Auctioned to the Bad Boy CEO

Logan shot to his feet, drew a cup of water from the water cooler in the corner of his office, and handed it to her.

“Here.”

Hannah smiled at him, and took some much-needed sips of the cool liquid to get rid of the frog in her throat.

“Thank you, like I was saying, I’m no saint. On the flip side, I don’t need to see the pity in people’s eyes when they assume I must have some form of tragic history. As though I would ever let a man lay as much as a finger on me, let alone hit me. I had enough of that as a child.”

Logan’s short laugh stopped her tirade.

“Well, that’s not strictly speaking true, is it, little dove? We both know you enjoyed me doing much more than laying a finger on you.” His dark eyes glittered in barely disguised amusement, and while her heart leapt in relief that he’d lost some of his earlier despair, she also wanted to thump him. That thought brought her up short. She wasn’t a violent person, abhorred the concept, and yet, he seemed to be bring out the worst in her. He was just so darn infuriating. What was it about this man in particular, which got under her skin?

Well used to taunts, she ought to be able to shrug it off, treating his suggestive and at times downright lewd behavior with the icy contempt it deserved. Any other man would have received the cold shoulder treatment, but Logan … she couldn’t ignore him.

Maybe it was the glimpses of a tortured soul, the shared hurt of a violent past, or maybe it was simple lust. Maybe that was indeed all that was at play here, and if that was the case, then perhaps she ought to stop fighting it.

“That’s not the same, and you know it. I gave my consent, and it was…” She couldn’t bring herself to continue, and besides there was no need to. Even now curls of desire unfurled in her belly, made her breathing hitch and her breasts ache for this man’s touch. If he made a move now, she wouldn’t, couldn’t stop him.

A vague sense of disappointment filled her when Logan pulled back, seconds before the knock on his door made her jump and scramble off his desk. She hastily took a seat in the chair facing him, and picked up a notepad and pen—an action which earned her a short laugh from Logan—before he bade the person on the other side of his door to come in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Bryce,” Claire Jackson, the company’s HR manager entered and looked at Hannah with a frown

. “I was told there might be a problem here that needs my intervention.”

Logan steepled his hands in front of his face, and smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes, and the fine hair on Hannah’s arms rose at the expression on his face. Her stomach twisted at the barely concealed anger she sensed in him.

“Now, why would you think that, Ms. Jackson?” His voice held an edge of steel, his disapproval of the other woman’s interruption like a visible wall he erected around himself, and Claire took a step back.

“Forgive me, the other staff … well, they were concerned, and it is my duty to look out for all the staff, so if Hannah is having some sort of disciplinary action taken against her then I need to be here.” She straightened her shoulders, lips pressed into a firm line, and Hannah’s estimation of her grew. It was certainly true that HR always tried their best to accommodate everyone.

Logan shook his head, glanced at Hannah and smirked. Her stomach clenched in worry of what he might do next.

“Your professional interest is duly noted, Claire, but I can assure that any disciplinary action I wish to take with my fiancée is none of HR’s concern.” He held Hannah’s gaze, daring her to disagree with him, and it was on the tip of her tongue to refute that notion, but his tense shoulders stopped her.

He nodded once when she didn’t reply, and focused his attention on a flustered looking Claire instead.

“If that is all?”

“I … that is … right. I guess congratulations are in order?” Claire looked at Hannah for confirmation, and she forced a smile on her face. “This is all a bit sudden, isn’t it?”

“You should know by now that I don’t waste time in securing what I want, and I wouldn’t call it sudden,” Logan interjected. “Hannah and I have been in a relationship for some time. With the rumor mill going into overdrive, we decided the time was right to go public to reassure all these concerned people that our private life is just that and has absolutely no bearing on what happens here at work.” He paused, got to his feet, and opened the door for Claire in a clear dismissal. “If that was all?”

“Right, yes, erm, congratulations again. Have you set a date yet?” Claire asked.

“Of course, you can expect Hannah to need some time off at the end of the month. I’ll let you know exactly how many weeks. I don’t plan on a long honeymoon, but I do want to spend some time with my new wife.” He glanced at Hannah when he said that, and the heated intensity in his dark gaze took her breath away.

Okay then…

Her core temperature just went up several degrees at the promise in those dark eyes. Try as she might she couldn’t find the outrage she surely ought to be feeling at his underhandedness in just announcing their engagement, yet all she felt was an odd sense of rightness.

“Right, yes, congratulations again. Will you make an announcement?” Claire asked, and Logan raised an eyebrow in contempt. “Right, none of my business, I get it. Shall I tell the staff then, or…”

Logan looked toward Hannah, and, somehow, she got her voice to work.

“If it shuts up the gossip, then by all means do, though it’s really no one’s business, is it?”

The other woman smiled, a genuine one this time, and a heavy silence fell between Logan and her, when the door snicked shut behind her.

Hannah kept her gaze firmly rooted to the floor, not trusting herself to not erupt into hysterics of some sort. That moment had passed after all. If she was going to object to this crazy plan then she should have done so when Logan declared their engagement, not now when the proverbial horse had bolted and was running around the office holding up a banner for all to see. His trainers appeared in her vision first, and then his deep sigh ghosted across her face, as he cupped her chin and tilted her head up.