He leaned forward and nuzzled the tender skin just below my ear, making my breath catch with sudden desire. Two minutes ago, I had been so blissfully worn-out that I was sure I was never going to move again, but with just the trace of his kiss on my neck, I was ready for more. Charms, indeed.
“Why would you want to avoid me?” he whispered, his kisses working down the curve of my shoulder. His brown eyes looked up at me as he gave me one last affectionate peck.
“Because you're kind of a jerk,” I informed him. He frowned, pulling back slightly. “You hurt me pretty badly the last time we were together.”
“But that wasn't my fault,” he said quietly, innocently. “I told you that.”
I sighed. Logan had grown up in a world with almost no repercussions as long as his father was pleased. I didn't think he even realized the full extent of what he had cost me. “Doesn't change the fact that it still hurt.” I bit my lip and looked him in the eye, watching his every move. “I need to know: are you going to hurt me again?”
Pain and remorse flashed across his face and he reached out and stroked my cheek. His touch was soft and gentle. “I'm never going to hurt you again. I promise.”
I liked the way those words sounded, but I had been burned too badly to fully believe them. I would have to see them proven, not just hear them spoken. I smiled despite my hesitation. For this moment in time, they would be enough. “What happened last time anyway?”
“Which part do you want first?” he asked, sliding down on the bed to lay facing me.
“Business,” I decided. I could handle that part better. “You had me believing you were going to buy me out.”
“I was,” he stated, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Even before I met you, I thought your idea was amazing. I knew Dream Vacations would be an invaluable asset the moment I learned about your program.”
“Then what happened?”
He looked down for a moment. “I oversold it. My brother pointed out that I was trying too hard to convince Dad, and I probably was. I should have just let him see the initial proposal and not personally endorsed it. I certainly should have waited on drinks, too.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “Why would your endorsement or getting drinks with me change things?”
“My father has made some poor business decisions with regard to women.” His mouth twisted into a parody of a smile that implied it’d been far worse. “He cost the business millions before my brother and I took over negotiations and acquisitions. Dad almost bankrupted us because of a pretty face, yet he still gets to make the final call. I think my brother assumed I was following in my father's footsteps when I pushed so hard for your company.”
“Were you?” I held my breath waiting for the answer.
Logan's eyes met mine, serious and honest. “Your company was sound. I would have wanted Dream Vacations even if you were a balding eighty-year-old man.” He paused and smiled. “I just wouldn't have bought you drinks.”
“So, your father turned down my proposal because he thought you were just trying to get laid? That I was some sort of gold-digger?” It definitely wasn’t the reason I was expecting.
“Yes. And all my attempts to convince him of the contrary just worried him further,” Logan explained. “Once he saw himself in my actions, he wouldn't let it go.”
“You fought for me?” I asked quietly, gratitude blooming in my stomach. He hadn't just left me to rot like I had thought. He had tried to convince his father to change his mind. His explanation rang true with what I knew of his father; I had heard enough of Gerald Hayes' rumors to completely believe Logan's story. It would even begin explain why Gerald had cut off our communication. He thought he was protecting his son from me.
“Too much, according to him.” Logan nodded and gave me a wry smile. “I have to admit, it's been great watching you succeed on your own and getting to rub his face in it.”
“Anytime.” I smiled and he kissed my forehead. He had defended me. The thought made me melt inside. “So why does your father want my company now? What changed?”
“Your success. The board of directors is pushing him to get you on board. Concierge travel is the future and he missed his opportunity to get in on the ground floor because he didn't believe in me.” Logan shrugged. “Now, he'll do anything to fix his mistake. Otherwise, the board of directors will destroy him. As the COO, I am required to help him.”
“Ah, I see.” I nodded. At least I knew now that Logan wasn't out to get me and why he kept sending me acquisition offers. I was now ready to hear the other half of the story. “So, then, why didn't you call me?”
A shadow passed over Logan’s features. “Dad made it very clear that he would make my life a living hell if I did. My personal phone line mysteriously went down, and he sent me on a business trip to Malaysia that next day. He made his threat clear. He kept me there for three months working crazy hours.”
I frowned. All of that sounded terrible, but he was a billionaire. There had still been ways to contact me. I tried to hide the disappointment that I had apparently meant less to him than he had to me.
“I tried to call you,” he said softly. “I called you from the hotel once, but I didn't know what to say so I hung up as soon as you answered. I thought maybe a quick, clean break before we got in too deep would be easier for you. That the feelings were all on my end and you would move onto someone else.”
I remembered that midnight call. I had woken up dreaming that it was Logan calling, only to hear silence on the other line. “I was in too deep the moment I agreed to drinks,” I confessed. “I don't think there was an easy way to let me down after that.”
He ran his fingers along my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. “I wanted you to be mine as soon as I saw you. Until I saw you at that wedding, I didn't think I stood a chance after what I did. I can't tell you how much I appreciated Maddy being drunk.”
I laughed. “I was so ready to kill her for that.”
“I'm sorry I hurt you.” He kissed the tip of my nose, and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was so damn handsome that it made my heart hurt. This had to be a dream. Not only was I with the man I couldn't forget, but we were working things out.