by Krista Lakes
I stared into Logan's eyes. He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. The lust still burned bright in him, but with this release, I could see there was more than just desire. He wasn't going to ask me to leave. If anything, he wanted me to stay. He didn't want this to only be a one-time thing. I was surprised to find that I didn't either.
As our breathing slowed from frantic to fast, I wondered what was going to happen next. Was this just something that we needed to get out of our systems, or did we have a chance? I wanted to believe that this wasn't just sexual tension finally breaking free. I wanted to believe the promise in his eyes that he truly cared.
The wind and rain howled at the windows, threatening destruction, but wrapped up in Logan's arms, I felt safe. For the first time in two years, I felt the storm inside of me settling down.
Chapter 20
Rain pulsed against the window like the heart of a living creature. I could imagine that there was nothing outside of this room but a monster of rain and wind. I reveled in the idea of spending eternity like this, trapped with Logan in the pit of the monster's stomach where no one could find us.
Logan's long fingers traced the curve of my spine as I closed my eyes and focused on his touch. I lay on my front, bedsheets tangled around my feet as he sat beside me, admiring my skin. I couldn't remember feeling this satiated or relaxed in forever.
“God, you are so beautiful,” he whispered. The compliment made me blush with pleasure. Logan's lips caressed my shoulder, his kiss soft and appreciative.
I rolled over, propping my head on my hand to look at him. I smiled. Based entirely on the way he was looking at me, I believed him. His eyes held so much life and emotion, I was sure I would drown in them. I was torn between languid happiness and shock that I had allowed this to happen. Once again, I had given in to my desires and let my body overrule my mind. I could feel the edge of regret creeping up, but I pushed it away, wishing to stay in this moment a little longer.
I stared openly at him, memorizing the way he looked so I could keep this image stored away for a lonely night. The sheet covered his bottom half, but just barely. His broad shoulders tightened down to muscled abs, and the top of his hip poked out from under the sheet, proving he was naked underneath. His tattoo was exactly the way I remembered it. I skimmed his skin with my eyes, knowing that I could look as much as I wanted to. It had felt so good to finally touch him and give my body what it wanted.
“You know,” I said slowly, never taking my eyes off of him, “I'm still mad at you.” It was hard to feel angry, though, when I felt this good.
He raised his eyebrows and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. I loved the way those honey-colored curls had tangled around my fingers just moments before. I shifted slightly in the bed, already feeling sore in all the right places.
Regret was creeping in as I regained my senses. I stubbornly ignored it; I didn't want to feel regret yet. Anger I could handle, but I had enough regret to last a lifetime. “I'm still not exactly sure how this happened,” I said softly.
Knowing I was referring to the mess we'd made of his room, Logan glanced around. Clothes dangled haphazardly from the furniture, and a chair had been overturned in our haste to get to the bed, which was in itself a disaster. Sheets were tangled between our bodies, the comforter hung off the bed, and the fitted sheet was nowhere to be seen. Pillows lay scattered around the bed and floor as if there had been an explosion, and I supposed in a way there had been. The maid was going to wonder what kind of animals had gotten into Logan's room.
“You finally gave into my charms.” Logan's eyes heated for a moment as he remembered the delectable details. “They were bound to get you eventually.”
I gave his arm a playful smack. “Your charms? I was trying very hard to avoid you.”
He leaned forward and nuzzled the tender skin just below my ear, making my breath catch with sudden desire. Two minutes ago, I had been so blissfully worn-out that I was sure I was never going to move again, but with just the trace of his kiss on my neck, I was ready for more. Charms, indeed.
“Why would you want to avoid me?” he whispered, his kisses working down the curve of my shoulder. His brown eyes looked up at me as he gave me one last affectionate peck.
“Because you're kind of a jerk,” I informed him. He frowned, pulling back slightly. “You hurt me pretty badly the last time we were together.”
“But that wasn't my fault,” he said quietly, innocently. “I told you that.”
I sighed. Logan had grown up in a world with almost no repercussions as long as his father was pleased. I didn't think he even realized the full extent of what he had cost me. “Doesn't change the fact that it still hurt.” I bit my lip and looked him in the eye, watching his every move. “I need to know: are you going to hurt me again?”
Pain and remorse flashed across his face and he reached out and stroked my cheek. His touch was soft and gentle. “I'm never going to hurt you again. I promise.”
I liked the way those words sounded, but I had been burned too badly to fully believe them. I would have to see them proven, not just hear them spoken. I smiled despite my hesitation. For this moment in time, they would be enough. “What happened last time anyway?”
“Which part do you want first?” he asked, sliding down on the bed to lay facing me.
“Business,” I decided. I could handle that part better. “You had me believing you were going to buy me out.”
“I was,” he stated, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Even before I met you, I thought your idea was amazing. I knew Dream Vacations would be an invaluable asset the moment I learned about your program.”
“Then what happened?”
He looked down for a moment. “I oversold it. My brother pointed out that I was trying too hard to convince Dad, and I probably was. I should have just let him see the initial proposal and not personally endorsed it. I certainly should have waited on drinks, too.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “Why would your endorsement or getting drinks with me change things?”
“My father has made some poor business decisions with regard to women.” His mouth twisted into a parody of a smile that implied it’d been far worse. “He cost the business millions before my brother and I took over negotiations and acquisitions. Dad almost bankrupted us because of a pretty face, yet he still gets to make the final call. I think my brother assumed I was following in my father's footsteps when I pushed so hard for your company.”
“Were you?” I held my breath waiting for the answer.
Logan's eyes met mine, serious and honest. “Your company was sound. I would have wanted Dream Vacations even if you were a balding eighty-year-old man.” He paused and smiled. “I just wouldn't have bought you drinks.”
“So, your father turned down my proposal because he thought you were just trying to get laid? That I was some sort of gold-digger?” It definitely wasn’t the reason I was expecting.
“Yes. And all my attempts to convince him of the contrary just worried him further,” Logan explained. “Once he saw himself in my actions, he wouldn't let it go.”
“You fought for me?” I asked quietly, gratitude blooming in my stomach. He hadn't just left me to rot like I had thought. He had tried to convince his father to change his mind. His explanation rang true with what I knew of his father; I had heard enough of Gerald Hayes' rumors to completely believe Logan's story. It would even begin explain why Gerald had cut off our communication. He thought he was protecting his son from me.
“Too much, according to him.” Logan nodded and gave me a wry smile. “I have to admit, it's been great watching you succeed on your own and getting to rub his face in it.”
“Anytime.” I smiled and he kissed my forehead. He had defended me. The thought made me melt inside. “So why does your father want my company now? What changed?”
“Your success. The board of directors is pushing him to get you on board. Concierge travel is the future and he missed h
is opportunity to get in on the ground floor because he didn't believe in me.” Logan shrugged. “Now, he'll do anything to fix his mistake. Otherwise, the board of directors will destroy him. As the COO, I am required to help him.”
“Ah, I see.” I nodded. At least I knew now that Logan wasn't out to get me and why he kept sending me acquisition offers. I was now ready to hear the other half of the story. “So, then, why didn't you call me?”
A shadow passed over Logan’s features. “Dad made it very clear that he would make my life a living hell if I did. My personal phone line mysteriously went down, and he sent me on a business trip to Malaysia that next day. He made his threat clear. He kept me there for three months working crazy hours.”
I frowned. All of that sounded terrible, but he was a billionaire. There had still been ways to contact me. I tried to hide the disappointment that I had apparently meant less to him than he had to me.
“I tried to call you,” he said softly. “I called you from the hotel once, but I didn't know what to say so I hung up as soon as you answered. I thought maybe a quick, clean break before we got in too deep would be easier for you. That the feelings were all on my end and you would move onto someone else.”
I remembered that midnight call. I had woken up dreaming that it was Logan calling, only to hear silence on the other line. “I was in too deep the moment I agreed to drinks,” I confessed. “I don't think there was an easy way to let me down after that.”
He ran his fingers along my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. “I wanted you to be mine as soon as I saw you. Until I saw you at that wedding, I didn't think I stood a chance after what I did. I can't tell you how much I appreciated Maddy being drunk.”
I laughed. “I was so ready to kill her for that.”
“I'm sorry I hurt you.” He kissed the tip of my nose, and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was so damn handsome that it made my heart hurt. This had to be a dream. Not only was I with the man I couldn't forget, but we were working things out.
I shrugged slightly. “I'm working on forgiving you.”
He leaned forward and kissed me again. His lips were sweet and sent small thrills down my spine. It blew my mind how well the man could kiss. He pulled back and examined the results of his work. “How am I doing?”
“Good.” Words were hard to come up with after a kiss like that. “Really…good.”
He chuckled. “I'll get you there eventually.”
“What about your dad?” I asked. The thought hit me like a blow to the stomach. He had already nearly ruined me once and was on track to do so again. “I can't imagine he'd be thrilled about me in your bed, especially given how he lured my employees away from me.”
“Let me worry about my father. Right now, this isn't business. This is us.” He touched my cheek again, forming a connection between us once more. I never wanted him to stop touching me. “My father has an excellent mind for business, or at least he used to. However, when it comes to his children, he is stubborn and usually wrong.”
“I'm sorry,” I said softly, not knowing how else I could respond.
“He's still my dad, and I of course love him.” He shrugged and fell away from me onto his back. His eyes focused on the ceiling, seeing memories instead of wood. “I think when mom died, he just lost the part of him that knew how to feel. His heart died with her. He buried himself in his business. My brother and I... I think we remind him of her, so he just chooses to view us as employees rather than family. It's easier for him that way.”
His voice ached with a quiet, secret sorrow. To lose a mother, and then have your father retreat because of it would be terrible. I kissed his cheek, feeling a slight prickle against my lips. “That sounds terrible.”
“Mom died when I was ten. I remember my dad as a totally different person. He never would have pulled this crap with your company when Mom was around. She was, in a lot of ways, his conscience. When she left us, she took the best part of him with her.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I kept thinking that if I just showed him how good Aiden and I could be, he would be his old self again. But, after welcoming three gold-digging step-mothers, graduating top of my class, perfect business records, and doing everything he has ever asked of me, nothing has changed.”
I lifted his arm and tucked it around me so I could rest my head in the hollow of his shoulder. He pulled me close to him, as if he needed to hold onto me. Logan's attempts to impress his father made a strange sort of logic. He just wanted the father he had once had and was trying his best to make it happen. “You know it's not your fault, right? You can't change him. Only he can do that.”
“I know. I'm thirty-two years old, yet I only recently realized I was still behaving like a ten-year-old boy seeking my father's approval instead of finding my own way.” He sighed somewhat shakily. “I've done everything in my power to make him happy, but he never changes. He never will.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and nestled in to him. This was a side of Logan Hayes that no one ever got to see. I should know. I’d practically stalked him online. But here, with me, he was vulnerable and lost. He was struggling like the rest of us mortals to come to terms with his place in the world. I liked seeing this human side of him, even though his pain broke my heart. “I wish I could take your pain away,” I whispered.
He tightened his arm around me and then raised one hand to tip my chin up so that we were looking into one another’s faces. “You already have.” His eyes were warm and full of complete sincerity. He smiled softly, and I realized that he legitimately liked me. Maybe even loved me. Joy surged through me as if I'd been asked to prom by my high-school crush. “You make me happier than I've been in a long time.”
“You really are as charming as you appear, aren't you?” I purred, falling into the dark velvet of his eyes. Between those eyes and that smile, I was never going to escape his allure. I didn't want to.
“Probably,” he replied, his grin gaining a touch of cockiness. “It just depends on how charming you think I am.”
“Very.” So much so that I was willing to make the same mistakes over and over again just to see that smile. I was a lovestruck idiot.
“Good. I have to keep you somehow,” he murmured, moving to kiss me on the top of my head.
This was a beautiful moment, so of course I had to ruin it. My stomach rumbled. It was loud enough to be audible even over the constant roar of the storm.
“Sorry.” I couldn't believe it had been that loud. Logan laughed, his chest reverberating mirthfully against my shoulder.
“I guess you're hungry,” he teased. “Let's get some food. I was told they're still delivering room service even though it’s storming.”
“Really? That sounds wonderful. I'm starving, but I don't want to get up.” I glanced down at my watch. “Holy cow. It's two in the afternoon.”
“Already? Time flies when you're having fun,” Logan mused, slowly sitting up. He looked around until he saw the room service menu on the far desk. I lost my breath as he stood. His toned, naked body displayed its perfection to me. I couldn't take my eyes off him as he sauntered to the desk and retrieved the menus, completely unaware of the effect he was having on my lady parts.
I quickly tried to remember if I had anything planned for this evening, or if I could stay here and continue having more fun. I would have to check my phone, which was in my pants across the room, and I had no intention of leaving this bed unless it was for food.
“Maddy must be wondering where I am,” I mused out loud. I hoped she just thought I was napping.
“I won't tell if you don't,” Logan replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed and handing me a menu. “I'm not sure she likes me all that much.”
“She's just being protective of me, and until you explained everything, she had good reason,” I told him. “She's kind of a best friend, guard dog, mom and secretary all rolled into one smart lady.”
“She doesn't have to worry. I wouldn't hurt you for the w
orld. And, I can't tell you how sorry I am for the last time.” His face grew serious. “I knew then just how amazing you were, and I should have called you that morning and never stopped. My father and his company be damned.”
“You already got me into your bed. You don't have to keep charming me,” I said with a smile. He relaxed his shoulders and grinned.
“Maybe I want more than you just in my bed.”
I looked up from the menu with wide eyes. Did he mean what I thought he meant? I didn't think we were quite at the point of talking about the future yet. While we were connecting fantastically, we'd only been together for under a day. Furthermore, most of that time had been physical, and we both knew our sexual chemistry had a far better track record than our emotional one.
“I mean,” he explained smoothly, as if he had always meant to continue his sentence, “I'm hoping to get some of your food. Other people's fries always taste better.”
He flashed a friendly smile before looking down to continue perusing his menu. I couldn't be sure, but I had a strong feeling that he hadn't really been talking about French fries. I wondered if he had been keeping tabs on me like I had kept tabs on him. No matter how many times I cleared my history, his name was my favorite Google search term. I knew there was only a hair's width of difference between love and hate and that I swung wildly around him.
“I'm going to get the Maui burger,” Logan announced, setting the menu down. “What about you?”
“I'll get a cobb salad,” I answered. “You're getting the burger with pineapple on it? Gross.”
“Not gross. Delicious. Besides, you're getting a salad. On vacation.” His disgust at my healthy choice was obvious, and his skeptical frown made me laugh.
“It's got bacon. And eggs.” I handed him my menu.
“It's a salad.” He took my menu but didn't pick up the phone, giving me a chance to change my mind before he ordered.