The Mighty Quinns: Logan (9 page)

“A life of my own. A future. Someone who’ll love me forever. I want to get up in the morning and have something important to do.”

“You have your riding.”

“Is that really important?” she asked. “If I stop riding tomorrow, no one would care. No one would miss me. I want to be an important part of someone else’s life. I want someone to need me and to miss me if I’m not there.”

“And I want to wake up someday and not have to worry about where the next dollar is going to come from,” he said. “I want to stop worrying about what I might lose and just enjoy what I have.”

She gave his arm a squeeze, wishing she could just wipe away the doubts in his mind. They were from two different worlds, but some strange twist of fate had put them together, and Sunny sensed that, sooner or later, the reason would be revealed.

She had always believed in destiny, in the idea that there were forces at work in her life that would determine her future. But she was coming to understand that she could have a hand in her fate, that she could even control it if she wanted.

What would it take to become a permanent part of Logan’s world? How would she convince him to be part of hers? Were they so different that it would be impossible to find a place where they could exist together?

“You are the most wonderful man I’ve ever known,” she said. “You’re kind and patient and funny and romantic, and all of those things mean so much more than what’s in your bank account.”

“Pretty words,” he murmured.

“Just because they’re pretty doesn’t mean they’re not true.” She pulled him away from the railing. “Come on. Let’s go back.”

He reluctantly straightened, then took her hand. “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll make you something,” Sunny said.

“You can cook?”

“Yes, I can cook. I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with the help.”

“Well, this should be interesting,” he said with a grin. “I never would have guessed you could cook.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” she said.

Logan nodded. “I’m beginning to realize that.”

5

L
OGAN
STOOD
ON
THE
TERRACE
, staring out at the black horizon, the sound of the waves lulling him into a sense of comfort.

He and Sunny had a late dinner and then decided to curl up on the sofa and watch a movie. But she’d fallen asleep after just ten minutes. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

He liked the way she looked when she slept. It was a different, more relaxed Sunny. When she was awake, she was always bubbling with energy. Even in their quiet moments, he could sense her mind running at high speed. But when she slept, she was still, her body relaxed and her mind at peace.

She was so different from the woman he’d first thought she was. When she had climbed up on that fence, dressed in nothing but her T-shirt and pink bikini bottoms, his first impression had not been all good. She’d seemed prickly and difficult, like a girl with a chip on her shoulder. But then she’d smiled and everything changed.

He knew the first time he looked into her eyes that all that bravado was hiding some very deep hurt. He’d always thought that money was the only thing that could buy happiness, but now he knew the truth. Sunny had all the advantages anyone could want, yet she didn’t have what she really needed—unconditional love.

Logan cursed beneath his breath. Was he prepared to give that to her? The longer they spent together, the more he found himself imagining a life with Sunny. Part of that fantasy required him forgetting about the objections her family might have, and ignoring the money issue and the fact that she probably wouldn’t want to live in the outback. But once he factored out all those things, it did make a lovely little dream.

“Jaysus,” he muttered. There was delusion and then there was just outright batty. If he were thinking with his head, instead of his libido, he’d send her home tomorrow. Or leave her to her daddy’s luxury apartment while he drove off into the distance.

There were plenty of other women in the world who’d find life on a dusty old horse ranch to be an adventure or a challenge. He just couldn’t see Sunny among that group.

“Let her go,” he murmured to himself. “Make a clean break and walk away.”

It made perfect sense. He wasn’t at a point in his life when he could afford to fall in love. Life was hard enough looking after himself and the ranch. He didn’t need another responsibility. So he’d spend the next few days with Sunny, enjoying her company, and then, in the middle of the night, he’d leave.

She’d understand, Logan rationalized. She knew as well as he did that any future between them was doomed. So why not just enjoy their attraction for a bit longer and call an end to it, sensibly, without any regrets?

Or why not just leave now? Sunny was safe here. She had a place to stay until she went back home. It would be simple enough for her to get a flight to Brisbane. Now would be the best time, he told himself.

But was it the coward’s way out? Would he leave to make things easier for her—or for him? Falling in love with Sunny was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. It would only cause more complications in a relationship that was complicated already.

“Just go,” he murmured. Turning away from the railing, he walked back into the villa. Sunny didn’t stir as he passed on his way to the bedroom. Logan silently began to gather his things, stowing them in his rucksack.

When he was finished, he stood beside the empty bed, considering what he was about to do. There’d be no going back. Any future that he might have dreamed about with Sunny would evaporate.

Gathering his resolve, Logan walked back through the villa and paused as he passed the sofa. Scanning Sunny’s profile, he tried to commit the last details to memory. It would be a long time before he forgot her—and the time they spent together.

He turned and walked to the door, then opened it slowly. She’d be fine. This was all going to come to an end anyway. Better sooner than later.

The night air was chilly as Logan walked out to the campervan. He opened the door and sat down behind the wheel, tossing his rucksack onto the passenger seat. But when he pulled his keys out of his pocket, he couldn’t bring himself to go any further.

His gaze fell on the volume of Shakespeare sitting on the console between the seats. They were in the middle of
As You Like It,
a play made much better by Sunny’s narration. He picked the book up and opened it, then pulled out a bubblegum wrapper she was using as a bookmark. She’d bought a handful of bubblegum a few days ago and they’d spent a hundred-kilometer stretch outside of Bourke in a bubble-blowing contest.

As he looked around the campervan, there were reminders of her everywhere. Cursing softly, he flipped on the overhead light and moved into the back, picking up Sunny’s things along the way. She’d made herself at home, that much was clear.

Logan stopped short and tossed the items onto the sofa. This was crazy. Just because he rid himself of her things it wouldn’t stop the memories from coming. He got back behind the wheel and reached for the ignition. But a knock on the window startled him.

He glanced to his left and saw Sunny standing outside, wrapped in a blanket, her hair tumbled down around her face. Logan rolled down the window.

“What are you doing out here?” she asked. “I woke up and I couldn’t find you.”

He scrambled for an answer. He couldn’t tell her the truth—it would only hurt her. “I—I thought I left a light on and I just wanted to check to see if it drained the battery.” He turned the ignition and the campervan started. “It’s all right. Go inside. I’m just going to let it run for a while. I’ll be in in a few minutes.”

She gave him a puzzled look then nodded. “All right. But hurry up.”

Logan watched as she walked back to the villa. Groaning, he bent his head over the steering wheel, resting it against his clasped hands. What the hell was he doing? It might very well be the noble thing to do, to break things off cleanly now. But the only one he was really protecting was himself.

Sunny was a big girl. She knew the pitfalls of love, probably better than he did. When things didn’t work out in the end, she’d go on with her life. She’d find a nice guy, maybe settle into a good relationship and eventually get married.

He’d be the one left regretting what could have been, wondering if he’d had more to offer he might have convinced her there was a future between them. She was right here, standing in front of him, offering him fantasies that would last a lifetime and he was too afraid to reach out and grab them.

With another curse, Logan turned off the ignition and jumped out of the campervan. He wasn’t going to be the one to end it. He would leave that up to her. And when it happened, he’d be grateful for the time they’d had and go on with his life.

When he got back inside, he dropped his rucksack on the floor beside the sofa and walked into the bedroom. Sunny was already in bed, curled up beneath a down duvet. He stripped off his clothes and crawled between the crisp bed linens, snuggling up against her naked body.

A soft sigh slipped from her lips, and she reached back and tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. Logan pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck, his lips finding her pulse point.

She gently guided him inside her, and for a long time they didn’t move. He thought that she might have fallen asleep, but when he smoothed his palm down her belly to the juncture between her legs, she moaned softly. Logan touched her, gently rubbing his fingers over the core of her desire.

He felt her grow damp around him, and then a delicious heat that he found irresistible. Every instinct told him to move, but he stayed still, enjoying the changes in Sunny’s body as she came closer and closer to her release.

When it finally came, it was quiet yet incredibly powerful. He felt every spasm of her body as he held her close. She melted against him, boneless and relaxed. Then, in two quick thrusts, he was there himself, tumbling over the edge and losing control deep inside her.

They didn’t speak, both of them completely sated. Logan listened as her breathing grew slow and deep and before long, he knew she was asleep again.

“What the hell am I going to do about you, Sunny Grant?” he whispered. It was so easy to say he wouldn’t fall for her, but harder to admit that he already was—deeply and madly in love with Sunny.

* * *

S
UNNY
RAKED
HER
HANDS
through her hair as she sat up in bed. She glanced over at the clock and saw it was nearly nine. She wasn’t even sure when they’d finally gotten to sleep last night, but she’d slept so soundly she felt refreshed.

Glancing over at Logan, Sunny could tell he was still a few hours from getting up. In normal life, between the two of them, he was the early riser, but since they’d been spending their nights in carnal pursuits, he usually slept until she woke him up.

Sunny carefully crawled out of bed and searched the floor for something to wear. She pulled a T-shirt from her bag and tugged it over her head, then headed to the kitchen. But as she passed the sofa, she noticed Logan’s rucksack sitting on the floor.

She picked it up, wondering why he’d left it where he had. Curious, Sunny opened it up and rummaged through his belongings, a strange realization setting in. Everything was inside. His clothes, his shaving kit, everything that he’d—

Sucking in a sharp breath, Sunny dropped the rucksack on the floor. It all made sense now. Last night. The campervan. He was going to leave. If she hadn’t found him gone and searched him out, she’d be alone right now.

Sunny wasn’t sure how to feel. Should she be hurt or angry? Should she confront him and get to the truth of the matter? What other explanation could there be? Slowly she sat down on the end of the sofa, then buried her face in her hands.

Maybe she’d just been fooling herself. They’d been getting along so well, enjoying their trip. But she had to wonder if the attraction was all one-sided. Yes, they had a fantastic sexual relationship, but the men she’d known had always been able to separate affection from sexual desire.

Was that all it was? Was he afraid that her feelings were deeper than what he was prepared to handle? Sunny thought back over the past few days, wondering if she had said or done something to scare him off. God, how did she always manage to pick men who were emotionally unavailable?

So what was she supposed to do now? Was this just a momentary crisis or did he still have plans to desert her along the way? She’d never asked for any type of commitment from him, so why was he so afraid that he wanted to leave her? She leaned back into the suede sofa and stared up at the ceiling.

Maybe he was worried she’d be the one to leave. Could she really blame him? He saw her life as perfect and only because she’d never had to worry about money. But he refused to see that her happiness didn’t come from financial security, it came from feeling loved and wanted.

Sunny pushed to her feet and walked to the kitchen. She’d just pretend she never saw it. That was the only thing she could do. That...and wait. She pulled open the refrigerator door and peered inside. Breakfast. That would take her mind off the rucksack sitting beside the sofa.

Her father’s assistant had provided them with a wide variety of food for any meal they might want to prepare. Sunny pulled out a grapefruit, a carton of eggs, a package of bacon and some English muffins. She even found a jug of fresh orange juice.

A tin of coffee came next, and Sunny scooped enough into a filter to make a strong brew. She filled the coffeemaker and flipped it on, then started the rest of the preparations.

They had a whole day here in Adelaide and until this morning, she’d been looking forward to it. Tomorrow, they’d be back on the road, driving the last few days to Perth. She couldn’t spend that whole time wondering what he was thinking and feeling. And she certainly couldn’t sleep with him, knowing what she knew.

“Oh, that will be easy,” she muttered as she put the bacon in the microwave. She’d never been able to hold her tongue. Usually, when she was upset by something, she couldn’t stop talking about it. And Sunny had always been able to hold a grudge much longer than anyone she knew.

She dumped the eggs into a sauté pan and stirred them. It would probably be best if she just let it go. Maybe her suspicions were wrong. Maybe he was just keeping his things tidy, or maybe he expected a fire or an earthquake or—

For the next five minutes, she concentrated on the breakfast preparations. When everything was ready, she set it all on a tray and carried it into the bedroom. Logan was still in exactly the same position he’d been in when she’d left. She sank down on the bed and he stirred.

“Are you awake?” Sunny asked.

“Mmm. Is that bacon I smell?”

“I made breakfast.”

He slowly rolled over to face her, then sat up, bracing himself on his outstretched arm. Raking his fingers through his tousled hair, he sent her a sleepy smile. “You made this?”

“Yeah. I thought it would be easier than going out.” She pointed to the tray. “There’s coffee, too. I forgot that.”

She moved to get off the bed, but he caught her hand and pulled her close. “Good morning,” he murmured, brushing a kiss across her lips.

“Morning,” she said, her gaze meeting his.

Sunny quickly crawled off the bed. “I’ll just get the coffee.” She hurried to the kitchen and poured mugs for them both, adding sugar and cream to hers and just sugar to Logan’s. She knew how he took his coffee. That was more than she’d ever bothered to learn about any of her other lovers. “What does that even mean?” she murmured.

As she walked back to the room, she grabbed the leather portfolio sitting on the coffee table and tucked it under her arm. The contents would provide something to talk about while Logan ate breakfast.

Sunny handed him the coffee, then took her place on the other side of the bed. “There’s all sorts of information in here,” she said, patting the front of the portfolio. “Things for us to do today.” She opened it up and flipped through the pamphlets. She noticed a note printed on Grant Energies letterhead and pulled it out.