She left his arms so quickly, it took him a second to figure out what had happened.
She had that deer caught in the headlights look about her.
Time to regroup.
Pretending he hadn’t panicked her, Logan said, “You mentioned ordering pizza.” He took a step back, giving her some space so she could breathe easier. “How about I pay, and we can eat here?”
Indecision kept her on the edge of retreat. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“You’d be doing me a favor.” When she hesitated, he handed her his phone. “Go ahead and order it. I’ll get us something to drink in the meantime.”
He walked away, hoping she’d settle down and stay with him—but prepared to go after her if she didn’t.
Then he heard her soft voice ordering the pizza, loaded, just as he liked it.
He got out glasses. “You want a beer or a Coke?”
She looked at his beer with longing, but said, “A Coke, please.”
Another mystery. If she wanted a beer, why not say so? Did she think it unladylike—or did she worry that alcohol, even a simple beer, would lower her resistance, maybe allow her to divulge secrets better kept concealed?
Logan disliked her brother more by the minute. “Over ice?”
She nodded.
“How long for the pizza? I’m starved.”
“Fifteen minutes or so.” She inched closer. “They’re just around the corner.”
“Good to know.”
“You can also get Thai and Chinese pretty quickly. And hoagies or chili only takes half an hour.”
“You do a lot of fast food, too, huh?”
“During the summer I usually grill dinner. You know that. But at night, after it gets quiet, sometimes I…” She shrugged.
“You can’t sleep?”
“I enjoy the peace,” she corrected. “I don’t have a set schedule, so when I want to watch an old movie, or catch up on the news, I do. I think I’m a natural night owl.”
“So you curl up on the couch with some fast food?” It was a cute picture. What type of pajamas did she wear? A granny gown? T-shirt and panties? Somehow he couldn’t picture her in lingerie. “Maybe you can share the numbers of the local restaurants with me.”
“All right.” Though she hung back in the kitchen doorway, she asked, “Can I do anything?”
Oh, hell yeah. She could do all sorts of things. He gave her a smile but said, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll just grab some plates and napkins when it gets here.” He handed her drink to her. “Want to watch TV now, or sit on the balcony?”
She looked toward his balcony but again hesitated, so he took the decision away from her.
“Let’s see what’s on TV.” Taking her hand, he led her to the sofa. He sat down and pulled her down beside him, probably closer than she liked, but not as close as he wanted.
She sat stiff, silent and wary. After setting her drink on the coffee table, she clasped her hands together in her lap, pressed her knees and ankles together, kept her back military straight.
All because he sat beside her? “Relax.”
“I am relaxed,” she said too fast.
After a long look, he grinned at her and shook his head. “I think I’ll have to teach you how to loosen up.”
Her eyes flared, especially when he put aside his beer and reached for her shoulders.
But he only pressed her back against the couch, and began kneading her tensed muscles. “C’mon, Sue. Take out the starch. Inhale a big breath…that’s it. Now let it out nice and slow.”
She tried, but she was still far too rigid.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get there eventually.” He settled back beside her. “That’s a promise, by the way.” Using the remote, he turned on the set and flipped through the channels until he found a movie in the middle of a love scene.
“There you go.” He took a swig of his beer. “Better than suffering more of that broiling sun.”
For a minute or two she watched the movie, her breathing deep and even, until the sex scene faded to dark. When the commercial came on, he flipped channels again, finding a sports update.
She half turned toward him, and, tension mounting, Logan waited to see what she’d do.
Using one hand, she touched his jaw. It was so unexpected, that spontaneous contact from her, that it rendered him mute, immobile and combustible.
“Men do seem to enjoy controlling the remote, don’t they?”
What did she know of men and their preferences on control? He found his voice to say, “You want me to go back to the movie?”
“I don’t care what we watch, but I’m glad you chose to stay inside.” She brushed her fingertips down to the side of his neck. “You’ve already gotten a little too much sun.”
Jesus, how could one simple touch do that to him? “On my shoulders, too,” he said huskily. “Hazard of the job, I guess. Half the time we work shirtless.”
Her gaze drifted to his shoulders, followed by her hand. “Construction is why you’re so tanned?”
“That, and I like the outdoors.” Blindly, he set aside his beer. “Swimming, boating, just being outside. I enjoy nature.” His brother had a very secret retreat on a lake. They’d each used it when they wanted to get away, when even female companionship didn’t appeal.
The log cabin was so rustic that anything more than a five-minute shower used all the hot water. Dishes had to be washed by hand—and so did clothing. The all-wood panel interior boasted three sparsely furnished bedrooms, a tiny kitchen with the barest essentials and a bathroom barely big enough to turn around in. The massive front deck, flanked by towering trees, overlooked the small secluded lake that was big enough for fishing, swimming and a rowboat or small trolling motor.