Logan peeked back at me. My brows lifted. He grinned.
Mimi’s expression turned soft. “Happy birthday, Logan.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, I think it’s gonna be good, alright.” Gretchen lifted her margarita. It sloshed over the side and onto her hand.
“Sheesh, for someone who doesn’t like the messes, you sure is makin’ plenty of ’em, Nonie G.” Juni shook her head.
I laughed.
Logan stood, pushing to his full, towering height.
The man took the one step it required to erase the space between us, then he was slipping his arm around my waist, tugging me right to his chest. He leaned down so close I was almost scared and really excited that he was swooping down to kiss me, but he came up short, his breath mine. “Oh, it’s definitely going to be good.”
Stepping back, I tried to straighten myself out. To thwart this new energy that buzzed between us.
Logan introduced me to more guests, always calling me,His Aster.
He leaned down and kissed me on the temple.
I tried to keep it together.
To remember.
But tonight, I couldn’t seem to stop myself from slipping into his fantasy.
From tripping his direction.
Thirty days.
Thirty days.
I tried to chant it.
Claim it.
I needed to remember it because I was setting myself up to get ripped apart.
This was so much more dangerous than any deal I had made that fateful morning when I’d come crawling back to Logan’s office.
This?
This was real.
“Oh my god, you’re here!” A screech came from somewhere within the kitchen as Logan stepped through the archway.
A red head bobbed through the crowd, the woman literally jumping so she could see over the heads. She came winding through, wielding a bottle of champagne.
Logan leaned toward my ear. “You’re in trouble now.”
Oh, I was already there, but I felt it coming like a hurricane when the woman I remembered as a snowflake from the recital was suddenly throwing her arms around me like I was her oldest friend.
She squeezed me and shook me around. “I’m so happy you’re here! I wasn’t sure if you’d be since this guy over here usually has his big head shoved so far up his ass he doesn’t know up from down. I mean, I’ve seen his horrible decisions, but for once, I can see he has his head on straight.”
“Um…” I stammered.
Logan gave her a light punch on the shoulder. “It is my birthday, Tessa. Think you could cut a guy a break?”