Six
The week had been a blur. The harder Logan tried to finish the last of his work at the brewery, the quicker new problems seemed to pop up. All he wanted was to step aside, hand over the business and turn his attention back to Callie. She was still a mystery. It had been almost a week since he had kissed her right there at the bar, and yet she acted like nothing had happened between them. She didn't act awkward or keep her distance. She just put on a cheerful face and pretended like they were simply good acquaintances.
Like hell they were. Logan had kissed his fair share of women, and none of them, not one, had ever left him hanging the way Callie had. How she could act like she hadn't felt the electricity between them was beyond him. It was maddening. Maybe this was her thing, maybe she enjoyed making men want her, popping up here and there at random moments, just when they were able to put her out of their minds.
She seemed to have a special talent for that, just appearing whenever he thought of her, which was often. If she hadn't so steadfastly declined his invitations to join him, he would have suspected she had been following him. Maybe it had all been a coincidence, and this was the universe's way of telling him to get out of his own damn way and just open up to someone for once. Or maybe it had been her very reluctance to join him that had interested him so much. Unobtainable women fell over themselves to spend time with him. Callie on the other hand, was maddeningly within his reach, and yet he couldn't have her. When she accepted his invitation to join him at the brewery for a private tour, he had almost fallen over in surprise. Maybe there was hope after all.
Now she was sitting across from him at the bar, sampling a few of the better lagers and ales on tap. He had rushed through the tour to get to this point. For whatever reason, Logan always felt most comfortable with bar before him and a pint glass in his hand. It made him feel like he was in his element. He had spent enough time talking about the brew kettles and the production process. He was eager to turn the conversation back to Callie, and why she had finally decided to join him at the brewery.
"Ok, hotshot, show me what you've got."
"Right here in front of all these people?" Logan asked.
"I meant the beer," Callie said. "I told you that I was ready to take you up on your offer. So teach me."
Logan hopped behind the bar and grabbed a glass, pouring half a pint of amber liquid. "Prepare to be amazed by the best beer you've ever had," he said as he slid the glass over to her.
Callie took one sip and scrunched up her face. "What was that?" she asked.
"That's an IPA.”
“What does that mean?”
“India pale ale.” Logan watched Callie scrunch up her nose and pucker her lips like she had just bitten into a lemon. “Let me guess, you weren’t a fan.” Logan took note.
Callie finished her sip and shook her head. “Maybe something sweeter next?” she offered. “It got really bitter at the end.”
"That would be the hops. Every beer is made with the same base ingredients. Malted barley, yeast, water and hops. The barley provides the sugar for fermentation, the hops give the beer flavor. You can figure what the water is for.”
"I don't think I'm a fan of hops,” Callie said. She took another sip and shook her head. "What's next?"
"Try this one." Logan poured a lighter beer and handed it to her.
Callie took a sip and smiled. Logan watched as she tried to figure out the different tastes in the beer. "Is that citrus?" she asked.
"Yeah, that's our summer lager, one of my favorites. It's perfect with a little bit of orange."
Callie took another sip. She smiled. Logan was relieved for her to find one she actually liked. "So you handpicked each of these?"
"Along with a few friends," he said, "I had the tough job of drinking beer this winter. You can imagine how hard it was on me."
"Yeah, you poor thing."
Logan slid the next beer over to her and another after that. Over the next hour, he had given her small samples of each of the twelve he had on tap. Callie could feel her head buzzing as she took a sip of the final, a coffee stout. "I give in!" she said, "I mean, maybe I could concede that a few of these are actually good."
"Which one was the winner?" Logan asked.
"The summer," Callie said, "I think it was the summer. They've all kind of blurred together in my mind."
"Well, if you keep drinking, everything will blur together. A table just opened up on the deck, how about I pour you a summer and I'll meet you out there in a minute?"
"Sounds good to me," Callie said. She headed out and took a seat at the corner of the deck. Logan watched her sitting there in the soft evening sun, the wind blowing her hair just off of her shoulders. She looked so beautiful, so perfect. Logan tried to imagine what she must have been thinking out there as that gentle breeze washed over her skin, the ocean air mixing with the sounds of the restaurant from inside. Was she enjoying herself? When he brought the drinks out, he was surprised to find that Callie had leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.
"It's so beautiful here," she said as he placed the pints down. "This is exactly what I wanted from this trip, a chance to lean back and relax."
Callie's words ran together just a little bit, enough for Logan to tell that she was starting to get drunk. A full tasting was probably a bit too much. "Maybe I should get you a water or something," he said, heading slowly towards the bar with his eyes still on Callie. He had been looking forward to learning more about her, and that wasn't going to happen if she got fall-down drunk.
"I've been thinking about that kiss the other night," Callie said.
"Yeah?" Logan said. He stopped walking. "I guess I have, too. What about it?" As much as he tried to downplay it, Logan hadn't been able to stop thinking about Callie or that kiss since she had leaned into him and planted her lips on his. The kiss had been a complete surprise, the last thing he had expected from her. Logan was usually deft at reading women, but Callie had him completely confused. He couldn't tell what she was going to do from one moment to the next, and he liked the thrill and surprise he felt whenever she made her next move.
More than the surprise of it, he couldn't stop thinking about the kiss itself. Callie had kissed him for maybe fifteen seconds, just long enough for him to lean back into her and slide his tongue against hers, just long enough for that wonderful, dizzy feeling to fill his head and his chest and make him feel like he was falling. Then, almost as soon as Callie had kissed him, she had pulled away, leaving him wanting more.
"Can you keep a secret?" Callie asked, motioning with her finger for him to come closer.
"It depends on whether or not it's one worth keeping."
"I've been thinking about kissing you again."
"Oh, really?" Logan asked. He looked down at Callie's pint glass. She had already finished off half of her beer, and he was beginning to wonder if she were buzzed. "And why would you do a thing like that? I seem to remember you saying something about being my father's houseguest and not wanting to cause any trouble."
Callie's grin widened. "Maybe I need to figure out if I want to kiss you again."
"And the way to figure that out is by kissing me?"
"Yeah," Callie said. She took another deep drink of her drink. For someone who didn't like beer, she sure was drinking it quickly. "Maybe I could use a little more trouble in my life." Callie hiccuped at the end of her sentence. God, even her hiccups were cute.
Callie, I'm more trouble than I'm worth, he thought. "Yeah, I think maybe it might be time to get you home."
"Let's just stay for one more drink," Callie said. "And then we can go.” Instead, they started telling each other stories. With each story, Logan and Callie each leaned in a little closer together. Hours passed. The stories started to blur together until Callie announced that she only had one more story to tell. “Want to hear about my first time?” she asked.
“Woah,” Logan said. “I didn’t expect that turn.”
“No I meant my first job for Haven Communications, the first time I went into the field on my own.”
“I would love to hear that story. Maybe some time you can tell me the other one too,” he said.
Callie blushed at his suggestion and shrugged it off. “So I had flown out to California, and the client — I can’t tell you his name, so let’s call him Brian — had a Rolls Royce come pick me up at the airport. He had been married for a few years, and he was selling off his winery in order to move with his wife back to the East Coast. I should mention that this was Brian’s third wife, and she was a little insecure about their relationship, probably because it had started while he was still married to the second wife.”
“This is getting interesting,” Logan said. He liked the way Callie’s face lit up when she told a story, the way she made eye contact and swung her arms around to add extra flourish to everything anecdote. “So what happened?”
“Well, Brian’s wife had found out that he had sent the car out to the airport, and she had noticed that he had been sneaking around doing something. Her mind had jumped to an affair.”
“How do you know that?” Logan asked.
“Well, she threatened me with her stiletto on the tarmac as soon as I tried to get in the car. She yelled, ‘Are you Bella? You bitch! I should have known he’d screw some young blonde.’ I didn’t know what to say so I pulled out my license and handed it to her, and I explained who I was and what I did for a living. Well, that convinced her that her husband was trying to cover up an affair, only now she thought it was with someone else.
“When we got back, Brian was waiting on the front steps for his wife, and she shot across the walkway at him, swearing and shouting and calling him every name she could imagine, and asked him how he thought he could hide something like that from her.”
“So what happened?” Logan asked.
“Well, he looked at me, and he shrugged, and then he said, ‘I thought she’d make you happy.’ I took a step back at that point and readied myself for the fireworks. ‘You what?’ she shouted. ‘You are sick! I can’t believe you!’ She collapsed on the ground.”
‘Honey, what’s going on?’ Brian asked. ‘Are you feeling sick?’ You should have seen the look of confusion on his face. Meanwhile, she was clawing at her face. ‘I am now,’ she said. ‘You thought getting yourself a whore would make me happy?’ I’ve never seen someone more confused than he was. He said ‘What are you talking about?’ Have you figured it out yet?” Callie asked.
“I can safely say I have no idea.”
“Well, I almost fell over laughing at what happened next. ‘Bella,’ the wife moaned as she started to sob. ‘I know all about her. Where is she? How long has this been going on?’ She was wailing at this point. This was the first time I had seen someone lose it like that, and I was trying to figure out an exit strategy. But I couldn’t move after what Brian said next. ‘Honey,’ he said, ‘she’s right inside. I was going to surprise you with her tonight.’
“Well, the wife jumped up and tried to lunge at him as he turned around and opened the door and called inside, ‘Bella, here girl.’ Out trotted this little chocolate lab with a pink bow on her hair. The dog ran right up to the wife and started licking her face.”
“You’re kidding,” Logan said. He reached across the table and held Callie’s hand. He hadn’t even meant to do it. It just happened, but she squeezed his palm, and it just felt right.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," Callie said.
"What is it?"
"It's kind of personal," Callie continued. She waved him closer. As soon as Logan leaned toward her, Callie pressed her lips against his and kissed him, catching him completely by surprise. Her lips were so soft, and the smooth heat of her kiss thrilled him. As he ran his tongue against hers, he felt like his heart had cracked open and filled his chest with warmth. He wanted this to last, but he knew he should stop Callie before she did something she regretted. She was buzzed after all, and he didn’t want to take advantage of her.
When he finally pulled back from the kiss she said, "Did you enjoy that?"
"Of course I enjoyed that," Logan said. "I just don't know if you're in the right frame of mind to go and kiss someone with a reputation like mine." Of course, he wouldn't mind if she went ahead and kissed him one more time before making the right decision.
"I thought it was nice," Callie said.
"Nice?" Logan asked. Hell, it had been better than nice. It had been wonderful. "Yeah, I guess it was ok."
Callie grabbed his collar and kissed him again, this time letting the kiss linger. As she slid her tongue against Logan's lip, he tried to remind himself that he had stopped the first kiss in order to prevent exactly the desire he currently felt. "How about we get you home? Does that sound like a good idea?"
"Are you coming with me?” she asked. She smiled and tilted her head slightly as she looked him over. Logan knew that smile. She wanted him. And he wanted her, but he couldn’t let anything more happen.
"Of course," he said. The prospect of spending the night with her seemed incredible. It was going to take all of his strength to resist her.
"Then yes,” she said.
Logan tried to appreciate the irony of the situation. The woman he had been chasing for over a week decided to get drunk in his bar and throw herself at him, and he was going to make sure she didn't succeed. He wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't happening at that moment. "Come on, let's get you to the boat," he said, stepping up and sliding his arm around her.
"Are we going to your yacht?" she asked. Logan laughed and shook his head. While this night was not going the way he had hoped, he couldn't deny that it was amusing as hell.
Half an hour later, Logan cut the engine and tied the boat to the dock outside the guesthouse. "Callie, we're here. How are you doing?" She had nodded off during the ride, and Logan had to step over to her to wake her up. "Come on," he said, wrapping his arms around her, "let's get you home." He stepped onto the dock and pulled Callie up out of the boat. "Do you want me to carry you?" he asked.
Callie nodded.
"How much did you drink?" Logan asked.
"Enough, apparently," Callie managed to say. Logan couldn't argue with that.
Logan scooped one arm under her knees and one across her back and lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. She was lighter than he had expected, he thought as he walked up the short path from the dock to the guesthouse. He managed to get her inside the house without too much trouble. Then he placed her down on a couch and headed to the kitchen.
"You're going to want to drink some water. Otherwise you're going to hate me in the morning."
"Why can't I just hate you right now?"
"Is that how it is?"
"No, you're nice," Callie said, "and you smell good." Logan wondered how much of this she would remember in the morning.
"Well, it's good to know you've still got a sense of humor." Logan poured a glass of water and brought it over to Callie. "Drink."
Callie drank the water as quickly as she had downed the several pints of beer, holding two hands around the glass as she finished it. "So what do we do now?" she asked. Logan knew the look on her face, that half smile.
"Now I get you to bed and head home," Logan said. He walked over to Callie and held out a hand.
"Is that a euphemism, heading home?" Callie asked.
Logan laughed. "Despite what you may think of me, I'm not trying to get you into bed."
"Wait, I thought that was what you were trying to do."
Logan shook his head and smiled. "I mean I'm not getting into bed with you. We'll save that for another night." He led her into the bedroom and sat her down on the edge of the bed.
"Chivalrous and cocky," Callie said. "I didn't know it was possible to be both of those at once." She crawled into the bed and pulled the sheets over herself.
Logan leaned over and whispered, "In my experience, they're the same thing." He opened the window to let the sea breeze in. The gentle lull of the waves crashing on the shore filled the room with a quiet calm.
"I don't get why you want everyone to think you're a jerk. You're really nice. Will you stay?" Callie asked.
He looked down at her. In the half-light, she looked more beautiful than ever. He just wanted her to be sober so he could lean down and press his lips against hers. He wanted to climb into the bed and peel off his clothes, wanted to feel the heat of her body, but he wasn't going to take advantage of her like that. "I really shouldn't. Callie, I like you a lot, and I tend to move too fast with women. Trust me, there's nothing in this world I want more right now than to climb into that bed with you."
Logan shifted his weight to get up, but Callie reached out and grabbed his arm. "Stay," she said.
"I'll be on the couch," he offered.
"Promise?"
"Yeah. Good night, Callie."
"Just stay with me until I fall asleep," she said.
"Of course," Logan replied. He clicked off the light and sat there in the darkness, listening to Callie's rhythmic breathing.
"Good night, Blondie." she mumbled before finally drifting off.
Logan couldn't help but grin as he shut the door behind him. He was going to go about this the right way. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes he had made in the past. If it had been some other night with some other girl, maybe things would have been different. But there was something about Callie, something that drew him to her. He didn't know what it was exactly. He had always had his choice of women. Beautiful women, smart women, everything he could have asked for, but none quite like her. He grabbed a pillow and lay down on the couch, listening to the waves rock against the shore. Besides, he couldn't wait to see the look on her face in the morning.