This didn’t sound too difficult. She kissed his cheek and sat. “Done. I can color watch.”
“You’re perfect.” He winked at her.
“No, I’m not that,” Hannah said to an empty room. She stared at the computer and saw something flash green. She wrote down the numbers she saw, even if she didn’t understand.
Once Logan relaxed and this was over, maybe they could discuss something more permanent. It was overtime that they did.
Chapter 15
Logan’s entire body was tight. Tomorrow he had to ensure that he had enough cash for two major promises. Hannah’s stolen inheritance and his father’s release that he’d earned on his own because there was no way they’d accept Navid’s offer. Today he won the battle for his mother, but that was only 25% of what he needed to do in a short amount of time. His brothers needed funding to find out more about Kirno and who set their family up.
Whoever it was had to be exposed.
If he failed, his father continued to suffer without seeing them. Their father told them to work on the outside without coming to his federal prison to visit, but every second they were in Miami, their father was still treated like a criminal. If he failed, Hannah would lose faith in him. If he failed, his brothers might never find out the truth.
Basically the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
He came out of the bedroom where the quick shower did nothing to ease the tension in his body. The doorbell rang, and he threw on a gray t-shirt and jeans, hurrying past his office where he’d left Hannah and opened the front door.
Part of him hadn’t realized how fast time moved, but his mother’s wrinkled face broke into a smile and she wept as she greeted him. He opened his arms wide and she walked into his hug. “Logan.”
“Mom.” He squeezed her gently—she felt ten pounds lighter and her light blonde hair now showed her countless grays.
Prison must have been horrible, though the blue slacks and cardigan was still all her style. She let him go and stepped into his condo. She peeked around the place and then turned toward him as he closed the door. “You look peaceful. Where is your wife?”
Unlike his brothers and their wives, Hannah was drama-free and easy to be with. He walked with his mother down the hall. “Hannah’s doing me a favor in the office. Come.”
Hannah glanced from the computer to him and wrote something down on the piece of paper before her. “Logan, three numbers flashed green…” She stood up, letting the pen drop onto the desk as she stared at his mother, her face slightly red. “Hello.”
Logan introduced them. “Mom, this is Hannah Hughes, now Hannah Bentley, my wife. Hannah, this is my mother, Ava Bentley.”
Hannah lowered her head immediately. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Bentley.”
His mother gave her a small smile that she used to give to stray cats when she left them food outside their beach house. “How are you getting along with my son, Logan?”
Hannah lifted her head and smiled. “Good. We’ve grown close, ma’am.”
His mother’s nose wrinkled. “Don’t call me ma’am. Ava is fine.” She reached out and gently took Hannah’s hands. “Are you related to Howard Hughes?”
Hannah’s eyes widened. “He was my father.”
“I liked Howard and Elisha Hughes. Shall we sit?” His mother drew Hannah along and pointed him toward his living room. Once they were out of his office and where they could see the sunset from his balcony, his mother said, “He was my husband’s lawyer for years. I’m sorry for your loss. The accident was a terrible tragedy.” His mother’s mouth firmed. “We both know your parents would have prevented this miscarriage of justice my family has suffered.”
Perhaps that’s where he heard his wife’s name in the years after high school. At his parent’s house.
Hannah gave her a lost smile as she said, “My parents were the best.”
His mother walked beside Hannah where he followed toward the couch. “Your brother, Harrison, was at the prison with my son Roy.”
Hannah waited for his mother to sit and then joined her. “Yes, he was.”
Logan took the seat opposite them and scooted closer.
His mother glanced at him and then back toward Hannah. “At least my son Logan understood right away you were special. It’s good to see all my children again, but I’m so worried about my husband.”
Logan pounced out of his chair and took his mother’s hand. “Tomorrow, Mom. We’ll get him back here too.”
She patted his hand like she always did when she wanted to make him feel better. “If anyone can handle finances to get the bail, it’s my Logan.”
Hannah added fast, “He’s been working nonstop.”
Of course, he had. This was his mission. His family needed financing and he always loved numbers. Stock markets were seen as gambles by most people, but the numbers always spoke to him.
His mother stood and let his hand go. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone. Ollie is taking me to the hospital tomorrow for a workup in the morning.”
His oldest brother was the doctor in the family, though he was an OB-GYN, not a cancer doctor. But he’d understand the terms better than he would. Logan put his hand on his wife’s back to lead her toward the door with his mother as he said, “Dad probably won’t get here till around the same time you did today.”
His mother gave him a shrug, but she couldn’t lie with that move. He knew she cared and was worried. “Waiting one more day to see the man I love I can handle, though I won’t sleep much until he’s here.”
Logan let Hannah go and massaged his mother’s arm. “I understand, Mom.”
Hannah immediately said, “If you need company, you can stay here with us. There are two extra bedrooms.”
He glanced at her. Once again, his wife proved herself the sweetheart that she was that he didn’t deserve.
His mother patted his face. “Logan, your wife is sweet.” She then opened her arms to Hannah and the two women hugged. “Hannah, thanks for the offer but I want to leave you two alone and prepare the condo we’re going to stay in upstairs for my husband’s arrival. You seem happy together and that relaxes me. I wish my other boys were the same.”
“Mom, let me walk you to your condo.”
She shook her head. “I can see myself up one floor in an elevator that goes to no other doors but your brothers. Stay with your wife.”
They both stood in the door as his mother walked the small hall and waited for the elevator. The ten pounds she’d lost made her seem thinner, but hopefully it didn’t matter when it came to fighting her cancer.
Once the elevator arrived and she entered, he held the door tighter until she disappeared.
Logan turned toward his wife, his chest tight with emotion. Hannah’s caring expression made him close his eyes and trust her when he normally never trusted anyone. His biggest fear was that his mother might die. “Hannah, my mom looks thinner than the last time I saw her.”
She reached for his hands. “She looked strong to me. You’ll know her medical diagnosis tomorrow so all you can do right now is relax.”
That wasn’t going to happen. He couldn’t relax. He had a mission despite how someone was trying to sabotage all his work. He would succeed. He motioned toward the office again. “After I fix the three accounts you saw.”
She walked with him to the office and picked up the paper she’d been writing as she said, “These were it.”
Fair. They might have missed one when his mother was here, but hopefully he’d figure out whatever slipped through.
He cracked his knuckles and took the seat at his desk, where he’d spend the night. “Right now it’s like playing whack-a-mole. Tomorrow we have to get you to a bank and ensure it’s not traced to your old account while we follow the initial deposit to discover the origins.”
Her brow lifted as she tugged a chair next to his. “Why all the layers?”
Whoever was out to stop them knew too much about her already. They’d wired money into
her account and could easily trace that. While all banking laws weren’t his expertise, he saw the threat. He reached for her hand. “If this is someone at Kirno Incorporated, they don’t need access to your bank account. We’ll go together, and I’ll get you a cashier’s check.”
She shrugged like she was on board with whatever he said. “Okay, sounds good. I get that stakes are high and danger lurks everywhere, but for tonight, do you think you can relax at least a little so your brain is ready for the next big issue, whenever that appears?”
Tonight would be a long night. He had a breach in security somewhere and his mission was too important to fail. Not now, when his family needed him. He shook his head. “I need to babysit my accounts. We need to free my dad. Tomorrow once we go to the banks, I’ll feel better after the checks are drawn successfully.”
She scooted her chair back that made a slight squeak on the hardwood floor and stood. “Then I’ll make us a pot of coffee and you can tell me what happened to Jensen.”
He stood, moving the laptop so he could see it. “I don’t think anything happened to him. At least I’ve not heard anything, but then again, I haven’t left the condo or that chair, really.”
She motioned that they could talk about it later with her shoulder shuffle and walked to the door. “I’m sure the police will apprehend him soon, wherever he is.”
Right. He sank into his chair as soon as she left and secured the three accounts Hannah had caught.
He then ensured everything was still on track, lost in streaming numbers. Hannah’s footsteps came closer but he didn’t look up. She slid the coffee cup on the desk and he glanced at her to say thanks. However, her shirt was unbuttoned. His body tightened. “What are you doing?”
She unfastened another dainty button, revealing her pink bra. “I just wanted to be more comfortable.”
Tonight he couldn’t leave the room, but if she wanted to stay, he’d like that. He motioned for his lap and said, “Come here.”
She sat and wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed his cheek. “This might distract you…”
True, but a few minutes with Hannah meant he could feel her soft curves. He kissed her neck. “I’m willing to chance it.”
His hands traced her shirt to where she’d left it open at her throat and chest. Her head fell back when he touched her bare skin. “Ooh, well I do like when you do that.”
Hannah was sweet, perfect and way too good for him. Right now, she was all he wanted and her skin and lips tasted better than anything else he’d ever had.
Chapter 16
Hannah stretched and once again realized she was alone. This wasn’t how she’d planned her married life.
However before she stood, she felt the side of the bed sink and she glanced over.
Her husband was still in his gray t-shirt from last night and cotton pants. He leaned closer, placed his hand on hers and said, “My wife likes to sleep in.”
She sat up and met his gaze. Her heart was full of love for Logan. He was so kind and giving. She smiled. “I didn’t used to. Were you up all night?”
He went to the closet and grabbed fresh clothes, jeans, boxer briefs, and a navy blue polo shirt. “Pretty much. The bank opens at nine. I’d like for us to be there.”
She yawned. His activity was a bit much. Her body didn’t have his fast-moving energy. Slowly, Hannah stood and made sure she could balance as she asked, “What time is it?”
“Almost eight.” He winked at her as he put the clothes in the bathroom.
He left the closet door open for her as she made her way toward it. “Let’s both clean up. Give me five minutes and then we’ll eat breakfast.”
“Sounds good. I’ve already had a lot of coffee,” he admitted and then went to the huge shower that could easily clean up a football team, but he took one side of the glass.
A minute later she joined him and saw the water lapping around his perfectly formed muscles.
Prison must have had a gym because he truly was perfect. He had tons of exercise equipment in his office so perhaps he worked off stress that way, though she’d not seen him anywhere but at his desk.
The water from the shower cleared her mind.
Today was the day she would tell this sexy man she loved him. She raised her voice slightly to be heard over the shower head above her. “Will you be able to sleep after we get back?”
He turned, and she saw all of him. The water did not diminish anything. Her slumbering libido woke up and she wanted to touch him. However he turned back to the shower and she saw his squeezable backside. She tried to shake off the thoughts—he wanted to be at the bank. But later? Maybe she’d join him for a nap. He said, “I don’t know. I still need to fund my brothers’ plan to find who set us up. I’ll probably be working as much as I can till we find out who did this to us.”
She turned off her water and grabbed a towel. “But will you sleep, or will I wake up alone every night?”
He turned off his shower too after rinsing his thick dark hair. “Tell you what, once we get my accounts secured with no cyber leaks, I’ll make time for you and my health, including sleep.”
Right. Maybe tonight they could have a fresh round of just the two of them. For now, she handed him a clean towel and dressed herself. “Good. That’s all I can ask.”
As he threw on his clothes, he said, “I had fresh muffins delivered.”
“I love muffins.” Hannah wore dark denim pants and a red fitted t-shirt that hugged her waist.
They made their way into the kitchen and she saw the ornate pink box waiting on the table.
Logan poured them coffee and she set the plates. She sat and he followed, then he offered her the box. She took one, bit in and the flakiness of the outer layer was so vanilla sweet it was out of this world. She heard the “mmhmm” that poured from her lips but didn’t care. “These are so good.”
“They were flown in from France.” He took a bite.
Clearly money had become no object in his world if they were flying in food from another country, but it still felt wrong. She put the muffin down on the plate. “No wonder. That seems extravagant.”
He made a tsk sound and explained, “Damien Morgan just came back from his honeymoon and knew I liked this bakery. He had it sent over as a welcome home.”
Ah well, that made more sense. For days all Logan had done was count every dollar. She picked up her muffin and had another bite that melted in her mouth. She tasted almonds as well as vanilla. “Well, I can see why they are your favorite. These are good.”
He winked at her. “Not as sweet as you.”
Her skin felt like it glowed. They ate in silence as she realized somehow she needed to tell him how much she’d fallen in love.
Once they finished, Logan took the plates, washed them and she set the leftovers in the refrigerator. They worked seamlessly on small chores and were done in minutes. Logan pressed his hand on her hip and asked, “Are you ready?”
The warmth in her body grew. He had to feel the same as she did. They belonged together, but he was under so much pressure. She took a deep breath and ignored how his testosterone and almond soap made her want to drag him to bed. Instead she pushed her hands in her pockets. “Yes, let’s go to the bank.”
He led her toward the door and she grabbed her pocketbook on their way out as he said, “I also want to stop at a jeweler.”
“Why?” They walked into the small hall that led to the elevator.
The white walls had post-modern abstract in bright colored murals decorating the halls. The moment they pressed the button for the elevator, it practically arrived. He picked up her hand and kissed the back. “You should be wearing a ring I chose, not something the lawyers picked up to get me out of prison.”
Money was still an issue. Even if he gave her the hundred million today… She stilled as she thought about that. Drat. He shouldn’t have to stress about her on top of his family. He wasn’t the one that stole from her. They descended and she looked up at him.
“You don’t have to. I know money is an issue.”
The doors opened to the lobby. He took her arm and led her past security. “I’m earning enough to ensure everyone knows you’re my wife.”
“Okay.” He brought her toward a black town car with tinted windows that reminded her a bit of what they drove presidents around in. Were those bullet-proof?
Logan followed her inside and asked, “Good, now what kind of diamond cut would you like?”
Her mind raced to answer. At first she drew a blank, but then a memory of her mother talking about her grandmother’s ring that she’d inherited surfaced. It was in the returned jewels, now. She felt confident as she answered, “My own mother had a cushion style that I always liked.”
He nodded. “That’s the rounded-edge square?”
Her eyes widened. “So, you know diamonds?”
“My mother was Queen.”
“Ah.” She accepted his answer. Life in a royal palace was so different that there was no way she could imagine it.
He traced her arm. “Any particular color?”
Sure, she’d heard of colors, but no one she knew actually had one. She shrugged. “I thought they were clear?”
He kissed her shoulder. “Blue is the most rare. Would you like that?”
The car pulled into a jeweler. “I’d like to see it first.”
“Deal.” The town car parked. “We’re stopping here.” Logan opened his door, sliding out.
She followed him and he helped her stand. A second later they abandoned the heat of the street and headed into the air conditioned jewelry shop. She immediately led him to the wedding rings and the gold circles really gave her hope. If he loved her, all would be well. She checked out her options as she gazed through the glass counter. “A simple ring is good for now, Logan.”
Logan talked to one of the workers who then went back to get someone else. An older gentleman came toward them and Logan told her, “This jeweler has access to our vaults that are stored in London.”
Irresistibly Charming Page 10