Taking It Easy: Boys of the Big Easy book two

by Erin Nicholas

  But before he had to come up with anything, Dana said, “Girls, I’m going to say good night to Logan and then we’ll talk about this.”

  She was rescuing him. Or rescuing the girls from his answer. Whatever that would have been. Logan felt surprise, and annoyance, ripple through him. “I’m good,” he said.

  Dana shook her head. “It’s okay. We can do this later.”

  Logan started to reply, but thought better of it. Okay, then. He’d let her lead this. Until they got to the foyer. You didn’t argue in front of the kids. Everyone knew that.

  Until you got to the foyer.

  Dana put Grace on the chair and kissed her head. “No more yelling. I’ll be right back.” Then she looked at Chloe. “You too.”

  Both girls nodded.

  “’Night, girls,” Logan said to them both. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Logan,” Grace said, giving him a little smile.

  “Thanks for helping me with this,” Chloe said. “I liked talking to Grandma.”

  “Anytime, sweetheart,” he said. For just a second he was tempted to drop a kiss on top of their heads the way Dana did, but he resisted. It was too soon for that. Probably. Fuck if he knew, really. Instead, he just put a hand on both heads. “Sleep tight.”

  He followed Dana down the short hall to the foyer.

  She stopped by the door, turning to face him. She took a deep breath. “I’m—”

  “I swear to God,” he interrupted. “If you apologize, I’m going to…not kiss you good night.”

  They both knew that was an empty threat. He’d never leave without kissing her. But his point was made.

  Her eyes widened and she said, “Oh really?”

  “Really. An apology is bullshit and you know it.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I’m not sure I do know it. They don’t fight a lot, but they do squabble. And this is obviously a bigger topic than just who gets the last cookie, or if we get strawberry or bubblegum-scented shampoo. You shouldn’t have to deal with that.”

  “Why not? I was here. I was a part of the conversation since I suggested we call Chad’s mom. Grace and I have talked a lot about funerals and stuff. I don’t see why I couldn’t be a part of this too.”

  “Yeah, we’ll get back to calling Chad’s mom,” Dana said. “But you shouldn’t have to deal with questions from my girls about their dad. Chloe shouldn’t have argued with Grace about that, she knows how important that is to her. But at the same time, now that it’s come up, I need to figure out how to talk to Grace about mourning and wearing black and that funerals are, usually, for most people, sad.”

  “I can help with all of that,” Logan said. “We saw the jazz funeral. We could talk about why it’s sad, but why it can also be happy and be a party like she wants it to be. We can talk about how different cultures do it differently.” He moved in closer and put his hands on her hips. “And by the way, I really liked learning more about Chad tonight.”

  She looked up at him, a tiny wrinkle between her brows. “You did?”

  “He was a hell of a guy.”

  She nodded. “He was.”

  “I mean he was badass,” Logan said. “Did you know that he once rushed into a building that was about to explode to save a dog?”

  Dana let out a little laugh. “I did. But you see, talking to Chad’s mom gives you a little bit of a biased view. Yes, he did that. But the building wasn’t going to explode until they detonated it. He saw the dog go running in and he went after it. But it wasn’t like he was risking his life.”

  Logan nodded slowly. “I’ll admit, I kind of like that story better.” He pulled her closer. “I was all set to tell you about the turtle I saved from an alligator once. Scooped him right up out of the water just before the gator got there.”

  She lifted a brow. “Really?”

  “True story. I swear.” He paused. Then gave her a grin. “You can ask my mom.”

  Dana smiled. “Not your brother? Who was probably there.”

  How did she know that? “Admittedly, their versions of the story are a little different from each other’s. But only in how far away the gator was from the turtle, and my hand, at the time,” Logan said.

  “And maybe if there was a gator there at all?” Dana asked with a knowing smile.

  “There was,” Logan assured her. “I mean…there had to have been, right? They’re all over down there.”

  She outright laughed at that and ran her hands up his chest to link her fingers behind his neck. “You don’t have to tell me stories. I like you just the way you are.”

  Yeah, Gabe had said that she’d said something like that at support group. “And how am I?” he asked.

  “You’re fun. You’re charming. You’re sexy. You make things lighter,” she said, smiling up at him.

  And dammit, he knew she meant all of that as a compliment. They were the things she liked about him. As Gabe had said, she’d let him close, let him get even this involved, knowing who and what he was. And she didn’t need him. For him to be here, it meant she wanted him here.

  Except that she was trying to throw him out before any big, serious conversations happened.

  “So why would you not want me to stay for this conversation? I can maybe make it better.” For some reason, he really wanted to make things better for her. And the girls.

  Dana’s smile faded. “This isn’t a light conversation.”

  No, he supposed it wasn’t. “I’m sorry I stirred things up. I really thought talking to Chad’s mom would be a good way for her to the get info she needed.”

  “It was. That’s fine. These conversations come up from time to time.” Her smile was a little sad now. “And they always will, I guess.”

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice a little rougher. “They will. I still wonder about my dad. Things still come up sometimes that lead to a story I’ve never heard.”

  Dana’s smile was a little more genuine now. “Does your mom like telling the stories?”

  “She really does.” He paused. “You know, you could talk to her about it all sometime. Anytime. I’m sure she’d have some great advice and she’d love to share it.”

  Dana seemed surprised for a second, but then she nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. That might be nice. Corey, from the support group, lost his wife. He’s great to talk to too. But his kids were older and remember their mom better than the girls remember Chad.”

  Okay, well, that was kind of something he could give her and help with. “Yeah, we were young.”

  She nodded. Then rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.”

  When she started to settle back on her heels, he palmed her ass and pulled her up against him. “Come on now, you know that’s not enough.”

  Then he kissed her. Deep, and long, and sweet.

  When he finally let her go, she looked a little dazed and turned on.

  “Man, I needed that,” she said with a little sigh.

  And something Gabe had said echoed in Logan’s mind. Just look at what you can do for Dana and maybe there’s something to being here. Okay, so one thing Chad hadn’t been was here. Logan was doing that. At least. “So, you think I’m a pretty good time, huh?”

  “Best time I’ve ever had.” There was a sweet sincerity in her tone and her expression when she said it.

  He had to admit, that word “best” kind of made him feel better. And there was definitely something in the way she was looking at him. “Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good.” She unlinked her fingers from behind his neck and stepped back. She sighed. “I wish you could stay.”

  “I could.”

  She shook her head. “You did the St. Patrick’s Day party today, right?”

  He couldn’t help but grin. “I did. The leprechaun poop was a huge hit.”

  “Of course it was.” She laughed. “No, I’ll handle the daddy’s favorite color and funeral conversation since you did the party and homework.”

 
He sighed. They didn’t have to argue about this now. They didn’t really need to argue at all. She was going to go in and settle an argument with her girls, have a tough conversation, and then get them to bed. She didn’t need the add-on of arguing with him too.

  He pulled her in and kissed the top of her head the way he’d wanted to with the girls. “I’ll give you a massage next time I see you,” he told her.

  “I will not forget you said that,” she told him.

  Yeah, he could lighten things up for her. If she thought he was the best time she’d ever had, then that’s exactly what he’d be.

  As Gabe said, Logan was lucky Dana was letting him be anything, really. He’d be the best at whatever she’d let him be.

  Dana shut her computer down and rolled her head. It was finally Friday. Her bosses had headed out about two hours ago, and she now had everything done from this week and a huge start on her to-do list for Monday. That felt good.

  It also felt good to think about ordering pizza tonight. And not having to set her alarm in the morning. And seeing Logan. He was at her house with the girls right now and, if there was a God in Heaven, everything would be calm and cool there, and he could spend the night. Because she had not forgotten about the offer of the massage from last week. This week had been crazy and they hadn’t really had time for a massage. At least not the kind she really wanted. Especially considering that both nights he’d stayed over, she’d fallen asleep on him before they’d been able to…massage anything. But tonight would hopefully be different. He wasn’t working, they didn’t have to get up in the morning for anything, and maybe she could get the girls to bed early tonight.

  Her phone pinged with a new text just as she grabbed her purse and shut her desk lamp off. She looked down, praying that it was Logan saying that he’d already ordered the pizza and that it would be there when she got home. And that he’d ordered one of those mega chocolate chip cookies too.

  The message was from Logan. But it didn’t say anything about pizza. It said, Ever have sex in an elevator?

  She laughed. No.

  Wanna try it?

  Um…no.

  Come on. No one’s here. The security guy said that everyone has left except you. He said for twenty bucks, he wouldn’t even watch the camera in the elevator while we’re in there. Though I don’t believe him.

  Yeah, she didn’t either. Then she frowned. Wait, what? What elevator?

  Your elevator.

  At the office? Which was a dumb question because she didn’t have any other elevators.

  She stepped into the foyer as said elevator stopped on her floor and whooshed open.

  And sure enough, Logan was inside.

  And damn, he looked good. He was in blue jeans and a button-down short-sleeved shirt. He had about a day’s worth of scruff on his jaw, and he’d obviously just run his fingers through his hair because it was tousled on top.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Picking you up.” He put a hand on the elevator door to keep it open and tipped his head. “Let’s go.”

  “Where are the girls?” But she stepped into the elevator. What was her option, really?

  “I got a sitter.”

  She shook her head. “Oh, no, Logan, Lindsey had a long week. She can’t—”

  He let go of the door and pushed the button for the first floor. “Not Lindsey. They’re with my mom.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t have to—”

  He turned to her quickly and backed her up against the wall. He braced a hand next to her ear and leaned in. He smelled damn good too.

  “Dana. Breathe. It’s all good. They’re there with Stella and Cooper, and everyone, including my mother, is thrilled.”

  “But…what are we doing?” She could pretend that she wasn’t a little breathless with him leaning in like that and that she wasn’t focusing on his mouth. But why? This man affected her libido in crazy ways. And she loved it. As much as she hated feeling out of control, she didn’t mind the way Logan made her heart race and her breathing quicken and her body heat.

  “We’re going to have some fun. Just us. Not with the girls. Not at the house or the school.”

  “A cemetery?” she asked, with a smile.

  He grinned too, but shook his head. “Nope.”

  She reached out and took the front of his shirt in her fist. “I’ll admit, the idea of having you all to myself for a few hours is tempting.”

  “More than a few hours,” he said. “They’re having a sleepover at Mom’s. I was told we’re not welcome back before breakfast.”

  She should maybe protest this a little more. She should maybe say one more time that his mom didn’t need to do that. But Chloe and Grace loved Stella and Cooper, and Dana trusted Caroline completely and…well, that meant the entire night with Logan. Starting right now. “Okay, I love this idea. I have some whipped cream in the fridge that I got for hot chocolate, but I suddenly have a different craving.”

  He caught her hand as she tried to run it inside his shirt at the top where the two buttons were open. He laughed. “We’re not going to your house.”

  “But we could.”

  “Listen, you little horn dog,” he said, his tone part affectionate and part exasperated. “We’re doing something that doesn’t involve the girls or sex.”

  No sex? Now hang on. “But—”

  “Okay,” he conceded. “There will probably be sex.”

  She let out a relieved little breath at which he laughed and shook his head.

  “But,” he went on. “There’s more.”

  “I’m really okay with…less.”

  The elevator dinged as they arrived on the first floor and Logan ushered her out. “Yeah, well, you get to have the deep, meaningful conversations and do all the boring stuff, and I get to be the fun one, right?”

  She narrowed her eyes, but nodded. “I guess that’s what we decided.”

  “So, I’m being the fun one.” He led her to the security guard’s desk. “Sorry, Ed, no twenty bucks tonight.” He held out his hand.

  Ed chuckled and leaned over to grab a red gift bag. He handed it to Logan and said, “Well, I’m here every night. There’s always next time. Ms. Doucet’s been working late more often recently.” He gave Dana a little wink.

  She laughed. “I see you two already became friends.” Of course they had.

  “Hey, if you’re going to get frisky in an elevator at a posh office building, it’s good to have friends running the cameras, you know?” Logan said.

  “You really think Ed won’t look?” Dana asked, teasing the older man who’d been sitting at this desk for as long as she’d worked here.

  “Oh, I mean so that I’m sure to get a copy of the video,” Logan said.

  He and Ed laughed and Dana just shook her head. But she had to admit one of the most attractive things about Logan Trahan was how easygoing and friendly he was with everyone he met.

  Except the moms of the other dance girls. He didn’t need to be friendly with them at all.

  “Here.” Logan handed her the bag. “This is for you.”

  “A gift?” They hadn’t done the gift-giving thing yet.

  “For tonight.”

  She was definitely intrigued.

  “Addison helped me,” he added.

  That was good. And she was very intrigued.

  “And the fact that there are no panties is not a mistake or oversight.”

  She paused, Ed snorted, and Logan grinned. So, of course, she did too. “Got it.”

  She headed into the ladies’ room off the lobby. Ten minutes later, she emerged in a brand-new sunshine yellow sundress that hit her mid-thigh and yellow sandals. The straps of the dress were thin, leaving most of her shoulders bare, and crisscrossed in back in a way that needed a different type of bra. Or no bra. And, as Logan had warned her, there were no panties included with the outfit. Which made her think that the no bra thing was part of the plan too. Logan might not understand dress straps and bras,
but Addison did. It all also made her glad she’d shaved that morning and that her pedicure was only about a week old.

  Logan was leaning on the front desk, talking to Ed, but he looked in her direction as the bathroom door bumped shut behind her. He froze. Then slowly straightened, turning to face her as she approached, her work clothes—including bra and panties—in the gift bag in her hand.

  “Holy.” He paused. “Shit.”

  What woman wouldn’t smile at that reaction? She stopped a few feet away from him and turned, giving him the full view. “How did you know my size?”

  “Addison,” he said. “She guessed.”

  “She’s good.”

  “She really is. I almost bought the red.”

  Dana laughed. “I like red too.”

  Logan nodded slowly. “I know you’re talking but I can’t concentrate on anything you’re saying.” He gave a low whistle. “If I hadn’t already knocked you up, I’d really be working at it tonight.”

  She blushed hot and looked at Ed. She hadn’t told her bosses about her pregnancy yet. Not that Kevin and Dave spent a ton of time chatting with Ed. But Logan had. And since the security guard didn’t seem the least bit surprised, she could only assume that the topic had already come up. Logan seemed to have no trouble telling people about their situation.

  And that was kind of…nice. Weird, maybe. But nice. She liked that he wasn’t trying to hide it and wasn’t embarrassed by it.

  Which made her decide that she would tell her bosses on Monday.

  “That’s a very caveman thing to say,” she told Logan.

  Logan didn’t look a bit apologetic when she looked back at him. “Yeah. You bring out the best in me.”

  “Being a possessive, mark-your-territory, keep-me-barefoot-and-pregnant caveman is your best?” she asked, crossing the rest of the distance between them.

  He reached for her, a hand on her hip, the other on her bare shoulder. “I think so. Never been possessive before,” he told her, his voice a little husky. “And hell yeah, I want everyone to know you’re mine.”