Chapter 13: Chapter 13

LAUREN

Lauren frowned at him as he shifted his gaze toward Shana, his overbearing frame striding over to her desk with a handful of papers.

“A copy of this to everyone on the tenth floor,” he said, his voice tight. “Deliver it personally.” He held out the papers for Shana to take.

Eyes going wide, Shana opened her mouth to protest, but she knew a command when she heard one. Shana grabbed the papers and turned toward Lauren, pleading with her eyes.

“It’s okay,” Lauren said, nodding. “I’ll wait here.”

Shana turned to leave, saying, “I’ll be fast. Ten minutes.” Then she hurried to the elevator.

Lauren watched her go, but her eyes soon caught the blinking light of a security camera.

Shit. She’d forgotten about those. He’d known she was here as soon as she’d arrived, and he’d given Shana this task to get rid of her.

Which meant he wanted to get Lauren alone. Which was the last thing Lauren wanted—the last thing her brain wanted, not her body. That still was desperate for alone time with Logan Hawke.

She fidgeted at the desk, the sleeve of her coat suddenly becoming very interesting, her cheeks burning.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, the tension in the room changed. What was angry before turned into pure, thick, and suffocating sexual tension. The heat from his body reached her side as his gaze burned into her.

All the memories of what they had done beyond those double doors settled into Lauren’s mind. She took a deep breath, avoiding his eyes and waiting for him to break the suffocating silence.

“My office,” he said, turning toward it before she could respond.

“No thanks,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. For one, she didn’t take orders from him. For two, she didn’t trust her willpower enough to be alone with him and not do something stupid. Enjoyable beyond belief, but stupid.

Logan paused mid-step, then he turned to her with a smirk. He knew exactly why she wasn’t going in. He held his smirk as he sauntered back over to her.

She uncrossed her arms, using one to prop herself up on Shana’s desk in an attempt to act casual, like she wasn’t dying for another touch from his skilled hands and mouth.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, his legs astride, his insane height towering over her, and his broadness intimidating her. He was too close. His cologne, or aftershave, or whatever the hell he wore to make himself smell so good was all she could taste.

That scent brought everything back to the forefront of her mind. Her breaths were hot, her core just as fiery. She was tempted to take a step back, but that would give him too much satisfaction, so she planted her feet and breathed through her parted lips.

“Neutral territory, then,” he said with a nod.

“To do what?” she asked, her voice holding an annoying quiver that made his eyes brighter, his smirk wider.

“To talk. You snuck out this morning. Not very polite,” he said, his voice gruff like he was offended.

Lauren cleared her throat of the stammers that wanted to come out. “I had to get home before Shana woke up,” she said, telling the honest but not complete truth.

He chuckled, the sound deep and somehow dark in tone. He stepped closer, and she lost her ability to speak, the words ~step back~ getting lodged somewhere in her throat as his body moved so close to hers.

She looked up at him, swallowing hard as his gaze roamed over her features. He was too attractive, though, and her resolve weakened the longer she stared.

~One night only~, she reminded herself, shifting her eyes to his neck. The makeup was good, but her hickeys still showed through. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“I want more than one night with you, Miss Landon,” he said.

~One night only, think of your career.~ She had to up her resolve if she was to get through this confrontation.

Logan didn’t relent. “And I wanted you this morning.” He brought a finger to her face and ran it down her cheek. “I don’t appreciate being snuck out on.”

Lauren’s eyelids fluttered closed, her stomach burning and her thighs trembling. ~One night only, think of your career and think of Shana.~ That last thought had her eyes snapping open.

She leaned away, shaking her head. “We can’t. I can’t. I told you, one night, and Shana doesn’t get affected.” She took a step back so she could breathe properly.

But Logan came closer. “What if I want more than one night?”

Why was he so damn close? Why were her thoughts so scrambled?

“And I told you,” he added, “anything between us won’t affect Shana’s job.”

He stepped forward, and she stepped back, tilting her head.

“Don’t you see?” she said. “It already has affected her job. You snapped at her.” She took another step. “She said you snapped at everyone. Because of me.” Another step. “What happens if we have more than one night and it ends badly?” Another. “Will you fire her?”

Lauren’s voice rose with each word, and by the end, it was trembling along with her body. She held her breath waiting for his response.

Everything rested on his next words.