Crowning His Unlikely Princess

Logan swore softly and stuck his head back under the stream of water, turning it to an icy blast.

He had not found himself at the mercy of his baser instincts since he’d learned that giving in to passion and losing control was what had nearly brought his father unstuck. It was certainly what had eventually broken them as a family. Even calling themselves a family was a stretch. They’d been an institution that had performed for the public like trained seals, both parents putting duty ahead of everything else.

And he wouldn’t ruin things with the best EA he’d ever had by confusing desire with a heightened state of adrenaline. Which was all that had been.

First the shock of finding her in his apartment like a half-drowned kitten and then being confronted with all that gloriously wild hair he’d itched to bury his fingers in. Who knew she’d been hiding that from the world?

Did she hide it from Peter as well, or just him?

Why do you care?

Irritated to find his mind once again charging down a path he had no intention of allowing it to go, he put the brakes on all thoughts of Cassidy’s unruly appearance. It had happened, but it was over.

The sooner he saw her again in her usual sedate office attire the sooner he could forget he’d ever seen her any other way.

Professional. Sensible. Unflappable.

So no more imagining himself peeling open her lacy bra. No more wondering if her hair would be silky soft beneath his fingertips. And definitely no more arousing himself by wondering how her body would fit against his as he pressed himself into her.

Like now.

Cursing again, he pulled on jeans and a pullover and questioned his instinctive decision to take her with him to Arrantino. Perhaps she would be better staying back here in his office, taking care of business while he was gone.

But as soon as the thought formed he discounted it. The fact was he needed Cassidy with him because he had no idea what he was about to face, or how long he’d be gone. He was hoping it would only be a twenty-four-hour turnaround. Fly in, drum some sense into his brother, say hello to his mother, and fly out. Simple. Easy.

But if for some reason simple turned to complicated it would be far more efficient to have Cassidy with him than sending urgent messages to a different time zone and wondering how long it would be before she processed them.

But for that to happen she had to be completely on her game. She had to be back to her usual measured self.

And for that matter, so did he.

In her own words it had been a horrible day, capped off with a horrible night. His current adrenaline rush had nothing to do with Cassidy and everything to do with his brother’s announcement that he wanted to abdicate. He wouldn’t, Logan would see to that, but it had thrown him. Put him in in a heightened state of awareness. Like a warrior of old about to go into battle. All his senses were switched on and that was the only reason he had felt any form of arousal for Cassidy.

Feeling as if he had everything in hand again, he organised a change of clothes for himself and texted his driver to see if he’d returned to pick him up. The sooner he got to Arrantino and back, the better.

CHAPTER THREE

CASSIDY HAD TO jiggle her key in the lock a bit to open the old door of her clapboard rental and when she did she found the twins doing their homework on the coffee table, watching the latest reality singing show.

They waved an absent-minded hello, their eyes glued to the TV, as Peta came out of the kitchenette, wiping her hands on a dishrag. ‘You’re late tonight. I was getting worried.’

‘Sorry. I sent a text.’

‘An hour ago.’ Peta followed her into the bedroom. ‘Is everything okay? You look like you’ve just climbed out of someone’s bed. And whose sweatshirt are you wearing?’

She had almost forgotten the shirt and blushed even though there was no reason to. ‘It’s Logan’s.’

‘Your boss?’ Peta frowned as Cassidy reached into her closet and pulled her ancient suitcase down from the shelf. ‘Why are you wearing your boss’s shirt, and where are you going?’

‘Arrantino.’

‘For how long?’

Cassidy glanced over at her sister’s disgruntled expression as she quickly folded a work blouse into her suitcase. ‘I don’t know. A day or two.’

‘A day or two?’ Peta frowned. ‘I need you to take care of the girls this week. I’m in the middle of my final exams.’

‘I know.’ Cassidy hated that she was putting her sister out, and she genuinely loved taking care of her nieces. ‘I thought maybe Dan could do it if I’m not back. Or Miss Marple across the hall.’ Not that the twins liked her very much, other than when they deliberately confused her by pretending to be each other. ‘I’m really sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.’