Logan's Redemption (16 page)

Smoothing her hands down the sides of her jeans, Doriana turned to the three middle-aged men who stood at the bar smiling at them. Lost in Logan’s feel and taste, she’d momentarily forgotten the others who shared the luxury box with them.

The trio, contractors she knew slightly from business dealings, had started out merely cheerful a few hours ago and were now very drunk. She and Logan had become fast friends with the men in a short time. What was happening to her? Drinking and joking with business associates. Kissing Logan in front of them.

Her professionalism vaporized like steam whenever she was with Logan. She should feel embarrassed, but she just felt…free.

“I guess I got caught up in the moment,” she said to the smiling men.

Logan leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “You can get caught up like that any time.”

“Stop it,” she whispered back. He laughed.

The game over, Doriana and Logan threaded their way through the crowd to the parking lot. Doriana sighed. The Flyers win had capped off a perfect evening. And it was perfect. She couldn’t deny that. For a few hours tonight, she’d been able to forget all her problems and pretend she was young and carefree and desperately in love with Logan. In love with Logan? It could happen again. A knot of fear constricted her chest. She couldn’t open her heart to that kind of pain a second time.    

When Logan pulled his Jeep in front of her house much later, regret wound its way through Doriana’s heart. Back to the real world with its problems and fears.

“Doriana, are you okay? You’re so quiet.” Logan’s voice, husky and thick, filled her with a longing that threatened to melt her right into his arms.

She forced a smile and reached for the door handle. “I’m fine. Just tired. I really had a good time tonight. But I’d better go. We’ve got a heavy workload tomorrow.” She needed to get out of the car before she did something stupid, like kiss him.

“I’ll walk you to your door,” he said.

“I’ll be okay.”

“I will walk you to your door. I want you safely in the house.”

Apprehension traveled up her spine. What if Josh opened the door?   

She hopped out of the Jeep and hurried up the stairs, Logan close behind. She pushed her key into the lock.
Please, God, let Josh be asleep
.

“I’ll see you at work,” she said with a quick glance at Logan. She unlocked the door with a shaking hand.

“Doriana.” Logan turned her toward him and took her face between his calloused hands.

Her whole body thrummed with awareness. Unable to stop herself, she reached out to touch his high cheekbones. She’d always adored his face, the curves, valleys and ruggedness that gave him a dangerous air. The danger was still there and more potent than ever.

He dipped his head. She lifted her face, on fire for his kiss.  

The blast of heavy metal music from inside her house yanked her back to reality. Josh! She pulled away from Logan, losing her balance. He held onto her arms, steadying her.

“I have to go,” she said.

“Your babysitter has a great sense of timing,” he said with a wry grin. “And won’t she wake your son?”

“Babysitter?”  She frowned. “Babysitter. My son. I have to go.” She was babbling. She pushed open the door a crack, praying Josh wasn’t on the other side.

“Doriana.” Regret tinged Logan’s voice.

“Good night.” She slid through the door and locked it behind her. Trembling, she braced herself against it.

Another jolt of ear-splitting music propelled her up the stairs to Josh’s room.

Josh threw her a dark look and flicked off the offending music. “I knew that would get you in the house,” he said in an accusatory tone.

Standing with his arms folded across his chest and his legs apart, he looked so much like his father. Doriana swallowed around the lump in her throat.

“Was it necessary to wake the neighbors?” she asked.

“You were ready to trade spit with some guy.” He wrinkled his nose. “You reek of beer.”  

She bristled. “That is no way to talk to your mother.  I’m a grown woman. I don’t need your permission to go out.”
Not even with your father
.  She put a hand on her hip. “Didn’t you tell me at Nonna’s the other day that I should date?”

Defiance lashed his features. “This is different. You wanted to kiss him. Who’s the guy, Mom?”

He’s your father
. A small voice dared her to say the words. She couldn’t. Not yet. She’d always known she’d have to tell Josh about his father someday. She hadn’t expected that day to come pounding at her door so soon.

Drawing a harsh breath, she walked into the room and leaned against the dresser. She ran her finger over the dust on the smooth surface, stalling for time.

“You really need to clean this room, Josh.”

“Don’t change the subject, Mom.”

She shrugged, trying to diffuse the tension that lay heavy as like painters’ cloth over the room. “Logan is just a co-worker.”
Liar, liar
, her conscience prodded. She ignored it.

“I don’t like him,” Josh said in a voice filled with indignation and hurt.

“You don’t even know him.” She kept her voice calm and smooth, hoping Josh wouldn’t guess at the turmoil clenching her stomach.

Some of the belligerence left his face. He ran fingers through his wavy hair in a gesture she’d seen his father do countless times. Her heart squeezed.

“He looked dangerous,” Josh said. “And you like him.”

Hurt and fear washed across Josh’s face, making him look like a little lost boy. Doriana ran to him and hugged him. He stood stiffly in her arms at first. Then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her.

What would Josh say if he knew the truth about Logan and would he want Logan in his life? Doubt squeezed her heart. She wasn’t sure she could share Josh after all these years.    

She looked up at him. “You know I love you more than anyone in this world. You’ll always be first with me, no matter what happens.”

He gave her a searching look. “What’s going to happen?”

She stroked a finger down his high cheekbone. “It’s late, sweetheart and we’re both tired. Go to bed.”

“Something’s going on. Why won’t you tell me?”

“You’re growing up too fast.”
And you’re way too perceptive for your age
. She patted his cheek. “Now go to bed.”

What tangled webs we weave
. The words mocked her as she headed down the hall to her bedroom. Tangled webs indeed. Her head hurt. She had a confused son. And she feared she was falling in love with his father all over again. God help her.

The phone rang just as she entered her room. Logan? She raced to answer it.

“Out with him again, weren’t you, bitch?”

Riveted by fear, Doriana gripped the receiver.

“What did I tell you about that pretty boy?” The malicious words slithered over the phone lines. “He can’t give you what I can. A woman like you needs a real man.”

She slammed down the phone.

“Mom, who was that?” Josh called.

“Wrong number.” She hoped Josh didn’t notice her voice shook. She stuffed her fist into her mouth to stop her scream. The scum knew she’d been out. What if he’d tried to break in while Josh was alone?

* * * *

“That’s it,” Logan said. “I’m moving in with you. Tonight.”

Doriana felt the blood draining from her face. “You can’t.” She shouldn’t have told Logan about the call last night. She shivered despite the sunlight streaming into her office windows.

He gripped her upper arms. “The hell I can’t. You’ve got a pervert stalking you. You live alone with a small child. You need protection.”

“That’s not your job,” she said.

“I’m making it my job.” His eyes were hard as marbles and just as unyielding.

“No, no,” she shook her head and tried to free herself from his grasp, but he held her firmly.

“Then take your son and stay with your parents until the scum is apprehended.”

“I can’t,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Their new house is smaller than the old one. My grandmother’s staying with them while her house is being painted. There’s no room for me.” She squared her shoulders. “And no one is chasing me from my home.”

“Then think about your son,” he said.

“I will protect my son.”

Logan gripped her arms tighter. “The guy calling you is unhinged and dangerous. You can’t be alone.” He narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t stay with your parents Thanksgiving weekend like you promised, did you?”

She shook her head.

“You lied to me.” He sounded so much like Josh last night, accusing and hurt at the same time.

“When I promised I’d go to my parents I’d forgotten about Nonna’s staying there.”   

“You didn’t tell your father about the calls, did you?”

She shook her head.

“Damn it, Doriana, this is serious.”

“What’s serious?”  Her father’s voice boomed from the doorway.

Logan released his grip on her. They turned to stare at her father.

Frowning, Dan shifted his gaze between the two. “What’s going on?” 

“What are you doing here?” Doriana asked. She needed a dead bolt for her office door with all the family that kept popping in at the worst times.

Her father focused his piercing blue eyes on her. “Devlin’s in the lobby. I’m on my way to meet him. You need to get up to the conference room right away with the report.”

Doriana glanced at her watch and back at her father. “He’s early. Why didn’t you just have Nancy call me?”

“She’s busy copying notes for the meeting. I figured I’d walk to your office and then the lobby. I need more exercise.”

“I’ll be right up,” Doriana said.

Dan looked at Logan. “I want you at the meeting too, Tanner. To take the minutes.”

Doriana didn’t miss the pointed look between the men. Somehow she would discover what they were keeping from her.

“After the meeting you’ll tell me whatever it was you two were discussing when I walked in.” Her dad tossed the words over his shoulder as he left.

The meeting droned on well past lunch. John Devlin, an important potential client, liked to expound on his many business successes. Doriana’s head ached from stress and hunger. But she smiled at all the right times and laughed at Devlin’s jokes along with the rest of Callahan’s senior management.

Devlin’s corporation owned several major casinos in Las Vegas. He wanted to build a new casino in Atlantic City. Callahan Construction wanted the job badly. They couldn’t afford to lose the bid.

While Nancy, her dad’s executive secretary, served sandwiches, Doriana allowed herself to relax. She settled back in her chair and glanced over to where Logan sat making notes into his laptop. He looked up and their gazes locked. Awareness throbbed between them before his eyes took on a hooded look.

Logan wanted to move in with her. Her pulse quickened at the thought of spending every day and night with him. She was thinking crazy. She had to remember Josh.   

With the meeting over at last, Doriana tried to slip out the door with the others.

“Doriana, stay,” her father ordered. “You too, Tanner.”

Feeling like a teen caught playing hooky, she sat down.

“Do you have something to tell me?” Dan asked as soon as the others had gone. “You two were having a pretty heated discussion in your office a while ago.” His gaze searched Logan’s before locking on her. “Was it work? Or maybe it’s none of my business.”   

Doriana wanted to sink into the floor. Now her father was picking up vibes between her and Logan. She shifted in her seat and felt Logan’s stare, but didn’t dare look at him. Letting out a sigh, she clasped her hands together on the table. Her father wouldn’t let her leave the room until she told him.

“I’ve had some calls, Dad. I didn’t want to worry you. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress. The phone company’s been alerted and Logan’s helping. It’s not a big deal.”

A vein throbbed in Dan’s neck. “What kind of calls?”

“Someone’s been watching me.” She placed her hand over her dad’s where it rested on the polished wood table. “It’s okay. Really. We have everything under control, don’t we, Logan?”  She looked at Logan for confirmation.

Logan nodded at Dan. “Things are in motion. We’ll get this scum.”   

“Some stranger’s watching you? He knows where you live?”  Dan’s face reddened.

“Dad, your blood pressure,” Doriana said, patting his hand.

“The hell with my blood pressure.” Dan’s raised voice brought his secretary to the door. He waved her away. Pulling his hand from Doriana’s, he turned to Logan. “Someone tell me what kind of calls.”

“He’s made sexual suggestions,” Logan said.

“And no one thought to tell me?”  Dan’s face got redder.

“Dad, please,” she said.

“Don’t ‘please’ me, Doriana. My daughter is being stalked by some pervert and no one tells me? What if he breaks in? My grandson could be in danger too.”