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It seemed to have the powers of weakening a man’s mind.
“Well, in two days, you’ll no longer be my boss, so I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“Yes, but I’ll still be your brother’s best friend,” he said, desperation leaking into his voice. “Do you understand what I’m saying? Michael would kill me if he found out I was no better than your previous bosses. You don’t have to put on this act with me, Rachel. It’s okay. I refuse to be like them.”
She laughed and reached for his hand, taking it gently from the floor where he was bracing himself. Flames shot up his arm as she stroked the back of his hand with the pad of her thumb, her skin smooth and soft.
“You think I’m asking you these questions because that’s what my crappy bosses would’ve wanted?” she asked, a teasing grin on her face. Raising his hand to her mouth, she brushed her lips against one of his scarred knuckles, sending another shot of fire across his skin. “I’m asking because I like you and I feel like there’s something between us. Something good. Logan, you’re nothing like them.”
A groan escaped his lips and he ached to entangle his fingers in her silken brown locks and taste her sweet lips. She had no idea how hard she was making this on him.
“But your brother,” he said, grimacing as Michael’s disapproving expression flashed in his head. “He made me promise that you would have no distractions and this is definitely a distraction.”
She arched an eyebrow and red hot anger flashed in her eyes for the briefest of seconds. “Logan Madison, I am a twenty-six year old woman. My older brother has no say in who or what I go after. I love him to death, but he doesn’t control me. And I want you.”
His stomach jolted with heat and he cursed it for being a traitor. But at the same time, he felt joy ripple throughout his entire body. Rachel Knight wanted him. He’d heard the news from the angel herself.
And he had to admit, she was right. She was a woman, with brains and a strong determination. If she wanted something, she went after it. Not even Michael could stand in her way.
He had never felt more conflicted.
“I see this is coming across as a shock to you,” she said, her eyes narrowing and a tiny smile playing on her lips. “How about this? Tomorrow, let’s have dinner together. Not dinner scraps in your office because we’re working too late, but a real dinner date. Let’s see if there really is something between us. If not, no harm done. In the meantime, I’m going to head home to get some rest. You should, too. This was a long day.”
She leaned toward him, her hand resting on his shoulder for support. For one, alarming moment, he thought she was going to kiss him. From the current state of his nerves, he would’ve had no control over what he did next. He would’ve had to take her into his arms and kiss her exactly how she deserved to be kissed: with tenderness and passion all rolled up into one. Instead, she placed a tantalizingly soft kiss on his cheek, lingering for a moment. He closed his eyes, at once disappointed and relieved.
“Good night,” she whispered into his ear.
As she stood to leave, a barrage of thoughts tumbled through his head, too confusing to make any sense. There were a million things he wanted to say to her and nothing seemed to be good enough. Just before she disappeared into the hall, he inhaled sharply and felt his tongue snap back into place for a moment.
“Rachel!” She paused with her hand on the door frame and looked back at him, her eyes dark in the low glow of the office lamp. He cleared his throat, unsure what to say. “Have a good night.”
A warm smile touched her lips and she nodded before disappearing into the dark. Logan slumped against the desk, cradling his head in his hands.
What had he just gotten himself into?
Chapter Eight
Logan rolled his shoulders a few times and stretched his hands above his head, feeling the muscles in his back loosen just the tiniest bit. He looked around his luxury apartment, swallowing down the nerves.
He’d purchased the place about six months ago. All it took was one step inside the gorgeous top floor, corner unit to fall in love. Never mind the vaulted ceilings, cream walls, thick crown molding, and Bolivian wooden floors. This place had a real warmth to it. It felt like a home.
He was light years away from that trailer home with the squeaky cabinet doors and leaky toilet. Every time he walked in the door of his new apartment, he was reminded of how far he’d come. He liked that feeling.
A knock came at the door, dispelling his momentary calm. He rushed to answer it, yanking the gray steel door open to stare at his visitor. Rachel had arrived in a light-weight purple skirt that swooshed around her knees and showed off her shapely calves above black ankle boots. She wore a thin white blouse with a camisole underneath and a thin silver chain around her neck. Her hair had been pulled up into a knot at the base of her neck, with curled tendrils falling around her face. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, but he knew the words would come out as nothing more than gibberish.
She smiled sweetly at him, her pink tinted lips forming a nervous grin. “Hi.”
He worked his jaw and clutched the door tightly. She was actually here. In his home. “Hi.”
“Dinner at your place was a good idea,” she said walking past him and into his domain. “It’s nice to get away from the restaurant.”
He swallowed again, his skin threatening to burst into flames from all the nerves. The last person he’d ever expected to see in his home was Rachel Knight, but he had to admit, she looked good standing there in the well-lit foyer.
Maybe she thought this was a good idea, but he still wasn’t on board. As much as he wanted to spend time with Rachel outside of their work capacity, a tiny voice inside his head screamed the word traitor over and over again. This was a betrayal of the utmost kind. Men had killed for less in medieval times. Logan deserved his head on a pike.
“I’ve just started cooking dinner. Have a seat,” he told her, taking her purse from her hands, their fingers brushing and sending electricity shooting up his arm.
“You’re cooking?” she asked, a brilliant smile lighting up her lips. Her eyes glowed with humor when she looked at him. “And here I thought I was just getting treated to carryout. I didn’t know you cooked, Logan Madison.”
