puffy and swollen they were, she managed to crawl out of bed and into the bathroom. Definitely not good. She looked terrible, and she felt just as bad. The image reflecting back at her reminded her of the events from that morning.
Glancing at the clock, she realized she’d been asleep for the better part of the day. It was already six and she’d accomplished nothing. Splashing cold water on her face, hoping to reduce some of the swelling, Sam inhaled deeply, telling herself it was time to move on. She needed to make a sandwich, maybe take a long bath before she tumbled back into bed. Unsure how she would face the next day, the only solution was to sleep until Logan McCoy didn’t matter anymore.
Maybe she should consider asking for her job in San Antonio back. If Logan and Heather were to get together, Sam knew there was no way she could suffer through that day in and day out. Although Sam and Logan hadn’t known each other long, the feelings she had for him ran deep. That meant the scars would be even more jagged and painful.
Before she went in search of food, she changed out of her now wrinkled slacks and silk shirt. They’d both have to go to the dry cleaners now. Feeling minimally better in her fleece pajama shorts and tank top, she went in search of food.
Her cell phone caught her attention as she passed the bar on her way to the kitchen. She knew she should check to make sure everything was alright at work, but she didn’t have the energy to do it. Everything would be there for her in the morning.
“Ugghh!” Sam couldn’t hold back the groan as she thought about having to go into the office.
Could she take some vacation time? She’d surely accrued enough time over the years. Possibly a trip to San Antonio to see her parents.
Oh, who was she kidding? She couldn’t afford to take any time off and going to stay with her parents wouldn’t be a vacation anyway. Her mother would just smother her with affection and constantly ask her if she was ok.
Remembering she had a critical project in the works, deadlines looming in the very near future, she shrugged off the idea. No matter how hard this would be she couldn’t take any time off right now. And seeing Logan was going to be hell.
And after today, Sam might not have a job anyway. She’d let her feelings shine like a flashing beacon for the entire world to see when she ran out of the office, unable to hold back the tears.
Stumbling upon Logan’s conversation with Deanna had derailed her entire day, possibly her entire life. Oh how she wished she had gone to get coffee or something. Anything to avoid having to hear how he had gone to dinner with Heather. The wounds were still raw as Sam felt her stomach tighten into knots.
So much for dinner.
Instead, she opted for a glass of Diet Dr. Pepper and managed to drag her weary body back to her bedroom.
“That’s tomorrow. Today is today.” Sam reminded herself as she flopped backward on the bed. She glanced over at her personal laptop sitting on her nightstand and then back at the ceiling. What in the world could she do to take her mind off of Logan? At this point, she was game for almost anything.
Erotic images of the night she spent with Logan slammed against her closed eyelids. The way he kissed her, the underlying tension between them that caused the air to crackle with the energy that burned around them.
He had been good at deceiving her - that was for damn sure. The way he looked at her, the way he touched her, the way he kissed her – God how he kissed her – he always made her feel like she was his sole focus. As though she made his blood pump faster, his heart beat harder, the same way he affected her. Sam didn’t know how it could go from earth shattering lust to nothing so quickly.
She closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to fight back the tears threatening to fall. Her heart squeezed in her chest with the loss that she felt; leaving her to wonder how the pain could be so deep that it was a physical ache. This was definitely worse than anything she had expected. The devastation she felt when she walked in on Nick felt like nothing compared to this.
“God, please just make the pain go away, please.” She whispered to herself in the quiet room.
There had to be a way to push away the pain and log only the good times in her memories to carry her forward. It wasn’t like they had even admitted they loved each other. In a week, she knew it would all be behind her, but for tonight, it was pure agony.
~*~*~
Logan entered Sam’s apartment after knocking several times without an answer. Checking the doorknob had been a last ditch attempt, surprising him when the knob turned, and the door opened. He’d seen her lock the door every time he’d been allowed in, so he was a little shocked.
The only light in the darkened apartment seemed to be coming from the bedroom. The soft sliver of yellow light cast a shadow in the short hallway, luring him in that direction. Wondering whether he should announce his presence or giving himself a chance to assess the situation, Logan opted for the latter. Making as little noise as possible so as not to startle her, he crept the short distance to her bedroom.
What he saw when he approached her doorway tore at his heart, threatening to wrench it from his chest. Sam was lying on her bed, one arm flung across her eyes, silent, devastating sobs heaving her chest. She was whispering something he could barely make out.
“Just make the pain go away, please.”
The ache in his chest felt more like a knife wound, the blade still inserted deep, being twisted back and forth.
“Sam.” The whispered word that came from his mouth was more of a plea.
Her body jackknifed on the bed, a startled shudder running through her, but she didn’t scream as he’d expected. Then the sheer agony was replaced with a look of total revulsion and Logan was almost propelled backward with its intensity.
“What do you want?” Furiously wiping the tears streaking her face, Sam glared at him, but she didn’t move.
Logan’s throat constricted, unable to speak as he stood helplessly in the doorway, seeing the woman he loved hurting. Taking one step forward, then another, he slowly closed the gap between them, wanting only to touch her, to hold her. When he would have put his hands on her arms, Sam jerked back from him, the determination in those translucent green eyes boring into him.
“Don’t touch me. How did you get in here?”
Propelling herself off the bed in one graceful move, Sam pushed past him, going to the living room, leaving him standing in her bedroom feeling the fury she left in her wake.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring at her bed, noting the rumpled comforter that hadn’t been pulled down and the pillows tossed to the floor. Realizing she’d deserted him, Logan followed the sounds of cabinet doors being slammed shut, finding Sam in the kitchen, looking for something.
“Sam. Talk to me for a minute.” Somehow he’d managed to find his voice, though it didn’t sound like him at all.
“I don’t want to talk to you, Logan. If I did, I would have called.”
She hadn’t called, he knew that much. And neither had she answered her phone when he’d made several attempts to speak to her throughout the day.
“Samantha, I need to talk to you.” Using her full name, Logan inserted some urgency in his tone. At this rate, she wasn’t going to listen to a damn thing he had to say. “I need to explain what you heard today.”
“Explain? Do you think I’m dumb enough that I didn’t understand?
” Sam retorted, slamming another cabinet door. “You don’t owe me anything, Logan. I just need you to leave me the hell alone.”
She stalked into the living room, flipping on a small lamp sitting on the side table by the couch.
With a calm he didn’t feel, Logan looked her right in the eye, trying to hold onto his control. “You need to hear me out.”
“I don’t need to do anything.” She argued, crossing her arms over her chest in a very defensive stance.
“But, I need to explain.” He reworded his intentions. Standing before him, Sam looked determined, yet vulnerable at the same time.
It pained him to know he was the cause for all of her anger, her hurt. She’d had hours to conjure up images that just weren’t real. If he’d followed her earlier in the day when he wanted to, she wouldn’t have had time to think about worst case scenarios all day.
“Logan,” Sam lowered her voice, finally looking him in the eye, “I don’t want any explanations. I get it.”
Infuriation bubbled deep, forcing the calm he had reached for to be absorbed until his hands tingled with the anger he could feel rising up. The hard headed woman wouldn’t listen to reason, making up her mind without giving him a chance to explain. The self-control he prided himself on dissolved.
“Damn it, Sam! What do you think you get? You walked in on part of a conversation, and without giving me a chance to explain, you stormed off.” He yelled, hoping to get her attention.
“I heard all I needed to hear.” She screamed back at him.
Logan was sure she hadn’t heard what he said, though she’d had a proper come back. Taking a step closer, he kept his hands to his side. He didn’t trust himself to touch her. Not that he would ever hurt her, but he wanted to shake her with the intensity of his anger.
“What? You heard me telling Deanna that I fucking had dinner with Heather. That’s all you heard, Sam.”
Sam flinched as though he’d hit her. The brunt force of the words was out before he could stop them, but he didn’t try to take them back. She wasn’t listening, and based on the change in her demeanor, Sam had shut down altogether, right before his very eyes.
Club Destiny 1 Conviction Page 21
