Crazy for Her(72)

So, his girl snored. Should he tell her? He thought he should because he didn’t doubt she would deny it with fire flashing from those Irish eyes. She would glare at him all hot and defiant. The thought made him hard.

He rolled over on his back and put an arm over his eyes. How was he to go on without her? Who would scowl at him and tell him he was being stupid? No one else in his life would dare. Well, maybe Mrs. Jankowski might, but it didn’t have the same effect. And then there was his hand. It no longer held the appeal it had before Dani.

The red numbers on the clock said it was four in the morning. Quietly slipping out of bed, he went out on the deck and collected their wet garments, the coffee cups, and wineglasses. Downstairs, he went outside, removed his shirt from the umbrella pole, and threw all their clothes into the dryer. Their dinner dishes were filled with leftover food and rainwater. Balancing them carefully, he took them inside, rinsed off the plates, and loaded everything in the dishwasher.

All the while, his thoughts centered on the woman asleep in his bed. Would she look at him tomorrow with those soft eyes? A SEAL motto filtered through his mind: The only easy day was yesterday.

If, in the morning, she acted as if their time together meant nothing to her, then tomorrow was going to be a bitch. Yesterday he could have moved forward in a life without her. Today, he didn’t think it possible. If he’d truly understood how much he needed her, he doubted he would have straddled his bike and turned the wheels in the direction of Asheville. Buchanan could have protected her just as well, and Logan wouldn’t have hesitated to send Romeo to her. Now, no one got near her but him, and that was likely going to be his downfall.

He no longer gave a damn. She was his.

Checking around, he saw no sign of their sexual romp through the house. Satisfied Mrs. Jankowski could find no reason to look at him with eyes too knowing, Logan returned to his bedroom and eased between the sheets.

Dani murmured and turned, snuggling into his body. He wrapped an arm around her waist and flattened his palm on her lower back. She quieted and her breathing evened. The idea that he had that kind of effect on her, even in her sleep, soothed him.

“Mine,” he whispered, his mouth near her ear. “You’re mine, Dani, and I’m keeping you.”

All he had to do now was make his words come true.





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN



I didn’t want to like you.”

Dani smiled and zipped her suitcase closed before glancing at Maria, leaning against the door frame. “I know. Have a seat and keep me company for a few minutes.”

Logan’s sister sauntered in and sat on the bed. “I didn’t like the way he looked at you, and I guess I had the silly idea you were going to take my brother away. From as far back as I can remember, he’s been there for me. Kind of like he’s always been mine, and then he brings you home, something he’s never done before. Has Logan told you about our mother?”

“He’s talked about her some,” Dani said, cautiously. She was positive she knew things about their mother that Logan had never shared with Maria.

Curiosity lit Maria’s eyes. “He never talks about her to anyone, even me.”

“Well, you have to admit it’s not a pretty subject.”

Maria snorted. “Now there’s an understatement. I shudder to think where I’d be today if not for my brother.” She glanced away. “Probably headed down the same path as Lovey Dovey.”

Dani thought there was no “probably” about it. “I’m very glad you had him, then.”

“The thing is, I’ve never seen him this happy before, and it’s because of you. He’s barely growled at me since he brought you home, so I guess I’m going to have to like you for that, if nothing else.”

“Dani, Maria, let’s go,” Logan’s voice sounded from the hallway.

Maria jumped up and gave Dani a fierce hug. “He deserves to be happy, so thank you. I’m going to miss you. You have to promise to come back and see me.”

“I promise, and you have an open invitation to visit me any time you want.”

“Cool.”

Since his confessions their first night, Logan had started smiling more, even laughing more, as each day passed. No matter what happened between them when everything was over, Dani hoped it was a permanent change for him. It felt good to know she’d played a role in helping him slay his demons.

Maria’s claim that his happiness was because of her made Dani uneasy, though. Where their relationship went from here, she didn’t know. She still had a big issue with the danger he put himself in.

Leaving Regan in the care of Mrs. Jankowski, Dani rode with Logan and Maria to K2. In the conference room, she sat down with them, Jake, and Jamie Turner, who’d returned from Texas the night before.