Crazy for Her (A K2 Team Novel)

by Owens, Sandra

  If he allowed it to happen, he wouldn’t be breaking his personal vow, but he would dishonor his love and respect for Evan. That he would not do, no matter the temptation. Early in his life, he’d learned self-control, his SEAL training only made his willpower stronger. He could and would ignore his desires, was long used to doing so.

  “You’re not the boss of me.” The stubborn lines of her mouth dissolved into a wide smile, and her eyes sparkled with merriment. “I just sounded like a six-year-old, didn’t I?”

  “That old? I was thinking more like three.”

  “No, that’s the tantrum age, and trust me, you really don’t want me throwing a tantrum. No one does it better than me.” She walked away, stopping at the entrance to the hallway. “You have my word, tough guy. Whatever you say, no questions asked. I don’t promise not to make faces at you, however.” She stuck her thumbs in her ears, wriggled her fingers, crossed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue.

  Logan grinned at her retreating back. This was the Dani he missed. When she was dating Evan, the three of them sometimes hung out together, and her love of life and humor had captivated him. There had been times when they’d invited him along and he had declined, not able to bear seeing her hand in Evan’s or witnessing the quick kisses they often shared.

  The devil whispered in his ear that Evan was gone, and there was nothing stopping him now from claiming her as his. He could be the one holding her hand and leaving kisses on all the places of her body he’d fantasized about.

  Burying his traitorous thoughts down deep where they belonged, he picked up his leather tote and followed her down the hall. At the door to the nursery, he watched her lean into the crib and kiss Regan’s forehead.

  “Sometimes it hurts so bad to think she’ll never know her father.”

  Guilt soured his stomach, and for a brief moment he hated his friend for dying. “You should write down everything you know and remember about Evan before it slips away from you. Someday, Regan will thank you for it.”

  Dani’s sudden smile was like sunshine, warm and inviting. He caught himself taking a step toward her and stilled, planting his shoulder against the doorjamb.

  “I’m already doing that, but even better, she’ll have her uncle Logan to tell her stories about her daddy.”

  Someone should have posted signs warning of the minefield. Whichever way he stepped was going to be dangerous for him. He didn’t know if he could handle being an active part of their lives in the role of uncle. What if Dani met someone and fell in love? It would happen eventually, and he couldn’t stand on the sidelines again watching her with someone else. Been there, done that, could not bear doing it again.

  Yet she’d just made him Regan’s honorary uncle, and he didn’t have the words to refuse her. Her smile slipped as she waited for a response.

  “It would be a privilege to be Regan’s uncle.”

  The brilliant smile returned. “Thank you.” She kissed his cheek and walked past him.

  Still attached to the doorway, he closed his eyes and prayed for strength. Her lips on his skin had felt as soft as he’d imagined. For close to three years, he’d kept his longing for her buried, and now it was surfacing like flotsam. Whoever this man was, he needed to be found and taken care of. Soon. Then he could go home and put temptation at a manageable distance.

  “Logan?”

  Pushing away from the door, he walked down the hall and followed her into a room.

  “This is the guest room. It has its own bathroom through there.” She pointed to a closed door and then frowned. “You’re planning on staying here, right?”

  He dropped his tote on the quilt-covered bed. “Until I catch this guy, I think it would be for the best.”

  “We.”

  Logan gave her his most intimidating glare. “Don’t even think it. Your job is to stay safe, mine is to keep you that way.”

  She burst into laughter. Definitely not the reaction he expected. He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to stare her down. She laughed harder, plopping down on the bed and waving a hand in the air.

  “Stop staring at me like that,” she gasped. “I bet that fierce look sent your men ducking for cover.”

  It had. He bit down on his cheek to keep from smiling. “Doesn’t seem to work on you though, does it?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s been a strange two weeks, and I think it’s nerves more than anything.”

  “Understandable.” He tucked his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out to comfort her.

  She glanced at the small bag he’d dropped on the bed. “You travel light.”

  The T-shirt, socks, and underwear he’d worn last night were in his tote along with several knives, another gun, a cell phone charger, and his toiletries. “Can’t carry much on the V-Rod. I overnighted a trunk that should arrive any time.” Along with clothes, it contained more weapons and a few of his favorite high-tech toys. As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

  She started to stand, and he held out a hand to stop her. “I’ll go to the door.”

  After signing the delivery form, he scanned the road and area in front of the house before closing and locking the door. Logan hefted the trunk and carried it back to his room.

  Dani eyed it with obvious interest. “What kind of goodies do you have in there?”

  “What makes you think there’s more than just clothes?”

  She snorted. “I was a SEAL’s wife, remember?”

  “I remember.” As if he could forget. He set the case on the bed, wishing she would go away. He needed a few minutes alone to drill the reasons why she was off-limits back into his brain and lower regions.

  Dani noted the change in his mood and wondered at it. She stood and walked past him, stopping at the door. “Why don’t you get settled in while I start dinner? You can show me your toys later.”

  Evan had been a meat-and-potatoes man, but like Dani, Logan loved to experience all kinds of food. When the three of them had hung out together, she and Logan often teased Evan about his refusal to try a new dish. “I already know what I like, so why should I order something I’ll probably hate?” was his standard reply. It was rare that they could even tempt him to taste one of their meals.

  Cooking was her hobby, something she did whenever she came up against a wall when she wrote. Puttering around in the kitchen helped her think. Usually, by the time dinner was ready, she’d solved whatever plot issues were bedeviling her and had twice benefited—a great meal and the next scene for her story bubbling in her head.

  Long used to enjoying her creations alone, she was excited to have someone to share them with. Tonight, she’d decided on steak Diane, loaded twice-baked potatoes, and spinach salad. Not that she wanted to impress Logan—it was one of her favorite meals.

  Right, Dani, you went to all this work just for yourself.

  Okay, so she wanted to show off a little. All the prep work had been finished before Logan arrived, so all she had to do was flambé the steaks, microwave the potatoes, and heat the dressing for the salad.

  The dining room seemed too formal, so she set the table in the kitchen and debated whether to light any candles. Afraid it would send the wrong signal, she instead slightly dimmed the lights. Surveying the effect, she gave a little nod of satisfaction. Perfect. Not too dim to make it seem romantic but enough to take the brightness away.

  Hearing Logan’s approach, she poured a glass of wine and handed it to him when he entered the kitchen. “I think you’ll like this. It’s a Cabernet called Antler Hill from the Biltmore Estate here in Asheville.”

  He swirled the wine, sniffed it, and then took a sip and deemed it excellent. Evan had once told her that as a child, Logan had grown up dirt poor and neglected. Surprised at how knowledgeable he was of wines and fine foods, she’d found herself observing him whenever he hung out with them.

  Though he was a
warrior through and through, there was also something of a Renaissance man in him. His contradictions had so fascinated her, she’d used him as the model for the hero in one of her books. Evan had been amused when she’d told him, but she would die if Logan ever learned of it.

  Dani made herself a soda water with lime, her favorite nonalcoholic drink aside from her hot green teas. After turning on the gas burner, she leaned back against the counter to wait for the pan to get hot.

  Logan stood in the middle of the room sipping his wine, his eyes focused on her. Until he walked in, the kitchen had seemed spacious to Dani. Now she wasn’t sure she had room to breathe.

  When she’d first met the two SEALs, Logan had been the one to catch her interest, but he had faded into the background, allowing Evan to take center stage. And who wouldn’t adore Evan?

  No other man had filled her life with laughter the way her husband had. She even missed his silly jokes. Missed the way his hands felt on her body, missed his scent. Her big bear of a loving husband had won her heart, and her initial interest in his friend vanished. Now Evan was gone, and the man who had intrigued her for so long stood in her kitchen.

  Dani wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  She waved a hand toward a chair. “Have a seat and watch magic happen.”

  The phone rang and she froze, her heart beating a wild tattoo in her chest. Logan set his wine on the table, came to her, and took the glass out of her hand. Pushing a button on the phone, he handed it to her.

  She took a deep breath. “Hello.”

  “Danielle?”

  Logan had put him on the speaker. Holding the phone away from her ear, she pushed the words past her lips. “This is Dani.”

  “Tell him to leave, Danielle.”

  “Who?” A dial tone was the only response. “He hung up.”

  She put the phone back in the holder. It was just so very wrong to hear her dead husband’s voice. Unable to help it, she started shaking. Logan pulled her against his chest and wrapped muscled arms around her.

  “Did you hear? He sounds so much like Evan.”

  “I heard,” he said. “The voice is similar, but it isn’t Evan.”

  “I know.” She burrowed into his warmth. “But who is he? Who would sound like Evan?” Her eyes closed when his lips pressed down on her head.

  “I don’t know, but I won’t let him hurt you. You believe me, don’t you?”

  Dani nodded against his chest. “I believe you.” His hold on her was strong and soothing, and he smelled so damn good. A stirring of something she hadn’t felt since the last time Evan had held her took her by surprise, and she pushed away. “I-I need to start dinner.” It was only a natural response to the feel of a man’s body after two years of being alone, she told herself. It didn’t mean anything. He’d only meant to comfort her after the disturbing phone call.

  She put the steaks in the cast-iron skillet, popped the potatoes into the microwave, and refused to wonder who the hell the man claiming to be her husband was. He would not ruin her night—she wouldn’t allow it. Lighting the cognac on fire, Dani glanced at Logan to see if he was properly impressed. His eyes appreciatively followed her actions.

  Evan would have preferred hamburgers, but Logan appeared to savor every mouthful of her meal. Seeming to sense her need to forget about her stalker for a while, he listened as she talked about living in Asheville.

  “I haven’t eaten this good since the last time you cooked for me.” He pushed his plate away. “When was that?”

  “The night before you and Evan left for your last mission.” His eyes shuttered, and she regretted her words. She jumped up and grabbed their plates, putting them in the sink. “Do you want dessert now or later?”

  He rubbed his hand over his stomach. “Later, if at all.”

  “Hazelnut coffee, homemade chocolate Amaretto brownies, and vanilla-bean ice cream.”

  “A week here with you and I’ll be waddling like an overfed duck.”

  Dani leaned back against the sink and tried to imagine him fat and waddling. The picture refused to form. He stared back at her, their gazes held in some strange spell. Time seemed to stop. She recognized the heat in a man’s eyes and again felt herself responding. Then the fire in them faded. For the second time she thought she saw regret and wondered at it. What did he regret?

  He stood. “I think I’ll take a look around outside.”

  Nodding, she listened to the sound of his footsteps fading, the back door opening and then closing. After drying her hands, she walked into the dining room, peered out the French doors, and watched him walk down to the creek. He knelt and splashed cold spring water onto his face.

  She’d truly loved only one man in her life, but as much as she wished otherwise, Evan was gone forever. And here was Logan looking at her with heat in his eyes.

  “He wants me, Evan. How do you feel about that?”

  How do I feel about it?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Logan stilled, the sense of being watched finally penetrating his lust-filled brain. He scanned the woods, his eyes drawn to the massive oak tree. Nothing moved, but someone was out there. He palmed a knife from his boot and stood, the cold creek water dripping down his face onto his shirt. With his other hand, he pulled his gun from his waistband and held it down at his side.

  At the edge of the woods, he stopped next to a tall pine tree, listened, and heard not a thing. Not good. At the very least, birds should be chirping, but it was eerily silent. Alert, watching for any unusual movement, he made his way to the oak tree. Circling it, he studied the ground.

  At the base where a small patch of dirt wasn’t covered by leaves, he found a partial print of the heel of a combat boot—the real thing or someone playing at soldiering? Logan knelt and studied it, regretting it wasn’t a full print so he could estimate the size of the man. A fresh scrape on the bark indicated someone had recently climbed the tree, but whoever had been up there was gone now. Returning the gun to his waistband, he clamped down on the knife with his teeth and began to climb.

  A little over halfway up he found a branch that joined with another near the trunk, forming the perfect place to sit. A broken limb confirmed Logan’s fear that someone had been spying on Dani. He settled his back against the tree and turned his gaze to the cabin. A perfect view of her at the sink washing their dinner dishes greeted him.

  “Shit,” he hissed.

  How long had the creep been watching her? The asshole probably had binoculars and had been observing her. Logan examined the back of the house to see into what other windows the man might have been looking. The French doors to the dining room were next, but he didn’t give them much attention. The next set of windows would be Regan’s nursery, and then Dani’s room.

  Had the man watched her sit in the rocking chair while she nursed Regan? Logan slammed his knife into the branch, burying it halfway up the blade. The motherfucker was a dead man. He pulled his knife out of the wood and carved a small hole in the branch above his head. Later, he would return and put a thumb-sized camera there. Quickly sliding down the tree, he headed back to the house, his long strides eating up the ground before him.

  Storming through the kitchen, he passed Dani, ignoring her startled look, and marched to the door of Regan’s room. Belatedly realizing the pounding of his boots on the wood floor might wake the baby, he stopped and took a calming breath, reminding himself the Iceman didn’t lose his cool.

  His gaze fell on the rocking chair in front of the window where Dani liked to sit. How many times had the pervert watched her?

  “Logan?”

  Not hiding his fury, he turned.

  She took two steps back. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  He welcomed the fear in her voice. She needed to be afraid. “Close the curtains in her room and yours. He’s been watching you.”

  Her face pa
led and she put her hand against the wall. “How do you know?”

  “I found his little nest. Close the damn curtains.” He walked away before he could do something stupid like scoop her up in his arms and carry her far, far away to someplace safe.

  The next morning, Dani sat in front of windows covered by yellow-polka-dot Dr. Seuss curtains and nursed Regan. She loved her home, but it was starting to feel like a prison.

  Since she couldn’t enjoy watching the horses race around in the pasture, she tried to remember if she had come into contact with any odd characters lately. No one she’d talked to stood out as suspicious. How long had he been watching her? She shuddered. Being spied upon by a faceless man was just damned creepy.

  Regan finished nursing and gave a toothy little grin. Dani sat her daughter on her knee and burped her, then stood her up. “Mama’s little girl.”

  Regan bounced up and down. “Mama!” she yelled, and bounced some more.

  “She called you Mama.”

  Regan looked past Dani and grinned. “Mama!”

  Dani glanced over her shoulder to see Logan leaning against the door. “She’s been saying Mama for a while now.”

  He came and knelt next to the rocking chair, tapping Regan on the nose. “Hey, little girl.”

  Regan giggled and said, “Eairh.”

  Surprising Dani, Regan tried to go to him. She was normally shy around strangers, but she seemed to like Logan. He stood and Dani laughed at his panicked expression when Regan lifted her arms in a clear signal she wanted him to pick her up.

  “You’re such a sissy.” He glared at her and Dani rolled her eyes. “Uncle Logan’s a sissy,” she sang.

  “Issie,” Regan said.

  “See, she thinks you’re a sissy, too.”

  Lightning fast, he snatched Regan out of her arms. Dani swallowed a laugh. Apparently men didn’t like to be called sissies. Regan stared at him and grinned like a besotted fool. Dani understood Regan’s fascination. Even dressed in a loose navy T-shirt and sweatpants he was hot.