Crazy for Her (10 page)

Was the bar fair?

Logan pulled over to the side of the road, his heart hammering so hard he feared he would blindly rear-end the car in front of him. He had to go see her. What if it didn’t count if his best friend was dead? What if he didn’t have to decide between love and honor? But he hadn’t brought Evan safely home to Dani. Did that take away his right for a chance with her? He had questions only Mrs. Jankowski could answer.

There were times when the influences of the two women who’d raised him clashed and his reasoning suffered for it—a weakness that he recognized and with which he struggled. Although he had turned his back on his mother’s lifestyle, he’d spent the first half of his existence living it, watching Lovey Dovey whore her way through life.

Then Mrs. Jankowski entered the picture. She’d been the light to his mother’s darkness. Once she’d shown him what could be, there had been no middle ground, no shades of gray for a boy determined to make a better life for himself and his sister. She’d taught him to reach for the stars, that they could be his. Could Dani be his, or was she a star far out of his reach?

Logan leaned his head back and closed his eyes, shutting out the noise of the passing traffic. What to do about Dani? Was it wishful thinking that it wouldn’t be wrong to pursue her? He could no more see the answer than he’d been able to see his hand in front of his face in a haboob, a massive sandstorm of the Middle East.

He had to talk to Mrs. Jankowski, and he didn’t want to do it over the phone, so it seemed a trip home was necessary. Whether Dani liked it or not, she and Regan were coming with him. It would do Dani good to get away from this situation and spend a few days at the beach.

Logan took out his cell phone and called Mrs. Jankowski to tell her he was coming home and bringing guests. He then called Buchanan. It wouldn’t hurt to meet with his team and have a strategy session to make sure they were all on the same page.

“Get anything on the license plate yet?” he asked as soon as Buchanan answered.

“Jesus, boss, you only gave me the numbers thirty minutes ago. Give a man a little time.”

“And it shouldn’t take more than five minutes to run it. Do you have anything?”

“Yes and no. The plate is registered to a company called Gateway, but it’s a dummy corporation. Gateway is owned by The Way. That’s as far as we’ve got, but it’s looking like there are layers of dummy companies here. What the hell have you stepped in this time, Kincaid?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not liking what I’m thinking. Those names, especially The Way, have the sound of a religious group.”

“Are you thinking cult, boss?”

“I don’t know what to think yet. We need more information. Our man could have stolen the truck and this is nothing more than an obsession on his part. If there is some religious group involved, then what the hell could they possibly want with Dani? Get Maria on this. She has a few more weeks before fall classes start. She loves this kind of thing, and if anyone can make sense of it, she can.”

“I was going to suggest that. She’s been hanging out here begging for something to do.”

Logan scowled at his cell. “Romeo, you get any ideas about Maria and you’re a dead man.” The hesitation on the other end raised the hair on Logan’s neck. He hadn’t missed the little glances recently occurring between Maria and Buchanan.

“Right, dead man. Got it loud and clear, boss.”

Logan was about to hang up when he heard Maria’s voice in the background.

“Is my brother threatening you again, Jake?”

Buchanan disconnected before Logan could hear his answer. Damn it all. It was a good thing he’d decided to go home. He needed to put a stop to whatever was starting between those two before it was too late. Romeo was . . . well, Romeo. There was no way he was going to let Buchanan sniff up Maria’s skirts.

If Maria had a problem with that, he would lock her in her room until it was time for school to start. There were plenty of nice young men at the university. She needed to find one who wasn’t nicknamed Romeo.

Logan started the Jeep, and as he drove, he planned how he would sneak Dani away without her stalker knowing. He also prepared for the argument he was sure she would give him about leaving Asheville, one she would lose. There was absolutely no way he was leaving her behind, unprotected. Especially if there was a cult involved. If he had to toss her over his shoulder and carry her away kicking and screaming, he would do so.

CHAPTER
TEN

D
ani unloaded the groceries, curious why Logan had insisted they buy food for just two days. He had something planned, but was staying closedmouthed about it. The frustrating man had also refused to tell her if he’d learned anything at any of the motels he’d stopped at, only saying they would talk later.

She sliced some strawberries and put them on the tray of Regan’s highchair. “Want a strawberry?”

Regan held one up. “Wont?”

Dani opened her mouth and let Regan feed her. “Yummy.”

Her daughter held out another one. “Wont?”

“No, you eat the rest. Yum, yum.”

“Yummmm!” Regan screamed, and smashed the piece on the tray.

Leaving her to play with her food, Dani turned to start dinner. Logan stood in the doorway, his hair still damp from his shower. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt, and was barefoot. Unable to help herself, her gaze roamed over his body, across his broad chest, over his stomach, down to lean hips, the long legs, and his feet. She clenched her hands to keep from reaching out and running her fingers over his arms just to feel the ripple of his muscles.

She swallowed hard and lifted her gaze to his. He stared back at her, his eyes darkening to almost black, his look intense. Remembering her resolve to rattle him, she licked her lips. One side of his mouth curved in a knowing smile—one that said he knew her game. What woman didn’t love a smart man?
Whoa, where did that come from?

Logan moved toward her in the way she thought a sleek panther would stalk something of interest, something it had caught the scent of and wanted. Her heart fluttered wildly as excitement raced through her. What was he going to do? He stopped in front of her and without saying a word, cradled her face with his hands, angled his head, and kissed her.

Her knees threatened to buckle, but she locked them in place. He didn’t try to part her lips with his tongue, didn’t do anything but frame her face with his warm hands and kiss her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Something told her not to touch him, even though she ached to feel his skin under her palms, but she knew if she did, he would stop. She never wanted him to stop. Ever.

“Yummmm! Mama, yummmm.”

He lifted his head, a smile playing on his mouth. “I agree. Yum.”

Leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen, dazed and unable to think, he moved to sit next to Regan. Dani touched her tingling lips. My God, the man sure knew how to kiss, but he confused her. One minute he was kissing her senseless, the next apologizing for doing it.

“You’ve made quite a mess here, Regan, my girl. You must be really proud of yourself,” Logan said.

Dani turned to see her daughter holding out the only piece of strawberry not either in her hair, smeared over her face, or smashed on her tray.

“Wont?”

He leaned forward and let Regan put it in his mouth. “Yummmm!” Logan mimicked.

Regan laughed and slammed both hands on the tray, splattering strawberry juice. She then leaned down and licked the tray. Looking up at Logan, she grinned and said, “Mama.”

“No, I’m Logan. Can you say ‘Logan’?”

Regan waved at him.

“You’re a smart little girl. I know you can say ‘Logan.’ Lo . . . gan.”

She scrunched her eyebrows together. “Gan.”

Logan’s answering smile was one of the sweetest things Dani had ever seen.

“
‘Gan’ will work.” He slid his finger through the mess and licked it. “Yum.” Turning to Dani, he grinned. “I’m not an expert on babies, but I didn’t think they talked this early.”

Dani shrugged. Secretly, she thought Regan was the smartest little girl in the world. “It varies. She’s talking more than most at her age. Personally, I think she’s going to be a jabber mouth, and there will come a day when I look fondly on the time before she could speak.”

He chuckled when her daughter held out her arms the way she did when she wanted to be picked up and said, “Gan.” Tears burned Dani’s eyes, her hurt for the man who would never have his strawberry-smeared daughter reach for him. She’d always been sad that father and daughter would never know each other, but seeing Logan interact with Regan painted a vivid picture of how it could have been.

Logan tapped Regan’s nose. “I’m not picking you up until we get you cleaned up.” He glanced at Dani. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“It’s a mystery to all men why women always say ‘nothing’ when it is clearly something. You’re about to cry. Why?”

“I was just thinking about Evan.”

His face blanked. Why was that? Evan had been her husband and his best friend. Shouldn’t they be able to talk about him without it causing tension? Logan was hiding something, or maybe just holding his feelings about Evan’s death close.

His gaze returned to Regan, his words directed to Evan’s daughter. “Your father was the most honorable man I’ve ever known. He was the brother I never had. As you grow older, I’ll tell you stories of him so you’ll know him as I did.” He then leaned close to Regan’s ear and whispered something.

Dani thought she heard the word “sorry,” and would give anything to know what he’d said. Regan reached up and patted his face with her red-stained hands, almost as if she were absolving him of guilt. “Gan,” she said.

“Jesus,” he whispered just before he walked out of the room.

For the first time in her life, Dani truly understood what it meant when someone said the lightbulb went off, because it did for her in a brilliant, blinding radiance. He blamed himself for Evan’s death. Of course he did. How had she not realized? He had been the team’s commander, responsible for the success of their missions. If he didn’t bring them home safely, Logan was the kind of man who would hold himself responsible whether warranted or not.

And of all the ones to lose, Evan had been like a brother to him. Was that why he hadn’t come to see her when he got out of the hospital? Because he couldn’t face her? Was that why he resisted giving in to his desire for her? What had he said a few nights ago? Something about it being a matter of honor.

Gah, men were the stupidest creatures on earth when it came to their honor. She needed to think about this and figure out how to get him to talk about it. Without doubt, he would resist—would have to be dragged by his toenails to her Dr. Phil session. Didn’t matter. Whether he liked it or not, they were going to bring his demons out in the open and then blow them to smithereens.

Dani picked Regan up.

“No.” She pushed away and looked at the doorway. “No, Mama. Wont Gan.”

Dani froze, her heart turning over as her daughter reached another milestone. Oh my God, her first sentences and there was no one to share it with. It did no good to wish Evan were alive, though she did.

After bathing Regan and getting her to bed, Dani showered, and then took twenty minutes deciding what to wear. To go with her Mexican-themed dinner, she finally decided on a multicolored knee-length cotton skirt and a white off-the-shoulder blouse. She slipped on a pair of red-beaded earrings, along with her silver watch. She considered painting her toenails orange, but decided the yellow matched well enough. Besides, Logan said he liked the yellow.

Barefoot, she went to the kitchen to start dinner and stopped in the doorway. Wearing her apron, Logan stood at the counter, tears streaming down his face as he chopped onions.

“Logan, what are you doing?”

“Chopping the damn onions.”

“I see that. Here, let me finish.” Probably best she didn’t tell him how adorable he looked in her lacey apron.

“No, no need for both of us to ruin our eyes. Sit. I’ve got dinner tonight.”

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

He rolled watery eyes. “I’ve been cooking since I was seven. If I didn’t do it, we didn’t eat. As we’re pretty sure Maria’s half-Latina, I learned to cook Mexican, Cuban, and anything remotely related to a Latin dish, thinking she should love the food of her heritage.” He chuckled. “Except for tacos and enchiladas, she hates it all. Turns out, she’s a junk-food eater. Sit.”

Sometimes he could break her heart. She saw a little boy, unloved and uncared for by his mother, desperately trying to learn how to make the foods he thought his sister should eat.

Although he wouldn’t want her pity, she couldn’t resist wrapping her arms around his waist and holding the boy that surely could have used a hug. Somehow he turned in her embrace, pulled her close, and rested his chin on her head.

“Logan?”

He kissed the top of her head. “Hush. Go sit and let me take care of you.”

She could have stayed in his arms all night, but he’d offered to cook for her, something no woman could resist. “How about we take care of each other? I’ll make us a pitcher of margaritas while you surprise me with your culinary skills.”

Brown eyes warmed to the color of rich dark chocolate. “Works for me.”

He kissed her then, in the same way he had earlier. God, she could do this with him forever. It was a soft, exploring kiss, one that said he had deep feelings for her. Was that what she wanted? She didn’t know. She had thought they would have an affair as hot as a flashing fire and when it burned out, they’d return to their respective lives. He was changing the rules, but she wasn’t sure she minded.

The slide of his palms down her arms sent little shivers through her. He entwined their hands, lifted his face, and stared at her as if he were searching for answers. What was the question?

She smiled and pulled her hands from his. “Right. I’ll just go make the margaritas.” The pitcher of margaritas made, she salted the rims and poured them each a glass. “Here you go. Can I do anything to help?”

“No, sit and relax.”

As he’d already set the table, she relaxed and sipped her drink. Although she loved to cook, it was nice having him take over. He obviously knew what he was doing.

“So, did you find anything out today?” she asked.

“Yes, but we’ll talk about it later, after dinner.”

“All right. What would you like to talk about?”

He turned and speared her with that intense look of his. “You.”

“I’m the most boring person in the world.”

Leaning back, he braced his hands on the counter. “Are you? I hadn’t noticed.”

The way he stood accentuated the muscles in his chest and arms. How was she supposed to have a coherent thought when all she could think about was undressing him? “What do you want to know? I mean, you pretty much know everything about me. Great childhood, great parents, blah, blah, blah.”

He chuckled. “All right. What about your writing? I haven’t seen you doing any since I’ve been here.”

“I’m between deadlines. I finished my children’s book. It was something I really wanted to do, but I’m ready to get back to my romances. The mirror story is bubbling in my head, and I’m itching to get started on it.”

“What made you want to write a children’s book?”

Dani skimmed a finger around the rim of her glass and licked the salt. If she was right about Logan feeling guilty over Evan’s death, the answer was going to spoil the mood, but she wanted to tell him. She gave a slight shrug.

“I did it for Regan and in a way, for Evan, too. The title’s
My Daddy Book.
It’s about a young girl whose father doesn’t return from the war. She’s sad and misses him terribly. She starts the fourth grade in a new school and doesn’t know anyone, hasn’t any friends. A bully makes fun of her every day and she thinks, if only her daddy were here he would make the mean boy stop.” Logan’s face had shuttered and she hesitated.

“Go on.”

“You sure?”

He nodded.

“Well, another little girl finally befriends her, and they scheme to get back at the bully. On an overnight at her friend’s house, the father overhears them talking about all the mean things they plan to do to the bully. He’s a police officer and knows the boy, knows that he’s being raised by a single mother and they’re having a hard time.

“He convinces them to try and make friends with the mean boy, and so, eventually they do, and the three children become fast friends. Simplistic, I know, but that’s the story part to keep a young reader interested. The theme of the book is how the little girl goes through the grieving process and learns to cherish memories of her father. The book’s interactive with places where a child can write in their daddy’s name, his favorite color, things like that. There’s also a page in the front to insert a picture.

“I started it to give to Regan one day, and I didn’t think of publishing it. I mentioned what I was doing to my agent, and she asked to see it when I finished. Without telling me, she sent it to an editor who handles children’s books.” Dani shrugged. “He liked it and there you have it.”

The oven timer went off and he turned away. What was he thinking? She was afraid she’d added to his guilt, if that was his problem, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Logan?”

“Do you have a copy here?”

Hoping he wasn’t slipping into one of his dark moods, she wished he’d turn around so she could see his face. “I have an advance copy, why?”

“I want to read it.”