AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He chuckled. “About her dad. She started telling me about how he made pancakes and let her wear her princess dress to school.”
Sadie focused on her sushi, not wanting Logan to see her face and the emotion written all over it. She missed the man who’d let her wear her Halloween costume to school in April. Her father was alive and well in Maryland. And she wanted more than uncomfortable phone calls. But somewhere along the way her money and his pride has driven a wedge between them, one that wasn’t likely to go away anytime soon.
“You nailed it,” Logan continued. “That man was her hero long before he put on a uniform.”
“Did she ask about the war?”
He nodded. “She asked a lot of questions about what it is like over there. I tried my best to answer. But to be honest, the conversation moved on to other things. One minute we were talking about what it is like to live on a base in Iraq and the next she was telling me about her Girl Scout camping trip.”
“Just like any other kid.”
Logan nodded. “When she approached me after the raffle, all I saw was her grief. But there is a lot more to her. By the time we left, she was bouncing up and down, telling me all about her best friend at school and asking if I would come in and meet her class.”
“Setting up a second date. Smart girl. Are you going to do it?”
“I might. Depends on how long I’m around.”
He was leaving. Soon. She couldn’t forget that after their candlelight bookstore dinner, they would eventually return to their separate lives. That alone made this fling doable. “How does it work? Does someone call you one day and say, ‘Get back here now’?”
“Something like that. Depends on how Hunter, my teammate, does with the writer in New York. Probably won’t be long, though.”
One writer stood between him and what he wanted. Lifting her wineglass to her lips, she caught him glancing over at the shelves. The store’s romance/erotica section was limited, but they did a nice job highlighting what they had. Many of the titles were face-out. Including hers.
Sadie took a sip. She wasn’t the writer standing in his way. Not yet. But in a few weeks, if they didn’t end their fling, she could cost him everything.
She set her glass down and pushed the depressing thought away. Tonight was for him. His chance to move forward.
“First time eating dinner surrounded by images of half-naked men and women?” she asked.
“The naked guys? Yeah. But you’d be surprised how some of my teammates decorate.”
“Men away from their wives and girlfriends? I can imagine.” He’d probably downed more than one of those MRE things in a makeshift camp filled with centerfolds.
“It wasn’t the covers that distracted me.” Logan waved his chopsticks at the erotica shelves. “I can’t stop wondering, is one of those yours?”
Every muscle in her body tensed. She should have known he’d ask. If she was in his shoes, she’d be wondering the same thing. Still, this wasn’t the time or place to tell him. “Yes. But I write under a pen name so you’d have a hard time guessing which one.”
“Is that a challenge?” He pushed back from the table and walked over to the bookcase. Standing with his hands on his hips, he looked so serious as he studied the covers. Finally he reached out and selected a book.
Not hers. Thank goodness.
He flipped it open and scanned the pages. Color rushed to his face. Watching a man who looked like a superhero blush was a major turn-on. She crossed her legs under the table, squeezing her thighs together. Earlier, she’d been close to coming and her body hadn’t forgotten. But tonight was his turn. At least, the first time.
“Tell me this isn’t yours,” he said. “I’m not sure that’s legal.”
She didn’t know what he was reading and she didn’t care. The man standing in front of her turned her on more than the hottest erotica scene. The way he looked, the way he cared, not just for her, but also for Charlotte—he spurred her desire. She was close to tossing aside her chopsticks and demanding he take her right there on the table.
Sadie stood and walked up behind him. Pressing up against his back, she rose on her tiptoes, her lips brushing his ear. “I can’t help notice, there is no one else around. No waiters. No other diners.” She reached around and plucked the book from his hand. “I don’t think we’ll need this. My imagination is running wild with what-if scenarios.”
Logan nodded. “Always a good idea to run through all the possibilities. I’m listening if you want to bounce some ideas off me.”
“How about I give you a demonstration?” She stepped back, breaking the contact.
Logan turned to face her. The man looked tense, ready to pounce. But he held back, waiting for her command. Sadie searched his face for any signs of hesitation. None. His eyes were fixed on her with a laserlike focus. His desire felt so strong, so present, it was like another living, breathing thing in the store with them.
“I think it is time for you to shed some clothes,” Sadie said.
“Sadie, I hate to stop you, but we’re in a bookstore,” he said.
