by Paige Warren
Logan smiled down at her. When the hostess came over, he requested a table for two with a view of the sea.
Once they were seated near a window and over the special glass flooring, Logan took a moment to watch Sienna.
The black dress she wore clung to every curve. The soft curls brushing her cheeks made Logan want to bury his hands in her hair. In the candlelight, her skin glowed.
Sienna glanced up and noticed Logan’s attentive gaze. “Everything okay?”
He nodded. “Everything is perfect.”
She smiled and went back to looking over the menu.
The waitress came over a moment later to take their orders. Left alone, without a menu to hide behind, Sienna had no choice but to speak to Logan. Under the table, her fingers fidgeted in her lap.
“So, are you from California?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I moved here about five years ago. I’d always wanted to live by the beach and the local library had posted a job that I just couldn’t pass up.”
“So you work for the local library?”
She nodded. “I’m a reference librarian.”
“What exactly do you do?”
She shrugged. “A little of everything. I help select the books that go out on the shelves and place the orders for them; assist patrons locate books they can’t find on their own; help with the computers that are open to the public; book the meeting rooms. There’s a bit more to it than that, but that’s the gist of my job.”
“It sounds like you’re a very busy lady.”
“I usually am, but it’s a rewarding job.”
Logan smiled. He could easily see her as a librarian; she was quiet and reserved.
“So where was home before moving here?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation focused on her. He wanted to learn as much about her as he could.
“Texas. I lived in a small town outside of Dallas, way out in the country.”
Logan raised a brow. “You don’t sound like a Texas girl.”
She shrugged. “I guess my accent wore off after a while. My family always gives me grief when I go for a visit.”
“Do you get to see them often?”
“Not really. Of course, that isn’t because I can’t take the time off. The library is great about that kind of thing, but I prefer the ocean to the hills of Texas.”
He smiled. “I can understand that. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.”
Before Logan could ask her anymore questions, their food arrived. They ate in companionable silence and watched the fish swimming under them.
***
After dinner, Logan drove Sienna back to her place. He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. Opening the door for her, he assisted her out of the car.
He held his hand out to her and Sienna hesitantly clasped it. He felt the slight tremor run through her. Was it from nerves or excitement? Judging by the look on her face, he guessed it was nerves. What was it going to take for her to relax around him?
As they approached her door, he stopped and puller her into his arms. Before she could protest, he lowered his head to hers and claimed her lips in a gentle kiss.
Sienna moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her body felt like it was on fire. Pressing herself closer to Logan, she felt his erection against her. She gasped against his mouth, both shocked and turned on.
Logan groaned. He was drowning in Sienna’s sweetness. His tongue flicked across her lips, begging her to open them. She hesitantly opened her lips and he slipped his tongue into her mouth, caressing her tongue with his. Grasping her hips with his hands, he pulled her tight against him. Feeling her body rub against his made him want her even more.
Before things got too far out of hand, he pulled back. Through lidded eyes he stared down at her. Sienna’s lips were swollen from his kiss, her cheeks were flushed with desire, and she had a dreamy far off look in her eyes.
“I think I’d better say goodnight before I forget how to be a gentleman,” he rasped.
Sienna was too dazed to speak. Never had she been kissed like that! She looked into Logan’s eyes and tried hard now to throw herself back into his arms. If the man could kiss like that, how well did he do everything else?
“Sienna?”
“Hmm? Oh, sorry Logan. Yes, I understand. I had a lovely time…” she trailed off, realizing that she was babbling.
He smiled down at her. “I’m glad you enjoyed our date. Does this mean I can convince you to go out with me again?”
“When?” she asked, feeling bold.
“How about tomorrow? I have a boat not far from here. We could take a picnic lunch with us.”
She nodded. “That sounds lovely.”
“How about if I pick you up at eleven o’clock?”
“Eleven is great. I’ll see you then.”
He smiled and briefly brushed his lips across hers again. Straightening, he started backing toward his car.
“You’d better go inside before I can’t stop myself.”
Laughing, she opened the door and stepped inside. She waved good-bye to Logan and closed the door. Turning the lock, she smiled to herself.
Logan Drake liked her! He really and truly liked her! It was mind boggling.
Drifting into her bedroom, she stripped off her dress and heels. Filling the tub with hot water, she decided to soak before going to bed. Not that she needed to relax this evening, but she did some of her best daydreaming in the tub.
Chapter Four
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Sienna stretched in her bed and rolled over. Opening her eyes, she squinted against the light streaming through her bedroom window.
Groaning she rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was only a little after eight. She still had plenty of time to get ready for her day out with Logan. Sighing she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. No such luck.
Giving up, she tossed the covers aside and climbed out of bed. Stretching, she shuffled into the bathroom. Going through her morning ritual, she put a headband in her hair to keep it out of her eyes and wandered back into the bedroom. Deciding against a robe, she went to the kitchen for a bite to eat.
As Sienna was munching on her cereal, she heard the front door open. Knowing that she had locked it the night before, she knew that it had to be Robert. Sure enough, he came around the corner smiling at her.
“Good morning!”
She mumbled a response.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you Sunshine.”
“I said, fuck off.”
“Such language! And before ten o’clock!”
She glared at him through narrowed eyes.
Robert smirked at her and sat down across from her. He took in her tank top and pajama pants. Sienna looked cute first thing in the morning, if you could get past the fangs she sprouted when she woke up before ten o’clock.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want to know how your date went.”
She blushed remembering the kiss she’d shared with Logan the night before. “It went well. We’re going out again today.”
He raised a brow. “Really? That’s kind of fast, don’t you think?”
She shrugged. “Not really. We’re taking a picnic out on his boat.”
“So you’re actually going to wear a bathing suit? Now this I have to see!”
She shook her head. “I was thinking more along the lines of shorts and a nice sleeveless shirt.”
“Uh-uh, no way! The man asks you out on his boat and you want to cover up that much skin? The only reason a guy asks a woman out on a boat or out to the beach is to see her in a bathing suit.”
“Forget it.”
Robert sighed. “I have to do everything, don’t I?”
He got up and walked into her bedroom. He vaguely remembered a bathing suit tucked into the back of the closet. It was a one piece, but it had a fairly low cut neckline. Snagging it out of the closet, he fl
ung it across the bed. Reaching into the closet again, he pulled out a matching sarong and a cute pair of sandals.
Just thinking of Sienna dressed like that was enough to make him drool. The thought of her dressing like that for another man was like a kick in the gut, but if Logan made her happy then Robert was all for it. She deserved a little happiness in her life. Men tended to treat her badly. If Logan could break the cycle, then he had Robert’s endorsement.
Sienna appeared in the bedroom doorway. “Oh no, no way in hell am I wearing that!”
“Yes, you are wearing that! It will drive the man wild.”
“How do you know?”
He sighed. “Because it drives me wild just thinking about you wearing it.”
“Oh,” she said softly. She wasn’t used to this side of Robert. While it was flattering, it also made her feel bad. Why hadn’t she noticed before that he thought of her that way?
“I’m going to head back home. I hope you have a nice time and call me when you get back.”
She nodded and watched him go, unsure of what to say.
Turning back to the bed, she eyed the bathing suit and wrap. She wasn’t sure about wearing it, but if Robert thought she should… well, he hadn’t been wrong with his other clothing choices.
She shook her head and walked back into the living room. She still had a little time before she needed to get ready. Picking up her book, she sat on the sofa and decided to read for a little bit.
***
A while later the doorbell rang. Startled, Sienna looked up from her book. What time was it? Glancing at the clock on the way, she realized that it was five 'til eleven.
Groaning, she put the book down and went to answer the door. She had on no make-up, her hair was a mess and she wasn’t dressed yet.
Sienna unlocked the door and cracked it open. Peeking around the edge, she saw Logan.
“I’m afraid I lost track of the time. If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll be ready to go.”
He flashed her a grin, noting her pajamas and rumpled look. “Take all the time you need.”
Sienna backed up, opening the door enough for him to step inside. Self conscious of her current attire, she scrambled for the bedroom door. Once safely out of Logan’s sight, she closed the door and changed her clothes.
Thankfully the bathing suit had tummy control! She wrapped the sarong around her waist and tied it off. Stepping into the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, brushed her hair and put on some mascara and lip-gloss.
Turning her face one way and then the other, she looked at her reflection. Her hair was a little wild today, but since they would be out on the boat it wouldn’t matter.
Deciding that she wasn’t going to get any more glamorous, she shrugged her shoulders and walked back into the bedroom. Slipping her feet into the sandals Robert had pulled out of the closet, she opened the door to the living room.
Logan was standing in front of her window seat looking out at the beach. He looked good today in a pair of navy swim trunks and a white polo.
“Sorry I wasn’t ready,” Sienna said as she joined him by the window.
“Quite alright. I stopped by the market on the way here to pick up some things for lunch today. I hope you don’t mind?”
She shook her head. “Not at all.”
Reaching for her hand, he tugged her toward the door. “If we go now, we’ll be far enough out to stop for lunch by noon.”
Sienna snagged her purse on the way out the door, making sure she locked up on her way out. She slid into the passenger side of Logan’s car and put on her seat belt.
On the way to the marina, Logan was quiet. Sienna hadn’t said much this morning, but she seemed more relaxed around him than she had been before. Maybe she was just quiet by nature?
As he pulled into a parking space, he unbuckled his seat belt and turned off the car. Reaching into the backseat, he pulled out a picnic hamper and a bottle of wine.
They climbed out of the car and started down the pier.
“Which boat is yours?” Sienna asked.
Logan nodded toward the end of the pier. “The next to last one on the left.”
Sienna looked in the direction he had indicated and nearly forgot to breath. A boat indeed! The vessel was rather large. She didn’t know much about boats, but it seemed that ‘boat’ wasn’t a large enough word to do it justice.
“Are you sure that’s just a boat? I always thought they were smaller,” she commented.
Logan chuckled. “I guess the appropriate term is sport yacht.”
“A yacht?”
“Well, it’s a small one. It’s more for sport so it doesn’t have a lot of room on deck like the larger luxury yachts do.”
Sienna just shook her head. She’d never been on a yacht before and was a little curious. It didn’t matter to her if it was a sport one or one of the big fancy ones. She’d been on one or two small fishing boats and some jet skis, but that was about it.
As the stepped aboard, she saw that he was correct on the amount of space on deck. There was a hard top over an area with two seats, one of which was the captain’s chair. Was that right? Captain? She knew large boats had captains, but she wasn’t sure about small ones.
She noticed some stairs and a door. “What’s down there?”
Logan glanced to where she was pointing. “The cabin area.”
“There’s a cabin area?”
He nodded. “It’s where I’m going to store our food and wine. Want to see?”
She nodded and followed him down the stairs. The area she stepped into was far more luxurious than she would have imagined. The wood floor was shiny so she assumed it must have been sealed with something to protect it from water. There was a small kitchen area and a sitting area. Small round windows lined the walls. She noticed two doors up ahead.
“Where do those go?”
“The one on the left is the bathroom,” Logan said, as he pushed the door open.
Sienna peered inside. There was a small sink with a cabinet underneath for storage and a shower that looked big enough for two. She blushed at the thought.
Logan pushed the second door open. “And this one is the bedroom.”
Sienna looked around him to check out the small room. There was a full-size bed that had drawers under it and a small counter that she assumed was supposed to be a desk of sorts.
“The cabin is very nice,” she murmured.
Logan gave her his slow sexy grin. “I’m glad you like it. I like to take the boat out for a few nights just to escape sometimes.”
“Oh? I guess it’s a little like a hotel on water.”
He chuckled. “A little.”
Motioning toward the kitchen, she asked, “Should I put the wine in the refrigerator?”
He shook his head. “I’ll do it. If you’d like, you can go back up top. I’ll be there in just a minute.”
Sienna nodded and walked up the stairs. Sitting in the seat that wasn’t in front of the steering wheel, she looked out over the ocean. She was enjoying the peace and quiet when a shrill voice grated on her ears.
“Yoo hoo! Looggannn…”
A tall, leggy blonde approached the boat. Great, Sienna thought, just what she needed, one of Logan’s girlfriends showing up. Sinking further into the seat, she wished she could disappear.
“Logan?” the blonde called out again.
Sienna wished that Logan would resurface. No such luck. Sighing, she resigned herself to her fate and stepped out from under the hard cover.
“May I help you?” she asked the blonde woman.
The scrawny sun dried woman eyed her up and down, clearly wondering what Logan Drake was doing with the likes of her.
“Where’s Logan and who are you?”
Sienna opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the man in question.
Climbing the stairs back up to the deck he heard Angie giving Sienna the third degree. Why couldn’t the woman take a hint? He wasn’t interested! He’d told he
r that countless times, but she just wouldn’t go away. Maybe having Sienna present could work to his advantage.
“Logan is right here,” he told the annoying woman with the whiny voice.
The blonde shot him a hundred watt smile and looked like she was about to climb on deck. Logan quickly stepped closer to Sienna and put his arm around her waist.