Ties That Bind: Club Risqué Book Three

by Flynn, Poppy

  It said something that she didn't immediately jump away, as if she'd been singed, at her son's intervention. Instead, Luanna chuckled tearfully with a hiccupping hitch in her breath and lay her head on Logan's shoulder, closing her eyes and doing her best to regulate her breathing and her heart rate while still revelling in the glorious sensation of having his arms closed tightly around her.

  She felt safe and secure for the first time in months, instead of battling with the constant sensation of being set adrift. She didn't care what had gone before. All the trials and tribulations were nothing compared to the emptiness of not having him close.

  She wanted to be with him. Only him. Everything else was secondary in importance. It might not be fashionably feminist or politically correct or emotionally sensible or whatever, but whichever way you looked at it, that was the bottom line.

  Danny took in the body language of the two of them and sighed. "Okay, I'm going to hang in my room and play loud video games for a while, so you two can get some privacy to catch up and stuff, but no noisy sex until I'm out of the house or asleep! Let me know when you're ready for the other stuff, Logan," he grumbled.

  The words were enough to have Luanna spinning around in shock, but Danny had sensibly made himself scarce.

  Logan pulled Luanna back to him and kissed her again softly. They were dealing with this, first. Now! Everything else could wait.

  "What did he mean about other stuff?" she asked against his lips.

  "Later," Logan vetoed. He pulled the lion pendant out of his pocket and dangled it in front of her. "You bought me something," he stated as the dying rays of the evening sun shot through the amber.

  Luanna startled and stared for a moment. "Where did you get that?" she demanded, snatching it out of his hand before he could stop her. "Danny! That conniving little—"

  "It just so happens that I got you something, too." Logan cut off the beginning of the tirade. "I'd had it commissioned and went to pick it up when I went back to the south coast that week, before everything went to blazes. I was waiting for the perfect time to give it to you, but I never got the chance. I can't—won't—wait any longer, so I'm making that chance now.

  He drew something else out of his pocket. A small box, the size of which had her heart thumping all over again.

  "I'm not supposed to speak to you. HR didn't want to risk a lawsuit after you walked out, that day. Not after all the commotions with Laurel, so they shipped all three of us back to the head office. I begged Desi to let me see you, but she said I could only do that if you came to me, first. And you never did." His voice ached with emotion, and he swallowed against the dryness. "It doesn't matter anymore. They can go to Hell. I'll get a new job if I have to, something closer to you and Danny so that I can stay here full time."

  Logan flipped the box open while he spoke, and there, nestled in a bed of satin, was a huge and stunningly beautiful baguette cut emerald centred between two smaller emeralds and set in a gold mount which scrolled to form the Celtic knot of Eternity on each shoulder and tapering around the sides.

  He dropped to his knee in front of her. "Will you marry me, Luanna?" Logan held his breath, hardly daring to hope.

  Then Luanna slid to her knees in front of him, took his face between her hands and whispered the only word he wanted to hear, "Yes!"

  The same word was echoed behind them, only in a much younger, far more exuberant tone. Logan looked over his shoulder to catch Danny pumping his fist enthusiastically, and Luanna laughed in equal parts happiness and embarrassment and buried her head in his neck for a second, before he helped her to her feet.

  "Result!" Danny exclaimed. "Now, can we deal with the other business? It's making me feel a bit queasy, worrying about it."

  Luanna was immediately all motherly alarm. "What other business? What's making you feel sick? Are you in some sort of trouble?"

  "Jeez!" Danny exclaimed indignantly. "Why does everyone automatically think I'm in trouble, huh? When have I ever been in trouble?"

  "Let's go and sit in the living room," Logan decided, guiding them all to sit down.

  "Now, Luanna, keep calm, okay?"

  "Oh my God! You are in trouble, aren't you?" she squeaked, trying to jump up again out of the chair. Logan caught her around the waist and urged her to stay put.

  "Jeez, Mum, I'm not in trouble, okay?"

  "Okay, okay." She made an effort to calm herself. "I'm sorry; you're right. I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that," she flustered.

  "It is okay, Luanna. I've got a handle on the whole thing, and I know what their angle is. There won't be any trouble, I'll make sure of it," Logan comforted, rubbing her tightly clasped hands soothingly.

  "And I didn't believe a word of it, anyway. I knew it was cockwomble, because he banged on that I didn't know about a whole bunch of stuff that I actually do know. Because he said you hadn't told me, but you did."

  "You're talking in riddles; I don't know what you mean!" Luanna shook her head in mild panic.

  "Sorry," Logan apologised. "We need to start from the beginning. Sit down, Danny, and let's be clear about all this."

  Danny flopped into a chair, impatience clear in the way his body all but vibrated.

  Luanna's concern ratcheted. What could be so badly troubling her normally mild and placid son?

  "Right, do you want to explain Danny, or would you prefer I do it?"

  "You tell it, 'cos Mum says I talk gobbledegook half the time and don't make no sense. She don't get teen slang."

  "Doesn't," Luanna corrected automatically.

  "Okay. Now, Luanna, I want you to listen to me, first, before you go jumping in and interrupting, because I know that'll be your primary instinct, but it'll be easier if I can just explain everything initially."

  Luanna nodded, but she already wanted to grab him by the lapels and shake the information out of him. This was her baby he was discussing.

  "Danny was given a letter from his football coach, which was delivered via the team address. He didn't know what to do about it and he was worried about how you might feel about it, so he brought it to me. That was a good call," he added hastily as he saw Luanna about to erupt.

  "What do you mean, you didn't know what I'd think about it? You can talk to me about anything. I've always encouraged you to do that, no matter what!"

  Logan could hear the undercurrent of hurt in her voice and scooted over on the couch to put a comforting arm around her. "The letter was from Danny's father, James Fulford."

  "Sperm donor!" Danny interjected.

  "Danny!" Luanna cautioned. "I've never given you any cause to think that way about your father," she said, shocked at his attitude, even while a fine trembling had taken root under her suddenly heated skin.

  Logan rubbed his hand up and down her arm, and she was grateful for his supporting embrace. She felt mildly sick.

  "What does he want?" she whispered.

  "He talked a load of bollocks, Mum," Danny returned heatedly, jumping out of the chair again and pacing frantically about the room, clenching and unclenching his fists. "He wrote that I probably didn't know who he was because you wouldn't have told me. Said he'd been looking for me and wants to meet me. Spouted a load of family stuff about my sisters and—"

  "Sisters?" Luanna murmured faintly, letting the profanity go this time. "You have sisters?"

  "See, I knew you didn't know! He said how you were ignoring all the letters he'd been sending and stopping him from seeing me." Danny scowled.

  The guilt Luanna felt at hiding James' letter in her desk drawer without reading it came barrelling back full force. It would be easy to deny all knowledge, but she wasn't going to lie to her son.

  "I only ever got one letter from him," Luanna choked, surging to her feet and running to the bedroom to retrieve it.

  She returned with it, her hand shaking, which didn't go unnoticed by either Logan or even Danny, and the same feeling of dread she'd gotten the first time.

  "It came while you were away
that time," she shuddered, dropping it on the coffee table and rubbing her hands along her arms in a feeble attempt to calm herself. Logan drew her back down beside him and settled her snug into his side.

  "As you can see, it was addressed to my parents' old home and redirected, but not to the right address. It was delivered to the flat opposite, which has been empty a while, but the new tenant came over and asked if this was mine."

  Danny eyed the envelope with distrust, then jumped his gaze between her and the table until she knew she needed to explain.

  "I was scared to open it." Her voice quivered as if expressing that fear. "I was afraid to find out what he wanted, and he must want something to be getting in touch, after all this time. I left it, because I didn't want whatever was inside to affect your school work, this late in the year with your finals coming up. I decided to talk to Logan about it, get some advice, see what my rights were. And I thought that after you'd finished your exams, I might let you decide for yourself if you wanted to do anything about it." Luanna's voice broke on a sob. "But then everything went wrong, and whatever James wanted didn't seem important any more. I had enough to deal with, with all that mess at work and you going back to the south coast, and I couldn't cope with any more, so I did ignore it." She sniffled and reached for a tissue from the box on the table. "Or maybe 'forgot' about it might be more accurate." She paused and blew her nose. "I'm sorry."

  Danny dived onto the floor at her feet and threw his gangly arms around her waist, squeezing so tightly, Luanna could hardly breath, and pressing his cheek into her protesting belly. She made no attempt to stop him, stroking his silky blond hair instead.

  "Don't you dare be sorry," Danny protested fiercely. "The dude's a plank. He didn't want you, and he didn't want me, either. And I don't want him!" Danny spat defiantly.

  "Danny, why ever would you think that? I told you, we were both far too young, just a couple of terrified teenagers who didn't have the first clue about how to raise a baby. We were barely more than children, ourselves."

  "Mu-um," This time, his voice was plaintive as he split the word into two syllables. "You don't need to defend him; I'm not stupid! Sure, you weren't much older than me, but if I had a baby, then I'd make goddamn sure I was part of the kid's life. I might not know the first thing, but I'd learn, and I'd be around so that he'd know me, even if we didn't live together."

  Luanna gave another sob and hugged her son tight.

  "And you were just as young," he muffled against her shoulder. "You could have given me up and lived your life, no one would have blamed you for it, because, like you said, you were just a kid, yourself."

  "I could never have walked away from you," Luanna breathed, leaning back so she could stroke her hand down his cheek. "I loved you like I loved no one else, from the moment you were born—since before you were born."

  Danny grinned irreverently, all upset forgotten, at least for the time being, in the fickle way of youth. "Except for Logan, yeah?"

  Luanna turned her head towards the man next to her and smiled. "Except for Logan, yes," she agreed softly.

  Danny took her hand and eyed the ring on her finger. "So, if you two are getting married, that means Logan will be my dad, doesn't it? So, I don't need that dumb ass."

  "I would be proud and honoured to be a father to you, Danny," Logan said, ruffling the boy's hair. "But I think you should meet up with James Fulford, so this business can be put behind you. And because, whatever you think of him, I have a feeling that you would like to know your sisters and maybe be a part of their lives."

  Danny was quiet for a moment, looking every inch the youngster that he was, sprawled at their feet with a bewildered look wavering between want and antipathy on a face that would be handsome once he'd finished growing into it—not unlike his father's.

  Luanna reached down and took his hand. "Honey, whatever choices you make have got to be for yourself. You're the one who's got to live with them. You can't make decisions based on what you think either I, or even James, want to hear."

  Danny looked up at her with the eyes of a child, trusting of his parent to show him the way.

  "I know it's hard, but if you want a relationship with James or your sisters, then you know I won't ever stand in the way of that. My only concern is for your happiness and your wellbeing, and the only thing I'll ever object to is if those things are being compromised."

  "Thanks, Mum," Danny whispered, and with that, he sat up on his knees and pulled both Logan and Luanna into a poignant group hug.

  Things moved fast after that. Logan explained Fulford Senior's requirement of a male heir to take on the business and carry on the Fulford name. Luanna was angry.

  "So, James doesn't really want to see his son, at all; he's just kowtowing to Daddy's wishes like he always has. And Danny doesn't carry the family name, because they swept him under the carpet instead of acknowledging him, so that's a bust. This has all the hallmarks of a disaster that could seriously hurt Danny. I know I said it was his choice, but I've got more than a few misgivings. And how am I supposed to warn him about any of this? I can't exactly tell him. That's just too callous."

  "I think you underestimate Danny," Logan soothed. "He knew about the pendant and he knows about Club Risqué and the Shibari photographs."

  "What?" Luanna squeaked. "You told him?"

  "Of course, I didn't tell him," Logan scoffed. "He told me! He said we adults never give kids any credit and that kids always know what's going on, however much we think we're keeping things a secret. Don't be surprised if he doesn't have his father sussed."

  The meeting was arranged in Logan's hotel suite. Luanna didn't want James in her home, and neutral ground seemed to suit everyone.

  Danny sat on the luxurious couch, trying his best to look bored, but the telltale tapping of his foot gave him away.

  Luanna had dressed carefully and professionally, in a neat moss green suit with a hair-above-the-knee length skirt and a cropped jacket over a soft grey shirt that showed off her lush figure. Neat grey suede stilettoes made her legs look a mile long and added to her already intimidating height.

  Logan thought the colour she'd chosen brought out her eyes and set off her engagement ring as well as her titian hair, though he doubted Luanna was aware of the fact.

  Luanna was nervous, but she wasn't altogether sure whether that was for herself or for Danny. Maybe a little of both if she was honest.

  Logan looked impeccable, as always, in his expensive tailored suit. He wore his hair tied back and the narrow, squared off glasses that she always found ridiculously sexy for some reason.

  The knock on the suite door was exactly on time. Logan answered and ushered James and Kimberly Scott—no, Kimberly Fulford now—into the lounge area.

  Danny jumped to his feet and hid endearingly behind his mother. Luanna could hear his breathing a little too fast in her ear.

  Her first impression was that James had not aged quite as well as she'd expected. His fair hair was thinning, and he had the beginnings of a paunch, despite his relatively young thirty-two years. Her second was the dismayed thought that she hoped Danny had inherited better genes from herself. The notion was so random that she had to curb the desire to laugh out loud, but at least it had the effect of relaxing her.

  Kimberly didn't look like she'd fared much better. The woman looked positively frazzled. Her bleached hair was brittle and lifeless, her figure painfully thin and verging on frumpy. Luanna silently berated herself for being so bitchy. It was not a pleasant characteristic, she reminded herself, even if the superior breeding stock showed little evidence right now.

  James' eyes alighted on her, briefly widening in surprise, before he stoically ignored her and sought out Danny.

  Luanna wondered curiously what he had expected. Less than he found, that much was obvious.

  Across the room, Kimberly hung back. She had always been a quiet, polite girl, but Luanna noticed the way she eyed Logan with transparent appreciation and found herself bristlin
g. Still, she drew on everything the harsh years had taught her and pulled on a cloak of calm serenity. Nothing that these two threw at any of them today was going to dislodge that. She refused to give them the satisfaction.

  "Daniel," James began, taking a step toward him and inevitably toward Luanna as she flanked him.

  "It's Danny," her son remarked stiffly.

  "It should have been James. James Fulford IV," James muttered.

  Danny took a step to the side, away from the protective aura of his mother. "It might have been, if you'd hung around long enough to give me your name," he uttered scornfully.

  James' tone was bitter. "I should have known she'd try turning you against me, the minute I finally managed to get in touch."

  Danny took a warning step toward his father, and Logan moved across the room, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

  Danny subsided, but glared harshly at the man who had sired him. "You know nothing!" he gritted out between his teeth. "And you don't do yourself any favours by slinging arrows at my mother."

  Behind him, Logan moved around and placed the same supportive hand on Luanna's shoulder, and his touch was like a balm to her jangling nerves.

  "All that stuff you said in your letter, it was wrong. My mother never bad mouthed you, and I've known your name since I was a little boy. But what it did tell me is just how a man like you thinks. You expect the worst because you have no respect for people. It doesn't reflect well on you, especially when you go making assumptions without any facts. Assumptions that are inaccurate and prove you to be an even bigger fool than the teenager who ran and hid from his responsibilities."

  "Is that what she's duped you into believing, what she coached you to say?" James blustered. "I've come here to offer you opportunity. Possibilities you'll never get from some two-bit office drone like her. The chance to attend a decent college and to become involved in a lucrative family business. Prospects you won't find anywhere else."

  Logan spoke up for the first time. "I beg to differ there—"

  "You're a damn lawyer," James interrupted. "You're paid to argue; it doesn't change the facts."