eyes softened and a ghost of a smile passed over his full lips. “I am well aware of that.”
“I don’t want you to think that you need to be my bodyguard or anything.” She pushed her food around on her plate for a moment before abandoning it and reaching for her wine. “I’ll be okay.”
He looked like he was about to argue, but instead he rubbed the back of his neck. Whenever Logan was trying to figure something out, he kneaded that particular spot. It was the tell that’d allowed her to kick his butt in poker for years. For some reason, it made her belly flip watching his strong hands work at the muscle like that.
Her mind wouldn’t let her forget how it felt to have those hands on her. Caressing her. Holding her. Dragging her into position. He was the perfect blend of rough and smooth—hard and soft—and he walked the line between them with delicious ease.
“I made a promise and I intend to keep it.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes smoothing over her. Filling her with liquid heat.
“What if I don’t want you hanging around and being my shadow?” Or worse, what if she did want it?
“Worried it might upset the guys you date?” He raised a brow. “I can be discreet.”
It would have pleased her to no end to tell him that guys were lining up at her door, but the truth was far lonelier than that. Most of the men she met were terrified of Logan—he was like an overprotective big brother. Except he happened to be a crack shot and had a military background to boot.
When she started dating someone, he’d make a point to “drop in” and introduce himself to the guy. Not once had he outright told someone to stay away from her, but then again her dates didn’t usually stick around long enough for her to find out if Logan would take that next step.
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” she said drily.
“What? You won’t even know I’m there.”
“Are you going to sit in the corner and watch while I take a guy to bed?” It was clear from the way his jaw twitched that her words had made their mark. “What? You moved on after we slept together, so why shouldn’t I?”
“I told you I regretted what happened.” His voice was tight. Brittle.
“It’s too late for regrets.” She carved off a small piece of lasagna and forked it into her mouth. It tasted of nothing. “And you’re not my father, Logan. You don’t get to vet my dates.”
“I know that.”
“And you can’t keep watch over me twenty-four/seven.”
He folded his arms over his chest, the muscles curving outward. Defined and honed to perfection. “I will be until we figure out who’s after you.”
He wore a fitted black T-shirt—his uniform—and damn, it looked so good her mouth watered. Ugh, why couldn’t she be attracted to normal men who didn’t have hero complexes?
But as much as she was loath to admit it, he made her feel safer than anyone else on the face of the earth.
“You can’t have it both ways.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyes flashed. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”
“By chasing off any chance I have of finding a decent man? Anyone who gets close to me is treated like a potential terrorist. Then they quickly decide I’m not worth the trouble.”
Frustration bubbled up within her; the argument was well-worn between them. Normally she was able to tell Logan to go to hell and get on with her day. But not now, not after he’d been proven right. Not after she’d almost been...
The reality of her situation suddenly crashed over her like a wave. Someone had run her off the road; they’d tried to get her out of her car. She’d been trapped like an animal in a cage of her own making, defenseless. Vulnerable.
If he hadn’t shown up, God only knew what might have happened to her.
“You are worth the trouble, Addi.” He raked a hand through his longish hair. “Fuck, I’m sorry that I’m such a thorn in your side. But I can’t not take care of you...”
For a moment she studied him. It was easy to see why women went crazy over Logan—the overlong, light brown hair, heavy brows and strong jaw made him look dangerous. Powerful. His hands were rough and calloused; his muscles were rock solid. There wasn’t anything polished about him. Not even running a successful company for two years had smoothed his sharp edges.
There was a rawness to him, a brutal honesty, and an unfiltered, unbridled passion for what he believed in.
“I guess I could assign one of my guys to look out for you. One of them might be a little less...” A crease formed between his brows. “Intense.”
“You wouldn’t trust someone else to do what you think is your job,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s the problem. You’re trying to take responsibility for me when I’m telling you that I’m a grown woman. I want to live my life.”
“But you never know what kind of shit people are hiding. All I’m saying is that you need to do some due diligence, especially now.” He paused. “You’re too trusting.”
She gulped the remainder of her wine, feeling a slight sense of relief as the alcohol wore down her nervous energy. “You’ve got to be kidding me. After the way you treated me, I don’t trust anyone.”
He stood suddenly, pushing the dining chair back so hard it almost toppled over. “I said I was sorry, Addison. Christ, what more can I do? I crossed a line, I realized my mistake, and I made a promise that it would never happen again.”
And by “crossed a line” of course he meant that he’d given her the greatest night in her very sheltered existence. The moment Logan had walked into her father’s office as a damaged, angry twenty-two-year-old, she’d been in love. Her sixteen-year-old self had fallen hard and fast.
But Logan had been Mr. Morals when it came to her—except for that one night. But then he’d moved on so quickly that she’d gotten whiplash from it.
“We had sex, Logan. You make it sound like you forced me.” She pushed her food away, her stomach twisting itself into knots. “I wanted it. God, how I wanted it—”
* * *
“STOP.” HE HELD up a hand like she was some misbehaving toddler and instantly regretted it.
But hearing her talk about how she’d wanted him was more than he could take. It was more than his resolve could take. Walking out of Addison’s apartment the morning after they’d been together had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. Ignoring her hurt had damn near killed him. But it had been the right thing to do. Because he’d promised her father he would care for her.
Not fuck her.
Fire flashed in her dark eyes. “Am I that hideous that you can’t even stand being reminded of what we did?”
Hideous? “You’re out of your mind if you think I wasn’t right there with you.”
