Mad enough to marry (8 page)

But he also looked delicious. Goldenly handsome and ready to charm.

**What exactly do you want, Logan?" She didn't sound as cranky as she'd like. The fact was, whatever resentment she'd harbored, whatever image she'd created of Logan in her mind over the years since the senior prom, had mostly been put to rest months ago.

Once she'd spent a littie time with him as an adult, she'd acknowledged to herself that he wasn't the snob she'd imagined, despite his family's wealth and prominence. The barbs she'd launched his way had been for self-protection. He was still too attractive and she still didn't want to risk succumbing to the feeUng.

"I need you to go out with me tonight," he said.

'"What?" Wait a minute. That was going too far.

He shrugged. "My father was on the phone, pres-

suring me to come by the house on some business thing or another. I needed an excuse to refuse him. I mentioned you.*'

'**No/ wouldn't work?"

'*Hey, so I'm lousy at confrontation." His smile was unapologetic as well as beguiling. **But I'm great at the classic movies double feature at the coffee house."

She gestured to the TV, papers, pretzels, soda. '1 have my evening already planned."

He took it in with one glance then gave her a look filled with pity. *'And I'm offering you my help again—^you need a more adventurous Friday night than this. Grab whatever you need. If we leave now we'll just make the first show. You can thank me later."

*'Don't think I'll fall for that." Elena ahnost smiled, but it wouldn't do for him to know how easily he could persuade her—and how she knew he was right. Her Friday night suddenly seemed pitiful to her, too. **If I say yes, I'll be doing you the favor, remember?"

He only smiled again. 'Topcom with real butter. Those handmade dark chocolates they sell, the ones with caramel and pecans."

It took her two and a half minutes to get ready. It didn't require much effort, since he'd asked her for a favor and not a date. She smoothed on lipstick, but she didn't bother to change out of casual clothes. There wasn't time to arrange a babysitter for the eggs.

SO she put them in her tote bag and brought them along.

Even quick as she was, the opening credits of the first movie were roUing by the time they made it to Warm-It-Up, Strawberry Bay's newest '*hot spot." Housed in a building that had once been a movie theater, during the day the business operated as a typical coffee house from the original lobby. On weekend evenings, small tables and chairs were set up in the theater portion and the management showed a double feature of old movies.

Clutching popcorn, chocolates and drinks, Elena preceded Logan into the darkened theater. Afraid she'd end up on someone's lap if she went any farther, she dropped into a chair at the back of the room.

The movie playing was one of her favorites—^the original Sabrina. It reminded Elena of her best friend Annie's romance with Griffin Chase. Annie's mother had been the Chase's housekeeper for years, and Annie had grown up on the estate watching Griffin and Logan from afar. In the movie, Sabrina ended up with the more serious older brother Linus, just as Annie had married Griffin.

For the first time, though, Elena focused on the younger brother in the movie, David. An unabashed playboy, David was portrayed as a charming n'er-do-well who cared only about his own pleasure.

That wasn't Logan at all. He was charming, oh yes, but she knew him to be a tireless worker. Even after less than a week in the Victorian house, she noticed remarkable changes. Despite the layers built up over

the years, he was slowly but surely uncovering the house's timeless beauty and warmth.

When The End appeared on the screen, the theater filled with applause. Elena clapped too, now in such a cheery mood that she couldn't help but smile at Logan once the interior lights came up.

"Fm glad Fm here," she told him. She hadn't felt this relaxed and carefree in ages and knew it was good for her to leave her worries behind occasionally. **Thank you for inviting me."

His hand caught hers as he smiled back. It took her breath—that suave smile partnered with the hard, cal-lused hand. **Thanks for coming."

"Well, sure." Her breath caught again as his thumb brushed over the top of her knuckles. The soft gesture from roughened skin made the sensation more than a little erotic. Looking away, she tugged her hand from his. "What are friends for?"

"That's what we are now? Friends?"

She glanced over at him. "Last night you said that was what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I did," he said slowly. "Though Fm not yet convinced it's possible."

She automatically bristled. "You don't think a man and a woman can be friends?"

He leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs in front of him. "If I'm the man and you're the woman—^maybe not."

Elena stared at the strong muscles of his thighs encased in the soft jeans and decided to let that comment go.

There was a moment of silence and then Logan straightened. '*Quick," he said. *'Give me your hand again.*'

*'Huh?" Before she had her wits about her, he'd taken possession of her fingers once more.

"Try to look like we don't want company." Logan leaned forward and put his elbow on the tabletop, then stared into her eyes. *'The old man is pushy, but I don't think he'll insist on joining us on a date."

"Your father is here?" Elena glanced around.

"Don't look, for God's sake! Yes, he's here. With my mother. I told him where we'd be tonight. He's probably here to see if I was bluffing."

"Oh." Elena told herself it wasn't disappointment she was feeling. But she'd started wondering if Logan hadn't made up all that stuff about needing a date. Apparently not.

"This way, sweetheart," Logan urged. "Turn this way or he'll manage to catch your eye and come over to talk."

Elena scootched her chair a few inches to face Logan more fully. She mimicked his pose, putting her elbow on the table and leaning her chin on her free hand to meet his gaze. His eyes were almost the same golden brown as his hair. "Do you do this a lot?" she asked, wishing he wasn't looking at her with such... focus.

"Hmm?" He sent her a bemused, almost sleepy smile.

Even though she figured the smile was part of the act for his father, it made something warm blossom

low in her stomach. She frowned, desperate to tamp the feeUng down. '*Do you often have women act as a buffer between you and your father?"

''Ouch." He winced. "Still not pulling any punches, are you?"

"Fm sorry," she said quickly, a Uttle ashamed of herself. She was still instinctively launching arrows at him in order to keep her distance.

"It's all right. I do find it easier to circumvent dear old dad instead of confronting him head-on. But it wasn't fair to use you." He squeezed her hand in apology. "Would you like to leave?"

Elena cursed her sharp tongue. "No. And /'m sorry. I..." She didn't know what else to say. Afraid to look into Logan's golden eyes again, she let her gaze wander over his shoulder. "Oh! Gabby and Tyler are here tonight too."

They hadn't spotted her, Elena thought, because they were looking awfully chunmiy, shoulder-to-shoulder and their hands entwined. Prolonged physical contact between them was rare when they were around her, and she'd found their casualness reassuring. They were going their separate ways come September, after all.

As she watched now, though. Gabby and Tyler turned toward each other and kissed. It wasn't so much sensual as sweet, but then again it wasn't the least bit casual, either. A nervous chill rolled down Elena's spine as the teenagers' kiss deepened.

"Oh, no," she muttered. So much for her carefree Friday night.

**What's the matter?" Logan turned his head to follow her gaze. Then he turned back. **You've never seen them kiss?"

Elena shook her head. "Not quite like that."

**It worries you," Logan said, a statement, not a question.

**I—" She hesitated, realizing that without even thinking, she'd almost shared with him her concerns about Gabby and Tyler. It was uncommon for her to tell anyone, even Annie, about her troubles. She hated people thinking she was vulnerable to anything.

**You...?" Logan prompted.

Elena couldn't seem to keep her thoughts to herself. 'T really like Tyler, I do. Have you seen his artwork?"

Logan nodded. **I saw the painting of his that hung next to Gabby's at the art show. I've also seen a piece of sculpture he did. My family knows his and my mother bought it for her sitting room last year."

**In the fall he'll go to the Acton School."

Logan let out a low whistle. 'The art school? It's hard to get a spot there from what I understand."

Another chill rolled down Elena's spine. **Gabby was accepted there as well."

He was silent a moment. *'But she chose pre-med at Berkeley."

Elena nodded.

'T don't understand the problem, then."

She glanced over his shoulder at the younger couple. The kiss was over, they weren't holding hands any longer, and a friend of Gabby's had joined them

at the table. They looked like typical, teenage boyfriend and girlfriend again. Nothing more serious.

*'You're right," she said, glad now that she'd confided in Logan. 'There isn't a problem. Kids that age don't make lasting, um, connections with someone from the opposite sex,"

He turned his head to look toward Gabby and Tyler's table again. "Is that right?"

"You know." She'd feel even better once Logan agreed with her. ' 'They have their whole lives ahead of them. They can't possibly feel anything very strongly for each other."

"Is that right?" he repeated.

She frowned at him. "Gabby wouldn't allow it. They're going to be hours away from each other and she has years of schooling ahead of her."

"Pre-med." Logan watched her face closely.

"Right."

The lights flickered on and off, indicating the second feature was about to start. People streamed past them, heading back toward their tables. He released her hand. "Did you want something else before the next movie? More popcorn? Anything?"

Peace of mind would be good. Elena darted her glance toward Gabby and Tyler again. "Gabby wouldn't allow it," she said again. "She's too sensible."

As the room plunged into darkness, Logan's soft words reached her ears. "The one thing I've finally learned, Elena, is that our feelings rarely listen to our good sense."

His voice, the sentiment, they both made another shiver roll down her back. She should have never come with him tonight. Not only hadn't it freed her from her usual concerns, but Logan had managed to add to them.

Consequently, Elena didn't remember one scene of the second movie or even its title. She merely sat through it, her mind preoccupied with her worries about her sister. Of course, Logan was still able to distract her senses, especially when he slid his fingers through hers again and held her hand lightly.

She could have disengaged, but...she didn't, not until her watch told her it was time to tend the egg babies. Under cover of the darkness, she "fed" them, which basically meant holding them each for a short amount of time and recording it in her journal.

But even standing outside her apartment door at the Victorian, disengaging from Logan didn't get any easier. As she searched in her purse for her keys, instead of moving on to his own apartment, he propped one shoulder against the wall and watched.

Of course, that only made the dam keys more elusive.

She frowned at him. **Stop that," she hissed.

Oh, he tried to look innocent. **Stop what?"

She pulled out the keys with a triumphant flourish. **Never mind."

His steady regard didn't let up as she unlocked, then opened the door. '*You worry me," he said.

She was in the process of swinging it shut in his

face because getting inside and getting away from him seemed like a good idea. ' 'What?''

'*You worry me."

*'I don't need anyone worrying about me," Elena responded automatically, despite experiencing a marshmallow softening in her chest. She was the chief worrier, after all, and always had been. "I don't want anyone worrying about me."

His eyebrows rose. *'Such a stubborn chin," he said, tapping the edge of her jaw with his fist. *'Be careful of having a hard head too."

Elena frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

He sighed. "I wonder if that's true."

She didn't like game-playing and that's what it felt like Logan was doing. "If you have something to say, just spill it."

"All right." He straightened. "Don't you remember what it felt like to fall in love?"

Elena's stomach somersaulted. "What kind of conversation is this?"

"One I'm afraid to let you avoid."

It sounded like one conversation Elena didn't want her sister walking in on without warning as well. She gritted her teeth, recalculating the price of living in such close proximity with Logan. Judging by the determined expression on his face, it was a price that would only go up if she tried to run away from him now. Grimacing, she held the door open. "Coffee?"

He stepped inside. "I don't want anything."

She slid him, a look. "Except to keep me up nights."

That brought a smile to his eyes. Golden eyes. Warm. Elena experienced that traitorous softening again and she found a wall to brace herself against.

'*! asked if you remember falling in love, Elena."

Her gaze shifted away from his. ''That's a very personal question, Logan."

**You think? Even when I was there?"

At that, she had to look back at him, but then she couldn't look away. "Quite an assumption." Instead of sounding cool and detached, the words came out stiff and false.

'That night—"

"You promised we wouldn't talk about that night!"

"—^we fell in love." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "You and me, Elena. Can you deny it?"

Neither of them had ev^ affirmed it before—at least not aloud, not to each other. Her mouth dried and she was glad of the supporting wall behind her. "That was a long time ago, Logan. We were young."