“I suppose that is impressive.” She tried not to smile but wasn’t very successful. Then she sobered and shook her finger at him. “I sure hope you didn’t see anything you weren’t supposed to see, young man.”
“Scouts honor,” he said, holding up the Boy Scout sign with his fingers. “I didn’t see anything.” That didn’t mean his imagination hadn’t tried to fill in the blanks.
“Were you truly a Scout?” Inez asked, sliding the sheet of cookies onto a cooling rack.
“Yes, ma’am.” He crossed the floor and took a seat at the bar. “Got my Eagle when I was fourteen.”
“I’m impressed.” She picked up the empty cookie sheet and stared him down. “Don’t you go stealin’ any of those cookies. They’ll be ready to eat in five minutes.”
He shook his head and pushed away from the bar. “Man, you really do think I’m a scoundrel.”
“Well don’t go runnin’ off to pout,” she said. “I’m just used to Miss Weslee snitching a few cookies when my back’s turned.”
Pout? Logan had never pouted in his life. He’d bet money that he hadn’t even done it when he was a baby. “Oh, I’m not leaving, Miss Inez,” Logan said as he rounded the bar to where a big silver bowl sat with the really good stuff in it. “And I don’t even want one of your freshly baked cookies.” He reached around her and grabbed a golf-ball-sized portion of cookie dough. “Not when I can have this.”
“Lieutenant Steele, don’t you dare eat that!” She tried to grab it from him, but Logan was taller and faster, keeping it out of her reach. She shook her finger at him again. “You’ll get food poisoning.”
“Never have before,” he said, just before biting off half of his stolen goods.
She looked completely horrified. “I can’t believe you eat raw cookie dough.”
“I can’t believe you don’t,” he said, popping the rest into his mouth.
“Don’t what?” Weslee said from behind him.
It was a good thing he didn’t startle easy or he would’ve choked on the cookie dough.
“He just ate raw cookie dough!” Inez said like he’d committed a capital crime. It didn’t make sense. The woman had laughed after Logan had barged in on Weslee while she was in the shower, but was throwing a hissy fit over cookie dough?
“Why does he get to eat cookie dough when you won’t ever let me?”
Now Logan felt guilty for eating the whole thing. If he’d known she wasn’t allowed to eat cookie dough, then he would’ve shared some of his contraband with her. As good as he was at stealth ops, he didn’t think he’d get close enough to the bowl to get another helping. Not with Inez standing guard over it.
“You two get out of my kitchen,” she said, pushing the bowl further back on the counter. “Go work on the computer, and I’ll bring you cookies and milk when they’re ready.”
Worry lines creased Weslee’s smooth skin at the mention of the computer. “We can stay in here,” she said, glancing toward the entertainment room where she kept her laptop. “I’ll just run and grab my computer and be right back.”
Logan couldn’t imagine what a sweet girl like Weslee was hiding on her computer. Whatever it was he could easily find it, even if she deleted it. The password was harder to nail down, but that didn’t matter once he had access to her files.
“I don’t think so,” Inez said. “If y’all stay in the kitchen then there won’t be any cookies left for the barbeque this evening.”
“What barbeque?” Weslee and Logan asked at the same time.
“With some of the neighbors. I told you about this, didn’t I?” Inez asked, directing the question more to Logan.
“Sorry, Miss Inez, but you didn’t mention anything about a barbeque.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Where is it exactly and who all will be there?” Although there hadn’t been any more messages from Weslee’s stalker, Logan didn’t want to let his guard down.
“It will be at the Whitaker’s house next door.” She tore off another sheet of parchment paper for the cookie sheet pan. “I can get you a list of names, but it’s just a few of the neighbors that live here year-round.”
“Is Robbie going to be there?” Weslee asked, rubbing the end of her hair that hung over one shoulder.
“Who is Robbie?” Logan asked her, hoping he wasn’t another one of her past boyfriends.
“Weslee’s first crush,” Inez answered with a smile. “He’s eight or nine years older than her.”
“Eleven,” Weslee answered.
“Whatever,” Inez said, waving her hand in front of her. “Anyway, he’s recently single again…” She paused and looked at Weslee. “For the third time?”
“Um, I think it’s his fourth.”
“Third or fourth divorce?” Logan asked, already not liking this guy.
“Yes,” the two women answered in unison.
“He’s been divorced four times, and you still have a crush on him?” Logan knew he sounded a tad on the jealous side.
“I didn’t say I still had a crush on him.” Weslee narrowed her blue eyes at him. “And why would you care if I have a crush on him?”
“You just said you don’t have a crush on him.”
Her chin went up. “I don’t.”
“Good.”
“What do you mean by that?” she asked with annoyance.
Logan stifled a laugh. He liked this side of her. Trying to act all angry when all it really did was make him want to kiss her again.
“Oh, for goodness sakes. Y’all are givin’ me a headache,” Inez said before Logan could provoke Weslee anymore. “Yes, Robbie and his son are staying with Mr. and Mrs. Whitaker, so they’ll both be at the party.” She glanced at Logan and slid the silver bowl close to her. “And I’ll get you a guest list.”
“The sooner the better,” he said, eyeing the bowl of cookie dough and wishing he could distract Inez so he could grab another handful.
“Fine,” Inez said, hovering over the bowl as if she knew Logan’s thoughts. “Now, please go do whatever it is y’all need to do.”
Weslee didn’t argue further and made a beeline for the great room. Logan followed closely behind her. She picked up the laptop and backed away from him, keeping the device close to her chest. “You never said why you need access to my computer.”
“I need to read past emails and see if I can find the IP address they were sent from.”
“The police already did that, and they didn’t find anything.”
“Doesn’t mean I won’t.” He moved a few paces closer to her. “I’ve told you I’m really good when it comes to computers.”
“And you’re so humble,” she murmured, taking a few steps backward.
“You’re kind of grumpy this morning,” he said, taking another step closer. “Is it because I busted your door down?”
“No, I understand why that happened.” She wrinkled her nose and inched back another step. “I’m sorry I screamed.”
“So,” he asked moving closer, “if it’s not the door then why are you mad at me?”
“Who said I’m mad at you?”
“Weslee, I know when a woman’s mad at me.” Logan slowly closed the distance, trying to get a read on what had her so uptight. The chemistry was still there, but she was working really hard to keep him at a distance.
She moved further away until she had her back against the wall. She was trapped and still looked very kissable. Their gazes locked, and the memory of that hot kiss they’d shared the night before rushed to the forefront. Desire flickered in her eyes as if she were having the same memory. Could she be so prickly because she wanted to be kissed? Heck, she’d even talked about kissing him in her sleep when he’d carried her off the plane.
There was only one way to find out. “Should we just go ahead and kiss so we can get that out of the way?”
“I don’t want to kiss you!” she said, fury flashing in those light blue eyes. She was lying. And she wasn’t very good at it, either.
“I think you d
o.”
“No. I. Do. Not.” She pronounced each word slowly, like that would make it truer. But her eyes slipped down to look at his mouth twice during her four-word reply. Not very convincing, if you ask him.
“By the way, I’m glad you brought it up,” she said, her eyes dipping down to his mouth once more. “I know that kiss on the dance floor was for your cover.”
“My cover?” He’d already made it clear he wouldn’t pull the boyfriend card unless there were a viable threat. A threat to her life, not their potential love life. Weslee was the one who said the two women she’d referred to as Scarecrow Girls didn’t believe she was his girlfriend. He knew they didn’t buy it, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t into what they had to offer.
But for some reason, Weslee had needed them to believe she was with him. It wasn’t because she was in harm’s way. No, it was because she liked him the way he liked her. As in he didn’t want another man, especially Dallin Morrison or Robbie the divorced guy, talking to her or touching her. Right now, he was fighting the impulse to press her against the wall and finish the kiss he’d started the night before.
He couldn’t help smiling at her, which only increased her ire. “It doesn’t really matter now.” She gently cleared her throat. “The important thing is that I know that kiss didn’t mean anything.”
Didn’t mean anything? Logan’s entire universe had shifted with that kiss. Besides, she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself that it didn’t mean anything. Maybe he should kiss her again so she could reconsider her verdict.
The doorbell sounded before Logan could follow through with the pleasant task.
“I better get that,” Weslee said, ducking around him.
“Wrong,” Logan said, quickly catching up to her. “I need to be the one to open the door.”
“Of course you do,” she said, cutting him a sideways glance. “Am I allowed to stand next to you?”
“Behind me.” He heard her make an irritating sound as he stepped in front of her and looked through the peephole. A man stood on the porch holding a bouquet of flowers. He was blonde, tan and wearing expensive looking clothes. He supposed some women would call him handsome.
As Logan pulled back from the peephole, that primal instinct to claim Weslee as his own was back in full force. Mine. That’s all he could think as he reached out to unlock the door. While he couldn’t positively ID the guy, his gut told him he was about to come face to face with Weslee’s teenage crush.
Chapter 11
Weslee glowered at Logan’s back as he peered through the peephole in the door. She wasn’t sure why he made her feel so irritable. Maybe it was because he was right and she did want him to kiss her. Not that she would ever admit it to him.
Logan grunted a mild expletive as he unlocked the door.
“Would your mother approve of you saying that in polite company?” she asked, smacking him lightly on the back of his shoulder. It was like hitting a rock.
Giving her a derisive laugh, he answered yes and punctuated it with another mild curse word. “Don’t get any ideas about ditching me,” he said, swinging the door open.
Weslee let out a tiny gasp when she saw who had come calling. Robbie Whitaker stood there with a bouquet of flowers, looking handsome and every bit as charming as he’d always been. Hazel eyes that were more green than brown met hers, and she felt her girlhood crush swirling around her stomach. Crush wasn’t really the right word. Maybe that’s because she was old enough to know what a train wreck he was when it came to women. It was more like she was fond of Robbie.
Ignoring Logan, Robbie winked at her. “Do I get a hug, sweet thing?” He flashed her a megawatt smile with his perfectly white teeth. They were probably capped, but the effect was well worth the money, especially against his tanned skin that still showed very little wrinkles.
“Hey, Robbie, it’s so good to see you.” She tried moving next to Logan, but it was like running into a stone statue.
“Hey, man,” Robbie said. “Could you please get out of the way? I need a hug from my girl.”
“She’s not your girl,” Logan said evenly. “She’s mine.”
Weslee was too stunned by Logan’s declaration to disagree with him. Robbie’s eyes narrowed as some of his good-ole-boy charm quickly faded. “Your girl?” he said in disbelief. Then he looked at Weslee. “Is that right?”
She tried moistening her lips, but her mouth was too dry. How was she supposed to answer the question? Even though she was irritated with Logan, she was still completely aware of him, like her body was attuned to notice everything about him: The subtle scent of his masculine soap, the faint shadow of whiskers darkening his jaw and the way his shirt defined his muscles and his strength…strength he used to protect people. It was what he was good at. He’d told her that right after kissing her, and she needed to remember it.
“Logan, you’re being rude,” she said with a laugh. “This is my friend Robbie.”
Logan’s jaw tightened, his expression far from friendly. Weslee stood close enough to him to feel how rigid his muscles were, like a panther ready to strike his enemy. “Right,” Logan said, surprising her by wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her next to him. “You live next door with your parents and your son, right?”
“Dang, girl, what did you tell your boyfriend?” Robbie asked with a grimace. “I sound like a complete loser.”
Before Logan agreed with Robbie, Weslee moved away from his side. “He also knows the reason y’all are staying with your parents is because of that monstrous house you’re building a little ways down the beach.” She reached out and gave Robbie a hug. She meant for it to be quick, but Robbie took advantage and held onto her. His cologne smelled good. It was the same expensive stuff he’d used ever since she’d known him. While he wasn’t fat or flabby by any means, his body felt soft compared to Logan’s.
“Sugar, you smell just like peaches and cream,” Robbie said, giving her a tight squeeze before letting her go. “Now tell me when you had time to go and get yourself a boyfriend?” His eyes flickered to Logan. “I’ve been trying to get this girl to go out with me for the past month, and just when I thought she was going to say yes, she shows up with you.”
Logan continued with the death stare. Thankfully, Inez saved the awkward moment. “Robbie Whitaker, is that you I hear out here causin’ trouble?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Robbie said, walking past Logan and Weslee to pick Inez up in a bear hug. “I hope you’re still single. Miss Weslee pulled a fast one on me and brought home a boyfriend.”
Looking like he was going to kill Robbie with his bare hands, Logan uttered another oath under his breath before pinning his eyes on Weslee. One of his eyebrows quirked up. “Seriously?” he mouthed.
“Stop being so rude,” she mouthed back. “He’s my friend.”
Inez’s laughter made her finally look away from her boyfriend. She still didn’t know how to feel about that. She hoped Logan was prepared to play that role for the rest of their stay. Word around here spread quickly, and by tonight everyone on this part of the island would know Weslee Campbell had brought home a boyfriend.
“Goodness, you’re still just as charming as ever,” Inez said when he put her down.
“I guess these are for you,” Robbie said, handing her the bouquet of flowers. “Since Weslee’s boyfriend looks like he wants to murder me.”
“Logan is harmless,” Inez said. “He’s just crazy about our Weslee girl is all.”
Logan was not harmless. He looked downright lethal right now. And why in the world did Inez have to say he was crazy about her?
“Logan, huh?” Robbie said, turning to hold out his hand to him. “Nice to meet you, man.”
“You too,” Logan said, shaking Robbie’s hand. “And I would only maim you, not murder you.”
That made Robbie laugh out loud. When he pulled his hand away, he shook it out dramatically. “Dude, I think you’re serious.”
“I usually am,” Logan
said, without cracking a smile.
Weslee knew that wasn’t true either. Logan could be very playful when he wanted to be.
“Y’all better behave,” Inez said, looking pointedly at Logan. “We’re family here. No fighting allowed.” Inez squinted out the open front door. “My goodness, is that Josh?” she said, making everyone turn to look outside. “Why he’s a grown man now.”
Robbie’s son had grown since the last time Weslee had seen him, like four or five inches. Josh stood next to a red sports car parked in the Whitaker’s driveway. He was looking down at his phone and hadn’t noticed them all gawking at him.
“Yep, that’s my boy,” Robbie said like a proud father. “He’s a little on the shy side. A trait he didn’t get from his old man.” Then he hollered out Josh’s name. “Come on over here, son, and say hello to Miss Inez and Miss Weslee.”
Josh’s head shot up with surprise. The poor kid looked like he wanted to bolt. His eyes darted from his daddy to Weslee and then back again to his dad. “Grandma needs me to go pick up some stuff for the party,” he said in a quiet voice.
“You have time to be polite.” Robbie waved him over again. “Hurry up and say hey and then you can go.”
“Yes, sir,” Josh said, looking like a little boy more than he had a moment earlier.
“Hey, Josh,” Weslee said as she reached out to give him a hug. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
“Hey, Miss Weslee,” he mumbled, hugging her like he had spaghetti noodles for arms.
Inez hugged him next. Poor Josh was so uncomfortable, his face flushed red when the older woman released him after giving him a proper hug. The kitchen buzzer went off so Inez excused herself to go get the cookies out of the oven.
“Son, this here is Mr. Logan,” Robbie said, pointing him out. “He’s Weslee’s new beau.”
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