As if sensing the shift in his emotions, she blinked, tugging her hands out of his hold.
Logan let her take control, rolling onto his back, stunned to realise that for the first time in his life he was not as in control of his actions as he liked to think that he was. That he had actually been closer than ever before to setting aside every one of his principles and doing something he would have surely come to regret had he followed through on it. And the consequences would be catastrophic at this point. He was going to be King. Now, more than ever, he needed to reinforce his ironclad self-control—not lose it altogether!
‘Yes, you win.’
Her husky agreement broke through the litany of self-recrimination inside his head and Logan glanced up at her, his breathing still uneven. He wasn’t sure what he’d won exactly but whatever it was he hoped his sanity was attached.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘DAMN,’ LOGAN MUTTERED as the medal he was pinning to his military uniform slipped for the third time. Knowing that he should have taken his brother’s advice and used a valet on the morning of his coronation, he glanced in the mirror and realised that the row of medals symbolising various aspects of his new role as head of his kingdom were not in a straight line.
Exasperated, he stalked out of his room and into the living area, his gaze zeroing in on Cassidy, who was standing by the window.
She glanced up from her trusty tablet as he appeared, every hair on her head tightly tied back and her standard black suit obscuring the toned, feminine body he’d spent the last four days trying to forget.
Which shouldn’t have been all that difficult given
the volume of work he had needed to juggle as outgoing CEO of a major bank and incoming King, but it had still been a challenge.
Now, though, with the big event mere hours away he found his mind straying, and it took considerable effort to stop his mind from returning to their—in hindsight—ill-thought-out martial arts session.
He stopped in front of her, his gaze scanning the neutral expression she wore, as if she’d wiped the memory of how much they had enjoyed themselves from her memory. Something he knew he should appreciate but for some reason didn’t.
In fact, her professionalism only made him want to wrap his arm around her waist and flatten her against him to find out how long it would take for him to bring back that dazed look in her luminous green eyes.
Eyes there were once more hidden behind her tortoiseshell glasses.
‘Did you need something?’ she asked as the silence lengthened between them.
Yes, you, his libido barked before he could prevent it.
Scowling, he pointed to his chest. ‘These medals aren’t straight.’
She frowned. ‘It’s the middle two that are out of place.’
‘I know,’ he said, arching a brow. ‘That’s why I’m here.’
She shook her head, biting into the flesh of her bottom lip as she placed her device on a nearby table. ‘You’ll have to undo your jacket so I can get my hand inside. Otherwise I might prick you.’
Logan felt every muscle in his body tighten as he slowly slid the brass buttons from their moorings, disconcerted when even this simple act felt sexually charged between them.
As if she felt the same current in the air that he did, she refused to look up at him as she carefully slid her slender hand inside his jacket so that it lay against his heart.
Focused entirely on keeping his pulse at an even rhythm, he stared at the top of her glossy head, wishing he’d now done the job himself.
‘Are you nervous about today?’
Her unexpected question went some way to lessening the tension between them and he eased out a breath. ‘Not especially,’ he answered honestly.
Since the last phone call with his brother he’d reconciled himself to what lay ahead and almost felt at peace with it.
Having shocked himself by opening up to Cassidy about his concerns, he felt more at home with the decision. She had been right to remind him that while he might not have chosen this life for himself, he could, in fact, make this role his own. Her observation had helped propel his mind out of the past, where he had been unaware it had been stuck, and into the future where it belonged.
He still wasn’t convinced that Leo had done the right thing in giving up his role as monarch, but that wasn’t his business any more. His brother had made his choice. Logan only hoped he was happy with it, and that one day the two of them could get back to experiencing the close bond they had once enjoyed.
Cassidy glanced up at him, a faint smile on her lips. ‘I won’t tell anyone if you are.’
Logan felt bemused by her response. ‘I believe you wouldn’t. But as you pointed out, I was born to this life. And don’t they say what you resist persists?’