by J. Woods
“Okay, okay - I get it. His name is Alex Sullivan.”
“Alex?” He almost choked on the name.
“Yes, why?”
“He’s the one who sent you those flowers?”
“Yes. He sent them after our meeting. Are you alright?” He was sure she could see his body vibrating with tension. Her words kept repeating in his head - maybe I will go for drinks with Alex - now he had a face to the name. He rather wished he didn’t. He knew by looking at Alex during their meeting he was more Zoe’s type than Logan was, but she deserved better, deserved to be with someone… who would send her flowers after seeing her. Just like Alex did.
“Fine,” he gritted out.
They pulled up out front a store that was almost completely all glass. Walking through the door Logan was holding for her, he looked around, smiling at the older woman walking by, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary before walking in himself. “Zoe! How are you?” He watched as an attractive, thirty something woman walked up to Zoe kissing both of her cheeks.
“Hey Jamie, I’m good, how are you?”
“Good, good. And what brings you in today?”
“We need to do some shopping.”
“We?”
Zoe leaned over and grabbed Logan’s hand while he was standing out of the way, pulling him close to her side. Intentionally or unintentionally he wasn’t sure, she didn’t let go of his fingers as she introduced them. “Jamie, this is Logan. Logan, Jamie.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” He nodded his head once giving her a small smile receiving a megawatt flirtatious grin in return.
“The pleasure is all mine, Logan.” She held out her hand for him to take and not wanting to be rude to Zoe’s friend he took it in his.
“Logan needs a tux and I need a dress. Logan is my date for a ball tomorrow night.” He bit back the triumphant smile that wanted to curve at the corners of his mouth with Zoe’s interruption and emphasis on the word date.
“Of course,” Jamie pulled back taking note of Zoe’s tone. “Let’s get you two started then!”
Logan was impressed with Jamie’s ability to know his size and measurements without him having to tell her. She set him up in a change room with five different options while she left him to go find something stunning for Zoe she exclaimed. “Like that is going to be hard,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Come out with each one, I want to see,” Zoe’s voice drifted into the small room. He felt like telling her to save them both some trouble she should just join him and they could change and play dress up together. Walking out in the first two, he automatically vetoed each one, and as she smiled and joked with him, he felt himself almost having fun. Stepping out in the third, he watched as Zoe’s eyes took him in, just as they had done with the first two but this time there was something different. Her eyes darkened with something he had never seen from her before - pure want. For him. Raising her eyes back to his she smiled tightly. “Looks good.”
“Thanks.” Suddenly feeling self conscious he rubbed his palm over the stubble on his face. “I guess I’ll need to shave…” He trailed off as Zoe got up from her seat and took two steps toward him.
She reached out her hand placing her small, feminine fingers against his cheek. “No. I like it.” Caught in a moment neither of them had shared before, he felt the magnetism between them. He couldn’t have looked away if he tried. He felt his hand reaching for her, wanting to pull her toward him and kiss her like he’d wanted to since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. His fingers feathered across her hip and he heard the small gasp leave the lips he was about to consume.
“Zoe! I found some dresses that will look absolutely amazing on you!” She pulled away so quickly he wondered if he had imagined the entire thing. “Oh Logan, that’s the one! That tux is mouth watering,” Jamie continued completely unaware of the moment Logan was still reeling from. “I’ll set you up in this one Zoe. Everything is in there for you including a few pairs of heels too.”
“That’s great. Thanks.” She started walking away from him before he grabbed her hand. He didn’t know what he was going to say but he couldn’t just leave it hanging between them. She looked down at her small hand in his before finally meeting his eyes.
“Come out with each one, I want to see.” He repeated her words back to her receiving a slow grin in response.
“No, no, no! What Zoe wears is going to be a surprise. I need you to come with me, Logan. We’ll get you some shoes.” Suppressing the groan at not being able to see Zoe in different dresses and the shadow of her form changing in to each one he let out an exaggerated sigh that had her laughing at him as she walked into her own change room shutting the door behind her and effectively shutting him out. After changing out of the tux and back into his jeans he followed Jamie out into the front of the store where he was faced with a modern display of men’s shoes. He sat in the chair as instructed and told Jamie the first pair he tried on would be fine. They were shoes that he would wear for one night. After trying to pay for his new tux he was told his card wouldn’t be good - Zoe had an account.
Half an hour later Zoe walked out with her arms empty - not even a hint of what he was going to see tomorrow night. “I left the one I want to wear hanging apart from the others along with the heels. You did good work Jamie, as always.”
“Why thank you!”
“Can you have everything delivered to my place tomorrow morning?”
“Of course.”
“Great! Are you ready to go?” she asked turning toward Logan.
“Yes. Thank you for all your help, Jamie.”
“Thank you, Logan.” Zoe raised her eyebrow at Jamie’s emphasis on the ‘you’ as Logan hoarded her toward the door.
He pulled out into traffic. “There’s somewhere else I have to go.”
“Oh? Where?”
“Savage Security.”
“Okay. You can just drop me off at home.” She was cute.
“You’re coming with me.”
“I am?”
“Shadow, remember? That means you don’t leave my sight.”
“Cool. So I get to snoop around your personal space now. Oh how the tables have turned!” He gave her a sidelong glance to which she drummed her fingers together letting out her best impression of an evil laugh.
“There will be no snooping.”
“We’ll see.” Suddenly a black sedan with heavily tinted windows pulled out in front of him. He slammed on the breaks, an inch away from slamming into the rear bumper of the car. Automatically his arm went out and across Zoe to keep her in her seat. Her fingers wrapped around his forearm. “Oh my god!”
Laying on the horn Logan let out a few choice curse words watching as the car increased his speed disappearing down the empty road. “Are you alright?” he asked her.
“Yes.” Logan knew it could have been a coincidence, a dark car, the driver shadowed and unrecognizable pulling out and not paying attention, but Logan didn’t believe in coincidences. Keeping an eye on the car he watched it disappear but not before memorizing the license plate.
Pulling down the long dirt driveway, Savage Security headquarters came into view. He and his brothers had completely renovated an old barn that was considered part of his property but far enough away that it wasn’t visible from his house. Every time he came down this path and the building came into view, a sense of pride filled him. He couldn’t explain it to himself, but it happened, every time.
“Logan - it’s absolutely beautiful.” He thought so too. They had refurbished and modernized the building with every toy a security company could want while keeping with the rustic and raw brick and beam interior. While they had built on an extension, it didn’t hinder the appearance, rather looked like it should have been a part of the original plan. He pulled into a parking spot beside his brother Max’s truck. “Do you all drive trucks?” Zoe mused comically.
Logan thought about it, never noticing it before. “Yeah, I guess we do, in one form or another
.” Inputting the code needed to open the doors including a fingerprint, he placed his hand on the small of her back feeling her slightly tense with the contact. They hadn’t discussed the moment at the store and while he was waiting for her he’d decided he needed to rein himself in. It was inappropriate and he couldn’t let himself go there. Zoe was beautiful and sexy and warm and kind and not even close to who he thought she was going to be; it was natural for her to think they had a connection when they were around each other twenty four seven especially under the circumstances. He was her protector and the one who kept her safe but when she didn’t need it anymore, didn’t need him anymore, he would be gone and moving onto the next client. And she would be going out for drinks with some guy wearing a suit. But even telling himself that, he couldn’t manage to pull his hand away from her back. He looked up to see Max jogging down the stairs toward them.
“I was wondering when you were going to show up…” He trailed off when his eyes landed on Zoe. “Hello. Max Savage.” He held out his hand and Logan watched as she placed her fingers into his before he pressed his lips to them. He almost heard his jaw crack from clenching it so hard.
“Zoe Alcott,” she smiled. “I’ve heard a lot about you Max.”
“You have? She has?” Max turned to Logan who just shrugged his shoulders in response. He didn’t know how he felt at his brother’s surprise. “Regardless, it’s wonderful to meet the beautiful Zoe Alcott.”
“Thank you, likewise.” He was sure Zoe could feel the tension radiating off of him. What was his problem? His brother was just being his usual flirty self; he didn’t think he’d ever seen him any other way with a woman, so why did it matter so much with Zoe? He inherently knew the answer but refused to acknowledge it; Max wasn’t Zoe’s type either. “Show me around?” she turned asking him. He wasn’t sure what the warmth around his heart meant, but he was sure he wasn’t supposed to like it.
***
Zoe listened attentively as Logan explained the renovations he and his brothers had done, impressively themselves, to their now rejuvenated office. She could hear the pride in his voice and she couldn’t help but reflect it back to him. Her emotions were all over the place she didn’t know where to start to pick them up. And it all started with that moment back at the store. She thought it would be a great idea to go shopping with Logan, maybe get him out of his head a little, have a little fun. But a little fun turned into a moment that was without definition. She had never felt the pull of attraction so strong before. It was like she didn’t have control over herself when she stood up and touched his face. It was an immediate urge within her, a need to touch him. She knew he felt something similar, the way his eyes darkened, refusing to leave hers. If Jamie hadn’t walked in when she had, Zoe had no doubt her and Logan would have been in that change room stripping each other of their clothes. She realized now it was what she wanted. She wanted, so badly, Logan Savage. Unlike any other man she’d ever been with. And all they’d done was stare at each other. She could just image what it would be like to fall in a bed with him, to lie naked beneath him with his hard body overtop of hers as she explored every inch of the hard muscles she caught a glimpse of the night before. They hadn’t talked about it, pretended as if it didn’t happen but she knew things between them were different. She knew when he placed his hand on her back and again when his brother had kissed her hand. She could feel the tension radiating off of him, and not wanting to make him upset she had asked him to show her around. She also wanted to see his office, any part of Logan Savage that he was willing to share; she wanted to be a part of. When Max walked down the stairs she could see the draw. He was very attractive and maybe, during another time she would be one of those girls she was sure fawned all over him, but the only guy she was thinking about was the one who refused to remove his hand from her back. And she wasn’t complaining.
Logan brought her into his office and as he took his place behind his desk, Zoe took the opportunity to look at the few pictures he had displayed on a shelf. There was one which she assumed was of his family. His mother and father stood in the middle while their kids surrounded them - it was a picture of love. Zoe knew her parent’s loved her but they never had a relationship like the one shown in this photo. Just looking at each face she could tell the loyalty ran deep within each and every one of them. Knowing Logan, even for just a few days, she knew he was one that wouldn’t stand for the potential of someone hurting the ones he loved. The next photo must have been taken when he was in the military. Dressed in fatigues, he stared at the camera without a smile beside two other men who bore the same somber expression. She knew he didn’t like talking about that time of his life, but she so badly wanted to hear about it, she had a feeling it was such a huge part as to what made him who he was. The third picture was of a young, innocent, or maybe not so, boy who stood in a freshly pressed uniform with his hand on his head saluting whoever stood behind the lens. Zoe could tell by the trouble making grin on his face it was the first day he was enlisted in the military. There was no underlying darkness in his eyes and the smile was filled with youthful innocence. She wondered if she could be the one to bring that smile back to his face.
“What are you doing over there?” She turned, finding Logan staring at her.
She quickly masked the feminine wonderment replacing it with a teasing smirk. “I already told you. Snooping.” He rolled his eyes picking up the phone and asking his brother to join them in his office.
“Where is everyone?” he asked Max when he sat down across from Logan. Max looked to Zoe than to Logan who nodded his head. She knew he was asking if he could speak aloud with her there and before she made it clear she wanted to eavesdrop, and she did, she didn’t want to make it harder on him.
“Researching the West case,” Max explained in a clipped answer.
“Can I go explore?” she asked. Logan narrowed his eyes knowing exactly what she was doing.
“Stay inside.”
“I can’t go outside?” She really wanted to go outside, the field looked amazing and she had the urge to run like a small child through it.
“I’ll take you outside later. Stay inside.” Now it was her turn to narrow her eyes letting him know she didn’t appreciate the way he spoke to her, especially in front of his brother. Just when she was about to open her mouth and tell him where to shove his overbearing attitude he cut her off. “Please,” he conceded. She gave him a winning smile causing him to shake his head as she skipped out of his office. She heard Max say something about her but couldn’t quite make out what as she made her way down the stairs.
Half an hour later Max found her sitting by the large window that looked out over the field of green. “I was wondering where you’d end up.” Zoe looked up from the email she was reading on her phone.
“Hey. Where’s Logan?” she asked looking behind him.
“Finishing up a phone call. Want to take a walk?”
“Um… sure.” Zoe didn’t know what Max’s intentions were but being Logan’s brother, she made the decision to trust him. She stood up placing her hand in his outstretched elbow. They stepped outside and she was able to breathe in the fresh, country air. Even though they were only minutes away from the bustling city, the air out here seemed cleaner, somehow it was a different world, completely secluded from the rush of life and she found she didn’t mind it, was actually falling in love with it. “So how are you and Logan getting along?”
“Do you ask all his clients that question?” she teased him. He laughed and it came so easy for him. She knew Logan had it in him too, behind all that gruff, grumpy demeanor; she just needed to pull it out of him.
“No. But I can see you’ve made an impression on him.”
“I have?”
“Yes, you have. And I can see you two are getting close.”
“Oh, I think you may have the wrong idea. Logan is great, fantastic, but he’s just doing his job.”
“He told you about us, his family?” Zoe frowned at the chan
ge of subject.
“Some,” she said slowly.
“Look, Zoe, I’m not trying to interrogate you or anything. I think you’re great. Logan… he’s been through a lot. But that smile that you put on his face today - I haven’t seen it in a really long time.” She wasn’t sure what Max was trying to tell her so she kept quiet, hoping he would get to the point, soon. She knew Logan had been through a lot, that much was obvious. It was the ‘a lot’ part he refused to discuss with her.
“There you two are.” They both turned, surprised to hear the deep voice come from behind them. Zoe smiled at the foreboding figure that leaned deceptively lazily against the doorframe with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he watched them.
Max leaned in quickly and said only so Zoe could hear, “Be patient with him.” She forced back the frown not wanting Logan to see her reaction to Max’s plea. “I’m heading out for a bit. I’ll see you guys later. Bye Zoe.” He gave her an exaggerated wink; purely to press his brother’s buttons as he slid in behind the wheel of his black shiny pick up, a twin to Logan’s. Zoe snorted and walked until she was standing directly in front of the agitated and tense, gorgeous and sexy man before her.
“You should smile more,” she told him looking up at the frown between his eyebrows.
“Maybe if I had something to smile about, I would.”
“I’m going to choose to ignore your sour mood and even sourer comments.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes! Let’s go get some dinner. Maybe getting you fed will turn that frown upside down.”
Zoe sat across from Logan, the dim lighting of the restaurant casting shadows making him only more mysterious and alluring. She picked up her menu in an effort to try to hide her smile. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing’s funny.”
“So what are you smiling about over there then?” Zoe actually did laugh this time.
“What are you not smiling about over there? Sick of me already?” Logan lifted his head to look at her remaining silent. His eyes penetrated hers and she felt like he could see into her soul, that she so desperately wanted him closer to her than across the table. That she wanted to rub her foot up and down his leg and tease him as if they were on a real date. He slowly shook his head no allowing a small smirk to form on lips she wanted to run her tongue along. Picking up her menu again she raised her eyebrow playfully as she decided on what to eat.