The Billionaire's Practice Kiss - Tamie Dearen Page 0,43
wanted him back, what would’ve happened?”
Ellery didn’t respond, but they both knew the answer.
“And tell me this.” Chester leaned forward, lowering his voice. “What’s the one thing that’s changed since then? I’m still the same stepfather I always was. Logan still blames all his problems on the unfairness of life and his unfortunate fall from upper society. His friends are as shallow as ever, always attracted to whoever climbs to the top.”
“I’ll concede to the shallowness of his friends,” she said, her mind scrambling for an argument to refute his claim.
“You know I’m right, don’t you? The only thing that’s changed in the equation is you.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want all that back. Maybe he doesn’t care about status anymore. He’s a billionaire. He doesn’t need all that.”
“Or maybe Logan is the same soft-hearted boy who always picked up raggedy strays and nursed them back to health. A bird with a broken wing. A mangy puppy. A blind kitten. Even a lizard with a missing foot.”
The implication was clear, and she fit the bill perfectly. A tattered stray, wounded and ugly. A pet Logan could nurse back to health.
Chester turned his back, strolling to the window and peering out into the moonlit yard. “I recently set up a scholarship at UT Law School. Full tuition for one worthy student. I can recommend the recipient, as long as we have no personal relationship.”
“You’re bribing me to leave Logan?”
“Bribing you?” He twisted, his mouth dropping open in feigned horror. “I would never do that. I assume you’re with Logan because of his money, so I was simply pointing out you have other options should you happen to need them.”
She stared at him, speechless, her pulse racing like she’d run up three flights of stairs.
“What’s that old saying? If you love something, set it free?” Chester ambled back toward the family room, stopping in the doorway. “All I’m saying is you should give the man some space. Let him make his own decisions. See what he does, and then you’ll know.”
He disappeared, leaving her alone with her pounding heart and her scrambled thoughts. But before Logan returned, she knew what she had to do.
Kara was right. God had given her a huge sign, so big she couldn’t ignore it.
I just didn’t expect it to come from the devil.
Chapter 18
Two weeks later
“We haven’t had our kiss today.” Logan slammed his laptop closed and stretched his arms over his head.
On the opposite end of the couch, Ellery jerked her gaze from her computer. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”
“You don’t want to deny our little reward after a long hard day, do you? It’s all I’ve been looking forward to since I woke up this morning.”
As expected, his comment sent a flush to her face. He started to scoot next to her when his phone rang. Irritated, he whipped it out of his pocket. The name that flashed on the screen made the words die in his mouth.
Allegra! Why is she calling me?
He was surprised to find he didn’t care. He was barely even curious. Certainly not curious enough to delay kissing Ellery.
He rejected the call. It felt good. It was his turn to do the rejecting for a change.
Logan closed the distance between them, not a simple task on a sectional composed of multiple connected recliners. Why had she chosen the seat on the far end? “I think I may get rid of this thing and get a regular couch.”
“That figures,” she muttered. “That’s why I think we need to talk.”
“We can talk afterwards.” He lifted his hand to her cheek, caressing the soft skin. He loved the way she responded to his touch. The quick intake of breath. The flutter of her eyelids. The rise of color in her neck. Most of the time, she held her emotions in a tight check. He could peer into her eyes for hours and be no closer to knowing how she felt about him. But the moment his fingers brushed her jawline, her strict control slipped. She couldn’t hide her response.
Maybe her attraction was purely physical, but it was there. It was real. It was a step. Something to build on. Something to hang his hopes on. Because more and more, he found it hard to imagine living without her.
Not that he planned to tell her. He knew exactly how that conversation would go. Thanks, Logan. I’m outta here. He needed patience, and it was the one virtue he possessed. He simply had to remember to use it.