Chapter 9

Aimee

My mouth dries.

He’s wearing a gray tank top. The hard lines of his muscular chest tease me from beneath it. I briefly fantasize about dropping to my knees and ripping his black gym shorts off. He looks so delicious that I completely forget I’m supposed to be mad at him. 

“I thought we were done talking,” I say, finally pulling myself together.

I don’t feel bad for calling it how it is. He was the one that decided to push me away.

“Look, about everything we said—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” I say, cutting him off. “You made it crystal clear: we have no future together. Message received. So unless you’re here to tell me we’re going back to the City early then I can’t think of anything we need to talk about.”

It’s all complete bullshit. I desperately want to talk to him. About anything. About everything. I want him by my side. Always. And that’s kind of the problem.

But he doesn’t need to know that.

All he needs to know is that I’m not some push over. I’m not going to allow him to come in and out of my life whenever he sees fit. 

“Aimee…”

The gentleness of my name on his lips washes away nearly all of my anger. How can I be expected to put up a strong front when he looks at me like that?

“What do you want, Logan? I can’t keep doing this. It’s too hard.”

“I came here to apologize. What I said earlier… the way I treated you… I was being an idiot.”

“Yes, you were.”

“I feel terrible about it. I talked with Gervas and he helped give me some perspective.”

“He’s good at that,” I say, mostly to myself. “What did he say?”

Logan thinks about the question for a moment before answering.

“There have been things in my life that I’ve taken for granted. And there are other things that I’ve let take control of me. I’ve been walking down a path that I didn’t even know I was on.”

Logan takes a deep breath, composing himself for whatever he’s going to say next. The subtle pain in his voice is obvious. I want to wrap my arms around him but I hold off, giving him the space he needs.

Finally, he makes a point of looking around the room, as though taking it all in.

“All of this… stuff. When my father lost nearly everything, leaving me to rebuild it all, there was no one around to help me. The odds were stacked against me, but when I was finally successful and Forbes started including me in their lists of powerful businessmen alongside names like Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates, my entire world changed. Suddenly there was an endless line of people who wanted a piece of me. Including women. Especially women. I lost the ability to trust that anyone could like me for the person I am instead of just the person they want me to be…”

I fight off the pang of guilt forming in my stomach. Everything is starting to make sense. There’s always a reason that people act the way they do.

“That’s why you told me that you were going bankrupt, isn’t it?”

He nods.

“You’re only the second person I’ve ever said that to.”

“What happened to the first?”

Logan shrugs a shoulder.

“She decided she wasn’t so interested in me anymore.”

The feelings of guilt redouble.

“I’m so sorry, Logan. That must have been awful.”

Logan steps closer to me. I want to hold him but I’m stuck in place. It feels like a ball of lead the size of my head has moved into my stomach, preventing me from going anywhere.

“Aimee, I like you. A lot. I have since the moment you walked up to me in the bar.” He gives me an endearing smile. “I know we barely know each other and it doesn’t really make sense, but something about us feels right. I can’t explain it.”

My mouth is completely dry.

“You don’t have to. I know what you mean.” My eyes dart back and forth between his. “I’m sorry, too. I’ve been acting crazy the last few days. It’s just… everything started out so nice. And then Mara and Lucas showed up and every single one of my insecurities came out at the same time. I told myself to hide the crazy, but instead I let it all out at once.”

The sweetest smile ever spreads across his face.

“We were supposed to have the weekend to ourselves,” he says.

I shake my head.

“It happened. Let’s just leave it at that. I don’t want it getting in the way, anymore.”

There’s a long pause before Logan nods. 

“You’re right, of course.” He takes my hands in his. His touch makes me feel alive again. “I don’t want to keep fighting like this. I don’t want to keep being insecure and doubting everything that goes on between us.”

It’s a struggle not to let out a laugh.

“You’re starting to sound like me.”

His smile widens.

“That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing,” he says. “Do you think you might find a way to forgive me for misleading you and generally being a dick all day?”

I nod.

“I think there might be a way for that to happen,” I say. I look him up and down, biting my lip. “But you’re not going to get off that easily. You’re going to have to figure out a way to make it up to me…”

Heat glistens in his eyes as he gives me a long look up and down. 

“I might be up for that challenge… In more ways than one.”

Logan’s strong arms wrap around me and he pulls me against his hard body. He leans down to kiss me but I slip my arm between us and press a finger into his lips. He gives me a curious look.

“If I remember correctly, it’s still my turn.”

The amazed look on Logan’s face gives me all the confidence I need as I sink to my knees.