by Lee Taylor
For the next hour, the team made an impressive foray into the array of sumptuous food. Admitting how truly hungry she was, Gia ate almost as much as she did when Logan stood over her, insisting that she at least sample all of the things he made for her. They were facing a full day of campaign appearances, a grueling schedule she’d insisted on. With a grimace, she acknowledged that Logan’s munificence had been a godsend and couldn’t have been better timed for her and the team. Craving a break from the boisterous team and wanting to quiet her rioting emotions, Gia escaped to the supply room, pretending she was hunting for printing supplies. She wasn’t surprised when Ben followed her.
Rounding the corner, he entered the back cubicle and met her tremulous gaze head-on. “I trust you didn’t think you could get away from me. You’ve gotta be as overwhelmed as I am, boss lady.”
Gia shook her head, then put up her hands and said with a shrug, “Why am I surprised, Ben? But dear God, what is he going to do next?”
Ben nodded in agreement. “Honest to God, for once, I don’t know what to say. Yesterday I called Logan the strongest and smartest man I know, but Jesus, he also is the kindest.”
Gia gave him a watery grin and managed to speak in a somewhat normal voice. “Um . . . yeah, he is that. All of that.”
“Seriously, I know Logan is dismayed by your alcohol-heavy, good-food-light diet, but damn, to do what he did today, and apparently intends to do throughout the campaign, is beyond comprehension. Of course he worries about you, but the fact that he is feeding the whole bunch of us is beyond generous.”
Gia managed to bite back a callous reply such as “He can afford it.” She knew that Logan’s largess went well beyond the fact that he could afford to feed the entire staff—heck, the whole damn town. But Ben was right. Logan was kind, surprisingly so. Yes, he was hard as nails and obviously arrogant as hell. But then, he had a reason to be. From everything she’d read about his astonishing company, he’d filled a high-tech void that his would-be rivals hadn’t known was empty. In the process, he’d rocked the entrepreneurial world to its knees. The big question now being asked was whether the high-flying loner would accede to the eager venture capitalists and bring his company public. Knowing all of this, Gia struggled to square the tech genius with the man who, knowing how upset she was, sang silly songs to her over the telephone. And if that wasn’t enough, lulled her to sleep with erotic commands she couldn’t ignore if she’d tried.
Ben chuckled. “I can see from that telling flush on your face that you agree. Not that it’s any of my business, but how did you make it through the night in that dismal house of yours?” He frowned, then raised a questioning brow. “Unless the inimitable Mr. Fowler decided to break his no-fraternizing rules on the first night.”
Gia sniffed. “No, I went home to what I’ve decided is truly a dismal house and spent the night essentially by myself.”
Ben winked at her. “Essentially? Hmm, that is some qualifier.”
Gia shook her head, making it clear she wasn’t going to add to her cryptic qualification, then returned to the subject of her house. “Honestly, Ben, I didn’t realize how horrible my place is until I walked into it last night. Obviously, compared to Logan’s multi-million-dollar showplace, it is laughable. But it’s more than that; it’s small and inexpensive. It’s drab, boring, plain, not . . . not like . . . ” She stopped and shook her head, not wanting to bare her soul any more than she already had.
“It’s not like what, Gia? It’s not like you? The least drab, least boring woman I’ve ever known? If that’s what you saw, then you saw your crappy little place the way the rest of us who marvel at your spirit and your verve see it. Damn, it’s almost as if you decided that it’s hard enough to manage the gorgeous, outrageous creature that you are without having to create a home worthy of her.”
Gia stared in amazement at the bespectacled political mastermind who was also her best and, frankly, only close friend. Struggling not to get emotional, she shrugged. “My question is how is it possible that you know me as well as you do and that you still like me?”
“You’re wrong, Gia, I don’t just like you. I love and honor you. Trust me, if I wasn’t so dedicated to the side of the street that I walk, I’d be all over that lip-smacking bod of yours. Heck, I’d leave Logan Fowler in the dust.” He grinned. “Well, maybe not in the dust, but fighting to keep up with me.”
Gia laughed. “I dunno, Ben, I think one of the reasons that we are as close as we are is that you’re the only man I know who hasn’t tried to get in my pants. God, you actually like me as a friend.” She hesitated, then surprised herself by articulating the insight she’d had when she entered her house. “As usual, you’re right, Ben. This time, what you said about my house. I grew up in a house that mirrored the man who created it. Our home was as unruly, as overblown, and as cynical as its lord and master. Everyone who knew us would have killed to be invited to our home. It was the political nerve center of the county, where everyone who was anyone craved to be.” She blew out a thoughtful sigh and shook her head. “When Dad went down, I moved out of that house the next day and never looked back. I did go to visit my mom a couple of times. Frankly, I was shocked when I walked in. The place was . . . ordinary. Just a typical, inexpensive, three-bedroom, tract home. I honestly thought my mom had changed the lighting somehow or put shades on the windows. But she hadn’t. It was just that the energy that had lit the place was gone. What was left was drab, dull, and ordinary.”
Ben was quiet for a long moment, then asked quietly, “Like your house is now?”
She threw him a thoughtful frown and shrugged. “Yes, like my house is now.” She added pensively, “I guess at some level, the last thing I wanted to do was live in a house like my dad’s. Even if it had to be as drab and pathetic as my mom’s.”
Ben reached for her, wrapped his arms around her, and held her close. “Those aren’t your only choices, Gia. But then, you know that, don’t you?”
A deep voice spoke from behind them. “Excellent question, Ben. And an astute one. But Gia knows that she has other choices; she just has to decide to exercise them.”
Seeing Logan ambling into their cubicle, Gia jumped back in shock.
He leaned against the padded wall and smiled at them. “Forgive me. The gang said I could find you two in here. I thought you heard me knock, but obviously you were deep in conversation. My apologies for invading your privacy.” He pinned a hard gaze on Ben and then nodded thoughtfully. “Although to be honest, I’m glad I did. You’re an amazing young man, Ben. You’re even more impressive, insightful, than I knew. Gia is lucky to have you for a friend. As am I.”
Ben flushed as he released Gia, then hurriedly prepared to leave. “Thanks, Logan. That’s high praise coming from you. Now if you’ll excuse me . . . ”
Reaching for Gia’s arm, Logan pulled her next to him, then called to Ben’s quickly retreating back, “One point of disagreement, buddy. No one, not even you, can leave me in the dust. Don’t know how much you know about Delta Force alumni, but they pretty much rule their dominions. Particularly their woman. Note that I didn’t say women plural.”
Ben turned back, then laughed as he met Logan’s grinning gaze. “Let me put it this way, Logan. You could be Darth Vader for all I know. But ruling this particular woman will require every goddamned bit of courage and ingenuity you have. My hat’s off to you, man! If anyone can do it, you can. But I’m telling you to buckle up and prepare for the ride of your life.” He chuckled and added with a wink, “A word to the wise. When she raises that feisty chin of hers and glares at you, we’ve all learned to beat a hasty retreat.”
Logan grinned and regarded Gia through half-closed eyes, then drawled, “I dunno, Ben. There’s something about that haughty chin of hers that brings out the caveman in me. Makes me want to take her in hand and show her the pitfalls of her wanton ways.”
Not hiding his amusement at Logan’s bravado and the telling flush on Gia’s cheeks, Ben shook his head. “Yo
u’re a better man than I am, Logan. Surely a braver one. Like I said, my hat’s off to you!”
Logan waited until the door closed solidly behind Ben, then hugged Gia closer to him. Lifting her chin, he forced her to meet his searching gaze. “Tell me, princess, what did you look like this morning when you dragged your naked body off your chaise lounge? Were your cheeks as flushed as they are now? And were your eyes as shining?” Sliding his hand under her skirt, he ran his fingers over her bare thigh, then tugged on her thong and murmured, “And were you as wet as I think you are becoming now?”
Chapter 13
Doing her best to quiet the sensations flooding her wayward body, Gia gave in to his compelling presence. Dear God, how could she not? His scent alone, the mix of expensive cologne and strong man, was lighting a firestorm of challenging sparks between her thighs and spreading to her core. Pressing her legs together to keep the intoxicating sensations from overtaking her, she tried to extricate herself from his challenging hold. She murmured in explanation, “Don’t, Logan. Someone might come in. We . . . we can’t let them see us like this.”
“I know we can’t, Gia. But I have to believe that your intrepid guard dog will ensure that we have a least a moment of privacy. Jesus, do you honestly think that I could make love to you the way I did last night and not hold you today? Do you have any idea what your moans, your whimpers, your begging me to make you come—did to me? God, do you realize you came four times before you finally fell asleep? And did you know that when you came, your lusty cries, your sobbing entreaties that I not stop drove me out of my fucking mind? For what it’s worth, I never knew that a woman could drive me to the heights that you did when I was miles away from her.” He pulled her tightly against him, pressing his burgeoning erection between her legs and murmured, “Holy Christ, I’m still hard thinking about how you responded to me last night. It was all I could do to keep from leaping into my FF and breaking down your door.”
Gia pressed up against him. She reveled in his muscular arms wrapped tight around her, his strong thighs hard up against hers, and fought against the waves of passion flooding her. Shocked at how close she was to giving in to his formidable presence, she murmured, “Help me, Logan, please. We . . . we can’t do this . . . not here . . . not now!”
He groaned, a deep agonized sound, then lightened his hold. Brushing his lips across her cheek, he nodded in agreement. Weaving his fingers in her hair, he tipped her head back and gazed into her storm-filled eyes. “Jesus God, Gia. This is insane. I told myself that I just wanted to make sure that the food had arrived. That you’d eaten. But that was just an excuse. I . . . needed to see you. To make sure you were all right. Last night, you sounded so scared, so lonely, it was all I could do to keep from coming to you.” With a heartfelt groan, he added, “But what I really needed to do was to hold you—like this.”
Gia rested against his shoulder. “But you did come to me last night, Logan. You literally ‘loved’ me to sleep.” She hesitated and then said with a soft laugh, “You really were just one call away.”
Logan nodded and allowed his lips to quirk up in a smile. “You’re right. I was. Good thing that I have an unending repertoire of songs to sing to you. Admit it, princess, you like my geeky, teenaged side.”
Gia leaned into him, surprised at the panoply of emotions she was feeling, then confessed, “I do, I really do. You are so strong, powerful, frankly overwhelming. I love that you have a sweet, geeky side.” She added tentatively, “And that you are willing to show it to me.”
He shrugged. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it’s a side of me I rarely acknowledge. In fact, I’d almost forgotten it was there.” He grinned at her. “I gotta admit you bring the best and the worst out in me. But hey, that’s not all bad. Hell, woman. What could be better than tying you to my bed and having my wicked way with you, then following that outrageous rapaciousness by singing you to sleep?”
Gia hesitated, then blinking back the tears swimming in her eyes, she said softly, “Nothing . . . nothing could be better than that, Logan.”
As they prepared to join their colleagues, he assured her that no one would know he’d come close to taking her against the cubicle wall. “Although it would probably help if we buttoned these top two buttons on your blouse and maybe straightened your skirt at least over your thighs before we meet up with what has to be your interested team.”
Embarrassed and knowing that she had to be glowing, Gia aimed for detachment. Raising a questioning brow at his still apparent arousal, she said archly, “Although at least until that settles down, it might be a good idea for you to walk behind me.”
Logan laughed aloud. “You’re asking for the impossible, woman. That has been in some state of arousal since the first time I saw you. There’s not a hell of a lot I can do about it. To tell the truth, for a boring guy like me, getting excited every time he sees or even thinks about his woman is a heck of a way to live.”
Tugging her up against him, he pinched her butt. At her squeal, he winked. “Glad that you agree, princess.”
Ben met them in the hallway and rolled his eyes, confirming that their attempt to appear “normal” fell far short of the mark. He turned to Logan. “I know you worry about my boss’s wretched eating habits, Logan. And for good reason. But I can vouch for her today—actually for our whole team. Believe me, we all ate better than we have in years. At least since our mothers told us we couldn’t play video games until we cleaned our plates.” He grinned. “Even Syl had a couple of strawberries along with his six pancakes, five strips of bacon, and pound of sausages.”
Seeing Ben glance at his hand wrapped around Gia’s arm, Logan lightened his hold and returned his grin. “Glad to hear it, Ben. You guys are doing the Lord’s work over the next couple of months. You all need to be in championship fighting form.” He glanced down at Gia, then spoke to Ben. “Good food is a must. Given that not all of your team necessarily agrees with that, I’m assuming that as the manager of this campaign, you will see that they do.”
Gia snorted and glared at Logan, then at Ben. “Hmm, don’t you mean that as your spy, he is required to report that we are doing what good little boys and girls should—which is apparently to clean our plates?”
Logan grinned at her pique and murmured, “I know I, for one, didn’t give Ben the task of making sure that you are a good little girl. That’s my job. But that you clean your plate? Hell, yes. That’s the first job of this particular campaign manager.”
Seeing their shared grin, Gia shook her head and snarled, “Well, at least you are being somewhat honest.”
“C’mon, boss lady, admit it. You loved that gorgeous spread Logan engineered. I swear, given you, Emma, and Kaila, it was a wonder there was as much as a grape left on that fruit tray. But that doesn’t mean that you women didn’t fight Syl and the boys over the cheese omelets.” Nodding appreciatively at Logan, he added, “Don’t know if you knew what they were delivering, but your guys brought enough sandwiches and other lunch items that even Syl won’t have to go to his Doritos and pork rinds until four o’clock or so.”
“Glad to hear it, Ben. I’m impressed that you have scheduled no fewer than eight meetings today and again tomorrow. In two days, you will personally visit a third of the state. Fortunately, your candidate is not only a trooper but is accustomed to driving her team to their limits. Which is another reason that it is important that you all eat good food throughout the day. Unfortunately, while I wanted to make sure that the caterers had met your needs, I stopped by to tell you that I won’t be able to accompany you on any of your travels today.”
Seeing Gia’s surprised frown at his unexpected announcement, Logan nodded. “I planned to catch up with you in Crookston this afternoon, but I’ve run into an unavoidable conflict. I’m not sure when I’ll be back. It may be late tonight, but I’m confident I’ll be able to join you tomorrow.”
At that moment Emma and Kaila, followed by Syl, rushed into the hallway. Emma spoke first for the
group. “Mr. Fowler, thank you for the wonderful food. That was so nice of you.”
Kaila agreed. “Honestly, I can’t remember when I’ve seen Gia eat as much as she did, but then, I don’t think she ate anything at all yesterday.”
Syl flushed and added, “Uh, yes, Mr. Fowler. The food was great. I ate more good stuff than I have in years. Thank you.”
Logan smiled at the eager threesome. “First, please call me Logan. And you’re welcome. I’m glad to hear that the food was good. I understand that Ben has planned non-stop town meetings today and tomorrow. At the very least, you need to eat well to keep up that schedule. I know you understand that this isn’t about the primary campaign. I’m confident we will win on Tuesday by an impressive margin. What you are really doing is laying the groundwork for a successful general campaign.”
Moving closer to Gia, he said to the group, “Regrettably, I won’t be able to join you at any of the meetings, at least today. But I know they will be successful. I look forward to a terrific election on Tuesday and a heck of an election night celebration.” At their excited agreement, he put his hand on Gia’s arm. “Can I talk with you for a moment, Gia?”
At her nod, he steered her into her office and closed the door behind him. Reaching for her, he met her questioning gaze. “Sorry about the change of plans, princess. You know nothing but an emergency would keep me from joining you for at least a couple of the events. But I’m confident you will hit it out of the park. However, I can’t leave without doing this.”
He pulled her up next to him. Lifting her chin, he grinned. “I wasn’t kidding when I told Ben what raising your saucy chin does to me.” He laughed. “It brings out the beast in me.” Tracing a firm finger over her swollen lips, he pinched the corner of her mouth, eliciting a soft groan from Gia. “Oh yeah, princess, as for that sexy moan of yours, all you have to do is feel this to know what it does to me.” Lifting her up against his prominent arousal, he ran his tongue over the sensitive skin on her neck and murmured, “I’m craving you, sweetheart. You will be on more than my mind today.” Holding her tightly against him for a long moment, he released her, then gave her a quick swat on her butt. At her surprised yelp, he grinned. “There’s a lot more of those where that one came from if you don’t behave. Remember. You need to eat.” Ignoring her snort, he said firmly, “Now get out there and kick ass. Bring it home like you always do. Leave Gretchen so far behind in your dust, she’ll think she’s running against a haboob. Will serve her right to think that she could take on the master.”