ManofHerDreams

by Paige Warren

  Robert shook his head at her lunacy. “Sienna, what does your weight have to do with anything? You’re beautiful, smart, funny… granted, you’re also sarcastic, anxious, and somewhat neurotic, but I’m hoping we can keep those traits a secret until the man gets to know you better.”

  Sienna gave him a goofy grin. “You really think I’m beautiful?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, I really think you’re beautiful. Matter of fact, if we weren’t friends, I’d give this guy a run for his money and try to claim you for my own.”

  Sienna laughed. She knew that Robert was just kidding with her, but it was nice to think that a man like him felt she was beautiful and worth fighting for. It’s what every woman wanted to hear, and it was something that Sienna had never heard. Oh sure, men had told her she was pretty, but no one had ever said she was beautiful.

  “Come on, they should be opening the doors any moment. We’d better go stand in line,” Robert said as he opened his door.

  Sienna was shaking on her way to the bookstore. It was ridiculous to feel so nervous. After all, the man probably wouldn’t even remember her. She was getting worked up for nothing. Still… she reached over and grabbed Robert’s hand for support.

  He felt her trembling and gave her hand a squeeze. Robert would love to line up the men Sienna had dated and kick the crap out of every single one of them. Every last one had left her feeling insecure, worthless, and unattractive. They weren’t men; they were selfish assholes in his opinion. The world would be a better place without them.

  The line moved sluggishly. Almost half an hour had passed by the time they stepped through the front doors and into the air conditioned store.

  Sienna’s mouth dropped in shock and awe. The décor was fantastic! It was even better than the other stores Logan had opened. It was designed to feel like a small Tuscan village, and Logan had certainly pulled it off.

  “It’s amazing,” she told Robert.

  He glanced around, taking it all in. “Yes, it is. It seems that Logan Drake has done it again.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” said a voice off to the side.

  As they turned, Robert and Sienna saw the man in question.

  Sienna’s gaze took all of him in, from his tucked in blue button down shirt to his black dress slacks. He had dispensed with a coat and tie, but looked edible just the same.

  Logan stepped closer to them. Sienna looked beautiful today. He eyed the man next to her, wondering who he was. He glanced at their joined hands and his eyes narrowed. Was she seeing someone? He certainly didn’t blame the man for being smitten with her. After all, Logan had only met her once and had wanted to ask her out on the spot.

  “I’m Logan,” he said as he offered his hand to Robert.

  “Robert. And I believe you’ve already met Sienna.”

  Logan nodded. “Yes, we met briefly last night on the beach. I’m glad that y’all came by today.”

  “When I heard about your grand opening I knew we had to come. Sienna just loves your bookstores,” Robert responded.

  Beside him, Sienna was blushing furiously. Leave it to Robert to embarrass her beyond belief. She glanced at the floor, hoping it would conceal her red cheeks.

  Releasing her hand, Robert took a step away. “If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to go browse through the mystery section.”

  Sienna looked after him with despair. Now what? How was she supposed to carry on a conversation with a man who tied her up in knots? She could barely think around Logan Drake, much less converse with the man.

  “What do you think of the store, Sienna?” Logan asked quietly, moving closer to her.

  She looked up into his eyes and her breath caught. He was near enough that she could smell his aftershave and it was intoxicating. Her knees felt weak and she started feeling lightheaded. Sienna thought she was going to hit the floor at any moment.

  Logan stepped closer still, his body almost brushing against hers. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Oh, um, I… I really like it. It’s different than anything else you’ve done.”

  He gave her his sexiest, most deadly grin. “I’m glad you like it.”

  Sienna held back a gasp. The man was positively sinful. And was he flirting with her? Surely not… no, she must definitely be mistaken. There was no reason for Logan to be flirting with her of all people. Maybe if she remembered how to breathe the oxygen could circulate to her brain and she’d stop having these idiotic thoughts.

  “And your boyfriend… does he like my other stores as well?” Logan asked, deciding to go on a fishing expedition.

  “Boyfriend?” she asked, dumbfounded.

  Logan nodded toward the mystery section. “Robert.”

  “Oh. Oh! Oh no, Robert isn’t my boyfriend. He lives next door and he’s my friend, but that’s all.” Sienna shut her mouth suddenly. What was wrong with her? She was babbling and acting like an idiot.

  “I’m glad to hear that you’re just friends,” he told her.

  “You are?”

  Logan nodded. “Yes because I’ve wanted to ask you something. I wanted to ask you last night, but you seemed a bit shy.”

  Shy? He thought she was shy? Well, it was as good an excuse as any. It was certainly better than telling the man that he scrambled her brain, gave her butterflies and made her think lustful thoughts. She’d love nothing more than to strip him naked, tie him down, slather him with honey, and lick him from head to toe… there was one part in particular she really wanted to lick.

  “What did you want to ask me?” she asked quietly.

  “I wondered if you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow. That is, if you’re free?”

  Sienna stared at him, shell-shocked. He was asking her out? On a date? When she started feeling faint, she realized that she had once again forgotten to breathe. Sucking in a lung full of air, she tried to calm her racing heart.

  “I’m free tomorrow,” she heard herself answer.

  “Wonderful. Shall I pick you up around seven?”

  Sienna nodded. “Seven will be fine.”

  Logan leaned in close and brushed a kiss against her cheek.

  “I’ll see you then,” he murmured. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should probably circulate the room and check on all of my customers.”

  “Of course.”

  Logan gave her one more devastating smile before sauntering off.

  The man could certainly make an exit! She’d never really noticed a man’s butt before, but Logan’s was definitely something to look at. She sighed and turned to go find Robert. True to his word, he was in the mystery section.

  Robert took in her flushed cheeks and her dazed expression.

  “I take it the conversation with Logan went well?”

  Sienna snapped out of it and looked up at her friend. “He asked me out.”

  Robert smiled down at her. “And you’re surprised?”

  “Well, duh!”

  Robert sighed and shook his head. “You shouldn’t be. How many times have I told you how beautiful you are? That you’re one of a kind?”

  “I always thought you just said that stuff to be nice and make me feel better.”

  “Sienna, I say those things because they’re true. You’re unique. I can honestly say there isn’t another woman out there like you.”

  She snorted. “That isn’t always a good thing, Robert.”

  “Maybe not, but in this case it is. And it can’t just be me that sees it. Logan had to have seen something for him to ask you out.”

  She shrugged her shoulder. “I guess.”

  Robert growled low in his throat and backed her up against the bookcase. “Do I have to smack you over the head with a book to knock some sense into you? Do I? Because I’m tired of hearing you put yourself down; tired of hearing that you’re fat or unattractive. If I weren’t your friend, I’d kiss you senseless right about now just to prove how attractive you are.”

  Sienna’s eyes went wide. She had never seen Robert
like this. Sure, he got upset when she put herself down, but he’d never reacted like this.

  He dropped his forehead to hers. “What am I going to do with you?”

  She grinned up at him. “I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

  Robert chuckled and stepped away from her. She was driving him insane lately. If Logan screwed things up, he wasn’t sure what would happen. Sienna’s heart couldn’t stand to be broken too many more times. And Robert wasn’t sure he could stand to watch it be broken anymore.

  Grabbing her hand, he tugged her toward the front counter. “Come on. After I pay for my book, I’ll take you to lunch.”

  “Where are we going?”

  He let his eyes travel over her dress, down to her sandals, and back up to her eyes. “I’m thinking somewhere with tablecloths and candles.”

  Sienna grinned. “You mean somewhere like Chez Christophe?”

  Robert laughed. “Yeah, somewhere like that. I take it this means you’re in the mood for French food?”

  “French food is fine. Mostly I’m in the mood for French desserts.”

  “Then Chez Christophe it is.”

  Across the room Logan watched the two make their way through the checkout line. They way they held hands, stood close together and laughed together had his stomach in knots. Sienna had said they were just friends, but they looked like a lot more. Maybe they were friends with benefits?

  Logan clenched his fists. The thought of someone else’s hands on Sienna’s perfect skin just about drove him nuts. He wasn’t stupid enough to think she hadn’t had lovers, but he hoped that it had been a while since she’d been with anyone. Never before had anyone had this kind of pull on him. He wanted to claim her, to let every man in the room know she was his. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned and walked through the store once more. It was best if he kept Sienna off his mind… until tomorrow.

  Chapter Three

  Back at her house, Sienna flopped down onto the sofa. Her lunch with Robert had been fantastic, but now she was full and miserable. Maybe if she hadn’t eaten that decadent dessert… nah, dessert was the whole point of the meal.

  Robert closed and locked the front door before joining her in the living room. Sinking onto the sofa, he sighed. Reaching for her hand, he clasped her fingers.

  “Since you wouldn’t talk much during lunch, want to talk about Logan Drake now?”

  Sienna groaned. “No, I don’t.”

  “Come on. The man asked you out. It’s a dream come true for you.”

  “And?”

  “What do you mean ‘and’?”

  “What do you want from me Robert?”

  “A man you’ve desired from a distance for a while now asks you out and you don’t have anything to say about it?”

  “Yeah, I do. He’s nuts and so are you. Happy now?”

  Robert sighed. “You’re hopeless, a lost cause.”

  “And yet you’re friends with me… what does that say about you?”

  He laughed. “Not much. But I love you so I think I’ll stick around.”

  Sienna looked over at him and smiled. “I know and I love you too. I’m glad you put up with me.”

  “Do you want any help picking out your clothes for your big date? Something guaranteed to make the man drool?”

  “Sure, why not? After all, a guy should know what another guy is going to like.”

  “Come on,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go dig through that closet of yours.”

  Sienna allowed Robert to drag her into the bedroom. She plopped down on the edge of the bed while he threw the closet doors open wide. Stepping into the long walk-in, he started thumbing through her clothes. Reaching toward the back, he pulled out a black cocktail dress that Sienna hadn’t worn in ages.

  “What about this?”

  She shook her head. “There is no way I’m fitting in that thing.”

  “You never know until you try it on.”

  Sighing in resignation she snatched the dress from him and marched into the adjoining bathroom. Closing the door, she stripped out of her clothes and slipped into the black dress. After a few failed attempts at zipping it, she opened the door a crack.

  “I don’t suppose you could zip me up, could you?”

  Robert gave her a wicked grin. “I don’t know. I’m better at unzipping dresses.”

  Opening the door further, she laughed and playfully smacked him on the arm. “You’re so bad!”

  “I know. It’s part of my charm.”

  Shaking her head, she turned and gave him her back. She felt his large warm hands as he zipped the dress for her.

  “What do you think?” she asked, turning to face him.

  Robert let his gaze roam over her full breasts, straining against the fabric, down over her lush hips to the hem of the dress, which fell a little above her knees.

  “You look spectacular. If Logan doesn’t love you in this dress, there’s no hope for the man.”

  Sienna threw her arms around him. “Thank you.”

  Hugging her back, he breathed in her floral scent. The woman was killing him and she wasn’t even aware of it.

  “You’re welcome,” he responded, his voice husky.

  ***

  The next night Sienna dressed in the black dress. Robert had come over to help her with the zipper again. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, her make-up was light but flawless, and she wore her sexiest black open-toed shoes.

  Looking at herself in the mirror again, Sienna nervously smoothed her dress. She could find no fault with her reflection other than the weight that plagued her every day. Dabbing a little perfume behind her ears and between her breasts, she turned off the bathroom light and went into the living room to wait on Logan.

  Before she had a chance to sit down, the doorbell rang. Heels clicking on the floor, she walked to the front door and peered through the peep hole. Logan stood on the other side in a collarless red button down shirt and black slacks. He had a jacket slung over his shoulder.

  Opening the door, Sienna peeked around the edge.

  “Hi Logan,” she said.

  He smiled as his eyes took in every detail of her. “Hi Sienna. Are you ready for our date?”

  She nodded. “Just let me grab my purse.”

  She turned toward the small table in the entry and picked up the black clutch that matched her dress. Making sure her keys were inside, she locked the knob and pulled the front door closed.

  Smiling up at Logan, she placed her hand on the arm he offered her. Walking to the shiny BMW in the driveway, Logan opened the passenger door for her.

  Sienna slid into the car. Once she was inside, Logan closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. When they were both buckled, he started the car and backed down the driveway.

  “Do you like seafood?” he asked as they drove through her neighborhood.

  “It’s one of my favorites,” she answered.

  “Good, I know just the place then.”

  The drive to the restaurant was fairly quiet. Logan was dying to ask her a ton of questions, but he didn’t want to spook her. Instead, he tried to let her lead the conversation. They spoke about his stores a little and how great the weather had been, but she hadn’t volunteered any information about herself.

  Logan parked the car in some parking spaces off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Sienna looked around. She saw a pier with a building out at the end. Was that the restaurant?

  They got out of the car. Walking to the front of the vehicle, the stopped and looked out over the pier.

  “This place isn’t overly fancy, but they have killer food and the atmosphere is nice.”

  She smiled at him as she took his arm. “I’m sure I’ll love it.”

  They walked down the pier toward the restaurant and Sienna breathed in the salty air. The sound of the ocean helped calm her racing heart. She knew that Logan had wanted her to talk more in the car, but she was just too nervous.


  As they entered the building, the first thing Sienna noticed was that the floor was glass in spots. She looked at Logan questioningly.

  He leaned to whisper in her ear, “While you’re eating, you can look down through the floor and watch the fish swimming.”

  “I haven’t been to a place like this before. I’m looking forward to our dinner.”