Simply Scandalous

by Carly Phillips

  Afraid she knew where this was leading, Catherine merely sighed. The man could probably see inside her soul. She had no doubt her feelings were mirrored in her face. There was little she could hide from him anymore, and even less she wanted to. She waited for him to continue.

  “We could make love now and there’d still be your fears to deal with in the morning. You admitted as much tonight.”

  “Is that what we’d be doing? Making love?” She hated the raw tone in her voice.

  With that one question, she’d not only bared her soul, but her heart. By avoiding the issue of her fears, she’d set them squarely between them. She’d never trusted anyone not to trample her heart before, and by doing so now, she’d given Logan power that was frightening.

  He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “We’ve never done anything but make love, Cat.”

  Her breath caught in her throat as emotion warred with sexual need. Her heart felt full to bursting. So did her body, because a throbbing, aching need had overtaken it.

  “But we aren’t going to do it tonight.”

  Despite her body’s protest to his words, she smiled. “You’re a gentleman, Logan Montgomery.”

  “A damned uncomfortable one,” he muttered and she couldn’t help but laugh. “What can I say? My grandmother raised me right.” He grinned, but she saw the same strain in his expression she felt herself.

  “Yes, she did.” Catherine twisted the plastic ring on her finger.

  “Did you ever go steady before?”

  “Not since high school.” And not all that often, she realized, thinking back to those days. She hadn’t wanted anyone to get that close, to see where and how her family lived.

  “What do you remember most? And I’m not talking about making out in the back seat of some guy’s car.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Logan Montgomery threatened by some football jock who’s probably balding and has a beer belly by now?” She patted her stomach and laughed.

  “I don’t like the thought of anyone’s hands on you—” he paused a beat “—except mine.”

  She liked the possessiveness in his voice, but that darned honesty got in the way. “Actually I don’t remember much,” she admitted. “There really wasn’t anyone who lasted longer than a day or two.” When she was in her teens, she wasn’t ready for a steady boyfriend. By the time she’d hit her twenties, she’d developed the ability to date and remain detached. She’d had a couple of intimate relationships but none that had truly touched her heart.

  He squeezed her hand. “Then let me be the first to introduce you to the idea.” The laughter and fun dancing in his dark eyes were contagious.

  “I’m listening.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  LOGAN TOOK HER HAND and led her back through the apartment until they reached the soft, black, faux leather couch. Pulling her down beside him, he drew her close. “Going steady involves a lot of drive-through fast-food restaurants, for one thing.” His hands eased under her shirt until his palms rested, warm and strong, against her skin.

  Her heart started beating heavily again and she licked her dry lips. “What else?”

  “Parking on a deserted road.” His hands inched upward until they settled just below her breasts.

  Her skin tingled where he touched and her stomach clenched with an aching need.

  “No bra again, Cat.” He made a tsk-tsking sound.

  “I wasn’t expecting…” His fingertips swiped at her nipple and she sucked in a startled gasp. Fiery darts of pleasure pricked at her nerve endings. “Company,” she somehow choked out.

  “I thought we weren’t going to do this.” Not that she wanted to discourage him. Just the opposite. So she leaned back, settling herself between his legs and giving his hands better access to her chest.

  He nuzzled her neck with his lips. His hot moist breath tickled her sensitive skin and his hands lingered, as he cupped her breasts in his hands. “I see I have a lot to teach you,” he murmured in her ear.

  Full and heavy, she felt the weight of her breasts settle into his palms. “Parking involves forbidden desire. I want you, you want me…but we know it’s too soon.” He continued to explain. All the while his thumbs wreaked havoc on her senses by rolling and pulling her nipples into tight peaks, and his lips traveled a moist path up her neck.

  She sighed aloud, half hoping he’d understand what she needed, even if she wasn’t sure herself.

  “When you’re parking, you can do anything you want.” He grasped her earlobe between his teeth and pulled. The stinging sensation traveled straight downward and she clenched her thighs together tight. But the empty, longing sensation remained.

  “Anything?” she asked. Her need was so great she’d do anything to alleviate the pulsing, pounding desire. Waves of longing rolled over her, intense and strong.

  “Almost anything,” he replied. Without warning, he turned her around, caught her beneath him on the couch. His arms bracketed her, and he eased himself down until he lay on top of her, chest to chest. His erection pressed strongly against her, ready and wanting just like she was.

  “I think I like this parking business,” she managed to say through labored breaths.

  He laughed. “Done like this, I have to agree. It’s a lot more comfortable on a full-length couch in an air-conditioned apartment. But I’d be happy anywhere, as long as I was with you.” His hips jerked against hers.

  His swollen desire pushed insistently against her and moist liquid trickled between her legs. She leaned her head back and moaned with pleasure.

  Without warning, he began a grinding motion, a circular press of his hips, that pushed her into the couch and ground his hard erection into her. “Now this is what parking’s all about,” he whispered in her ear.

  The waves came fast and furious, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. “Logan…”

  “Go with it, sweetheart.”

  “But you’re not, we’re not…”

  He groaned, pumping his body into hers. “Yes, Cat, we are.” He let out a harsh breath.

  Minutes later, still wrapped in his arms, Catherine nuzzled her cheek into his. This was as close to perfect as life could get. If she was in heaven, she never wanted to wake up.

  And if life never intruded again, she never would.

  SWEET SIXTEEN, Catherine thought as she placed the balloon-laden centerpiece on the last table. She stepped back to admire her handiwork. The pink and white balloons intermingled with gold Mylar and red roses were a testament to the young girl’s youthful dreams—and Catherine thought, the love of her parents. The soon-to-be sixteen-year-old was very lucky.

  She looked around the room once more, and ascertaining the tables were complete and the party favors were in the corner, she headed out. The restaurant was handling the catering. All Pot Luck had been hired for were decorations. Her job here was done.

  In the week since the Montgomery party, Catherine had received a flurry of phone calls and had set up appointments with many of Hampshire’s residents who had been at the Montgomery Garden Gala. Although Pot Luck had catered a classy affair, Catherine knew she had Emma to thank for the ensuing referrals. But that had been before her run-in with Judge Montgomery. She couldn’t imagine what the fallout from that episode would be.

  Nor, she realized, did she care. She and Kayla had built a catering business in one short year. They’d been doing fine before they’d known the name Montgomery and they’d do fine after. Business-wise, Catherine was happy with her life and she’d survive without Montgomery referrals, if need be.

  But she wouldn’t survive without Logan. Her heart knew it as well as her mind. The question remained: What did she intend to do about it?

  When she hit the top of the stairs, exhaustion overtook her. Her body still tingled from the pleasure Logan had given her last night and her mind soared with possibilities. The front of the restaurant was comprised of a waiting area and a bar. The stools looked cushioned and comfortable and she didn’t think anyone
would mind if she grabbed one and rested before making the half hour drive back to Boston.

  “Drink?” The bartender who’d been wiping down glasses paused in front of her.

  Catherine shook her head.

  “Come on, I saw you unload that van of balloons yourself. Have a drink. It’s on the house.”

  Catherine smiled. “How can I refuse an offer like that? Club soda with a twist of lime.”

  “You got it.” He flipped on the television sitting high above the bar. “My girlfriend does a local entertainment show at noon.”

  “Mmm. Good for her.”

  “Yeah. She’s hoping the bigger networks will pick her up one day. For now she’s happy doing weekends on the local station. There she is now.” With a flip of the remote he raised the volume.

  Except for the trickle of people beginning to flow to the party downstairs, no other patrons were in the bar. Catherine found it easy to relax and focus on the television show. “She’s got poise,” Catherine murmured, glancing at the woman on the screen.

  The bartender nodded. “Sure does. I just hope she gets the break she deserves.”

  Catherine nodded. She blinked and the next thing she saw was Logan’s beachfront cottage. Warning bells and an unwelcome sense of foreboding sent her apprehension soaring. “Make it louder, please.”

  “See? She’s even won you over.”

  Catherine ignored him, focusing on the screen. The anchorwoman’s voice-over did little to calm the churning in Catherine’s stomach. This was not good. She’d avoided picking up today’s paper, afraid of what she’d see. Although she knew she couldn’t avoid the headlines forever, she’d wanted to bask in the memories of last night for as long as possible. She also hadn’t expected television coverage of Judge Montgomery’s arranged event.

  Just what do you think a press conference entails, Catherine? She shook her head and concentrated on the cultured, feminine voice. “Hampshire’s boy wonder, Logan Montgomery, firmly dispelled any rumors of an impending run for mayor. Despite Judge Montgomery’s posturing and claims to the contrary, the younger Montgomery insists he will not be running for office.”

  Catherine smiled. At least Logan had swayed the media to see things his way. The screen went from the beautiful young anchor to Logan, standing in his standard jeans and pullover, his cottage in the background. He looked sexily disheveled and Catherine knew she had helped cause that rumpled look before they’d been caught by the photographers.

  Logan’s voice cut into her thoughts. “…and while I appreciate the confidence of the judge and other supporters, running for mayor is not in my plans.”

  “And what would those plans be, Mr. Montgomery?” a reporter’s voice sounded.

  “After my stay at the public defender’s office, I intend to open my own practice where clients will be offered affordable representation.”

  Catherine couldn’t help but notice his class and poise. If he’d chosen to run for mayor, he’d make a formidable opponent. Composed and sure of himself, it would take an incredible opposing candidate to beat his charismatic charm. She also noticed his father was not by his side during this speech.

  Her heart squeezed at the thought of him standing up to the judge and coming out on top, but still alone. She wondered what had transpired between the two men after her abrupt departure. Logan had been deliberately vague on the subject. She could only imagine his father’s displeasure at finding them together. Not that he’d realized right away who she was.

  “Every generation of Montgomerys has either sat on the bench or held public office, conquered the world by leaps and bounds. Doesn’t it bother you to break with tradition?” the reporter asked.

  “Not at all.” Logan looked straight into the camera. “I’d rather conquer the world one person at a time.”

  Catherine’s stomach curled into a delicious knot. With his emphasis on the word one, and the intense, focused look in his eyes, he might as well have been gazing into her eyes and promising her his undying devotion.

  They’d said as much with their bodies last night. The unspoken words meant little when the actions were there. For the first time today she realized he’d managed to convince her that different backgrounds didn’t matter as much as she thought.

  Without warning, the camera panned back and the anchorwoman’s serious face replaced Logan’s smile. “Mr. Montgomery’s pullback from a speculated run for office couldn’t have come at a more convenient time. Minutes before the scheduled press conference, this picture was taken of Mr. Montgomery in a compromising position.”

  Catherine’s nightmare flashed on the television screen for the world to see. Well, for all of Boston to see since this was a local station, but that didn’t ease the sudden pain in her chest. There she was, Logan’s shirt pulled up to her thighs, his arms wrapped around her waist and his cutoff shorts, his only clothing, hidden by their entangled position.

  “Hey, isn’t that—”

  “Me,” she said, cutting the bartender off, then she turned her attention back to the screen.

  “Logan Montgomery’s companion is Catherine Luck, co-owner, with her sister, Kayla Luck, of a local catering and party company, whimsically named Pot Luck.”

  “No publicity is bad publicity,” Catherine muttered aloud. She held her head in her hands and continued to watch her life be made fodder for gossip, speculation and ridicule, just as she’d feared.

  She wasn’t immune to the embarrassment. Neither, Catherine suspected, was her pregnant and emotionally vulnerable sister.

  “The Luck sisters are best known for the scandal involving an inherited business, a charm school for men, that turned out to be a front for a prostitution ring with ties to organized crime…”

  Good God, what would they drag up next?

  “…and, with her working-class background Catherine Luck is not the woman one would expect to see Logan Montgomery consorting with. But a romp on the beach is far different from a lifetime…”

  Entertainment show? More like gossip and tabloid exploitation, she thought with disgust. She didn’t have to take any more. “Shut it off. Please.”

  The bartender glanced from Catherine’s face to his girlfriend on the screen. He turned off the television.

  Catherine tried to breathe but her heart was beating so rapidly she thought her chest might explode. Thinking was near impossible, but she forced herself to concentrate and her first coherent thought was of Kayla. Bed rest and a high-risk pregnancy. Catherine had to check on her sister.

  If she’d seen the news, Catherine had to minimize the damage. If Kayla had missed the local broadcast, then Catherine wanted to be the person to break the newest scandal to her sister. And to Kane. At the thought of the overprotective cop, Catherine winced.

  She grabbed her purse and bolted outside. Until she’d made sure Kayla was okay, Catherine couldn’t think of the ramifications to herself. But she’d have to, and soon, she thought, fingering the plastic ring on her finger.

  Not to mention the ramifications to her relationship with Logan.

  “SHE’S NOT ANSWERING the phone but I’d lay odds she’s there.” Logan muttered a frustrated curse.

  “I don’t like this.” Emma paced the linoleum floor of his office. She’d arrived soon after him, shared coffee and commiserated over his stint on the news. With his friends and colleagues ribbing him, he appreciated her support.

  The sun shone brightly through the battered blinds but Logan barely felt the heat. “I don’t like it, either,” he muttered.

  “Call her again.”

  “I’ve been calling on the hour since last night.”

  Catherine hadn’t answered the phone. She hadn’t returned his calls. And he didn’t think she was coincidentally busy or out of touch.

  His once solitary life had become a recipe for disaster. Catherine, the one woman he’d ever fallen for, was the one woman who shouldn’t be subjected to the indignities of the press. The photo of Logan and Catherine on the beach had passed fro
m newspaper to newspaper, tabloid to tabloid, and from local news to local gossip shows—all in record time. Logan hadn’t realized the public had such a raging interest in his sex life. It would almost be funny if the consequences weren’t so dire.

  He grabbed for the phone and punched in her number once more.

  “Is she in labor?” To his shock, Catherine’s concerned voice answered after the first ring.

  “Cat?”

  “Logan.”

  “You were expecting Kane,” he said. It wasn’t a hard guess.

  “Yes.”

  He expected a strained silence to follow, but she continued to speak instead. “To be honest, now’s not a good time.”

  Not that he liked what she had to say. “Gossip stinks, Cat, but it has nothing to do with us.”

  He heard a distinctive beep and knew she’d gotten another call on the line. He muttered a curse.

  “What’d she say?” Emma asked, leaning too close to the receiver.

  He shooed her away and she went gracefully, seating herself in the old chair across from his desk. One good thing that had come out of this fiasco was Emma’s new-found grace, dignity and respect for his private life.

  “I’ve got to go,” Catherine said.

  “Take the call and come back to me. I’ll hang on.” He knew how important her sister was in her life. Although Logan wouldn’t stand in the way of her obvious fear and concern, he wouldn’t cut her loose without a fight, either.

  “I can’t think about myself now.”

  The question was, would she think about them later or would she use this time to retreat further away? He drew a deep breath, then another, ignoring his hovering grandmother.

  He had no choice but to grab opportunity when he had the chance. “Then think about this. I love you.”

  Her soft gasp of shock was cut off by the damned insistent call-waiting. “I can’t do this now. I’m sorry. Goodbye, Logan.”

  “Just think about it, Cat.”

  “I can’t.” The phone intruded again. “I’m hanging up now,” she said before severing the connection.