by Faye Avalon
April arched as he pushed the toy a little deeper. ‘Yes!’
He pulled it back. ‘You wouldn’t prefer the real thing?’
In a shivering haze, she remembered how he’d boasted that his women usually preferred the real thing to a piece of plastic, and she realised that he hadn’t been boasting. As good as it felt to play with the toy, what she really wanted was Logan inside her. Hard, deep and resolute.
‘The...the real thing...’
He tossed the vibrator aside and was over her and between her legs before the toy had hit the floor and ricocheted over the carpet.
‘Logan...condom...’ she managed as he prodded her entrance.
‘Fuck.’
Braced on his hands, Logan squeezed his eyes shut, chest heaving. Then he opened his eyes, reached for a condom from the side table, dressed himself and lay back over her.
For long moments he stared at her. She was about to ask him if anything was wrong when he pushed inside her with one determined shove. The rhythm he set was in direct contrast to the way he’d played with the vibrator. He drove her hard, pumped fast and deep, stealing her breath so that she snatched air in sharp, rasping gasps.
She tightened around him greedily, crying out when he positioned himself in such a way that sensation tore through her in savage and glorious intensity. Her G-spot, she thought dizzily. And then she couldn’t think anything as he drove her upwards into a state of pure and excruciating pleasure.
She wanted to wait for him, for them both to climax together, but the press of his thumb against her clit made that impossible, and she couldn’t have waited for him to join her if her life had depended on it.
She came, and seconds later Logan did too.
It was a long time before either of them moved. Then Logan lowered his head and kissed her, soft and slow. The air seemed fraught with the crackle of potent energy as he touched his forehead to hers.
April waited, aware that something had happened. That something had shifted. She couldn’t name what it was, but it seemed to shiver through her and leave her feeling...different.
Saying nothing, Logan rolled onto his back, and they lay together staring up at the ceiling. Minutes passed until he reached out and found her hand, wrapping his fingers tight around hers. Did he feel the same? Had whatever this was between them shifted and changed things for him too?
April tried to make sense of it, wondering if she should try for casual conversation or simply pretend that nothing untoward had happened. But then Logan got off the bed, and April knew he was headed for the bathroom.
‘Shit.’
April scrambled to her elbows. ‘What?’
A whirring sound came from the floor near where Logan stood. He reached down and snatched up the still vibrating green giant. Holding it out, he turned to look at April.
‘Reckon it’s complaining about being made redundant?’
April laughed and dropped onto her back again, pleased to have the unsettling silence broken. ‘It’ll have to get used to it. I’m starting to prefer the real thing.’
He grinned, turned the toy off, and tossed it onto a nearby chair before leaving the bedroom.
* * *
April was battling with a choice—although it seemed a petty and pointless one, seeing as Logan had stayed the night and fucked her senseless for most of it.
Should she ask him to stay for breakfast?
He was currently in the shower—April having pilfered some of Miles’s toiletries from Lizzie’s room for him to use. It was just after seven, and Logan had a meeting at eight-thirty in central London, so April knew he wouldn’t have time to grab breakfast anywhere else.
But what did it matter in the scheme of things? It didn’t have any more implications than their spending the night together in a horizontal position did.
Once more she was overthinking things.
Although, it might be best if she just gave him coffee when he came out of the shower and let him go on his way. No doubt his PA would arrange some breakfast for him before his meeting.
Again overthinking.
He strolled out of the bathroom, looking fresh and so bloody gorgeous she wanted to jump him. He wore the same clothes he’d arrived in yesterday, but considering those clothes had spent the night in disarray on her bedroom floor they managed to look fine.
April tightened the belt of her dressing gown, wishing she owned a silk robe rather than the old pink towelling one she’d had for years. But the heated glance Logan shot her as he came towards her indicated he didn’t give a flying fig about the tatty old robe.
‘Will you have time to get home and change?’ April asked, knowing the answer was probably in the negative, seeing as he lived in Chelsea and would be pushed for time as it was without going to the other side of London first.
As expected, he shook his head before taking the coffee she held out. ‘No need. I keep a couple of shirts and a suit at the office, just in case.’
In case of nights like last night? April didn’t especially like the sound of that. Did he make a habit of one-nighters? Was that what this was? They hadn’t discussed it being anything more than a quick scratch of an itch.
‘Can I get you some breakfast? Eggs? Toast?’
He took a swig of coffee, then shook his head again. He had yet to roll down his shirtsleeves, and his forearms were on tantalising display. The sight of all that rippled muscle and sinew shot heat between her legs and made her stomach tremble.
‘I’ll grab something later.’
April swallowed, feeling a little deflated—which was stupid after all that deliberating on whether or not to offer him breakfast in the first place.
She leaned back against the kitchen counter, watching as he mirrored her and sipped his coffee. April hated all this stupid deliberating she was doing. Should she or shouldn’t she offer him breakfast? Did he or didn’t he regularly engage in one-night stands? It was insane. At what point did worrying about his culinary needs or sexual proclivities take preference over the real issue she was facing in her life right now?
She would do well to remember what was really important.
‘Now that I’m your client, what happens next?’
There—see? Back to business. To the point. Black and white.
‘We can sit back and wait—which at this point is my preferred option...’ He took a swig of his coffee, watching her over the rim of his cup in a way that made her feel uneasy. ‘Or we can get proactive. Ask for proof of damage, confirmation that she used the equipment as specified on the instructions. We ask for timing, duration, doctor’s report, photographs.’
‘Photographs?’
‘How else can she prove her case?’
April shivered. ‘Bloody hell, I can’t imagine anyone would... But then she’d always liked being outrageous.’
It made April’s blood run cold in her veins. If there were photographs—if the vibrator really had malfunctioned and caused injury—the implications could be astronomical.
‘Is there any other reason she might be coming after you?’
April glanced up into Logan’s questioning gaze. Since he was now her lawyer, he needed to know the history between the two women.
‘Richard, my ex, was my manager. Veronica hoped he’d take her on, and she blamed me when he didn’t. It could be that she’s holding a grudge about that.’
April shrugged, hoping that would be enough information. She really didn’t want to get into the ins and outs of her relationship with Richard, and she especially didn’t want Logan to know how stupid and naïve she’d been, letting him run her business into the ground while her father had been sick.
‘Why did you split?’
Panic bubbled up. What should she say?
‘We weren’t really compatible. We both grew bored and it was just time to move on. What’s the point of
staying with someone when the relationship has served its time and purpose?’
Logan rolled his shoulders back and his expression grew guarded. Did he know she was lying to him? Did he somehow know what had really happened?
She had a wobbly moment, wondering if she’d maybe talked in her sleep.
He continued to look at her for long unsettling moments, then drew in a breath and checked his watch. ‘I need to go. Can you meet me for a working lunch? Twelve-thirty?’
Since there was a definite frost in the air, April once again wondered if Logan knew more about her past than he let on.
‘Yes, sure. Where?’
‘Dubois,’ he said, rolling down his shirtsleeves and buttoning the cuffs. ‘Pixaby Street. Know it?’
‘I’ll find it.’
He nodded, then crossed to her and gave her a chaste peck on the cheek, before slipping on his jacket and letting himself out of her apartment.
April stared after him, more than a little irritated by his suddenly stand-offish manner.
Perhaps she should have told him the truth about Richard. Okay, she’d made a mistake, letting her ex take her for a ride, but when push came to shove nobody was immune to being duped, were they?
‘Just accept the fact that you weren’t born with brains, darling. You don’t really need them anyway, since the way you look is a gift. Be thankful for that.’
Her mother’s voice echoed through her head, and memories of her taunts still had the ability to push every single one of April’s buttons.
She couldn’t remember a time when her parents had been pleased with any of her academic efforts, despite her many attempts to prove them wrong about her abilities. Deep down she’d always felt that there was more to her than the ability to put an outfit together, or to choose exactly the right shade of lip gloss to go with a certain colour dress, the absolutely right hairdo to complement that dress. Yet those were the only abilities her parents had seemed to think she had.
When she’d met Richard he’d taken over where her parents had left off. Overseeing the management of her career so that, in his words, she could concentrate on doing what she did best. Looking good.
When she’d moved to Manchester to care for her father Richard had offered to get her assignments in the area, but she’d been determined to take the opportunity to move away from modelling and find something that would fulfil the parts of her that had been hidden beneath a cloak of self-disbelief.
It had been pure chance that she’d fallen on the idea of running her own online business, and she’d loved it.
Until Richard had single-handedly tried to destroy it.
And now Veronica Lebeck planned to do the same.
If she failed to save her business this time, it would only prove that her parents and Richard had been right. She wasn’t capable of anything other than modelling and looking good.
Which was a crock. She’d come through too much, learned too many valuable lessons, to allow other people to dictate what she was and wasn’t capable of.
To hell with that.
And to hell with Logan if he was going to be pissed with her because she hadn’t been entirely upfront with him about Richard. She certainly had plenty to be irritated about herself in that respect. Hadn’t he kept things from her until they were a fait accompli?
Yeah. To hell with that.
CHAPTER NINE
LOGAN SLAMMED DOWN his phone just as Haydon entered his office. He’d been in an edgy mood most of the morning, since leaving April’s place, after hearing her admit that she’d dumped her last lover when he’d served his purpose. His mood hadn’t improved one bit on hearing that Haydon was headed over to see him.
Logan sat back, hooking his ankle over his opposite knee, his casual pose in direct contrast to the discomfort in his chest. His current disposition was made worse by the fact he felt like shit for having gone against the wishes of his mentor in representing April.
‘I assume you got my message,’ Logan said as Haydon took a seat on the opposite side of his desk.
‘I’ve been doing a little research,’ Haydon said, his gaze steady on Logan. ‘This April Sinclair. Big doe eyes? Damsel in distress? She’s like your wet dream, son.’
Logan’s chest tightened but he said nothing.
‘No way can you step back from this one, right?’ Haydon continued. ‘Not when you’ve got the chance to do what you do best. Save the world. Or in this case a pretty blonde with a vibrator problem.’
Logan aimed a narrow-eyed stare across the desk.
‘I understand how a man is led by his hormones,’ Haydon continued. ‘But maybe you should look at the bigger picture here. Clients won’t want their lawyer associated with a sex toy case.’
‘Then they can find a new lawyer.’
‘Look, get this April to offer Veronica some freebies, maybe an apology, a bottle or two of bubbly, and then they can get drunk together and be friends again.’
Mortified, Logan realised that was exactly what he’d suggested when he’d first met April. ‘We both know it’s not that simple. This is basically turning into a witch hunt. She doesn’t deserve that.’
It was Haydon’s turn to narrow his gaze. ‘Ah. You’re sleeping with her.’
‘That’s nobody’s business but mine. It doesn’t impact my decision to represent her.’
‘Come on, son. We both know how this works. How a woman can turn a man inside out before he even knows what’s happening.’
Logan pushed back his chair and resisted the urge to place his feet on the desk. For some reason he needed his feet on terra firma while he discussed April. The truth was, she had turned him inside out, had unsettled him—which was why he’d been in this foul mood since he’d left her apartment that morning.
Something had happened last night, and again this morning. He’d found himself wanting more than just a casual hook-up, thinking that maybe they could do what they were doing for a while longer. See how things went.
That was until she’d dropped the bombshell that she’d got bored with her ex. That she’d tossed the sucker aside the moment he no longer suited her purpose. That it had been time to move on.
It shouldn’t have hit him like it had—especially considering his track record with women. And it certainly shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise. In his experience people did what suited them the most, and to hell with the consequences. When the going got tough, they walked.
Before he could slide into bitter but long since dealt with memories of his parents, Haydon leaned forward.
‘Since when do you get involved with clients?’
‘Never,’ Logan said. But this was different. When they’d started getting naked she hadn’t technically been his client.
‘I shouldn’t have to tell you that you need to back the hell away from this.’
‘Nobody tells me who I can represent,’ Logan said, rapidly losing what was left of the shreds of his patience. ‘Not even you.’
‘Maybe not, but you need to use your damn head. The one on your shoulders, not the one in your pants. And while I’m not one to pass up an opportunity for great sex, there are limits.’ He cast a shrewd eye at Logan. ‘You just keep your wits about you.’
Sensing an easing of the tension between them, Logan grinned. ‘Don’t I always?’
Haydon stood and headed to the door. ‘I’ll keep working on Veronica. Like I said, that woman is stubborn as hell. Part of the attraction, I suppose. I never could resist a woman who digs her heels in until she gets what she wants.’ He turned to Logan, who had followed him to the door. ‘You find a way to work this out. That shouldn’t be hard, seeing as you’ve been fixing things for others for most of your life.’ He squeezed Logan’s shoulder. ‘Responsibility sits heavy on your shoulders, son, but they’re broad enough to take it.’
After they said their
goodbyes, Logan walked back to his desk pondering on Haydon’s words. He’d never really considered that his responsibilities were especially heavy. As the oldest, it fell on him to protect and shield his siblings during their father’s drunken rages and their mother’s inability to cope. When both parents had eventually deserted their children, Logan had been determined his family would not be split up. He’d looked after his siblings then, and he looked after them now. So yeah, he had a responsibility to them. He had a responsibility to Haydon. He had a responsibility to his clients. And that now included April.
Nobody was going to make him renege on his word or his duty. All he had to do was make sure they were all protected, all taken care of. That meant getting all his ducks in a row. And in the meantime there was absolutely no reason why he and April couldn’t continue to enjoy a little extra-curricular activity. Chances were she wouldn’t be his client much longer, and it made perfect sense that when the matter was settled they’d both go their own ways.
He really didn’t know why her earlier revelation had concerned him to the extent that it had. He was more than happy to enjoy a casual no-strings affair, and it seemed April was, too. He was acting like a bloody idiot, letting her get under his skin when he’d known from the start they were just enjoying a fling. Casual, no-commitment sex, which at any other time would have filled him with glee.
Hadn’t he always balked at the idea of a relationship?
Hadn’t he kicked into touch any woman who wanted more?
So why did it matter to him that April felt the same way? That she’d dumped this Richard guy when he had no longer been any use to her.
Instead of concerning himself with that he should be celebrating his luck, planning to make their time together a satisfying and mind-blowing experience.
For both of them.
* * *
April arrived at the restaurant early, having detoured to the premises of one of her wholesalers to collect some sample goods she’d ordered.
During the morning she’d thought about her conversation with Logan immediately prior to his change in attitude, and all she’d been able to come up with was that somehow he knew about what happened between her and Richard. That he knew she was covering for her ex in the hope she could keep Logan from thinking she was an idiot for not doing everything to protect her business.
