Naughty, Naughty Prince Charming (Charming 1)

“How?” she asked, only half believing she was having this conversation with Logan.

He pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket and then reached to the napkins and handed her one. Lucy accepted it but with confusion. “What’s this for?”

“Write down the top three pizzas in town. I’ll do the same. I want to see if you know your stuff.”

“Didn’t you just move from LA? How do you know the pizza in New York? And who’s going to be the judge of which one of us is right?”

“I grew up here.”

Lucy shook her head. “That’s not good enough. Things change.” She held out her hand for the pen. “You’re going to lose.”

Logan laughed. “Not a chance. But give it your best shot.”

She accepted the pen, but not without a brush of his fingers. Her eyes went to his, and for a moment, electricity crackled as they stared at one another. Lost in each other. Lost in what was and what could have been. A glass broke somewhere, and Lucy jolted back to the present.

Averting her gaze, she wrote on the napkin. Satisfied with her answers, she slid the pen across the table not prepared to risk more hand-to-hand contact. Needing the distraction, she started on her second slice of pizza. Logan seemed to ponder his answers.

“Tough, huh?” she challenged because she couldn’t help herself.

He winked. “Just making sure I weigh my options.” Then, he started writing. Done with his task, he slid his pen back in his pocket and then offered her his list. “Let’s exchange.”

Lucy hesitated. Why did her list of pizza places suddenly feel very exposing? Very personal? For one thing, she knew hers were all hole-in-the-wall, cheap places.

Logan gestured toward her list. “No holding back. Let me see.”

Having no option, she offered him her list and reached for his. She blinked and read it again. Then, she set down the napkin. “New York Pizza is not better than Johnnies. That alone proves you don’t know your pizza.”

Laughing Logan tossed down her napkin. “Ah, but have you tried their new triple cheese?”

“What are you talking about?” Lucy asked. She didn’t know about this or she would have already tried it.

Logan leaned forward, his hand covering hers where it rested on the table. “How about after work I take you to try it?”

All of a sudden Lucy couldn’t breathe. How had she gone from avoiding Logan to this? “We both know that’s not a good idea.”

“It’s pizza and some conversation. We both know we need to talk and not when we have a lunch hour deadline.”

Why she didn’t move her hand, she wasn’t sure. He didn’t hold it in a way that kept her from extracting it. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“How about us?”

“There is no ‘us’.”

Logan sank back against the bench and studied her for a long moment. “I’ve never had anything like this happen.”

“Anything like what?” Lucy said feeling a flutter in her chest as she waited for the response.

“I don’t date employees. Work and personal don’t mix.”

“Exactly.”

“But what do two people in our circumstances do? We met outside of work a year ago. It’s a unique situation I never thought to find myself in. What do you think we should do, Lucy?”

This should be an easy question to answer, but she found herself wanting to ignore good reason. “We…we have to pretend the past never happened.”

His brow inched upward. “Can you?” Logan paused a moment but not long enough for an answer. “Because I haven’t.”

Lucy looked down, trying to hide the emotion she knew would show in her face. She liked Logan so much. And it went beyond desire. They hardly knew each other, and yet, he felt like so much more than a stranger.

“I tried to find you,” he added when she didn’t immediately answer.

Her eyes instantly lifted. “You did?”

“Why does that surprise you?”

Mind racing, Lucy couldn’t find the words to respond. She didn’t know what to say. Shocked and more than a little confused, she couldn’t think straight. Desperate for space, for a way to get her head cleared, Lucy reached for her purse. And reality slid into her mind with a hard thud. “I can’t do this. Don’t you see? You have nothing to lose and I have everything. You are the boss. You have a career and a future. This industry is small when it comes to reputation. I can’t allow people to think I slept my way to the top.”

Pushing to her feet, Lucy intended to flee. Logan stood, facing her, and effectively blocked her with his big frame. “Wait.” He paused. “Lucy.” He said her name and let it linger in the air as if he was trying to decide what to say. “Tell me you don’t feel anything for me and I’ll walk away.”

Why couldn’t he understand? Frustration made her respond quickly. “It’s not about that. Don’t you see? It’s about my future. About a mother I support and a career I have worked my butt off to achieve.”