Between You and Me(16)

He noticed her eyes made a slow canvas around the room, not meeting his,  as she admitted, "Sure, I wanted to find the right man, fall in love,  have a family . . . but that hasn't happened for me. I'll be  thirty-eight at the end of February. My clock's ticking, and all I've  ever wanted is to have children of my own. So . . . here I am, and I'm  not going home until I'm pregnant." She reached over for her mug, almost  empty now, but raised it to Logan in a jaunty toast. "You can be my  not-drinking buddy this winter."

He grinned at that, but then shook his head in slow wonder. "Well, I . .  . I wish you luck. If that's what you want to do, I hope it works out  for you."

"Thanks. Just gotta find a healthy sperm sample from someone with great genes, and I'll be all set." She seemed jovial about it.

"And you want to do that here?"

"Why not? I own a house here, so I don't have to stay at a hotel for  months. I can work remotely. And there's a clinic right here, outside  Aspen, that's top-notch." She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially,  "See, something like this is where having money definitely does help."  She tossed him an exaggerated wink, and he burst out laughing.

He reached for his mug and clinked it to hers. "To you and your plans. I wish you success."

"Thank you very much."

"So no one knows that's why you're really here?"

Her big blue eyes locked on him. "Nope. Just my lifelong best friend at home, and you."

"I'm honored you shared that, then. And, uh . . . if you need anything, let me know."

Tess giggled. "Know any sperm donors with super great sperm?"

He almost choked, but turned it into a dry laugh. "Um, no. But if I do,  I'll let you know. I meant if you need anything . . . I don't know, you  know what I meant."

"I do. And I appreciate it. Thank you."

They both sipped what was left of their cocoa. His was now empty. "I'll get us another round of these, if you like."

"I would, thanks."

He gazed at her as she sat back comfortably, relaxed and beautiful. The  colored lights overhead shadowed her in alluring hues. Her long, long  curls drifted over her shoulders, down over her arms. The expression on  her face was content, but now he knew the truth: The people's princess  didn't have everything after all. His heart gave a twinge for her. "For  what it's worth, I bet you'll make a great mother. Because you're a  really good person."

She blinked at him. "That's . . . nice of you to say. Especially since just the other day, I thought you didn't even like me."

"I was wrong," he said quickly, firmly. "I was an asshole. What you  called me on, you were right." I didn't want to admit to myself how much  I like you, so I grabbed on to whatever I could to convince myself  otherwise. He rose and grabbed both empty mugs. "And hey, any woman  who'd lie down on a hotel lobby floor to comfort a stranger?" He nodded  slowly to punctuate his point. "That's a caring, compassionate person.  Deep in your core, something like that shows who you are. That's what  will make you a great mom."                       
       
           



       

"I hope so." Tess's voice dropped, and she looked away. "I worry  sometimes. I didn't have the best role model in that department."

He sat again, suddenly curious. "Not close to your mom, huh?"

"Noooooo."

Logan caught the flash in her big blue eyes: resentment. Interesting.

"You're close to your mom, though," Tess said. "And that's lovely. How was she today? Hope her treatment was okay?"

He saw right through her attempt to change the subject, but damn, he was  liking her more and more. He put the mugs back on the small table and  sat down. "She's all right, thanks. Just wiped out, like usual. I cooked  her one of her favorite dinners, and we watched about half a movie  before she fell asleep. Which is pretty much what she predicted would  happen."

"She's always right, huh?" Tess guessed with a cheeky grin.

Logan laughed. "She sure thinks she is."

"That's sweet that you cooked for her. Are you any good?"

"What, at cooking?" He put a hand on his heart as if affronted. "Of course I am!"

"Well, good. That makes one of us." She laughed, but said earnestly,  "You're clearly a devoted son. Your mom is lucky to have you."

"Well, I'm all she's got." Logan briefly explained about how his father  had died years ago and his brother lived his own life in the Northwest.  "So, the way I see it, she and I are lucky to have each other. Just wish  she'd get off my back about getting married."

Tess gave him a look. "What?"

"Ah, hell. She means well. She just . . . She wants me to settle down. I  tried that once, and it was a disaster. I'm not cut out for  relationships, much less married life." He sat back. "I do better on my  own. But she doesn't get that. I, uh . . ." He sighed and scrubbed a  hand over his face and beard as he admitted, "I know she doesn't want me  to be alone after she passes, so she worries. It's that simple. So I  get it, but jeeeez, I wish she'd lay off."

Tess chuckled.

"That's funny to you?" he asked, unable to hold back his own budding grin.

"That last part? Yeah, a little," she admitted. She sat up a bit  straighter to gesture over him with her hands. "Look at you! You're this  tremendous, powerful guy. Strong, capable . . . and your mom's giving  you a hard time about dating? That's kind of funny."

"Yeah, if you're not the one who has to hear about it all the time,"  Logan grumbled, but his smile gave him away. "Sounds fucking pathetic,  doesn't it."

They laughed together, and Tess set her hand on his forearm. "You know  what? I wish my mother gave enough of a crap about me to worry about if  I'd end up alone, or if I was okay, or if I was happy. I haven't seen  her in over a year. Before that, I hadn't seen her in two years, and who  knows when I will again. She's too busy jet-setting around Europe to  bother with her children or grandchildren. So your mom may be a little  overbearing, but she sounds wonderful to me."

"She is," he said. He looked deeper into Tess's eyes. "I'm sorry your mom sounds like a real . . . piece of work."

"No worries. I'm used to it." Tess's gaze softened, turned sad. "I'm sorry your mom is so sick. So deeply sorry."

His throat tightened, and he swallowed hard. "Thank you. Me too."

They stared into each other's eyes, connecting silently. She reached  over to give his hand a squeeze, and when she did, something like an  electric current shot right up his arm.

Damn, he wanted to draw her in, hold her close. He didn't, though. That  would blow their "no pressure, non-date" sky-high. He'd promised her a  friendly evening, and he was a man of his word.

"Half an hour to midnight!" someone shouted, and people in the place cheered.

"Night's flying by," she murmured, still staring at him even as she withdrew her hand.

"I know." He cleared his throat and scrubbed his hands over his face, as  if to wake up from whatever spell she'd just put him under. It'd be all  too easy to drown in the depths of her marine-blue eyes. But something .  . . something had just passed between them. Had she felt it too? "I  have to tell you, I'm enjoying this. I'm glad I asked you out, and I'm  glad we're here. Thanks for saying yes."                       
       
           



       

"Thanks for asking me. This is nice." She nestled back against the  cushions. Her red V-neck top shifted, molding itself tighter to her  narrow frame, and he tried not to stare. He bet her small breasts would  fit perfectly in his hands, and in his greedy, wanting mouth. Shit. He  averted his gaze, looking around the room, trying to clear the sizzling  images of her naked body from his mind. "Better get those hot cocoas."  He got to his feet.

* * *

At a quarter to midnight, Logan and Tess were talking about classic  movies when a tall, dark-haired man came over. With an easy smile, he  sat himself down on the wooden coffee table beside their mugs of cocoa.  "What, you don't say hello? Some friend you are."

"I didn't think you were here!" Logan cried, and gave the man a quick  clap of a hug. "Jesus, have you been here the whole night?"

"Actually, no. Bustin' your chops. I was out to dinner, just got here a  few minutes ago." The attractive man turned his dark, assessing gaze to  Tess. "Hello there."

"Tess," Logan said, "this is my friend Ford Rafferty. He owns the place. Ford, this is Tess Harrison."