Mad Enough to Marry - By Christie Ridgway Page 0,51

is something of a mystery." His grin was both devihsh and gentle.

How the heck did he do that? It was just like that country-club construction-worker thing, Elena thought helplessly, a paradox created to unbalance a woman. To make her melt.

**After all," he continued, the grin growing. **rve

already had my wicked way with you." He leaned down as if to kiss her.

She surrendered to self-protective impulse and jerked away. It was time to get on with the plan she'd been preparing since waking up this morning. The plan she'd developed in case he seemed inclined to pursue their relationship. She had to protect herself, after all.

*'What do you want, Logan?" she said matter-of-factly.

He blinked. '*What do I want?"

The graceless gesture she made sent a slurp of soda splashing to the counter. She ignored it and calmly pinned him with her gaze. '*Now that you've had your *wicked way' as you put it, why are you here and what do you want? What do you want with me?"

He frowned, his eyes wary. "I'm not following you, Elena."

"You've had me. You said it yourself, and you're right. We did it. It's done. The fat lady sang. The party's over." She knew she was starting to babble again but somewhere in aU these words she might find the right ones to send him away for good. "Eleven years of anticipation are finally over. Potential realized. The itch scratched, right?"

He hissed out a breath. "You're trying pretty hard to make me angry."

Pretty hard? She was trying with everything she had. "It's what you wanted, right? What I agreed to. Tinish it once and for all,' you said. Well, we ac-compUshed that last night."

**We accomplished that," he repeated in a low, flat voice.

She swallowed. It was so crucially important to be the first one to make the inevitable break. '*Yes. Last night we ended, you know.... We ended us.'*

The gold of Logan's eyes was hard, now. Hard and hot. His mouth looked hard too. '*How—^why do you do this to me?" he finally bit out.

**I don't know what you mean." She clutched her soda can, reminding herself to play it cool and cahn.

**I consider myself a good-natured, easygoing type of guy." A muscle ticked in his jaw. She thought she saw his hands shaking before he shoved them in his pockets as if he needed to restrain them. **Most people would agree with me."

She lifted one shoulder. **Yeah, you're a real Mr. Congeniality."

His nostrils flared. **You should be careful, honey."

*'Oh, you think so?" She arched an eyebrow, even as her heartbeat jumped. But she was just inches away from getting his disturbing presence out of her life, she could feel it. If there was one thing she was good at, it was pushing men away before they got a chance to push her away. **rm shaking in my shoes, Logan."

**Damn it." His hands whipped out, grabbed her by the shoulders, jerked her against him. '*You in-fiiriate me."

He'd pulled her onto her toes and she could feel his heart slamming against hers. His heartbeat was

fast too, and though his hands on her were gentle, she decided against struggUng. '*Then let me go,*' she suggested, her mouth dry. Did it sound as if she was pleading? "Let's go our separate ways."

That muscle in his jaw ticking again, his eyes closed. After a moment he opened them to glare down at her. "Is that what you want?" he asked roughly.

"I..." All she had to say was yes! She knew it. One word and she would be safe again. "It's what wiU happen anyway," she heard herself whisper.

He opened his mouth, closed it, then he shook his head again. And then shook it some more.

"Damn you," he repeated, though this time he said it softly, the expression in his eyes more bemused than angry. "Up, down, in, out. You just can't be satisfied with one direction, can you? You've got to take me in all of them at once."

He pulled her closer and she found herself in his total embrace now, his arms around her, her cheek pressed against his chest. The embrace, the slowing rhythm of his heart, neither was a good sign, she thought in panic.

Worse, she wasn't doing anything to extricate herself.

He kissed the top of her head. ' * You know, I like things to be simple. Straightforward. Non-confrontational."

Elena nodded, which caused her cheek to rub against his chest. Oh, well. "Me too."

He laughed. "You don't have a simple, straight-

forward, non-cx)iifrontational cell in your whole body."

Elena