Inspired

by Jessica Florence

  I guessed she was the owner. She had boss vibes all over her, like she didn’t take any shit and didn’t leave running the bar to anyone else but her. A woman after my own heart.

  She quickly made my drink and set it before me on the wooden bar top. “I like you. He needs a strong girl like you, not no pomegranate lemonade martini shit girl like his ex-wife.” The woman looked at Logan with pride in her eyes.

  For once, I saw more than what was obvious, like Logan usually did. I read love and affection on her face in a motherly fashion. These people were his family. The wild, rambunctious brother Tate. The quiet but down-for-anything brother Callum. And the tough, if you ain’t bleeding, then you’re fine mama Tink, looking over them all.

  “Thank you.” I lifted the glass up to her, my thanks for many things besides just making the drink for me.

  She was there for Logan. She liked me.

  I took a sip of the whiskey, and a whisper of a moan bubbled up from my lungs. Tink sure as shit knew how to make a drink.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. She makes noises like that, too. How did you get so lucky?” Tate grumbled like a child who watched as someone else got to buy a toy he had been dreaming of but didn’t get the chance to have.

  I made my way over to the table where all three of them sat. Logan sweetly pulled out the barstool next to him, and I sat my backside down, ready to enjoy this drink and company.

  “So, Mia, how’s the program working for you?” Callum peered at me with those darker-than-Logan’s blue eyes with interest.

  “Great actually. I’ve been really feeling free lately—and no, Tate, it has nothing to do with Logan’s cock.”

  Yep, I could hang and talk dirty just like any other man in the joint. These guys were nothing compared to my family and the way they talked. I was just happy Logan didn’t know Italian when he was at dinner.

  “Marry her, Logan. I swear to God, if you don’t, I will.” Tate took a sip of his beer and then pointed it at Logan in a promise sort of way.

  He wasn’t my type at all, but who knows? I used to think my type was all suits and cuff links with their hair gelled back. Now, I believed I had a thing for the surfer look, sun-kissed tan skin, and sandals instead of oxfords.

  Still, I was falling in love with Logan, and no one else was in the race to win my heart but the sandal-wearing surfer alone.

  “Jesus.” Logan ran his hands over his face, like he wanted the bar to collapse over him so that this conversation would end.

  “So, how did you all meet? I’m sure there’s a fascinating story behind whatever this bromance is.” I gestured between the three of them and heard Tink’s bellowing laughter from behind the bar.

  “I second Tate’s statement, Logan. Marry the girl, or I will.” She laughed all the way to the kitchen, the sound still echoing from the door.

  “Right. How we met. It is a funny story actually.” Logan was bringing the subject back to the question I’d asked, but it was too late to miss the way his eyes had dipped to my left hand and how his cheeks pinked slightly. No clue what it meant, but for a moment there, I knew Logan had thought about me being his wife.

  Whether good or bad though, an image was in there.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Logan

  Mia was all giggles and spoke in a mixture of Italian and English when she was drunk.

  Throughout our story time of how my friends and I’d met back in college, Mia just kept the drinks coming, immensely enjoying herself and our tale-telling.

  All three of us had met in college. Tate was on the football team. Callum was the perfect student during the day and an underground fighter at night to pay for school. Tate, with his everlasting confidence, decided to pick a fight with Cal. It didn’t end well, and I happened to be there at the bar, drinking with a potential date when it went down. For some reason, I took pity on both of them and snuck them out of the bar and into my truck before the cops showed up and arrested them.

  After that, they sort of found me and never left. A truce had been formed when I helped them, and Tate had apologized for picking a fight. We’d been close ever since.

  Tate and I even fought others a few times to help Callum out when he was really in need of money for doctor bills and shit. We were brothers, no matter what our DNA said.

  And those brothers were head over heels for Mia. Both of them told me that she was the one for me, that she was ten times the woman Katherine was, and that I needed to make it real with Mia.

  Even Tink gave me a look that echoed their words.

  Mia was a hit with my family.

  I didn’t know how I felt about that. I mean, I’d brought her here, but I hadn’t been prepared for her to fit right in like she belonged there. Joking with the boys and impressing Tink, who was not the type that impressed easily. Then, there was all that talk of marriage. Been there, didn’t want to do it ever again.

  Katherine wasn’t a cheater or anything. She’d just had this vision in her head, a fantasy really of what life was going to be like and what her spouse was going to be like. She complained constantly when I dressed down in casual wear instead of business attire. She hated riding in the Jeep, preferring her Lexus sedan and all the luxury she could get her hands on. I wasn’t that guy. I tried for her though. To make my wife happy, I wore the outfits and played the part, and in the end, I was just tired. She wasn’t in love with me. She was in love with a made-up version of me that I was an idiot enough to try to become for her. Neither Tate nor Callum liked her. They thought she was hot and tolerated her. It was when she demanded I give them up that I had enough. The right woman for me would never ask that I give up friends who were like true family to me. I realized that we weren’t really in love with each other and that I could never make her happy.

  She became a real bitch after that. She woke up every morning, trying to make my life a living hell, and then tried to take everything I had and leave me a broken man. Thankfully, I’d survived. All of them helped, Tink especially. I’d become stronger through the process, and I was who I was. If I ever found the right woman, she would love me for the version I was right now. Sandals, Jeep, and all.

  I looked briefly at the woman who was half-hanging out of the Jeep with her arms spread wide, like she was flying, as we drove slowly around the hotel driveway to the back. She wanted to go in the service area, so people didn’t see her drunk. I understood, so to the rear of the hotel we went while Mia played Titanic from the passenger seat.

  There was a brief moment when Callum had mentioned that I should marry her or he would that I saw those images run though my head like a movie reel.

  Mia as my wife, doing wild things together, both inside the bedroom and out. Going to her family’s Sunday dinners as actually part of the family and not the guest. Although I wasn’t sure there was much of a difference when I thought about it.

  But what happened when the six weeks between us was over, and I wasn’t technically her life coach anymore? Of course, I’d still help her when she had those bad moments, as should any spouse. But was the bar set too high because of what I did, the part in her life I’d played?

  We pulled up to the back entrance to park, and as soon as I cut the engine, Mia was climbing over the door like some monkey. Oh Lord. I quickly rushed out and helped her get out the way she was determined to go.

  “I had a great time tonight, Logan. Your friends are so much fun. I mean, we should do this every night.” She leaned in to kiss me but missed and kissed my cheek instead.

  I simply laughed, knowing damn well Mia was going to be regretting drinking so much come morning light. This version of Mia was cute. You just smiled and chuckled, watching her be as free as she came. Kinda like watching those baby panda videos on the internet. It just brightened your day.

  “It was a fun night.” Taking pity on her and her poor attempt at walking upright, I scooped her up and carried her through the back halls. Using her key card, we went up to her penthouse.

  “You
’re like a knight in shining armor, minus the armor. So handsome and smart and funny. And you’ve got that mind-reading thing going for you, too.” Her hands came up to pet my face, scratching my trimmed beard with every caress.

  So cute. I wanted to keep her, shove her tiny-sized body in my pocket to bring home with me.

  “I really didn’t stand a chance, not falling in love with you. You’ve got all that and a sexy six-y pack-y thing with that V thing that points to your cock thing, ya know.”

  I opened her door and walked us back to her bedroom before gently lowering her on the bed we’d just fucked in hours ago. My mind paused from all thought, so I wouldn’t begin thinking about what she’d said before talking about my abs.

  “Do you need anything, sweetheart?” I asked, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

  “I don’t think so. I’ll shower in the morning and brush my dragon’s breath. You could stay though if you want. It’s late.” She was looking up at me, a vulnerable request on her part, suggesting I could stay the night.

  I wanted to. I wanted to lie next to her and wake up beside her. But I couldn’t. Not right now.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Mia.” I kissed her again and left the room, making sure she had water and something for the headache in the morning waiting for her on the counter when she woke up. I heard her snores from the living room before leaving the apartment.

  I didn’t let myself think about her words until I was home, dirty clothes in the washer and cleaned from a shower.

  Then, I had nothing else but to let Mia’s declaration of sorts settle in.

  Sweet and utterly beautiful Mia was falling in love with me.

  And I was determined never to fall in love again, to keep things less complicated.

  My life had just gotten complicated as hell now.

  Fuck, I was screwed.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Mia

  My head ached, and my mouth was drier than the desert. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d drunk as much as I had at Tink’s last night.

  But at least I’d had fun.

  Today was going to be a busy day. Then, tonight, I’d have to leave for Vegas. I was desperately going to need a long shower plus some drugs to get me through it without a hitch. The showering part was easy, and I vaguely thought to myself, if Lindsey had a yoga video for when you were hungover, I would do it, but I was running late as it was.

  I noticed Logan had left me a care package on the counter, and the warm sensations in my belly brought an image to my head.

  “Oh no, I didn’t.”

  I remembered Logan carrying me, and I talked about his six-pack. Then, I …

  Crap. I’d told him I was falling for him.

  Crap.

  I’d asked him to stay, and he’d left. Shit, shit, shit.

  I saw my purse sitting on the floor near the door and ran to it, frantically searching for my phone.

  Battery life was at fifteen percent, and there was a text from Logan wanting to meet up on the beach.

  Mia: Sounds good.

  I had no idea how Logan would feel about my feelings or what would happen between us professionally now. My palms started sweating as I looked at the clock. Two hours until meeting with him on the beach was going to fry my nerves.

  “Just breathe, Mia.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and then I let it go.

  Remembering what Logan had taught me and trying to implement it in this situation.

  “It’s out there, and I can’t take it back. Nothing I can do about it now, except see where we go from here. He’ll either love me, too, or he won’t. And I’ll deal.”

  This pep talk was actually working. I felt my heart rate slow, and my doubt-filled head heard my words and nodded.

  “Control what you can and let go of what you can’t.” I solidified my thoughts and marched back into my room to get dressed in an outfit that screamed I was confident.

  A black knee- length dress with a red belt around the waist, paired with red pumps. I was ready to accept whatever the day would bring with a can’t fuck with this attitude as I strutted out of my penthouse to my office.

  “The casino blueprints are on your desk. Roger Hannah is on line one. Wants to talk to you about a raise. Tina from Oceania restaurant is on line two, but I can tell her you’ll call her back. And Misty, the wedding coordinator at our Hawaii hotel, sent over an e-mail with the wedding stats from this month.” Jay was up and walking me from the elevator to my office with a tablet full of my day’s itinerary. He’d only been in for thirty minutes, and already, he looked like he’d been through hell.

  “I’ll take Roger in a moment, I’ll call back Tina, and send the e-mail from Misty over to mine. I’ve been interested to see how the profits have changed since updating the bar rules of the Ohana Sea Room.”

  Jay nodded and headed to his desk to get to work, but I stopped him just before he sat down.

  “Hey, Jay.” I smiled as he looked at me. “Thanks for always being there. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  I rapped my knuckles against the doorjamb two times and then slipped inside my office. I had work to do before heading out to the beach and possibly having a conversation that would define the rest of my life.

  No pressure, right?

  I was pretty surprised with myself that, when my phone’s alarm went off, telling me to head down to the beach, that I sat back and looked at it like it was crazy how the time had flown by so quickly. I’d been in the zone—talking on the phone and looking at the blueprints of the casino expansion for the Vegas hotel I’d be talking with the contractors about tomorrow—that I didn’t even have the time to glance at the clock with worry.

  “Here we go,” I said to the universe as I walked out of the office, letting Jay know I’d be back in an hour or so.

  Knowing my heels weren’t the type to wear in the sand, I took them off and carried them in my hand toward a picnic on the beach Logan had set up. He wasn’t sitting there, but I’d found his form as my eyes scanned the beach and saw a muscled tan god walking out from the water after having gone for a swim. The gray foreshadowing of a storm was rolling behind him.

  The desire to run up to my office, so I could grab my phone and take a picture of him was strong. I’d print that photo in all the brochures, and the profits would triple, everyone hoping to see a man like that at our hotel beach.

  “You’re going to give some poor housewife a heart attack, walking around like that,” I teased before sitting under the colorful umbrella on the blanket by the food he’d brought.

  His smile grew as he looked around at the beachgoers and started putting on a show, dancing like something out of Magic Mike.

  “Oh my God, stop. You really are going to kill someone with those hips.” I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt, my hands reaching up to motion for him to cease sexy fire on hearts of the poor souls of this beach.

  “My hips say dancing is sexy, and those hips don’t lie,” he joked and plopped down beside me, water droplets hitting me as he fell.

  “What are you, a dog? You’re getting me all wet.”

  “I like it when you’re wet.” He smirked and leaned in to teasingly kiss me.

  I liked it when I was, too, and if his lips kept moving like I was his sweet dessert, we’d have to leave the beach or end up arrested for indecent exposure.

  Thankfully, he pulled back and started digging into the basket. Pulling out fruit, cheeses, and little sandwiches while I stared as his ocean-coated muscles flexed with every movement.

  “Now, we need to talk about the fact that you said you’re falling in love with me. Is that truly how you feel?”

  My eyes left his body and collided with his curious stare.

  Not wanting to lie or hide behind my feelings, I nodded.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Mia

  The breaths I inhaled were lodged in my chest, unwilling to release until he spoke after seeing my nod.

  �
�I don’t think I’m what you need, Mia, and I think you still need more time to be yourself before tying yourself up to someone.”

  That breath came out along with a quick frown before I masked myself to look neutral.

  “With that said, I don’t think we should talk about it right now. We’ve still got two weeks left in our program. I think we should just keep working as is and see where things end up. Including the possibility of an us because I don’t think six weeks will be enough with you.”

  My heart, my soul, if they didn’t belong to him before, they did now.

  “I’d like that. No stressing about what will happen.”

  I could do this. I didn’t believe for one second that he wasn’t what I needed. Logan was himself as he was right now to his core. No doubt lingered inside me that, when the six weeks were up, he’d magically become an ass. He wasn’t made that way. Would there be tough times like any relationship? I expected so. But Jay had sent me a message today that said tough times never lasted, but tough people did. Logan and I would be tough and could make it. I felt that deep in my heart.

  But, for now, I was content to let this play out and not obsess over one more thing, like where Logan and I were going with this relationship. Go with the flow instead.

  “Perfect. Now, let’s talk about that Vegas trip you have. Any fun plans besides work?” He pulled out a strawberry from the pile and bit into the lucky fruit.

  “Not that I’m aware of. Should I?” I had just planned on working and hanging out at the hotel, maybe reading or sleeping.

  “I think you should do something from your list of things you enjoy or try something new.”

  I thought about what all Nevada had to offer and how little I’d actually experienced of it despite having traveled there multiple times in my life. I wasn’t much of a gambler, but I did like Red Rock Canyon just outside the strip. If only wild man Logan would be there to push me toward things that made me feel slightly out of my comfort zone.