Where There's Smoke

by Jayne Rylon

  “Fine. You can bicker with her all you like. After we eat.” Ben rapped Logan’s powerful thigh with the back of his hand. “Give me that dish. Let’s dig in before this gets cold.”

  Logan opened his mouth then closed it again, respecting his uncle’s wishes. He set a plate in front of Ben, and sank into one of the ornate chairs Rose had hunted from an antique sale. The stately furniture looked like it belonged in a dollhouse when he graced it.

  “Good morning to you too, Ojii-san.” Kyana kissed Ben’s temple lightly then claimed the chair he and Logan drew out for her simultaneously. Sandwiched between them, she felt safe…and hungry. How long had it been since she’d really had an appetite?

  “Same to you.” He winked. “More like good evening. Logan was going to bring you dinner in bed. Hurry up and scoot under the covers if you want, I won’t tell him you’re awake. Maybe he hasn’t noticed.”

  “I sure as hell picked up on that, but it wouldn’t stop me from making a special delivery.” He licked a daub of cream sauce from his fork. The sensuality he harnessed even in such a small gesture gave her heart palpitations.

  She cleared her throat before trying to play it cool. “I’m not about to make him serve me after he already did all the work.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” The heat in his stare scorched her twice over yet somehow it gave her shivers too. “You’d better get used to it. If I’m going to be staying here, I’ll be pulling my weight.”

  “I vote for him as our cook.” Ben forked up a huge bite of steaming salmon. “No offense, girly. I’ve had enough cans of soup to last me the rest of my life.”

  Just the thought of hearty beef and vegetable had her groaning too. The sound quickly morphed into a sigh when she tasted the heavenly dish Logan had whipped up as if it were nothing. “Not going to complain there. You’re hired, Logan-kun.”

  “Welcome home.” Ben smiled then focused on devouring his dinner.

  Kyana and Logan exchanged a smile over his head.

  “Careful. I know the fire chief cleared this section of the structure. Still, I don’t like the way the beams were compromised.” Logan bounced on a spot that looked a little suspect. It creaked yet held.

  “Then why don’t you wait downstairs?” Kyana glanced over at his mammoth frame. “I’m not exactly a bean pole, but I’m a hell of a lot lighter than you.”

  “Hey.” He paused his inspection to pat his six-pack abs. “This is all muscle, babe.”

  Kyana rolled her eyes. “No shit. You’re so damn hard, you make a lousy pillow.”

  “I didn’t hear any complaints last night or the night before or the night before that.” His infectious grin made her wish she were close enough to smack him in the shoulder. Their friendship had picked up right where it had left off all those years ago.

  Still, she didn’t bother to argue. Neither one of them had scrambled very hard to find alternate sleeping arrangements. An afternoon or two could have emptied out the spare room in Rose’s house to give them each a private spot. Both of them had clung to every available excuse to keep from going to the effort.

  “Hell, last night you crashed before I even finished telling you about how me and Jerry Lu got the cow onto the roof of the school. You pestered me for months about that one back in the day. Ben says you’re an insomniac. I think he’s nuts. I mean, it’s not every day a woman conks out in my bed. Well, your bed. Whatever. You know what I mean.” He grinned. “Besides, you’re not supposed to sleep on the hard parts. There are better uses for those.”

  She hoped he’d interpret her harrumph as feminist indignation rather than the self-annoyance that spawned the sound. Because although she knew his teasing was meant to be harmless fun, she couldn’t help but wish he was serious.

  “How about you put yourself to better use right now.”

  He strode toward her with no hesitation. “Here?”

  “Where else?” She tried not to laugh when he neared. “Boost me up so I can grab those wicker baskets off the top shelf of the closet. I’m pretty sure that’s where Ben meant he kept the fireproof box with the insurance paperwork. The sooner we get this red tape handled, the sooner we can start on repairs. It kills him not to be here, to know it’s not all perfect and shiny. He loves this place.”

  “Yeah. Of course.” Logan grimaced as he adjusted himself not so subtly.

  Kyana should probably feel bad for triggering his instincts. She didn’t. She enjoyed playing the siren, even if he would have had the same reaction to any available woman. Was waking up next to another warm body having the same effect on him as it was on her? The last time she’d been this horny she’d ended up hooking up with a friend of a friend at a backyard barbeque and making a pact with herself that other lawyers were off limits ever after. Each time she saw the scumbag in court, her bad judgment haunted her and his leer inspired the urge to shower.

  Before she could brace herself against the hormonal surge Logan caused every time he touched her, he surrounded her waist with his broad fingers and lifted her several feet off the ground. She squeaked when he adjusted his grip, palming her ass with one hand and steadying her with the other.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not about to drop you. Ben would kick my ass.” He laughed. “What’s in there?”

  Ignoring the heat of his contact, which seared through her jeans, she reached up and grabbed the tallest crate off the stack. When she tipped it forward, a gray metal box shifted. The heavy object threw off her balance and she wobbled.

  “Whoa. Easy up there.” Logan held true to his word. He compensated, but began to lower her.

  “I think this is it. Put me down.” She squirmed a bit, eager to verify the contents.

  “Hmmm. I don’t know.” Logan gripped her tighter. “I kind of like the view from here.”

  “Oh my God. How old are you?” A half-hearted kick of her heel bounced off his steely ribs.

  “Old enough to know what to do with a woman as gorgeous as you.” He allowed her to sink a few more feet, inch by tantalizing inch. His hands were everywhere on her and she couldn’t honestly say she hoped he’d hurry. “Pamper her, worship her, ravish her. Those are pretty high on my To Do list.”

  As soon as her sneakers hit the ground, he rotated her in his grip, relieving her of the basket, which he set to the side before crowding her against the closet wall. Instead of claustrophobia, a sense of protection settled over her.

  “You’re killing me, Ky.” He surprised her by burying his nose in her hair and breathing deep. “This smell…”

  “Stale smoke turns you on?” Being a smartass was pretty much her only defense at this point. This might be a game to him, but if she lost, she would never recover.

  “Your shampoo, I’ve never forgotten how much I loved it.” He grimaced. “I spent a while looking awkward once, sniffing a bunch of different kinds from the grocery store, but didn’t find the right one by the time the manager walked past me for the third time so I gave up. They must have thought I was nuts.”

  “It’s a salon brand. My mother used to buy it.” She squinted up at him, trying to tell if he was serious. The dim light in the space made it impossible to tell what emotions clouded his deep blue eyes.

  “Figures.” He shook his head. “You always were too classy for me.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She twined her fingers through the belt loops of his jeans when he would have retreated.

  “You know damn well what I’m talking about.” He looked away from her, though there wasn’t anything else to see in the tight confinement. “I’m a mutt, you’re a purebred. You deserve a shit ton better than me.”

  “Logan!” She clawed him when fury flexed her fingers unwillingly. “You think I’m some kind of snob? What the hell did I ever do to give you that impression?”

  “You?” He tilted his head, coming to peer at her again. “Nothing. It’s just the facts. Even if you’ve never seemed to realize it. Why the hell do you think I left? It’s water under the
bridge, but you had to realize how close you came to tangoing with trash that last summer. Those last weeks. I wasn’t about to let you make that kind of mistake with someone like me.”

  “Holy shit. You moron.” She shook him, though he didn’t budge an inch. “All this time… I thought you were awkward with me because I tricked you into kissing me. That you were too kind to say no. And then our friendship was shot to hell when I made you uncomfortable around me. Are you saying—?”

  “You what?” He dipped down until only a tiny gap separated them.

  Kyana couldn’t help it. Her body went lax and allowed him to press closer.

  “You seriously thought I didn’t want you? That you took advantage of the situation?” He growled as he settled against her fully. “How could you have mistaken the way I looked at you like I wanted to devour you? I couldn’t hide it at all anymore. I left before I did something selfish and trapped you here with me. You were going places. Big places. And I sure as shit wasn’t about to be the reason you threw all that potential away. It wasn’t right. We were like family, Ben said it himself. But there I was, thinking really impure thoughts. And you were so young.”

  “We’re the same damn age, asshole.” She smacked her palms on his chest. He didn’t flinch. Instead he leaned inward, trapping her hands between them.

  “Maybe technically. But I’d had a shit ton more experience than you back then. You had no idea what the real world was like.” He shook his head. “How judgmental and cruel it can be. How unfair.”

  “Seriously?” She would have slapped him if she could have moved. “My fucking parents were killed, stolen from me before I could even really understand how amazing they were.”

  “They didn’t choose to abandon you, Ky.” He swallowed hard. “Not like my mom.”

  “You know how I feel about that. She didn’t deserve you anyway. That’s beside the point. Don’t you think being orphaned was a rude awakening for me, too? Sure, I had Aunt Rose. I loved her. I’m not saying I didn’t. But… Really, you don’t remember all the times you held me when I cried for them? Did you think that was some kind of act?”

  “Shit. Sorry.” He tilted his head forward until his forehead rested on hers. “That’s not what I meant. Not exactly. See, this is part of the problem. I can never make you understand without setting you off or jacking things up. I only wanted to protect you. Even if that meant from myself.”

  “You moron.” The heat had vanished from her insults. “Don’t you realize how bad you hurt me by walking away? Who was there to save me from the pain of losing my best friend? The guy I had my first crush on? No one. I never felt so forsaken in my life. Not even after the accident. I missed you. Every day. And since Rose… Well, it’s been horrible again. I hate being alone. I don’t want to be on my own anymore. You’re the only guy who’s ever really understood me. Don’t do that to me again.”

  “What?” He flinched as if she’d kneed him in the nuts.

  “I wanted you Logan. You pushed me away. When you didn’t stick around…it almost killed me. And Ben. I was embarrassed and guilty as hell for stealing you from him. If I’d just kept from stirring things up, you wouldn’t have had to go.”

  “Fuck,” he snarled. “See what I mean? I have the un-Midas touch. Everything I do turns to shit. You make me sound like my freaking mom, cutting and running. What the hell should I have done?”

  “Why not keep it simple? Maybe more of this would have helped.” She smiled the instant before her lips met his. Unlike the timid girl she’d been, she didn’t give him a chance to evade and escape. She balled her fists in his T-shirt and kept him close while she took what she craved and gave all she had pent up.

  Logan didn’t resist. He hummed, deep in his throat, when she flicked her tongue over the seam of his lips. Then he parted them, letting her have the lead. His control lasted longer than she’d guessed it might. For a solid thirty seconds, he allowed her to play—explore, taste and plunder as she saw fit. His gaze never left hers, though his hands began to wander up her hips, careful to skim her injuries as if he’d memorized every bump and bruise the night he’d had her laid out naked before him.

  When she nipped his bottom lip, he broke.

  Pinned between the wall and his chest, she had no way to evade the sensual assault he captained. Why the hell would she want to?

  She reveled in the advancement of his torso, which imposed on the entire surface of her front. Warmth radiated from him, making her curl into the welcome heat of his embrace. He separated them just enough to allow her to wind her arms around his neck when she wiggled then fused them even more completely, if such a thing were possible.

  He fit her just right.

  Tall, she’d sometimes had trouble finding a guy who could manage to make her feel dainty and feminine. Logan had no problem there. He towered over her, and consumed her with his presence. She clung to him, her thigh rubbing the outside of his hip as she practically climbed the trunk of his body. Anything to get at the honey and ginger taste of his lips, sweetened by the loose-leaf tea he’d sipped from one of Rose’s china cups earlier.

  The memory of his huge hands cradling the delicate vessel ratcheted her desire higher. Just like he did for her when he grasped her leg at her knee. His fingers teased the underside, and trapped her against his hip. She hopped, wrapping her other leg high around his waist.

  Both of them moaned when he fit himself to the juncture of her thighs, settling into the soft cradle she made for him. There they were entirely opposite, his cock so hard against her mound she wondered if it ached. Writhing against him served several purposes. Like rubbing the diamond tips of her breasts on his firm chest and soothing some of the restlessness pervading her. Mostly though, the action helped her snuggle as tight as possible to him, right where she had dreamt of being for so long that no other guy had lived up to her high expectations, established in one decade-old itty bitty kiss.

  He sucked her tongue into his mouth, capturing the sensitive muscle then stroking it with his own. When he retreated, she nearly cried out. But only for a moment. Until he laid open-mouthed kisses at the corner of her lips, across her chin then in a meandering path along the exposed length of her neck as her head dropped back.

  With a thunk it hit the wall of the closet, startling them both.

  “Let’s take this somewhere a little more comfy? Somewhere we can stretch out.” He didn’t wait for her answer. Covering her mouth again in a drugging kiss, he kept her from warning him as he hauled her backward. The basket she’d set on the floor loomed behind him. She struggled, but he misinterpreted the message. He chuckled. “I know, Ky. Me too. Just a second. Promise.”

  His unexpected sweetness made it twice as hard to bear when he tripped over their bounty. He cursed. With the reflexes of a cat, he twisted, taking the brunt of the impact on his shoulders. Though it had to hurt like hell, he didn’t flinch, making sure to shelter her from any residual force. Their heads knocked together. Other than that and their pride, they appeared unscathed.

  “Jesus.” Logan banded his arms around her and rolled. From her new angle, beneath him, she spied the basket teetering precariously. Sure enough, it toppled. With a crash, the fireproof box tumbled to the floor and papers spilled out everywhere.

  “What the fuck just happened here?” The dazed confusion in his bedroom eyes had her feeling a tad bit smug.

  “I think we almost made it to second base but got tagged out.” She winked.

  A strangled laugh fell from his sexy smile. “Right. I got that part. Damn lockbox.”

  “Very secure too.” Kyana wriggled from beneath Logan’s heavy, though not uncomfortable, frame. She inspected the case, which had divulged all its contents. “I suppose that’s what happens when you leave the key in the damn lock.”

  “Figures.” Logan shook his head. “I’m surprised Ben didn’t have the papers stuffed in a shoebox under the bed. That’s what I would have done.”

  “Actually, I’m pretty sure he did.”
She dredged up a hazy memory. “But Aunt Rose bought him the fireproof box for Christmas one year, then guilted him into using it so it wouldn’t go to waste.”

  “Brilliant. Man, I miss her.” He reached for Kyana’s hand, interlacing their fingers. “I’m so sorry. I should have been here. For both of you.”

  “I understand, Logan-kun.” She raised his knuckles to her lips and dusted a kiss over them. “Rose did too. She told me to tell you she loves you. And that she’s proud of the man you turned out to be.”

  “She did?” His whole body tensed and his eyes glistened.

  “Of course.” Kyana tugged him to her and nestled into his open arms. “You were like the son she never had. She bragged about you to anyone who would listen.”

  “Damn. That’s…nice.” He cleared his throat.

  She granted him a bit of privacy, angling away so she could shuffle through the documents littering the closet floor. The insurance policy was easy to spot. Thick folded papers from Salem Mutual had dog-eared corners and a distinctly yellow cast. After plucking them from the wreckage, the rest of the stationery caught her attention.

  Finely written cursive swirled over botanical prints. Dozens of letters had been protected from the blaze along with the deed to Ben’s house and the title to his car.

  “What are those?” Logan peeked over her shoulder as she ran one fingertip across the fine linens.

  “Looks like Rose’s handwriting. They must have been pen pals for a while. Maybe when Ben took the third shift as a security guard at the oven factory. He always claimed to be bored silly. I remember my great-aunt saying she hated him being gone so much. They really were close friends.” Kyana sighed. “I think she once even offered to pay off Ben’s house so he wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

  “Like he’d have gone for that!” Logan looked horrified.

  “Some things are more important than money, don’t you think?” She tilted her head. “Like relationships? You can’t buy them.”

  “Are you saying…? I mean, do you think Rose and Ben…?” He waved his hands adorably in the space between them as his eyes grew wide.