Mirin, Christelle - Emma's Heart (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (6 page)

“Thanks.” He took a sip and sat down on the couch. “Have a seat, and let’s talk for a bit. It’s not getting too late for you, is it?” He leaned back and cradled his mug in his hands.

“No, it’s not too late.” Emma sat on the other end of the couch and angled sideways so she could look at Logan’s slightly flushed face. “You have such a familiar look, I swear I’ve met you somewhere before, but I just can’t figure it out.” The blond curls of his hair and his large blue eyes struck a chord in Emma. Even the way Logan smiled seemed familiar, but she just couldn’t put her finger on exactly where they had met.

“I have the same feeling about you.” Logan narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t purchased a Jaguar lately, have you? Haven’t been in a dealership to look at one or take a test drive?” He took a sip of his coffee, watching Emma over the rim.

Emma laughed, holding her coffee mug away from her so she didn’t spill any on her blouse. “There’s no way I would ever even bother to look at a Jaguar. I can barely afford my Chevy. I haven’t worked in over a year, and my disability payments aren’t all that much.”

Logan lowered his cup. “Sorry, I forgot about your disability. You sure didn’t seem disabled a little while ago.” He winked. “I know I’ve met you before. I just can’t picture where or when. There’s so much about you that seems familiar.” He pressed his lips together for a moment. “Do you have a clue?”

Emma shook her head. “I have no idea. What about me is familiar to you? Maybe if we told each other what we seem to recognize, it will help us remember where we’ve met before.”

Chapter Six

Logan wasn’t sure where to begin.

His day had begun like any other, but early in the afternoon, in the lull that came just before the usual customers got off work and came in to browse, he had a strange urge to leave work and just go sit in the park where he and Christi used to go. He’d given in to said urge and left work, feeling as if in a daze, and ended up on a park bench looking out over Lake Erie, his mind vaguely empty.

Then Emma walked up, and his world turned upside down.

He took another sip of coffee then met the soft brown eyes of the woman who reminded him so much of Christi. “I guess you seem so familiar because of some of the things you do.”

Emma gazed at him. “What ‘things’?”

Logan twisted sideways, angling his leg up onto the couch. “The way you rubbed your earlobe, like this.” He demonstrated, taking his earlobe between his thumb and forefinger and rubbing it for a few seconds. “And you ordering a ginger ale with cherries. It reminds me of someone very close to me.” That had been Christi’s favorite drink since she didn’t like alcohol all that much. “And another thing, the phrase ‘no two doubts.’ I know someone—
knew someone
—who used that phrase almost every day. Put all three things together, and it puzzles me.”

Emma gazed steadily at him, her coffee mug held halfway to her lips. She tucked her hair behind her ear and tugged at her earlobe, beginning to rub it, then seemed to catch herself doing the motion and quickly dropped her hand to her lap. “I didn’t realize I was doing the ear-rubbing thing.” She chuckled. “Until just now, that is. And the ginger ale with cherries, I just acquired a taste for that.” Suddenly, her brow furrowed, her forehead creasing while his eyes narrowed. “Come to think of it, all of this started right after my transplant.” She looked back at Logan. “Even the use of ‘no two doubts.’ Do you think it has anything to do with my heart transplant?”

“I’ve heard of that,” Logan said. “Things about your personality changing after a transplant. Have you talked to your doctor about it?”

“No, I haven’t. I didn’t even realize I was doing anything different until now, when you listed all the things off. I think there are a couple of other things I’m doing that are new, too. Do you think I should talk to the doc about it?”

“Only if it bothers you. I can’t see it affecting your health in any way. Unless you’ve picked up some bad habit, like smoking or something.”

Emma chuckled. “No bad habits so far. Well, if you don’t count my taste for hot sex, which by the way, I haven’t had since the transplant until tonight.” She lifted her mug and gestured toward him. “You still haven’t told me who it is I remind you of.”

It was almost as if she was trying to get him to admit she reminded him of his former lover. Logan wasn’t sure he really wanted to tell her. It was a little painful but as far as emotions went, not as painful as before when he reminisced about Christi. But it was a private thing, his memories of Christi. And he didn’t want to mess up the start of this relationship either. “Let’s just say it was someone I was very close to and leave it at that for now.”

Smiling, her lips pressed tightly together, Emma nodded. “Your call.”

He needed to change the subject. He thought he may have hurt Emma’s feelings by not revealing who she reminded him of, and he really didn’t want to hurt this woman. “So tell me about yourself, Emma. I really would like to get to know you.”

Emma shrugged. “There’s really not much to know. I told you about the transplant and what caused it, not to mention that I’m now considered disabled.” She waved her hand dismissively. “That’s about all there is to Emma Shane.”

“You can’t be serious. There’s much more to you than meets the eye. I can feel it.” He sat up straighter, leaning forward toward Emma. “How old are you? Where do you live? Do you have any family? Where were you born?”

“Whoa!” A wide grin burst on Emma’s face, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “You want to know my whole pedigree?”

Logan nodded comically, trying to get Emma to laugh. He loved her laugh. “When I say I want to get to know you, I mean it. I want to know all about you. I like you, Emma. I’d really prefer it if we don’t have any secrets from each other.”

Emma’s expression sobered. “You see this relationship continuing, then?”

Nodding, Logan gripped his coffee mug tighter. He could still feel the delicious tightness of Emma’s ass which he had so recently visited gripping his cock. Christi had never allowed him to explore that side of him, or that side of her. Logan had always wanted to play the role of dominator while having sex, and Emma was definitely into being submissive. She had allowed him to do as he pleased and had loved it, too. He wondered just how much further she would go with the scenario. She seemed to be the kind of woman he could be himself with. He wanted to experience more of her.

Emma was the kind of woman Logan could easily fall in love with.

And that thought caused his stomach to clench even tighter while he waited for Emma to respond.

Emma dipped her head, looking down into the coffee mug she was holding just above her lap. When she looked up and met Logan’s gaze, her eyes were glistening, almost as if tears were about to spill from them.

“I would—” Emma began, but her words were raspy, cutting her off. She cleared her throat and began again. “I would like it if we continued this relationship. Like I said before, I feel like I have some connection to you, and even if we never figure out the when or the why of it, I don’t want to give that up.”

“We’re agreed then?” Logan’s stomach jittered with excitement. This could be the beginning of something extremely special. “We’re at the beginning of a relationship that we want to continue to explore?”

“I think so.”

Logan crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”

Emma set her mug on the coffee table and scooted across the couch. She took Logan’s mug and placed it beside hers then curled up against Logan’s side. Logan slid his arm around her shoulder and hugged her close. It felt so good and so right, Logan couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long time since he had felt this close to someone, and it didn’t matter that they’d only just met. It was kismet or fate, or possibly something else, but he just knew he and Emma belonged together.

“This is nice,” Emma said, placing a kiss on his cheek. “I’m so glad I chose to take a walk by the lake today.” She slid her arm around his waist and squeezed Logan in a half hug. “But, I hate to say this, I’ve got to get home and get some sleep.”

Logan looked down at her. “You haven’t answered my questions yet.”

Emma threw her head back and laughed. “Okay, Logan, I’ll answer your questions before I leave, but then, tomorrow, you’ll have to answer mine.”

“Deal.” Logan shifted out of Emma’s embrace so he could see her face. “Age?”

“I’m thirty-two. I can hardly believe it, but I am.”

“You don’t look that old.” It was surprising since from what Emma told him already, she worked outside in the elements. The only things that even gave a hint of her age were the laugh lines around her eyes. “Family?”

Emma blew out a breath. “I think my father is still alive, but I don’t know where he is. My family has never been close, and it doesn’t look like they’re ever going to be close. So, no, no family to speak of. It’s just me, myself, and I.”

That was sad, especially since Emma had been through so much with her health. No support or family ties to help her through it. It almost made him want to shake his head, but he fought the urge. He wanted to change the subject yet again but was still curious. “Where were you born?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she grinned. “You’re not going to give up, are you?

“Nope.” Logan grinned back at her.

“I was born in a little town called Napoleon. It’s over by Toledo, just a bit south. There’s not much there, so that’s why I came here almost ten years ago.”

“And where is here? Where is home?” Logan wondered if she lived close by or if this relationship was going to take a lot of commuting. It wouldn’t bother him if it did, but it would be so much easier if she lived nearby.

“Actually, I just live over in Bay Village. It’s not that far from here in Lakewood.”

“What made you stop at Edgewater Park today? Why were you over in this area?”

She pointed to her chest. “Transplant. Doctor. Cleveland Clinic.”

“Ah,” Logan said, nodding. “Now I understand. Well, I’m glad you live so close. We can see each other more often and not have to travel far.”

“And speaking of traveling, I really should get home.” Emma yawned, large and wide. “You’ve worn me out, that’s for sure.” She rose from the couch and raised her arms over her head, tightening her blouse nicely over her breasts.

Logan felt a spark of warmth hit his crotch while watching Emma stretch, her shirt still unbuttoned down to her cleavage. But it also showed the top of the slightly pink scar that ran between her beautiful breasts and down almost to her belly button. It was a slightly sobering sight to see what her body had been through.

“I’ll let you go then if you promise to call me tomorrow.” Logan rose from the couch and went to the small desk in the corner. He quickly jotted down his cell phone number and handed the slip of paper to Emma.

Emma shoved it in the front pocket of her jeans. “What time should I call?”

“I get off work around five, but you can call whenever you like. I may not answer right away, especially if I’m with a customer, but leave a message and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

Emma had already slipped on her shoes and coat and was jingling her keys. “Sounds good. Maybe I can make dinner tomorrow.”

“I’d like that,” Logan said as he walked with her toward the door.

When they got to the door, Emma placed her hand on the doorknob then stopped. Turning to Logan, she asked, “Can I ask you one thing before I go?”

“Sure.”

“What happened to Christi?”

Logan’s heart skipped a beat then settled. It was over a year ago, and his life was just beginning again. Time to let it go. “Christi had gone up to the third floor to visit one of our friends. On her way back down, she decided to take the fire escape stairs because it was so nice out. Christi was wearing these ratty old flip-flops, and she must have slipped or something.” Logan took a deep breath. “She fell three stories. It was a massive head injury that she didn’t survive. After her family made the decision to pull the plug since the doctor said it was hopeless, they waited one day, then harvested her organs. She was an organ donor.” He felt the familiar twinge of pain and quickly brushed it away. “I keep thinking that there may be some part of her alive and well somewhere.”