Chapter 16

 

~ ALLIE ~

 

 

Beep-Beep. Beep-Beep.

One eye flings open and then the other.

I haven’t needed my alarm to wake up since I bought it, so I’m surprised to hear what it sounds like. The high-pitched beeping is annoying, but effective, considering I’m reaching toward my clock now to turn it off even though every muscle in my body is begging to stay completely still.

This must be the way triathletes feel the morning after a competition, even though the only exercise I did was in bed with Logan.

My entire body breaks out in a blush at the recollection. I’ve never been so thoroughly and completely seduced by a man in my life, and I’m definitely liking the sensation. My vibrator will be collecting dust if this continues.

I figured it would be smart to sleep away from him tonight. I have a conference call with Nancy this morning and she’s in… shit, I have no idea where she is. Besides that, Logan’s plumbers are going to show up at the crack of dawn to finish the plumbing in #4. I don’t want to tiptoe out of Logan’s in his borrowed t-shirt and have them get the wrong idea. No, wait. I guess they’d get the right idea, but it’s not one I want to share.

I slip on my yoga pants and the bunny slippers Kim got me for my birthday and step to the closet. It’s a walk-in closet and my scant wardrobe looks a little lonely in it. If I were staying, I might consider buying more clothes just to fill it up.

But I’m not staying. And this little fling I’m having with Logan is just a fantasy that I’ll wake up from eventually. That kills me because there’s no denying I’m falling for the guy. Completely, utterly falling into a four-letter word that I don’t dare say out loud.

I slip on a blue washable silk shirt that has seen one too many gentle cycles but looks okay through the small camera of my iPhone. It’s incongruous with my yoga pants, but it’s my usual mismatched conference call wardrobe. Business on top, bedtime on the bottom.

After letting the dogs out, I pour my coffee, noticing the plumbing trucks out front through the window. I squint my eyes to see if Logan is walking around outside with them. I’m hungry for the sight of him, and it’s only been eight hours since I left his townhome in the dark of night. My heart does a little flip when I catch a glimpse of him climbing into his truck. I don’t know where he’s headed, but I’m wishing I was with him.

I lean against the counter, recalling our weekend together, each memory making me feel more vulnerable. We drove around the countryside with the top down, and even ventured into Dayton to pick up a couple pounds of Esther Price. (Because if I’m going to watch my waistline expand, I’ll do it eating the sea salt caramels that I’m certain are paving the streets of heaven.) And at night, he had me wrapped up in so many positions, I was certain I’d end up in the ER. But there must be some special hormone excreted during sex that makes the body a lot more bendable.

We walked around town and he told me all of his stories of growing up here. So many of the memories he has here remind me of the stories my dad used to share with me.

He knows a lot about this town for someone who was so anxious to leave it when he became an officer in the Navy. And even though it breaks my heart, I know that he’ll leave again. Every time he looks at our little creek, I know he’s envisioning deeper water, the kind he’d be looking at every day in San Diego.

He’ll only be mine for a while. But I’m determined to enjoy it.

I pull open my laptop and look at Nancy’s schedule. Cincinnati, I notice. So she’s actually home this week, which means she’ll be keeping me busy. When she’s not travelling, she’s trying to get more reasons to travel.

My phone chirps and I switch on Skype. “Hi, Nancy! How was your weekend?”

And so begins every conference call I’ve ever had with Nancy. Ten minutes chatting about personal stuff (I avoid the topic of Logan because if she got a whiff of what happened, I’d be on the phone an extra hour) and thirty minutes for business.

I make my calls and edit some letters and a speech for Nancy for the next several hours before I think to check my party schedule for the week. Frowning, I see I have three bookings. Good for the bank account, but bad for my sex life which, now that I actually have a sex life, cuts like a knife.

I’m not sure how I’ll manage to sit through hours of talking about vibrators when I could be having sex with a real, live man. It’s not a position I’ve been in before.

Like so many positions I’ve found myself in this weekend, I recall, cracking a smile.

After showering and changing around lunchtime, I glance out the window again, looking for Logan’s truck. He’s still MIA, and I’m going into withdrawal.

I start back up on Nancy’s speech until my heart leaps when I hear Logan’s truck door slam outside. I don’t know how I know it’s his. All truck doors make the same sound when they slam, and there are plenty parked in front of his townhomes this morning. But call me crazy, when he slams a door, it just sounds sexier.

Glancing in the bathroom mirror to make sure I don’t have something stuck in between my teeth or dangling from my nose, I head over to the door prepared to fake an interest in how much progress they’re making in #4. I don’t care if he sees through it. I just need to get an ounce of his presence before I can finish off my workday.

It’s hot outside, hinting of summer. Mother Nature seems to be giving us a tease this time around because the air is thick with humidity and the temperature has me longing to step back into the AC.

He’s already in the townhome by the time I’m outside and since there’s too much activity in there to hear my knock at the door, I enter #4 anyway. The workers don’t even acknowledge me. They seem so consumed by their work. But Logan smiles broadly when he sees me, and it fills every nook and cranny of my heart.

“Morning,” he says.

“Afternoon,” I correct him.

He glances at his watch and his eyebrows rise. “You’re right. I haven’t eaten lunch yet. Been busy. How about you? Hungry?”

“I had a bagel late in the morning. But I could use something.”

“How about we head into town and grab something?”

“It’s a deal.”

Touching the small of my back, he guides me out of the townhome.

He walks in between his truck and a brand-new SUV that must belong to one of the workers. It’s shiny and unblemished, such a contrast to most of the pickups squeezed into Logan’s parking area this morning.

“Something caught your eye?” he asks, noting my double-take at the car.

“No. I mean, kind of. It’s a nice new car, and I bet the owner will get pissed when it gets its first scratch on some job site, you know?”

He shrugs. “The owner doesn’t really hang around too many job sites.”

“Oh, I figured it was one of the plumbers.”

“Nope. Do you like it?”

I keep heading to his truck and toss him a look over my shoulder. “Well, sure, if you like fancy, shiny, and spacious. But you have to admit, my car has a lot more character.”

He takes me by the hand and leads me back to the SUV. “Yeah, maybe. But I was thinking this is really the kind of car you need.” He swings open the back door. “You could load your dogs in and out of here a lot easier.” He shuts the door and moves to the back hatch.

“Logan, I really don’t think you should help yourself to someone’s car like this,” I scold, glancing toward the townhome.

“The owner won’t mind a bit. Check it out.” He opens the back. “You could fit at least four small kennels in here, don’t you think? Most spacious SUV I’ve seen, but it’s not too bad on mileage because it’s a hybrid. It’s got all the safety features, too. Back up camera. Side view camera…”

He drones on with the list of features of this car and I have to admit, I’m getting slightly annoyed. I know my car is approaching its death bed, but it’s going to have to do for a while.

“Logan, it’s lovely. It’s also the kind of car that’s way out of my reach for the next ten years or so.” It’s hard to blame him for all the enthusiasm he’s showing. Guys like to look at cars, so I forgive him.

“But do you like it?”

“Sure, I do. It’s great. But I’m hungry. Let’s get lunch.”

“Okay. Mind if we take your car?”

My face droops. My car smells like dog and it will take an hour to clear the foothills of fur off the passenger seat. “I guess.”

“Great. Here.” He hands me something that looks like a car door opener.

“What’s this?” I stare at it in my hand.

“Keyless ignition,” he states matter-of-factly.

I shake my head, wondering if there is some hotline I should call to report that a former SEAL has completely lost his mind. “This isn’t mine, Logan.”

“Yes, it is. It’s the keys to your new SUV.”

My world shimmies slightly to the right and then to the left. The hammering noises coming from the townhouse seem softer, almost dreamlike. “What?” Is this his idea of a joke, or am I just dreaming? Because those are definitely the only two possibilities I can think of right now.

“I bought you a new car.”

“Excuse me?”

“You need a new car, Allie.”

Yes, and I need a lot of things I go without. But that’s what you do when you’re in your early 20s and didn’t have the foresight to major in Computer Science.

“You can’t give me a car,” I say.

“Of course I can. I’m donating it to your nonprofit. That way you can’t complain about how I didn’t ask you first.”

Vertigo touches my brain and I stagger slightly, which has Logan reaching out for my arm—his gentle touch the only proof I have that I’m not in a dream.

“You bought me a car?”

“I bought you a car.”

I look at him. “You can’t afford to buy me a car,” I tell him. For Pete’s sake, he’s been fixing up five townhomes with his own bare hands these past months. Is he nuts? I mean, it’s the sweetest gesture anyone has ever done in the history of the world, but is he nuts?

“I can afford to buy you a car, Allie.” He looks a little frustrated. He’s shaking his head, but it seems he’s shaking it more at himself than at me. “Hop in. I’ll drive since you seem a little lightheaded.”

Lightheaded doesn’t even cover half of the emotions that I’m feeling right now. I feel like I’m taking advantage of the nicest guy on the face of the earth. Does he feel like he needs to buy me this because he’s sleeping with me? My last boyfriend bought me a new hairdryer for Christmas and I had been with him for a year. That’s really more what a girl like me is used to.

I’m terrified that he might be feeling remorse for what he shared with me this last weekend. I broke him down—all that talk about Torres and the war. I made him vulnerable and now he’s having some kind of reaction to all that sharing.

I climb in and feel the leather seats against the skin of my thighs. Leather interior for dogs? Glancing behind me, I notice the factory-made seat covers in the back. Holy crap. He thought of everything.

“It’s got heated seats, too, for the winter,” another fact he throws at me to compound my guilt.

“Logan, you are so kind. I mean, you are so, so, so kind. But we have to get this back to the dealer right now. I can’t let you buy me this. You’ve got five townhomes you just bought. And you just bought yourself a car. The payments alone on your new truck are probably more than my mortgage payments on my old condo.”

He flicks on the turn signal, heading away from town, and I’m not sure where we’re going. Back to the dealer, I’m hoping.

“I paid cash for my truck, Allie.”

My brain tries to wrap itself around the idea of paying cash for anything these days.

“I paid cash for your car, too,” he adds, turning onto the road adjacent to the highway, and driving quietly for a few minutes. His lips press together suddenly as he watches the road. “Listen, there’s something I should probably tell you. I kind of assumed you had figured this out on your own. People around here usually do. But I guess, being gone as long as I was, I kind of fly below the gossip radar in Newton’s Creek.”

Oh, shit. He’s married or something like that. Or some other huge skeleton is lurking in his closet, and this is a guilt gift. My heart is picking up speed right now and my hand slips to the armrest to give myself something to grip onto.

Damn, this leather feels soft.

He pulls to the curb of a long industrial road that leads to a massive building springing up from the surrounding farmland like Oz at the end of the yellow brick road.

And that’s what JLS Heartland probably is to a lot of people in this town. Oz. Because without it, there would be a lot more unemployment around here.

“See that sign?”

“Yeah. JLS Heartland. That’s where your brother works, right?” Oh, shit. They’re embezzling money from the company. No, I shake my head immediately, keeping my ample imagination in check. Logan’s too honest for that.

“Right. Acting CEO,” he answers. “What’s my name, Allie?”

“Logan.” I’m right. He has lost his mind.

“My given name. Remember?”

“Jake, right?”

“Jacob Logan Sheridan, the Third.”

“Okay,” I say hesitantly.

“And the initials are?”

I shrug. “JLS.” I glance at the sign again. “JLS?”

“Yes. That’s my family’s business.”

“You’re the JLS in JLS Heartland?”

“Well, my grandpa is, actually.”

My mind is in a whirlwind. I grew up with my feet firmly planted in middle class soil. The idea of knowing someone attached to a family like this is really foreign to me.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t get a lot of the family money since I’m not on the payroll. But when my grandfather died, he left me a good chunk of change. He was in the service for a while, too. He probably knew I’d have to start my life over at some point. So that’s how I bought the townhomes and still have enough to live comfortably on till I sell them. And that’s why I have enough money that I can donate to a cause I really believe in, Allie.”

My heart stirs at his words.

“I don’t want you thinking that I bought you this because I’m sleeping with you either. I made the decision before that ever happened, and I’ll swear to that.” An easy grin sidles up his face. “I might have sprung for the leather interior because of that, though.”

A small laugh escapes me.

“I just didn’t want you trying to squeeze all your dogs into that tiny car anymore. It’s not even safe, Allie. And I want you safe. You deserve that.” He sighs. “I would have told you before I bought it, but I knew you wouldn’t let me. And even if you’re pissed off at me, I’ll deal with that a lot better than thinking of you trying to drive that car to your next adoption event with a German shepherd crawling on your lap.”

Silence prevails for a moment while I try to bring myself back to a reality that is a whole lot more plush than my fifteen-year-old hatchback. “Logan, I don’t know what do say.”

“Say nothing then.”

“Thank you. I’m just really in shock here. I’ve never been given something like this before and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do now.”

“You’ve already done plenty. Though, if you’re handing them out, I wouldn’t mind one of those kisses of yours.” He seems boyish beside me now, his eyes filled with mischief. I lean into him and touch my lips to his. He smells of coffee and raspberry Danish and I know he must have stopped at Pop’s on the way to the dealer this morning. As his tongue urges for entry past my lips and his hand reaches up to caress my cheek, my senses are consumed by him. His fingers channel into my hair as I lean close. My heart rate picks up, right along with my breathing.

If we weren’t sitting in a car in broad daylight right now, I’d be stripping down naked and seeing if those seat protectors in the back are nearly as soft as this leather.

A car honks its horn at us and I’m humiliated.

Logan rolls down his window. “Can’t a guy get a little privacy here?”

It’s Ryan in his convertible Jag with the top down. “Thought that was you. New car?” He eyes the SUV.

“Nah, it’s Allie’s. She’s just letting me take it for a joy ride.”

“Oh. Hey, Allie.” He nods at me. “I thought maybe you were reporting in for your first day of work, Logan.” Ryan gives a nod to the building looming at the center of the massive parking lot.

“Hell, no. What are you doing rolling into work at lunchtime?”

“Are you kidding? Been here since six-thirty. Just broke for lunch, not that I owe you an explanation, slacker. I better get inside. I’ve got a meeting in a few. You coming to dinner Sunday?”

“Yep. With Allie.”

“Hey, great. Good to see you, Allie.” He nods in my direction and drives off.

Logan shuts the window and angles a look at me. “So. Want to take her for a spin?”

I have chills, honest-to-God chills from the thought of driving this. “Yes.” I expel a breath as I say it and I know I sound wanton. But I guess he’s used to that tone from me by now.

Smiling, he opens his door to get out. “Mmm. The way you say ‘yes,’ it’s got me hoping I’ll hear more of that word tonight.”