Your Captivating Love (The Bennett Family 2)

“We can still have a drink downtown.”

I check the clock. “Logan, it’s very late. I don’t want to blow you off, but I have to start work early tomorrow, which means I have to get up super early since the commute from home to the shop lasts forever.”

To my surprise, the corners of his mouth lift. “I’ll make you a dangerous proposition.”

“I’m all ears.” I have no idea what he has in mind, yet my body already sizzles with anticipation.

“Spend the night at my place.”

I let out a long whistle. “That line was even smoother than Pippa’s.”

“I don’t mean for sex.” Logan laughs with gusto. I’m surprised at how relieved I am to see some of the tension his entire body held earlier bleeding away. The recognition of how important this man’s happiness is to me hits me squarely in the chest. We agreed we’d have fun together. Caring for him is dangerous.

“I have a spare bedroom. You can sleep there, and you won’t have to wake up so early. We can walk there if you want to; it’s that close. You can sleep longer. What do you say? Extra sleep?”

“Nooooo, the words ‘extra sleep’ are magic to me. Now I can’t say no.”

“I was counting on that. Say yes, Nadine.”

Swallowing hard, I nod. “You weren’t kidding when you said you foresee endless opportunities to convince me to stay overnight, were you?”

“You have no idea.”

***

We stop by my place first then drive to Logan’s. His apartment is not at all what I imagined. When he said he likes the hustle and bustle, I conjured what I believed to be a bachelor’s pad in my mind, complete with a pool table in the living room. Instead, he owns a spacious—but not extravagant—two-bedroom apartment, decorated in shades of white and brown. It’s masculine yet warm and welcoming. The first thing that strikes me is the sheer number of paintings hanging in the living room.

“Gifts from Summer,” Logan explains.

“She’s very talented.” I mean it as I lose myself in the swirl of colors and shades. Continuing my inspection of the living room, I detect my favorite item within seconds: a fireplace.

“Wow, I can’t believe you have a fireplace. I love them! They make me think about Christmas.” On the mantelpiece is a group picture of the entire family. It’s an old photograph; Logan doesn’t look to be more than twenty. Sitting between Pippa and Alice, he has an arm around each of their shoulders, hovering protectively over them. There are nine siblings in the picture. I already met all of the girls, but I still have four brothers to meet. The two twin sets. From what Ava told me, I’m unlikely to see the first twin set, Christopher and Max, because they live overseas, expanding Bennett Enterprises. But Daniel and Blake, dubbed the party brothers, are in San Francisco. I can’t wait to meet them.

“I can start a fire if you want to,” he says.

“I’d love that.”

“In the meantime, I have some takeout menus on my fridge. You can call either and order whatever you want. My fridge is empty.”

“You don’t like to cook?”

“I do, but I don’t like to cook only for myself.”

“Will I get a chance to taste your cooking skills?” I ask, remembering Ava telling me that Sebastian likes to cook naked. Maybe Logan likes nudism too. Goddamn it, Nadine. You really can’t keep your mind out of the gutter, can you? I’ve only just entered his apartment, but I can already picture him walking around naked. Clearly, I can’t trust my judgment around Logan, and that’s dangerous on so many levels.

“If you come here often enough, you will.”

“Ah, I see. You’re trying to find more incentives for me to sleep over.”

“Cooking is an incentive, got it,” he says brightly.

The thought of him naked is an even bigger incentive, but I’m not about to own up to that. Not yet, anyway.

While Logan starts the fire, I busy myself scanning the menu. Half an hour later, there’s a burning fireplace, and Thai food on plates in front of it. Logan and I sit on the floor, close enough to feel the heat from the fire. Closing my eyes, I inhale the scent of the wood—pine.

“What’s that smile for?” Logan asks.

I realize I’ve been lost in dreamland for a while.