Thirteen
After a long, cramped ride to Portsmouth in a tow truck, Callie and Logan had differing views on how they should spend the night. She and Logan should have been winding down back roads back to Newport with the warm summer air blowing through their hair and the moon rising somewhere behind them. Instead, they were standing on a sidewalk outside a garage somewhere in Portsmouth. The smell of salt water and motor oil hung in the air. At least it wasn’t raining. While Callie started looking for rental cars to get back to Rhode Island, Logan got on his phone and made a few calls.
“It’s all set,” he said.
“How?” Callie asked. “Every car place I’ve tried is closed for the night.”
“Who said anything about renting a car? I got us a hotel room,” Logan said. He flashed her that quick smile that let her know his intentions were less than noble.
“We should really head back. We’re only a few hours away, and we can have the car towed back. I don’t even have anything to sleep in,” Callie said.
“You say that like it’s a negative,” Logan said with a laugh. “Come on; the car died as we kissed. If that isn’t a sign, what is?”
“It sounds like a sign that I shouldn’t kiss you anymore.” The more Callie thought about that one, the truer it seemed.
“Maybe it means we should spend the night here and not worry so much about heading back. You’re on vacation. Go with the flow for once. My car gave her life so that we could enjoy one night here. I think we owe her that much.”
“First of all, your car is going to be fine, and second, when did you car become a she?”
“How could a car as sexy as that be anything but a she? If she were a guy, it would give a whole new meaning to drag race.”
Callie laughed in spite of herself and shook her head. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Yes,” Logan said, “that was a joke. Let’s spend the night. We’ll head back in the morning. It will be nice. Here you won’t be a guest of the family. You won’t have any other obligations, and I won’t be tending to a dozen other things at once. One night, you and me and maybe some wine.”
“I thought you were a beer guy,” Callie said.
“I’m willing to make an exception,” Logan said.
“And what happens if I say no?” Callie asked.
“You’re free to find your own way back, I guess. If you say yes, I’d love to bring you out to dinner and see where the night leads us.”
“How about I bring you out for dinner as a thank you for helping out today? You were really great. I don’t know why you’re so hard on yourself all the time. Sure, you have a reputation, but it doesn’t seem to fit you.”
“Look, I’m trying to do things right this time around. I’m trying to keep out of the tabloids and gossip blogs. It would be nice to be something other than a f*ck-up for a change. Sometimes I really hate being Hank Harris’s son. Let’s leave it at that.”
Callie placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. “You know that’s not true. You’ve turned your life around. Look at you. You’re everything a woman could want. You’re handsome and funny and smart and successful. Who cares if you come from money?”
“Everyone does. Family, friends, every woman I’ve ever met. Do you want me to go on?”
“Well, I don’t care. You could be a bartender or a mechanic. You’d still be you, and I’d still like you.”
“It would be nice not to be Logan Harris for a night. It would be nice to forget about all of the expectations and mistakes and all of it.”
“Yeah?” Callie asked. “What do you say to leaving it all for a night? Just one night: you and me. We’re already stuck here. Why don’t we take this opportunity to forget about the yacht and the mansion and the family fortune? You can be you, and I’ll be me with none of the other stuff to get in the way. Of course, we’ll have to find a place to stay first.”
“You know, a friend of mine owns a hotel on the water. Have you ever heard of the Federal House?”
“You’re not even two minutes into trying to be a normal guy, and you’re already calling your hotel-owning friend for a favor? How about I call and book a room for the two of us. Something modest.”
“I’ve only ever stayed in the Harbor Suite. You should see the views.”
“How about a regular room. How does that sound?”
“As long as you’ll be there, it sounds great. It’s exciting.”
“Yeah it is. I can’t wait to see how you do without the restaurant and yacht and all of your toys.”
“Depends on which toys you’re talking about,” Logan said a little too eagerly.
“Careful,” Callie said. “Remember what you said about doing things right? I’ll make the reservation.”
“Well, a hotel room, a beautiful woman, and nothing but my wits and a bottle of wine. It sounds like everything is exactly right.”
The walk to the hotel barely took more than five minutes. Callie was surprised at how nice the quaint brick building was inside. After she gave her name at the desk, the clerk said, “Enjoy your stay, Mr. and Mrs. Haven.”
Callie had to hold back her laughter until she and Logan were in the elevator. “Logan Haven. You know it has a nice ring to it. If you ever decide you want to settle down, I think we should both take my name.”
“Oh is that right?” Logan asked. He stepped up to Callie sliding his hands over her hips and leaning her back against the wall of the elevator. The doors to the elevator opened before he even had a chance to kiss her. “I’m used to longer elevator rides.”
“A longer ride to the penthouse than to the second floor?” Callie asked.
“We could always step back in and press hold. I’m sure we can keep the elevator in place long enough.”
Callie shook her head. “Come on, let’s check out the room.”
The room was clean, with an old fashioned arm chair and a dark, antique desk on one side and a four-poster bed on the other. Though it was on the small side, the room did have an water view, and Callie opened the window to let the night breeze float in.
“So what do regular people do for dinner?” Logan asked. “Do you just eat less caviar or are there other foods that are acceptable?”
Callie laughed. “You own a brewery, Logan, not a Michelin rated restaurant.”
“Point taken,” Logan said.
Callie pulled out her phone to find a place to eat, but Logan grabbed it out of her hand. “Work is done for the day.”
“Hardly fair that I’m the one without a phone,” Callie said. “Besides, I was just looking for a restaurant.”
Logan turned his phone off and tossed it onto a chair with hers. “Now we’re even. You are on vacation, and now I am on vacation. We’re on equal footing.”
“We’re staying in a hotel owned by a friend of yours. How is that equal footing?” Callie asked.
“Like you don’t have any powerful friends or colleagues who could help you out in a moment of need? Please, we’re both here,” Logan said. “That’s good enough for me.”
Callie shot him a look of fake displeasure. “Oh, so now I’m just good enough?”
“If you spend the rest of the night arguing with me? Maybe. How about we get some dinner and enjoy the night air?”
“That’s what I was trying to do. Unless you know a place, I’ll need my phone back.”
“I might have something in mind,” Logan said.
“Will I need a ball gown, or will a simple black dress do?”
“Neither,” Logan said. He gave her a wicked grin as he looked her over.
“If you think you’re getting me naked, you’ll have to try harder than that,” Callie said.
“I wasn’t trying to get you naked, Callie. When I want you naked, you’ll know.”
“Good to know that the cocky Logan is still in there somewhere. I thought you had gone soft on me.”
Logan gave a low laugh. “I think you’ll find that that isn’t a problem.”
Callie felt a growl in her stomach. “We need to eat.”
“I know just the place,” Logan said, “And you can wear whatever you want.”
***
Callie stood in front of the large, backlit menu and gave Logan a second look. “This is the place?” she asked. She was wearing a dress and high heels. Apparently Logan hadn’t been kidding about there not being a dress code. This place was in-between the water and a parking lot.
“Best seafood on the eastern seaboard. I can’t believe there isn’t a line,” he said.
“It’s a shack… with a neon sign.” Callie said. She gave Logan a long look. She squinted her eyes and studied his face to see if he was playing some kind of practical joke, but he seemed completely serious.
“Yup, and almost everything is deep fried. Is that a problem?” he asked.
“For my appetite, no. For my figure? We’ll see.”
“Hang out here,” Logan pointed to a set of plastic outdoor table and chair sets next to the sign. The chairs were strewn about like someone had left in a hurry, and the tables were still covered in crumbs from previous diners. Callie decided to go with the flow and sat down. She could hear the sizzle of the deep frier from inside the shack. Logan laughed at Callie’s lack of enthusiasm. “I’ll order a plate for two,” he said.
“How romantic,” Callie said flatly.
“It will be like that scene in Lady and the Tramp, except with clam strips instead of spaghetti,” Logan offered.
“We’re already more or less in an alleyway,” Callie joked, she couldn’t help but laugh at the truth of her statement.
“Come on, we’re right on the water. We just saved a relationship from destruction, and we’re alone on a beautiful night. What’s could be more romantic than that?”
“Go order,” Callie said. A roof, a floor? Basic sanitary facilities? What exactly are the prerequisites for a romantic dinner? She watched Logan place the order and admitted to herself that there was a certain charm to eating outside with plastic forks and knives.
A few minutes later, Logan returned with a tray overflowing with every kind of seafood Callie could imagine. There were clams and muscles, lobster rolls, fish and chips, even calamari and scallops. “I thought you said this was for two. I think you could feed a family for a week with all this food.”
“Don’t forget the drink,” Logan said. He pointed to the massive soda that anchored one corner of the tray. “I’m counting on you to eat most of this anyway.”
“Ha,” Callie exclaimed, but then she took her first bite. Heaven. She was in heaven. Their car must have run off the road and now she was in heaven, because this was the best seafood she had ever had. The fish was flaky and tender. The clam strips were delicious and the batter had just the right amount of crunch and salt, and who cared if it was all deep fried? It was blissfully good. Each bite seemed better than the next. Then there was the lobster roll. Light and sweet, it melted in her mouth. It was all perfect. She could have eaten a dozen of them in one sitting. By the time Callie looked up, half the food was already gone, and Logan was smiling at her.
“You know, this might be the first time I’ve seen you eat,” he said.
“That’s not true. We had dinner on your boat, or have you already forgotten?”
“That was different. You picked at that. This you devoured. I like women who eat in front of men. God, if I have to watch another woman eat half a salad and declare herself full.”
Callie looked down at all the fried food. She’d probably be eating nothing but salads for the next week to make up for the meal, so she might as well make it worth her while. “Watch out, you might get what you ask for: a bunch of women with big appetites and bigger hips.”
“I like your hips the way they are, and, if eating like this is the key to your figure, please keep it up.”
The truth was, Callie could barely eat another bite. Ok, maybe she could find room for a few more clam strips. After another several minutes, she took a long sip of coke and declared herself full. “I feel like we’re in high school,” she said. “Eating fast food and drinking soda. It’s nice.”
“Yeah, the high schooler we visited today knocked up his teacher,” Logan said as he took the tray from Callie and popped a fried clam into his mouth and looked Callie over as he chewed. “If you want to pretend to be my teacher, I won’t protest. I’ve always had a thing for women in positions of power.”
“Let me guess, most of those positions are on top of you?” Callie said with a laugh.
“Look at you,” Logan said, “only a few weeks under my wing and you’re already worse than I am.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Callie said, taking a napkin and wiping her mouth.
Logan finished off the last of the clams and tossed the rest of the tray into the trash. “Come on, it’s a beautiful night. Let’s walk.” He stood up and offered his arm to Callie, and they headed down the street together. Callie rested her head against Logan’s shoulder as they strolled in the moonlight. “Thanks for letting me tag along,” he added.
“I should be the one thanking you. I don’t think Governor Callahan will be too thrilled when he finds out, but you did the right thing, and you gave those two a shot at real love. I still can’t believe it though. After all your talk about not believing people can find happiness together, you’re a complete softy.”
“Don’t read anything more into it than what it was,” Logan said. “I saw a way to end things quickly and in everyone’s best interest.”
“Yeah, right. You know, you’d make a great crisis manager.”
“Last time I checked, I was a walking crisis.”
“Well, that’s what could make you so valuable. I saw how you worked with Luke today. You understood him, and you got him to work with you. That’s invaluable.”
“Maybe I should start up my own firm. Think I could hire you out from under your sister?” Logan asked.
“Well, by the time she has her baby, I’ll be the one in charge of Haven Communications, and I don’t think you’d be very successful in luring me away from my own company.”
“Hey, my bad for bringing up Amy, but let’s try to forget about everything else tonight, ok? Let’s just be you and me and a rather small hotel room with a partial water view.”
“That sounds like something I could go for,” Callie said.
“Good, because we’re almost back to the hotel, and I wanted to try out a few of those positions we talked about earlier.”
“Oh is that right?” Callie asked.
“You’ll have to come with me to find out,” Logan said.
That sounded just fine to her.
***
Before opening the door to the hotel room, Callie passed for a moment and made herself a promise. Whenever they ended up getting back to Newport, she was going to find some way to tell Logan why she had come there. She didn’t know how, but she had to tell him. There was more to Logan than she had expected. Behind the flash and the wit and the body, there was more than just a rich playboy. When he let his guard down, he was tender and caring and sweet. She wondered if he’d ever forgive her or if the whole thing would just fall apart as soon as she revealed her lie.
Logan placed his hand over hers and opened the door. So much for thinking about tomorrow. Callie leaned into him and let herself swoon, let his gravity pull her firm against his chest. Together, they tumbled into the room, and, when the door clicked shut behind them, Callie knew exactly what she wanted from him. She pressed her nose in the hollow above his collar and she inhaled. His deep, cool cologne felt so familiar, so comforting. She slipped her fingers around the top button and kissed his neck, sucking and lightly circling her tongue against his salty skin. He must have worked up a sweat back in the car, she thought. She wouldn’t mind doing so again.
She pushed herself tight against him. She could feel the powerful pulse of his heart. Desire rose deep inside her core. She pulled at his shirt, tugging it open and pulling it aside, leaving only the thin undershirt between her and him. Callie reached down and grabbed at the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up over his shoulders, exposing his abs and chest.
Logan grabbed the edge of her shirt and began to lift where Callie had stopped. Before he pulled it completely off, she leaned down and kissed his chest. She wanted to him to make her feel sexy again, powerful and connected. She wanted to feel his excitement at each and every motion of her body. She ran her hands back down over his torso and ran one hand over the bulge of his erection. Well, she was off to a good start so far. She listened to his excited breaths as she pulled his belt off. He wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
Logan tossed his shirt onto the ground and ran his hands slowly up Callie’s thighs. With each inch his fingers moved, Callie grew more excited. Her only worry was that he’d try to be too much of a gentleman, taking things slowly and letting her dictate the pace. She didn’t want that though. She wanted to give herself to him completely. She wanted to tear at his clothes, and she wanted him to tear at hers until there was nothing left between them.
“Tell me what you want,” he said.
“I want you. And I want you to want me and only me. And I don’t want you to waste another second.” She looked up at Logan and saw the desire in his eyes. He slid his hands under her dress up to her thighs, hooking his fingers under her underwear. No, he wasn’t being timid. He wasn’t worried about making sure everything was just right. Callie could tell that he wanted exactly what she wanted, that he didn’t want to waste another second. With one quick motion, he had her panties down around her knees. He slid his hands back over her naked hips. Callie trembled.
What a difference it made, losing that one little piece of clothing. She took a shallow breath as he slid his hand over her thigh and between her legs. Callie tilted her head back as she felt his touch. She moaned as her excitement grew stronger. Logan had lowered his lips to her neck and kissed her as he continued working his fingers against her sex. He kissed her chest and then knelt down before her. He kissed her inner thigh. Callie felt a bloom of warmth as he moved his mouth further and further up her leg, his lips sticking to her skin with each kiss. He ran his hands up under her dress, sliding them across her stomach and over her hips, like he wanted to feel all of her curves as he settled in and sent overwhelming waves of pleasure through her core.
Callie closed her eyes focused on the pleasure. Each wave felt better than the last, and she just wanted to collapse into him. “Logan, I need you,” she said.
He stood up and ran his hand over her back, grabbing the zipper and slowly pulling it. As he pulled it down, Callie felt the rush of cool air against her bare skin.
“Bed,” Logan said as he helped Callie pull the dress off. He reached behind her and unhooked her bra. He pulled the straps off of her shoulders and stared down at her as she let the bra fall to the floor.
Callie knew Logan could tell how turned on she was. She was already wet with desire, but she didn’t want to seem like she had lost all control over herself. “Shame,” she replied. “I was expecting something more adventurous from you. Besides, you’re still half dressed.”
“Well, if you want adventure, we could always head out and continue this in the parking lot. Besides, its not my fault you’re not as good at getting what you want.”
“What makes you say that?” Callie asked. She had already hopped into bed.
Logan kicked his pants off as he crawled into bed next to her. “You want me as much as I want you. Now come over here. And withhold your judgment on the level of adventure until after the ride.”
Callie bit her lip and positioned her hands to cover herself. She suddenly felt significantly more naked than she had in Logan’s arms. “I hope this ride comes with safety measures.”
“Of course it does. Now let me kiss you or it’s starting without you.” Logan leaned over Callie and kissed her neck first. He ran his hand over her side, sending little shivers up her spine, finally settling his hand against her ribcage, just below her breast. He kissed across her collarbone, and then her neck, warm, slow kisses, the kind that made her want nothing more than to turn and meet his lips with hers, but she held off and waited. She wanted to know what he would do next. He leaned in and let his hot breath linger on her skin before he pulled back. He ran his hand over her breast, rubbing his fingers against her nipple. She felt that rush again, the jolt of anticipation and the thrill of being completely wanted. Then he kissed her on the lips and turned himself against her, but Callie wasn’t content to feel wanted, she wanted to give him pleasure too.
Callie slid her fingers over the ripples of his abs and let her hand slip lower and lower until she felt the heat of his erection. She smiled as she kissed him, and she wrapped her hand around the base of his manhood. As she stroked him, she felt a small, breathy moan escape his lips. “You’re incredible,” he said. She had never felt this sure of herself in bed, had never known exactly how to respond to every move, how to give and take like this. She leaned down and kissed his chest, sliding herself lower, kissing his hard abs. She heard his small gasp of excitement and she lowered her mouth against his tip and pushed him inside. She ran her hands over his thighs as she pleasured him, and listed to his excited breaths. It made her even hotter to know how much he wanted her, to make him feel as good as she had.
Now she wanted to feel him inside her. She leaned back and rubbed him as he admired her body. “I want you now,” he said.
Callie kissed his stomach and his chest and brushed her breasts against him, feeling that thrill of her nipples against his skin before she said, “So take me.”
“Condom is across the room,” he said.
“I’m on the pill,” she said.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to get it?”
She nodded and straddled him again. She wanted to feel him and only him. She wanted nothing between their bodies. As Logan pressed himself against her, she gasped in anticipation. As he slid inside her, the pleasure overwhelmed her, and took her breath away. As soon as she could breathe again, Callie cried out in delight. She had never felt anything like this before in her life. Her heart raced and her mind blanked as Logan pushed deeper inside her. Each motion of his hips against hers sent new waves of pleasure crashing through her. She wrapped her arms around him and locked her mouth against his and kissed him as hard as she could.
Everything but the motion of their bodies faded away, and Callie gave herself completely to him, rocking herself back and forth against him as he raised the pace of his thrusts. She shouted in excitement the way she had before, but this time, she barely heard herself, everything except for her connection to him seemed like background noise. Soon she felt climax coming on, a powerful orgasm rising up inside her, a rolling earthquake of pure bliss shaking her body as Logan raced to completion. And then she felt it, the explosion of their shared climax, an overwhelming shockwave of pure delight that shook her until she felt she had been completely undone.
Whatever she had with Logan, she couldn’t deny that it was more intense than anything she had ever felt before. As she lay in bed next to him with only a sheet covering her, Callie wondered what all of this meant. Did they really have something? Or was this how he made all of his women feel?
Maybe he saw the look of concern on her face, or maybe he could tell what she was thinking, but Logan kissed her shoulder and asked, “everything alright? What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” she said.
“Come on, you can’t just have mind-blowing sex like than and then lie around looking so… unsatisfied.”
“Oh, trust me that was satisfying,” Callie said.
“Then tell me what it is. Come on, you know you can tell me anything, right?”
“I don’t need this to be anything more than what it is,” Callie said, “but I can’t just be another conquest.” She wondered if those two statements were completely contradictory.
“This is so much more than that. You know we have something special together, right?” Logan drew a line in the air with his finger. “Here’s the line I told you about the other night. On one side: you and me. On the other side: the world.” He held his hand above them, like he could still see the imaginary line he had drawn. “I like that arrangement,” he added with a smile.
“I do too,” Callie said. She pulled his hand down and placed his palm against her cheek.
“Good. Let’s keep it that way for a while.”
Was Logan saying what she thought he was saying? Earlier he had told some complete stranger that he had feelings for her, and now he was even admitting his feelings to her, even if it was in his typical nonchalant way. This was about as close to a committed relationship as she could imagine him going. “What happened to all that crap about a different woman every night?”
“That’s more of a guideline than a rule. Besides, I like breaking the rules, even when they’re my own.”
“Oh, is that so? Which rule of yours are you going to break next?”
“Maybe I’ll admit that you were right about a few things.”
Callie sat up and looked at him. “Logan Harris admitting he’s wrong? Should I call a press conference?”
“Just Logan tonight. And if you’re going to call a press conference, you might want to put on some clothes first.”
Callie smiled at him and leaned in, holding her lips just short of his. “I thought you wanted to be adventurous,” she said. “So what were you wrong about?” She wanted Logan to feel her breath on his lips. “Are you admitting that you’ve lost our bet? After all, despite everything else, those two yesterday seemed pretty in love, and you haven’t made a peep about the adorable old couple in Newport.”
“If I remember correctly, those weren’t the terms of our bet. I bet you that you would introduce me after seeing that I was right about them.”
“And I still haven’t. So what’s your big admission?”
“That I was wrong,” he said.
“About?”
“When we met, I thought I had women figured out. I thought I had everything figured out. And, well, I’ve known you for long enough now to know that you’re a complete mystery,” Logan said.
“Am I supposed to understand anything you just said?” Callie asked.
“Usually, when I meet someone, I know what they want from me. Men who want money or adventure, women who want sex or money, or both, but you, I can’t figure out what you want from me. I like that.”
Maybe because that’s because I don’t know what I want from you, Callie thought. Part of her wanted to get serious with Logan, wanted believe in the deep ache she felt whenever he wasn’t there and the deeper ache she felt whenever he was. She wanted to dive head first into love with him, but another part of her knew that this couldn’t last.
“It will be good to get back to normal,” Logan said.
Callie nodded without thinking. It had become normal. Her time with Logan had felt so natural. Even when he was driving her nuts or making her do something ridiculous, she never felt like there was somewhere else she should be. “When did this become normal?”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked.
“I mean, when did we become… this?” Callie wanted to say more. Logan’s carefree ways be damned, she wanted to put a label on it. After all, he had already sworn off other women. Wasn’t that a sign of something? And she, well, at least for a few hours, she had forgotten all about her job and the reason she had been sent to Logan in the first place. It had allowed her to feel good about herself. It had allowed her to think that maybe she could be the kind of person who falls in love.
“I think we’ve always been us,” he said, “but we’ve just been waiting to meet each other.”
That’s it, Callie decided, in the morning, as soon as they were back in Newport, she was going to figure out some way to tell him. She didn’t want to ruin their night or their trip, but she knew she had to tell him the truth. The only question was whether he would feel anything other than betrayed when told him.