by Jill Sanders
She laughed and quickly turned the music down. “Sorry, I was listening to this while I was cleaning the house yesterday.” She flipped on her CD player and soft music played instead.
“I like both.” He took her hips and moved with her. “Just as long as you’re my dance partner.” He leaned down and kissed her until he felt her shiver.
Amy lay in Logan’s arms and stared up at the ceiling. The hour nap she’d taken earlier left her wide awake while he slept silently next to her. It felt wonderful to be in his arms, so close to his naked body. Her ear was pressed up against his chest and she could hear his steady heartbeat. Daisy had jumped up on the bed shortly after Logan had pulled the covers over their cooling bodies.
Images of the day flashed in her mind as she thought about her friend’s happiness and her own. Kristen was marrying the man of her dreams and she couldn’t be happier for both of them.
Which of course, got her thinking about the man of her dreams. Growing up, she’d had a plan. She probably still had the list somewhere of the traits she thought made up her perfect husband.
She moved to glance up at Logan and realized he probably didn’t have one thing in common with the man on her list. But maybe that’s why this was working so well between them? Maybe she was being too picky? Kristen was always telling her she was. She felt the need to be guarded—after all, Amy had grown up watching Kristen fall in love with every blond-haired boy with blue eyes. Then, she’d been there after each of those relationships had shattered to pick her friend up. Then there was the way her parents’ marriage had ended. Who could blame her for being cautious?
Settling her head back on his shoulder, she nestled in when his arm automatically came up around her. Shutting down her mind for the night, she decided to let fate take its course.
By the end of the following weeks, she was seriously questioning why she had doubted anything about their relationship in the first place. Especially since everything was going so well.
So, why then was she finding herself more and more on edge? Because she knew, just knew, something was about to blow up. After all, it always had. Every relationship she’d ever had, no matter how short it’d been, had ended the same way. Still, he was doing so much right, which only made her wonder further when it would all end.
Logan had started staying with her most nights. Although, anytime she felt like she needed her space, he would go back to his place and leave her to herself, which hadn’t been too often.
Even at work he’d gone out of his way for her. He’d shown up and helped her for an open house she’d had one weekend. She had always hated sitting in a house alone, waiting for people to walk in. Since he’d been there, the time had flown.
Toward the end of August, Kristen had taken her dress shopping and she’d picked out a beautiful, short and sassy, teal party dress for the DMRA party, which was quickly approaching. Kristen had told her that Aiden had been invited by one of his clients and so she’d picked out a dress for herself. Her dress, however, was a little more off the shelf. She’d actually picked out a bright red wrap that had a hint of the Orient. When Kristen had walked out of the dressing room wearing it, Amy knew that it was the perfect dress for her friend.
Gary had not mentioned any of his plans for the agency to either Logan or her. Or at least Logan wasn’t talking about it if his uncle had discussed it with him. It wasn’t as if she’d asked Gary if Logan was being prepped for partnership in the agency. She’d been a little too nervous to walk in and ask him. She had tried to work up the courage several times, but so far hadn’t been able to open her mouth. As far as she could tell, his uncle had just brought him on board to handle the extra load they’d been getting the last year. But in reality, maybe she was scared of the answer at this point.
Actually, she’d overheard Gary mentioning leasing part of the third floor in their building next year since they were hiring on a few other people. Which, in her mind, assured her that he’d need at least one partner to handle the increased business.
On Saturday, the day before the big party, her nerves were so wired, she’d even taken it out on Kristen, who had just called to see if she could snap a picture of her veil and send it to her. Feeling bad that she’d been short with her best friend, she took a few extra minutes and sent Kristen half a dozen shots.
She was so tense, Logan had even abandoned ship and was spending the night at his own place. It wasn’t as if she’d been mean to him, maybe just a little distant. Which he’d quickly picked up on and made some excuse that he’d had to go to his uncle’s and help him clean out his garage.
She knew that her mood had more to do with how everything was progressing. Her relationship with Logan had never been better, which scared her even more. She’d always lived life waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ever since the night her mother had woken her up packing her things and threatening to move. She had learned then that it was better to be guarded than trusting. Which was probably why all of her past relationships had ended so poorly. All except her friendship with Kristen.
She was just getting around to making herself some dinner, when her doorbell rang. Daisy had taken to barking after hearing the sound and started telling her loudly that someone was at the door.
“Yes, I heard it.” She rolled her eyes at the small dog as she looked out the security hole before opening the door slowly.
“Flowers for Amy Walker.” A delivery woman stood outside her doorway.
She nodded, not sure what to say. No one had ever sent her flowers before. The woman handed her the large bouquet before telling her to have a good evening.
The first thing Amy did when the door was shut was to bury her face in the sweet-smelling flowers. The second thing was to rip open the card that was attached to the silver vase.
For no reason other than that I’m thinking of you.—Logan
The vise around her heart loosened a little as she set the flowers down on her coffee table. She cried as she looked at them.
When her pity party was over, she searched for her cell phone and texted him.
Thanks for the flowers. They’re lovely.
You’re welcome. I miss you.
She sat and tucked her feet up underneath her on her oversized chair and glanced out the window. She was being ridiculous. Here she was waiting around for something bad to happen and she was the one causing the rift between them.
Maybe when you’re done helping your uncle, you can come back here?
Are you sure?
Ever the safe one, she thought.
Yeah, I miss you too.
Less than five minutes later, she heard a knock on the door, and when she opened it, Logan was leaning against her doorjamb with another handful of flowers.
“I’m not trying to bribe you or anything,” he said.
“You could have fooled me.” She reached for the flowers, only to have him pull them away.
“Oh, no. These ones come with a price.” He tapped his lips with his finger. She went up on her toes and placed a slow kiss on his lips.
After he handed her the bouquet, he took his turn and leaned down to kiss her softly. “Your change.”
She bunched her fist in his shirt and pulled him through her doorway. Then setting the flowers on the table, she shoved him up against the closed door and kissed him hard.
Fast. She needed and wanted him as quickly as possible. Her fingers shook as she pushed his clothes off him. Shoving and even, at one point, ripping his shirt over his head.
He smelled of musk and sweat, a scent that intoxicated her as she ran her mouth over his chest. He’d fisted his hands in her hair, but when she leaned back to pull his pants off, he quickly started tugging at her clothes.
He backed her up to the sofa and they fell onto the cushions together, naked. She didn’t have time to think or breathe before he was pulling her legs up and plunging into her. Her nails dug into his hips, pushing and pulling to make him go faster.
“More.” He growled next to her
neck. “I’ll have it all,” he murmured as his eyes met hers. She was mesmerized at how blue they were, how much she saw in the crystal pools. She held on while he took everything she willingly gave him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
There was little time for them to talk the next morning before the party. She’d rushed over to pick Kristen up so they could go shoe shopping, since Amy didn’t have a pair that went with her dress. She’d thought she’d had a teal pair of heels when she’d bought the dress, but couldn’t find them anywhere.
It was a sign, at least in her mind, that she was losing her focus. That was one of the reasons she’d flipped out the day before. She loved control and order. Lived for it actually. She didn’t like it when things weren’t orderly. So, in general, when she noticed in life that she’d started forgetting things, or misplacing items, she would freeze up and hit reverse as quickly as she could. Memories would surface of living in boxes while her parents decided what they wanted to do. She hated when she felt this way.
Thank goodness for Logan and those flowers. Without them, she would have probably freaked out. She’d stared at them for so long that her mind had finally settled down and relaxed.
After an uneventful ride, she parked outside Kristen and Aiden’s building in downtown Denver to wait for her friend to come rushing out.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Kristen said, jumping into her Jeep.
“You’re not.” She smiled over at her. “I’m late.”
Kristen’s looked at her in utter disbelief.
“What?” Amy frowned. “I can be late every now and then.”
Kristen shook her head slowly. “Who are you?” she joked.
Amy laughed. “It’s Logan’s fault. He bought me flowers.”
“As in . . .”
“Delivered. Then he showed up with even more.”
Kristen giggled as Amy pulled onto the street. “You’ve got it bad. So, do you think he’s the one?”
Amy almost swerved as she quickly glanced over at her friend. “No!”
“Well,” Kristen pouted. “Why not? After all, Aiden isn’t exactly who I pictured falling for when we were kids either.” She looked out her window, daydreaming. “But, I wouldn’t want to be marrying any other man.”
“I know, it’s just . . .” She didn’t know what to say. Actually, she was completely speechless. She’d done nothing but think about their relationship for the last few days. One thing was clear after last night, she knew she wanted to enjoy him for as long as she could. Shaking, she turned and parked in the mall lot. When she turned off her car, she looked at her friend. “Logan is . . . Our relationship is . . .”
“Ha!” Kristen pointed her finger at her. “When you can’t define it, it is beyond definition.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
Kristen shrugged. “It will when you least expect it.” Her friend got out of the Jeep. “Now, let’s go find you some shoes and get pedicures.” Kristen linked her arm through Amy’s as they started walking toward the mall entrance.
Logan glanced at himself one last time in Amy’s guest bathroom mirror. He didn’t mind wearing a tux, especially since a few years back he’d paid to have his very own made. It fit like a glove, or fit like he’d imagined James Bond’s tux fit.
He’d slicked his hair back and twisted his head one way, then the other to make sure his barber had evened out his sides. Nothing was out of place.
When Amy had told him that she’d never had flowers delivered, he’d arranged for even more of them to be delivered. They would arrive any minute. He glanced at his watch. They had less than an hour before they were to be in downtown Denver.
Walking out of the bathroom, he was just about to head toward the front door, when the doorbell chimed. Daisy darted from Amy’s room barking madly.
“Yes, Daisy, we all heard the door . . .” His words fell away when he spotted Amy standing in her doorway. The light teal dress clung to her curves. The skirt was fluffed and short, showing off the best pair of legs he’d ever had the pleasure of seeing. Her open-toe heels were the same color as her dress, as were her earrings and necklace. There was even a small bracelet around her left wrist that sparkled with teal.
Her long hair was piled on top of her head as small ringlets hung around her face and down her back.
“Well, are you going to answer it?” she asked as she started walking toward him.
He could only shake his head no.
She chuckled and glided past him to open the door. That’s when he noticed that most of the back of the dress was missing. He could see all the way to the curve of her lower back, which only made his tux pants tighter on him.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, causing his eyes to rush to her face as she spun around. “More flowers?”
He smiled and started to wonder if he was going to be stricken mute all night while in her presence.
He’d ordered white flowers this time and watched her bury her face into their softness. He must have moaned, because her eyes moved back up to him.
“Are you okay?” She frowned.
He started to walk toward her, a slow smile forming on his lips. “You look amazing.” His fingers gently touched her hips, since he didn’t want to mess her up anywhere.
He thought he saw her cheeks blush as she looked up at him. “Thank you. You look very sexy.” Her fingers went to his neck as she straightened the already straight tie. “We’d better get going if we plan on being there on time.”
He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss on her check. He watched her set the flowers down on the kitchen table then walk over to grab a small silver purse from the chair.
“I’m ready,” she said.
When they walked into the Four Seasons’ lobby, they ran into Kristen and Aiden. The pair looked amazing as they made their way across the floor toward them.
“Evening.” He nodded toward Aiden.
“How’s it going?” He shook his hand firmly. “So, we’re up on the third floor.”
He walked shoulder to shoulder with Aiden as the women walked in front of them, whispering.
“Are they always like this?” he asked Aiden right before they stepped into the elevator.
Aiden glanced at the pair, then back at him. “Always,” he said with a smile.
When they stepped out of the elevator, it was onto an open terrace with a swimming pool. Since they were there an hour before sunset, the colors of the sky were breathtaking. There were already over a hundred people standing around, drinking, and talking as they signed in.
Logan immediately saw his uncle across the bar with Leah close by his side. The larger woman looked nice in a very long, flowing blue dress. Her hair was arranged softly around her face, making her look younger.
“There’s my uncle.” He touched Amy’s arm and pointed toward the bar.
“Shall we go say hello?” She smiled as the group made their way toward the bar area. Logan ordered drinks for them, then leaned against the bar to listen to his uncle tell one of his crazy stories to another Realtor.
“Look at Gary,” Kristen whispered to Amy. “He was born for this.” She giggled as Logan’s uncle finished the story of how he’d persuaded an elderly couple to remove the close to four hundred gnomes that had inhabited their yard so their house would sell.
“He’s always had good stories.” Amy turned to Kristen. “Remember our tenth birthday party at your folks’ place? He had all the girls convinced that he was Prince Charming.” They laughed and Logan felt a pang of longing for a childhood that never happened. As he watched his uncle, he wished more than anything that his mother had chosen to remain close to her brother despite being married to her husband.
“Hey.” Amy broke into his thoughts of all the missed fun and family times as a child. “Are you okay?”
He blinked and glanced down at her, then ran a hand over her shoulder. “Yeah, fine.” He looked over and saw a few of his old coworkers. “I’m going to go say hello to some people.”
“Want me to tag along?” she asked.
He shook his head, not wanting to tell her he needed a moment alone. “I’ll be quick.” He left his drink at the bar and made his way toward Derrick and John, two of his old colleagues at CCR.
When he approached the two men, he was shocked to see Tiffany standing in front of them. She wore an almost sheer white gown and, in the dying light, the sparkles on her dress caused almost a glow around her. Her long blonde hair was down around her shoulders in soft waves. There were diamonds around her neck and in her ears, no doubt bought by her father, who had always given his only daughter anything she’d ever asked for.
Quickly, he thought about turning back around, but it was too late when she squealed loudly and rushed to hug him.
“There you are,” she purred. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Her fingers dug into his hair, messing it up. “We were just talking about the good old days,” she said as she ran a manicured fingernail up his chest, stopping just below his chin.
“Tiff,” he said, then he nodded in Derrick and John’s direction.
“Tiffany was just telling us how her father has called off her wedding to Marcus,” Derrick said, waggling his eyebrows behind her back.
“Oh?” He felt the evening air start to warm.
“Yes, it was mean of Daddy to try and force me into that relationship.” She stuck out her full bottom lip in a pout.
His mind instantly raced to another lip he’d kissed that looked much better in that position. Trying to twist his body to see if Amy was still at the bar, he groaned when he noticed her walking their way. That sexy little frown was firmly in place on her lips as she watched Tiffany wrap her body around his.
“Listen, Tiff . . .” he started to say, just before she moved her body even closer to his. Now he felt like they were smashed together, and he was having a difficult time breathing as panic started to set in.
He felt Amy stop beside him.
“I believe you have your body wrapped around my boyfriend.” Amy’s voice sounded calm as she spoke.