Real Good Man (Real Duet #1)

“Adamantium claws, you mean?”

Shock slides through me as he throws out the correct term for the metal that makes up Wolverine’s skeleton, one of those random Marvel facts from my childhood I’ve never forgotten.

“Oh my God, don’t tell me you’re a comic book geek too? I came by it genetically, so what’s your excuse?”

Logan laughs and takes another sip of his beer, and I can’t help but study his knuckles. No claws in sight, just big hands. They’re a little banged up, which is probably normal for someone who works on cars all day, but they also look capable. There’s no doubt in my mind, even after only spending a half hour with him, he’s more real man than any guy I’ve ever met.

“I used to do odd jobs for the guy who owned the garage before me. Every Sunday, if I went to church, he’d make sure he had a comic book waiting for me after. It was something I looked forward to, and I think it was his way of doing a good deed, making sure I actually went.”

“That was really cool of him. You said you finally bought the garage over a year ago?”

Logan nods. “Yeah, I came back from the Marines and needed a job, so he gave me back the one I had before I left. For some reason, when you join up, you think that your life is going to be different. And it is, while you’re in the corps. But once you’re out, sometimes it’s like nothing but you changed. The entire world has gone on exactly the same way it did before, and there’s no special prize for the fact that you put your life on the line for years. Sure, people appreciate your service, but that’s where it ends.”

“I never thought about it like that. How hard it must be to come back and not have anyone understand what you went through. To them, it’s almost like you disappeared and then reappeared with no thought to what happened.”

Logan shrugs. “It’s a shame in a lot of ways, but then again, I’m one of the lucky ones. I made it back with all my limbs and my wits intact, and now I’ve got a thriving business of my own.”

His pride when he mentions his business is plain, and I can’t help but blurt out my own excitement.

“I’m hoping I’ll be self-employed by this time next year too. I’m impressed that you’ve managed to come so far so fast. I hope I have half the success you do.”

Logan leans forward in his seat. “You didn’t mention that before.”

The waitress chooses that exact moment to deliver cheeseburgers the size of my head.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” Her question is directed at Logan.

He looks to me. “Is there anything else you need, Banner?”

I glance at the condiments in the center and note that we’ve got all the ones I like. “Nope, I’m good. Thank you.”

The waitress leaves, but Logan doesn’t dive into his burger right away. “Tell me what you’ve got going on. I’m curious.”

Part of me wishes I hadn’t said anything, so I decide to keep it in vague terms. “I designed a couple of products and had some prototypes manufactured. Now I’m just finishing up the testing phase and gearing up for production soon.”

“You going to tell me exactly what kind of products you designed?” Logan reaches for the condiments, and squeezes ketchup and mustard onto his burger.

I bite my lip, and for the first time since we sat down, I’m thankful when the waitress barges in again.

“Can I get you another round of drinks? The happy hour special on your beer is almost over, and I wouldn’t want you to miss out.”

Logan defers to me again. “You want another?”

“Sure. And a glass of water, as well.”

As the waitress turns away, I take a giant bite of my burger, effectively ending the conversation.





Chapter 10


Logan


Meeting Banner in person hasn’t satisfied my fascination with her. If anything, it’s kicked it into high gear. It’s easy to choose what impression you give someone via text messages, which is why I wanted to meet her face-to-face. I didn’t think we’d have a damn thing in common, but that’s not the case. After we stuffed ourselves with burgers and fries, she continues to politely dodge my question about what exactly her business is, and I let her.

I’ve never been the kind of guy to think a woman shouldn’t be able to have any secrets. Besides, I’m still trying to figure out where this night might take us, because I already know I want to see her again.

I still haven’t made sense of how the dirty text messages I got fit into the picture that’s Banner Regent, but I hope once we get farther down this road, I’m going to find out.

She’s different from any woman I’ve ever met. Confident. Self-assured. Not afraid to go after what she wants, and unapologetic about being herself.

Sexy doesn’t even begin to cover her attitude.

And then when you add on the fact that she’s got a killer body hiding beneath that green shirt-dress thing she’s wearing, hair that a man can’t help but want to see spread over his pillow, and whiskey-colored eyes that spark with a hint of mischief, you’ve got one hell of a package.

Smart, sexy, and a wildcat. But she lives seven hundred miles away, and it’s not like I’ve got the kind of lifestyle where I can jet up to see her, or make that bitch of a drive again soon.

So, where does that leave us? I have no f*cking clue, but I’m going to make the most of tonight, and see where she goes if I let her lead.

Instead of buying tokens, I throw down some cash to power up a swipe card so we can play some games.

When Banner heads right to the Skee-Ball, I can’t help but laugh.

“What? I’ve seen this on movies and I’ve never played it. I have to try it.”

“Shit, you’ve never played Skee-Ball?” I don’t know why it surprises me, given what she’s told me about her childhood with drivers, and parents who were too busy to spend time with her.

“Nope. Never. So you’re going to have to school me in how this works.”

There are a hell of a lot of things I want to school this woman in, but I’m sensing she might already be proficient in most of them.

I swipe my card on the machine, and the balls come down the shoot. “The goal is to get the balls into the holes and score the most points.”

Banner leans over to pick one up, and even though I try not to stare at her ass, it’s impossible to ignore how incredible it is.

“Balls in holes. I swear, all these games were invented by men.”

I chuckle at her comment. “I’m sure you’re right about that.”

She pitches the ball overhand toward the hole, and when it hits the backboard with a thwack, Banner jumps. It falls to the bottom of the machine without scoring any points.

“I did that wrong, didn’t I?” She tilts her head and stares at the game.

“You can make your own rules, but the traditional method is to pretend it’s like a ski jump, I think.” I pick up another ball and toss it underhanded so it slides up the ramp and flies into the center hole. “Like that.”