Ben

I peek through the living room window when I see Anthony going in for the kiss. My feet are moving toward the door and my hands turning the knob before I can stop myself.

When I realize what I’ve done, it’s too late. Logan and Anthony are staring at me like I’m some ghost back from the past.

“Ben?” Logan shrieks.

The lawyer still has his hand on Logan’s cheek. I stare pointedly until he drops it. Anthony lifts his chin. “Can I help you?”

I lean against the door and cross my ankles. “Don’t mind me.”

Logan steps away from her date. My gaze lingers on her. I have a deep appreciation for every curve highlighted by that devilishly sexy dress. Thankfully, Logan is too busy staring at the ground and squirming to notice my perusal.

Anthony shoots me a dark glare because, unlike Logan, he’s staring at me. I try to hide my grin, but it’s hard. It may not have been a well-thought out plan to crash their goodnight kiss, but I do not regret it. Not one bit.

“What are you doing out here?” Logan asks.

“Yeah.” Anthony looks me up and down. “What are you doing?”

The gears in my brain screech loudly as I search for an answer that won’t make me look like a jealous boyfriend. “Uh, I was taking out the trash.”

Their eyes drop to my hands, which are empty except for the sketch I’d been working on in an attempt to distract myself while Logan was out on her date.

“Where’s the garbage bag?” Anthony asks.

I clear my throat and raise my sketch. “I took it out already, but I needed to add this to it.”

Silence descends.

Man, this is awkward.

At last, Logan bursts to life. “Thanks again for tonight, Anthony. I’ll see you later.” She catches my eye and then ducks her head as she scurries inside.

“Yeah, goodnight, Anthony.” I grab the door and start to close it when he slams his fingers around the knob, preventing me from shutting him out.

Our gazes collide. Anthony frowns. “I thought you were taking out the garbage?”

“I’ll do it tomorrow. Something more important just came up.”

He leans close, his eyes narrowing. “You’re not fooling anybody, Duncan.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” I tilt my head innocently. “I’d love to stay out here and trade riddles, but there’s a beautiful woman inside who needs my help getting out of her dress.”

Anthony’s furious expression is the last thing I see before I slam the door in his face. I cover my mouth to muffle the laughter and spin around.

My body seizes when my gaze smacks into Logan. Her eyebrow arches and she folds her arms over her chest. “I don’t remember asking you to help me out of my dress.”

“Logan! What are you doing standing there?”

“Catching you in the act, obviously.” She strides toward me, hips swaying lightly. “Why did you lie to Anthony just now?”

I back away from her. “Are you thirsty? I’m thirsty. Reece and I made some strawberry Kool-Aid earlier. Want some?”

“Don’t try to change the subject, Benjamin.”

“Benjamin?” I wince. She’s only used my full name twice and the last time was a few weeks ago when I watched Japanese cartoons with Reece way past her bedtime on a school night. “Am I in trouble?”

“Anthony is a nice guy. What do you and Reece have against him?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh really.” She frowns. “Is that why you both grilled him tonight? Or why you gave him the impression there was more between us than friendship?”

“Isn’t there? We’ve got a kid to think of. This isn’t just a run-of-the-mill relationship.”

“Even if Anthony and I don’t work out, I’m going to date eventually. If things will get this complicated and weird, maybe it’s best I move out.”

Those words fill me with panic. I laugh nervously and drape my hands over Logan’s shoulder. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How about that drink?”

She follows me to the kitchen. “Aren’t you going to ask me how it went?”

No. I had no intentions of hearing a play-by-play of her outing with another man. My chest had been aching all evening because of Logan’s date. My imagination didn’t need any more fodder to torture me.

When I say nothing, Logan leans in. “It was good.”

“That’s nice.”

“We ate steak and pasta. The food was delicious.”

“Mm-hm.” I open the fridge and bend over, searching for the mug of juice.

“Ben, are you listening to me.”

“Of course.” I grab two glasses and fill them to the top. “While you were gone, Reece and I were talking about what she wants to do for her birthday this year.”

Immediately, Logan perks up and abandons the previous topic. “What does she want?”

“That’s the thing.” I slide the cup toward her and take a sip of my own. “She doesn’t want anything. She says she just wants to be with her dad.”

A wrinkle forms between her eyebrows. “I don’t understand. Harry’s gone.”

“I think she wants to visit Harry’s grave.”

“Oh.” Reece nods sadly. “That’s understandable.”

“Yeah, but it’s way too depressing for a ten-year-old girl.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I want to throw her a surprise birthday party.”

Reece considers my idea. “I like it. Lydia can take her to see Harry. Let her spend as much time with him as she wants in the morning. Then in the afternoon, when she’s calmed a bit and thinks we’re not doing anything for her, we can have the party.”

I snap my fingers. “Exactly. We can order a cake, some of her favorite food and play some games.”

“We can invite her closest friends,” Logan says, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Just enough of them that if she’s still feeling sad, they’ll cheer her up.”

“I was thinking of inviting my dad and Lauren too. Reece will love that.”

“Yes.” Logan laughs and the sound is music to my ears. “Ben, that’s perfect.”

“Yeah?” I duck my head, pleased. Half of me was scared she would ax the idea since Reece said her dad wasn’t too big on planning parties when he was alive.

Her gaze softens as she looks at me. “You know, you’ve changed.”

“Is that a compliment or…?”

“It’s a compliment.” She sets her hand on top of mine. “I know I haven’t been there as much as I could have since the salon’s so busy, but you’ve really stepped up. With Reece, with your work, even with the chores. I’m proud of you, Ben.”

Her words burrow into my soul and inspire a wave of fireworks. My throat is tight when I say, “Thanks.”

She leans in, her smile turning mischievous. “This moment we’re having means you won’t ignore me anymore, right?”

I avoid her gaze, unable to answer. The day I found out Logan was going on a date with Anthony, my entire world turned upside down. Just the sight of her made my chest ache like crazy. So I did my best not to be around her.

But it didn’t work. I was still irritable and grouchy to the point that Hilton picked up on it.

Something’s going on with me. Lately, whenever I look at Logan she… glows. I know it sounds crazy, but even the most mundane of tasks has an element of sex appeal when she does it.

Like right now. The way she’s sipping from her cup. The way her plump lips settle on the glass. Her slender fingers curving around the sides. Her throat bobbing with every swallow…

“Ben?” Logan waves her hand in front of me. “Hey, snap out of it.”

I straighten. “What?”

“Are you feeling sick?” She reaches out and places a hand on my forehead. Her eyebrows wrinkle. “You don’t feel hot.”

Trust me, I am.

I pull my lips in before I say something stupid. I’m going insane. I’ve got to get away from her. “I… have work tomorrow. I should go.”

“Ben, tomorrow’s Saturday. You don’t have work tomorrow. I do.”

“Oh. Right.” I freeze.

She grins but doesn’t tease me. “See yah.”

I scramble into my bedroom and lock the door. That woman looks more divine everyday. And that dress… I wish she wouldn’t wear it for anyone but me.

“Stop it, Ben.” I pace the room. “Get ahold of yourself. She likes Harry. You can’t compare to that.”

The pep talk fails. Spectacularly.

There’s got to be another explanation. I haven’t hooked up with anyone since I came to Belize. Maybe that’s why I’ve been tripping over Logan.

I should go out to the club right this minute. Pick someone up. Get rid of this weird, restless energy.

I make it two steps before I turn the other way and sit on the edge of my bed. The sex excuse rings hollow. I know what lust feels like and this is more than that.

Logan… she’s claiming me. Branding me. I can’t look at other women anymore without comparing them to her. I want to make her smile. I want to do better, be better. For her.

I can’t even recognize myself anymore.

While I’m busy tearing my hair out, there’s a knock on the door. “Ben?”

I frown when I open up and see Logan standing outside.

“Hey,” she says with a shy wiggle of her fingers, “don’t take this the wrong way but… I need your help to get out of my dress.”

My eyes widen as she turns and gives me her back. Her slender hands sweep her hair over one shoulder, leaving the expanse of her neck exposed. I tremble as I step toward her. My heart is making a racket so loud I’m sure Logan can hear.

I clip the zipper between my thumb and pointer finger. The metal protests loudly as I pull it down. Logan’s white dress opens up before me, exposing the strap and clasp of her filmy white bra.

Alarm bells clang in my head. My limbs freeze. My pulse skitters out of whack.

Logan glances over her shoulder. “Are you done?”

I can’t speak. Even if I wanted to. My blood pounds in my ears. My gaze is fastened to the creamy brown skin just begging to be touched.

Logan steps away, breaking my hold on her zipper. She gives me—what she probably intended to be—an innocent smile. All I see is the smirk of an enchantress.

“Thanks,” she says and walks away.

I close my door again and wilt against it. The desire rushing through my body makes lying in bed impossible. I crawl to the floor and force myself to do as many pushups as possible. When that still doesn’t calm me, I start an exercise frenzy.

Sweat pours down my face and coats the floor by the time I’m done. I drag myself to bed, exhausted and anxious for some reason.

Eventually, I fall asleep.

When I wake up and head outside, everything is back to normal. Reece doesn’t ask about Logan’s date and she doesn’t mention it. We sit around the table in the kitchen, eating pancakes and discussing Reece’s project for school.

Then Reece says something funny. Logan catches my eye across the table and smiles. The kind that crinkles her nose and narrows her eyes to slits. And it happens again. She starts to glow while I struggle to breathe.

“Does anyone need to use the bathroom?” Logan asks as she takes her plate to the sink. “I’m going to shower now.”

Reece looks expectantly at me, but I’m too busy trying not to have a heart attack.

“Go ahead, Logan,” my niece says.

“Okay.” Logan gives me a concerned look before turning around and disappearing inside the bathroom.

I hear a chair squeak and glance over to find Reece sitting right next to me. “Uncle Ben?”

“Yes?”

“You like Logan, don’t you?”

“No.”

She nods. “Then you might want to tell your face that.” She pats my shoulder and sighs. “I’m gonna watch some cartoons.”

I slouch in my chair. If even Reece is noticing how messed up I am because of Logan, I’m totally screwed.