Inevitable (21 page)

Bar fights? Okay, so there was a lot about him I didn’t know. Definitely not close friends. I rolled from my back to my side and began typing.

U been involved in many bar fights? Let me guess, u screwed either someone’s wife or their daughter?

After hitting send, I typed another quick message, chuckling.

Or u offended other patrons by wearing a ten thousand dollar suit in their bar.

I chuckled softly, but the image of Logan beating on Kurt, leaving him unconscious and bloodied, reminded me of the glimpse of rage I saw in him. A shudder ripped through me.

I opened his text the moment it dinged.

Let’s be clear, I’ve never slept with a married woman, as far as I’m aware, and never would. Marriage is not something I would ever disregard so easily. As far as daughters, well, if they’re consenting adults, I don’t have an issue. But no, never fought over a woman. U were the first ;)

I grinned, feeling giddy and quickly tried to squash it. Friends, nothing more, I reminded myself.

I’m honored. So I take it your suits were the issue then?

Men can get quite jealous of an impeccably tailored suit, sweetheart ;)

I laughed but as I did, a yawn spilled out.

Uh-huh. Perhaps someday you’ll share some of your sordid past. For now, I’m sleepy.

Perhaps. Goodnight, Cassandra. Sleep well.

Chapter Fourteen

Open Door Policy

I
woke early the next day, before sunrise, and started the day with a long bath. After I climbed out, relaxed and ready to take on the world, I slipped into my favorite light wash jeans with the knees worn out, and pulled a yellow tank top over my head. After popping some extra strength Tylenol, I decided to spend the entire day locked inside cleaning, hoping to take my mind off everything. I threw my hair up into a loose bun as I strolled out of my bedroom and cranked up the music on my stereo.

Within an hour, I was lost to the beats of Maroon 5 and dancing around my living room as I dusted each and every corner of the massive built-in bookshelf. I sang along like a mad woman—the meds covering the sting in my lip—occasionally gripping the duster like a microphone. Kurt be damned, I felt good. Pleased with myself after finishing the bottom shelf, I stepped back to admire the perfectly polished shelves.

“Looks good.”

I jumped, startled, chest heaving, and saw Logan standing on the other side of my screen door watching me. He oozed with sex appeal in a perfectly tailored black suit and grey tie. I caught myself staring before stalking across the room to turn down the blaring music.

 Still panting, I turned around, giving a pointed look to the man now entering my house as if he lived here. One night’s help hardly gave him free reign of the place.

“Ever heard of knocking,” I snapped, my breath heavy from the singing. I instantly regretted my tone when I watched the sweet smile waver on his face.

“You weren’t at school when I dropped Oliver off. I was worried, thought I would come check on you. That is what friends do after all, sweetheart.” He smirked. But it slowly melted into a frown when I stepped forward and his gaze dropped to my injured lip.

I knew he blamed himself for me getting hurt. It was obvious that night. I’d never forget the look on his face when Caleb pulled him off Kurt’s limp body. He was acting on adrenaline and pure rage.

I smiled, releasing the tie in my hair and letting it fall down around my face creating a curtain to that side of my mouth as I turned my head. “Right, well, thank you, but as you can see I am doing fine. Just catching up on some housework.”

“So, can I come in then?”

It was a ridiculous request considering he was already standing in my foyer, but I nodded, with a wider smile. How could I deny him when he looked at me like it’d physically hurt him if I said no.

“Um, sure,” I answered, chuckling under my breath. “Can I get you something to drink? Glass of orange juice, water, anything?”

“No, thanks.”

He looked around the room he had stood in just the other night. It was strange seeing him here in the light of day. He felt out of place in the tiny living room. I’d bet his suit cost more than my furniture.

“So, what are you up to today?” I asked, walking into the kitchen and pulling out a chair to sit. I gestured for him to do the same. “A day of boring meetings at the paper, I assume?”

As he took a seat across from me, he smiled. “Not today. I’m on my way to meet my realtor.”

“Are you moving?” A twinge of grief shot through me.

“No,” he chuckled once, looking away. “Just looking to buy a small home for Julia. Next year she can live off campus.”

“So you’re…buying her a house?” I asked slowly, dumbfounded, my face twisted in confusion.

He chuckled again, placing one hand on the table in front of him, and looked up at me. His tongue darted out, slowly moistening his lips. “I consider it an investment. She can live there for free with a few roommates who pay rent to cover some of the expenses. She’s a good kid, and I know she doesn’t want to live in the dorm next year. I love my sister but I’m not exactly fond of her living in my home. Good for Oliver, but annoying for me.”

I opened my mouth to speak but was stopped by a dry lump that had formed the second he licked those damn lips. I stood, and walked to the sink for a glass of water “Yeah, I can understand that.” I managed to get out before taking a sip. “Especially after witnessing your little
ménage à trois
party the other night.”

He cleared his throat, and when I walked back to the table I noticed his posture had stiffened.

“It was unfortunate that you stopped by when you did.”

“Yes, it definitely was.” I shook off the disgusting image of him under those women. “Although I was relieved to hear Oliver wasn’t home.” I scoffed.

“One thing you should know about me, Cassandra. I love my son. He is my first priority.” Logan leaned in further against the table, eyes locking with mine. “I may not have the best track record with women, but I treat them with respect and give them exactly what I can offer.”

“Which is?”

His tongue darted out once again, and a flutter of nerves sent a chill through my body.

“Anything they could ask for…in the bedroom.” His voice was slow, rough, and enticing.

I dropped my head, breaking eye contact, heat creeping up my cheeks. God, what I bet he could do in the bedroom. Heat pooled in places I’d never felt before. I cringed at my body’s response.

Looking back across at him, I gave a tight smile. “So, you have any other sisters or brothers?” I asked quickly changing the subject.

He nodded, his eyes lit with amusement.

“Care to expand?” I nudged.

“Not really.” He shrugged, still watching me with a slight smirk, as if he could read my mind. “Julia’s my only sister, and I have two brothers. Not much more to say.”

“Sibling issues?” I laughed. “I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

“You’re an only child, I take it?”

I nodded, resting my elbow on the table and titling my cheek into my palm. “So you bought the newspaper to give Julia for a graduation gift, and now a house. Kind of wish I had a brother.”

He chuckled once. There was something in the way he laughed that soothed me. As if it could heal me from the outside in.

“Well, she is my only sister. Plus, my brothers are not really around much to help her.”

“What about your parents?”

“They live in the city. My mother is oblivious to anything financial, and my father prefers us to earn our own money. He refused to pay for Julia’s schooling when she failed to achieve a scholarship.” His jaw ticked but smoothed a second later replaced with a hint of a forced smile pulled at his lips.

“I’m not good at understanding fathers.” I shifted in my seat and ran my fingers over the grains in the wood of the table.

“I heard about your father. Caleb told me he left when you were young.”

“It was a long time ago,” I grumbled, uncomfortable talking about it. “So what do your brothers do? They live in the city with your parents?”

“My older brother Lawrence is happily married and yes, he lives in the city. He has a son a year younger than Oliver.” He smiled to himself. “And Jax is…exploring life, having fun”

“Having fun?” I snickered, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes.” His tone spoke volumes. Jax must have been the wild one in the family.

“Well, you’re lucky to have them.”

“Sometimes.” he grinned, teasingly.

A comfortable silence settled between us as we sat there. It was nice, Logan West was surprisingly a normal guy. Well, besides his deviant sexual behavior. Although in another life, I could see myself enjoying that side of him as well. But that wasn’t the case; we were night and day different in this one.

 “Thanks again for checking on me, but you better getting going. I would hate to be the reason you left your realtor waiting.” I stood from my chair. It had been a pleasant conversation and I didn’t want to ruin it with heated stares and unnerving sexual tension.

“Of course, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re all right.” With a strained look in his eyes, he stood, and walked toward the door.

I followed, smiling as he turned back to face me. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets. He wasn’t ready to leave just yet; I could see it written all over his expression.

“You know, this is a lovely home you have.” He looked past me. “It has that female touch.”

“Well, I am a female.”

“That you are.” He grinned, licking his bottom lip before quickly shaking his head and looking away. “Would you mind doing me a huge favor?”

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to continue, wondering where this was going. Oh, the favors I could do for him.
No, bad thoughts.

“I’ve never been too good at the whole house hunting thing to be honest. I mean, I know what I like, but women have very different tastes.”

“That they do.” I smiled, awkwardly, waiting for the favor.

“Would you mind…accompanying me today? There are four different houses I need to look at and I have no idea which would be best for a girl like my sister. You would be helping me quite a lot.”

I could tell he was trying and since he had not resorted to his old flirtatious head games I was nodding in agreement.

“Why not.” This was it, a real attempt at being…friends. “I must warn you though, I can be brutally critical.”

“I would expect nothing less from you, sweetheart.” His smirk lit his face with delight.

“Fine, give me twenty minutes to get dressed.”

“I’ll give you fifteen since the realtor has already been waiting for ten.” He chuckled when I sprinted out of the room.

Chapter Fifteen

Exposed

“
D
on’t look at me like that! I’m telling the truth, all of them were horrible choices.” I laughed, sitting across from Logan in a booth at a small diner outside of town.

“Come on, one of them has to be fit for Julia.” Logan sighed, picking up his menu. “My real estate taste can’t be that bad?”

I gave him a pointed look, covering my grin with my menu. “I’m trying to be gentle, I swear, but why would she want to live next to the golf course? And in an obvious bachelor pad?”

“Fine, that one may have been a bit masculine but—”

“A bit!” I scoffed, a muffled giggle slipping out. “There was a giant mirror on the ceiling in the master bedroom!”

“Fair point.” He smiled, lowering the shiny menu. “I do have to admit, I’m not keen on the idea of having a full sports club filled with men hanging out that close to my baby sister, but the third option… that had promise.” His smiled faded when I made a disagreeing face. “What was wrong with that house? It’s not far from a shopping plaza. Isn’t that what girls like?” he quickly added, hoping to sway me.

I let out a puff of air, offended, and placed the menu down in front of me. “Your sister will not be shopping at an Auto supply or The Military Surplus, I assure you.”

“There were a few women’s clothing stores,” he defended.

“Believe me, I’ve met Julia, she won’t be shopping at any of them either.”

“What do you suggest then, sweetheart?”

“Honestly, I think you need to keep looking. Why not ask Julia to pick it out herself? It’ll be her home after all.”

The waitress walked over wearing a bright-yellow apron and cheerful smile, pad in hand, ready for our order.

“Where’s the fun in that? I myself have always enjoyed surprises,” he said, smiling up at the young woman with a large, round pregnant belly.

After placing our orders, simple burgers and fries, we were left alone once again.

“So, I wanted to thank you, for hiring the men to help with the tree house. I’ll admit, at first I was planning on sending them away, but they were great and I couldn’t have done all that work on my own.” I looked down, heat rising in my cheeks. “That was why I came over that night, to thank you. I didn’t mean to interrupt your—” I shook my head, chewing my bottom lip and quickly added, “Oliver said he’d be coming back over.”

 Hesitantly, I looked back up and caught a flicker of something clouding his eyes before he blinked it away. He looked down at the table, and slowly back at me with his usual smirk firmly in place.

 “My pleasure. Oliver enjoys it over there. I’ve been meaning to check it out myself, but didn’t want to intrude, especially after the other night considering your run in with—” Tilting his head in thought, his eyebrows lowered, he continued. “Did you hang his artwork?”

 I nodded and he gave a tight, almost uncomfortable smile.

 “Oliver was excited to show you his pictures. I took him to pick out the frames the moment he came home from school. He told me you painted the inside of the tree house green and blue, I hope they matched well.”