Книга - Mr. Dangerously Sexy

Mr. Dangerously Sexy
Stefanie London


He'll keep her safe…but can he keep his distance?When Addison Cobalt learns she has a potentially volatile stalker, she tries to hide it from her business partner, Logan Dane. The hyper-protective, super-sexy co-head of their security company will only try to take control of the situation—and her.Which is exactly what Logan does when he finds out about the stalker. Addison craves the safety of Logan's body, but that doesn’t mean she’s willing to give up her independence, or all of her secrets, for him. She has a few ways to shake Logan’s iron control, but it’s a wicked and risky game. Because the only thing more dangerous than her stalker is Mr. Dangerously Sexy himself!







He’ll keep her safe...but can he keep his distance?

When Addison Cobalt learns she has a potentially volatile stalker, she tries to hide it from her business partner, Logan Dane. The hyperprotective, supersexy cohead of their security company will only try to take control of the situation—and her.

Which is exactly what Logan does when he finds out about the stalker. Addison craves the safety of Logan’s body, but that doesn’t mean she’s willing to give up her independence, or all of her secrets, for him. She has a few ways to shake Logan’s iron control, but it’s a wicked and risky game. Because the only thing more dangerous than her stalker is Mr. Dangerously Sexy himself!


“You want to fight me, Addison?”

“Very much so.” Addison’s eyes were wide, dark. Excitement lit her cheeks.

Logan rubbed his thumb over her ankle, tracing the delicate bone in circles. “What’s the wager?”

“Full control for the next three days. If I win, you’ll fix up my apartment and then leave me to my business unless I ask for your protection.” She folded her hands neatly on the table. “And you have to tell everyone at work that I’m a better boss than you are.”

A smile twitched on his lips. “And if I win?”

“You can boss me around as much as you like. I’ll do anything you want without complaint.”

Her words rocketed through him, scorching him from the inside out. “Anything?”

“Whatever your wicked heart desires.”


Dear Reader (#ulink_1f0d5e48-2d76-53bd-aea0-6350720124a5),

I’ve had my share of jobs over the years: ice cream server, sales assistant, makeup artist, human resources officer, training facilitator, communications consultant, author. One of my jobs involved working in a cybercrime and information-security environment. At the time I knew nothing about it.

But over the years I learned so much—how people could steal your identity, how catfishing and social engineering worked, how people could hack into your phone or computer. As someone who was always better with words than technology, all this information fascinated me.

When I had the chance to put some of it into a book, I was thrilled. And who better to go up against a cyberstalker hell-bent on revenge than Logan Dane? You might remember Logan from the previous Dangerous Bachelors Club books. He’s the head of Cobalt & Dane Security alongside the heroine, Addison Cobalt.

Logan and Addi have an interesting relationship. They’ve always battled for attention and respect, then later for the “top dog” position at Cobalt & Dane. This has created a not-so-healthy competition between them. But when someone targets Addison, they must work together to track down the stalker’s identity before Logan loses Addison for good.

I really hope you enjoy Logan and Addison’s story. You can find out what’s coming next by checking out my website, stefanie-london.com (http://www.stefanie-london.com), or Facebook, Facebook.com/stefanielondonauthor (http://www.Facebook.com/stefanielondonauthor). I love chatting to readers, so feel free to drop me a line anytime.

With love,

Stefanie


Mr. Dangerously Sexy

Stefanie London






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


USA TODAY bestselling author STEFANIE LONDON is a voracious reader who has dreamed of being an author her whole life. After sneaking several English-lit subjects into her “very practical” business degree, she got a job in corporate communications. But it wasn’t long before she turned to romance fiction. She recently left her hometown of Melbourne to start a new adventure in Toronto and now spends her days writing contemporary romances with humor, heat and heart.

For more information on Stefanie and her books, check out her website at stefanie-london.com (http://www.stefanie-london.com) or her Facebook page at Facebook.com/stefanielondonauthor (http://Facebook.com/stefanielondonauthor).


To my fellow Blaze Babes, it’s been a blast.


Contents

Cover (#uc8314ef0-5525-547a-a666-035e37a20546)

Back Cover Text (#u0f9ad406-2a49-5c77-a44e-3e358282126f)

Introduction (#u2c9d1152-7106-596d-8f07-9a1eb4b88d88)

Dear Reader (#ulink_ab2723eb-27c3-5bbe-8cfa-d7a987a7ba75)

Title Page (#u2bd06a38-90d1-5984-a0bb-f30120f90548)

About the Author (#uf778d180-d524-5117-a920-c49924ef9657)

Dedication (#u7c0acfac-516f-5666-bb9c-429073ea2455)

Chapter 1 (#u99b424ab-b765-54a9-bb4a-e618c99efdd4)

Chapter 2 (#uc70d081f-a9ac-5304-bd7d-8e18b5ee3ca2)

Chapter 3 (#ufb83c823-bff3-529a-99fa-88403524f3f8)

Chapter 4 (#ud8139d22-379c-5d31-b1c9-682911fb1304)

Chapter 5 (#u53a43ead-9200-528b-bf8f-4ce3a8b7bf42)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


1 (#ulink_b23f74b4-50ed-5ee8-90f7-10930c7d80db)

ADDISON COBALT’S FATHER had made a living out of taking down bad guys, so she knew the world had an ugly underbelly. But knowing it and experiencing it were two different things. She smoothed her hands over the printed email that sat on her desk. Hateful words stared up at her.

“I don’t understand what’s going on here,” she said, furrowing her brow.

Rhys Glover, the IT manager for Cobalt & Dane Security, pursed his lips. “He’s threatening you.”

“Yes, I got that from the ‘I’m going to kill you’ section of this email. But I don’t know who could have sent it or why. I don’t have any enemies.”

“Clearly, you do.”

Raking a lacquered red nail down the neat rows of twelve-point print, she searched for a clue as to the identity of the anonymous email sender. “You’d think that if he was going to threaten my life, he could at least introduce himself first.”

Rhys narrowed his dark eyes. “You don’t seem to be taking this very seriously, Addi.”

One of Rhys’s staff members had come across the email that morning when she’d been combing through the spam filter on an unrelated assignment. She’d brought it directly to Rhys. The message had never made it to Addison’s email address because of its excessive profanity.

“I’m not sure how anyone could take an email seriously from someone who calls themselves ‘your worst nightmare.’ I mean, how clichéd is that?” She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for bringing this to me, but it’s probably a hoax. Just some guy who hates women and wants to get his jollies by sending a nasty email. I’m not too worried—”

“I think we should involve Logan.”

Addison bristled. “He has bigger things to worry about than some misogynistic idiot.”

Truth was, she didn’t want Logan getting involved. She tried to keep anything remotely personal as far away from him as possible. Their relationship was strictly business, and it had to stay that way. It was bad enough that she had to accept that everyone viewed him as the boss despite their being equal partners, and she’d rather stab herself in the eye with her own stiletto before admitting she needed his help.

Besides, there was the issue of her top secret plans to start her own business separate from Cobalt & Dane. Having Logan stick his nose into her personal life wasn’t something that she could allow at the moment.

“The safety and well-being of everyone in this company is his responsibility.” Rhys ran a hand over his cropped dark hair.

“Our responsibility,” she corrected. “Since my name is on the wall here, his responsibilities are also mine.”

“You know what I mean. This is Logan’s bread and butter, not yours.”

Like she needed the reminder. “That might be true, but I’m still your boss.”

“Are you telling me not to say anything to him?” Rhys shook his head. “I’m not comfortable—”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She scanned the email again. “Whoever this person is, they haven’t made a move. This email was sent two days ago and I haven’t had any strange phone calls or anyone stopping me in the street. It’s a load of crap.”

“The things he says are pretty specific.”

“Precisely my point. If he were planning to execute any of this, why wouldn’t he keep his mouth shut instead of leaving a happy little trail of evidence like some kind of deranged version of Hansel and Gretel?” She shrugged. “Now, security might not be my ‘bread and butter,’ but that seems a little odd to me.”

Rhys made a noncommittal noise. “Better safe than sorry.”

“I am safe. My apartment is totally secure, as are the offices here. I appreciate the concern, Rhys, but I’m fine.”

Addison drummed her nails against the surface of the desk. She wouldn’t admit it to Rhys—or anyone—but the email had shaken her a little. It was so angry. So vitriolic.

But if there was one thing she knew for certain, it was that people were much braver in front of a computer screen than they were in real life. Addison was an active participant in several women-in-business groups. She’d seen firsthand the kind of crap people posted online, but she’d bet her last dollar bill that none of them would have the guts to say those things to her face. So she didn’t put much stock in this email.

And she certainly wouldn’t subject herself to asking Logan freaking Dane for help.

“You’re not worried?”

She shook her head. “This is just some weak little person sitting high and mighty behind his keyboard trying to get his thrills by scaring a woman who dares to be in a position of power. I’m not falling for it.”

“I still think we should tell Logan.”

“Rhys, I promise if anything else seems out of the ordinary I’ll bring it up with him.” She folded the email in two and tucked it into her organizer. “But we’ve got the leadership retreat starting on Monday and I have a ton of stuff to do in preparation. And I want Logan’s eye on the prize with this strategy stuff. He’ll do anything to get out of it. Don’t give him the distraction.”

“I really don’t feel comfortable sitting on this,” Rhys said.

“I don’t care.” Addison stood and made a shooing motion with her hands. “Now, get out of here and don’t stay late. You should be spending the weekend with that lovely woman of yours. If she stops sending brownies into the office, the staff will have my hide.”

“Fine.” Rhys pushed up from the chair on the other side of her desk and went to leave. “But promise me you’ll let one of us know the second you see anything odd. Okay?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” she replied, making a cross over her chest with her finger. “Now get out of here.”

She smiled to herself as Rhys left. Her IT manager was a great guy, if a little too uptight in her opinion. But once he was gone, a feeling of unease developed in her chest. Surveying her office, she tried to shake it off.

It’s nerves about the retreat, that’s all.

The Cobalt & Dane management team would be spending three days in Addison’s cottage in upstate New York assessing their progress against the business strategy they’d developed six months ago. It was also an excuse to get the team together to socialize, which they were often too busy to do. But despite their crazy workload, the team was small and tight-knit. Addison’s father had always cultivated a close bond with his team back when he first started the company. She’d made it her mission to keep that legacy alive.

Except now she wanted to leave her father’s company and strike out on her own. Completely on her own...well, except for taking a few key staff members with her.

It wasn’t just that Logan was viewed as the boss over her, but in a company that dealt with security she was out of her element with the subject matter. The thing was, Addison took care of everything that wasn’t security. That included finances, human resources, payroll, training, business development, internal communications, etc. The list went on and on. At times her lack of security knowledge worked to her advantage because she was unbiased and could offer a fresh perspective that hadn’t been colored by bad assignments.

But despite her valuable input and the fact that she was the one who kept the lights on by ensuring the company paid its bills and its employees, she was still seen as the number two. That wasn’t going to change; she’d never be top dog here.

Worse still, she’d never command the respect her father did. And for a girl who was competitive to the bone...that hurt.

Shaking off the negative thoughts, she brought her attention back to the task at hand—preparing for the retreat. It had become her tradition to head up to the cottage the weekend before so that everything was ready to go for the Monday morning welcome session.

Her body relaxed in anticipation. A weekend alone at the cottage sounded like absolute bliss. She had a new book, a few bottles of her favorite wine and a swimsuit already packed. All she had to do was finish up at the office and then she could start the slow trudge out of Manhattan.

Scanning her list of things to bring from the office, she found the last item unchecked: the binder with all the notes from the last retreat, which sat neatly on the top shelf of her bookcase.

There were few things as precarious as trying to navigate a step stool in Louboutins, but Addison wasn’t about to let OH&S get in the way of her love for a good pair of high heels. She climbed to the top of the stool, her fingers reaching for the thick binder. Of course, the one thing she needed was on the highest shelf. Wasn’t that always the way?

“You know, I’m not sure I ever believed in heaven,” a deep voice said. “But my dad always told me I’d find the answer to my questions if I looked up to God.”

* * *

LOGAN DANE LEANED against the door frame to his partner’s office, a smirk tugging at his lips. Any chance to throw Addison off guard was not to be missed. Although truth be told, a chance to torture himself with the vision of her amazing legs was not to be missed, either.

“I’ve got good aim, Logan. Don’t make me throw something at you.”

Instead of coming down, she leaned farther forward, causing her fitted pencil skirt to ride higher up the backs of her legs. His breath caught in his throat when a sliver of lace revealed that her stockings stopped midthigh. Sweet mother of all things holy.

Between the tight skirt, the black lace and the candy-red soles on her shoes, it was a picture fit for a dirty dream.

Yeah, ’cause the thing you need right now is another image of Addison to avoid fantasizing over. Don’t you have enough guilt on your shoulders already?

“I’d like to see you try,” he said.

She retrieved a binder and climbed down, making a show of smoothing out the wrinkles on her skirt. Her red nails matched the underside of her heels.

“Did you want something, Logan? Or are you just here to ogle my legs?”

He cleared his throat. “I wasn’t—”

“Sure you weren’t.”

Busted. “I can’t help it. You’ve got some damn fine pins.”

Shaking her head, she bent down and picked up her bag from the floor. This time he kept his eyes away from her ass. Willpower, when he had it, was a wonderful thing.

“You all ready for the retreat on Monday?” she asked, ignoring his comment. “We’ve got an early start.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be on time.”

“No, be early.” She gathered up her organizer and slid it into her bag. “I’ll need help setting up for the first session.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything else you want me to do, Miss Bossy Boots?” He walked into her office and placed his palms on her desk. “As if it isn’t bad enough you’ll be talking numbers at me all through the retreat.”

“Just arrive in one piece.” Her eyes flickered over him, sending a trail of heat straight from his chest to his groin. “I’m not sure what your weekend plans are, but I don’t want you rolling up hungover and with lipstick on your collar.”

He’d done that once, and she’d never let him live it down, though he absolutely deserved the censure. He hadn’t been subtle when he’d started dating his ex. But he’d put a stop to that soon after—no more women, no more fooling around. Still, Addison had kept her distance ever since.

“I wouldn’t let the staff see me in that state.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “You know that.”

“Oh right, to them you’ve got to be the Big Bad Wolf.” She continued packing her bag without looking up, her long golden hair slipping over her shoulder to conceal her expression. “Lucky me, getting to see the real you.”

He detected the slightest waver in her voice, undercutting the otherwise frosty tone. The show with his ex had been partly for Addison’s benefit, though it was hard to keep reminding himself he’d done the right thing by them both. Knowing that he’d hurt her so badly made him feel like a bastard.

“You’re one of the lucky few, Addi.”

“I count my blessings,” she said drily. “Anyway, I’m heading off early. Got to make a head start down to the cottage before this traffic gets insane.”

“You sure you don’t want a weekend guest?”

“Absolutely positively one hundred percent sure.” A smile twitched on her lips, and his heartbeat kicked up a notch. “I’m going to sit in the hot tub until my hands turn to prunes. I’m going to drink wine and do yoga and be totally peaceful. No one is going to ruin that for me, especially not you.”

“Message received.”

Despite his best effort to keep his mind on the business retreat, a thought skittered through his brain like a pebble skipping over a pond. Was she the bikini type, or would she wear something more sophisticated in the hot tub? Black or white? Or something colorful?

Would it have one of those string tie-ups that could be easily loosened with a single—

“I said is there anything else you need before I go?” She hoisted her bag over one shoulder and picked up a box of supplies with retreat neatly printed on the side in black marker.

“Nope, I just came in here to wind you up.”

She shook her head. “Now that’s the first honest thing you’ve said to me all day.”

“I said you had great pins,” he corrected as he held the door for her. “I stand by that.”

She muttered something under her breath as she walked past him, but he caught a rueful smile on her lips.

They had an odd relationship. But he’d take their strange mix of teasing and power struggles over not having her around any day. Addison was one of the few people who meant something to him.

Just remember that next time you get tempted to take a closer look at those pins, Dane. She’s off-limits. One slip does not make it okay to go back for seconds.

Her tinkling laughter carried through the open-plan office as she stopped to say goodbye to her team. One of the young guys in accounts took the box from her hands and could barely keep his tongue in his mouth as he escorted her to the elevators. Logan’s fists clenched instinctively.

Sure, he knew she was off-limits, but that didn’t mean he could stand the thought of someone else touching her. Having her. He was all too familiar with how good she felt, how her body reacted to the barest touch. She was sensitive in the best way possible, and he’d given in to her all too easily once.

“Never again,” he muttered under his breath, turning away from the sight of her and the young staff member before he said something he would regret. “She’s not yours.”

A few minutes later, Logan was knee-deep in work. Running Cobalt & Dane kept him busy, and Friday afternoons were no exception. Besides, Addison would have the team on a tight leash during the retreat next week, which meant he needed to be on top of things before finishing up for the weekend. He’d never quite understood the necessity of taking time off to discuss boring stuff like financials and recruiting strategy—surely that was a job for all those bean counters he’d hired at Addison’s request.

A knock at his office door pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Logan?” Rhys leaned in, a wary expression on his face. “You got a second?”

“Sure.” Logan motioned for him to enter. “What’s going on?”

“I’m concerned about an email we received. I took it to Addison and she asked me not to bother you because of the retreat next week, but...”

Logan frowned. “But?”

“Here.” Rhys slid a piece of paper across the table. “I think we need to be worried about this.”

Logan scanned the email, his fingers gripping the paper tighter and tighter as he read until it crumpled under the pressure. His instinct was to lash out, to curse Addison and Rhys for not bringing this to him right away. But this was his fault. He knew why Addison didn’t want him involved—and it wasn’t because of the retreat. It was because he’d put distance between them and now she was teaching him a lesson.

“Have there been any other emails like this?” he asked, smoothing the paper down flat on his desk.

“Not that we’ve seen. I’ve put a flag on this email address so I’ll know if he tries to contact anyone in the company from this point on.” Rhys bobbed his head. “Addison isn’t worried about this guy, but I don’t think we can ignore him.”

“You should have come to me first.” Logan raked a hand through his hair.

The vile words glared up at him from the paper, the threats waving at him like giant red flags. How could Addison have thought this was nothing?

Because she’d rather prove herself to be independent than come to you for help.

“It’s addressed to her, Logan. What would she have done if I took it you first?” He threw his hands up in the air. “I get that you two have this weird tug-of-war thing going on, but I’m sick of walking on eggshells around you two instead of doing my job.”

“If you see anything else like this come in, you come to me. Got it?” He banged his fist down on the desk. “I don’t care if the email says ‘top fucking secret, for Addison’s eyes only’ in big bold letters.”

Rhys sighed. “Fine. But you’ll have to back me up when she flips out.”

“If she’s alive and well enough to be shouting, then I’m happy.”

He’d promised Addison’s father—the man who’d been his boss and his mentor—that he would always look out for her. That he would keep her safe from this crazy, screwed-up world they lived in. Only once had he broken that vow. One night two years ago, when his willpower had failed him and he’d given in to the desire he’d managed to keep at bay for almost a decade.

“I’ve got my team looking into the sender’s details,” Rhys said. “But I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to turn up from a webmail account. People don’t usually use their real details, especially if they’re planning to send emails like this.”

“Just find out whatever you can.”

Rhys nodded. “You know she’s going to be all by herself this weekend, right?”

“No, she’s not.” Logan folded the printed email up small enough to fit in his pocket. “Addison is going to have a guest at the cottage, whether she likes it or not.”


2 (#ulink_9d11d0f6-2fb5-50d8-9005-ba42a5b42172)

ADDISON ROLLED HER shoulders as she settled in for the last leg of her journey. After driving for more than three hours, her muscles were desperate for a stretch, and she wanted something to eat that wasn’t birdseed masquerading as an energy bar. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long until she reached her father’s cottage on Cayuga Lake. Then she could reheat the lasagna she’d prepared last night and crack open a bottle of wine. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of a hot meal.

“Just a little farther,” she said to her reflection in the rearview mirror. As if in response, her phone vibrated. “Again, Logan?”

He’d been calling every half hour or so since she’d made it through Newark. Despite ignoring him because her phone’s hands-free unit wasn’t hooked up, it had become clear he had a bee in his bonnet. That was Logan in a nutshell: dogged persistence.

Addison pulled over at a gas station and killed the engine so she could answer the phone. “Okay, crazy person. What’s going on?”

“Where are you?”

She pushed the door open and got out of the car. The air was balmy with summer warmth and she took the opportunity to get the blood flowing through her limbs. “I’m on my way to the cottage.”

“No, I mean specifically.” There was an urgency in his voice that made the hairs on her arms stand on end.

She told him the name of the gas station as she walked through its doors. Bright, harsh lighting made her squint and she was hit with a chilly blast of air-conditioning. If Logan was going to hold her up, she may as well grab a drink.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she opened the door to the refrigerator, stilling at the bellowing sound of a semi’s horn on the other end of the line. “Are you on the road?”

Silence.

“Logan Matthew Dane, you better tell me what the hell is going on right now.” She grabbed a Diet Coke and marched to the cashier. The man behind the counter eyed her warily as she handed the money over to him with what must have been a murderous look in her eyes. “If you intend on ruining my relaxing weekend I swear to God—”

“I saw the email.”

She groaned. “Then tell Rhys he’s fired. I mean it, turn around right now and go fire him.”

“That might be difficult.”

Addison wedged the phone between her ear and her shoulder so she could open her drink. “Why would that be difficult?”

“I’m already on the interstate.”

Goddammit. “You’re coming to the cottage?”

She walked out of the gas station, shaking her head. If Logan showed up tonight she would send him straight back home. Or at the very least, to the nearest town. Spending the weekend alone with Logan Dane was not in her plans.

“I’ll be there shortly,” he said. “And don’t take it out on Rhys. He did the right thing.”

“So the right thing is not listening to his boss when she gives him a direct order?” She leaned against her car and tipped her drink up to her lips. “I know for damn sure you wouldn’t let anyone pull that shit on you.”

Another car had driven into the gas station, and the guy gave Addison a sleazy once-over as he filled the tank of his red truck. Grimacing, she turned away.

“That’s beside the point. In this case, we need to take precautions.” Logan sighed. “I realize this isn’t what you had planned for the weekend. But the cottage is huge. You won’t even know I’m there. Unless of course you think my presence is too strong for you to ignore...”

“Your ego is too strong for me to ignore.”

“Ahh, come on. I’m looking out for you, Addi. I promised your dad—”

“I remember what you promised him. But you’re all overreacting. There is no threat. That email was sent days ago, and if Rhys hadn’t found it we’d be none the wiser.” She screwed the cap back onto her drink. “And I would be about to enjoy a peaceful weekend without having you around to bug me.”

“I won’t apologize for being careful when it comes to your well-being.”

She wanted to ask why he thought her well-being was his business. Or his responsibility. But she already knew the answer to that. Two years ago, during her father’s final hospital visit—the cancer eating away at his frail body—he’d passed the baton for her protection over to Logan. It was bad enough that he’d chosen Logan to fill his shoes as the head of Cobalt & Dane, but he hadn’t even trusted her to take care of herself.

“Don’t go into the cottage until I get there,” he added. “Wait in your car and keep the doors locked. I’m not far behind you.”

Gritting her teeth, she ended the call and slid into the driver’s seat. This weekend was going to be a freaking nightmare.

On the bright side, at least now she could count on Logan being at the retreat on time. A wicked smile curved on her lips. If he wanted to play protector all weekend, then she’d give him something productive to do. He hated spreadsheets with a passion, so she’d hand him some of the biannual forecasts to read. That should keep him busy.

She turned the engine over and flicked on her headlights. The sun had dropped significantly since she’d arrived at the gas station. It would be pitch-black soon, and the cottage would be dark. Secluded.

What if Logan and Rhys were right? A shiver raced the length of her spine.

“There’s no stalker, just like there’s no bogeyman,” she reminded herself. “There’s no zombies, no killer llamas, no Freddy Krueger and no...whatever the hell that thing was in Donnie Darko.”

But the words didn’t comfort her. A tiny seed of fear had been planted by the email, and now it was flourishing under Logan’s paranoia. She tapped the lock button and with a click, all four doors secured her inside. Shaking her head, she cursed herself for letting Logan get to her.

As she pulled onto the empty road leading toward the cottage, her lights swept across the horizon. Tall trees rushed past her windows in a blur of deep green. Growing up, the cottage had been her happy place—a haven where she’d spent time with her father and did all the things his busy schedule ordinarily excluded. Like fishing, inspecting butterflies and making homemade pizza.

Lights flashed in her rearview mirror as a car drove up behind her, pulling her out of her memories. The high beams shone in her eyes, blurring her vision.

“Inconsiderate moron,” she grumbled under her breath as she adjusted the mirror to redirect the glare.

The car behind her was close. Too close. Like one sneeze away from a rear-ender close.

“What the hell?” Addison glanced at her speedometer and confirmed that she was indeed driving at the limit. “Give a girl some space, would you? Jerk.”

With one lane of traffic in each direction, she couldn’t pull over to let the impatient person pass. But no cars appeared to be coming the other way, so why didn’t they simply overtake her? She pressed the accelerator down to put some space between them, but the other driver ate up the distance in seconds. The vehicle looked high, maybe a truck of some kind. But the lights were so blindingly bright that she couldn’t make out any specific details like color or model.

“Go around,” she said, motioning with her hand for the driver to pass her.

She reached for her phone and hit redial on Logan’s number. If he wasn’t too far behind—as he’d said—then maybe he could get the plate number.

“Miss me already?” Logan’s voice sounded far away on her phone’s tiny speakers.

“Have you passed the gas station yet? There’s this idiot tailgating me and I’m hoping you can get his plates.” She pressed harder on the accelerator and glanced anxiously as the needle on the speedometer climbed higher. “He’s making me nervous.”

“I should be caught up to you soon, but I haven’t passed the gas station yet. Drive carefully, okay?”

At that moment the truck pulled out beside her. “All good, looks like he’s going to overtake me. About freaking time.” She sighed. “No need to—”

A loud crunch cut her off and her car swerved violently. The gut-wrenching sound of metal on metal filled her ears and she had to yank the steering wheel to right the car. Her head snapped to the side in time to see the other vehicle coming back for seconds. She screamed. But it didn’t make a lick of difference. Seconds later, her Audi hit dirt on the side of the road.

“Logan!” she cried out.

Another sickening crunch boomed and the car shook with impact. Then her headlights bounced around in front of her and she was flying over the gravel.

* * *

“ADDISON!” LOGAN YELLED through his phone, but the sound of squealing tires drowned him out. Her frightened scream cut into him. “Hang in there, Addi! I’m right behind you.”

Except he wasn’t. The road was dark and long and he wasn’t exactly sure how much distance was between them.

“Logan, please—” Addison’s terrified voice was cut short when the call died.

“Fuck!” he roared and planted his foot down on the accelerator.

The sides of the road weren’t well illuminated and he still hadn’t found the gas station. This was the usual route she took to the cottage—they’d driven it many times together. He was sure of it. But what if she’d gone another way tonight? What if she’d tried to find a shortcut or avoid the toll roads?

What if, what if, what if...

If something happened to her... God help him. He’d tear down every building in the state until he figured out who’d done this to her.

His car shot through the darkness, well over the limit. It didn’t matter; nothing mattered except finding her. He eased off the gas as he rounded a corner.

“Come on, come on, come on,” he chanted.

His eyes scanned the next stretch of road. Then a faint glow grew in the distance. Signs displaying the price per gallon appeared as he approached and he checked the name. Yes, this was it. The gas station she’d mentioned earlier. She shouldn’t be too much farther along this road.

Pushing his car as hard as it would go, he reached for the glove compartment and flipped it open. His SIG P226 sat where he’d placed it earlier, the last resort he hoped never to need. But if anyone had brought harm to Addison, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

The gas station whizzed past and darkness stretched out before him. Flicking on his high beams, he scanned the side of the road on both sides. Nothing.

“Come on, dammit.” He slammed the steering wheel with the heel of his hand, tension tightening the muscles in his shoulders and arms. Making him ache. The blood drained from his knuckles, leaving them white.

His headlights brushed over the empty road and the trees. At a curve ahead, a glint of something red caught his attention. The dot grew bigger. A truck.

Easing off the accelerator, his eyes scanned the area and sure enough, a trail of skid marks exited the road not too far up. He frantically searched for Addison’s silver Audi, his heart in his mouth.

Her sporty little car wouldn’t have been able to stand up to this much bigger vehicle. What if she’d...?

“Stop that right fucking now,” he said to himself as he pulled over to the side of the road, a few feet behind the truck.

Freaking out wouldn’t help anyone. If there was one thing he’d learned in his years of dealing with dangerous situations, it was that you had to stay cool, calm and collected. In control. No matter what horrors you might see.

He forced down the wash of dark worries and killed the engine. His fingers wrapped around his gun. The cold, hard steel of his SIG reassured him, helped him to slip into work mode. He knew the grip, knew the weight, knew how it would behave. And he let the familiarity soothe him.

Taking a deep breath, he flipped the safety off.

The night air was still around him when he stepped out of his car, as though the weather sensed that something was about to go down. Not even a breeze whispered past. Moving quietly, he peered farther down the side of the road. That’s when he saw Addison’s car.

The silver Audi was covered in brutal scratches. The metal of the back door had been pushed in. Her taillight was shattered. Thankfully, it appeared that she hadn’t hit any of the trees that peppered the area. But the light from the road didn’t extend far down the dip, and he couldn’t see if she was in the car.

Moving quickly but soundlessly, he came around the red truck and checked the driver’s seat. Empty. He wasn’t about to stop and take notes, but a quick glance at the front of the car confirmed this person was driving on New York plates.

Logan scooted down the steep grass-covered ditch beside the road, balancing himself with his free hand. Something moved at the side of Addison’s car. A man was trying to open the driver’s side door.

He had two choices. Go in quietly and hope to sneak up on the guy, risking that the creep might get to Addison first. Or scare the shit out of him now and make sure he kept his grubby hands to himself. Logan couldn’t see Addison, but it appeared as though she’d locked the door per his instruction.

Good girl, Addi. I’m coming for you, just hang in there.

All of a sudden a loud snapping sound cut through the night. Shit! A branch crunched beneath his feet and the guy froze next to Addison’s door.

“Back away from the car,” Logan said calmly, the gun pointed straight forward. His voice carried across the clearing.

“I was just trying to help her, man.” The guy popped his hands up by his head and took a step back.

His face was covered by a hood, and despite the balmy weather, he had on long sleeves, gloves and jeans.

“You normally wear gloves in the summer?” Logan advanced, moving quicker now that he didn’t need to keep quiet.

The other man continued walking backward, heading toward the edge of the trees. He was going to run; Logan could feel it in his bones. But he still couldn’t tell if Addison was okay, and time wouldn’t allow him to have it both ways. He could check on her or he could go after the guy. Blindly shooting at a man wasn’t an option, even if Logan was positive that this guy was aiming to do anything but help her.

“Hold up,” he called out. “That’s far enough.”

The guy slowed down for a second, but his twitchy movements told Logan he wouldn’t stay put long. The car was close, but the damn darkness hid what was inside. If Addison was hurt, he needed to get to her. Now.

Then the guy turned and took off like a shot. Logan swore under his breath and broke into a sprint. Tall grass whipped past his legs, his shoes catching over a dip in the ground and tripping him up. Blood rushed in his ears, his heart pounding with adrenaline. All he could see was the back of the guy’s hoodie as he disappeared into the trees.

Logan skidded to a stop at the side of the Audi, his gun still pointing ahead. But the area was dark and he’d have no hope of catching the guy now. Leaning down to the passenger side window, he found Addison inside. Her tearstained face looked up at him, relief seeping into her features.

He’d found her. And now he wouldn’t be letting her out of his sight.


3 (#ulink_337ca47c-066a-5eaa-89c1-d14e42b1574c)

ADDISON’S HANDS TREMBLED so much that she struggled to open the door. The whole crazy event had happened in a blur. After the truck rammed her, the Audi had skidded off the road and hurtled down a small hill. Luckily, her brakes were in fine working order and she’d avoided crashing into the trees.

But being trapped in the car while some crazy person tried to wrench the door open was easily the most terrifying thing she’d ever experienced. He’d been hunting around for something to break the glass when Logan had showed up.

What if that lunatic had been able to get inside? How would you have defended yourself then?

The warm summer air filtered into the car as Addison finally got the door open. Then Logan’s hands were on her, helping her stand. He wrapped his arms around her so she could stay upright on her shaking legs. She melted against him, needing something solid and real to keep her from falling into a heap.

“Are you okay?” His hand brushed the hair from her forehead—but the gesture wasn’t tender. He was checking for injuries. His thumb snagged a sore spot and she winced.

“I don’t think anything is broken,” she said. “But I bumped my head.”

He checked her over as best he could in the dark. Her cheek throbbed and she was pretty sure there would be bruising on her chest from the seat belt. But she was in one piece, which was a whole lot better than what would have happened if her attacker had gotten inside her car.

“I should take you to the hospital,” Logan said, continuing to inspect her.

“No, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? I’ll have to keep an eye on you in case there are signs of concussion.” He scanned her face. “If anything feels off, you have to tell me, okay?”

“Okay.” Her eyes darted to the dark patch of forest in front of her.

“He’s gone, Addi.”

That’s when she noticed the gun in his hand. “You didn’t shoot him?”

“I’m not going to open fire on the side of the road.” He looked down at her, less analytical this time. His rich brown eyes searched her face. “Not unless I need to. You know the rule.”

“Guns are the last resort,” she repeated her father’s words and pressed her hand to her head. Squeezing her eyes shut against the throbbing, her heart rate slowed. “But the bastard got away.”

“I wasn’t going to risk leaving you by yourself in the car in case you were hurt.” He pulled her to his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. “You come first, remember?”

Her stomach pitched. This was how he’d held her before all her boundaries turned to shit two years ago. That simple movement of tucking her head against the crook of his neck, cradling her like she was the most precious thing in the whole world, had obliterated her. Her hand came to his chest, her fingers curling into his soft cotton T-shirt.

For a moment they stood there, silent and unmoving. His hand cupped the back of her head, his warmth seeping into her. The furious beating of his heart vibrated under her fingertips. From the outside no one would know that he was worried—he hadn’t broken a sweat, hadn’t lost his cool. But she could feel his fear. His care.

“What the hell do we do now?” she asked, pushing away from him and bracing her hand against the damaged car. She couldn’t deal with Logan being kind to her, not knowing that soon she’d be leaving him. Distance was important right now. “I hit something pretty hard on the way down. I have no idea if I can drive this thing.”

Logan crouched and checked under the car. “It’s possible you’ve bent the axle. Let’s leave it here and I’ll call a tow truck when we get to the cottage.”

They grabbed her things and walked up to where Logan’s car sat on the side of the road. The red truck was still there, so he took a photo of the plate and tried the doors. Locked. Nothing helpful could be seen through the windows.

An hour later they were settled at the cottage. Logan had called a tow company for Addison’s car and had reported the incident to the police. Tomorrow they’d head to the local station and make a statement in person. But chances were, whoever had chased Addison off the road would go back to collect his vehicle. Logan couldn’t leave Addison alone at the cottage, however. And potentially putting her in harm’s way by taking her back to the scene wasn’t an option, either. So the pictures of the vehicle would have to do.

“He’ll probably clean it out and then dump it somewhere,” Logan said as they sat at the dining table eating her lasagna. He was in full-on work mode now. “It’ll turn up, but if he’s smart there won’t be much for the police to go on.”

“You really think it’s the guy who wrote me the email?” She poured them both another glass of wine, concentrating so that her hand didn’t shake.

“It would be a hell of a coincidence if it wasn’t. I mean, road rage happens, but if you say you didn’t do anything to antagonize the guy—”

“I didn’t.”

“Then why would some stranger run you off the road for no reason?” He shook his head, his brow furrowed. “No, it has to be him.”

“But how would he know that I was coming out to the cottage? That I’d be on that road?”

“How would he know your email address? He might be following you. He might have hacked into your laptop. It could be a number of things.” Logan forked a piece of lasagna into his mouth. “In any case, we’ll figure it out. No need to worry, we’re in this together.”

“I’m not worried,” she lied.

Maybe it was stupid, but she didn’t want Logan to suspect how much the incident had shaken her. Sometimes she wished she’d gone into the security side of the business like she’d wanted to—then she’d be better prepared for these kinds of incidents. Instead, she’d studied business because she had a natural talent for numbers and her father had said that’s what the company needed from her. What he needed from her. And she never could say no to him.

Still, she wondered if he’d only said that as another way of trying to protect her. In reality, all it had done was leave her without the respect of her staff.

She shoved the thoughts aside. The last thing she needed was to crumble now and prove to Logan that she couldn’t handle this situation.

“You have every right to be worried, Addi.” He looked up from his meal. “Most people would be in pieces after what you went through tonight.”

“I’m not most people. I’ve heard all of Dad’s stories and all of yours. I can deal with this.”

His 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.”

“Then why did you run out of there like a bat out of hell the next morning?” Her hands twisted in her lap.

The red lacquer on her nails glinted in the light. It was the only remaining sign of the hyperpolished image she presented at the office. She must have changed for the drive—gone were the sexy heels and stockings, gone were the pearl earrings and the tight skirt. Instead, she wore a pair of soft jeans that hugged her small hips and long legs. A loose white T-shirt revealed a hint of a pink bra beneath.

Addison had a thing for lingerie, and now so did he.

Before her, he’d been happy to have a girl as she’d been made—without a stitch of clothing. But Addison had taught him to appreciate lace and silk and those damn fiddly clasps that held her stockings up. All in one night, she’d changed him. Changed what he liked, what he craved.

What he wanted for his future.

“It was a mistake,” he said, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat.

It was the best mistake he’d ever made.

“Why?” she demanded. “We were two consenting adults. We used protection and we didn’t do it in public. Our having sex hardly threw the world off its axis.”

Except it did—his world, anyway. “You’re like family to me—”

“Oh, spare me.” She pushed up from her chair. “We’re not related, thank God.”

What the hell was he supposed to say? That he walked away because he was terrified of screwing things up? Or that something might happen to her and that he’d flip out and lose his grip on reality? Again.

Or that when he was with her he couldn’t seem to control himself and that scared the hell out of him?

“The reason I walked away had nothing to do with my attraction to you.” He rolled his shoulders back and tried to dispel the tension in his limbs. “That wasn’t a factor.”

“So you were attracted to me?”

He cleared his throat. “Of course I was.”

“It wasn’t a pity fuck? You know, because of...” She blinked and straightened her shoulders. “Because Dad had just died.”

He gritted his teeth and tried to keep his voice at an appropriate volume. “No.”

“Are you still attracted to me?” She stepped forward.

It was too much: her messy blond hair, the wine on her lips. The hungry look in her eyes.

“I’m not answering that.”

She stepped closer again and now he could smell the faint remains of perfume on her skin. Chanel No. 5. He’d bought her a bottle for her birthday. Damn expensive crap that smelled like old ladies in the bottle but transformed into heaven on her skin.

“Why not?”

“Because that’s not why I’m here.”

“Right, I forgot. You’re playing bodyguard.” She rolled her eyes. “You know I always did have a thing for role-playing.”

Tension snapped in the air between them and she seemed about to say more, but she simply shook her head and turned back to the table. Plates clattered as she cleared up their abandoned meal.

“One day you’ll push me away hard enough that I won’t come back,” she said quietly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His stomach knotted as a sense of foreboding fell over him.

“I’m just saying that it won’t always be like this. Change happens and I might not always be around.”

Change. A dirty fucking word as far as he was concerned. Change always meant pain; it always meant loss. And loss meant destruction.

“I don’t want things to change.”

“We don’t always get what we want, now do we?” she said, not looking at him. “Anyway, you’ll need to make up the bed in one of the spare rooms. I was going to do that over the weekend. You remember where the sheets are?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

He’d been dismissed, apparently. By trying to do the right thing, he’d screwed up again. It seemed to be his lot in life.

“Probably for the best,” he muttered to himself.

He wasn’t cut out to care about people, because loss was inevitable and it turned him into a wild beast. Losing his mother had ended his military career, losing Daniel had sent him straight into Addison’s arms, and if he lost her...who the hell knew what he’d do.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t want her. Far from it. He just knew that he couldn’t act on his desires.


4 (#ulink_3416a308-ba00-596f-a4f5-614f5937ae56)

LOGAN SET HIMSELF up on the couch with his laptop and a cup of decaf. He was far too wired to sleep, and his vantage point allowed him to watch the thin beam of light from under Addison’s bedroom door. Every so often a shadow flickered, telling him she was unpacking and setting up her room.

Being run off the road wasn’t enough to deter her from organizing every little thing the way she liked it.

He smiled to himself. She’d always been that way—needing to have everything just so. Teenage Addison had been a straight-A student with neat-freak tendencies. She used to visit her dad at the office after school and would happily spend hours reorganizing his filing system and making sure the staff kitchen was clean and tidy. Logan had always pretended not to notice her, of course.

Daniel had once told him that Addison developed her organizational habits after her mother died. A sense of order in her physical environment had helped her sift through the pain and confusion in her head, apparently. Her father had encouraged her to take those skills and turn them into a fruitful career, which she had. Addison was the reason Cobalt & Dane had been able to grow as a company. Without her, they’d still be a couple of scruffy guys too focused on the security side of things to get the rent paid.

He envied her ability to turn her loss into something useful. His pain never seemed to cause anything but pure destruction.

Sighing, he raked a hand through his hair and stared at the laptop screen. Going through his emails might help him relax. Daniel had set up an extensive security system when he’d first bought the cottage, so the chance of anything happening without Logan’s knowledge was slim.

Eventually the light under Addison’s door disappeared, but that didn’t stop Logan’s gaze from wandering there every few minutes. This weekend would be torture. Bittersweet torture.

“Lucky you’re a natural-born masochist,” Logan muttered to himself.

After an hour of trying—and failing—to get any work done, he snapped his laptop shut in frustration. If he wasn’t going to be productive then he’d go to bed and attempt to sleep. A few hours of shut-eye might help his concentration.

“Yeah, ’cause sleep is the problem,” he grumbled as he walked past Addison’s door to the linen cupboard.

It was packed with clean sheets, towels and blankets and smelled musty in a way that brought a rush of memories to him. He’d come to this cottage often, spending Thanksgiving weekend with Daniel and Addison since his own father had made it clear he wasn’t welcome with the shiny new family he’d acquired. Those long weekends had been filled with fishing, eating and letting Addison beat him at poker until she got good enough that she whipped his ass all on her own.

His fingertips brushed a piece of floral fabric sandwiched between two plain blue sheets. The flowers had faces, but the pattern had faded over the years. Time, the cruel mistress that it was, had robbed them of their smiles.

A noise caused Logan to turn. He tiptoed to Addison’s door and pressed his ear to the wood. The muffled sobbing caused pain to wrench in his chest. He touched his palm to the door and sucked in a breath. What the hell was he supposed to do in this situation?

If Addison was in danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to act, because protecting her came second nature to him. But a tearful Addison was totally outside his experience. The only other time he’d seen her cry was at her father’s funeral...and look how that’d turned out.

He should walk away. Let her cry it out and emerge in the morning with her mask intact. Isn’t that what she’d want?

Walk away, you useless son of a bitch. Be a deserter. Isn’t that what you do best?

Logan gritted his teeth and eased the handle down on her bedroom door. The room was dark, with only a thin shaft of moonlight illuminating the bed. The cool bluish light showed the outline of her sleeping form. The curve of her hip and the gentle dip at her waist. The soft gleam of her blond hair.

“Addi?” He let the door shut behind him.

She was crying, more softly now. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could make out the tremble in her curled-up form. She was facing away from him, her body so small and vulnerable in the center of the large bed.

“Addi? Are you okay?”

She muttered something under her breath and then sighed, but he couldn’t make out the words. For years he’d teased her about the way she talked in her sleep—he’d witnessed it on the few occasions when she’d fallen asleep on his couch after having an argument with her dad. Sometimes it was a soft jumble of syllables and other times it was full sentences. Often the words had no meaning.

“Logan,” she sighed.

He tiptoed over to her bed and knelt on the mattress with one knee. Both her eyes were shut and her cheeks were damp with tears. The wet skin seemed to shimmer in the bright moonlight. But she slept on.

And dreamed about him, apparently.

He brushed his knuckles along her arm, his breath sticking in his throat when she shivered at his touch. Her body was covered by a white sheet, but a spaghetti-thin strap of black silk curved over her shoulder and a hint of lace peeked out from the top of the sheet.

Sweet mother of—

“Logan?” She shifted on the bed, her voice groggy.

“It’s just me, Addi. I heard you crying.” He brushed the hair away from her face.

“I was sleeping.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you. I came in to check that you were okay.” His heart thudded in his chest so hard it felt like the organ was trying to punch its way out of his rib cage.

“Oh?” She touched her fingers to her cheek. “I must have been dreaming.”

“I’ll let you sleep.” He pulled away, but she rolled and reached out for him. The movement caused the sheet to slip farther down, revealing a black silk camisole gleaming under the moonlight. The glossy fabric looked almost wet.

“Stay for a minute,” she said sleepily.

Maybe he was the one dreaming. Addison never asked him to stay with her for anything, not these days. The car accident must have shaken her worse than she’d let on.

“Lie with me. Just until I fall back to sleep.” She tugged him to her and he lowered himself onto the bed. “I had trouble drifting off before.”

Propping himself up on one elbow, he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. Her skin was clammy. Damp.

“Hmm.” She mumbled under her breath and turned so she was facing the wall again. “That’s nice.”

He tried to pull the sheet back up, but she swatted him away with a protest about being hot. Little did she know it was more for him than it was for her. The sight of her bare skin against the black silk was jacking up his pulse. Not to mention he was fighting off the beginnings of a rock-hard erection.

All you have to do is get her to drift off, then you can back away. Tomorrow, you’ll pretend you never came in here.

He kept a few inches between them as he lay down beside her, but she wriggled until her back lined his chest, the curve of her ass cradled perfectly in his lap. A jolt of arousal shot through him, but he held his breath and forced down the excitement. It was like trying to swallow a pill without water.

“What if you hadn’t followed me tonight?” she whispered groggily. “What would have happened if...if...”

A tremor ran through her body and he wrapped his arm around her, hugging her to his chest. “I’ll find this guy and take him down, I swear.”

“I want to take care of myself.”

He held his tongue. There was no point arguing with her now—he knew how she felt about being independent. About wanting to prove that she could handle things on her own. Of course, he disagreed. She wasn’t weak, far from it. In fact, Addison was the strongest person he knew. But she didn’t have his training, his experience.

Daniel had sheltered her from the ugly aspects of their world, and to the best of his ability, Logan would continue that. He could never lose her, never let anything happen to her. Because without her...well, he didn’t even want to think about a world where she wasn’t part of his life.

“I want to take care of you, for once.” Her whispered voice prickled at his resolve; it picked apart his defenses.

His brain scrambled to find the right thing to say, but that had never been his forte. Some guys had a knack for words; they knew how to seduce and influence and placate. But Logan was only good with his hands.

“Shhh.” He brushed her hair back, smoothing his fingertips over her temple with each stroke. “You need to sleep now.”

For a moment he thought she’d drifted off; her breathing became soft and her body seemed to melt against his. He’d been holding himself in check but the slight shift of her body, the gentlest brush of her ass against his lap, yanked open the floodgates. His cock leaped from half-mast to full attention and a groan stuck in his throat.

As he was about to extricate himself from her bed, she moved again. This time he realized it was on purpose, and knowing that made him even harder. His brain screamed at him to go, but she felt so damn good in his arms. Soft yet firm, silky smooth. So tempting.

“Logan,” she breathed, rolling her head back against his chest. Her hand slipped between them and she felt for his cock. His whole body was about to go up in flames.

Yeah, flames. Because you’re going straight to hell.

“Addi, we shouldn’t—”

“Shh.” Her fingers danced along the length of his fly. He strained painfully against the confines of his jeans, the zipper barely keeping him in. “I can feel how much you want it.”

“It’s not about my wants,” he gritted out. How could he be so weak to end up in this position again?

“Is it about what I want?” Her hand moved away from his cock and he thought he might be off the hook. But she captured his wrist and pulled his hand down until he cupped her between the legs.

Heat radiated through the sheet. Even with the material stopping him from fully exploring her, he could feel how ready she was. She kept her hand over his as she circled her hips into his touch.

“Dammit, Addi.” He moaned into her hair. It was all he could do not to rip the sheet from her body and plunge his fingers into her sweet, hot sex. “This isn’t right. Last time was...”

“Sex, Logan. It was sex.” She huffed. “I’m not some delicate flower, you know.”

She pushed the sheet down, exposing the full glory of the silk camisole as it hugged her incredible body. When she pushed up to straddle him, her breasts bounced, unconfined. He remembered how she’d felt under his tongue, the way her rosy little nipples had stiffened when he’d kissed them. The way her back had bowed when he’d sucked on them. The way her skin had tasted sweet and earthy and unique.

“I can read you like a book.” She pressed down, tilting her hips back and forth so that she rubbed her sex along the hard length of him. The sensation was too good; he forced his eyes shut and his fingers dug into her hips. “You want me.”

If he wasn’t careful that gentle rocking of her hips was going to make him come in his pants. But he couldn’t seem to push her away. She was right—he wanted her. He wanted her more than the air in his lungs.

Always had, always would...against his better judgment, anyway.

“If you don’t stop that, I’m not going to be able to walk away.”

A wicked smile curved on her full lips. “I doubt you’d be able to walk anywhere right now.”

* * *

ADDISON SWIRLED HER hips in a figure eight, feeling the rasp of Logan’s jeans against her sensitive skin. Hovering over him—knowing he was fully at her mercy—was a power trip. In every other aspect of their lives he was in charge; he was one step ahead.

She might not be able to have control in the boardroom, but in the bedroom...this could be her domain. This was where she could gain control back, where she could have the upper hand.

You sure it’s nothing to do with the fact that you could have died tonight? That you could have lost him for good?

Fear wrapped its hands around her throat but she shoved the troubling thoughts away. Now was not the time for weakness. She leaned forward, hinging at her hips and giving him an eyeful of her breasts. Obviously she hadn’t packed the camisole for him, since she was supposed to be spending the weekend alone. She simply loved the feel of silk on her skin.

But she liked the feel of his hands on her even more.

“Keep pushing me, Addi. I dare you.” His face was hard-set, the angle of his jaw sharp in the near darkness.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she whispered, bending forward so that her lips brushed his ear. “Everyone thinks you’re the Big Bad Wolf but I know you’re just a teddy bear.”

His big hands slid along her thighs, catching the hem of the camisole and pushing it up. “Is that so?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

His hands inched higher. “You’re making one terrible mistake right now.”

“What’s that?”

His thumb brushed the sensitive skin of her sex. “Thinking you’re in charge just because you’re on top.”

Before she could retort, he felt for her clit with his thumb. Pleasure rocketed through her the second he made contact and she fell back, bracing herself on her hands. It was shameless how she thrust her hips toward him, determined to get as much friction as possible. The slow, sensual seduction was over.

That exactly was what Logan was like in bed. To the point. He didn’t mess around. Rather, he went straight in for the kill.

“Oh God.” Her head lolled. “You’re too damn good at that.”

“Tell me how good,” he urged her on, his voice shredded and rough. “If I’m going to hell I want to know you’ve enjoyed the ride.”

A low chuckle came from her throat. “And you still say you’re in charge?”

He grunted and grabbed her hips, yanking her forward and pushing himself down on the mattress at the same time until her body hovered over his face. Was he going to...?

He latched his mouth onto her sex and his tongue lapped at her with a focus that made her whole body quake. Tremors racked her, but his hands held her down over him. She pitched forward and planted one hand on the wall behind the bed to stop herself from falling over.

“Logan!” His name dissolved on her tongue as orgasm swept through her. Her muscles clenched and released as pleasure poured through her veins. Obliterating her. Turning her to mush.

As the tremors subsided, he guided her back down to the bed. She curled into him, her hands seeking out the warmth of his chest and the vibrations of his heart.

“Score one, Team Dane,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Screw you.”

He chuckled against her hair. “Is that a request?”

“It’s an order.”

The ridge outlined by his jeans told her that he was at bursting point. That meant she’d have to take it slow, tease him for as long as she could before giving in. Prove to him that he wasn’t in charge here. This was her domain.

She drew his zipper down, the sound cutting through the quiet. Thankfully he hadn’t worn a belt today, so all she had to do was pop the button at his waist. His cock strained forward, peeking out the top of his boxer briefs.

“Who’s in charge now?” She drew him out slowly, reveling in the way he tried to conceal his moan by clamping his teeth together. The twitch in his jaw gave him away entirely.

“You know I am, Addison.”

“I don’t think so.” Wrapping her fingers around him, she moved her fist up and down his length, giving his tip a light squeeze with every stroke. “You’re at my mercy now.”

His hips bucked as she increased her pace. A string of curse words flew out of his lips as she bent forward and ran her tongue over the swollen head of him. The taste of him flooded her with memories. That night...that sweaty, passionate, dirty night.

“Say it,” she said, blowing cool air over his heated skin.

“No.” He ground the word out, but he was already fishing around in his pants. He found his wallet and flipped it open.

“I won’t let you finish until you do.” Her strokes slowed and she watched him, her whole body alight with energy.

“You started this,” he said, pulling out a foil packet and tearing it open. “I’m going to finish it...and then I’m going to finish you again.”

Pushing her hands out of the way, he rolled the condom down his length. That simple action had never excited her with other men—it was the business part of sex. No glove, no love, right? But watching Logan handle himself intoxicated her. Arousal hung over her like a heavy cloud; it fogged her mind, and she didn’t protest when he reached for her hips again, dragging her into place and seating himself deep inside her.

Being filled by him was a pleasure of the most exquisite variety. He fit perfectly inside her, as if he’d been designed for her.

“No arguments?” he asked with a sly smile.

“I’m still on top.” She planted her hands on his chest as he thrust up into her.

“We can fix that.”

In a second, he’d flipped her onto her back and had pinned her hands above her head. His hot breath whispered over her skin as he kissed her neck, sucking and biting until she writhed beneath him.

Damn him. He knew exactly what to do.

“Don’t fight it, baby. I’m better when I’m in charge.”

When his mouth came down on her hers, she was lost. The insistent press of his tongue, the stubble on his jaw and the faint taste of herself on his lips was enough to send her over the edge again. She pressed her face against his neck and chanted his name over and over as her body shook.

“That’s it, tell me.” He pumped into her faster. “Tell me.”

“It’s you, Logan. It’s you.”

He thrust into her once more and roared as he found his release. Cradling her in his arms, he rolled them onto their sides and threw one thigh over her. Claiming her.

Reminding her that tomorrow she’d need to regain her distance if she had any hope of protecting her heart...


5 (#ulink_bb9dcb42-42e6-5ebc-a9f8-97195b904a80)

ADDISON’S EYES SNAPPED open at the sound of a bird chirping outside her window. The blare of horns and wail of sirens that usually greeted her in the morning were suspiciously absent. She pushed herself up and blew the hair out of her eyes to see that she wasn’t in her sleek and stylish Manhattan apartment.

Of course, she was at the cottage.

The events of last night came rushing over her like an avalanche. The long drive, the car accident, fighting with Logan...making up with Logan.

“Ugh.” She ground the heels of her palms into her eyes.

There would be no escaping Logan this weekend, not if she might be in danger. A delicious shiver rippled through Addison’s body. Everything ached in that way that could be achieved only by orgasms and hot, spontaneous sex. It had been too long since she’d felt this good, far too long.

The empty space in the bed was cool and fairly unrumpled, which meant he hadn’t stayed long. Not that she was surprised. When it came to the morning-after dash, Logan made Usain Bolt look slow.

A dark thought tugged at the corner of her mind. Last time she had been taken by surprise, because she’d been stupid enough to think that he might want to stick around. That he might feel something real for her. But less than a week later, she’d turned up at his apartment to find another woman answering his front door.

That’s not going to happen this time. You know the score, and you’ve got plans to make it on your own. Sex doesn’t change that.

And having sex with Logan was fine so long as it suited her needs: pleasure for her body, but not for her heart. She didn’t regret seducing him last night, not even a little bit. Being in his arms—distracting herself from the night’s events—was exactly what she’d needed. But that was all she needed from him.

Addison threw on her bathing suit and then layered a floaty cotton dress over the top. This weekend was going to be all about rest and relaxation, regardless of whether or not Logan wanted to participate. No one was going to get her down—not him, not the guy who’d run her off the road. No one.

* * *

LOGAN PACED THE length of the deck out on the back of the cottage. The morning sun was light and buttery yellow. Soft, beautiful. Like Addison.

Christ, you’re comparing her to the morning sun now? Get a fucking grip.

He raked a hand through his hair and stared across the land that stretched out in front of him. It was so peaceful here, so serene. But all he could feel was how isolated they were. How no one would hear or see them.

They could do anything and the world would be none the wiser.

Having that level of freedom wasn’t a good thing for a man like Logan. He needed to know someone was watching, keeping tabs. In the office, he had guys like Rhys and Owen and Aiden to keep him in check. His team, his men. They didn’t realize it, but they kept him in line. Simply by giving him their loyalty, he was bound to do right by them as Daniel had done for him. But out here, anything was possible.

And that scared the shit out of him.

“Morning,” Addison said as she came up next to him. Her hair flowed loosely around her shoulders, her legs and feet bare under her summer dress.

He wasn’t sure how he should greet her. With a kiss, or would that be too familiar? A hug, perhaps. But that could be too brotherly.

This is exactly why you shouldn’t have overstepped. You got all caught up in the passion of the moment and then things got weird.

He had too much to lose by getting entangled with Addison—it wasn’t just that he’d be dishonoring the memory of the man who’d mentored him. The company was his whole life, and he needed Addison by his side to take care of all the things he was clueless about: finances, health and safety, and all that other administrative crap that made his eyes turn square. Sure, there were other people who could do her job, but none who would do it as well as her. None that he trusted.

She was Cobalt and he was Dane. Without one of those elements, Cobalt & Dane didn’t exist. Which meant he couldn’t risk any type of personal relationship with her. Especially given his track record for screwing things up.

“Fancy a coffee?” she asked, eyeing him with unconcealed curiosity. “I’ve just put the pot on.”

“You’re speaking my language.”

He followed her back into the house and closed the door behind him, flicking the lock. A good security system wasn’t worth crap if you didn’t make use of it.

Addison swanned around the kitchen, humming to herself. She didn’t seem adversely affected by last night...though he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. They hadn’t made any rules or set any boundaries.





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