by Anna Durand
He tilted toward me, his face inches from mine. "Would ye like to teach them a lesson in what family really means?"
A wave of excitement swept through my whole body, hot and sharp and delicious. "That's sweet, but not necessary. They aren't international arms dealers. They're just disinterested parents."
His golden gaze drilled into me for another few seconds before he relaxed into the sofa. "I cannae understand parents not being interested. How could they not know your husband?"
"My parents didn't think I was serious about Rob." I snorted out a derisive laugh. "Maybe they are idiots. I met Rob when I was sixteen. We were high school sweethearts, and we even went to the same university so we could stay together. He asked me to marry him on Christmas Eve during our senior year. Still, my parents thought I wasn't serious about him."
"Baothairean of the first order."
"Yeah, maybe. They'd always wanted me to marry someone important, like a doctor or a politician or... I don't know." I let my head fall back against the sofa and focused on the ceiling. "My parents had always been standoffish with Rob, but when he announced he was joining the army, they got positively chilly. They disapproved of the war."
"I didn't agree with it either, but I served anyway. For my country. For my family."
"That's how Rob felt too." The memory of the day he'd told me he wanted to enlist replayed in my mind, and my throat thickened. I shut my eyes. "I wasn't exactly thrilled when Rob enlisted, but for different reasons."
"You worried about his safety."
"Partly, but that's not the main reason." I forced myself to meet Logan's gaze. "Rob and I had planned to get married right after graduation. We'd bought airline tickets for that night, so we could go to Vegas and get hitched. But that afternoon, right after the graduation ceremony, he announced he'd enlisted in the army the day before and he was leaving for basic training in three days."
Logan stared at me blankly for several seconds. "He didn't consult you at all?"
"Nope. One of his closest friends had joined up instead of going to college and had gotten shipped out to Afghanistan six weeks after Rob and I got engaged." I turned sideways in my seat, though I had trouble looking Logan in the eye. "A month before our graduation, Rob's friend was killed in combat. Rob was devastated. I think that's why he enlisted so suddenly and didn't tell me. He was afraid I'd talk him out of it."
"Christ, Serena. I can't imagine... That must've been a powerful shock."
"I felt like he'd punched me in the gut. Making a decision like that without talking to me, it was like he didn't trust me anymore. Of course, later I realized he was grieving for his friend and not thinking straight. At the time, I felt betrayed."
Logan settled his hand over mine. "You don't have to tell me, but I am wondering how you dealt with Rob's decision."
"In a very rational and levelheaded way. I broke up with him." I smiled, though it was more ironic than cheerful. "Rob had hurt me so much by making a huge decision in secret that I threw the engagement ring in his face and told him we were done. He tried to apologize, told me he loved me more than anything, but I didn't believe him. On the day he left for basic training, I told him I still loved him, but I couldn't be with someone who didn't respect me enough to involve me in his decisions. He said he understood, and he asked if we could stay in touch as friends."
"What did you tell him?"
"I said okay."
Logan studied me with his lips working like he wanted to say something but thought he shouldn't.
"Go on," I said. "Speak up."
"I'm wondering how you ended up marrying Rob."
"He was stationed in Virginia, so for a year, we kept in touch by email, phone, even old-fashioned letters. When he finally came to visit me, he proposed again—and I said yes." I sank into the sofa, kicking off my shoes and resting my feet on the coffee table, suddenly too weary to stay upright. "I moved to Virginia with him, and we had eight months together before he was deployed for the first time."
Logan moved onto the table. He lifted my feet onto his lap, took my socks off, and began to massage my feet. How did he always know the right thing to do? His big, warm hands soothed me, making it easier to tell the rest of the story.
"I won't lie," I told him, "and say Rob and I had the perfect marriage and never argued. Of course we did. Sometimes, he still wanted to make decisions without consulting me, but we worked through our problems and had a good life together. Nobody's perfect. We all do the best we can with what we've got."
"That's an admirable attitude."
"Uh, thanks." His compliment made me feel weirdly self-conscious again, and I wriggled in place. "Rob got deployed three more times, but when he was home, we made the most of it. He was thrilled when I finally got pregnant, but another deployment took him away. He didn't see our son in person until Chase was ten months old."
Logan rubbed the ball of my foot with his thumbs, circling them around and around until I completely forgot to be anxious.
Eyes half closed, I tickled his arm with the toes of my other foot. "You know, I've never told anyone except Keely what happened back then."
"I'm glad you told me."
"A week ago, I wouldn't have imagined I'd want to tell you all of this." I walked my toes up his arm as far as I could reach. "It seems right that I told you. You're surprisingly easy to talk to."
"I doubt anyone else would agree."
"Oh, I think you'd be surprised by what other people think of you. You're Keely's number two hero, after Evan. Your sisters worship you, especially Isla."
He laughed, though it sounded a touch self-conscious. "Isla worships me? She's always telling me I'm making a mess of my life."
"She wants you to be happy, and she loves you very much."
The jet rolled to a stop.
I hoisted my butt off the sofa to peer out the window. "When did we land?"
Logan smiled. "Didn't even notice, did ye?"
"Nope." I gave him a quick kiss. "You're the cure for fear of flying."
"Maybe I should market that skill and become a billionaire like Evan."
"What would you do with a billion dollars? Or pounds, or whatever."
"No bloody idea."
As the engines wound down, he stood and offered me his hand. I didn't need his help getting up, but I took his hand anyway. I liked the physical contact, with him, the man I'd sworn I would always hate. Today, I couldn't imagine feeling that way ever again, couldn't believe I had ever convinced myself I did feel that way.
While we headed down the stairs toward the tarmac, hand in hand, I said, "Tomorrow, we should both talk to Evan together. We want time off for the same reason, after all."
"I agree. We should tell him together."
I hesitated, glancing at Logan's profile. "I was thinking you should be there when I talk to Chase about this little adventure we're going on."
He stopped on the last step, turning his face to me, his brows crinkled and his lips parted. "Why would you want me there?"
"Because—Well, it just seems appropriate. I mean, we are dating. Aren't we? That means we're a couple."
"I suppose we are," he said slowly.
"So, will you be there when I tell Chase?"
"Yes, I will."
"Good." We stepped onto the tarmac and walked toward the limousine Evan had sent for us. "I think we should do it right away."
"Whatever you want."
The limo driver opened the back door for us, and Logan kept hold of my hand while I climbed inside. Once he'd gotten in, the driver shut the door, and soon the car began to move.
Logan laid his arm across the back of the seat and angled toward me. "You do realize Chase is staying with Evan and Keely. We're going to their house to pick him up. Maybe we should tell all of them at once and have it done with."
"I guess that does make more sense."
He scratched the back of his neck, his expression pained.
"I need to ask you again." He fidgeted like he was sitting on a pebble. "Are you sure you want to go with me?"
"On your secret mission? Yes, I'm sure." I reflected on our previous conversation about Alex Thorne's offer, and suddenly I understood his anxiety. "Are you afraid I won't like you anymore once I've seen you in your element?"
He swallowed visibly, fidgeting again. "Maybe I am."
"Stop worrying." I kissed his cheek. "I know exactly who you are, Logan, and I'm not going to faint if I see you acting like James Bond. I've already seen your deadly calm stare and your steely-eyed stare, and I've heard your deadly calm voice and your steely voice."
"I'm deadly and steely?" He had a playful glint in his eyes that assured me he wasn't anxious anymore. "That doesn't sound very appealing."
"But it is to me." I laid a hand on his thigh and glided it up to within inches of the bulge in his pants. "It turns me on. You turn me on, and nothing is going to change that."
"Good, because you're dangerously close to being ravished right here in this limousine."
I slid my hand a little higher, moving it to his inner thigh. My fingers brushed his hardening cock.
He hissed in a breath, but it wasn't emotional discomfort this time. It was the ever-growing bulge in his pants that made him uncomfortable. "If you're going with me because you're worried I'll be injured during this mission, say the word and I'll turn down Alex's offer."
"Would you really do that? For me?"
"Aye."
He spoke that single word with a hint of surprise and a good dose of sincerity. Logan would turn down a job he wanted to take for my sake. He'd talked about it with me and involved me in the decision.
Rob hadn't done that.
I felt like a traitor for comparing them, but I couldn't deny Logan had done something Rob had never quite managed to do. He had included me in a very important decision, even though that decision was his to make, not mine. For the first time in my life, I wondered if Rob had really been the love of my life, or if I'd polished his memory to a pristine shine because he was no longer here.
Keely's words from the other day echoed in my mind. Did you ever think you might get more than one love of your life? For different times in your life?
Maybe it wasn't either/or. Maybe I could have two great loves in my lifetime.
And maybe Logan could be the second.
"Serena, are you all right?"
My focus returned from the past and zeroed in on the man presently observing me with concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine," I said. "Something just occurred to me, and I zoned out for a minute."
"What did you realize?"
"How about I tell you another time?" I covered his erection with my hand, loving that I could feel the heat of his flesh through his pants. "Let's get it on in the limo."
He threw his arms around my waist and hoisted me onto his lap.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Logan
We arrived at Keely and Evan's house somewhat disheveled. I was, at any rate. My clothes seemed determined to advertise the fact I'd enjoyed Serena in the car, announcing the truth with wrinkles that wouldn't smooth out. Serena had reapplied her lipstick and managed to tame her hair, which had gotten very messy. I hadn't been able to resist thrusting my hand into her hair and holding onto it while she rode me with a vigor that had forced me to clench my teeth to keep from shouting. She was the most confident, exciting lover I'd ever had.
Her dress was slightly rumpled when we exited the limousine.
The instant we stepped out, the front door of the house flew open and six people rushed out to hug us and babble greetings I couldn't understand. The noise of their joy was deafening. I'd expected to be met by three people—Evan, Keely, and Chase—but my sisters had joined them.
"What are they doing here?" I growled at Evan under my breath.
"Your sisters? They've been here all weekend." Evan gave me a look of mock chastisement. "You left your sisters all alone in a strange city."
"I knew my meddling cousin would entertain them."
"They entertained us." He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "So, you and Serena..."
"Bugger off, Evan."
He did bugger off for a few minutes, until he and Keely joined me and Serena in the den. We'd left my sisters and Chase in the living room because apparently Isla, Kirsty, and Elspeth had become good friends with Serena's son. The room she and I now stood in was, according to Keely, a den. Evan preferred the term study. It looked like an office to me, but then, what did I know about mansions? I'd lived in a flat in London for years, and before that, army barracks.
"You might call it a McMansion," Keely said when I told her my opinion of the house. "That means it's smaller than a genuine mansion, but bigger than an ordinary house."
"I thought McMansion meant a very large fast food restaurant."
She laughed.
Whenever Keely laughed or smiled, I understood why Evan had fallen in love with her. She was bonnie and sweet.
But when Serena laughed or smiled, I got the strangest feeling in my chest.
Evan took a seat behind the desk, which was much smaller than the one in his office at Evanescent. When he patted his lap, Keely settled onto it. Evan splayed a palm over her very large belly.
Serena and I sat in the chairs on the opposite side of the desk.
Evan smiled at his wife. "Do you think they're about to announce their engagement?"
"It's too soon for that. But maybe they want to thank us for meddling, since it's worked out so well."
I cleared my throat. Forcefully. "Perhaps you'll let us tell you why we needed to talk to you, instead of making barmy assumptions."
"Go on," Evan said. "We're listening."
He glanced at Serena, then aimed a smug smile at me.
"Thalla 's cagainn bruis, ye bampot," I hissed at him.
Keely wagged a finger at me. "That's no way to talk to your cousin. Away and chew a brush? Come on."
"Your wife understands Gaelic," I said to Evan. "Why would ye teach her that? Ye cannae curse without her knowing."
Evan grinned. "I started out teaching her dirty Gaelic, but she's a quick study. I had to move on to insulting Gaelic."
Serena jumped in before I could speak. "Logan's been offered a temporary job that's more up his alley than being the head of security at Evanescent. He needs to accept the offer, so he can figure out if working for you will be enough for him, or if he wants to get back in the game."
"What game?" Evan asked.
She flashed me a sarcastically sweet smile. "Being James Bond."
"Ahhh," Evan said, "I see. It's a secret mission."
"Exactly."
"No, it bloody is not," I said. "Al—Someone has offered me a job recovering a missing item. That's all."
Serena poked my arm. "Not quite. You're leaving out the who part of the equation."
"He doesn't need to know that."
"Of course he does. You can't take a job from you-know-who without telling Evan."
I rolled my eyes heavenward but received no divine intervention. "Evan will tell the other you-know-who, and she won't be pleased about it."
Evan's brows rose. "This sounds intriguing. You have to tell us about these two you-know-whos and the you-know-what the first you-know-who wants you to find."
He was smirking, the bastard.
"You need to be honest with your family," Serena said. "I'm sure Catriona will understand."
"Like hell she will." I shifted but couldn't get comfortable in my chair, despite its thick padding. "She still refers to him as the British Bastard and the Limey Louse."
Evan's face blanked for a heartbeat, then understanding dawned. "You're doing this mission for Alex Thorne."
"Who's Alex Thorne?" Keely asked.
"The man who broke Catriona's heart. They met in America when she was workin
g on her PhD there. That's all any of us really knows."
I snorted. "We know she despises him with a vengeance."
"Don't let that stop you," Evan said. "If you want to take the job, take it. If Cat finds out, she'll get over the anger once she's beaten you to death."
"You're hilarious." I squirmed again and resigned myself to telling my cousin the whole truth. "This isn't, ah, the first time I've worked for Alex."
"Really? You'll have to tell us that story sometime." Evan whispered something in Keely's ear, and she nodded. He looked at me. "Take as much time as you need. I'll hire temporary replacements for both of you."
Serena seemed genuinely wounded by that announcement. "Guess I'm not irreplaceable after all."
"Of course you are." Evan kissed his wife's cheek. "But Keely and I want you and Logan to be happy. A holiday filled with adventure sounds perfect. Doesn't it, gràidh?"
Keely nodded. "Yep."
Serena had glanced at me when Evan said the word gràidh, but she didn't seem confused by it. The first time I'd accidentally called her that, she had been too annoyed with me to notice. The second time, she'd been in the grips of a panic attack thanks to her fear of takeoffs and landings. The third time, she'd seemed startled for a moment.
Did she know what gràidh meant? The American Wives had taught her naughty Gaelic, but I didn't know if they'd told her about the affectionate terms.
"Shouldn't you be worried for Serena's safety?" I asked Evan.
"We trust you to take care of her. And besides, you wouldn't let her go with you unless you were certain she'd be safe."
Evan trusted me. How odd.
"Don't look so confused," Keely said. "Evan is your best friend. Of course he trusts you to keep my best friend safe."
Was everyone in the family suffering from the shared delusion Evan and I were best mates?
Serena slanted across the space between our chairs and whispered, "Stop fighting it. Having a best friend doesn't make you less of a hot secret agent man."