“Don’t worry about it. Like you said, he’s one of us. Put him in the guest room and you take my room. Stay with him. But take care of yourself. Listen to your gut. You’ll know if he’s carrying. Explain the lockdown to him. He won’t like it, but he’s used to orders and regs.”
Mike let out a humorless laugh. “No, he won’t like it. But he knows me, so it shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll take care of him.”
Kensey caught a glimpse of Logan’s brief smile. And oddly, she thought she understood a little of what he was feeling. He had every right to be proud. Taking care of other vets was as much his mission as working to expand his business. And for that, she was proud of him, which was completely ridiculous. She’d met Logan only yesterday. But it wasn’t as if she ran across men like him often.
“I know you will. Listen, buddy, you’re more than ready for this. We get that contract and you’ll be taking on more responsibility. Which you’re also thoroughly prepared for.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Mike said. “Getting the contract, I mean. Have you seen Holstrom yet?”
Kensey froze. The glass she was holding nearly slipped out of her hand.
Holstrom? Had she heard correctly? What business could Logan have with—
Oh, God. The contract he so desperately wanted.
Was this some kind of sick cosmic joke? Of all the companies for Logan to be going after, why did it have to be Holstrom’s? Although it made sense since Holstrom was the largest arms dealer and defense contractor in the country. And Logan had a very aggressive plan to expand quickly.
Silence hung over the room. No one was talking.
Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t realized the call had ended. She cautiously glanced over her shoulder. Logan stood at the window looking out, his voice a low murmur.
No, he hadn’t disconnected the call but had switched to his cell phone. For privacy, she imagined. Was it because he didn’t want her to hear about his dealings with Holstrom? That made her nervous. Even if Logan’s sudden secrecy had nothing to do with her, personally, it could mean he knew Holstrom wasn’t completely on the up-and-up.
She hoped not. She so wanted Logan to be one of the good guys.
With the last of the dishes loaded in the dishwasher, she tightened the belt on her robe, unsure what to do next. She took in the breadth of Logan’s shoulders, the narrowness of his waist, and hips the thick robe couldn’t hide. The backs of his calves were visible, tanned and solid with muscle. He probably ran ten miles every morning before getting around to his regular workout.
Logan wasn’t just smart and ambitious, he was fit and disciplined and knew how to control his ego. Well, not when it came to showing her a thing or two about his agility, she thought, and allowed herself a small smile. But he didn’t care about having his name in the paper or receiving credit for his work. Maybe his strength of character came from operating in the shadows for most of his adult life. It didn’t matter. She was damn good at reading people and Logan hadn’t been faking all that passion burning in his eyes when he’d spoken of his fellow vets. He was nothing like Holstrom.
Which begged the question...how much did Logan really know about the man he wanted to do business with? Had they already met? Did they have any kind of relationship? Or did Logan know only what the public was fed by Holstrom’s very clever PR staff?
To the world, Holstrom was a huge success story. Totally legit businessman. If not for the whispered rumors filtering through her smaller circle, she would have never thought any differently.
She stared at Logan’s back, unsure what to do next. She knew how he expected the rest of the evening to go. Sex had been at the top of her list, as well, until five minutes ago. Even now her body longed for the warmth of his touch. Just thinking about his skilled mouth made her lips part. But did she trust her brain to remain detached? Could she hide the uncertainty and fear building inside her?
He probably had no idea the man he was so desperate to work with was a thief...well, an alleged thief. Although the more she learned about Holstrom, the more convinced she was that it was true. But then proving Holstrom had possession of the Degas was the only hope she had of helping her father. Still, if she was right, which she honestly believed she was, hording works of art for his own pleasure spoke volumes about the kind of man Holstrom was, and for the life of her, she couldn’t imagine Logan sending any of his people to work in Holstrom’s world.
But perhaps that, too, was just wishful thinking. She had no way of knowing if Logan would simply rationalize Holstrom’s behavior. After all, Logan had told her he was more interested in the bigger picture. Interested enough to overlook Holstrom’s transgressions? That was impossible to know unless she came out and asked Logan. No way could that happen. She’d open herself up to all kinds of questions.
And she was in no position to provide answers. Not without setting herself up. It wasn’t as if she was lily white in all this. If she was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the Degas in Holstrom’s possession, she would do everything in her power to expose the man.
Even if it meant Logan’s deal would blow up in his face.
Dammit.
Why hadn’t she kept her distance? Well, she sure as hell had no choice but to stay away from him now.
God, fate could be so damned cruel. She liked Logan. She’d even dared to consider what might happen once they returned to New York. They both led busy lives which involved travel, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it could have turned out to be the perfect arrangement. No strings. No expectations. Great sex.
But now...
She moved toward her bedroom, lingering in the hall to take one last look while he was still engrossed in his conversation. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, which was just as well.
Then she slipped into her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her. He might knock, but she hoped the shut door was message enough.
Most likely Logan knew nothing about the man beyond his shrewd business dealings, and it was difficult for anyone to argue with his success. If Holstrom offered Logan the contract, would he still want it if he did know? Was he right to put his vets first, and take the money, regardless of the morals of the man giving it to him?
She was tempted to call Neil and get his take. But it was late, and he was busy. And she needed to really think about how much she wanted to reveal. Tomorrow would be soon enough. Tonight, she was going to give herself some quiet time to figure things out before she faced Logan again.
It pained her to admit it, but she had to consider the possibility that Logan’s connection to Holstrom might be of use to her. If all else failed, that link could be her way in.
Great. What did that say about her own morals?
* * *
ONCE HE WAS off the phone with Mike, Logan found the kitchen empty. Kensey had obviously been busy. The table was cleared, the cereal and milk put away and the dishwasher loaded. He’d been so deep in conversation with Mike that he hadn’t heard her.
She was probably in his room, waiting. God, he hoped so. Just thinking about her in his bed was making him hard. Forget about replaying what she could do with that lush mouth of hers.
No Kensey in his room or his bathroom. Which led him to standing outside her door.
Her closed door.
Maybe she was just changing. Or brushing her teeth, which he should have done. He almost went back to do just that, but then if she came out looking for him, she might think he wasn’t interested in having part two of their evening, so he waited.
She was awfully quiet. And it didn’t look as if a light was on.
Finally, it came down to leaving or knocking. He wasn’t crazy about either option. But he wanted to talk to her. If he’d said something or done something...maybe she felt insulted that he’d been on the phone for so long. But he doubted that. Kensey wasn’t the type to get huffy over him taking a work call.
Maybe he should knock. Just once. If she didn’t answer, or if no light came on, he’d go back to his own room and that would be that.
Disappointed and confused, he stood there for another minute before he turned and walked down the hall. At first he’d thought it was cool that Sam programmed the floor tiles to illuminate with each footfall. But the lighted path he retraced to his room cast weird shadows on the walls.
The plain white walls.
He’d never seen them turn an eerie shade of white before. What the hell did that mean?
9
STILL DRINKING THE coffee he’d bought a block away, Logan entered the exhibition hall. The place was already crowded, but then it was already on the late side.
This morning he’d discovered another excellent feature the apartment offered. Sensors had picked up that he’d awoken and the coffee he’d forgotten to program the previous night had been ready by the time he shuffled to the kitchen. He’d hoped the scent would have lured Kensey out of her room. Hell, for all he knew, she’d left before he’d gotten up. The door to her room had remained closed.
He’d taken the taxi he’d planned on sharing with her, his mood sullen, the temptation high to give in to his hurt feelings.
But what possible good could it do? He’d come to this conference feeling excited. There was so much riding on the outcome of the next couple of days: his presentation, his meeting with Holstrom. The tightness in his gut was familiar, built over years of combat conditions. It was his engine, that tightness. It made him quicker, smarter, more careful.