He rapped his knuckles against the door. “Allie? Everything okay in there?”
Slowly, the door opened and she stepped into the hallway next to him, a vision of steamy temptation. Barefoot, she wore only jeans and a tight blue T-shirt, both of which looked as though they’d seen better days a decade ago. Gold-blond curls that normally looked as if they were just barely held under control hung in damp, orderly waves, framing a face pink with the heat of the shower.
It took everything he had not to sweep her off her feet and race down the hall to his bedroom. Who did he think he was kidding? It took everything he had not to go at it right here on the floor in front of the bathroom door. One word from her and—
“No,” she said quietly, looking up at him, her eyes darkened with emotion. “No, everything is not okay.”
Those were not the words he’d imagined her saying.
“What’s wrong?”
He moved toward her, but she backed away and held up one hand, as if to separate herself from any contact with him as she skirted around him and headed back toward the living room.
“What’s wrong?” he repeated, following after her.
Allie stopped in the middle of the room, her arms crossed in front of her, her face clearly reflecting some internal debate she waged with herself.
“Where were you last night? At the restaurant, I mean? I remember sitting at that table, all alone, for what seemed like forever. What happened to you?”
The question was long overdue and certainly one that deserved an answer.
“There was a small electrical fire in the kitchen. I smelled the smoke and went to investigate. Once I found it, I was focused on dealing with it. I’m sorry. I should have thought to send someone out to let you know what was going on but I was doing my job and I just got wrapped up in the moment.”
“Wrapped up, yeah, that’s a good description,” she said. “At least from what I saw, it is.”
“I was doing my job,” he insisted, actually hearing what she’d said only after he spoke. “What do you mean? What exactly did you see?”
She lifted one shoulder in what appeared to be an elaborate show of indifference. “Not much really. Just you and Shayla. Wrapped up, as you call it. Sharing a moment, I guess. Well, a kiss more than a moment, but we’re dipping into semantics territory now and, actually, it’s not any of my business what you do anyway.”
“No, you’re right. It’s not,” he agreed, regretting the words the instant they left his mouth.
He didn’t owe a justification of his actions to her or anyone else. But for some reason he didn’t quite understand, he wanted to explain to her what had really happened. He needed to explain it to her. He needed to wipe that expression of hurt from her eyes.
“In spite of what you think you saw, I wasn’t kissing Shayla.”
“I know what I saw, Logan. Granted, I was totally sloshed, but that doesn’t change the fact that I know what I saw. She was all over you.” Allie looked away for a second, chewing her bottom lip. “Again, not that it’s any of my business what you do with her. It just would have been nice if you hadn’t been doing it with her when you were supposed to be having dinner with me. That’s all.”
That was hardly all, and both of them knew it.
“I didn’t kiss her,” he said again, slowly making his way across the room to where Allie stood. “She did kiss me. She wound herself around me like bindweed out in the pasture and I had to pull her off. But I didn’t kiss her. I wouldn’t do that whether I was having dinner with you or if I’d been there all by myself. What once existed between us is long gone.”
Five years long gone, to be exact.
Her arms, held so protectively in front of her, seemed to relax a little, and he could almost see the images flipping past as she searched her memory.
“Okay,” she said at last. “In fairness, I didn’t actually see you kiss her. So, maybe I did jump to a conclusion or two. The men in my life haven’t been all that trustworthy.”
He was within reaching distance so he reached out, closed his fingers around her upper arm and gently pulled her to him.
“I’m not those other men, Allie.”
“I know,” she whispered in return, as if, being so close, she couldn’t manage to speak any louder.
A whole new emotion filled her eyes as she stared up at him. An emotion he didn’t mind being responsible for putting there.
He breathed her in as he dipped his head to cover her lips with his. She smelled like something that belonged in his house. She smelled like his soap, his shampoo… his woman? That thought, which a month ago would have scared him beyond reason, didn’t seem to have the same power over him at this moment.
It certainly didn’t have anywhere near as much power as holding her in his arms did.
Her skin was warm and responsive under his wandering hands, encouraging him to explore further. His fingers slid up her sides, pushing their way under the soft cotton of her shirt, and she shivered as his thumbs trailed along the undersides of her breasts.
Shivered, but made no effort to push him away.
He walked her backward until they bumped into the sofa, then slowly lowered her to her back, following her down, careful not to break the kiss they held.
It wasn’t lost on him that her hands caressed his face before twining into his hair, her body pressing closer to his.
She gasped when he lifted his lips from hers. He traced one thumb over her lower lip before returning his hands to her waist to push her shirt up, baring her beautiful stomach and beyond to the lace above and the soft mounds encased in that lace.
She gasped a second time when he lowered his head to rest his lips against one of those lacy mounds. Her body lifted up toward him when he breathed out, his warm, moist breath flowing over her.
His fingers fumbled with the button on her jeans, and he silently cursed himself for ever thinking that he liked seeing a woman in tight jeans. From this moment forward, he was a confirmed loose-jeans guy. He quickly reconsidered that pledge when the button gave way and the copper tab of the zipper slid slowly down with only a little urging on his part.
He covered her lips once again with his own and swallowed her third gasp, the one elicited when his fingers slid between her smooth, soft skin and the lace revealed beneath the jeans.
She felt so good to him. This moment felt so right, so perfect. If only that damned beeping would shut up.
The alarm!
Reluctantly, he lifted his mouth from hers. “I can’t begin to tell you how much I hate to put a stop to this.”
“I know,” she sighed. “We have to go.”
Next time, he promised himself as he forced himself to stand and offered a hand to help her to her feet.
The next time he planned the perfect evening, it would be perfect. He’d see to it. No family, no ex-girlfriends, and not one single damned alarm in the entire house.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Would you like to explain to me how you can possibly call this our third date?” Allie grinned across the table at Logan, waiting for his response. They’d had breakfast, lunch, or coffee together two or three times a week, every single week since their disastrous night out at Golddiggers. “We have to be at number ten or fifteen by now, at the very least.”
“Granted,” he conceded, returning her grin. “But none of those are official dates. Tonight will be our third official date. To make up for—”
“Don’t say it,” she interrupted with a laugh. “Don’t even think it. Let’s not jinx ourselves.”
She wasn’t really a superstitious person, but so far, official dates hadn’t worked out so well for them.
“Tonight will break the Official Date Curse. I’ve got everything worked out with no possible hitches in sight this time. I’ll pick you up at six sharp, then we’ll go back to my place. We can pop open a bottle of wine, relax on the deck while dessert is baking and then I’ll grill steaks for us. How’s that sound?”
“S
ounds pretty good,” she replied. “But how about instead of you coming to get me, you stay home and get things ready and I’ll drive myself out there.”
“If you’re sure that’s what you want to do. That gives me more time to run a few errands and still get a special dessert in the oven.” He pushed back his chair and stood, leaning down to brush a light kiss on the top of her head before offering a reminder: “Don’t forget, it’s the second turnoff after you go through the cattle guard and then just keep hanging lefts at each fork in the road.”
“Got it. See you tonight.”
The kiss was something recent and she was sure he’d only felt comfortable enough for it now because there were no other customers in the Hand except for Lila Murphy, and she was out of sight back in the bookshelves.
“Getting serious, I see.”
Of course, there was Dulcie, who seemed to see everything, even if you didn’t see her.
“You think so?”
Allie had been so focused on simply enjoying her time with Logan, she hadn’t allowed herself to stop and think about where the relationship was going. She hadn’t even allowed herself to think of what was happening between them as a relationship.
“Trust me,” Dulcie said as she sat down in the chair Logan had just vacated. “I’ve seen that man in the Hand almost every day since we opened. And I’ve known him my whole life. In all that time, I’ve never once seen him kiss anyone in public.”
“Maybe,” Allie conceded, a tendril of worry already beginning to wiggle around in the pit of her stomach.
“It is what you always wanted, right?” Dulcie asked. “What you always dreamed about?”
“Fantasized about,” Allie corrected.
After so many years of wanting this exact thing, it was difficult to accept that it actually might be happening. She had no doubt that Logan was attracted to her. His physical reaction to her was too obvious to miss. But actually liking her? There was a huge difference between physical attraction and an honest-to-goodness relationship. Though it had always been her fantasy that one day this would happen, it certainly hadn’t been her expectation. Especially not after all these years.
If Dulcie was right, this changed everything. If Logan’s feelings for her were more than just a simple case of lust, if what was happening between them was more than simply hanging out and having fun together, she couldn’t afford to ruin any chance they might have for a future together.
“If what you say is true, if we’re going to have any chance of building a halfway-decent relationship together, I’m going to need to come clean with that man.”
Just saying the words out loud made her want to throw up.
“What the heck are you talking about?”
Dulcie’s puzzled expression appeared genuine, though she, of all people, should understand. The twins had been Allie’s confidantes from the time they were little girls walking to grade school together. They knew all her deepest-held secrets.
“You know what happened between me and Ryan. I’m sure Logan does, too. I have to deal with that. I have to get it out in the open and explain my side.”
If she didn’t, it would always be there, festering, like a splinter under her skin.
“I cannot believe you just said that!” Dulcie shook her head, her eyes narrowing before she continued. “You’re talking about your big prom night breakup after Lacey Jenkins ratted you out, aren’t you? Are you a complete crazy woman? That was in freakin’ high school, Allie. I can’t believe you’d still be carrying that kind of useless baggage around with you after all this time. Don’t you understand that not one other soul on the entire planet cares about what happened eight years ago? Literally, not one. Let it go and move on with your life. The only thing standing between you and happiness is having the courage to forgive yourself. If you don’t love you, how can you expect anyone else to?”
If Dulcie didn’t understand the impact that incident had had on Allie, the bits and pieces of angst she’d carried around with her for eight years as a result of it, there was no point in arguing with her about it. Logically, she might even be right, but it didn’t matter. Allie would always feel the weight of that uncomfortable little piece of her past if she didn’t at least address it with Logan.
Tonight they’d be together, relaxed and alone. Tonight she’d be able to find the perfect moment to bring it up and have done with it, once and for all. Either Logan would laugh it off and tell her how unimportant it was what she’d done all those years ago, or their relationship would be all over before it really even began.
Either way, tonight was the night.
* * *
A thrill of forbidden excitement rippled through Logan’s chest as he picked up speed after passing by the wide spot in the road known as the Vaca Vista Inn.
He could have stopped there and found exactly what he wanted because it was the kind of place where people didn’t check in for more than a few hours at time. But everyone in three counties knew what went on at the inn, so having his truck spotted there didn’t sit well at all with him. Gossip moved more quickly through the valley than wildfire.
Feeling like he was sixteen again, he pressed down on the accelerator and let the miles fly beneath his wheels. An hour’s drive to Grand Junction was the last thing he had planned for today. This trip was carving two hours out of his already tightly planned schedule.
But it was two absolutely necessary hours. Driving to Grand Junction was the only way he could guarantee himself the anonymity he wanted.
It was surreal to feel this excited about a shopping excursion. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this excited about a trip into town.
Or this nervous.
It fit, though. He also couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this excited about a date.
He looked in his rear-view mirror and caught a glimpse of himself, grinning like some puberty-plagued adolescent.
No matter. The sensory part of his brain could battle all it wanted. He’d already made up his mind that he wasn’t going to allow either his common sense or his overdeveloped sense of guilt to drive away this joyous awareness of anticipation.
It felt too good. Anticipation had been missing from his life for far too long. Now that it was back, he intended to grab it with both hands and hold on for the ride.
As he approached the outskirts of town, he quickly decided to bypass any of the stores where he regularly shopped. He also passed up at least two chain drugstores before settling on a superstore he’d never frequented.
Pushing a large cart around the enormous store was overkill, but no way was he going to hit the checkout stand with only one item. Besides, there were a couple of things he still needed for tonight’s dinner.
He hurried through the grocery area, picking up what he could use. Bittersweet chocolate. Butter. Fresh strawberries. Some greens for a salad. A quick detour to choose a couple of tall tapered candles and that should do it. He’d stalled as long as he could.
Nerves stretching tight, he crossed to the other side of the store and entered the pharmacy area.
Two women chatted in the middle of the aisle, carrying on for a ridiculously long time about some swimming instructor who couldn’t recognize how much raw ability their toddlers displayed.
Logan impatiently passed up the aisle, turning down the next one to stare sightlessly at six feet of shelf space devoted to tooth care.
This was a ridiculous waste of time. It wasn’t like he didn’t have as much right as those women to be in that particular aisle, shopping for any damn thing he pleased. It was none of their business.
In spite of his logic, he couldn’t quite force himself to enter that space while they were there. Couldn’t manage to walk past those women to stop and study the contents of the shelf next to where they stood. And even if he could make his legs carry him to their location, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make a selection from the variety of boxes and put one into his cart. Not with the two of them watching him.
<
br /> So he circled past the toothpaste, the painkillers, and hair products, back to the end of the aisle he wanted to go down. And then he circled one more time, trying to build his courage for the task.
How foolish was it that he could face down a burning house or a wind-whipped forest fire, but the idea of two gossiping housewives passing judgment on his behavior intimidated him, making him feel like a badly behaved adolescent. His mother should be proud. She’d instilled a sense of guilt in him to always be a good boy that he’d likely never overcome.
Finally, on his third pass, one of the talented toddlers threw himself against his mommy’s leg in a fit of impatient rage.
Logan didn’t blame the kid one little bit, sending up his thanks as, at last, the women parted ways and he was left to make his choice in privacy.
Selection made, he tossed the nondescript box into his cart. He almost whooped in joy when he discovered the self-checkout lanes, and within minutes he was loading his purchases into the truck and getting back on the road toward home.
Thanks to Allie’s offer to drive herself out to his place tonight, he still had plenty of time to bake the dark chocolate chess pie he was sure would wind its way straight into her heart.
The night would be perfect. Good food, a bottle of excellent wine, and a beautiful woman to share them both. And, if events should follow the natural path they always seemed to wander down when he and Allie were alone together, thanks to the contents of the little box he’d gone to so much trouble to procure, he’d have the protection he needed to follow through.
Tonight was the night.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“More wine?” Logan lifted the bottle from its ice bucket home as Allie began to shake her head.
“Nope, no more for me. Your dessert put my taste buds in heaven and I don’t want to drag them back down to earth with that wine.” Her eyes rounded as she heard her own words, and she hurried to add, “Not that the wine is bad or anything. Don’t think I’m saying that. It’s just that nothing tastes better than chocolate. Not in my book, anyway.”
TAKE A CHANCE (Chance Colorado Series) Page 15