“I’m sorry, Honor. With everything going on with work and the family, this is just one more log on the fire, isn’t it?”
“As a couple we should be supporting one another through this. I’m not certain that taking time out is the best idea.”
She had to fight for this, for him, even if it felt as though she was a drowning woman grasping at straws.
“Trust me, Honor. Even if you don’t need the space to think, I do. Everything that I took as a given in my life has been turned upside down with Logan’s arrival. It’s making me take a good long look at everything that’s important to me, and I’m coming to realize that some of those things aren’t as important as I thought.”
“And I’m one of those things?” Sudden burning tears filled her eyes and began to track down her cheeks.
He made a sound of frustration and lifted his hand to wipe away her tears.
“Our relationship is important. I love you, Honor. Truly, I do, but do I love you enough to marry you and spend the rest of our lives together? I’m not sure about that anymore.”
The fact that he was verbalizing what she’d been feeling herself was no balm to her panicked mind. She pulled free of his arms and he stepped back immediately, as if grateful for the space. Fighting to hold on to her sanity, Honor forced a teary smile to her face.
“You’d better go. You have an early start, as you said.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
She straightened her shoulders. “Sure.”
He kissed her then, but it was not the kind of kiss lovers shared. Instead it felt more like a bittersweet expression of a regretful goodbye, and with that realization Honor knew the writing was on the wall. She walked him to the door of her apartment, twisting her engagement ring off her finger as she did so.
“Do you want this back while we’re on this break?” she said, holding out her hand with the ring in her palm.
“No, of course not! And even if we—” He shook his head firmly and took the ring from her palm and slid it back on her finger. “The ring is yours, no matter what we decide.”
* * *
After another night with next to no sleep, Honor had worked herself into quite a state of irritation by the time she arrived in the office. As usual, Logan Parker was already settled at the desk opposite hers. Did the man never rest? He was always first in and last home. Or maybe he was just trying to impress Douglas. No, she was being churlish. He didn’t have to impress Douglas or Nancy. He wasn’t after the family’s money. He was a millionaire in his own right; she knew that because she’d done more research on him than any uninterested person had a right to do.
Which meant what, exactly? That she was interested? She shoved the thought away and fought to compose herself.
“Good morning,” Logan said, looking up as she set her briefcase beside her desk.
“If you say so,” she answered.
“Bad night?”
Since he’d arrived on the scene, every night had been a bad night—well, almost every night—but she wasn’t about to give him the pleasure of knowing that.
“I always hate it when Keaton goes away. I miss him already.”
There, that was exactly what a loving fiancée should say, wasn’t it? But she was such a fraud.
A rustle of movement in the hall caught her attention. She turned to see Douglas Richmond moving swiftly toward their office, and the expression on his face was one of extreme excitement.
“Glad I caught the two of you together,” he said without any preamble. “I just heard that the deal fell through on a riverfront development in Portland we bid on and lost. The owners didn’t want the site cleared and rebuilt on. Mentioned a whole lot of sentimental claptrap when they turned us down, even though we offered more money. Now the buyers have backed out, saying the covenants put on the building are too restrictive. The sellers are offering it to us again if we’re willing to redesign the existing structures and not do a teardown.
“I think this is a perfect opportunity for Logan to manage a project for us, and I want the two of you to head there today and do a site examination before I agree to terms. Don’t let on we’re too eager, but I have a feeling this could be the jewel in the crown.”
“And the site we went to last week?” Logan asked.
“Figures aren’t looking feasible for what you were suggesting. We can keep some of the buildings for retail and restaurant development, but Kristin says we need a better return on the residential side. I back her up on that. The girl knows money, and we’re not just here to make friends.”
Honor wondered how Logan would take the news, but if she expected him to argue with Douglas, she was disappointed. Instead, he merely shrugged.
“Got to agree with the bean counters,” he said philosophically. “But I’m glad we can look to preserve some of the buildings at least.”
Douglas nodded. “And this new project. I need you guys on the next flight to Portland.” He stated the check-in time. “Can you pack and be ready on time? My assistant has already booked you on the flight and arranged accommodation.”
“I have a bag in the trunk of my car,” Honor said. “I’m always ready.”
“That’s one of the things I always know I can rely on with you, Honor. How about you?” Douglas asked, looking at Logan.
“If we can swing past my hotel on the way to the airport, it won’t take me more than ten minutes to throw some things together. It’s just for one night, right?”
“Possibly two. Depends on how long it takes you to get all the information you need.”
Honor hid the shudder that ran down her spine. Two days pretty much alone with Logan Parker? It was a good thing she’d had that little pep talk with herself this morning.
“We’d better get going then. I’m assuming Stella has emailed the flight details to us already?” Honor checked her email app on her phone and nodded. “Yes, they’re all here.”
“Good. I look forward to your report when you return. It’s vitally important that this is done right. I was pretty sore when we originally lost the bid, and I don’t need to tell you how much it cost us in wasted man-hours. I don’t want anything to screw it up this time. Got it?”
“Got it,” Logan said firmly.
Douglas nodded at them both and left as quickly as he’d arrived. Honor looked at Logan.
“Well, don’t just stand there. We need to move. When the man says hurry, he means it.”
“Okay, I’m moving.”
Logan bent to grab his camera from the bottom drawer of his desk. The fabric of his trousers stretched tight across his butt, and the sight made something clench hard deep inside her. Nope, nope, nope. She forced herself to avert her gaze. She had this under control. She wasn’t about to do or say anything that put her precarious future in even more jeopardy. But she couldn’t resist another peek, nor could she forget what his body had felt like as it moved against hers or what his skin had felt like beneath the palms of her hands.
Palms that were growing sweaty at the thought. She couldn’t stay here in this room with him right now or she might do something irreparably stupid. She walked out into the hall. Honor felt him behind her, moving quickly to catch up as she reached the elevator.
“Does everyone around here jump this fast when Douglas says so?” he drawled as he stopped next to her.
“Usually they ask how high, but then they spring into action. You don’t stay here long if you don’t do what he says,” she said, willing the elevator to come quickly. “That’s not to say he’s unreasonable. He’s a fair employer. But he’s fiercely results-driven.”
There was a ping, and the doors slid open. She and Logan stepped inside. She moved directly to the opposite wall of the car from where he stood. She knew he noticed and saw the way his jaw clenched ever so slightly. So he was irritated by her putting distance between them? She did
n’t care. It was the only way she could keep her equilibrium right now.
Honor tried to convince herself it was only because he looked so much like Keaton that she was drawn to him, but she knew that it was more than that. So very much more. It was attraction on a fiercely instinctive level. The kind that kept humankind alive as a species.
And it terrified her.
Eight
“What do you mean, the hotel has only one room booked for us? Obviously we require two rooms. This is unacceptable,” Honor ranted at the implacable hotel receptionist.
It had been an arduous day already, and this development was the icing on a rapidly sinking cake, as far as she was concerned.
“Ma’am, we explained it to the person making the booking and they said it would be all right as you and Mr. Richmond were a couple. We are fully booked with no rooms to spare, and with several major events here in the city over the next two days, none of our other hotels have rooms available, either.”
“Well, can we get a room with twin beds? Or maybe a rollaway could be brought to the room?”
She wouldn’t share a bed with him. There was no way on earth she was getting that cozy with Logan again. No, if they couldn’t change their room, he could find his own accommodation elsewhere.
“No, ma’am. I’m afraid not, and safety regulations do not allow for a rollaway bed in this room. Do you wish to relinquish the booking? We do have a wait list of people asking for rooms. As I said, it’s a busy time.”
She wanted to scream at the receptionist, but she knew the woman was simply doing her job. The trip had been planned at short notice, and clearly Stella had misunderstood exactly which Richmond brother Honor was traveling with.
“No, look, I’m sorry I was rude. I’ll take the booking.” She looked over her shoulder at Logan. “Can you call around and see if you can find anywhere else?”
He raised one brow. “You don’t think we can share a room?”
The challenge was barely there, but it sent alarm bells ringing in her head. Did he honestly think she was going to spend the night with him in such close proximity?
“After all,” Logan continued, lowering his voice, “we’re both adults, aren’t we? I think we can remain true to our pact. Or are you afraid that once we’re behind locked doors you won’t be able to control yourself?”
“Of course I can control myself,” she said, stiff with disapproval.
“So you’re suggesting I can’t? That I’ll be so overwhelmed by your beauty, your scent, your very nearness, that I won’t be able to control myself?”
Desire spread through her like wildfire. She pushed it down, refusing to be seduced by the tone of his voice or the reaction of her wayward hormones.
“Can you guarantee you won’t?” she challenged him.
“Oh yeah, I can guarantee it. I’ve never had to force myself on anyone, Honor, and I’m not about to start now.”
She’d made him angry, and for some reason that filled her with regret.
“Let me see if I can find you somewhere else first. If there’s absolutely nothing available, then we’ll share.”
Logan stood back and crossed his arms, observing her with an air of boredom as she called the central reservation lines of every hotel chain Richmond Developments had an account with and several it didn’t. Thirty minutes later she conceded defeat and passed Logan the second key card to their room.
“I’m tired, and I’m sure you are, too. It’s been a busy day. We may as well go and see how bad it is,” she said, accepting the inevitable.
The room itself was lovely. Spacious, with a large bathroom and wide windows overlooking a park on the edge of the Willamette River. The bed was exactly as advertised. Queen-size. Honor eyed the carpet and wondered whether she could bear a night sleeping on the floor. Perhaps with a blanket underneath her she could do it.
“Which side do you want?” Logan asked, setting his small suitcase on the floor.
“Side?”
“Of the bed.”
“Um...” She stared at the bed and then at him. He wasn’t small. Over six feet tall and with shoulders like an Olympic swimmer, he’d take up a fair bit of room. “Look, I can sleep on the floor. If I fold up the bedcover and make it into a mattress, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Fine?” He cocked his eyebrow in that ridiculously sexy way of his again. “Don’t be silly. We have another busy day tomorrow. If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you won’t be able to jump high enough when Douglas issues his next imperative.”
She detected a note of distaste in his voice. “Not a fan of your newfound father?”
“Not all his business methods, no. My own management style is less confrontational. But I can live with having opinions that differ from his on a few things. And I can stick to my side of the bed, too. Since you don’t seem to want to make a decision, I’ll sleep on the window side, okay? You can take the side closest to the bathroom.”
He made it sound so simple, Honor almost thought she could do this. In fact, she darn well could do this. Sleeping on the floor was for kids at a sleepover. She was an adult in command of herself in all things. And if she said it long enough and firmly enough, she might even begin to believe it.
“Maybe we can roll up the bedspread and put it down the middle between us,” she suggested hopefully.
“Sure, whatever rocks your boat.”
He rocked her boat. And that was the problem. No, she was the problem.
Keaton. She had to think of him. She had to keep the glimmer of hope that they might work things out in the forefront of her mind at all times. It wasn’t such an impossible ask. Despite what he’d said last night about taking a break, she knew he’d be justifiably upset if he found out she and Logan were sharing a room, no matter how innocently it had come about. Would he understand it was a circumstance out of their control? Did he even need to know?
She hated that she was in turmoil like this, second-guessing every thought and feeling. Logan Parker unsettled her on every score.
“Did you want to head out somewhere for dinner to discuss what we looked at today and where we want to focus tomorrow?” Logan suggested, oblivious to the thoughts racing around in her crazy head.
“Sure,” she quickly agreed.
It would certainly be better than having room service. The less time they spent together in the confines of this room, the better, no matter how perfectly it was appointed.
“You want to grab a shower first?” Logan asked.
“Thanks, I’ll only be a minute.”
“Take your time,” he said, kicking off his shoes and stretching out on his side of the bed.
For some stupid reason she couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks as she watched him. Seeing him like that felt unbearably intimate, but then her stomach rumbled, reminding her that they’d skipped lunch today while touring the property and that it had been a very long time since breakfast. She riffled through her case and grabbed the long-sleeved designer T-shirt and jeans she always kept ready to go for situations like this. Casual enough for downtime on her own, yet smart enough—teamed with a pair of heels, some chunky jewelry and her warm coat—to wear to dinner at a restaurant.
When she emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, with her face scrubbed free of makeup and her hair freshly washed and blow-dried, Logan appeared to be asleep on the bed. His breathing was slow and even and his features had relaxed from the slightly stern look he sometimes wore. While he was definitely more laid-back than Keaton, she had seen glimpses of the hard strength he would have needed to get where he was today. And, while it was easy to think of him as the underdog given the situation with his family, she’d learned he was a powerful player in New Zealand’s business world.
“You all done?” he murmured.
She realized he’d been watching her stare at him.
&nb
sp; “Yes, bathroom’s all yours.”
He moved off the bed and grabbed a couple of items from his case before shutting himself in the steamy confines of the bathroom she’d just vacated. Try as she might, she couldn’t suppress the visions that plagued her as she imagined him under the hot spray of the shower. She didn’t have to struggle with herself for too long, though, because within four minutes he was back out, dressed and smelling all too enticingly fresh.
“That was quick,” she commented as she picked up her bag and headed toward the door.
“Yeah, well, y’know. Guys.”
There was absolutely no answer to that, she thought, as they headed out for their meal. The pizza joint they settled on was noisy and busy and just the kind of thing she needed to avoid having to make too much conversation with Logan—even work conversation was difficult. Since they were hungry, they made short work of their dinner. Which meant they were left with time on their hands when they were done.
“Shall we have a drink back at the hotel?” Honor suggested as Logan picked up the tab. “Finish our discussion?”
“Sure, I could kill a beer,” Logan said.
It was cold out, and the air around them misted on their breath. They walked side by side back to the hotel, their arms occasionally brushing as they continued along the sidewalk. Honor tried to ignore the sensations aroused in her and kept increasing the distance between them, but the world was full of lampposts, hydrants and other pedestrians that, to her eternal irritation, kept pushing them back together. Even the brightly lit holiday displays all around them couldn’t soften her mood.
Man, if she couldn’t even walk alongside him without touch being an issue, how on earth was she going to sleep tonight? It was a relief to enter the lobby of the hotel and to be able to put that necessary space between them again. In the bar, Logan ordered a pale ale and she ordered a glass of champagne. The waitress brought their drinks over to where they sat in a secluded corner.
Seducing the Lost Heir--A wrong brother romance Page 8