by Coleen Kwan
“There are some things we both want.”
He lowered his head toward her, his intention clear, and for a split second she considered twisting away, but she kept still. His lips skimmed over hers for the briefest of moments—hot, sweet, shocking—and then it was over, and he stepped back, releasing her hand. She blinked, feeling dazed and disoriented. Her mouth was tingling, her lips were parted, her heart was pounding. She’d wanted Logan’s kiss so badly. Worse, she’d wanted it to go on and on, had already been responding when he’d pulled away.
Oh God, what was wrong with her? All Logan had to do was hold her hand and peck her briefly, and she was reduced to a quivering mess? Maybe he’d planned this. She’d fallen into his trap, and now he would be unbearably smug and superior.
But Logan didn’t say anything. He just smiled at her, eyes sparkling, then he turned away and leaped back to work, seemingly bursting with energy. As he hacked into another section of the roof, he began to whistle. Logan was in a frigging good mood.
Gritting her teeth, Amber picked up a hammer and began to attack the deck.
Chapter Five
Balancing two coffee cups in a cardboard tray and a bakery bag, Logan strode toward the fenced-off site, enjoying the warmth of the morning sunshine. Despite yesterday’s long hours of physical labor, the frustrations, and the late finish, he felt fresh and eager to get back to work today. And not, he admitted, because he wanted to complete the building, but mostly because he was looking forward to spending the day with Amber.
She was already there, standing on the deck of the playhouse, legs apart, hair loose and gleaming like molten bronze around her shoulders. His heart gave an involuntary kick, surprising him. As he approached, Amber turned, and for a moment her unguarded face brightened as if she was glad to see him, before she composed her features into a small smile.
“Coffee! Just what I felt like.”
“And bear claws.” He deposited his load on the deck and handed her a paper cup and a pastry. They both sat cross-legged on the wooden boards and ate their breakfast.
“Beautiful day,” she remarked through large bites of her bear claw.
“Yeah, looks like it’s going to be another scorcher.”
He watched her surreptitiously, fascinated by the way she scarfed down the pastry with unpretentious gusto. A few crumbs clung to her lower lip, and his insides tensed as he fought the urge to bend over and lick those errant morsels from her mouth. Hell, he wanted to kiss her again so badly. And kiss her for real this time, not just a teasing little peck. He’d had his chance yesterday, but for some reason he’d failed to press his advantage.
She’d been open to it; he’d felt how ready she was to respond, and he knew from memory how devastating her kisses could be. But maybe that was the reason why he’d held back. Because at the back of his mind he still remembered that blip of terror on his otherwise complacent radar, the awareness that this girl—and only this girl—could wreak havoc on his confidence and peace of mind.
Maybe another reason was his parents. Amber was definitely not their idea of a “suitable girl” for him, and if they knew how much she occupied his thoughts, they’d be even less inclined to hand him the reins of Wright Inc. But it seemed he couldn’t overcome his attraction to her. Amber was a threat to his well-laid plans, his peace of mind, but what a luscious, tempting threat she was… Surely he could taste without getting burned?
“How should we divide up the painting?” Amber asked, apparently oblivious to his inner thoughts. “You want to start on the outside? I can do the inside and then help you finish.”
“What makes you think you’ll finish before me?”
“It’s elementary, Dr. Watson. There’re only four walls inside, whereas outside there are four walls, plus the roof, the deck, and the railings.” She popped the last bit of bear claw into her mouth and grinned at him.
“Okay, fine, Sherlock.” He watched her chew, and then, unable to resist any longer, he stretched out a hand and flicked away the crumbs still clinging to the corners of her mouth, his thumb lingering on her lower lip.
Her eyes widened. Already he regretted his action. He badly wanted to kiss her, but that was impossible because a few daycare workers and kids were loitering on the other side of the fence, curious about their progress.
“Logan,” she began, sounding out of breath.
Before she could continue, a high-pitched voice called out, shattering the moment.
“Helloooo! Press coming through!” A short, brisk woman dressed in a no-nonsense black skirt and white shirt with a messenger bag slung across her torso squeezed through the fence and marched up to them. “Imelda Jones from The Gazette. You must be Logan Wright and Amber Miller.” She thrust out her hand, giving them no option but to shake.
Amber shot Logan a suspicious glance. “Did you organize this?”
“Not me.”
“Oh, no, the mayor sent me.” The reporter laughed. “He told my editor about his plan to provide playhouses for the little kiddies and thought our readers might want to learn about it. So here I am!”
Logan frowned. “Mayor Horowitz sent you? But why now? Why not wait until the playhouses are completed?”
“I guess he wants as much publicity as he can milk. Plus, it’s summer, and to tell you the truth, we’re a bit short on news stories. Should be good for you guys, though. You’ll probably make it to page three at least, and you’ll be on our website.”
“You’re not going to hang around all the time, are you?” Amber was beginning to look alarmed, and Logan could sympathize. He didn’t want some pesky reporter witnessing the little wrangles he and Amber indulged in, and he definitely didn’t want her noticing how much Amber aroused him.
Imelda assumed an innocent expression. “Any reason why I shouldn’t?”
Amber pressed hands on hips. “You’ll get in the way. Plus, Logan and I have our own method of building, and we don’t need a journalist sticking her nose in. You can take a few pictures if you like, but you can’t hang around.”
“I don’t want to get in your way. Why don’t I grab some photos for now, and I’ll be back later when you’re done?”
After Amber had nodded, Imelda pulled a camera from her bag and started clicking away. Logan watched her, not fooled by the reporter’s agreeableness.
“We’d better watch out for her,” he said to Amber when the reporter had finished and walked off the site. “She’s going to drop in when we least expect her.”
“But I just told her not to hang around.”
“And saying that only made her more determined. She’s a reporter. She’s paid to be a pest.”
Amber compressed her lips, a glint coming into her eyes. “If she gets in my way, she’ll regret it.”
“If you lose your cool, that will only make her story juicier.”
“How do you know I’ll lose my cool?”
“Because that’s your default reaction. Shoot first and ask questions later.”
Her frown deepened. “Excuse me, but I think you’re under some delusion that you know me.”
“Come on, Amber. Dumping that Coke over me, barging into my office last week. Isn’t that losing your cool?”
“How do you know they weren’t calculated moves?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to argue. I’m just warning you to be aware that that reporter is going to pop up when we least want her to.”
“Fine, then. I don’t like it, but I’ll show you I can handle her without losing my cool.”
“Good. But don’t do it to show me. Do it for yourself.”
“Thanks for the free advice,” she said, her words dripping with sarcasm.
He couldn’t help grinning at her. “You’re welcome.”
“Here’s some in return. I’ll lose my cool if I want to. It’s my life, my cool.”
“Got it.” He couldn’t stop smiling.
She crushed her empty paper cup. “Right. Back to work.”
…
By mida
fternoon, the first playhouse was done. The muscles in Amber’s back ached, her hands were scratched, and flecks of paint spattered her clothes. But a sense of satisfaction chased away the little irritations and lifted her spirits. The playhouse had turned out much better than she’d expected. Thanks to the mess-up with the kit, it wasn’t the sterile, dull structure she’d feared. Instead it was a whimsical, yet solid house built for play. It had a pirate lookout, a slide, and a sand pit. The walls were decorated with butterflies, flowers, birds, and climbing vines all painted in vivid colors. Inside, it even had a built-in stove and cupboard, which Logan had fashioned from leftover bits of timber.
“Not bad, huh?” Logan said, walking over to her with a wide grin.
“It’s perfect.” She couldn’t help responding to his smile. They might have argued over the past two days, but they had achieved something to be proud of. And she had to admit that she’d enjoyed working with Logan, including the arguments. They might have disagreed on many things, but who wanted to work with a wimpy yes-man anyway?
Gazing with her at the playhouse, Logan casually slung an arm around her shoulders. She stilled, her thoughts zigzagging as she wondered if this was a prelude to more, but he seemed content to rest his arm on her, his hand mere inches from her face. It was just a friendly gesture, she told herself. The kind of thing you did after a hard day’s labor.
But it felt more than just friendly to her. Her body tingled, relishing the weight of his arm, and she had an urge to twist her head and brush her lips against his hand. Logan had great hands, large, long-fingered, and dexterous. His hands were strong and sexy, like the rest of him. All day she’d found it difficult to stifle her awareness of him, and now, with the heat of his body permeating through her clothes, she was struggling to hold still and not cave in to the impulse to snuggle into his side.
“Hey, this is awesome!” someone said.
Amber looked up to see a man about the same age as her advancing toward them. Logan’s arm slipped off her shoulder as he stepped forward to greet the man with a casual fist bump.
“Hey, Ryan. This is a surprise.”
“I couldn’t wait.” The man gave Amber a wide grin. “Hi, I’m Ryan Claybourne. You must be Amber Miller. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
So this was the CEO of Sunshine Kids and Logan’s buddy. Wearing casual chinos and a blue polo shirt, he seemed friendly and unassuming. Amber shook hands with him. “Hi, Ryan. If you heard stuff about me from Logan, then I won’t ask if it’s good.”
Ryan chuckled. “No, it’s all good. I hope you don’t mind me dropping in, but I’m so excited about this project that I just had to see for myself.” He glanced at the playhouse again. “Wow. It’s amazing. Mind if I go inside?”
“Be our guest,” Logan said.
Ryan clambered all over the playhouse and enthused about everything. Then he walked to the fence where a bunch of children were watching and hunkered down to speak with them, his face alight with interest.
“He seems really good with kids,” Amber remarked to Logan.
“Yeah. He’s great at his job. He’s had a lot of family opposition, though. All the Claybournes are lawyers. Working in daycare isn’t what they expected of him.”
“He’s related to Emily Claybourne, then?”
“They’re cousins, but he’s nothing like Emily.”
“So it would seem.” She looked at Ryan, wondering if he knew of her and Logan’s past history. Not likely, she thought. Logan wouldn’t have wanted anyone to know about her. She glanced back at Logan to find him watching her with a peculiar expression. Did he think she was interested in Ryan? Is that why he seemed a bit put out? Because he was jealous? Or because he didn’t want her going after his friend?
Ryan strolled back to them. “The kids are dying to use the playhouse, but we’ll need to conduct a thorough safety check first. I’ll send an inspector around tomorrow morning. That okay with you?”
“Of course,” Logan said. “Call us if there are any problems, and we’ll come out and fix them right away.”
“The kids will love it, and so will the parents. We’re really grateful to you two.” Ryan included Amber in his smile.
“It’s no problem. We’re glad to help,” Amber said.
“You know, when the mayor proposed this, I thought it would never work. But it seems I was wrong. You two make an amazing team.”
Amber smothered a cough. “Um, yeah, I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“No, it’s true. I was expecting to arrive here and find you two at each other’s throats.”
“Ha. You should’ve been here yesterday. I was ready to throttle Logan at times.”
Ryan’s eyes twinkled. “I’d pay good money to see that. But that must be your unique way of communicating, because look at the results.”
“Well, thanks.”
“I’ve got a meeting, so I’ll talk to you later. Thanks again, guys.” Ryan lifted a hand in farewell before walking off.
When he disappeared, Amber lifted an eyebrow at Logan. “So that’s what it is. A unique way of communicating, AKA bickering.”
Logan shrugged. “You heard what he said. It didn’t stop us from producing something good.”
“Let’s hope whatever it is gets us through two more playhouses. Can we start on the second one next week Monday? That works out best for me because Greg mans the store for me on Mondays.”
“So Monday is your only day off in the week?”
She lifted her shoulders. “Yeah.”
A small frown settled on Logan’s brow. “You shouldn’t be working on your day off.”
She didn’t want or need his sympathy. “Hey, it’s only for a few weeks. I’ll survive. So, next Monday then?”
“Yeah, okay. This next one is a bit different. The center caters to children with vision impairment, so we should take that into account. Are you still up for being the lead on it?”
“Of course. I’ll just need to think things over. I’ll get you a list of materials by the end of the week.” Several ideas were already taking form in her mind. She’d work on them over the next few nights and come up with a detailed design. “I guess we can go now.”
With their tools already packed and the site cleared, there was nothing left to do. They walked over to their cars, Amber’s rusty pickup looking as shabby as ever next to Logan’s brand spanking new truck.
“I could do with a beer to wash away the dust,” Logan said casually. “Want to join me?”
She paused. “You’re asking me to have a drink with you?”
“Yeah. That’s what people do after a hard day’s work, don’t they?”
His tone was offhand, the invitation not unusual. So why did she feel jittery about accepting? Was it because she didn’t trust herself around Logan? Ugh. Yes, that was it. Already she was too conscious of his attraction. God knows what she’d do once she had a few drinks in her.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, opening the door of her pickup. “My day isn’t over yet. I need to get back to Bennett’s while I still have a business to run.”
His eyelids flickered as if he’d forgotten they were rivals and been sharply reminded. He nodded, his expression unreadable. “Sure. Another time, then.”
…
“Logan! It’s so good to see you!”
Logan grinned as his younger sister flung her arms around his neck and hugged him enthusiastically.
“Hi, Sophie.” He ruffled her hair affectionately. “How’s San Francisco?”
“Amazing.”
“And that fiancé of yours? Is he treating you well?” Logan squinted over his sister’s head at the man chatting with their parents outside on the veranda.
“He is.” His sister’s face softened. “Daniel’s my hero.”
“He must be to give you that horrible mushy expression.”
“Hah. You old cynic. I’m going to enjoy rubbing your face in it when you eventually fall in love.”
“Don’t hold y
our breath.”
Sophie looped her arm through his and squeezed him. “Come on, Logan. This is your sister you’re talking to, not one of your buddies. Under your tough exterior you’re just a big ol’ softie waiting for the right girl to sweep you off your feet. I know there’s someone out there for you.”
“Don’t say things like that in front of Mom or Dad,” he said with a grimace. “They’re already chomping at the bit to marry me off. They don’t need any more encouragement from you.”
“Aw. They just want to see you settled with the right woman.”
Logan suppressed a shudder. “At least you and Daniel will divert their attention this weekend. Can’t you stay longer?”
“Sorry, Daniel has an important case next week. But we’ll be back soon, and Daniel’s parents will be visiting, too.”
“Good.” Logan nodded. “That should keep Mom occupied. She’ll be so worried keeping up with the Hallidays that she’ll forget about me.”
“Oh, Logan, you make her sound like such a snob. She’s just eager to make a good impression. After all, once Daniel and I are married, our two families will be linked forever.”
Sweet little Sophie always wanted to see the good in everyone, which was one of the reasons why he doted on her so much.
“How about you?” she asked. “Are you still enjoying taking over from Dad?”
“I’d enjoy it even more if he actually let me take over.”
“Give him time. I’m sure you’re doing a brilliant job.”
“Thanks, Soph.” He’d spent the rest of the week at his office, and though he’d liked it, a part of him had missed seeing Amber. He had to admit he’d even missed their sparring. Now, it was Friday evening, and he found himself looking forward to seeing her after the weekend.
“Come on.” His sister tugged at his arm. “Let’s go out there. I think poor Daniel needs some respite from Mom.”
Logan followed her out to the veranda, where she and Daniel exchanged intimate glances. At first he’d worried about his baby sister marrying into a high-profile, politically important family like the Hallidays, but now he felt reassured that she was making the right choice. Daniel Halliday was smooth and charming, but he treated Sophie respectfully and tenderly.