“I just saw someone I need to talk to,” Logan said distractedly, interrupting Michael and Emily’s flirtation. He squeezed his friend on the shoulder and started in the direction of the hallway, missing their silent exchange of confused expressions. “I’ll see you at our table in a few minutes.”
He followed in the direction Rachel had indicated, ending up in an abandoned hallway with old gilded paintings of long deceased Whitmore relatives. Unsure where to go next, he paused and did a one-eighty turn. Several thick wooden doors led off to other rooms, but there was no sign of Rachel. She’d disappeared into thin air.
Suddenly, a hand grasped his wrist and tugged him backwards. He stumbled a few steps and caught himself on the back of a vintage settee in the middle of a study, filled to the brim with old hardbound books on dark wooden shelves and a small fireplace. Next to him stood Rachel, a vision in the low light of the floor lamps on either side of the sparse furniture. She smiled at him, her long, dark lashes brushing against her cheek as she looked down at his tux and the ridiculously expensive leather shoes he’d purchased last month in Italy on a whim.
“I’m glad you made it,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him gently on the cheek. He trembled under her touch, closing his eyes against the knowledge that had suddenly become crystal clear.
He really didn’t care what Michael thought — he was totally wrapped around Rachel Knight’s little finger and that’s where he’d gladly stay.
LOGAN TOOK HER HAND in his and pulled it gently toward his mouth. He pressed his lips to the top of her hand and left a scorching kiss there. Rachel shivered, despite the cozy heat of the study. The way Logan was looking at her, his blue eyes smoldering with desire, made her want to never leave this room again.
“I couldn’t wait any longer to see you.” She interlaced her fingers with his and stepped closer, until only an inch separated them. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
A smile quirked on his mouth as his gaze traveled from her eyes down to her red painted lips. She wanted him to kiss her. Needed it. But he had his honor to protect, so she knew they had to wait.
?
?Your brother is here,” he said as his other hand found the curve of her waist.
“That’s good.” She placed a hand on his chest, reveling at the strength apparent beneath the lapel of his suit jacket. “We don’t have to tell him anything until later. Let’s just enjoy this night and the fact that we get to be here. Together.”
Calm seemed to come over him and his gaze softened. The soft tinkle of music flowed through the walls from the ballroom down the hall. He tightened his grasp on her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies collided and began to sway. She followed his lead, inhaling sharply when he buried his head in her neck and wrapped his arms around her back.
“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that these last few weeks,” he whispered hoarsely into her hair. “It’s been torture.”
“Oh, really?” She bit her bottom lip, her eyes lighting up. “I was too busy worrying that you didn’t think of me that way. Or worse, that you thought of me like a little sister.”
“Not a chance,” he grumbled, his hands spanning her back.
Blood rushed to her cheeks and she pressed a hand to her throat, feeling her pulse race. With a nervous laugh, she smiled at him, her eyes softening. “Well, I’m glad I could put you out of your misery.”
“Yes, please do,” he replied, pulling back to make a face at her. “I can’t stand it anymore.”
The music stopped and the low buzz of someone speaking on a microphone entered the room. Logan released her waist, looking at the closed door.
“I guess we should get back,” he said, squeezing her hand one last time before letting it drop. “The dinner is starting.”
“I guess we should.” Rachel took a deep breath and hoped her neck and chest weren’t splotchy. She could hear the whooshing of blood in her ears. Her heart still raced from the scene that had just unfolded between the two of them.
Logan was here with her tonight. He wanted her. And soon, they could truly be together. She couldn’t be happier if she’d been offered a job in the Paris Fashion Week for Ralph Lauren.
Not wasting any more time, Logan opened the door and stuck his head out. Indicating the coast was clear with a nod of his head, he led her down the hallway and into the ballroom. People still milled about, but most had made their way to their tables. They had been assigned to a round table in the back corner, along with her brother, Emily, Darren, and four other strangers. Logan pulled the chair out for her and sat next to her as the meal began and his own fabulous dinner creations were placed in front of them.
Rachel managed to join in with the conversation and laugh when appropriate. There was only one moment in which she momentarily lost her cool. In between the salad and main entree, she felt Logan reach for her hand under the table, the rough calluses of his fingertips caressing her palm and sending delicious electricity up her arm.
She choked on her water, sputtering out a lame apology as she pressed a napkin to her lips. No one else seemed to notice. The slight twitch of Logan’s lips told her that he was amused by her reaction.
A devious smile played on her mouth and she slipped her foot out of her silver heel, rubbing it gently against Logan’s ankle and up his calf. He swallowed hard, the tips of his ears turning red, and kept his eyes glued on Michael telling a story from the other side of the table about his most recent business investment.
“That’s what you get,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, placing her foot back into its heel. “Nothing less than you deserve.”
The quick, smoldering glance he spared her was enough to make her blush deep red. How she wished they could be alone, at that very moment. But it was probably a good thing they were surrounded by a hundred people because she doubted very much she would be able to keep her hands or her lips to herself.
She glanced across the table and her gaze met with a pair of blue eyes. Darren was watching her, something dark passing over his face. The left side of his mouth twitched in a cocky smirk and he held up a beer bottle, toasting her silently.
A sense of dread ran down her spine.
What had he seen?