Weslee glowered at Logan’s back as he peered through the peephole in the door. She wasn’t sure why he made her feel so irritable. Maybe it was because he was right and she did want him to kiss her. Not that she would ever admit it to him.

Logan grunted a mild expletive as he unlocked the door.

“Would your mother approve of you saying that in polite company?” she asked, smacking him lightly on the back of his shoulder. It was like hitting a rock.

Giving her a derisive laugh, he answered yes and punctuated it with another mild curse word. “Don’t get any ideas about ditching me,” he said, swinging the door open.

Weslee let out a tiny gasp when she saw who had come calling. Robbie Whitaker stood there with a bouquet of flowers, looking handsome and every bit as charming as he’d always been. Hazel eyes that were more green than brown met hers, and she felt her girlhood crush swirling around her stomach. Crush wasn’t really the right word. Maybe that’s because she was old enough to know what a train wreck he was when it came to women. It was more like she was fond of Robbie.

Ignoring Logan, Robbie winked at her. “Do I get a hug, sweet thing?” He flashed her a megawatt smile with his perfectly white teeth. They were probably capped, but the effect was well worth the money, especially against his tanned skin that still showed very little wrinkles.

“Hey, Robbie, it’s so good to see you.” She tried moving next to Logan, but it was like running into a stone statue.

“Hey, man,” Robbie said. “Could you please get out of the way? I need a hug from my girl.”

“She’s not your girl,” Logan said evenly. “She’s mine.”

Weslee was too stunned by Logan’s declaration to disagree with him. Robbie’s eyes narrowed as some of his good-ole-boy charm quickly faded. “Your girl?” he said in disbelief. Then he looked at Weslee. “Is that right?”

She tried moistening her lips, but her mouth was too dry. How was she supposed to answer the question? Even though she was irritated with Logan, she was still completely aware of him, like her body was attuned to notice everything about him: The subtle scent of his masculine soap, the faint shadow of whiskers darkening his jaw and the way his shirt defined his muscles and his strength…strength he used to protect people. It was what he was good at. He’d told her that right after kissing her, and she needed to remember it.

“Logan, you’re being rude,” she said with a laugh. “This is my friend Robbie.”

Logan’s jaw tightened, his expression far from friendly. Weslee stood close enough to him to feel how rigid his muscles were, like a panther ready to strike his enemy. “Right,” Logan said, surprising her by wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her next to him. “You live next door with your parents and your son, right?”

“Dang, girl, what did you tell your boyfriend?” Robbie asked with a grimace. “I sound like a complete loser.”

Before Logan agreed with Robbie, Weslee moved away from his side. “He also knows the reason y’all are staying with your parents is because of that monstrous house you’re building a little ways down the beach.” She reached out and gave Robbie a hug. She meant for it to be quick, but Robbie took advantage and held onto her. His cologne smelled good. It was the same expensive stuff he’d used ever since she’d known him. While he wasn’t fat or flabby by any means, his body felt soft compared to Logan’s.

“Sugar, you smell just like peaches and cream,” Robbie said, giving her a tight squeeze before letting her go. “Now tell me when you had time to go and get yourself a boyfriend?” His eyes flickered to Logan. “I’ve been trying to get this girl to go out with me for the past month, and just when I thought she was going to say yes, she shows up with you.”

Logan continued with the death stare. Thankfully, Inez saved the awkward moment. “Robbie Whitaker, is that you I hear out here causin’ trouble?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Robbie said, walking past Logan and Weslee to pick Inez up in a bear hug. “I hope you’re still single. Miss Weslee pulled a fast one on me and brought home a boyfriend.”

Looking like he was going to kill Robbie with his bare hands, Logan uttered another oath under his breath before pinning his eyes on Weslee. One of his eyebrows quirked up. “Seriously?” he mouthed.

“Stop being so rude,” she mouthed back. “He’s my friend.”

Inez’s laughter made her finally look away from her boyfriend. She still didn’t know how to feel about that. She hoped Logan was prepared to play that role for the rest of their stay. Word around here spread quickly, and by tonight everyone on this part of the island would know Weslee Campbell had brought home a boyfriend.

“Goodness, you’re still just as charming as ever,” Inez said when he put her down.

“I guess these are for you,” Robbie said, handing her the bouquet of flowers. “Since Weslee’s boyfriend looks like he wants to murder me.”

“Logan is harmless,” Inez said. “He’s just crazy about our Weslee girl is all.”

Logan was not harmless. He looked downright lethal right now. And why in the world did Inez have to say he was crazy about her?

“Logan, huh?” Robbie said, turning to hold out his hand to him. “Nice to meet you, man.”

“You too,” Logan said, shaking Robbie’s hand. “And I would only maim you, not murder you.”

That made Robbie laugh out loud. When he pulled his hand away, he shook it out dramatically. “Dude, I think you’re serious.”

“I usually am,” Logan said, without cracking a smile.

Weslee knew that wasn’t true either. Logan could be very playful when he wanted to be.

“Y’all better behave,” Inez said, looking pointedly at Logan. “We’re family here. No fighting allowed.” Inez squinted out the open front door. “My goodness, is that Josh?” she said, making everyone turn to look outside. “Why he’s a grown man now.”

Robbie’s son had grown since the last time Weslee had seen him, like four or five inches. Josh stood next to a red sports car parked in the Whitaker’s driveway. He was looking down at his phone and hadn’t noticed them all gawking at him.

“Yep, that’s my boy,” Robbie said like a proud father. “He’s a little on the shy side. A trait he didn’t get from his old man.” Then he hollered out Josh’s name. “Come on over here, son, and say hello to Miss Inez and Miss Weslee.”

Josh’s head shot up with surprise. The poor kid looked like he wanted to bolt. His eyes darted from his daddy to Weslee and then back again to his dad. “Grandma needs me to go pick up some stuff for the party,” he said in a quiet voice.

“You have time to be polite.” Robbie waved him over again. “Hurry up and say hey and then you can go.”

“Yes, sir,” Josh said, looking like a little boy more than he had a moment earlier.

“Hey, Josh,” Weslee said as she reached out to give him a hug. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Hey, Miss Weslee,” he mumbled, hugging her like he had spaghetti noodles for arms.

Inez hugged him next. Poor Josh was so uncomfortable, his face flushed red when the older woman released him after giving him a proper hug. The kitchen buzzer went off so Inez excused herself to go get the cookies out of the oven.

“Son, this here is Mr. Logan,” Robbie said, pointing him out. “He’s Weslee’s new beau.”

Josh stared at Logan for several long seconds. The poor kid was probably intimidated by him.

“Hi, Josh,” Logan said, giving the boy a kind smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Josh said, giving Logan a limp handshake. He pulled his hand away quickly and looked at Robbie. “I gotta go, Dad.”

“Don’t drive like I would,” Robbie joked. “Especially if you’re taking the Jag.”

Josh rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to turn out like you.”

The scathing remark surprised Weslee, but Robbie just laughed and called his son another name for a smart mouth. Then, shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned to Weslee and let out a dramatic sigh. “Any chance your boyfriend will let you go for a drive with me to see my new house?”

“I don’t need his permission,” Weslee said before Logan could respond. She could see he didn’t find Robbie’s sense of humor very funny and was very close to causing him bodily harm. A spark of hope lit Robbie’s eyes, which she didn’t take seriously. This was all a game to him. “But I’m afraid the answer is no. Logan and I have plans today and then we’ll see you tonight.”

“You know where to find me if you change your mind, sugar.” He winked at her and gave Logan a salute as he breezed past him. “Y’all have a good day now.”

Weslee quickly closed the front door just in case Logan decided to go after Robbie. She turned around to find him watching her, a hint of a smile playing at his mouth.

“Don’t you dare say one word,” she said, shaking her finger at him like Inez always did.

“Not even one?” His smile grew, carving the dimple in his cheek. “I mean, seriously, you can’t expect me not to ask questions.”

“Fine, you can ask, but I don’t have to answer any of them.” She marched past him and wasn’t surprised when he followed right behind her. Her laptop lay on top of the small desk next to the French doors that led to the lower back deck and pool. She picked it up and faced him. “I told you I don’t have a crush on him anymore.”

“I have no idea why you had one on him in the first place,” he said with a snort. “Something tells me Robbie Whitaker hasn’t changed all that much over the years.”

“You’re right. He hasn’t changed, but I have.” She lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “I have no desire to become Robbie’s next conquest or his fifth wife.”

Logan considered her for a long moment. “Good.” He nodded his chin toward her computer. “So, are you going to tell me your password?”

It took her a second to adjust to the abrupt subject change. “No,” she said, hugging it closer, “but I’ll log in for you”

“What if I need access to it when you’re not available, like say when you’re taking a shower?”

“Then you can break down my door,” she said dryly.

That made him laugh again. “Come on, why won’t you tell me?” he asked, walking toward her. “Jon said you’ve never kept it a secret before.”

“You’re not Jon.”

He stood in front of her and gave her another sexy smile. “No, I’m your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, about that,” she said, trying to ignore the way he made her heart race with nothing more than a smile. “Why did you tell Robbie you were my boyfriend? He’s not my stalker.”

One of his eyebrows rose up. “Maybe not the stalker we’re looking for, but he’s definitely on the prowl.”

“So then why did you tell him we’re together?” The question was out before she thought about the repercussions. Logan might be attracted to her, and he’d acted very much like a jealous boyfriend, but it didn’t mean he wanted any of this to be real or that he wanted something more.

All traces of humor left his face as he reached out and removed the laptop from her hands, placing it on the desk. Then he looked at her with a simmering gaze that made her feel like she could hardly breathe.

“I want to kiss you again.” His statement didn’t hold a single note of teasing. “I guess I’m asking if that’s something you want too?”

Weslee’s knees turned to jelly, her head spinning with yet another change in the conversation. She gripped the edge of the desk to keep upright while she tried to formulate an answer. It was yes, of course. She desperately wanted him to kiss her. Knowing there was a chance her voice wouldn’t work, she simply nodded her head.

Heat flared in his eyes, his lips lifting into that sexy smirk he could trademark and make millions on. Every cell in her body awakened as he slid his fingers along her neck to cup her face with his hands. Trembling with anticipation, her eyelids fluttered closed as he lowered his mouth to hers and touched her lips softly, lingering for only a moment. The kiss ended far too soon and she made a small whimper of protest when he broke the connection.

Still, he hadn’t moved away and held her face gently in his hands. She opened her eyes to find him gazing at her with tenderness and an intense look that sent a low hum buzzing through her veins. She didn’t want this kiss to end like their first kiss had. Deciding now was not the time to play demure, Weslee rose up on her toes and pressed her mouth to his.

Her bold move lit a fire between them. Logan threaded his fingers into her hair and took the lead, kissing her with a hunger that ignited a sweet swirl of desire in her. Delicious warmth spread through her, making her stomach feel bottomless and her brain fuzzy. Nothing had ever felt this amazing, and she never wanted him to stop.

“Oh, my goodness,” Inez said with a gasp. “It’s about time y’all decided to stop acting like idiots.” Logan smiled against Weslee’s mouth before he pulled away from her. They both turned to see Inez wipe the corner of her eyes. “I’m just gonna give y’all a few more minutes alone.”

When she disappeared, Logan looked down at Weslee and grinned. “Your nanny is the strangest chaperone. She laughs when I bust down the door while you’re taking a shower. Praises me for kissing you and then gives me permission to keep on kissing you.”

“What are you waiting for, then?” she asked, hoping Inez gave them at least another ten minutes.

The air rushed from her lungs at the smoldering look he gave before his mouth descended on hers in another searing kiss. His hand slipped into her hair again, and she leaned into him, fitting against him perfectly. Needing to be closer, she wrapped her arms around his waist as Logan kissed her thoroughly.

After several minutes, he slowed the kisses down. When he pressed one last lingering kiss on her mouth, she edged back to catch her breath and looked into his stormy eyes. “Wow,” she said. “You’re very good at that.”

He gave her a crooked smile and ran his thumb under her bottom lip. “I don’t think I’ll make a very good boyfriend, Weslee.”

Her heart nearly stopped beating at the serious tone of his voice. “Why do you say that?” she asked, struggling to keep up with his thought process.

His thumb moved to caress her cheek. “Because I haven’t been a good one in the past.”

She hated thinking of him having another girlfriend. Thinking of him kissing another woman like he’d just kissed her and gazing at her with so much tenderness it made her chest ache. “Okay.” She drew in a shaky breath and backed away from him so he no longer touched her. If he planned on rejecting her, then she needed distance from him in order to think straight. “So, now what?”

A puzzled expression crossed his face, and he reached out to wrap a firm arm around her waist, pulling her back to him. “So, now we decide if you’re willing to give me a chance to improve my record as a boyfriend.”

Relief swept through her like a category three hurricane. “I think I can do that.”

“Yeah?” He applied gentle pressure to her back, drawing her closer.

“Yes,” she said, unable to come up with a witty comeback. The need for another kiss had short-circuited her brain. Arching into him, she slid her arms around his neck and pressed a lingering kiss to his mouth.

“So, about that password…” Logan said a few minutes later.

The fuzzy effects from his kisses vanished as quickly as he changed topics. “I’ll give it to you,” she said, stepping out of his embrace to grab the laptop. “Just as soon as I change it.” Laughing, she took off down the hall in a dead run.

For once she’d succeeded in throwing Logan off balance. She made it to one of the bedrooms and had the door locked by the time he chased after her.