“What? No!” Crap, not good! Abort! Abort! “I was just thinking about my future and what I wanted, and…and thought I’d compare notes.”
And I’m done. Blown! Stealth does not work for me. My palm itched to smack my face.
“Well, for now I want exactly what I have. You can tell Hilary I’m not interested in walking away from her.” He leaned in and, with a mischievous crooked smile, whispered, “She and I have too much fun yet to be had.”
And with that, he turned back to his paperwork.
“Seriously, she didn’t send me down here. I came for the food and was just curious.”
He nodded, unconvinced. Great!
“Food’s up!” Jacob called, sliding a bag down the line. Caleb grabbed it and handed it to me.
“Take care of yourself. And tell Hilary I’ll be waiting for her tonight.”
With a sigh, I jumped down and opened my purse. “Right, so what do I owe you?”
“I won’t tell you again—your money’s no good here.”
“Thank you.” After a peck to his cheek, I headed toward the front. I glanced at the kitchen clock, and was surprised to see it was almost two. No wonder I was so hungry.
As I stepped through the swinging doors, I stopped, my gaze falling on Logan sitting at the bar with two men wearing uniforms from the prison. Guards.
Why is he here? I just saw him not even two hours ago. Did his meeting go well?
I decided to get out of my head, and had begun walking over when I heard the guard closest to him speak.
“Don’t worry about it. He’s scum, and will be dealt with as such.”
Scum? They were talking about Kurt—had to be. My mind flew back to his words, remembering how Logan had paid off the guards last time.
“Another round on me, gentlemen,” Logan said, his face lit with a pleased grin.
Chapter Ten
Suspicions
I stepped toward them with slow, precise steps, my entire body stiff. I was unsure how to interpret what they were saying.
No! I’m overthinking things—jumping to conclusions. I had to be.
I released a rapid breath and bounced my shoulders to break apart the heavy burden of unwarranted suspicion settling there.
“Hey. Thought you had a meeting,” I said, surprising Logan when I rested my hand on his shoulders.
His barstool swiveled toward me. His relaxed features and easy smile sent my stomach into a full somersault.
“I did. Finished a while ago.” He took my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm, his eyes never straying from mine. They spoke on their own—told me he was pleased to see me—and right there, with that single look, I was at ease.
He’d always had a way about him, but since Valentine’s, I could no longer deny or fight the pull of his charm. I hadn’t figured out whether that was a good thing.
I smiled back, forcing myself to ignore the two guards watching us.
“I didn’t know you were still in town, or I’d have called you to join me,” Logan continued, patting his lap for me to sit.
I lifted the bag in my hand. “Can’t stay. Bringing lunch to Luke at his office.”
He pulled my hand to bring me closer, dragging me down until I collided with his chest. “Your office call to him better not be anything like mine,” he whispered roughly, then placed a gentle kiss to my ear.
Ah, so Logan still had a hint of jealousy where Luke was concerned. It was ridiculous, yet it left me with a cheeky grin.
I straightened, adjusting my coat, and casually replied, “Doubtful, but you never know.”
“Is that so?” he questioned, his eyes glistening.
I raised my brows playfully. Slowly, I tore my gaze from his and redirected it to the guard beside him, who was chewing on a toothpick.
“Sorry to interrupt your lunch. I’ll let you get back to it,” I said, suddenly uneasy, not wanting them to get back to anything involving Kurt.
“No problem, doll,” the guard replied. “You’re Felicia’s daughter, right?”
I nodded, a tight smile in place. “That’s me.”
His smile grew. “She’s got our pal George falling all over himself.”
The other guard snickered, popping a fry in his mouth. “Sure does. The poor bastards that work the graveyard shift with him say he’s writing poetry now.”
“Really?” I made a mental note to get to know George better.
All three men looked at me and laughed. I narrowed my eyes at Logan and scowled playfully. “You’d be surprised what some poetry will get a man.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, you’re right. I need to give that some more thought,” Logan said, his laughter still rumbling around us.
I bent to give him a kiss goodbye and he murmured, “I can’t even imagine it getting any better, but if poetry does it for you…”
He left his words hanging between us.
“Enjoy your lunch—and don’t be so hard on George. He seems like a good guy,” I said, giving a slight wave as I turned to leave.
Halfway to the door, I felt an unsettling tingle that raised the tiny hairs on the back of my neck. On instinct, I jerked my head back and spun on my heel, ready to attack at the feeling of hands wrapping around my middle. Logan was there, his hands shooting into the air in defense.
“Just wanted to give you a proper goodbye,” he explained, and I relaxed.
“Well, if that’s all…” A soft laugh bubbled up from within me.
A mischievous gleam crossed his steely blue eyes, and instantly his hand encircled my waist, drawing me into his chest.
“People are staring.” I scanned the room, but surprisingly enough, the patrons were too engrossed with their meals to notice us. Biting back my smile, I bathed in that wicked gleam in his eye. “Never mind, carry on.”
And he did. His mouth demanded mine, tongue dipping inside, caressing and teasing. “I missed you,” he confessed across my lips.
“I just saw you,” I giggled.
“I always miss you.”
I tugged on his bottom lip as we separated. “Good.”
“Stay with me tonight.”
It was a strange feeling, suddenly remembering the four days were up already. His eyes darkened as he watched the deliberation in my expression.
“Okay,” I said softly. How could I say no? “One more night.”
I blew him one last kiss and headed out the door, ignoring the troublesome thoughts about guards being bribed. Logan and I were happy, and nothing was going to ruin that.
During my lunch with Luke, he agreed to keep Scout for a couple weeks. In exchange for the favor, I agreed to find out why Julia had been not-so-subtly hinting that she had no interest in dating. If it had anything to do with Mark, I understood completely—a girl needs a break after dating a scumbag. I still didn’t know the story about their breakup, but I had plenty of ideas.
After lunch, I met Jax, who was waiting outside the building to give me a ride as promised. I opened the passenger door and stepped back, surprised to find his car occupied not only by him, but the redhead I’d met once before who’d been bent over Logan’s kitchen counter. I preferred her fully clothed and with the innocent smile she wore as she sat there, watching me.
“In the back, babe,” Jax said, and the girl lifted her seat for me to climb in. But before I could duck into the back, Jax said, “No, not you—her.”