by SJ McCoy
She looked up at him. “It’s late.”
“It is, and it’s probably too late if you think that I’m going to take you to my place to have my wicked way with you and then walk you home afterward.”
She laughed. “I know. I thought you were coming to my place.”
“I can if that’s what you want. But what I’d really like is for you to come with me and stay the night.”
He watched the struggle on her face. She’d made excuses all week about why they couldn’t spend the whole night together. He was prepared to hear another one, but this felt like a make or break moment. She didn’t fully trust that he wanted her to be more than just a friend he went out with and slept with. He wanted her to understand that he was inviting her into his life, not just his bed.
“You’re not working tomorrow. Neither am I.” He winked at her. “I’ll go to the bakery early and bring you back breakfast in bed.”
She smiled. “That’s bribery.”
“I know. I’m not above bribery or any other kind of persuasion I can think of.”
Her face relaxed. “I can think of a couple of ways you could persuade me.”
“Oh, yeah?”
She nodded.
“Are you going to tell me what they are?”
She shook her head.
“But, I need to get you into bed to figure out what they are?”
She chuckled. “Yep.”
“Okay.” For a moment, he wondered if she was more interested in the sex than in spending the night together to bring them closer. He shook his head. It was a crazy thought, but it gave him a little insight into how it might be for her.
Chapter Fourteen
On Sunday afternoon, they watched football on the TV again. It was too cold outside to do much of anything, and if Roxy was honest, she didn’t want to go out, anyway.
She’d only been home for clothes and toiletries since she came back to Logan’s place with him on Friday night, and part of her didn’t want to go even now. She loved his place. It was warm and welcoming, cozy.
He nudged her in the ribs with his elbow from his seat on the sofa beside her. “Whatcha thinkin’? Do I need to worry?”
“About what?”
He leaned closer and curled his arm around her. “I’m guessing that you’re thinking about going home and getting ready for work tomorrow, and I don’t want you to go.”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “You’re half right. I was thinking about needing to do that, but I don’t want to go.” She looked up at the clock on the wall. “We don’t need to think about it yet; it’s early.”
He brushed her hair away from her face and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. Was he waiting for her to leave? She started to get to her feet. “I’m sorry. You should have said!”
He caught hold of her arm and pulled her back down beside him. “I wish you’d start to believe me, just a little bit. I’m not saying I want you to go. I’m saying …” He hesitated, and his eyebrows drew together. “What the hell, I’m going to say it. You’re trying not to put any pressure on me, so I’ve been trying not to put any on you. I apologize in advance if this feels like pressure, but I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay. I want to wake up with you in the morning and get ready for work together. I want to see how we do with being part of each other’s lives, not just playing at it on the weekends.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. Her heart was racing even faster now.
“Don’t ask me if I’m serious. You should know that I wouldn’t dream of saying that if I wasn’t.”
She nodded slowly.
“And before you shoot me down, tell me why we shouldn’t give it a try?”
She swallowed. The only reason she could think of was because she didn’t want to put pressure on him—didn’t want to cage him in a situation he didn’t want to be in.
He watched her face. “And don’t give me any bullshit about wanting to do what’s right for me. Tell me what you want for yourself.”
Eventually, she smiled. “What do I want for myself? I’d love to stay here. I’d love to get ready for work with you in the mornings and see how we go. I keep saying that I don’t want to put pressure on you—the truth is that I don’t want to commit to this if I’m only going to end up getting hurt when you change your mind.”
“And I’m not going to change my mind. I want this, Rox. I want you. I want us.”
Her heart felt like it might explode in her chest when he said that. She knew he meant it. The truth of it shone in his eyes as he looked into hers. “What do you say, should we go over to your place and get whatever you’re going to need for the week?”
“The whole week?”
“Yeah. I wanted to say the month, but I didn’t think you’d go for that. So, let’s start with a week.”
She nodded. A week was no big deal. It was long enough for them to get the idea of whether they’d get along and have fun, but not so long that it felt like a major commitment. They were just testing the water. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
~ ~ ~
Logan pulled the truck to a stop in front of the Lodge at seven-ten on Tuesday morning. He leaned across the console and kissed her. “Do you want to meet me for lunch?”
Roxy made a face.
“What does that look mean? Are you trying to say that you see enough of me as it is?”
She laughed. “No. I’m trying to say that you’ve forgotten that we’ll see each other before lunchtime.”
“We will?”
“Unless you forget the meeting. And I’ll warn you, if you do, you’ll be in deep doo-doo, Mr. Perkins. I might let you get away with a lot of things, but when it comes to work, I expect you to be professional.”
He chuckled. “I hadn’t forgotten.” He pulled her closer and slid his hand inside her blouse. “But are you saying I won’t be able to do this in our meeting?”
He cupped her breast and teased her nipple through the lacy fabric. He loved the way she sagged against him and the little noises she made in his ear.
“You’re a bad, bad man Logan Perkins,” she breathed.
“But you love me.”
She sat up straight with a look of panic on her face. He felt it, too. Why in hell had he said that? It was just a turn of phrase. It didn’t mean anything. He smiled in an attempt to let the moment slide by without making a big deal out of it. His hand was still inside her shirt, and he circled his thumb over the little hard peak that strained under his touch. “You love it. I can tell.”
She nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, though whether it was to enjoy his hand on her or to get past what he’d just said, he wasn’t sure.
When she opened them, she nodded. “I do. You could persuade me of most things while you’re doing that. Which is why—to answer your question—no, you won’t be able to do that in our meeting. That or anything like it. Do you understand me?”
He hung his head. “I can’t touch you or kiss you? You’re not going let me peel your clothes off and take you on the conference room table?”
She laughed, and the sound of it dispelled the last of the tension between them. “I like the sound of that. But if we’re going do it, we’ll have to sneak over here on our own time and do it. There’s no way you’re making it part of our meeting. You’d walk out of there with everything you want, and I’d be left out in the cold.”
He drew her closer and hugged her as best as he could over the console. “I might take you up on the offer to sneak into the conference room sometime. But I need you to know if I get everything I want, you’ll never be out in the cold.” He wanted to tell her that he’d keep her warm for the rest of her days if she’d let him. He didn’t say it because he knew she still didn’t believe in him that much. Words were cheap. Only time and actions would prove to her how serious he was.
She pulled away from him when headlights illuminated the cab. “T
hanks. I’d better get in there, and you’d better get over to your office, too. I’ll see you at ten.”
“Okay. See you then.”
~ ~ ~
“Are you still on for tonight?” Roxy looked up from her computer to see Angel standing there, leaning on the reception desk.
“Of course.”
Angel smiled. “I just wanted to make sure. You and Logan seem to be inseparable these days. I wasn’t sure if you’d still be on for girls’ night or if he’d be picking you up and whisking you back to your little love nest at his place.”
Roxy smiled. “I brought my own car today. I couldn’t remember if we were having dinner here at the plaza or going back over to town to the Boathouse.”
“It’s the Boathouse tonight. Maria’s off today, so she’s not on this side of the lake. It’s a trek for the others, and you and I still have to go back that way to go home anyway.”
“That’s true. Do you know who’s coming?”
“You, me, Maria. Kenzie said she was in. I don’t know about Amber and Jade. Oh, and since we’re over on that side, Missy said she might come, too. I ran into her at the bakery the other morning.”
“That’d be nice. I like Missy, she’s awesome.”
“Yeah. Kenzie said she might ask some of the other girls, too. We seem to have separated out into two groups lately, and I think that’s a shame.”
“Me too, but I kind of understand it. I mean, most of them are married, and a few of them have little ones. It’s harder to make plans to all get together.”
“It is, but it’s still worth doing. I hope you’ll remember that now that you and Logan are living together.”
“Living together?! I wouldn’t say that.”
Angel looked surprised. “Oh. Sorry. I got it wrong. I thought you’d moved in with him.”
“I’ve been staying with him this week. But that’s all.”
Angel smiled. “Is it? Is it just for the week, or is that what you’re saying so that he doesn’t freak out?”
Roxy blew out a sigh. “It’s what I’m saying so that I don’t freak out. Logan’s all about it. It was his idea. He started out asking me to just stay for the week, but he’s already talking like I’m going to be there next week.”
“And you don’t want to be?”
She smiled. “The way I feel right now, I do. I could get used to it. But I’m scared it’ll wear off. His track record doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence in a long-term future, does it?”
“I wish you’d get over that. If you ask me, I’d say that the way he’s been since you got together inspires a lot of confidence. He’d done a complete one-eighty. He’s nuts about you.”
Roxy shook her head. “Yeah, but if it’s so easy for him to change like that, why wouldn’t it be easy for him to change right back? That’s what I’m scared of; that he might just wake up one morning and decide that he wants his freedom back.”
“He might, any one of us could do that any day. But I don’t think he will, any more than I will or Luke or Zack. You need to judge him on who he is now. It seems to me that he’s showing you in all kinds of ways that he’s serious about you.”
“He is. If I only went by what he says and does, then I’d be happy and relaxed and excited about the future.”
“So why don’t you do just that? You can never be one hundred percent sure that your partner isn’t going to end things—no one can. But if it happens, it won’t be the end of the world, you’ll survive. It just makes me sad that you’re not going all in. You’re not even giving him a real chance.”
“I am.”
Angel shook her head. “Only half a chance—at best. You’re the one who’s living with your foot out the door and not committing.”
Roxy stared at her for a long moment. She wanted to argue, but she knew that what her friend was saying was true.
Angel shrugged. “Only you can decide if he’s important enough to you to give him a real shot.”
“He is!”
“Then go for it.”
Roxy smiled. “Thanks. I needed that kick in the butt.”
“Happy to give it to you. I’d rather call you out now than have to console you when he gives up because you won’t get as serious as he wants to.”
“I never thought of it that way around.”
“Well, if you take my advice, you’ll start. Anyway, I’m leaving early, I have a couple of errands to run. I’ll see you at the Boathouse at seven.”
“Okay. See you then.”
~ ~ ~
Logan looked around the table at his friends. “Who’s still up for this weekend away?”
Zack made a face. “I really want to be; it was Maria’s idea, after all. She wants to see the snow so much.”
Logan raised an eyebrow. “But?”
Clay was talking about needing to go to Nashville late next week. If he does, that’ll mean we’re there for the weekend.”
Luke nodded. “That’s the trouble with our job. You can’t ever make plans too far in advance because the schedule changes all the time.”
Luke and Zack were pilots. The guy they flew for, Clay McAdam, was a country music singer who spent half his time here at the lake and the rest either in Nashville or traveling.
“What are you saying then? That it’s off?”
Zack made a face. “I don’t want to make the call just yet. It’s guaranteed that if we cancel, Clay’s plans will change, and we’ll be able to go. I’m hanging onto the reservation. You guys can still go even if we can’t.”
“Maybe Maria and Angel will still want to go,” added Luke.
Logan looked around at the others. “What about you?”
Colt shook his head. “I’m out. I have to work.”
Austin shrugged. “I’m still up for it if anyone’s going.”
Logan smiled. “Does anyone mean Amber?”
Austin shook his head. “Nah. I daren’t even think about asking her out.”
“Why not?”
“Because Nadia’s making life difficult. She’s tripping me up at every chance she gets. I’m pretty sure if I started seeing someone else, she’d make trouble for them. It’s just not worth it. And besides, after being in a relationship so long, it’s nice to spend time on my own again. I’d forgotten what it’s like.” He grinned. “You and I seem to have switched roles. From what I hear, you’re spending every minute of the day—and night—with Roxy. How’s it going?”
Logan grinned. “It’s going great. I’m hoping this trip is still going to happen. She was excited about going to the mountains and about seeing snow. Apparently, she used to be a skier, and she wants to give it a go.”
Colt laughed. “Be careful if you go skiing. I’m remembering your crazy ass on the black slopes when we were kids. I’d hate for you to break your neck showing off for her.”
Logan grinned. “I’m a reformed character. I’ll keep it nice and sedate. Take good care of her.”
“Isn’t that Ivan?” asked Zack, nodding toward a guy standing at the bar by himself.
“Yeah. Do you mind if I call him over?”
“Sure. The more, the merrier.”
Logan waved, and Ivan came over to join them. “Hey, guys. How’s it going?”
“Great,” said Logan. “We’re having a catch-up while the girls are out for their weekly dinner. Want to join us?”
Ivan nodded happily. “I’d love to. It’s been a long week, and up until four o’clock this afternoon, I was convinced that today was Friday. I’d promised myself a beer after work to celebrate making it to the weekend. When I finally figured out that it’s only Thursday, I decided I should still come out as a consolation prize.”
Austin laughed. “I get that way myself sometimes, not knowing what day it is. How’s the new place? Are you settling in okay?”
“Yeah. It’s great. It feels a bit strange rattling around in that big place by myself, but I like it.”
“Where are you?” asked Logan.
“Dow
n by the water near the end of Main.” Ivan smiled. “I said I wanted a place by the water, and Mr. D took me at my word.”
Austin laughed at the puzzled look the others gave Ivan. “To the rest of us, Mr. D is the great Seymour Davenport. He gave me strict instructions that I was only to show Ivan properties on the waterfront.”
“Wow,” said Colt. “And he picks up the tab, too, right? I wish I worked for a guy like that.”
“He’s a great guy. I’ve been with him a long time. He gave me a chance when no one else would have. I know I’m lucky.”
“The way he talks about you, I’d say he thinks he’s the lucky one,” said Austin. “It must have been hard for him to walk away from his investment firm. What would he have done with himself if he didn’t have you? I know he came here to be with Miss Chris, but she wouldn’t stand for him resting on his laurels and doing nothing.”
Ivan laughed. “Chris is awesome. I love her. She’s good for him. I’m sure Mr. D would have done just fine managing all his charity work. But I’m glad he kept me on and brought me into the office to help with it.”
“And before, all you did was drive him around?”
“Yeah. That, and I was kind of his security. It’s not like he had any major threats coming after him.” He looked at Zack. “Nothing like what I heard about you. And Clay McAdam, too. He had some issues a while back, didn’t he?”
The others nodded.
“For me, it was more a case of making sure nothing popped up out of the blue for Mr. D. Not trying to keep stalkers or killers at bay.”
“And is that still part of your job description here?” asked Zack.
“It is, though he talked about taking it out. Everything seems so low key here. But appearances can be deceptive. Have you all been here a long time?”
“I grew up here,” said Logan. “And these two.” He nodded toward Austin and Colt.
“And we’re relative newcomers,” said Luke, pointing at Zack and himself.
“That’s cool,” said Ivan. “I was concerned when I first arrived here that there might be a divide between the locals and the newcomers. A lot of small towns are like that.”