Your Captivating Love (The Bennett Family 2)

“That’s very considerate of you, Logan.” Warmth fills me, and it has nothing to do with the hot liquid I downed. It’s been a long time since a man bothered to do something this nice for me. He nods, clearly proud of himself. “Is this part of your plan to show me you’re safe and trustworthy?” ‘Cause the safe part isn’t working. My body hums in his presence, and he hasn’t even touched me today. I hope he doesn’t, because I’m not sure I can take it.

“That too, but I thought there’s no better way to start this day than by eating your favorite breakfast. After all, today your dream will go from the planning stage to the real stage.”

I can’t believe he grasps how important this day is for me. I want to hug him but control myself, offering him a smile instead. Logan Bennett isn’t just eye candy. He’s a sensitive, kind eye candy.

I’m doomed.

I stand in front of him while I nurse my coffee. Logan’s eyes travel up and down my body with appreciation, resting on my hips and breasts longer than polite. Something tells me he doesn’t do polite, or anything anyone would expect of him. I’m convinced Logan only does what he wants, and I find that incredibly sexy. Still, I wish he’d disguise his flirty look. I’ve been squirming since I arrived, my chest heaving up and down with labored breathing, and I need to compose myself before we go in.

At five to eleven, we enter the realtor’s office. He is all smiles while Logan introduces us.

&nbs

p; “Nadine Hawthorne,” I say, shaking hands with Alex briefly.

Alex must be in his mid-thirties, and he’s an attractive man, but as he gawks at me, his predatory eyes make my skin crawl.

“Have a seat, both of you,” Alex offers. “Logan told me a bit about your idea. I need more details. Have you already thought about an area? Do you have any specific requirements?”

I tell him that I’d like the shop to be on a central venue—maybe Union Square or Sacramento Street—and describe the size I’m thinking about. He prods me with more questions, and then shows me pictures of some available spaces on his computer. It’s clear he knows what he’s doing.

My heart beats faster as I imagine my beautiful shop coming to life in one of those places. When Alex mentions the price range, my enthusiasm plummets. Shifting in my seat, I take a furtive glance at Logan, and then tell them my budget. Alex raises his eyebrows while Logan’s lips form a hard line.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Alex says. “It’ll be hard to find something in good shape with your budget, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try. I have some cheaper options, but I warn you, they’ll need some renovations.”

“I was expecting renovations. Owners can be persuaded to agree to a lower rent if the place is rundown.”

We spend about an hour admiring more spaces on his computer, but nothing fits my requirements.

“Let me do some more research,” Alex says eventually. “I can come up with a few options by tomorrow morning.”

“Excellent.”

“Now, it’s twelve thirty. I say it’s lunch time. Logan, I suppose you’re busy as always, but Nadine, would you like to eat with me?”

I open my mouth to say no, but Logan answers for me. “Actually, I promised Nadine to take her out for lunch. Just the two of us.”

The two men engage in a battle of stares, and I’m torn between laughing at Alex and scolding Logan. Amazing how a hot look from Alex makes my skin crawl, but one from Logan has an entirely different effect on me; like making me want to unbutton his shirt, and check if his abs are as chiselled as I imagine, his arms as strong. All very appropriate thoughts to have in a realtor’s office, of course. I swear to God, the alpha vibes coming off Logan turn my brain to mush.

Alex backs down. “I’ll email you tomorrow, Nadine.”

When we’re out, I elbow Logan. “Why did you tell him we’re having lunch?”

“First, because I was going to ask you to have lunch with me.”

My heart bounces at his invitation. Spending more time with him than I thought is a definite bonus... or a dangerous move, depending how you look at it.

“Second, because you should stay away from him. I told you he was a womanizer.”

“I wasn’t going to go with him, but I don’t appreciate you answering for me.”

He nods, running his fingers through his hair. It gives him a disheveled appearance, as if he’d just woken up... or did something else in bed. I let out a sigh, remembering how long it’s been since I’ve been intimate with a man.

“I’m sorry, I can be overbearing sometimes,” Logan says.

I blink, jerking my head back. What is this? A man who admits when he’s wrong? Well, that earns him a bonus point in my books, which isn’t helping, because he already has too many points. Not that I’ll tell him that. Not yet, anyway.

“Apology accepted. So, where are you taking me to lunch?”