As the door opens again, I see a few reporters arriving, and then Logan. He smiles my favorite smile: wide and heartfelt. He points at the reporters, as if saying, “They’re all yours.”
***
The party lasts until the early hours of the morning. It’s easily the best night of my life, surrounded by the people who matter most to me: my parents, Ava, and the Bennetts. One Bennett specifically. It was all I could do not to drag Logan in the back room, but I knew if I did that, we wouldn’t come out anytime soon. The Bennetts and my parents are the last to leave. Logan stays behind, watching my every move as I bid everyone goodbye.
The second we’re alone, the air charges with our sexual tension. I take my time to appreciate Logan fully for the first time tonight. He’s wearing a suit that highlights his strong, imposing figure. I then dim the lights until it’s dark, so no one from outside can see us.
Turning to him, I say, “Hi there.”
“Hi back.” Logan’s gaze travels over my body slowly.
I join him by the bar. “Business trip, huh?”
His lip curls into a delicious smile. “Yeah, I got lost in the airport and somehow ended up at your parents’ house.”
“Thank you for bringing Mom and Brian.”
“They are quite a pair.”
“You went to them, and brought them here.” My voice is filled with emotion and gratitude. “Thank you.”
“I want you to be happy, Nadine. Always.”
Logan pulls me to him, wrapping an arm around my waist. After days apart, being this close to him is intoxicating. His cologne, his scent—all man—clouds my mind, ensnaring my senses.
“I missed you,” he says.
“I missed you too.”
Logan tilts my chin up. He kisses me hard, first sweeping his tongue over my lips, then slipping it inside my mouth. He fists my hair, deepening the kiss. A bolt of heat courses through me, right through my center.
“Let’s talk,” he says after we pull apart.
“Mmm, I liked that kiss. But you’re right. Let’s get the words out of the way first.”
“I’m sorry I got carried away with Archer and the bank,” he begins. “But I will always want to protect you, love you, and make sure you are safe and happy in every way. It’s who I am.”
His speech steals my breath away. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I know he did everything to protect me, and it’s time for me to accept that allowing the man I love to watch over me isn’t a vulnerability. Trusting him is a strength.
“I’m your guy, remember?”
I laugh softly. “You’re my guy.”
“So, I’m forgiven?” he asks.
I smile against his cheek. “You are. But you have to promise me you won
’t keep things from me anymore.”
Logan adopts a serious demeanor. “I was advised by a certain brother not to make promises I can’t keep. So, I can only promise I’ll try to do that.” Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, he drags his fingers down my cheek. “I can make a different promise, though. I promise always to love you and make you happy. How about that?”
“Works for me,” I whisper.
Throughout this conversation, he hasn’t kept his hands off me. He touches my lips, dragging his fingers down my neck and my cleavage.
“You’re beautiful tonight, Nadine.”
My breath comes out in quick exhales, desire overtaking me. “People can still see inside the store if they try hard enough.”