They stared at each other, both panting hard. Logan wanted to lean down and take her soft mouth with his own and almost did, but she pushed him back and he rolled to his feet.
‘Why don’t you want to be King?’
Not sure if she was trying to distract him again, he dismissed her question. ‘Too much responsibility.’
‘Meaning that you don’t want to talk about it.’
He should have known she was too smart not to see through his flippant answer. ‘Correct. Water?’
She took the bottle he offered and twisted the top, guzzling down a healthy amount. ‘It always seems so glamorous,’ she mused. ‘You live in a fancy palace, you have servants at your beck and call, you can go whereever you want, people want to meet you and be with you, and you get to raise awareness on important issues.’
Logan drank deeply from his own bottle. ‘Apart from raising awareness on important issues, the reality is very different. It’s a life that is rarely your own. You’re at the mercy of the press waiting for you to step out of line, you attract people who are interested in power and diamonds and not necessarily in that order, and you have no privacy. You don’t have any secrets. It’s frustrating.’
Cassidy’s brow shot up. ‘You like having secrets?’
‘No.’ His teeth ground together. I like having a life that’s not built on a house of cards.’
‘Are you saying that yours was?’
Accustomed to being surrounded by people who devoured gossip about him, and usually knew more than they let on, Logan found himself wondering if she was being straight with him. He’d had every psychological game played on him by women trying to make their position in his life permanent that he immediately questioned her sincerity.
Was he really so jaded?
Because there was nothing in Cassidy’s expressive green eyes to suggest that she was anything other than sincere.
‘Behind many closed doors life is different from that which we present to the world,’ Logan said. ‘Mine was no different.’
In fact, when their doors were closed they’d lived a powerless childhood filled with nasty, unspoken grievances between his parents.
‘Did you want to talk about it?’
No, he didn’t. But somehow her soft invitation drew something out of him. ‘My father wasn’t quite the man the history books make him out to be. Behind closed doors he had a constant string of affairs. It didn’t matter if a woman was married, single, an acquaintance, or if she worked for him, the only prerequisite for him to sleep with her was that she be attractive.’ He gave a snort of disgust.
‘It was fortunate that cell phones with cameras weren’t around during the height of his glory days or it would have been much worse. As it was, the press dined out on the rumours of his exploits for long enough to make my mother check into a Swiss rehab facility for three months. That was the year Leo was diagnosed with leukaemia and my father’s response was to head to a hotel with five international strippers.’
‘Oh, wow, that’s...’
‘Water under the bridge,’ he said starkly, wondering what had possessed him to reveal so much to her. He stepped back, hoping the physical distance would sever the moment of intimacy that had developed between them.
‘I can see now why you don’t want to be King,’ she said softly. ‘Why you don’t want to be likened to your father, but it doesn’t always have to be that way.’ The look she gave him was full of a sympathy he’d never needed. ‘If you live congruent to your values and want something different you’ll be perfectly placed to create it.’ She gave him a faint smile. ‘Didn’t you say that we don’t have to be defined by our past?’
Yes, he had said words to that effect and having them fed back to him made him realise that in this instance he might not practise what he preached. Since he wasn’t given to sentimentalising any aspect of his life he had never given it much thought, and he didn’t particularly want to now.
‘It’s poor form to throw a man’s words back at him,’ he growled. Particularly if those words made sense.
Putting his water bottle down, he came at her again.
She danced out of his way with grace and skill. ‘If it’s worth anything,’ she parried, ‘I agree with your mother. I think you’ll make an amazing king.’
Logan’s heart kicked hard behind his ribcage. Her words did mean something but he was unwilling to explore exactly what that was either.
‘Are we here to spar or to talk?’ he challenged.
He didn’t give her a chance to respond, forcing her back off the mat with a series of manoeuvres he was careful to keep controlled and smooth.
Sensing that he was holding back, she ramped things up with a look of determination he couldn’t help but revel in.
Logan fended off her jabs, deliberately flinching as her foot connected with his ribs.
Immediately contrite, she stopped. ‘Oh, no, did I—?’
Taking full advantage of her caring nature, he flipped her so that she landed flat on her back with her delicate wrists pinned above her head, his thighs straddling her slender waist to lock her beneath him.
‘I win,’ he breathed. ‘You’re well and truly pinned now.’
Cassidy raised her hips beneath him, but that only served to have him press her more firmly into the mat, which was when their sparring session turned to something else entirely.
Both of them went still, Logan’s eyes locked on her lips as he leaned over her, Cassidy’s eyes dark and uncertain as she gazed back at him.
The demanding ache in his groin pushed at him to do what he had wanted to do since he’d seen her completely undone in his apartment. Take her and damn the consequences.
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, her fingers flexing beneath his hold.
His body throbbed with a powerful hunger that fogged his brain, his fingers burning with the desire to grab the belt at her waist and yank her dobok open so that he could feast on her high firm breasts.
If she made one move, gave him the slightest indication that she wanted this as much as he did, he’d—he’d what? Kiss her? Forget that she was his employee? He’d returned to Arrantino to put out the fires created by his brother’s scandal, not to create one of his own.
As if sensing the shift in his emotions, she blinked, tugging her hands out of his hold.
Logan let her take control, rolling onto his back, stunned to realise that for the first time in his life he was not as in control of his actions as he liked to think that he was. That he had actually been closer than ever before to setting aside every one of his principles and doing something he would have surely come to regret had he followed through on it. And the consequences would be catastrophic at this point. He was going to be King. Now, more than ever, he needed to reinforce his ironclad self-control—not lose it altogether!
‘Yes, you win.’
Her husky agreement broke through the litany of self-recrimination inside his head and Logan glanced up at her, his breathing still uneven. He wasn’t sure what he’d won exactly but whatever it was he hoped his sanity was attached.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘DAMN,’ LOGAN MUTTERED as the medal he was pinning to his military uniform slipped for the third time. Knowing that he should have taken his brother’s advice and used a valet on the morning of his coronation, he glanced in the mirror and realised that the row of medals symbolising various aspects of his new role as head of his kingdom were not in a straight line.
Exasperated, he stalked out of his room and into the living area, his gaze zeroing in on Cassidy, who was standing by the window.
She glanced up from her trusty tablet as he appeared, every hair on her head tightly tied back and her standard black suit obscuring the toned, feminine body he’d spent the last four days trying to forget.
Which shouldn’t have been all that difficult given
the volume of work he had needed to juggle as outgoing CEO of a major bank and incoming King, but it had still been a challenge.
Now, though, with the big event mere hours away he found his mind straying, and it took considerable effort to stop his mind from returning to their—in hindsight—ill-thought-out martial arts session.
He stopped in front of her, his gaze scanning the neutral expression she wore, as if she’d wiped the memory of how much they had enjoyed themselves from her memory. Something he knew he should appreciate but for some reason didn’t.
In fact, her professionalism only made him want to wrap his arm around her waist and flatten her against him to find out how long it would take for him to bring back that dazed look in her luminous green eyes.
Eyes there were once more hidden behind her tortoiseshell glasses.
‘Did you need something?’ she asked as the silence lengthened between them.
Yes, you, his libido barked before he could prevent it.
Scowling, he pointed to his chest. ‘These medals aren’t straight.’
She frowned. ‘It’s the middle two that are out of place.’
‘I know,’ he said, arching a brow. ‘That’s why I’m here.’
She shook her head, biting into the flesh of her bottom lip as she placed her device on a nearby table. ‘You’ll have to undo your jacket so I can get my hand inside. Otherwise I might prick you.’
Logan felt every muscle in his body tighten as he slowly slid the brass buttons from their moorings, disconcerted when even this simple act felt sexually charged between them.
As if she felt the same current in the air that he did, she refused to look up at him as she carefully slid her slender hand inside his jacket so that it lay against his heart.
Focused entirely on keeping his pulse at an even rhythm, he stared at the top of her glossy head, wishing he’d now done the job himself.
‘Are you nervous about today?’
Her unexpected question went some way to lessening the tension between them and he eased out a breath. ‘Not especially,’ he answered honestly.
Since the last phone call with his brother he’d reconciled himself to what lay ahead and almost felt at peace with it.
Having shocked himself by opening up to Cassidy about his concerns, he felt more at home with the decision. She had been right to remind him that while he might not have chosen this life for himself, he could, in fact, make this role his own. Her observation had helped propel his mind out of the past, where he had been unaware it had been stuck, and into the future where it belonged.
He still wasn’t convinced that Leo had done the right thing in giving up his role as monarch, but that wasn’t his business any more. His brother had made his choice. Logan only hoped he was happy with it, and that one day the two of them could get back to experiencing the close bond they had once enjoyed.
Cassidy glanced up at him, a faint smile on her lips. ‘I won’t tell anyone if you are.’
Logan felt bemused by her response. ‘I believe you wouldn’t. But as you pointed out, I was born to this life. And don’t they say what you resist persists?’
Like this nagging attraction that knocked him for six every time he got close to her.
‘I don’t remember saying that you were born to it exactly.’ She readjusted her glasses on her pert nose, and he noticed the pulse at the base of her neck hammering lightly against her creamy skin. ‘But I’d be nervous.’
She bent and pinned the last medal in place. ‘There.’ She quickly withdrew her hand from inside his jacket and he wondered why control was such a difficult concept around her. ‘All done.’
‘Now this,’ he said, holding out a royal blue sash. He knew he could put it on himself, but he found that he was unwilling to end this quietly intimate moment between them.
She took the sash, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. ‘Where does it go?’
‘Under the epaulette on my left shoulder.’
Stepping closer, she pushed up onto her toes to feed the silk fabric through the epaulette, her breasts brushing his chest as she reached around his waist to grab it.
Logan’s breath hissed out through his teeth and Cassidy’s face flamed as she quickly secured it by his right hip and stepped back.
‘Anything else?’ Her tone was harried, as if she couldn’t wait to get away from him.
‘Yes. Are you coming tonight?’
‘To the ball?’ Her eyes widened. ‘I didn’t know I was invited.’
She hadn’t been but he wanted her there and he wasn’t in the mood to question that sudden decision. ‘You are.’
A frown pleated her smooth brow. ‘Do employees usually go?’
‘No.’
‘Then I shouldn’t.’
‘You should. You’ve been instrumental in pulling everything together over the last few days. If nothing else, you deserve a night off.’
‘Yes.’ She grimaced. ‘But I was thinking more along the lines of a warm bath and an early night.’
She moved away from him to pick up her handbag.
‘You can have a bath any time.’ He scowled, frustrated that she was clearly unimpressed by a gesture that felt more right the more he thought about it. ‘If you’re not there I’ll come and get you.’
She shook her head, her expression still slightly harried. ‘Can we discuss it later?’
‘No.’ Logan moved to her side. ‘We’ll discuss it now.’
‘Fine.’ She let out a rushed breath. ‘I’ll come.’
When her eyes flicked around the room, Logan stilled, his nostrils flaring. ‘Did you just try to manage me?’
‘Yes. No. Maybe.’ Her hands fluttered between them. ‘You have more important things to think about right now than whether I go to the ball or not.’
A noise from the doorway startled them both.
His mother strode in, her glance going between the two of them with barely suppressed censure. ‘I agree with Miss Ryan. You do have more important things to think about.’
Cassidy made a quick curtsy but Logan barely suppressed a scowl at the intrusion. ‘I disagree. I think Cassidy should attend the coronation ball.’
‘Indeed.’ His mother’s raised brow spoke volumes. ‘Well, that is a surprise.’
‘Not really.’ Logan redid the buttons on his jacket. ‘Cassidy has worked by my side for a long time. I want her there.’
‘It would hardly be fair to put Miss Ryan in a position that made her feel uncomfortable.’ His mother’s smile did not reach her eyes. ‘Which reminds me, did you receive the list of potential marriage partners I forwarded yesterday?’
‘Yes.’ In the absence of being able to pour himself a drink at such an early hour, Logan moved to the side table and downed a short black coffee instead. Finding it cold, he grimaced. ‘I’ve had a look at it, but, as I said when I first arrived, marriage isn’t high on my priority list.’
‘Once today is over, you can bump it up,’ his mother said imperiously. ‘And in the meantime five of the young ladies on the list will be in attendance at the ball tonight and I expect you to be at your charming best. These women have impeccable pedigrees and no damaging skeletons in their closets.’
Logan watched Cassidy fossick in her handbag as if she was looking for a way to dig herself out of the room. If she found one, he’d join her. Because there was no way he was ready for marriage and he wouldn’t be pressured into it the way his parents had pressured Leo with Anastasia.
Sighing, he gave his mother his full attention. ‘I won’t let you down. But I need to do this my way.’
‘I know. I am merely trying to ease your load.’ Her gaze softened on his and she squeezed his arm. ‘And when this is all done I’m looking forward to walking with you in the garden like old times. For now, I’ll see you downstairs a little later.’
Without
glancing at Cassidy, she left the room, leaving a cloud of perfume in her wake.
Cassidy glanced across at him, pushing her glasses up onto her nose, and he knew instantly that she wasn’t going to accept his invitation to the ball.
‘Don’t even think about not attending tonight,’ he said before she had opened her mouth.
‘I don’t think it’s a good idea and neither does your mother.’
‘My mother has just turned my coronation into a matchmaking event. Who else will bail me out when I need it?’
Cassidy gave him a look. ‘You hardly need me by your side to keep a woman at bay. And you should use this as an opportunity to get to know whomever she’s invited.’
Frustrated that she was being so stubborn, he glowered at her. ‘I don’t care about the women on the list.’
‘You should.’ Her tongue swept out to moisten her lips. ‘They’re all quite lovely. And very accomplished.’
‘Stop echoing my mother’s sentiments and stop defying me.’
He did not want to get to know the women on his mother’s list. He wanted to get to know Cassidy. A thought that should have sent more shock waves through him than it did.
Her eyes widened as she looked at him. ‘Your mother already doesn’t like me. If I go tonight she’ll like me even less.’
‘My mother doesn’t know you and has a deep distrust of staff members.’
Her brows drew down with concern. ‘Because of your father’s affairs?’
‘Yes. She’s really quite warm when she lowers her guard.’
‘Maybe, but I—’
‘Should be there tonight.’ Logan stepped into her personal space, cutting off her protest. ‘Despite what my mother said, it will be fun.’
He didn’t want to question further why he wanted her there.
She gave him a baleful look. ‘Even if I wanted to attend, I don’t have anything suitable to wear.’
‘I’ll have a gown delivered here by the end of the day.’
Crowning His Unlikely Princess (Mills & Boon Modern) Page 9