by Robin Kaye
“What do you want, a medal?”
“No, I want another dessert.”
“Tough. I don’t have relationships with people I work with.”
“I’m only working with you temporarily.”
“Temporarily, huh? So once Bree comes back, what are you going to do?”
“I have no idea.”
“I’m not gonna be your little piece on the side while you try to figure it out. I’m not temporary. I want to build a life on my own. I don’t need people wondering how I got my job.”
“Everyone at the Crow’s Nest knows you’re an asset to the team. You’ve earned their respect. Our seeing each other isn’t going to change that.”
“It changes everything, so I choose not to. Don’t fight me on this, Logan.”
“Fine.”
Nicki ran up and skidded, kicking up a cloud of dust. “Did you see us, Skye?”
“Sure did, Nicki. You guys are amazing. Come on, I’m hungry. Let’s go get a bagel and then eat it on the way to your school.”
Logan bought the girls breakfast and walked both dogs so they could eat, since he’d mysteriously lost his appetite back in the dog park.
What was it with him? He couldn’t win for trying. Skye was freaking out, and Pop thought he was moving too fast. Unfortunately, ever since he saw Skye being mauled by D.O.G., all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her—everywhere. And he wasn’t blind; he saw the look on her face when he told her all the things he wanted to do to her. She still wanted him all right; she just didn’t think it was a good idea. Fine. She’d come around. He wasn’t the only one with a sweet tooth. There were a lot more desserts on the menu and he planned to try every single one of them—on her.
* * *
Skye waved to Nicki and watched her run up the steps and through the doors. Nicki had hugged her good-bye and said she’d stop in the kitchen for a snack after school. Now, if Logan would only disappear. She wasn’t beneath taking her dog and running all the way home, but since Logan had Pepperoni, she had to at least look at him.
She took a deep breath and held out her hand. “May I please have Pepperoni’s leash?”
“So you can run home and not finish our discussion?”
“That was the plan.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to hold Pepperoni hostage. Besides, the little beast is too tired to walk. Look at her.”
The puppy was lying beside them half-asleep. “I can carry her.”
“She’s almost twenty pounds, Skye, and it’s a long way home.” He bent and picked the puppy up, leaned her against his shoulder, and held her like he would a baby.
Damn the man. How was she supposed to stay mad at him when he did something sweet like that? “Fine.”
“Is that your new favorite word?”
“Don’t push me, Logan.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ll retaliate.”
“I look forward to it. It’s better than you pretending I don’t exist.”
“Oh…Did I hurt your feelings?”
“No.” He shook his head and frowned. “Hell, I don’t know, Skye. I understand why you’re upset, but come on, give me a break. It wasn’t my fault Pop caught us.”
“No, it wasn’t your fault. It was mine. It never should have happened in the first place and it can only end badly. And I need my job. I like it. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. I’m sorry to say this, but you’re just not worth it.”
“Ouch.” He actually flinched and rubbed his chest. “I’ll let that one slide because I know how you feel. Believe me. You need to get it through that thick head of yours that I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize your career. What happens between you and me has nothing to do with work.”
“How can you say that when it was your father, my boss, who caught us?”
“Pop was afraid I was taking advantage of you and thought that I should slow down. And just for clarification, he didn’t tell me to back off, just slow down and make sure I wasn’t on the rebound.”
Skye sucked in a not-so-silent breath and hoped Logan didn’t notice her flinch. “Which is yet another reason this isn’t a good situation. You are on the rebound.”
“I am not.”
She rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that convenient?”
“Sugar, if it was convenient, I wouldn’t be fighting with you. You knew where I was coming from before I ever kissed you. And just in case you’ve forgotten, since it was only nice, or fine, or whatever, you kissed me back, really, really well.” He threw his free arm around her—okay, so it wasn’t really free, since he was holding D.O.G.’s leash with it—and tilted his head toward hers—as close as he could get without bending over. “So this is when you come clean. Why’d you pull a disappearing act and end up here with me in Red Hook?”
Skye swallowed. How did he know she was on the run? She wasn’t sure how to answer because she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him about her family.
They stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the light. “Were you dating someone you worked with and it went south? Is that why this has you so freaked-out?”
Thank God the light changed, so she could step away from him without being obvious. “No. I’ve never dated anyone I’ve worked with. And for your information, I’m not in Red Hook with you and I’m not freaked-out. You just can’t believe you’re resistible, can you?”
“Who, me?” He smiled, and damned if her heart didn’t kick into a conga beat. “Sugar, I am irresistible, at least to you.”
Her jaw dropped. She didn’t even have words. He had an ego as big as her brothers. Logan Blaise was conceited, narcissistic, dangerous, and way out of her league.
“So since you’re not freaked about a past experience, why’d you run?”
“I didn’t run. I left. It was personal. And since you’re not my boss, stop questioning me.”
“Fine. But you know that whatever you tell me stays between us.”
“That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s not.”
“What if I told you I was running from the law? Don’t tell me you wouldn’t say anything.”
“I guess it depends on how interesting the charges are.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
Clearly he wasn’t worried. Smart man. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not running from the law. But it’s one more reason why we’re not going to—”
“Date?”
“Continue with this farce. Do us both a favor, and drop it.”
She saw the door to her apartment up ahead. It wasn’t close enough.
He slowed. “It’s not gonna help, you know. I’m irresistible, remember?”
She put her key in the door. “I guess it’s something I’m going to have to live with.” She turned to take the puppy from him and he crowded her against the brick building, forcing her to look up at him.
“I’m not going to make it easy.” His voice was all low, gravelly, and sexy as chocolate fudge and whipped cream, damn it.
“Really? What are you going to do?”
“Nothing, I’ll just be my irresistible self. When you change your mind, let me know.” He passed her the sleepy puppy, his hand brushing against her breast, but the way he held the puppy didn’t give him much of an option. Still, it didn’t help that after he pulled his hand away, he winked. “Don’t worry, when you change your mind, I’ll bring the chocolate fudge and whipped cream.”
He left her to watch him walk away, and damn the man, he even had a sexy walk. She was toast.
* * *
Logan grabbed his keys and slid into his favorite leather jacket and looked out the window for any sign of Skye. When he’d called her to arrange a time to leave for the food tour, she said she’d meet him there—as if they weren’t coming from the same place. He never should have given her the tour ticket.
Skye had successfully avoided spending any time alone with him for the last three days. Maybe he wasn’t as irresistible as he’d thought.
“What are you doing?” Nicki hopped up and down in front of him, craning her neck back and forth out the window, which had a good shot of the door to Skye’s apartment.
He winced. He couldn’t very well tell Nicki he was stalking Skye.
“Just checking the weather.” The look on Nicki’s face told him she wasn’t buying it. Shit, it was pretty bad that a ten-year-old could get the make on him.
“Skye left early this morning. She said she had stuff to do in the city.”
“On a Sunday?”
Nicki shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she was going to church.”
Or maybe she was avoiding him. At least she couldn’t hold out forever. He checked his watch. “I’d better get out of here or I’ll be late.”
“Okay, tell Skye that D.O.G. loves the dog cookies we made him. We had to cut Pepperoni’s in half, ’cause, you know, she’s like half the size.”
“More like a quarter.”
She giggled and it took him by surprise. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Nicki giggle. It was infectious. “What’s so funny?”
“Skye had to cut the big dog bones in half for Pepperoni. You know what they looked like?”
“No.”
“Butts and boobs.”
“What?”
Nicki looked at him as if he were too stupid to live. “Picture a dog cookie, cut it in half.…”
He rolled his eyes and gave her a noogie. “Very funny, little girl.”
“Sheesh, you sound like Pop. Skye is cool—she thought it was funny when I pointed it out to her.”
“No talk of butts and boobs. You’re growing up way too fast.” He’d missed the first ten years of her life and he’d be damned if he was going to miss any more.
“How come grown-ups can talk about butts and boobs and kids can’t?”
“Because.”
“That’s what Pop said too.”
Great, now he sounded like his father. “Ms. Patrice is going to pick you up for a playdate in a little while. And don’t you dare mention the butt and boob dog biscuits to the girls. They’re not as grown-up as you. Got it?”
“Duh. I’m not an idiot, Logan.”
“I know that. Now give me a hug good-bye.”
She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “You smell good.”
“Thanks. I’ll be by to pick you up tonight. Have fun and behave yourself.” He stepped out the door and took one more look at Nicki.
“Yeah, you too. Tell Skye I said hi. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and if you do, don’t name it after me.”
He just shook his head. Nicki was growing up way too fast all right, and she was too observant for her own good.
Logan took the subway from Carroll Gardens to Sixth Avenue and then walked the few blocks to Bleecker and MacDougal. He was half a block away when he spotted Skye talking to a group of people. Perfect. He had the element of surprise on his side, and the advantage of height. He used both when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Hey, sugar. Sorry I’m late,” and went in for the kiss. For a second he wondered if she was going to slug him.
Her gasp of surprise opened her mouth beneath his, and he took it as an invitation.
Her taste slid over him like a fine wine, soft, subtle, with a hint of chocolate and a kick of something spicy.
She grabbed both sides of his open jacket, and instead of pushing him away like he’d expected her to do, she tugged him closer. He drew away and watched her eyes blink open, widen, and then focus. She released the leather she’d gathered in her fists, licked her lips, and stared up at him. “What’s your angle, Logan?”
He wished he could read her busy mind like a ticker tape. “Right now, due to the differences in our height, my angle is bent. But I don’t mind in the least. You taste decadent, even without the whipped cream.” He straightened, and then smiled at the people around them who stared.
Skye had that look in her eye—the one that came right before she shot him down.
He put his finger over her lips. “Before you say anything, remember, we’re not at work. Let’s just have a good time. No pressure, just you, me, fresh air, and great food. What do you say?”
“I still have to decide what to make for the tasting tomorrow.”
“We’ll talk about work later.” Much later if he had anything to say about it. “We have all day.” And night, but he didn’t mention that.
Thankfully, the guide gathered everyone on the tour for introductions. Most of the people were tourons; there were only three locals besides them, and from the conversation he’d overheard, the ladies were relatively new to the area.
The first stop was a few blocks away. An outdoor tasting at an Italian bistro. He was surprised when Skye stayed close. It might have been because the three ladies, Mary, Cheryl, and Sophia, seemed to surround them wanting to find out about the city from a native.
He took a bite of the focaccia, prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella sandwich, wiped his mouth, and had to bend over to hear Sophia when she asked something about the local nightlife.
“My family has a bar and restaurant in Red Hook, so most weekends I’m home, I’m there.”
“Really?” Cheryl, a blonde who did amazing things to a Coldplay sweatshirt, piped up and moved closer. “I hear Red Hook is the next Park Slope. What’s your place called?”
Skye stepped under his free arm. “The Crow’s Nest. It’s a great little restaurant and bar. I’m the chef and Logan is helping out his dad while the manager’s away.” She turned and smiled up at him. “You missed a spot.”
He was trying to figure out how to manage the sandwich and the bottle of water he’d just opened when she reached up and ran her finger over the corner of his mouth. “There, I got it.”
She turned back to the women. “We’re closed on Sundays and Mondays, so Logan thought it would be fun to spend the day together. He surprised me with tickets for the tour and promised to show me around SoHo. We don’t get to see each other outside of work much. Do we, Logan?”
“Not as much as I’d like, that’s for sure.”
It must have been the right answer, because the smile she wore as she slid her arm inside his jacket and around his waist had his temperature rising.
“Are you cold?”
“A little. I need to buy a coat.”
He popped the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, capped his water, and set it on the newspaper vending machine. “Here—wear mine.” He took off his jacket and held it open for her.
“Are you sure?”
He helped her into it. It hung almost to her knees. Damn, she was a tiny thing. He rolled up the sleeves and stopped when he saw her fingertips poking out. “That’s as far as the jacket sleeves can roll, sugar.”
“Thanks.” She pulled it around her and took a deep breath. “Mmm…It smells like you.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“Definitely.”
The tour moved on to an Indian place, then to an Italian trattoria, where they were seated. They ordered some wine with their hot appetizers. A short time later they were off to a Cuban place for some black bean soup and sangria.
The ladies left them to themselves after Skye’s little show—not that he’d minded her staking her claim, as long as he was it.
Logan couldn’t remember a better time. Away from the restaurant, Skye seemed to relax and enjoy the day. They didn’t talk about work, just about food, music, and whatever else came to mind. The tour hit a cheese shop on the way back, and then a French bakery for dessert and coffee. Before he knew it, their three-hour tour was over and he didn’t want the day to end. Skye didn’t look as if she was in a rush to go home either.
“Come on—let’s go to Fanelli’s Café. It’s just over on Prince Street. You’re going to love it—it’s a bar, but they changed the name to a café during Prohibition. Legend has it there’s a working still behind a false wall.”
&nb
sp; They chatted about what to do for the tasting while cuddled in a booth. She pulled a big notebook out and he had a great time talking about that and the idea of a five-course meal and wine pairing. He could have stayed all night, but he figured he’d better get her back. Poor Pepperoni probably had her little legs crossed.
They took the subway back to Brooklyn and he hailed a cab to Skye’s place. “Let me take the dog out. You’re still cold.”
Her nose was red. “You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Francis had already called and offered to drop off Nicki and take D.O.G. out for him. “Pop’s taking care of tucking Nicki in tonight.”
“Okay, if you don’t mind. I want to jump into a hot shower and warm up.”
He followed her into the apartment and grabbed the leash and the puppy.
“Don’t forget your jacket.”
He put it on and headed out.
“Oh, and take my keys. I could be a while.”
“Sure.” He was going to have to take Pepperoni for a long walk to cool off after the thought of her all wet and soapy.
CHAPTER 9
Skye spent a good twenty minutes in the shower lecturing herself about the dangers of getting too close to Logan. She’d told herself the same thing she’d been saying since she’d come home after the chocolate cake fiasco, but suddenly her reasons sounded more lame than sensible.
The problem was that she liked him—a lot. She could listen to him talk for hours and never get bored—a first for her. With most of her dates, she was hiding yawns after an hour. Not with Logan. He was a fascinating mix of chemistry geek and hot gentleman winemaker with a bit of bad boy tossed in for effect. And what an effect—she’d spent the day in a near constant state of arousal, except for the time the three bimbos were sizing him up. Another first—she’d never been the jealous type. Until today.
She found everything about him attractive and he never let up. She kept waiting for the deal-breaking fault. They all had one—that one thing that was such a turnoff she would cross him off her list no matter how good he smelled, or sexy he sounded, or how incredibly he kissed. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t looked for it. She had—to no avail.