Mad Enough to Marry - By Christie Ridgway Page 0,50

he'd uncovered her sweetness and fire and, by God, he could do it again.

Elena wanted to order Logan out of her apartment. But since he owned it, and since the only rent she was paying was the temporary custody of one ridiculous painting, she settled for screaming instead.

She did that in the bathroom, muffling the sound by holding a thick bath towel against her face. Then she wet a washcloth with cold water and bathed the back of her neck and her wrists.

Cooly she thought to herself as she left the bathroom. Be cool. Logan couldn't know he'd shattered her defenses the night before. He couldn't know how close he was to breaking into her heart. Given that kind of advantage, he might actually do the deed, and this time she wouldn't survive it.

She exited the bathroom to find him in the kitchen.

surrounded by the makings of a green salad. He was wearing a paint-stained pair of jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of heavy workboots. Looking up, he smiled at her, and she had to lock her knees to keep upright. The appeal of the combination of his country-club looks and construction-worker attire was even more difficult to ignore now.

Now that he'd made—^had sex with her.

Elena took a deep breath and ignored the fact that he appeared to be settUng in for the evening. She saw the carry-out menu from Gabby's favorite Italian place lying beside the phone. *'You can't get into your own apartment yet?"

**Well, my dad's definitely gone from the house, but I'm still locked out," he said cheerfully. *'Problem is, I think Mom left after Dad did. I've knocked and knocked, I tried calling my phone. No answer."

Elena closed her eyes. "You don't keep a spare key anywhere?"

'*0h, sure."

Her heart leaped. She could get rid of him now! ''Wheren-?"

"It's the one my mother's using."

A strangled sound erupted from her throat.

He looked over. "What was that?"

It was a half-strangled scream. "Nothing," she Ued. "Not a thing."

"Good. Gabby and I ordered pizza."

Elena sighed. He was settUng in for the evening. The atmosphere in the apartment had been strained

enough since the blow-up with Gabby the week before without adding Logan to the mix.

* *As a matter of fact," Logan continued, * 'she went to pick it up. Which gives you and me a chance to talk."

Cool Elena's mental voice cautioned again. '*Sure." She forced herself to meet his gaze.

It was warm and golden and reminded her of how she'd felt last night as he caressed and kissed her. She'd tried so hard to act composed and sophisticated then, too, but her attempts at mastering the situation by teasing him had been completely overwhelmed by his teasing—^teasing touches and teasing tastes. She hadn't stood a chance against him or the sexuality he so easily aroused in her.

He turned to lean against the counter and smile at her slowly, as if he could read her mind and approved the direction of her thoughts. *'How are you today?"

'Tine," she said off-handedly, cool and casual. "Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? Aren't you fine? Is there a reason—"

Too late, she clamped her mouth shut on the decidedly not composed, not casual babble that was erupting from the deep well of awkwardness inside her. She whirled toward the refrigerator. "Can I get you something? Soda, iced tea, sex maybe, or...or..."

Hearing herself, she froze, mortified. Then she thunked her forehead a couple of times against the sUck refrigerator door.

"Elena—"

She halted him with a violent wave of her hand. **If you laugh at me, you'll scar me for Ufe. Better yet, I'll scar you for life."

He really did laugh now. **Good to see you're still in fighting form, honey."

Honey. He'd called her that last night, too. And she'd felt so honey-hot inside, everything all melty and sweet. Dangerously vulnerable. Desperate, she wrenched open the refrigerator and grabbed the first cold can, popped it open, drank.

Feehng sUghtly less ridiculous, she took another long swallow and then managed to turn and brave Logan again. With a pretend fascination, she studied the shoulder seam of his T-shirt.

It was much safer than his face.

*'I don't mean to make you nervous," he said quietly.

"I'm not nervous." Always deny. Standing tall, she forced her gaze to his. 'I've yet to meet a man who makes me nervous."

**Liar," he said, stepping close to her.

He lifted her chin with his hand and she refused to give him the satisfaction of retreating from the touch. '^Though why I'd make you nervous now