“I cut myself on a nicked glass.”
Before I can ask anything more, Logan pulls me into a kiss. I immediately give in, opening my mouth, welcoming the possession, craving it. My body flattens against his, needing more points of contact. I always need more when it comes to Logan.
“We won’t get very far if we continue like this,” Logan says when we pull apart.
“We’re going somewhere?” I tilt my head up, moving my focus from his full lips to his dark eyes. “Besides home?”
“Yep.”
He opens the door of the car, gesturing for me to step inside.
“Where are we going?” I ask once he’s inside too.
“To have a little private celebration because you’re going to see your designs on a runway.”
I yawn. “Can’t we do that tomorrow? I’m so sleepy.”
Gunning the engine, Logan shakes his head. “No can do. You’ll be a star after tomorrow night. Everyone will want to interview you. Tonight, you’re only mine.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I decided to throw a pseudo-opening party for the store in two days.”
“Huh?”
“Pippa and Ava said there will be reporters from influential magazines at the Bennett show, and that it’d be good if I threw a party right after the show and invited them.”
“It’s a good idea,” he says thoughtfully. “But more work. Hence, more power to my argument. We need t
o celebrate tonight.”
“So, you’re kidnapping me?” I ask coyly, curiosity overpowering my tiredness.
He confirms it with a nod as the car speeds through downtown.
“You still didn’t tell me where we’re going,” I remind him.
“Now, it wouldn’t be kidnapping if I told you, would it?”
“Okay.” I wait patiently as he drives out to the edge of the city and up one of the hills. The car comes to a halt in a curious place: a patch of woods where the lights of the city are visible in all their glory. We exit the car and sit on the hood. It’s one week before Christmas, but the weather is remarkably warm, and there is almost no wind.
“What is this?” I ask.
“Few people know about this place. At least, I’ve never run into anyone here. I like to come here and think. The first time, it was after Sebastian and I signed a big contract. It was the most crucial deal in our ‘go big or go home’ strategy. I made a promise to myself that no matter how things turned out, I’d always remember my roots and take care of my family. By then, I’d seen what money could do to people. It can turn them into selfish shells, or bastards. I didn’t want to be one of them.”
He says all this while glancing at the lights in the distance. I try to gauge whether he’s sending me a message because tomorrow is my big night, but I realize he’s simply Logan. Very self-aware and grounded. I realize something else too, something even more important. He’s allowing me in, and that’s worth even more than whatever success the show will bring me tomorrow.
“I can’t wait to bring my parents to San Francisco,” I confess. In response, he squeezes my hand, and it’s all the support and reassurance I need. “This is your special place,” I say brightly. “And you brought me here. That makes me feel special too.”
“You are, Nadine.” Turning to me, he cups the back of my neck, bringing me inches away from his lips. “You’ve invaded every facet of my life, and I love it.”
Logan’s mouth covers mine, his kiss a testament of both our desperation. In a haze, I sense him pushing himself over me. I let myself lie with my back against the hood of the car, my hands roaming over the taut tendons of his arms.
“You’re mine.” His tone drips of determination. Nodding, I lean in for another kiss, but he denies me. “I want to hear you say it out loud.”
“I’m yours. Only yours.”
His dark eyes probe me for a few seconds, then he leans in and gives me the sweetest of kisses. Needing more of him, my fingers fist in his hair, demanding passion and relief. When we pull apart for breath, his hair is mussed, his eyes hooded. My man is incredibly sexy. On a sigh, I feel myself getting slicker.
His hand cups between my legs over my jeans, as if saying that’s his too. I become slicker still. Arching into him, I seek the release only he can give me. His palm presses straight on my clit. I rasp out his name along with a deep, guttural moan.