Your Captivating Love (6 page)

“I’d ruin my gentleman reputation if I didn’t. Besides, this isn’t a nice neighborhood.”

When we arrive at the building entrance, I fully intend to say good night, but Logan asks, “Are you meeting Alex again tomorrow?”

“In the afternoon, yes. I want to hunt for some places by myself in the morning.”

“Take care with him. Don’t trust him.”

“You’re acting awfully territorial.”

He snaps his gaze to mine, stepping closer to me. “I am.”

“You’re not even bothering to deny it.”

“You like that about me, don’t you? That I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not?”

He lowers his head until our eyes are on the same level, our lips too.

“I do,” I admit. “But you and I. . . It’s not a good idea, Logan.”

He narrows his eyes as if considering his words. “Let’s be honest, okay?”

I nod.

“There is attraction between us.” His tone is firm, yet as he places his hands on my shoulder, the touch is gentle.

I lick my lips, dropping my eyes to the ground. “Yeah.”

“So we—”

“Logan—”

“Nadine.”

“I need to concentrate on my business for a while. I won’t have much to offer to a man.” Before I lost my job, I remember Thomas’s constant complaints that I was working too much, and when I came home, I was too tired to be any fun. Of course, he didn’t seem to mind my hard work when he asked for my money. I can’t believe I stuck with him for as long as I did.

“If anyone’s made you feel that way—” He takes a deep breath as if needing it to calm himself.

Weightlessness overcomes me at his indignation on my behalf.

“You’ve been dating the wrong men, darling. That’s not how it’s supposed to go.”

“How is it supposed to go?” I
hate
the weakness in my voice.

“A real man will take care of you, spoil you, and fight alongside you for your dreams.”

“That’s the definition of the ideal man. I thought we were being honest, Logan.”

“I am. Let me take you out on a date. If it’s good, we’ll go on a second one. If it’s bad, you can tweet about it. I’m betting I’ll get a second one.”

I chuckle.

“Nadine, I’m not saying we should jump with both feet into a relationship. We’re two adults who like to spend time with each other. We can have a lot of fun together, and if we feel things are moving too fast, we can always re-evaluate, and step away from each other further down the road.”

“Is this a very corporate way of asking me to be your friend with benefits? Jump in your bed when the sun goes down, disappear once it’s up again?” My stomach dips unpleasantly.

His face grows hard. “I’d never do that. That’s no way to treat a woman.”

I’m waiting for the punch line before I realize he means it. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I meant that we can take things slowly, no pressure, no expectations.”

“Just fun?” I ask.

“Just fun. We’ve already established that I’m the Chief Fun Officer. Is that a yes?”

Oh, what the hell
. One date won’t be the end of the world. At any rate, if I keep pretending Logan and I can be platonic friends, I might explode and kiss him squarely on the mouth next time I see him, which will probably be another family gathering. I bet Pippa’d be thrilled.

Here goes nothing.
“Yes.”

Logan nods. “When?”

“You’re fast.” I half expect him to pull up the calendar on his phone and schedule me in.

“Don’t want to give you the opportunity to change your mind.”

“I might,” I confess.

“How does tomorrow sound?”

“Okay.”

Logan pulls away. “I’ll pick you up at seven. I’m leaving you for tonight.”

I stand in front of the door to the building, watching him stride to his car.

Before climbing in, he looks at me over the hood and says, “You know what’s more annoying than having siblings who think they’re always right?”

“What?”

“Siblings who’re actually right. You and I. . .” He gestures with his finger between him and me, leaving the sentence hanging.

“Will have a good time together?”

“Good doesn’t cover it. It’ll be something along the lines of fun and hot. Explosive.”

He disappears in the car and takes off, leaving me with a smile the size of Texas.

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T
he next day is very productive. I have so much energy; I’m genuinely concerned my head will explode. It might have to do with the fact that I drank four coffees, or that I’m going on a date with a very handsome man tonight. My money (or lack of) is on the latter. In any case, I shortlist three locations for the shop by lunchtime. They’re all in terrible shape, but rent will be cheap, and that will offset the renovation costs. The spaces Alex shows me in the afternoon aren’t interesting, so I politely inform him I’ll be fine on my own. If I can find a space by myself, I don’t have to pay him a commission.

I’m giddy the entire time I prepare for my date, putting more effort in my appearance than I have in a long time. The thought of Logan completely consumes me; everything about him makes me burn and yearn for more. I’m practically counting down the minutes until he’ll pick me up. I lay out several dresses on my bed and open my lingerie drawer. Without thinking, I pick the sexiest underwear I own. Right, why did I do that?

He’s not going to see your underwear tonight, Nadine.
Well, who knows
what
might happen. The wind can put me in a Marilyn Monroe situation, or... something. After all, the man already saw my boobs.
That doesn’t mean he has to see anything more
. I argue with myself some more and, eventually, decide to wear the sexy lingerie anyway, if only because I need to feel sexy. No harm can come from that. I hope.

When I open the apartment door one hour later, my heart somersaults in my chest. Logan is his normal attractive and flirty self, only now he makes even more of an effort than usual to seduce me. His gaze travels appreciatively up and down my body. Licking my lips, I swallow hard. Barely three seconds of our date have passed and already my pulse is ratcheting up. I’ll be dancing on a fine line tonight.

“You look sexy as hell, Nadine.” His husky tone sends ripples of heat all the way to my center.

“Hello to you, too.” Smiling, I wink at him. Then I sashay back inside the room to grab my purse.

“Promise me something,” Logan says when I return to him. “You won’t worry about anything tonight: the shop, or anything else.”

His molten gaze holds mine with determination, and I detect something else beyond heat in his eyes: concern for me, and the promise of fun. I need a pause from my brain, and all the worries it tortures me with. I’m not sure if the fact that he understands exactly what I need scares or reassures me. A little bit of both, I guess.

“It’s up to you to make this night so unforgettable that I’ll have no choice but to push my worries away.”

“That’s the sweetest challenge I’ve ever heard.” Leaning on the doorframe, he tilts his head to one side. Unexpectedly, he takes my hand and pulls, bringing me so close to him our bodies almost touch. “If I have it my way, you won’t have anything but me in that pretty head of yours.”

Catching my breath, I grasp for words, but I can’t form even one coherent thought. Fog fills my mind, and the air is thick with sexual tension. Dragging his fingers down my cheek, he adds in a low whisper, “And I approve of the fact that you wear thin bras all the time.”

Damn. I forgot about that.

I peer at him from beneath my eyelashes, fighting the urge to lean closer to him still.

“Well, Mr. Chief Fun Officer. Let’s go. It’s on you to make me forget all my worries tonight.”

“You can count on me.”

I know before I even step out the door that I don’t stand a chance of resisting him. And that is really bad news.

***

“W
ow,” I exclaim once we’re in the restaurant. It’s elegant and sleek, the dimmed lights offering an intimate atmosphere. There are small containers with burning incense sprinkled around the room. It’s jasmine, which right now seems to be the most sensual smell in the world to me. I think it’s just the Logan effect. We sit at a table in the corner and I spot a small dance floor, mentally fanning myself at the prospect of dancing with Logan.

“They have a lot of cocktails.” I scan the list on the menu in front of me. “Remind me only to drink one.”

“Why’s that?”

“My alcohol tolerance to mixed drinks has always been very low, even in college.”

“Have wine. Or a martini. You drank that the two times we ate with my family.”

I put the menu down. “Do you observe every little detail about everyone?”

“No. Just you.” He says the words with ease, but my toes curl. “Back to your martini. . .”

“Cocktails are so much fun, though. But don’t let me drink more than one. Trust me, you don’t want to see me drunk.”

Logan puts his menu down on the table, mischief dancing in his eyes. “This
really
makes me want to see what you do after a few cocktails. Do you spill your deepest secrets?”

I shake my head as Logan narrows his eyes. This is fun.

“Striptease?”

Trying not to laugh, I bring forward my most playful tone. “Maybe.”

“I can make you do all those things without alcohol.” Leaning forward, he adds in a whisper, “For me.” My skin flushes under his gaze. Logan smirks then leans back, my reaction obviously satisfying him. When the waiter stops by, I order a “Seduction on the Rocks.” Now it’s my turn to watch Logan’s reaction with satisfaction. His eyes darken a notch, his lips parting. Great. The next cocktail I order will be “Love All Night Long.”

I’m not just dancing on a fine line; I’m deliberately crossing it. But this man demands that I let my inhibitions fall... that I let loose and care about nothing more than his smile. His presence is so intense that it wipes away all my thoughts. What would his lips do? His touch?

He cracks the walls I’d carefully built around myself since my split with Thomas. I should fight, should secure these walls with brick and mortar if need be, but for tonight, at least, I don’t want to. I want to have fun, and let this handsome man spoil me.

Sipping from my cocktail a few minutes later, I say, “Tell me an embarrassing story.”

“Ah, I’ve got plenty of those. Any particular topic?”

“I’ll leave the choice to you.”

“When I was a high school senior, a member of my soccer team was dating Pippa. He was bragging in front of the entire team about how he took my sister’s virginity, and being a pig in general. Obviously, I wanted revenge for my sister. But I wanted to be mature and not fight him, so instead I cut a giant hole in the back of his pants before the game started so his boxers would hang out.”

“That was mature?”

He shrugs. “He realized what I did and switched our pants. I ended up being the giant idiot with a hole in his pants after all, and I was the captain. Did I mention I had no underwear? So my ass was practically hanging out on the field for all the students and parents to see. Our coach almost had an aneurysm.”

I laugh, holding my belly. “You’re not making this up, are you?”

“Nope. On the bright side, the sight of my ass ensured I had a hoard of female fans dying to go out with me.”

“I’m sure you didn’t lack for female fans before either.” A knot twists in my throat. He can’t be lacking for them now either, can he? He’s sexy, fun, and impossibly rich. Surely, women must line up at his door. I can’t believe I’m jealous already.
This is fun
.
Nothing more.
Reminding myself of that fact doesn’t seem to be helping, though.

“True.” A small smile accompanies this one word, and my insides dip again. Amazing how territorial I feel about a man who isn’t even mine.

“You were your sister’s self-proclaimed avenger or what?”

“Avenger, guardian, whatever role I needed to fill, as long as I could wear an imaginary hero cape.” Pulling a serious face, he says, “Pippa always had a knack for attracting the wrong guys, even though she’s lovely.”

“Weren’t your sisters upset that you were being—“

“Overbearing?”

“I would’ve said overprotective, but I like a man who owns up to his flaws.”

“Trust me, with my family, there’s no way not to own up to your flaws. Every time you try to shirk them, eight siblings will happily point them out. Now back to my sister. She didn’t catch on most of the time, and when she did, Sebastian had my back, though he never approved of my meddling.”

I raise an eyebrow. “So, he never meddled?”

“He did it in his own way, which I didn’t always find effective. He likes to
talk
to people. I’m the do-er.”

“I see. Was Pippa the only sister you were babysitting?”

Logan remains silent for a moment, his brow furrowed. “I guess. Pippa is the mother hen. She likes to take care of everyone else, often at her expense. She’s also very vulnerable. Alice is a lot like you. Resilient, stubborn, and determined. She rarely tolerated my involvement, but both sets of twins were effectively playing bodyguard for her when they could get away with it, and for Summer as well—she’s the eternal romantic.”

“Sounds as though I’m like Summer too.” Although I’ve tried hard to bury that romantic part of me: the one that dreams of a white dress, of walking down the aisle. It’s better not to expect anything. That way, I can’t be disappointed, or hurt.

“Is that so?” Logan’s expression softens. I try to backtrack, because eternal love is the last thing a man wants to hear about on a first date—or ever, really. Before I have a chance to open my mouth, Logan continues, “You believe in true love, Nadine?”

I lick my lips. “Don’t you? Your parents are living proof it exists.”

Logan’s eyes rove over my face, resting on my lips. Involuntarily, I press my thighs together. “I asked first.”

“I used to believe,” I confess, lowering my gaze to the glass in front of me.

“And Thomas crushed that.”

“Yeah.” When I look up from my glass, I find Logan scrutinizing me with an unreadable expression. “Your turn. Do you believe?”