by Zee Monodee
Just as unhurriedly, he removed the finger from his mouth and let her hand and arm drop like a dead weight to her side.
She inhaled sharply and gazed at the door before looking back at him.
“What—” Her voice came out merely above a whisper. “Not fair,” she added more forcefully, though her voice still thrummed with a catch.
Propping his hip against the counter, he cocked his head to the side. “You also didn’t tell me it would be your birthday, too.”
She blushed some more. “It wouldn’t have made any difference.”
“It made a difference to me, babe.”
“How?” The word quivered.
He allowed long seconds to draw out between them before he answered, watching her squirm and trying hard not to let him know how well he was playing with her nerves. “You don’t trust me.”
“I do.”
“Really?” He leaned his head forward. “Then why not tell me? Afraid I’d bring an awful gift?”
“The flowers were nice. I … don’t get flowers often.”
Maybe you never got them in the past, either.
Suzanne’s words filtered through his mind. Neha’s husband hadn’t seemed to care much for her, for the woman in her, except to give her everything their lifestyle could physically need.
Logan had every desire to make sure he gave Neha what she deserved. Again, he reminded himself how, because she didn’t ask or demand the best, she was entitled to that and more, too.
He’d be the man who would give it to her.
And in no way could he achieve this if he barged into her life at every turn and tried to make her combust in flames.
Well, she would combust in his arms one day, but only after a slow, steady burn that would have her out of her mind with needing him. Somehow, he sensed Neha to be a woman who would try to have things on her terms whenever it suited her in any relationship.
He’d make her come to him. And then, he would make her his, and his alone.
He could start with this plan right at the office. Speaking of which, she still owed him an answer. One that would give him the direction he would need to take where the game plan for winning her would take place in one single, knock-out round.
Standing straighter, he lowered his gaze to her at the same time she looked up into his.
“You still owe me an answer, babe.”
“What?”
“Yesterday. You neatly sidestepped the issue every time I tried to get your take on the position you want at the station.”
“Oh,” she replied on a breathless whisper.
“It’s putting me in a bit of a tough spot.” He paused. “We don’t want that, eh.”
She shook her head, lips parted.
“So, what will it be, Neha?” He touched her hand, ran his thumb over hers, the same one that had been in his mouth a few moments earlier. “Are you with me, or not?”
He dipped his head until his breath brushed the corners of her mouth. Logan moved so his back would face the door. This way, anyone who came in would see him and not what was taking place between him and Neha.
“Tell me,” he said in a coaxing tone.
Her breathing increased, and he could swear her heartbeat must’ve picked up, too. A pulse beat erratically against the side of her pale neck.
A part of him knew he was an utter bastard for putting her in such a position. Yet, at the same time, he didn’t have a clue how to go about the task of winning her over without resorting to this kind of drawn-out emotional game. So, he reckoned anticipation would have to help him land her. Then, he’d spend every moment of every day proving to her that she’d made the right decision in coming with him.
“Are you with me?” he asked.
*
Neha burned on a hot wind, hanging a hair’s breadth away from a bed of scorching embers. Either way—if she remained in the air or if she let go and fell—she would be burnt. The only difference was in how long it would take for the heat to consume her.
Logan’s warm breath brushed across her skin, tickling the corners of her mouth as she lay in this suspended moment. What would it take to make her stand known?
A hell of a lot of guts, whichever way she chose to go.
“Neha,” he said huskily.
“Yes.” The soft murmur left her lips on a breath.
“Yes what?”
Yes, I’m with you. I’ll be with you always.
“I … I’ll be your co-anchor.”
The words rushed out of her mouth before she could think them through.
Don’t be silly.
She had given the matter due consideration; she hadn’t been thinking of anything else since their meeting in his office. She must’ve weighed the pros and cons of each position a thousand times in her mind. She’d always come to one conclusion, and this had driven her nuts every time—how could she get Logan faster?
Oh, yes, she’d thought of the children, too. Of her own life and situation. And then of the man she yearned to have in said life.
The man whose mouth lay barely an inch from hers.
Kiss me.
His breath became moist; he’d drawn closer. She could feel the softness of his lips almost touching the corner of her mouth. Should she move and bridge the gap? Dare she?
And then, before she could give herself an answer, he moved.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear and drew away.
Distance as wide and as cold as the Channel between England and France fell between them.
“I better go see what all the hype about that gaming computer is about,” he said and shot out of the kitchen in a few long strides.
Neha turned her gaze back to the cake. The imprint of her thumb where it had pressed into the icing still remained visible, and with a start sending fire raging through her as fast as a spark caught on dry timber, she recalled how he had sucked the thick buttercream off her finger.
And the biggest shame was in how she’d enjoyed it. Liquid heat had coursed through her whole body, burning a course right through to her now-sodden knickers.
Damn the man. Damn him and the very day he had appeared into her life.
For goodness’ sake, she’d never desired a man like this, and certainly not as fast as she’d fallen in lust with him. He made an absolute hussy come out of her, and she’d never even imagined herself as hussy material.
“Sweetie, you done with the cake, yet?”
Lara’s level-pitched voice tore her from her thoughts.
Scampering her brain out of the X-rated corner it had stuck itself in—blast it, the man had sucked her finger and had nearly kissed her a few minutes ago—Neha turned to her elder sister.
“Almost done,” she replied as she plunged the knife into the cake.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She gritted the admission through clenched teeth. “Doesn’t it show?”
“Well, you’re all but massacring this poor cake.” Her sister paused. “I just saw Logan on the way here.”
Oh, no.
“He was with you, innit?”
The cake received a jab. In her mind’s eye, she didn’t see the pale golden vanilla tower, but a darker, bronzed pillar of muscle and strength.
Tinkling laughter came from Lara.
“Goodness, Neha. You’re so far gone for him, it’s not even funny.”
And that’s exactly the problem. It’s not funny.
It was damn right embarrassing, and unsettling, and unnerving.
And so damn good, too.
Blast it.
Chapter Nine
“Blimey, man. I think I’m gonna ask her.”
Logan winced as he looked up from his plate and across the table at Griffin, his lunch partner that Sunday. “Ask who what?”
Damn it. Kunal had beaten him up pretty bad the previous day when they had sparred. The lad would soon take part in his first official kickboxing competition, and he’d wanted to make sure the kid was on top
of his game. He now had the black and blue and the pain to prove how ready Kunal had become to enter the professional circuit.
“You know.” Griff shuffled. “Vanessa. I’m gonna ask her to marry me.”
The knife nearly slipped from Logan’s grip. Blow me down. “Say that again.”
“I’m sure she’s the one for me, mate. Vanessa, she is my other half.”
Loud conviction thrummed from his best friend’s voice, and Logan put the cutlery back down to take a sip of water. He sensed a man-to-man talk coming, and so, his focus couldn’t be on his medium-rare steak right then.
“I’m not playing devil’s advocate here, but are you sure of this? You and Van have been dating for what? Two months?”
“It’s more than enough time to know if a woman is right for you or not, Logan.”
This, he knew. He’d known Neha for a little under six months, and she was the one for him. Elapsed time meant nothing when two people ‘clicked.’ Yet, this didn’t mean he shouldn’t look out for his best friend.
“Have you given any thought to the age gap? Yours and Van’s is a May-December relationship if I ever saw one.”
“I’ve only got ten years on her, mate. She’s a lot more mature than people give her credit for.”
He had to admit Griffin and Vanessa made a fabulous couple. Both seemed to light up in the other’s presence, and he’d sensed a quiet force in Griffin ever since he’d started going out with the Agony Aunt. So what did a few years matter, really? Truth be told, he stood in a case, too, with Neha. She had a couple good years on him. But while this gap mattered none to him, he wondered what she’d make of it. Knowing Neha, she could balk at the notion of being with a man younger than her, even if the bloke in question had more sense and maturity than a fulla much older than her.
Like her husband, for instance. Griffin had known Rahul Kiran at university, where he’d been along with Lara, Neha’s sister, at pretty much the same moment in time. The description Griff gave of Rahul, an ace at numbers, made Logan think the man had been a fool who couldn’t see beyond the tip of his nose. How else would he have been completely oblivious to the fact that he had a woman like Neha in his life?
This had also told him she hadn’t known real love in her first marriage. He craved to change this, to show her what it could be like to have a man totally devoted to her and proving to her what it felt like to be loved and cherished.
And desired. For Heaven knew he craved her body and the whole rest of her with a hunger growing steadily with every passing day. Still, he had to stick to his plan and win her over nice and slow.
“What do you think?”
Griffin’s voice brought him out of his musings, and he focused his gaze on the expectant face across from him.
Logan took a deep breath. “If she makes you happy, go for it.”
Griff broke into a huge smile. Bugger, he looks more like a loon now.
He chuckled. “You are a goner.”
Griff shrugged off the remark. “I love her.”
“I know you do.”
His mobile rang, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the device. An unknown number flashed on the screen. With a frown, he pressed the green icon and answered.
“Hi there, sexy,” a cheerful voice said in greeting.
He smiled. Only one person would be this forward and familiar with him. “G’day, Suzanne.”
“Happy to hear me?”
“Always.” He chuckled. “How’s it going? Heard you got accepted into the contest right on the deadline.”
“Man, that was so scary, it was no fun at all. By the time Mum agreed and I called Guy, I really thought I’d be toast.”
“Well, good on ya for making it. Guess you must be busy with the preparations for the big night.”
“Yups. Speaking of which, you wouldn’t happen to have a hat you could lend me, do you?”
“A hat?”
“Yeah. I’m doing this choreography for the talent section on the big night. I’ll have to present a talent skit if I make it into the final five. I need a man’s hat for it.”
Logan shook his head. Suzanne would ear bash anyone with her rapid-fire talking. “I think I have a black Fedora at home. Would it do?”
“Awesome!”
“I’ll send it through with your mum tomorrow, then.”
“No!” She gasped. “Can you come drop it when she isn’t here?”
A little warning bell went off in his head. “Suzanne, what are you not telling me?”
She sighed at the other end. “I don’t want Mum to know I’m doing this number.”
“Why not?” Something fishy brewed here.
“Because she’s gonna balk and have me pull out of the contest.”
Logan sighed, too. Wasn’t his whole life complicated enough? “Suzanne, honeybun. What exactly are you up to? And you better tell me the whole story.”
Another very audible sigh.
“It’s complicated. Listen, Mum’s not gonna be home for the whole afternoon. She’s gone with Auntie Diya to the spa. Actually, Auntie Diya all but dragged her to the spa. You know how Mum hates those things—”
“Suzie,” he warned.
“All right. Can you come over later? I promise I’ll tell you everything.”
Bugger, what mire was he getting sucked into? He didn’t have time for this; yet, he also couldn’t let the girl down. “I’ll come see you shortly.”
“Great,” she exclaimed, nearly bursting his eardrum in the process. “And don’t forget the hat, please. Love ya!”
The beep of the cut connection resonated in his ear before he could form a word in reply to her. Bloody hell.
“Problem?” Griffin asked.
Logan glanced at his now cold steak and looked back up at his friend. “Nothing I can’t handle. Actually, it comes with the territory.”
***
Close to two hours later, he knocked on the door of Neha’s house. Suzanne opened the panel so quickly, he wondered if she’d had her ear pressed to the wood so she’d hear when he got there.
“There’s your hat,” he said as he handed her the black Fedora he’d uncovered from a yet-unopened suitcase in his house. Bugger, he’d been through all the boxes and luggage at his place to find her the dratted thing.
As she made a grab for it, he dangled the hat out of her reach. “Not so fast, young lady. What exactly are you up to?”
“Aw, you’re no fun, Logan.”
He gave her the scathing glare that usually had everyone packing for cover at work. To his great surprise, the look didn’t seem to faze her at all. Must be the strength of the teenage mind.
“Come in,” she said as she led the way into the living room.
Logan settled down on the edge of a comfy sofa, his gaze on the pretty girl who sat across from him on the couch. “Start talking, and fast.”
“All right, all right,” she said in a nasal whine. “I’m doing this choreography, something completely ballsy, and if Mum were to hear about it, she’ll, like, ground me forever.”
“What makes you think I won’t tell and ground you forever, too?”
She waved his question away with a hand. “You’re just not that sort.”
Bugger, too, she was right. She’d sussed him out perfectly. He’d never dish on her, except if she were placing herself in danger. “What’s so ballsy about this choreography?”
“Here,” she said as she retrieved her iPhone from the pocket of her jeans. “Listen to this tune.”
The opening notes of a trumpet resounded, and Logan almost fell off his seat. Bloody hell—Joe Cocker’s ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On’ had to be one of the sexiest strip-tease songs out there. Of all the tunes, Suzanne had chosen this one?
“Tell me something. You’re not seriously planning to leave only the hat on, eh.”
She laughed. “Of course not!”
“Then, why this song?”
“It’s edgy, and I can really do a good number on it.”
“Honeybun, it’s a strip-tease song.”
“Oh, I know.”
“Right.” What to do with her?
If you can’t go up the creek without a paddle, go down with the flow and make sure your boat doesn’t shatter.
The words his mother had so often told them when he and Tyler had been growing up resonated in his head. Battling with Suzanne and trying to make her change her mind would be going up the creek without the paddle. All he could do constructively amounted to going down with the flow and making sure nothing bad came out of this.
“Tell me,” he said. “What have you planned for this?”
“Want me to show you?”
“No!” Bloody hell, he wasn’t a pervert. “Just tell me. What sort of dance will this be? You’re not planning on having a pole in the middle of the stage, are you?”
She giggled. “No worries there. It’s a simple routine using a chair. And no clothes come off in all of the three minutes.”
“Yet, it’s going to be a sexy routine.”
He had the reassurance of seeing a blush of embarrassment creep up her cheeks. She wasn’t so far gone yet, thank goodness.
“Suzanne, listen to me, and listen carefully.” He waited until he had her full attention. “Every woman has a natural alluring quality about her. Men notice this.”
He paused for emphasis, and she nodded in acquiescence.
“Now, there’s a very fine line that makes a man do nothing more than wolf-whistle at a sexy girl on one side, and start thinking totally disgusting things about her on the other. You’re with me so far?”
She nodded again, her big eyes wide.
“That line is very easy to cross, and many young girls and women don’t realize they’ve tripped to the other side. And believe me when I tell you this is pretty much an irreversible move in a fulla’s eyes. Still with me?”
Another nod.
“Make sure that whatever you are doing, you don’t even come close to this line, you hear me? You’re a big girl with a mature head on her shoulders. You already know what’s right and what’s wrong. Promise me you’ll think very carefully about how you present yourself to the world.”