Not finding Dani in the house, Logan walked out to the front porch. Where the hell was she? He looked up the driveway and saw her coming toward him, the mail in her hand. “Damn it, Dani,” he muttered. If she thought it was safe to go to her mailbox, then he still hadn’t gotten through to her.
“Have you lost your mind?” he said, pleased with how calm he sounded.
She paused at the bottom of the steps and returned his glare. “Don’t yell at me.”
Okay, maybe not so calm. He paced to the end of the porch and took a deep breath, then turned and walked back. “I’m sorry, but you had me worried. I couldn’t find you anywhere in the house, and where are you? Outside. By yourself. What if he’d been waiting for you?”
Coming up the steps, she stopped in front of him and rested her hand on his arm, her touch calming him. How did she do that? Someday he would try to understand how he managed to stay ice cold under fire, but lost all sense of direction around her. Up was down and out was in. He needed a Dani GPS.
“I just went to get the mail. It wasn’t like I took off down the road. You were so involved in your conversation with Maria that I thought you wouldn’t even notice I was gone.”
Logan didn’t miss the drawn-out emphasis she put on Maria’s name and didn’t know what to make of it. “I noticed,” he said, and followed her into the house. “Next time, I’ll get the mail.”
“I was perfectly fine. Nothing’s going to happen in broad daylight with cars passing by.”
“You don’t know that. We don’t know who he is or what he’s capable of. So nothing unusual happened?”
“No, Logan, nothing unusual happened. A black truck slowed down, but that happens sometimes. I’m going to take a shower.”
She turned to leave, and he caught her by the arm. “What kind of black truck?” She looked at the fingers digging into her flesh. He loosened his hold. “Describe it. In detail.”
Her gaze lifted to his. “You’re scaring me.”
About fucking time. She had yet to take this as seriously as she needed to, and that was always the mistake of a cherry soldier. They just didn’t get it, until they did or died. If something happened to Dani, he would never get over it.
“The truck, describe it.”
She pulled her arm away. “It was just a black pickup with dark tinted windows. The kind of truck every third good ol’ mountain boy drives.”
Christ Jesus. The bad guy had been close enough to grab her. Up was down and out was in. If he had a damn Dani GPS, he thought stupidly, he might not have lost all sense of right and wrong. But he didn’t, so when he pulled her into his arms and soundly kissed her, he blamed her for his taking a wrong turn.
Logan was vaguely aware at first that her hands pushed against his chest, but when sanity began to creep back into his brain and he tried to pull away, she grabbed him around his neck and held tight. Her lips were soft, the inside of her mouth hot. He stopped thinking, closed his eyes, and lost himself in the kiss. He licked her teeth, he licked at the insides of her cheeks, and he sucked on her tongue. He did all that once and it was so good, he did it again. She tasted like heaven and he was in hell.
Remember Evan. The two words were as effective as being doused with ice on an already cold day. He stumbled back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do that.”
Hurt flashed in her eyes. “Bastard,” she said, and walked away.
“You don’t understand,” he told the empty room. He did want to. Wanted very much to do it. Had since the day he first saw her in Sinner’s Bar. But she belonged to Evan.
What Logan wanted didn’t count.
Restless, he decided to go check on the camera he’d placed in the oak. Since Dani’s stalker had just driven by, it was a safe bet he wouldn’t be in the tree. Although Logan wished the man were there so this could end today and he could go home, safely putting seven hundred miles between him and temptation.
Dani slammed the bathroom drawer closed. Why had Logan kissed her if he didn’t want to? Adjusting the water temperature to warm, she stepped into the shower and lifted her face to the spray. She tried to recall the look in his eyes right before the kiss. He’d been angry, but also worried about her. Which emotion drove the kiss, the anger or his concern? Did it matter?
He was the most exasperating man. One minute he looked at her as if he might devour her and the next his expression turned guarded, his eyes distant. The kiss surprised her and so had her reaction. The last man whose lips had touched hers had been Evan, and that had been long enough ago to forget how good it felt to be held in a man’s arms and feel his mouth on hers.
She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, her question still unanswered. Why had Logan kissed her if he didn’t want to? Ever since he had arrived, needs long dormant were stirring. She had no interest in marrying again, at least for a long time. The life she’d created for her and Regan was near perfect, and she didn’t need anyone messing it up.
What she wanted was a torrid, mind-blowing affair with a hot, mouthwatering man. And she wanted that man to be Logan. A frustrated chuckle escaped. If he knew the direction her thoughts were taking, he would jump on his “it goes very fast” Harley and disappear before she could say Davidson.
In her bedroom, she grabbed a T-shirt and threw it on the bed. She stopped, looked at it, and smiled. Change of plans.
Once she was dressed, she went to the living room, pausing in the doorway. Logan sat on the couch, holding Regan. He brought a spoon to Regan’s mouth, and her daughter—obviously still in the throes of adoration if her intent focus on Logan meant anything—obediently opened her mouth.
“That’s my girl,” he purred.
Regan gave him a smile Dani had never seen before. My God, the little stinker’s flirting with him. Smothering a chuckle, she stepped into the room. Regan noticed her first.
“Mama!”
Logan glanced up, did a double take, and gave Dani a slow perusal, causing her body to ripple in awareness. Judging by the heat in his eyes, the little spaghetti-strap sundress made of fine white gauze was met with approval.
“Ah,” he said, drawing the word out.
He seemed lost as to where to go from there, so she took pity on him. “Thanks. I’ll take over now.” Holding out her arms, she said, “Come here, silly girl.” Regan’s face scrunched up and her little lips trembled.
The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. “I think she wants me to finish feeding her.”
“Have at it, then.” Dani walked to the window, feeling the soft fabric swirl around her legs. She brushed her fingers over the skirt. The dress came to just below her knees, but had a slit to halfway up her thigh. Strappy red sandals, a thin red leather belt, and red dangling glass-bead earrings completed the look and were a daring contrast to the white gauze dress. The outfit said, Look at me, I might be feeling naughty. Would Logan get it?
She slid a finger under a blind and lifted it. It was a beautiful day, and she wanted to be out in it. There was a restlessness inside her, had been for a while, even before this stalker business started. The dress she wore had been purchased on impulse—on a day she’d needed cheering up—even though she’d doubted at the time she’d ever wear it. She glanced at Logan over her shoulder just in time to see him almost spoon Regan’s baby food into her ear.
Dani didn’t know whether to swoon or laugh. Logan—heat flaring in his eyes—was so focused on her that he had totally missed Regan’s mouth. Regan giggled when the spoon touched her earlobe. He jerked his eyes down and saw he was close to pouring pureed sweet potatoes down her ear.
Fascinated, Dani watched as red crept up his throat and onto his cheeks. She managed not to laugh. Oh, but it felt good to want to. He busied himself with feeding Regan, something Evan would never get to experience.
From the time she was born until the day two Navy men in dress uniform stood on her doorstep and asked to come in, he
r life had been blessed. Her parents were old money, lots of it. Not one of her friends’ parents could stand to be in the same room with each other, and she’d always felt special that hers deeply loved each other. It had been one reason her three best friends spent most of their time at her house. Her home was a happy one.
In addition to a mother and father who supported her in all ways, she had a trust fund left to her by her grandparents and a career she was good at and loved. Then Evan came along, completing the picture to perfection.
A hard lesson had been learned, though: beware of a life too good to be true. She’d never known loss or heartbreak, had never dreamed it could happen to her. Nothing had been right since the Navy chaplain took her hands in his and gently told her that her husband had been killed.
She wanted to feel again, wanted a man to want her, wanted to be touched, whispered to, and held tight in strong arms. Unfortunately, she wanted a man who didn’t want her. Well, maybe there was some kind of chemistry going on between them, but he didn’t seem happy about it.
Dani glanced down at her dress, saw that because of the way she stood, the slit was open, exposing her leg. Good God, she was dressed for trolling and was suddenly disgusted with her behavior.
If she was appalled, what must Logan be thinking? He was here as a friend to help her, not to provide stud service. But he was the one who’d kissed her and lit the match that started the fire. Fine, it’s his fault I’m acting like a slut. She glared at him, but he was too busy feeding Regan to notice.
Without a word, Dani walked out of the room—something she seemed to be doing a lot since he’d arrived. After changing into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, she returned to find Logan on the floor playing with Regan. He glanced at her, but made no comment. She sat on the floor and for the next hour tried to forget her sorrows, her stalker, and the longings Logan stirred up.
Logan tickled Regan, amused by how giggly she became each time he touched her. “I’m gonna get your tummy.” He flicked his finger over her stomach. She was on her back, her feet and hands thrashing in the air, her shrieks of laughter piercing. If he tried to remove his hand, she grabbed his finger and put it back.
“More?” He tickled her again while keeping a covert eye on Dani. The dress she wore earlier should be declared illegal or at least come with a warning: Beware, may cause loss of breath. Her abrupt departure and change of clothing indicated something was going on in her mind, but damned if he knew what. He hadn’t missed the look she sent his way right before striding out of the room, one that said he was a shithead for some reason.
Now, she seemed to be attempting a happy front, but tension poured from her so thick he could cut it with his knife. Unfortunately, after Regan fell asleep he was going to ruin whatever peace she had left. Regan pulled his finger into her mouth and sucked.
“She’s getting sleepy,” Dani said, and popped a pacifier into Regan’s mouth.
Logan leaned back against the sofa and let out a sigh. “Thank God. Where does she get her energy?”
Heartfelt love filled Dani’s eyes as she gazed at her daughter. Had his mother ever looked at him like that? A no-brainer question. Never. The only person Lovey Dovey cared about was Lovey Dovey. One unwanted child had been an inconvenience. Then along came Maria and by the time she was three, Lovey Dovey, had decided two brats were intolerable.
His sister had come within a hair’s breadth of being a throwaway, a little girl given over to social services to be placed in foster care. Only because he had been fifteen and working after school, giving Lovey Dovey his earnings, had she reluctantly agreed to give Maria to him. His threat to disappear forever, taking Maria with him, had the desired results. Lovey Dovey’s fear of losing her booze and cigarette cash was the only reason his baby sister hadn’t been lost to him forever.
“Lovey Dovey could take lessons from you on how to be a mother.”
“Who?”
Hell and damn, why had that come out of his mouth? “My mother.”
“Your mother’s named Lovey Dovey?”
The incredulous look Dani gave him was expected. Who the hell had a mother named Lovey Dovey, anyway? Logan hated talking about his parent—rarely did to anyone. But he’d opened that door.
“She was born Gretchen Kincaid. When she decided she was going to be a famous stripper like Gypsy Rose Lee, she legally changed her name to Lovey Dovey. She kept the name, but the dream got lost in the dregs of a tequila bottle.”
Dani didn’t seem to have a response, and he was glad for it. He had nothing more to say about the wretched woman.
Nodding at Regan, he said, “She’s asleep. Why don’t you put her to bed, and then we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Your stalker.”
Her expression turned guarded. “Do you know something?”
“Yes. Put Regan in her crib; then I’ll tell you.”
She gently gathered up her daughter, and again he compared her tenderness to his mother’s cruel touch, especially with Maria. To Lovey Dovey, Maria was competition. By the time his sister reached her teens, it became obvious she was going to be stunning. Lovey Dovey’s hatred of her daughter grew with each passing year.
Pushing away thoughts of the woman who birthed him, he went to his room and retrieved his laptop. By the time Dani returned, he was ready for her. She stopped in the doorway and eyed the computer sitting open on the coffee table.
“Come here, Dani,” he said softly.
Her gaze shifted to his, and he held out his hand. She came to him and slid her hand into his. His heart thumped hard in response to her touch. Her hair—a riot of curls hanging halfway down her back—brushed over his arm, and he closed his eyes for a moment, willing his skin not to twitch. It didn’t work. Concentrate on the mission, Kincaid. He needed the Iceman, but it appeared he’d gone AWOL.
This morning he’d downloaded images from the camera he put in the tree. Because she hadn’t let go of him, he operated his computer with one hand. “Have you ever seen this man before?”
She leaned her nose close to the screen and studied the photo. “With all the camouflage paint on his face and the ball cap pulled down over his eyes, he could be anyone.”
Logan clicked on the next photo. “Look familiar?”
Her eyes widened on seeing the black Ford F-250 truck. “Is that his?”
“No, just a picture I downloaded, but he drives one like it, except his has dark tinted windows.”
The color drained from her face. “That was him who drove by this morning?”
“I suppose it’s possible it was just one of your good ol’ boys.”
“But you don’t think so?”
The urge to assure her the man hadn’t been within feet of her warred with his need to explain the danger she’d be in if she wasn’t careful. He flipped the computer lid closed. “No, I don’t. It was stup—”
“I know what you’re thinking. I’m sorry.” Her shoulders slumped, and she stared at her hands.
He hated seeing her this way and waited for her to look at him before he cocked a brow. “You’re sorry you know what I’m thinking?”
“No, I’m sor—oh, you’re teasing me.” She narrowed her eyes. “Aren’t you?”
Against all good judgment, he wrapped his arms around her and leaned back on the sofa, pulling her with him. She came willingly, snuggling against his side. Holding her felt so damn right.
“Yeah, I’m teasing.” Resting his chin on her head, he inhaled her scent. “Your hair smells like honey.”
“It’s honey and green tea.”
He tilted his head and peered down at her. “You put honey and green tea in your hair? Isn’t that kinda messy?”
She grinned. “No, silly, the shampoo fragrance is honey and green tea.”
To see her smiling again was worth being called silly. “I like it.”
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Christ, he wanted to kiss her again.
“Well, if you like this one, wait until you smell my vanilla-bean-and-apple-pie-scented shampoo.”
Did she change shampoo scents the way she changed toenail polish? God help him. If she came near him smelling like vanilla ice cream and apple pie, he refused to hold himself responsible for licking her from her toes to her mouth.
“Did you just groan?”
Had he? “I don’t think so.”
These minutes, sitting on the sofa with her curled up next to him, all warm and sweet smelling, made him dream of a life with a woman who loved him and only him. Dani wouldn’t be like Lovey Dovey and bring strange men home, a rare one or two of them nice, but most from whom he’d had to protect Maria.
“I think you did.” She pushed her hand under his T-shirt, sliding her fingers over skin that was aching for her touch. Her face lifted, her mouth inches from his.
I’m sorry, Evan, he offered just before he kissed her.
Logan memorized the spicy taste of her because he couldn’t let this happen again. But for a few minutes he allowed his desire free rein. He angled his head and deepened the kiss. Her lips were full and soft, perfect for kissing. Cradling her neck with his palm, he held her close while his tongue explored her mouth. Under his shirt, her hand was busy with its own exploration, and when she flicked a finger over a nipple, he groaned.
This time he was certain he had because he heard it, the sound a red flag to his lust-filled brain. He had to stop. He didn’t want to stop. One more minute—he would allow himself one more minute.
When she sucked on his tongue, he forgot about time and minutes. Tangling one hand into hair softer than silk, he slid the other over the curve of her breast. She sighed into his mouth.
He felt the vibration of her sigh down to his bones. Tentatively, her fingers traced the bulge in his jeans, and he vibrated again.
Amazing.
Logan pressed her palm down on his cock. She tried to curl her hand around him, but the tight denim prevented her from grasping him. As she reached for the zipper, he vibrated a third time.
Crazy for Her (A K2 Team Novel) Page 5