Long, Lonely Nights (21 page)

The entire episode felt surreal. She licked her lips and could taste lemonade. But was it from her glass or his lips? She took the glass back to the table and refilled it before sitting back down and picking up her book. Concentrating on the book proved to be nearly impossible after that. She heard every snip from his shears now. Knew where he was in the yard at any given moment.

Finally, after nearly twenty minutes of suffering, Tina managed to focus on plot and what she was reading. She actually made progress into the book when Logan sat down in the chair next to her.

“You’re getting red again. Did you forget your sunscreen?”

“No, I put it on. I’m just sensitive. I have probably been out here long enough.” She swallowed around the lump in her throat at how close he sat to her.

“Would you like some more lemonade before I go inside?”

Logan picked up the pitcher and poured. He drained the glass in seconds.

“Thanks, it’s good.” He smiled and stood up. “I’ll carry the pitcher inside for you.”

Tina could only nod. Without his shirt, he was entirely too virile, and she could still remember what it felt like to be wrapped around him when he was nearly naked. It made it difficult to think around him. He opened the door for her.

“Do you like Italian food?” he asked out of the blue.

“What? Oh, yeah. I love it.”

“Good. I’m cooking spaghetti tonight,” he said.

“You don’t have to go to any trouble. I have plenty to eat here.”

“It’s no trouble. I like to cook.”

“Okay.” Tina didn’t know what to say now.

He stood so close that she could smell the male sweat covering his body. It, along with his aftershave, was an aphrodisiac to her libido. Her breath came in quick pants. She took a step back from him, but he didn’t seem to notice. Logan set the now nearly empty pitcher of lemonade down on the kitchen counter.

“I’m hot and sweaty. Think I’ll go take a shower. I’ll be over around six. Is that okay with you?” he asked.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Whenever you feel like it.” Tina licked her lips and fought to keep her breathing even as he walked by her.

“Morgan is out there watching while I’m in the shower. If anything scares you. Scream like you did the other night. He’ll hear you and be inside in a few seconds. Okay?”

“Okay. I’m sure no one is going to try anything with you guys watching. I’ll be fine.”

He stared into her eyes and smiled. “Yep, you’re fine.” He turned and tapped out the code to disarm the alarm system and opened the door to leave. He turned back.

“Lock up behind me.” Then he closed the door behind him.

Tina hurriedly locked up and reset the alarm. She resisted the temptation to watch him through the window as he walked next door. Instead, she thought about some stranger she had never met watching out for her somewhere out there. Why would he do it? Well, he was doing it as a favor to Logan of course. Just like Riley. The big why, was why was Logan doing it?

Jenna called around four to check on her.

“How did you sleep with lover boy downstairs? Or
did
he sleep downstairs?” she asked.

“Yes, he slept downstairs, and I slept okay. Well, not great. I can’t get comfortable with everything going on. I’m not used to someone ordering me around.”

“He and his friend are entirely too controlling. I guess that would bother me. He did sort of just take over and tell you what to do,” Jenna said.

“Yeah, I’m not going to feel comfortable with him downstairs every night either. Not just because it’s someone in my house, but because I’m attracted to him. It’s dangerous.” Tina changed hands with the phone.

“Only because you are trying to resist him. I still think you can have an affair with him and move on. It would be good for you. It shouldn’t affect your being neighbors at all. You and Matthew are still friends,” Jenna pointed out.

“That’s been nearly three years ago too.”

“So, that just proves my point.”

“Jenna, this is different. He’s different than Matthew was,” Tina said.

“Different, how?” Jenna asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. Just different.”

“You’re move involved with him. It isn’t just sexual attraction, is it?”

“No, I guess not. I want him on a deeper level, and that frightens me,” Tina admitted.

“Maybe he is the one for you? Have you considered that?”

“Be serious, Jenna. He is way out of my league. I told you that. I’m nothing like what he is use to. I could never hope to keep him interested in me.”

“I don’t buy that. I think you are perfect for him.” Jenna laughed over the phone. “Besides, if he’s serious about you, I don’t think you’re going to have a chance. He strikes me as a man who gets what he wants, one way or another.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t want to be railroaded into a relationship I’m not sure about. Especially a sexual one,” Tina replied.

“Give it a chance, Tina. That’s all I’m saying. Don’t fight it so hard. See what happens.”

“I’ll think about it.” Tina glanced at the clock. It wouldn’t be long before Logan was knocking at her door. “I better go and get things ready for work. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow.”

“Be careful.” Jenna said and hung up.

Tina sat the phone back in the cradle and thought about it. Was she being a fool to fight her attraction to Logan? Somehow, she didn’t think so. She knew it would be easy to fall for him. There was just something about him that called to her. If she let herself fall in love and he drifted away in a few weeks or months, she would be devastated. She didn’t want to deal with that. No, she wasn’t a fool for keeping him at arm’s length. He had the ability to crush her heart, and maybe her soul.

She settled down in the office and began to work. She wanted to have her new client set up for work tomorrow. It didn’t really take a long time, but her thoughts kept straying to Logan and what he wanted from her. If it were just about sex, maybe she could handle it, but she didn’t think so. He would want all of her. In fact, he would probably demand all of her. She wasn’t okay with that. He would have too much control over her and how she felt.

The doorbell rang. She jumped and knocked a book off the desk. She bent and picked it up as the doorbell rang again.

“I’m coming,” she yelled as she ran to the garage door.

Tina looked out the window and verified it was Logan before she turned off the alarm and unlocked the door. He had his hands full. She took a loaf of French bread off the top and a package of spaghetti from under his arm. He carried a covered pot in one hand and a bottle of wine under one arm.

“Goodness, the wine wasn’t necessary,” she said.

“I figure you could use it to help you sleep. You need to rest if you are going to go to work tomorrow.” Logan set the pot on the stove and turned it on low. Then he began rummaging through her cabinets.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

“Another pot for the noodles and a cooking sheet for the bread.” He pulled out the pot and set it on the stove.

Tina found the cooking sheet and set it on the counter. “This what you want?”

He looked and nodded. “I’ve already buttered the bread, so all you need to do is pop it in the oven.

Tina set the oven and put the bread inside. Then she watched as Logan filled the pot with water, added salt and a teaspoon of oil. Once it began to boil, he dropped the noodles in it. He checked the bread, and then turned off the oven, but left the bread inside. He stirred the sauce and checked the noodles before setting the spoon down and turned to her.

“Hi. How was your afternoon?”

“Okay, I guess. I worked some.” Tina wasn’t sure where he was going with this. It felt odd.

“Do you bring home work every night?”

“Not every night, no. Why?” she asked.

“Just wondering. Once we catch this guy, you can breathe easier and do more. You won’t be confined to your house as much. You should enjoy being able to go out again.”

“I can’t even imagine going out much anymore. I’ve done without it so long. I figure I will some, because Jenna likes to, but I’m just not much of a party person anymore.”

“You’ll have the choice though,” he said.

“Having a choice will be great.” She bit her bottom lip. “Do you really think you will catch him?”

“I plan to,” he said.

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt, Logan. Not you or your friends. Not for me.”

“No one is going to get hurt, except maybe the bastard that is stalking you. He, I can’t guarantee won’t get hurt,” Logan said. There was a growl in his voice.

The water began to boil for the noodles. Logan added them to the water and stirred the sauce again as Tina got out plates and silverware. She set the bar for two and got out wine glasses.

“Want me to open the wine?” she asked.

“Here, I’ll do it.” He held out his hand for the bottle and corkscrew.

Tina watched as he opened the bottle and poured. She took a glass and sipped. It was good. She smiled.

“Glad you like it.” He went back to check the noodles and declared them ready.

Tina produced at strainer for him. He finished setting everything up and then pulled the bread out of the oven and opened it up. They served themselves from the stove and sat at the bar to eat. He sat so close, that she could feel the heat from his body seep into hers. She fiddled with her meal. She had to admit, it was delicious, but she wasn’t very hungry. She made an effort anyway. He kept her glass full of wine, and it began to go to her head. She needed to eat to offset the wine she decided and redoubled her effort.

When he moved to add more wine to her glass, she protested.

“I think I’ve had enough. I’m already a little tipsy.”

“I’m hoping you will sleep better,” he said.

“I’ll be fine. No more wine.”

He replaced the cork in the bottle and set it aside. He finished what was on his plate and then dipped some more. It amazed her to see how much he could eat. She shook her head and laughed.

“What?”

“Where do you put it all?”

“Put what?” he asked with a confused look on his face.

“All the food you eat.”

He laughed. “I burn it off as fast as I eat it, I guess. Keeping that yard up keeps me busy.”

“I’m smart. I hire mine done.” Tina sipped her wine.

“You’re lucky. You don’t have as much upkeep as my place has. The previous owners liked gardening it looks like.”

“They did. They spent all their time outside in the yard. I always had fresh flowers in the house with them next door,” she said.

“You are welcome to any of the ones I have. I don’t cut them for my house. I’ll be glad to keep you in flowers.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

“Um, that’s okay.” Tina got up and carried her plate to the sink to scrape out the excess into the garbage. Then she rinsed the plate before putting it in the dishwasher.

Logan followed her and did the same thing. Looking through the cabinets, Tina started hunting for something to store the leftovers in, but he stopped her.