The Billionaire's Practice Kiss - Tamie Dearen Page 0,40

our previous partnerships.”

“You’ve always treated me fairly, and that’s rare these days,” Logan said, thinking of his father’s business and investment network.

“One more question,” Jarrett said, his brows bent low over his dark eyes. “You have assets. You could do a project like this without us—you already said it. What do you get from Phantom that you wouldn’t have on your own?”

“To be honest…” Logan swallowed hard. “I’ve been asking myself the same question, and I don’t know. You’ll just have to take me at my word.”

“Okay, Logan.” Cole reached his hand up and tipped an invisible hat where his Stetson usually perched. “If you’ll give us some space, I think we have some talkin’ to do.”

“All I want is a fair deal.” Logan stood, ready to grab Ellery and escape to the adjacent table. “And in three years, we’ll renegotiate. You take no chance of being tied to a sinking ship.”

“And no free ride if you turn out to be a dirigible,” Finn commented wryly.

Logan smiled. “Exactly.”

Chapter 17

Two weeks later

Ellery was getting accustomed to cooking dinner with Logan. Side by side, they would chat while doing the prep work. They enjoyed trying new recipes, and Logan had a fabulous kitchen with every possible convenience. After dinner, they would adjourn to the couch, where she would study while Logan worked. It was comfortable. Too comfortable. She could see herself doing this every day for the rest of her life, which meant she was already in over her head. She shouldn’t have let herself get so attached to Logan.

The man was sweet and kind, despite his occasional awkwardness, but he made snap decisions. While Ellery would spend hours shopping online and comparing the best deals before making any purchase, Logan had ordered a leather sectional on impulse when he’d spotted the advertisement. When the furniture had been delivered, he’d deemed it awesome almost before he sat down on one of the recliners. But three weeks later, she’d walked into his house to find a different sectional.

“This one’s even better than the other one.” He’d pointed out the advantages of his new purchase. “It has integrated chargers for your phone and laptop and a built-in remote for the television.”

It was the pattern of his life, with everything from can openers to vehicles. He constantly upgraded to the newest whatever, discarding the perfectly good item without a second thought. And his personal life was no different. He’d gone to the wedding in Houston, intent on winning Allegra back, and returned to Austin in a new relationship with Ellery. Common sense told her he’d eventually move on to a bigger and better model.

“I knew it from day one. I shouldn’t have spent so much time with him,” she’d complained to Kara the previous day.

“Why not enjoy the moment instead of worrying about the future?” Kara had said. “You know better than anyone that none of us are guaranteed to live another day.”

“But the more I’m with Logan, the more attached I get. I ought to break it off now before he has to dump me himself.”

“Or maybe it will never happen. Y’all might end up together, if you just give it a chance.”

“Sure. As long as he stays holed up in his house and doesn’t see how great his other options are.”

“I say you should stay with Logan until one, he breaks up with you, or two, God gives you some big, miraculous sign that you should break up with him,” Kara had said. “And buying a new leather couch doesn’t qualify.”

She’d agreed to Kara’s conditions, but a sense of impending doom hoovered around her.

“Is it okay to give your cell number to Laurie?” Logan asked Ellery as he added chopped bell peppers to the onions sautéing in the pan. “Finn asked for it today.”

“Sure. But why does she want to talk to me?”

He shrugged. “I guess she liked you when she met you at the banquet.”

“Still, I’m nobody.” Unless she thinks it’s her duty because Logan will be working with her husband. She probably assumes we have a permanent relationship. “Does this mean you signed a contract with Phantom?” She added minced celery and garlic and turned down the gas under the vegetables.

“Sent a contract to my attorney this afternoon. By next week, I’ll officially be in partnership with Phantom Enterprises.”

“If it goes well, maybe you’ll be able to work your way into a position on the board at Limitless.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t that just irritate my stepdad to no end to see me giving