by Layla Hagen
As I watch her small frame, it’s hard to believe she has so much strength in her. I want to hold her in my arms and make sure no bastard ever hurts her again, like her ex. My protective instincts are on high alert. Damn it. I reserve my protective instincts for my family. The women I date are on the receiving end of other types of instincts. My limits blur when I’m around Nadine, and that won’t do.
“Stay,” I repeat. I tilt her chin up and leave her no option but to look at me. She swipes her tongue over her lower lip, and I nearly lose my control and kiss her. “You have to eat. This’ll be quick.”
As Nadine nods, I realize something. She’s lovely, on the inside and the outside. Eventually, someone will ask her out, and that’s something I can’t live with. The only solution is to ask her out myself, consequences be damned. And there went my resolution to stay away from her. I blame it on that beautiful ass of hers.
You’re screwed, Bennett.
***
Nadine
I will murder Ava. First, I’m going to ask her how the meeting with the planner went, and then I will murder her. She did this on purpose. Ava believes my self-imposed dry spell is nonsense, and that Logan’s the solution.
Logan is trouble. I know that by the way not only my body reacts to him, but my mind as well. I squirm just looking at him, all strong and tall and man.
“We’ll eat together. I ordered Chinese for two earlier. It should arrive any minute now.” His voice is firm. “Unless you don’t like Chinese?”
“I like it.” If I’m honest with myself, I like being around him. I feel happy, happier than I’ve been in months. Logan disappears in the corridor, returning with two small bags of takeout food. After I hang my jacket on the back of Ava’s chair, I help him put the food and drinks on the table. Our arms brush by accident, and I immediately jump, biting my lip. Great. I’ve been in the same room with this man for five minutes, and I already want to climb him. How will I survive lunch?
I slump in the chair behind the desk while Logan sits across from me. Having a desk between us should make things easier.
“How come you’ve ordered for two?” I ask, attempting to grab some chicken with my chopsticks. Just when I think I finally got it, the piece falls back in the plate. There were no forks in the paper bags. Logan’s proficient with the chopsticks, which is probably why he didn’t bother to ask the restaurant to send us forks too. On a sigh, I concentrate on attacking my chicken again. This will be a long lunch.
“I was supposed to eat with Pippa, but she stood me up,” he explains.
Alarm bells ring in my mind. Looks like I have to kill Pippa too.
“What did you do today?” Logan asks me.
I wave my hand. “Boring stuff. Lots of business permits. Very annoying, but I kicked everyone’s ass.”
“If you need help with anything, tell me. I know people everywhere.” He says this with such nonchalance you’d think he was talking about a neighbor.
I roll my eyes. “So, you know everybody in San Francisco?”
“No.” Logan shrugs. “But a lot of people know me.”
Leaning back in my chair, I point my chopsticks at him. “Are you trying to impress me?”
“Maybe. Is it working?”
I smile, deciding to tease him. “Maybe.”
“I see. Do I have to bring up my lady skills again to impress you?” He wiggles his eyebrows.
I swallow, heat rising in my cheeks. “You have a filthy mind, Logan Bennett. It doesn’t go with your nice brother image.”
“It’s worth spoiling my image if I get you to blush. You look lovely.”
“Logan. . .” I lick my lips, eyeing my plate.
“What?”
“You know what. Stop what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing?”
I stare at him, tilting my head to one side. “Flirting.”
“Glad you’re not misinterpreting my intentions. Why should I stop? Am I making you nervous?” A rebellious flash crosses in his eyes. “Uncomfortable?”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
He grins. “Immensely. I don’t want to ambush you, though, so let’s change the subject. Are you continuing to sew until you open the shop?”
“Yes. I bought some beautiful fabrics yesterday. Back in my hometown, I had to travel to the nearby city to have a decent selection. I love the choices in San Francisco. I could’ve bought the entire store.” As usual when I talk about my dresses, I ramble. “The lighting is bad in my apartment, but as soon as I have a shop, I’ll move the sewing machine there.”
I remove the straw and lid of my paper cup, and take a sip of water.
Eventually, I get the hang of this chopsticks thing, so I eat quickly and don’t speak at all, afraid that if I pause for too long, I’ll lose this recently discovered dexterity. The second my plate is empty I rise from my chair, grabbing my jacket, and my almost-full water cup. I need to leave here right away; I still have a million butts to kick today. Logan blocks me on the way to the door. Oh, boy. I take a step back as a precaution, but still catch a whiff of his cologne. I swear that thing has pheromones in it. My nipples perk up instantly. Down, girls.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” he asks.
“I’m busy,” I say quickly.
“That sounds a lot like a brush-off.” He tilts his head to one side, looking at me as if expecting a confession.
I hold my ground, shaking my head. “It’s not. I have plans.”
“With a man? Are you going on a date?” His eyes are hard all of a sudden, the muscles in his neck pulsing.
“No.” I swallow hard. “You’re intense.”
“Always am.”
I press my palm on his chest, pushing him away. Big mistake. Touching his rock-hard chest has the unexpected effect of wiping my thoughts away. Belatedly, I realize my fingers have lingered on him longer than they should have. By the cocky smile on Logan’s lips, he’s enjoying this greatly. And then it happens. In my haste to put distance between us, I squeeze the paper cup too hard, and the water splashes over my chest.
All over my chest. And I’m wearing a white dress and a freaking white sports bra beneath it, which means my boobs are covered by a thin fabric that immediately gets soaked. So, basically, I’m flashing my girls in Logan’s face. Perfect. His eyes light up, as if he just found out that Christmas came earlier. I bet he’s sporting wood behind his designer pants.
Hyperventilating, I turn around, searching desperately for something to cover myself with. Luckily, my jacket escaped the flood. I grab some napkins from the table and dry myself the best I can. Afterward, I put my jacket on and button it up. Turning around, I notice Logan hasn’t moved. He’s still staring at my chest, as if he’s hoping the jacket will become transparent too. Eventually, his eyes find mine.
“You and I should go on a date,” Logan announces.
“Wow, my boobs impressed you that much?”
“What?”
“Were you going to ask me before I soaked my girls with water? I want the truth.”
Logan cocks an eyebrow. “Is my answer going to change your answer?”
“Maybe,” I answer playfully.
He narrows his eyes. “Are you setting a trap?”
“Maybe,” I repeat.
Logan whistles. “Okay, full disclosure. I decided to ask you out when I stepped into this office. So, yeah. We should go on a date.”
I laugh. I cannot help it. “Most people put a question mark at the end of the sentence when they ask that.”
“I’m not most people. Besides, why ask a question? You risk receiving an answer you don’t want to hear.”
“I see. So, your solution is to boss people around?”
“You’re stalling.” His gaze pins me down.
“Logan—”
“Nadine.”
Taking a deep breath, I say, “I need to concentrate on the shop and making a life here for myself. I don’t want to date anyone for a while.
”
Logan clutches his heart theatrically. “I’m offended. I’m not just anyone. I thought we established that.”
“I’ll pretend you are.”
“Ouch, that hurt.” Tilting my head up, he adds, “You like me.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself. What makes you think that?” I ache for him everywhere, but he can’t possibly know that.
“Your nipples were very happy to see me even before you soaked them.”
I groan at that. I have to remember to wear perfect-coverage bras when I’m around Logan. Or when I’m about to meet Ava. I’m sure this won’t be the last setup she pulls on me. Mental note: Logan is not only sexy and stubborn, but also blunt. I shouldn’t ask him a question unless I want to hear the goddamn honest truth.
Looking up again at Logan, I catch him licking his lips. I whip my thoughts together. “It’s not a good idea. I have a lot on my mind; I’m not much fun.”
“I disagree.”
“Shocker,” I murmur.
“I love your energy and your will to go after what you want. You’re fun and open, and with the risk of sounding like a total man, you’re sexy as hell. “
I laugh again. God, I love that he puts me at ease no matter what we’re talking about. My mother often says, “When you find a man who makes you laugh without even knowing why, marry him.” I wonder what she’d have to say about Logan. She’d probably like him. Hell, that line of thought will lead me nowhere.
Shaking my head, I chuckle. “I can’t think of anything but the shop right now. I simply have too much at stake. You understand that, right?”
He steps aside and points one arm at the door, as if telling me I’m free to go. His eyes say something different, though: You’ll be mine.
“I perfectly understand what I have to do.” He doesn’t take his eyes off mine. Raising his other hand, he twirls a strand of my hair between his fingers. Then he pushes it behind my ear, his fingers lingering at my earlobe for a few brief seconds. My skin simmers at his touch, and I catch my breath. “Convince you.”
Chapter Five
Logan
What has been seen cannot be unseen. The image of her gorgeous breasts is branded in my mind. I think about Nadine the entire afternoon, and the next day. Every man with blood in his veins would find it hard to control himself in her presence. Being near her yesterday was intoxicating. Even now, I’m still high on her laughter. I could hear that woman laugh all day long. In fact, I want to be the reason she laughs. She deserves to be happy, especially after having so much bad luck.
She doesn’t trust me, though; I saw that yesterday. I have no idea if it’s just me, or men in general, but I’m going to earn that trust.
My phone rings as I enter my office—Pippa’s calling.
“Hello, sister.”
“What are you doing tonight? I thought we could meet up at Alice’s restaurant after work. She has a new chef. I hear the tiramisu is to die for.”
“I can’t tonight. I’m meeting the senator.”
“Oh. That made you sound very important.”
“News flash, Pippa: I am a very important person.”
“You’re also my brother,” she states, as if that somehow nullifies what I said. No matter what I do, my siblings still treat me as just their brother. To be honest, that’s great. I wouldn’t want it any other way. There are plenty of people kissing my ass as long as it fits their agenda, but when I’m with my family, I can be myself. They’re honest, and we stick together.
“What about tomorrow?”
“Free.”
“Great. I’ll move this to tomorrow.”
“Sure. Will Nadine be there?”
The thought of seeing her again makes me smile. Her fierce determination stirs something powerful in me. I’d love to listen to her talk about anything, all day long, which is saying something, since I’ve never been this interested in a simple conversation with a woman before. There’s something about Nadine’s excitement—it’s contagious.
“Of course. Now, before you go all ‘I can find a woman on my own’ on me, this isn’t about you.”
I couldn’t be happier that Nadine will be there, but I’m not about to share that with my sister, and give her the satisfaction of knowing that her little matchmaking game is working. I’d never hear the end of it. Besides, it’s good to be the one with the inside information for once.
“She’s all alone here,” Pippa continues. “We’ll make her an adopted Bennett if you don’t want to date her.”
Adopted Bennett my ass. “Adopted Bennett” is a term my family uses to refer to close friends. Platonic friends. I have other plans for Nadine. Her mix of vulnerability and strength makes me want to hold her in my arms, and not let her go. Her mouth begs to be kissed, and hell, I’d kiss that sinful mouth of hers into oblivion. I wonder if she tastes as sweet as I imagine, how her full breasts would fit in my hand. Asking her out on a date felt right, even though we clearly both have doubts. Repeating to myself all the reasons why dating her isn’t a good idea obviously wasn’t working, so I had to do something about the attraction between us.
“See you at dinner, Pippa.”
This gives me the perfect occasion to show Nadine I don’t give up.
***
The next night, I arrive at Alice’s half an hour too late. My family’s not in the main section of the restaurant, but that’s not a surprise; there’s a smaller section adjacent to this one, and Alice closes it when we have a family dinner. As I give my jacket to the coat check attendant, Nadine arrives, flushed and panting.
“Hello, stranger,” I tell her.
“Logan.” She smiles brightly. “Long time no see. Space hunting with Alex took forever.”
I stiffen. I’d forgotten all about Alex. “How did it go?”
Her smile falters. “Not too great. I have appointments to see locations the entire week, so fingers crossed.”
I help her take her coat off and damn. She’s wearing a black strapless dress. I run my fingers over her shoulders and down her arms as I remove the jacket. Goosebumps form on her skin under my hands, and I linger with my fingers a beat longer than necessary, enjoying her softness. The second the attendant hangs our coats, I gesture for him to leave. He’s gone the next second. I’ll give him a fat tip later. Nadine’s back is still turned to me.
“You look great tonight, Nadine,” I whisper in her ear from behind.
She draws in a shaky breath. “Thank you.”
Her neck is bared to me, and I’m so tempted to kiss her there, and watch her reaction to it. No one can see us here, but hungry as I am for her, I don’t want to scare her off. So I step back and ask, “Did Alex behave?”
“Oh, nothing more than a few kisses.” Swirling around to face me, Nadine laughs, tilting her head to one side. My wrath must register on my face, because she immediately adds, “I was joking, Logan.”
“Not funny.”
“That was very funny. You got all caveman for a second.”
“You have no idea how much of a caveman I can be.” I step closer to her, leaning forward until our faces are inches apart. She licks her lips, avoiding my eyes. “Did you think about what I said last time?”
“A little,” she answers.
“Logan, Nadine, there you are,” Alice interrupts. “Come on, or Pippa’ll eat the entire tiramisu before you even get a chance to taste it.”
“I’ve never been a fan of Tiramisu, sister,” I say, not looking away from Nadine. “Pippa and Nadine can have all of it.”
Finally, I step away. Like the gentleman I am, I let Nadine walk in front of me. That way, I have a perfect view of her sinful curves and deliciously round ass.
As we walk into the room, I drop my voice, so only Nadine can hear me. “You can do a lot more thinking over the tiramisu.”
***
Nadine
Logan offers to take me home after dinner is over. I shiver when we step out in the cool evening air. I grin as we walk to the
car.
Once inside the car, I tell Logan, “Your family is hilarious.”
I loved spending time with them. It felt like I’ve known them forever. Their warmth and friendship are so much more than I’ve hoped for.
“My family likes you,” Logan says. “I like you.”
Though still maintaining a playful tone, Logan’s voice has dropped an octave. The way the words roll off his tongue makes my entire body sizzle. Get a grip on yourself, Nadine. I can’t lose my head. There’s one thing I must concentrate on: my shop. I have to make it work.
Suddenly, I’m aware that we’re alone in this space. Resisting him in the restaurant was easy. All I had to do was remember people surrounded us. Inside his car, though, things have changed. Succumbing to his charms seems inevitable.
I’m saved by the radio announcer saying it’s midnight, as we arrive at my place.
“Oh, I can’t believe it’s this late. I have to wake up early tomorrow. You don’t have to walk me to the door,” I add when Logan exits the car too.
“I’d ruin my gentleman reputation if I didn’t. Besides, this isn’t a nice neighborhood.”
When we arrive at the building entrance, I fully intend to say good night, but Logan asks, “Are you meeting Alex again tomorrow?”
“In the afternoon, yes. I want to hunt for some places by myself in the morning.”
“Take care with him. Don’t trust him.”
“You’re acting awfully territorial.”
He snaps his gaze to mine, stepping closer to me. “I am.”
“You’re not even bothering to deny it.”
“You like that about me, don’t you? That I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not?”
He lowers his head until our eyes are on the same level, our lips too.
“I do,” I admit. “But you and I. . . It’s not a good idea, Logan.”
He narrows his eyes as if considering his words. “Let’s be honest, okay?”
