He was better looking than most of them too. Hard, male looks instead of glossed up pretty-boy looks. Thick chestnut brown hair that curled just a little when he forgot to cut it, eyes the palest brown. When she’d first met him, he’d had dimples when he smiled but over the years those dimples had deepened to slashes that bracketed a mouth that wasn’t as hard as it looked.
She ought to know. That one night had forever imprinted the memory of how that mouth felt. She realized she was staring at his mouth and she jerked her eyes away but not soon enough.
He smiled a slow, lazy smile that seemed to say he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Blood rushed to her cheeks. Damn it.
Bo had been dealing with her feelings for Logan for a long time and she knew damn well that if she let him in on how nervous she was, it would be that much worse. She took a deep, slow breath. Even if she was still blushing, she made herself look back at him and answer. “No, Logan. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
And it wasn’t a lie, not right now. The look in his eyes could make her forget her name, so recalling something he’d said thirty seconds ago was difficult.
He didn’t push. He glanced around and nodded to her camera. “You’ve been sitting out here for a while. Something wrong?”
Only an entire world of things, Bo thought but she didn’t say that. “Just thinking.” As she spoke, she lifted the camera and snapped a picture of him. He didn’t blink. Logan had been around her long enough to know that a camera in her hands rarely remained unused. She had hundreds of pictures of him. More than anybody else in her life, though she’d never let him know that.
He was still smiling but the smile changed, grew sharper, almost icy. She suppressed a shiver and snapped another picture. “Thinking about your wedding?” he asked. His tone was silky smooth. If it wasn’t for that smile, she’d almost believe that he was just expressing casual interest.
Yeah. Casual, my ass, she thought sourly. “Just thinking.”
He urged Dervish a little closer, until they were practically knee to knee. He leaned in and said, “About what? You look so serious for a girl who ought to be riding high on the world right now.”
Irritated, Bo tugged on Mist’s reins, guiding her mare a short distance away. “I’m just thinking,” she repeated. “I’ve got an assignment coming up in Alaska, one in Japan, a wedding in two weeks and I’m still trying to keep an eye on my father. He still isn’t acting like himself and I’m worried. I’ve got a million things on my mind, okay?”
If she thought Logan would let it go at that, she obviously didn’t know him very well, he figured. A million things on her mind wouldn’t make her look like that, not if she was happy. She had already looked miserable but when he’d mentioned the wedding, her eyes had gotten darker and her mouth flattened out into an unsmiling line. She had a pinched, pale look that made him think that maybe Bo had as many doubts about her upcoming wedding as he did.
“So are you nervous?”
Those pretty gray eyes narrowed and Bo drawled sarcastically, “Gee, I’m about to become a bride. What do you think, Sherlock?”
Logan shrugged. “I don’t know. I think you’re looking kind of miserable. Like you really aren’t looking forward to wearing that white dress.”
Her brows dropped low over her eyes and she jerked on Mist’s reins, putting a little more distance between them. “What in the world do you know?”
He stared at her for a long, silent moment before he finally answered. “You. I know you. And you don’t look happy. You so sure you want to get married, Bo?” He closed the distance between them and before she could move away again, he reached out and grabbed the reins.
She gave him a cool, dismissive glare. “I am getting married. Since when have I ever done anything I didn’t really want to do?”
Well, she had a point there. Logan acknowledged it with a grin. “Just tell me one thing. Are you happy?”
Bo blinked. Her tongue slid out and wet her lips. Her voice cracked a little as she repeated, “Happy?”
“Yeah. You know the meaning of the word, right? Are you happy?”
Her lips curved up in a smile, cool and confident. Her voice was rock steady and she never even blinked as she replied, “Yes. I’m happy.” If he hadn’t been looking into her eyes, he just might have believed it.
But those eyes? They were lying.
Late that night, Logan sat in his office, his hand wrapped around a half empty glass of whiskey. The fire across the room had burned down until the only light it gave off was a red glow.
The bottle on the desk had started out half full. Now, even the most optimistic couldn’t call it much of anything except for empty. He was bordering on being really drunk and totally wasted. The whiskey was gone but he still hurt inside. He could empty another bottle and it wouldn’t do anything for that pain.
Bo was getting married. In two weeks. To somebody Logan considered to be one of his best friends. It was going to kill him, he knew it. And her.
His parents had been trapped in a loveless marriage. Bo’s mother had died when she was young and her father hadn’t ever loved another woman enough to remarry. She didn’t understand the hell of being married to somebody you didn’t belong with. But what in the hell could he do about it?
Stop the wedding. Well, yeah. “Could do that,” he said to himself. His voice was so damn slurred, nobody would have understood him. But since he was talking to himself, it wasn’t an issue.
“Stop the wedding,” he mumbled. Then he snorted. “How’m I gonna do that?”
An insane idea, no doubt brought on by his drunken state, danced through his mind. If he kidnapped her, she couldn’t get married.
Could she? Can’t get married if you don’t show up for the wedding. He squinted a little and tried to think past the fog of alcohol. It did make sense.
She might hate him. “She doesn’t belong with him,” he said with the complete, utter confidence of somebody who was either shit faced in love or falling down drunk. Logan was both and he knew it. But the idea still made perfect sense.
Well, maybe not perfect sense. “It’s illegal.” So the plan had one little flaw. Still made really good sense. So maybe it was a little bit illegal but he could always arrest himself after, right?
Logan shoved up from his chair. The room swirled around him and he slapped his hands against the desk to keep from falling over. The room stabilized a little and he tried taking one step away from the desk. So far so good.
If he had a handrail all the way over to Bo’s house, this just might work. But the desk was only so long and if he wanted to keep moving forward he was going to have to let go of it. First step—good. Second step—good.
Third.
Hell. He hit the floor and was still drunk enough to find it funny as he lay there, drunk out of his mind and snickering. He had to get up. Find Bo. Yeah. ‘Cause it still all made perfect sense. Kidnap Bo and she couldn’t marry David.
Perfect sense. The ceiling spun around overhead and he closed his eyes. All those circles were making him dizzy. He wanted to sleep. But Bo…
Then he sighed and stopped fighting it. Bo would be there in the morning and the plan would still make sense in the morning. He’d fix it then, because she couldn’t marry David. Logan couldn’t bear to see that sad look in her eyes get any worse.
Chapter Three
Morning came and with it, the hangover from hell.
Clarity also came but it wasn’t the kind of clarity he might have expected. Because the idea still made sense. Bo wasn’t in love with David. If she was, she wouldn’t have looked so miserable.
But she was stubborn and if she’d made up her mind to marry Logan’s cousin, it would take a cataclysmic event to change her mind. Or maybe an illegal event with somewhat questionable motives. Logan had no problem admitting that, for purely selfish reasons, he didn’t want her marrying David. But he also knew that if he’d looked at Bo and seen happiness in her eyes, had known that she l
oved David and wanted to marry him, he would have let go.
At least, he was pretty sure of that. Logan would have been miserable and he would have thought about beating David into a pulp. On a regular basis. He might have even moved away, just so he wouldn’t have to see his cousin, his friend, with the woman Logan loved. But she wasn’t happy and she didn’t love David.
Logan knew he was leaving a vital part out of his reasoning. David. He didn’t want to think about David too much and he wouldn’t let himself look too closely at his reasons for avoiding it either. But one thing he was certain of, David wasn’t going to be happy married to Bo, either. Even if David was in love with her, he wouldn’t be happy because Bo wouldn’t happy.
When he added it all up—Bo’s stubbornness, her unhappiness, the unhappiness that would result between Bo and David if they went through with the wedding and the fact that Logan had been in love with her his entire life—he figured he could do one of two things. He could do the wrong thing and let Bo marry somebody who’d make her miserable. Or he could do another wrong thing by kidnapping her. Give himself a few days to convince Bo that he was the only one who could make her happy.
In the long run, it wasn’t a hard choice. Granted, his libido was all for the one that involved getting up close and personal with Bo. He was all for that. He wouldn’t deny feeling a little bit of guilt over what he was doing to his cousin. David might never forgive him. But Logan knew he couldn’t forgive himself if he let Bo make a mistake that made her miserable.
So his guilt over David might make him lose some sleep but it wasn’t going to stop him.
It would take planning. A couple of little white lies. He didn’t want anybody worrying about Bo. Not her dad, not her friends—not even her fiancé. That word left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn’t even think it without sneering.
Still, as much as he wanted to pound on David’s face a little, he didn’t want his cousin thinking that something bad had happened to Bo. It was his weekend on call but he had a few favors to call in. Arranging everything was child’s play and oddly, sort of exhilarating.
He cruised through Friday and considered it a good sign when Bo’s father came by the house where Logan lived with his brother. “You and Dusty going to be around this weekend?”
“I won’t be,” Logan answered. “Dustin isn’t going anywhere though.” Dustin never went anywhere. His brother lived and breathed the small horse farm. “You need something?”
Will shrugged. “Just a hand. I…” his voice trailed off and unless Logan was mistaken, the old guy was blushing a little. “Thinking about going up to that new casino in French Lick. A…friend invited me.”
With a wide grin, Logan tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. Well, this was going to be even easier than he’d thought. “A friend. Do I know this friend?”
Will gave him that glowering, irritated glare.
Logan stopped smiling. He thought he managed to keep the pleased smirk on his face. Or mostly. Twenty minutes later, he watched as Will mounted the old gelding and headed back to his home.
“You’re up to something.”
Logan looked up to find Dustin watching him with knowing eyes. “Up to what?”
Dustin shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me but you’re up to something. How come I’m going to be helping Bo out by my lonesome?”
“He’s got stable hands. They’ll be helping.” He didn’t say anything about Bo not being around. Dusty was a smart guy. He’d put two and two together soon enough.
A small, satisfied smile curled Dusty’s lips. Dusty’s summery blue eyes darkened when he was mad or thinking. He wasn’t pissed off right now so that dark blue could signify a problem. “Saw you talking to Bo yesterday. Finally. What did you two talk about?”
In a level voice, he replied, “Nothing you need to worry about.”
The smirk on his younger brother’s face just got wider. “Really. So, is she ready for her wedding?”
“You’d have to ask her,” Logan replied easily.
“Hmmm. Maybe I’ll do that when I see her tomorrow.”
Logan smiled. “Yeah. You do that.”
Sleep didn’t come easy for Bo. Her dad had left in the middle of the day, leaving a note on the counter while she was in town stocking up on film, books and chocolate. Extra on the chocolate. She needed the fortification right now. Chocolate didn’t solve the problems but it kept her from biting her nails down to the quick while she worried.
Of course, if she wasn’t careful, she wouldn’t fit into her wedding dress. Lying in her bed, she stared up into the darkness and grinned. I’m sorry, David. I can’t marry you. I ate myself out of a dress. No hard feelings?
But as quick as the lighthearted thought came, it passed. Was she really having that many doubts? The razor-winged butterflies jumping in her belly certainly seemed to think so. With all these doubts, was she really doing the right thing or just the convenient thing, going through with this wedding?
She tried to picture herself with David in another year. Ten. But none of the images ever came into focus. Even the thought of their upcoming honeymoon in Spain just wouldn’t come. If she couldn’t even imagine her wedding night, all of two weeks from now, there was no way she could picture a year or five years from now.
Bo closed her eyes and imagined herself in her dress. It was a fairy tale princess of a dress—silk and tulle and lace. She could see herself wearing it. But what she couldn’t see was herself walking down the aisle to stand in front of two hundred people while she said her vows to David.
When she tried to make herself see the groom, his face just wouldn’t come to her. She knew what he looked like—dark hair, dark eyes, one of those sweet, boy-next-door smiles that drove women nuts. Bo adored his smile.
But his face just wasn’t clear. The only face she could see clearly was Logan’s. Bo groaned and buried her face in her hands. “What am I doing?”
But Bo had absolutely no clue. David’s marriage proposal had been spur of the moment, said almost jokingly. Bo’s response had been given in the same tone. Sure, I’ll marry you. You’re easy to be around.
He was. She didn’t feel as on guard with him, though she suspected part of that was because he just couldn’t get in close enough to hurt. She hadn’t really been that serious but then he showed up the next day with a ring. His dark brown eyes had been gentle and full of understanding as he said, “I know we were mostly joking…but…” his voice trailed off and he pulled the ring out of his pocket. “I want to marry you, Bo.”
Bo had said yes. At the time, she’d meant it.
Now? Now she just didn’t know. She didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t know who she wanted.
Liar.
Who she wanted? His face was as clear to her as her own. More. Those pale brown eyes, that hard mouth that felt so good against her own.
Logan.
Bo wanted Logan. She’d always wanted him. Had daydreamed about him for as long as she’d known him. He’d been her first crush. He’d been her first love. He’d also been the first man she’d ever run from. Okay, the only man she’d ever run from but that man could get inside her skin, inside her head. Logan would get close to her. He was already in her heart but if she let him, he’d get under her skin, inside her soul and she’d never get him out.
Somebody getting that close was dangerous. And losing somebody who got to her like that?
“You’re not ever going to sleep if you keep this up,” she mumbled. Sleep seemed even farther away than before. Thinking about Logan definitely didn’t instill calm, soothing thoughts. She had a deep, throbbing ache between her thighs—she felt too hot, too itchy and too restless. The smooth, silken sheets felt rough and scratchy against her skin and the loose T-shirt she wore felt too tight.
Frustrated, she kicked her way free of the sheets and covered her eyes with her forearm. The cooler air helped just a little but that aching deep inside ju
st got worse. It was a feeling she was familiar with. She’d been dealing with frustrated arousal for the past four years. Experience told her that nothing would help.
Well, one thing might. But that wasn’t an option. As tempting as it might be to throw on some clothes and go find Logan, it just wasn’t an option.
“Go to sleep,” she mumbled to herself. She flopped onto her belly and pressed her face against the pillowcase. It felt cool against her skin. It took a concentrated effort to pull her thoughts away from Logan and think of something else. Not her wedding, though. That was almost as bad.
Instead, she daydreamed. Thought about Mist. Thought about the assignments she had coming up. Slowly, the tension in her muscles dissolved and the exhaustion started to weigh on her. Half asleep, she rolled onto her back. Half-formed dream images danced through her mind and when Logan’s face appeared in the darkness, she smiled. “You don’t ever leave me alone, do you?”
At first, he thought she was awake.
It wouldn’t change his plans even if she was awake but it would be easier if she slept. But when she looked at him in the shadows, her eyes were cloudy with sleep and unfocused. She sighed a little and he watched the shallow movements of her chest. Her nipples pressed against the T-shirt she wore, hard and erect. His mouth watered a little and he had to stop himself from bending over and taking one nipple and then the other into his mouth.
Not here. Wasn’t going to do it here.
He held still until her eyes fluttered closed again and her breathing slowed again. Once he knew she was really asleep, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a cloth.
She was going to kick his ass for this. Hell, if he knew anything about Bo’s temper, he wouldn’t be surprised if she called the cops on him and had his ass thrown in jail for a day or two, make him sweat.
Silk Scarves and Seduction Page 11