I hardened, and I sucked in a breath, wondering what it’d be like to have her there in the shower in me, naked, rivulets of water cascading over those wonderful curves. I could see her, those lips parted, moaning, as I caressed her breasts, kneading them underneath my fingers.
My breathing turned ragged, and I swallowed. I vowed that when I got out of the shower, I would call Emily. We were going to go out on Tuesday night. I didn’t know if I could take it otherwise.
Chapter Nine
EMILY
Tuesday night, I found myself in the parking lot of Rue Verte, the fancy French restaurant Logan had invited me to on his second call. I didn’t tend to go to places like this much anymore.
Nothing against the food, but I guess I sometimes wanted to forget the high-end lifestyle Lionel had been so obsessed with, and forty-dollar-a-plate meals were somewhat wasted on five-year-old little girls.
I couldn’t believe I was even there. His first voicemail had him deciding we were going to go on a date, and then when he called me Sunday night, I found myself unable to say no. Juniper was with Lionel for the week, so I didn’t even have her as an excuse.
I sighed. I wasn’t even sure why I was so uneasy and looking for an excuse.
It wasn’t like I’d sworn myself to a life of celibacy because of my divorce, but something about Logan left me nervous, though not in a bad way. I’d not been all that interested during our first meeting, but now every time I talked with him, he pulled at me more.
Then there was whatever happened at the fundraiser. I still couldn’t remember, and I’d been far too afraid to ask Mama to clarify. Whatever it was, it was enough to convince both Mama and Logan that I was interested in him.
I figured I must have said something to him while drunk, probably told him how handsome he was. He certainly was. But that was a superficial thing. I still didn’t know that much about the man, not really.
Nibbling my lip, I glanced down at the red dress I was wearing. It did more than a little to show off my breasts, but this was supposed to be a date, so a little seduction wasn’t out of line.
Maybe it was. A little mild attraction wasn’t enough to start something. I wasn’t a little girl anymore, impressed to have a man. I was a grown woman with a child. If I was going to start something, it had to be something with a good chance of going somewhere. Otherwise, it’d be a waste of everyone’s time.
My heels clacked against the asphalt as I made my way to the glass doors. Logan stood there already, looking stunning in a dark blue suit. He opened the door and held it for me with a smile.
There was no escape now or making up excuses. He’d spotted me.
I offered him a wave and a smile, even though my heart was already pounding. I stepped inside, the light classical playing inside doing little to soothe my nerves.
“Let me show you to our table,” he said.
I nodded but didn’t say anything.
Logan led me to a nice table toward the back. Two bottles of wine rested on the table.
He slid my chair out for me, and I took a seat, offering him a genuine smile at the gesture. Lionel didn’t even do that sort of thing when we’d first met. He claimed he found it condescending, but mostly, I think he was lazy.
Logan sat down across from me. “I ordered a red and a white to get us started.” He rattled off the year and vintage, but I’d never been an expert on that kind of thing, so I had no clue if they were good or not. I nodded, assuming he knew how to pick a decent wine.
“I’m glad you agreed to go out with me again,” he said, taking a sip of the red wine.
“That first date wasn’t really fair,” I said, trying my best not to nibble on my lip. “And it’s been a while since I’ve had good French food.”
Logan smiled warmly. “Oh, you’ll love this place, then. I didn’t really know what you liked, but I figured given your parents that you’re not exactly a girl who grew up eating only cheeseburgers.”
I laughed. “No, even though now that I’m a single mom, it seems more I’m going that way. Not like my daughter has an appreciation for fine cuisine.”
“I can imagine.” He watched me with those dark eyes, the burning curiosity almost unnerving. Was I really so fascinating to a man like Logan Hawkins?
“Already know what you’re going to order?”
He nodded. “Yes. I’ve been here several times and already have some favorites. Kind of an easy place for me to pick, I suppose.”
I picked up the menu and started scanning my choices. Everything sounded so delicious. We lapsed into silence for a minute or so as I picked out my meal.
When the waiter arrived, Logan ordered some vegetable dish I couldn’t pronounce if my life depended on it, and I decided on some poached salmon with truffle sauce. My mouth watered just from ordering it.