Chapter Nine
Tess had forgotten how exhilarating it was to fly down the side of a mountain at top speed. She hadn’t been skiing in too long, and as she pushed off yet again, the feel of the cold air rushing past her as she sailed along the slope was invigorating. As kids, her brothers were competitive with one another but doted on her, making sure she was a solid skier and could keep up with them. Some of her best childhood memories were skiing with them in Aspen, Vermont, Canada, and Switzerland. She still loved the rush of soaring across the snow, the closest thing to flying a human could experience. Few things compared.
And Logan was right beside her the whole time. He was a great skier, a natural athlete—definitely better than her. Of course, he did it more often. He told her flat out he’d all but grown up on the slopes and still went skiing two or three times a month in the winter. Knowing that, she was just glad she’d stayed upright most of the time after a two-year lapse. The one time she’d ended up on her ass, Logan had chuckled kindly and immediately shot out a hand to help her up.
The cloudy sky cut down on sun glare, but she’d still made sure to apply sunblock and lip balm before putting on her gator. Her goggles made it easy to steal glances at her gorgeous companion. Logan was sexy even hidden under the layers of his royal-blue shell jacket and the gray ski pants that hugged his powerful legs, a delicious bonus of inviting him along. Even the way his thick hair poked out of the bottom of his wool hat, fringing haphazardly past his strong jaw, appealed to her. In between runs they chatted about the ski trips of their childhoods; she told him about the annual trips with her father and brothers, and he told her about how his family went skiing all the time, right there in Colorado.
Time flew by on the mountain. The light of the sky changed, the late afternoon bringing hints of the darkness that would soon fall. “Okay, I’m wiped,” she told him. “Totally ready for some hot cocoa and to sit for a long time in front of the fire. Kind of starving too. How about you?”
“Same,” Logan said. They headed back toward the main lodge. “Aww, you know what would be the capper? All that and then a soak in a hot tub. Maybe I’ll pop by the gym after I drop you at your house and do that.”
The thought of him soaking naked in a hot tub was too hot for her to handle. “The tub in my master bathroom doubles as a Jacuzzi,” she said, “which you know, of course. When you bring me back, you’re welcome to stay for a while and use it before you go home.”
He shot her a sideways glance, a mixture of uncertainty and a spark of flirtation that made her knees wobble. “Really.”
“Yeah, really,” she said. “I’m starving, I need to eat something first, but why not? If you’d like to have some time in a tub, I have one. I’d be more than happy to let you.” And I wish I could watch, she thought, biting her lip.
His gaze smoldered as he considered it, making a few butterflies stir in her belly. Then, his voice low, he said, “I tell you what. You paid for the lift tickets and everything so far today. Let me buy you a late lunch, and I’ll feel better about taking you up on that offer. Which I just might.”
Her insides went hot and wavy with pure lust. She was shocked she’d made such a suggestion, and ten times more so that he was possibly saying yes. The thought of this towering man, exuding testosterone and rugged sex appeal, being naked in her tub just beyond her bedroom . . . it sent her heart rate up a notch. But she played it cool and said, “There are three restaurants in the lodge. Get me fed, and you have a deal.”
He grew quiet as they got to the ski check. They got their skis off and he grabbed the claim check before she could. But he smiled brightly at her as they approached the building, and held the door open for her as they headed into the side entrance of the magnificent lodge. Picturesque, all warm woods and glass, the Ajax Mountain Lodge was crammed with people also deciding to finish their skiing for the day. Christmas decorations were still everywhere, strings of white lights and bright red poinsettias added color and sparkle. Conversation and laughter echoed throughout, and off the high beams of the ceiling. Logan reached for her hand and led her through the crowd toward the elevator in the middle of the lobby.
“Tess!” a male voice rang out. “Tess Harrison, I’ll be damned.”
Logan saw how when she looked up, her features froze in shock for a few seconds. Total deer in the headlights, before she covered with cool disdain. Tess was friendly, always open and sociable; for her to react like that had Logan’s intuition blaring. Immediately on alert, he didn’t let go of her hand as a tall, dark-haired man in neon-green and black ski gear approached them, a curvy, Botoxed blonde woman in hot pink at his side.
Tess mumbled, “Great.”
“Right here if you need me,” Logan quickly murmured, squeezing her fingers between his as the couple stopped before them.
“I can’t believe this,” the man said jovially, not bothering to hide the way he looked Tess up and down. “I mean, it’s not every day you run into your ex-fiancée. You look great, Tess.”
Ex-fiancée? Logan didn’t know anything about the guy, but the look on Tess’s face before she’d shuttered it was all he needed to know.
“Hello, Brady,” she said coolly. “You look . . . older.”
His grin hinted at a sneer. “Well, it’s been a few years, hasn’t it. Six or seven, right? Who keeps count.” He smiled down at the blonde, then back up to Tess as he said proudly, “This is my wife, Chynna.”
“Hello,” Chynna said, looking both bored and haughty.
“We have twin boys,” Brady went on. “Precious little things, but real handfuls, two years old. They’re upstairs with the nanny. We wanted some time to ourselves today, since we head back home tomorrow.”
“We’ve been here since the twenty-third,” Chynna said. “I’m so over all of this now. So ready to go home.”
Tess merely inclined her head, a hint of a nod.
Logan wanted to grind both of their faces into the carpet. The arrogant vibe off these people made him want to vomit.
“Brady Hillman,” he said, holding a hand out to Logan. “And you are . . . ?”
“Logan Carter.” He glanced at the man’s hand but didn’t shake it, leaving him hanging there awkwardly. Instead, he slid an arm around Tess’s waist to pull her close. “That’s funny, sweetheart,” he said as he looked down at her. “All this time together, and you never mentioned you were engaged before.”
Tess didn’t miss a beat. “Not worth mentioning, honey,” she said sweetly as she smiled back at him. “Besides, like he said, it was a long time ago.”
Chynna huffed, offended for her husband.
“How’s New York these days?” Brady asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Glad I left. So dirty, crowded, and noisy. Philadelphia’s a much more civilized city.”
“Huh, that’s why you left?” Tess’s voice was placid as could be. “I thought it was because the firm you worked for forced you out and turned your name to mud amongst all the top firms in Manhattan. At least, that’s what I heard through the grapevine.”
Brady’s eyes turned cold and hard. The malice there made Logan unconsciously pull Tess closer. “And you’re going to look me in the eye and tell me you had nothing to do with that?” Brady challenged, his voice dropping low.
Tess didn’t even flinch. “Nothing at all. I had better things to do with my time and energy after I dumped you.”
“How about your father, then?” Brady growled. His refined mask had fallen off, hinting at the rabid animal he truly was. “Maybe he had something to do with it. That was always my bet; if it wasn’t you, it was him.”
The corners of Tess’s mouth turned up a bit. “That’s . . . fascinating to contemplate.” Her smile was sharp, and Logan admired the hell of out of it as she added, “My father is definitely not someone you want as an enemy. Anything’s possible, I suppose. But if you’re still harboring a grudge after all this time, my only suggestion for you would be therapy.”
“Oh my God, you’re rude,” Chynna snapped.
Tess’s perfect brows arched as she lifted her chin just enough to look at the other woman from down her nose. Drawn to her full height, she was easily six or seven inches taller than the blonde. Her bearing was powerful, regal, reminding Logan yet again of royalty. Tess didn’t say a word; her withering stare was a challenge in itself. Chynna opened her mouth to say something, then shifted uncomfortably and looked away.
“Don’t mind her, babe,” Brady said to his wife, swinging an arm around her and yanking her closer. “She’s probably just a little jealous because she never got married, never had kids.” His dark eyes glittered cruelly as they focused on Tess. “I remember how you used to go on and on about wanting a big family. Didn’t happen for you. That’s a shame. Our kids, they made our life complete. You, now . . . close to forty . . . guess that ship sailed, huh?”
Logan fought back the urge to grab Brady by the front of his ski jacket and pound him into the wall. Brady was about six-foot-two, lean with a bit of a paunch. Logan had two inches of height and a hell of a lot more muscle on this worm. It took a lot to rein in his temper just then. Snide prick, rubbing Tess’s past dreams in her face, especially now that Logan knew how much Tess still wanted children . . . and Chynna stood there grinning like they’d won a victory. Rage burned hot in Logan’s veins and he clenched his jaw, not trusting what would come out of his mouth.
But he’d forgotten who he was with. Tess Harrison didn’t need a knight in shining armor, or a bouncer, or anyone to do her dirty work for her. She laughed. A gorgeous, light tinkle of amusement that made Brady and Chynna blink.
“I’m very happy,” Tess said. “My life is full. And the bonus is I didn’t end up married to a lying, cheating, pathetic man like you. Add to that I dodged a bullet. The thought of having had kids with you, tying myself to you for life?” She let out a huff of a laugh, pure condescension. “I’d say I came out way ahead.”
Logan smiled. Atta girl. He looked down at her and asked dryly, “Is that how this went? Just a no-good cheater?”
“Oh yeah.” Tess nodded and leaned into him. “Luckily, I walked in on him and one of his many women a few months before the wedding. Saved me a lifetime of heartache. He did me a favor.” She smiled a bright, sparkly smile. “And just think, honey . . . I wouldn’t have met you, and we were meant to be.”
“Absolutely.” Logan couldn’t help himself; he lowered his head to drop a quick kiss on her gorgeous mouth. He held her close, as if they were a real couple. She smiled anew, obviously enjoying herself. Then he glanced at the Hillmans. Brady looked all tight and furious, while Chynna’s face was bright pink. Yup, her designer panties were in a twist now. He imagined the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Hillman later would be very interesting indeed. He shot a wide, smug smile at Brady and said, “Guess I should thank you for being such a douchebag, eh?”
Brady scowled and Chynna gasped. Tess just snuggled into Logan’s side and kept smiling as she said, “Gee, this reunion was fun! So glad you wanted to say hi, Brady. But we have a dinner reservation upstairs.”
“We’d best get going, sweetheart,” Logan added cheerfully.
Brady glared at them both with undisguised fury, then grasped his wife’s elbow. He steered her away without a look back, though Chynna glanced over her shoulder at Tess once before they disappeared into the crowd.
“Thanks for the support,” Tess said to Logan.
She moved to pull away, but he still held her close. He gave her a little squeeze and said, “That was more fun than either of us should admit to.”
The corners of Tess’s mouth lifted. “I know. Gotta say, you did seem to enjoy yourself there at the end.”
“Well, calling out assholes has always been a fun pastime for me.”
“Good to know.” She pulled out of his arms, but said with quiet grace, “Thank you for having my back.”
“Anytime.” He gazed down at her. Questions rolled through his mind, but mostly, he just wanted to get her away from that whole scene. Despite her unruffled exterior, he suspected some of Brady’s poison-tipped arrows had hit a mark. “Let’s go get some food.”
“Yes, please.”
* * *
Ten minutes later, they were sitting at a table in the Sunrise Restaurant. The ceiling and outer wall were made of glass, affording spectacular views of Aspen Mountain and the scenery around it. Nearby, a fire blazed in a huge rock fireplace while acoustic guitar music played over the sound system. As the waitress left them menus and glasses of water, Tess muttered, “I need a stiffer drink than this. Hell, maybe a whole bottle.” Her eyes flew wide and shot to Logan. “Oh my God, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Um . . . what I just said. That was insensitive.”
He grinned wryly. “Tess, there’s plenty of times I think the same exact thing. I just never act on it. No worries.” He leaned in a bit to hold her gaze. “Don’t walk on eggshells around me, okay? It’s not like if you mention beer I’m going to go running to a bar to get one. It doesn’t work like that.”
“Of course.” She nodded. “Thanks. I didn’t mean . . .”
“I know you didn’t. It’s fine. Hell, if I ran into an ex-fiancé who was a jackass like that guy, I’d want a drink too.” He picked up his menu. “If you want a drink while you’re with me, have one. Not just now, but anytime. I’m not Jekyll and Hyde, I’m not going to turn into a monster and start frothing at the mouth if a drink is near me. Honestly. Okay?”
“Okay. But no, I won’t. I haven’t had a drink since Christmas. Body cleanse, remember?”
They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they pored over their menus. But after a few minutes, he had to ask.
“Tell me something,” Logan said. “I have to know. How’d someone as amazing as you end up engaged to a tool like that?”
“Because he’s a world-class liar and manipulator,” she said plainly. “And I was too trusting and blindly in love. At least I found out who he really was, and what he was really after, before I married him.”
“What was he really after?” As soon as he said it, he was sure he knew the answer.
“You really have to ask? My family’s money. I was the easy in.” Tess didn’t skip a beat as she turned her smile up to the waitress who appeared at their table.
After the waitress took their orders and walked away, Tess leaned back in her chair and said, “Want to hear the quick story?”
“Yes, actually, I do,” Logan said. He folded his forearms on the tabletop and gazed at her. “I’m all ears.”
Tess swept her long curls back over her shoulders so they wouldn’t rest on the table. “I met Brady at a charity benefit at the Met,” she began. “He was an investment banker for one of the biggest firms in Manhattan. He approached me, we hit it off, and he swept me off my feet. I found out much later that he knew who I was; it was no chance meeting. He’d heard about me and went to the party with the specific intention of meeting me. He’d targeted me as a desirable mark.”
“I already hate this story,” Logan rumbled. “And him.”
A flash of a grin swept across her face, but didn’t reach her eyes. “We were engaged after eight months. He wanted to get married right away, but I wanted a long engagement. I’d like to say it was because deep down I knew he was a scumbag, but that wasn’t it. I was so in love with him. . . .” She shook her head. “It was solely because of pressure from my father. He’s the one who insisted on a longer engagement, and back then I was still easily influenced by him, so I did what he wanted. Brady wasn’t going to give a man like my father grief, so he relented.”
“From what I’ve heard today,” Logan said carefully, “your father sounds like a . . . force of nature. In a typhoon kind of way.”
“A very tactful way of putting it,” Tess said. “Gold star for you. We’ll talk about him some other time, but you’re not wrong. Anyway . . .” She reached for her glass, took a long sip of water. “Brady and I got—or should I say, I bought—an apartment on Central Park West. God, I loved that view. Overlooked the whole park . . . I thought we were happy. He put on a great show. Had a short temper, and sometimes we argued, but nothing crazy. No relationship is without that stuff.”
Logan nodded. “That’s true.”
“So. Two months before the wedding, I had to take a business trip to France. I was working for the Harrison Foundation by then.”
“Okay.”
“I left for what was supposed to be a week, but I came home two nights early. Thought I’d surprise my loving fiancé . . .”
Tess took another sip of water, pleased to note that telling the story didn’t make her stomach turn or her chest get tight the way it had for years. She really felt nothing for Brady anymore, nothing at all, and that was a blessing. Yet she could still recall, clear as day, walking into the penthouse that evening . . . seeing his wallet, keys, and phone on the marble counter . . . “I heard the shower running. So I went in to surprise him. Only I got the surprise.”
“He had company,” Logan surmised with a grimace.
“So cliché it’s painful.” Tess rolled her eyes. “I stood there for a few seconds, trying to process what I was seeing. Then the Harrison in me took over.” Her slight grin was rueful, hollow. “First I went and grabbed my phone. I took a bunch of pictures. They were—excuse my word choice, but there’s no polite way to say it. They were mid-fuck, they were all caught up in it, so they didn’t know I was there. I got my evidence. Then I went all the way into the bathroom and started filling the sink with water. She saw me first, and she screamed. By the time they got out of the shower and he started trying his pathetic excuses, I’d gone back to the living room and gotten his phone.” Her brows arched with a hint of satisfaction. “While he watched, I dropped it into the sink.”
“Filled with water!” Logan barked out a stunned laugh. “Man, that’s hardcore.”
“He deserved that and more.”
“Damn right he did.”
“Needless to say, I found out later he had been cheating on me with three different women, all on a regular basis. I found that out because when I had Brady thrown out of the apartment and barred from any access to the building, he tried to sue me. My brother Charles had his personal private investigator do a full check.” Tess shrugged. “As for what he insinuated about my father messing with his career? Truth is, I always suspected the same thing. But I never asked him outright. We had one conversation . . . I tried to find out if he’d done something. Because I’d heard through the grapevine about Brady’s troubles and wondered at the coincidence in timing. You know: We broke up, then he was fired, no one would hire him in the upper circles . . .”
Her eyes grew distant, but a hint of a smile lifted her lips. “My father just took my face in his hands and said no one messes with the Harrisons and gets away with it. And no one messes with my little girl and gets away with it, that’s for damn sure. His little girl . . . I was thirty-one, for Pete’s sake.”
Tess smiled absently and reached for her water glass. “I dropped it after that. I know he did something. But the fewer details I knew, the better off we all were.”
Logan let out a low whistle. He knew the Harrisons were rich and connected, but that was a kind of power he couldn’t begin to grasp. That was another world.
She shrugged. “The whole thing was a disaster, and I’m glad it’s behind me. What can I say? Brady broke my heart. I was crazy in love with him. I thought we were going to get married, have a bunch of beautiful kids . . . now, I just thank God I found out before it was too late.”
“He’s a goddamn fool.” Logan leaned in and covered her hand with his. It was big and warm and made her feel good. “I know it must not have felt like it at the time, but you were lucky. Good riddance.”
“I know. Agreed, one hundred percent.” She took a deep, cleansing breath, then removed her red shell jacket and placed it over the back of her chair. She’d finally warmed up enough to start shedding layers. “It’s easy to talk about it now, because I don’t feel a thing. But it wasn’t for a long time. Took me a long time to heal.”
She smoothed out her fleece pullover, soft swirls of red and magenta. Her black ski pants made a crinkly noise as she shifted in her seat. She looked back up at Logan, who was staring thoughtfully at her. Ugh, she’d been talking too much, and probably making herself look like a sad sack. “I’m fine, Logan. Really. It’s all in the past, and I’m nothing but grateful for the way it worked out. You saw him for yourself, he’s a total jackass.”
“That he is,” Logan agreed. “I can’t even picture you with him.”
“It was a past life. A past me.”
“I get that. We all have a past life and different versions of ourselves, don’t we.” He leaned back and stroked his beard as he added, “I’m still sorry you were hurt so bad. You deserved better.”
“Again, agreed, a hundred percent. A hundred and ten!”
They smiled at each other.
“You know . . .” She hesitated, deciding whether to continue, then forged ahead. “My brothers and I, we used to think we were cursed. If you asked any of us about finding love about five years ago? We would have scoffed at you. The Harrisons had a disastrous track record.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, to begin with, our parents had a doomed, dreadful marriage, then an epically ugly divorce. My brother Charles, his first marriage was a train wreck. Then me and Brady . . . It was like the Harrison destiny to not have love in our lives.” Her voice trailed off as the waitress appeared with their appetizers. She set down a caprese salad in front of Tess and a platter of loaded potato skins before Logan.
“You really thought you were cursed?” Logan asked with a dry chuckle. “I know your brothers. You all seem too pragmatic and savvy to believe in bullshit like that.”
“Well, thanks, and you’re right. But come on, all four of us? That was a hell of a coincidence, none of us ever having relationships that worked out . . .” She reached for the salt shaker and added a dash to her plate. “Now, of course, we know it’s not the case. Over the past few years, all three of my brothers found the loves of their lives. Their true soul mates. They’re all very lucky. And very happy.”
“But not you, though,” Logan murmured.
“Nope. Guess third time, for the third brother, was the charm. Lady Luck ran out of turns for me.” Tess straightened in her chair and picked up her fork and knife. “I’m fine with that. I’m so glad they’re all happy, and I’m going to make my own happy ending when I have my baby.”
They ate quietly for a minute. Logan’s head was filled with new questions, and also new insight. He’d had enough heartbreak of his own to understand her desire to remain alone after a betrayal like that.
“Did you date at all after you and Brady split up?” he asked. “I mean, if that was years ago . . .”
“Yes. I mean, I didn’t at first, not for a while. Had to nurse that broken heart and heal. I didn’t trust. At all.” Tess took a bite of her food and moaned with pleasure. “Oh my God, this is good. I was so hungry.”
“Me too,” he admitted, grinning as he dug into his own food. “Enjoy.”
They ate in silence for another minute before Tess said, “It took me two years to start dating again, but I did. I wasn’t going to let a loser like Brady ruin the rest of my life, give him that power over my future. So yes, I dated. And I met some very nice men. And some very blah men. But none of them . . . It was nothing special. No fireworks, no real connections. And, as I’d learned the hard way, there were also men who were only interested in my last name and what it could get them. At least, after Brady, I could spot those bloodsuckers in ten seconds.”
“That’s a situation I can’t imagine having to deal with,” Logan admitted. “I don’t envy you that. Dating is hard enough. To have to wonder if anyone’s genuine, or after your money . . . That just sucks.”
“Yup.” Tess shrugged. “So . . . here I am. I tried, but the fairy tale hasn’t happened for me. And, as Brady so kindly pointed out, I’ve always wanted children. More than anything. Well, I have money, resources . . . So I’m going to make that happen on my own.”
“I almost punched him in the face when he brought that up,” Logan growled. “I wanted to, so bad.”
“I appreciate it, but he’s not worth the possible jail time.” Tess grinned wickedly. “I bet your fists could be registered as lethal weapons, from the looks of you. You hit him once, you might have killed him. Then I would’ve had to visit you in jail. And while you’re a very attractive man, I don’t think an orange jumpsuit would suit you.”
He laughed, but then said, “I could tell from one short meeting that Brady Hillman is a waste of air, a total douchebag. You were probably the best thing that ever happened to him. His loss.”
Tess merely smiled and took another bite. “I can’t believe I ran into him here of all places . . .” She shrugged again. “Whatever. Hopefully, I’ll never see him again.”
“Did you see that friggin’ Barbie doll he married?” Logan said with a disapproving scowl. “Ugh. She was a serious bitch, and so fake.”
Tess giggled. “You mean you don’t like overly prominent plastic curves?”
“I like curves fine, when they’re real. None of hers were.”
“You could tell, huh?”
“Couldn’t you?”
Tess shrugged, her brows lifting as she said, “Well, he always liked busty women. God knows that’s not me. I remember wondering why he liked me so much when all his exes were these hourglass-shaped women . . . I hadn’t realized at that point he was into me for my money, not for me.” She dabbed at the side of her mouth with her napkin. “The thing is, it used to make me feel so insecure when I was younger. Being a beanpole. I hadn’t embraced my body yet.”
“And now?” Logan asked quietly, eyes locked on her.
“Now, I totally, gladly accept myself for who I am. But it was so hard as a teen, and even in my early twenties,” she admitted. “It was really hard, actually.”
He was fascinated. “What do you mean? Why?”
“I was too tall, too skinny, and flat chested,” she said plainly. “My mother was . . . I don’t want to say a movie star, because that gives her more credit than she’s due. But she was a B-level actress, she was in a handful of movies back in the seventies. We all look just like her, my brothers and I—it’s practically the same face. But she was a real bombshell, sex goddess type. Hourglass curves, and only five-foot-five. Whereas I, however, inherited the Harrison DNA: tall and lean. Apparently, my father’s grandmother was six feet tall.” She fidgeted with the napkin, folding it in her lap. “My father offered to get me a boob job for my sixteenth birthday.”
“Are you serious?” Logan sputtered. “Please be kidding. Jesus.”
“Dead serious. I was mortified. Ah, the teen years . . .” Tess shot him a wry smirk. “My mother had abandoned us, my father was . . . my father. My brothers were great when they were around, but I just wanted to either go out with my friends, or hide in my art studio and paint. To be normal. But I wasn’t. I was a flat-chested giant.” She grinned ruefully, her tone weary as she said, “Do you have any idea how hard it can be for a very tall girl? I hit five-ten by the time I was fifteen. I was taller than my own brothers for a few years, much less some of my teachers. And forget about the boys.”
“Well, I was five-ten at thirteen,” Logan said. “You wouldn’t have scared me.”
“Where were you when I needed you?” she joked, throwing her hands in the air in mock frustration.
“Well, I’m here now! Better late than never.”
They laughed together.
“It wasn’t until my early twenties that I started to love being tall. ’Til I started getting off on towering over people, embracing the power of it.” She eyed him and added, “Come on. You’re huge. You know that being tall can grant some unspoken power. That people treat you a bit differently.”
“I never really thought about it,” he said earnestly. “But I’m a guy. I didn’t have to. I mean . . . yeah, I knew deep down people would think twice before messing with me just because I’m big. So . . . I guess I just proved your point after all.”
Her voice lowered as she leaned across the table and murmured conspiratorially, “Now, I love wearing high heels. At the Holiday Ball, in my stilettos? I was six-foot-two.” Her smile was radiant. “Even my two older brothers were an inch or two shorter than me. Pierce is six-two; he looked me in the eye. Heh.”
“I bet you stood there like a goddamn Amazon warrior princess,” Logan said reverently. “I bet you do every time.”
“Goddamn right.” Her smile brightened before she took another sip of water.
He could only stare at her. Respect, appreciation, lust, bemusement, and genuine like all flowed through him at the same time. She was something special. Other women, given what she’d had since birth, could very easily coast through life. But Tess was as down-to-earth as they came, with a good and still-open heart, despite her past heartaches. Tess Harrison was a rare woman. He could almost feel his crush on her deepen, which was both a rush and a curse.
“Your entrées are ready!” the waitress said with a smile as she brought a tray to their table. She cleared their appetizer plates, set down their steaks, and refilled their water glasses before leaving them again.
“That was a hell of a story,” he said once they were alone again. “Thanks for sharing all that with me.”
“Thanks for having my back in the lobby,” she said. “You jumped right in! You were great.”
“My pleasure.” He readjusted his napkin over his lap, his mind buzzing with thoughts that all of a sudden came pouring out of his mouth. “I just have to say . . . you’re a stunningly beautiful woman, from head to toe, inside and out. Jesus, Tess, your legs alone . . .” Heat rose in his face as he realized she was gazing intently, hanging on his words. The words he probably shouldn’t have said out loud. He cleared his suddenly dry throat and tried to switch gears a bit.
“And, being a tall man myself? I like when I don’t get a crick in my neck from talking to a woman and having to look doooown. So I love that you’re tall.” Noting her smile at that, he cut into his Black Angus. “I had no idea you’d ever been insecure, because you’re one of the most grounded, self-assured women I’ve known in a long time. You carry yourself like a queen, and you should. You’re insanely beautiful.” Jesus, he was rambling now. He shoved another bite of steak into his mouth to have a reason to stop talking.
“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured. Her eyes were bright. “Those are some high-level compliments. I’m incredibly flattered. Thank you.”
He only murmured back, “I meant every word.”
“But for the record, I’m no queen. I’m just a lady from Long Island.” Obviously touched, she smiled warmly. He basked in the pleased look on her face as she lifted her utensils to slice into her filet mignon. They ate quietly for a few minutes, letting the music and chatter around them fill the silence comfortably.
He was surprised at how at ease he was with her. How they didn’t have awkward silences, spurred by the need to fill the gaps. Maybe it was because they were both pretty self-confident people, but maybe it was because they were really in sync. And when they did talk, he was finding it easier and easier. For a worldly, incredibly wealthy woman from a different world, Tess was approachable and open. He liked her more every time they spent time together.
“So, mister, I spilled my guts,” she said when half their meals were gone. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and a hint of mischief. “Your turn. Tell me some more about you.”
He sighed inwardly. Had to know that would come, didn’t he. “Really?”
“Really. Come onnnnnn, Carter.” Her tone was light and playful. “Tell me something. I’d like to think you know you can, and that you know it’ll stay with me.”
“I do know that,” he said quietly, only admitting that to himself as he said the words aloud. He took a gulp of water before saying, “Okay, yeah, reciprocation is fair play. I’ll tell you some of mine too. But . . . Tess, some of it is ugly. That’s just the truth.”
“Logan . . .” Her voice sobered. “We’ve all had ugly. And no matter what happened before, now you’re a strong, good man.”
“Well . . . yeah, now I’d like to think I am, and I was when I was younger. But in between . . .” He winced. “There’s a block of time there I’m not proud of. I fucked up big-time. Took me years to forgive myself. Some days, I still wrestle with the things I did. Or things that happened . . .”
Tess reached across the table and took his hand. Her skin felt warm and unbelievably soft. “Hey. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. Ever.”
“I know that.” He squeezed her hand and gazed at her. Then he took one more bite of his steak, savoring the taste before he said, “Well, how about to start with, I know a little something about betrayal too. I was married. To my college sweetheart. We were together for six years, married for the last three of them. I loved her more than anything in the world. And when I needed her the most, when I hit the lowest point of my entire life, she left me.”