But as soon as Logan arrived to pick her up, Amanda had no time to think of anything but the magic of the unfolding evening. When Logan had buzzed her apartment, she hadn't let him in, instead telling him through the intercom that she'd be right down. She didn't want to give the impression that she thought this might be a date.
He was standing in the small lobby when the elevator opened, a slight frown between his brows. "I would have come up," he said.
"No problem." She breezed by him, though not before she saw the quick up and down glance he gave her. Her feet tingled in the high-heeled sandals she'd splurged on. She refused to think about her motivation for spending the money, because she was determined not to address the issue of why she wanted to look sexy for him.
He followed close behind, reaching around her to push open the front door.
"It's so pretty," she exclaimed. A light snow was falling, with an inch or two of white glitter softening the hard lines of the city.
"Those shoes will get ruined in the snow." Logan scooped her up and carried her through the door.
"Hey!" She was too surprised to do more than grab him and hang on. With a half dozen long strides, they'd reached the car door held open by Felipe. Logan leaned in and deposited her neatly in the middle of the back seat. When he climbed in and settled beside her, she realized that she should have moved aside. His broad shoulders nudged hers, and his left thigh was dangerously close to her right.
The door closed behind him with a soft click, cocooning them in darkness. She could smell him, hot and male. Something fluttered in her stomach.
"You look lovely," he said, his deep voice low and somehow intimate in the luxurious confines of the car. He raised his arm and placed it on the seat back behind her, not touching her, but shielding her within the frame of his body.
She couldn't move now. It would be too obvious and awkward. But she didn't lean back either. He was her boss, not her date. She had to remember that.
"Relax," he said.
They traveled through the brightly lit city and into the darker countryside. She managed to ask him about the bride and groom, how he knew them, and who she might expect to meet. He answered all of her frantic questions, the amused note in his calm voice the only sign that she wasn't fooling him about her nervousness.
Luckily, when they reached the mansion, an awning stretched out from the front door to the enormous sweep of the driveway. She was able to alight from the car with only the assistance of Logan's hand. But her fingers tingled, even through their gloves, when he drew her hand into his grasp.
He placed her hand on his bent arm. "Better hold on," he said. "Might be icy."
They walked up a short flight of broad, shallow steps lined with miniature fir trees twinkling with golden fairy lights. The grand entrance foyer sparkled with more lights from a huge Waterford chandelier, wall sconces and numerous, flickering white candles. Huge bouquets of colorful flowers decorated and perfumed the space. An unseen quartet played background music.
Logan was hailed on all sides by men whose black and white formality set off the colorful beauty of their perfectly polished women.
For just a moment, Amanda regretted her decision to come. She wouldn't know anyone and had no hope of fitting in with this sophisticated crowd.
But then Logan placed his warm hands on her shoulders, removed her coat and handed it to one of the staff. When she turned to face him, she sucked in a breath of wonder. She'd never seen him in a tuxedo, of course, but he wore the formal dress as if born to it. The jacket was perfectly tailored to his broad shoulders, and the snow white shirt contrasted elegantly with his dark good looks.
But the real ego booster was the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her. He slipped an arm around her waist, warming her in the hall, which was cooled by the constantly opening front door. He leaned closer to be heard over the high noise level. "You'll be meeting a large number of people. I'll let you know when it's someone I'd really like you to know." He squeezed her waist gently, but did not pull away, even