He groaned in agony. "Not helping!"
They laughed together this time.
She grasped his hands, looked into his eyes, and said. "Dream Team. That's us. You're making my dream come true." She lifted his hands to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. "Thank you again, Logan. So much. I really don't know how to thank you."
"You already did. So stop thanking me now," he said. "Giving me a complex."
"Too bad."
He grinned. "Come on, seriously, you don't have to thank me anymore. Please. I know you're grateful, I promise."
"Fiiiiine." She grinned back. "How's that hard-on doing?"
The thought of her thinking about it made it throb anew. "It does better when you don't talk about it."
She barked out a laugh and released his hands. "Oh, Logan. We can really . . . We can have fun with this."
"Yeah. Maybe we can." He took a deep breath, trying to shake the lust from his system. "Friends," he said, scrubbing his hands over his face in an effort to break her spell. "Friends who can trust each other."
"And who maybe can enjoy some sexy time too," she whispered.
He reached up to cup her chin and said somberly, "It'd be an honor."
Her eyes rounded, a look of astonishment sweeping her features. "I . . . wow."
He smiled, dropped a light kiss on her mouth, and released her. "Don't forget, along with the promise of fantastic and frequent sex, I'll have legal papers to sign. That's all on you, right?"
"Yes." She smoothed out her sweater, working to recompose herself. "I'll call my attorney in the morning. You sure you're okay with all that, right? And I'll add in the part that I'll never come back to try to make you do anything down the line."
"I'll sign all the papers," he said. "I don't want a baby, you do. He or she is all yours. You don't have to worry."
"And when we're with your mom, or out in public, I'll be the best damn girlfriend you could ever ask for," she said. "For as long as you need me to be."
Unaccustomed to the intense emotions that were knocking him around, he moved in and lightly pressed his mouth to hers. Her hands lifted to hold his jaw as she returned the kiss, caressing his beard as she did. The gentle, almost tender kiss ignited something fresh, deep inside him. Something like a renewal. He was looking forward to seeing what came next. Life had just gotten a hell of a lot more interesting.
This situation would benefit them both. They could be friends, helping each other achieve their goals. They were both being open about their wants. No pressure on him about a relationship or expectations, which was how he liked it. There'd be papers to sign, keeping it all legal from her end. And the most important part: Tess would have the baby she so deserved to have. If he passed all the tests, and the doctor gave them the green light, it was all good.
As for her being his fake girlfriend, that could actually be fun-he could see that now. He knew his mother would adore her. Tess would get what she wanted, and he'd get what he wanted. And there could possibly be hot sex thrown in there between friends, a game-changing bonus he hadn't seen coming. Game on.
They were being honest with each other, had a clear agreement, carefully planning everything together, with everything out in the open. What could possibly go wrong?
"So, Mr. Carter?" Those wide blue eyes of hers absolutely sparkled as she smiled gently. God, she was so damn pretty. What a bonus. "We have a deal?"
He cupped her chin again and smiled as he looked at her. She was a fascinating woman. This Long Island lady had blown into his life like a force of nature. She was smart as hell, kind and funny, knew how to separate business from pleasure . . . and also was open to mixing the two. The spots of color on her high cheekbones deepened as he gazed at her. Holy hell, this strikingly gorgeous woman wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Well, he couldn't think of a more worthy teammate. Or a friend. Or a sexier potential lover. All he knew was he was a lucky man, having fallen somehow into an ideal situation. He could help make this incredible woman's biggest dream come true. That was paramount, and made him feel better than anything he'd done in a very, very long time. He could help someone . . . make a lasting difference. Do something deeply good, just for the sake of it, and then be able to walk away.
"Miss Harrison," he murmured, "we have a deal."
Chapter Fifteen
Logan sat quietly during lunch; hell, he didn't have to say much. Tess and his mother were chattering away like old friends. They'd hit it off immediately, as he'd thought they would. How could anyone not like Tess? She was open, friendly, down-to-earth. And really smart. Annmarie liked that, he knew that as well as he knew her. Having been a middle school math teacher for twenty-five years, Annmarie was sharp as a tack, with a keen barometer for bullshit. Tess passed the bar with flying colors before she'd ever stepped foot in the house.
As Annmarie peppered Tess with questions about her job and New York, Logan ate and mused about the past six days. Two visits to the fertility clinic; the first one, he'd filled out a bunch of forms, had a quick basic physical exam, then been discreetly ushered into a cushy, private room to give up his sperm sample. He'd felt awkward and sat there for two minutes, mildly embarrassed at why he was there. Then he brushed it away, took a deep breath, and got down to business, looking at it as a job that had to be done, a simple task. All he had to do was think about Tess . . . how she'd felt beneath him, the taste of her mouth, the softness of her skin . . . and he'd been able to deliver the goods in record time.
The day after that, he'd gone to tell his mother about the new relationship he'd started, and how soon did she want to meet his new girlfriend? Even now, he couldn't help but smile at the delighted, shocked look on Annmarie's face. That alone had been worth the barrage of questions that followed. He hadn't seen his mom that energized in months.
The next evening, he, Tess, and his mom had gone out to dinner at one of Annmarie's favorite restaurants. Tess had just been herself, and Annmarie loved her immediately. The little things Tess had thrown in-touching his arm or hand here, dropping a quick kiss on his cheek there-had helped sell the premise. By the end of dinner, Annmarie was convinced they were a happy new couple, and her obvious joy filled him with relief. Yes, it was a lie. And he hated lying to anyone about anything, most of all his mother. But was it harming her, or anyone else? Dammit, she was happy. His dying mother was happy. Some white lies were worth it.
Now, as Tess answered questions about the Holiday Ball, he gazed at her. God, she was great. She was cool as could be, not overselling them as a couple, just being her fantastic self with the right additional amount of random gestures of affection. And she was so goddamn gorgeous, just looking at her made his blood heat. Dressed simply in an emerald green sweater, jeans, and knee-high tan riding boots, she was relaxed and chatty and exuded light. She didn't seem like a haughty head of a huge New York City company or the precious sweetheart of a powerful billionaire family. She was just . . . normal. Both pleasant and enchanting in every way.
Playing the smitten boyfriend to her was easy as could be, because the fact was, he was crushing on her, he could admit that. But that was it. A little crush, a lot of lust, but mostly easy camaraderie. There was no pressure here; she was his friend now. It was amazing, all the way around.
She glanced over at him from beneath her lashes and smiled. "You're staring," she said flirtatiously.
"Can't help it," he replied. "You're gorgeous." Being able to say things like that was more fun than he'd ever cop to.
"Awww." Tess's smile bloomed as she said, "Back at you, Thor."
He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Remind me to kick Ford's ass for telling you that stupid nickname."
"If the huge Norse-god shoe fits . . ." Tess let her voice trail off and winked.
Annmarie sighed a little. "You two are adorable. I love it."
"Well," Tess said to her, "thanks for making such an incredibly handsome son. I do enjoy looking at him. It's a nice bonus, since he's such a great guy."
Damn, she was good at this. Logan warmed inside at her words; yeah, they were fake, but they were perfect, exactly the kind of thing his mom would like to hear. Flirting with her was fun. He reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze of approval. She winked at him again, then pulled her hand free to take another bite of her pasta salad.