Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith Kristin Daniels When her grandmother bequeaths her a black pearl choker, Mia’s intrigued. Even more mysterious is the note accompanying the gift, telling Mia her heart will know when she should wear the necklace. And it does. As she dresses to attend a company party, Mia somehow knows it’s time to don the choker. When Mia meets Logan at the party, their mutual lust is instantaneous. Only after the man gives her an unexpected, mind-blowing orgasm under the full moon does Mia learn Logan is vying for the same promotion she’s worked so hard to win. Despite that, their smoldering attraction remains, urging them to indulge in further pleasures of the flesh. Then they discover the small charm hanging from the choker’s clasp—a charm engraved with a love spell. Are their sizzling desires nothing more than a magical push from her grandmother? Mia will have to take a leap of faith to discover if Logan is The One.

Ellora’s Cave Publishing

www.ellorascave.com

Leap of Faith ISBN 9781419937699 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Leap of Faith Copyright 2011 Kristin Daniels Edited by Raelene Gorlinsky Cover design by Syneca Photography: Syneca; Andrey Arkusha/Shutterstock.com Model: Alex Electronic book publication October 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.

LEAP OF FAITH

Kristin Daniels

Dedication I like to think that every person I’ve ever met has come into my life for a reason. That they’re meant to be here, either to share life’s little mysteries with me or to teach me something I didn’t know about myself. Mari Freeman has done both of those things. Since meeting her at the very first RomantiCon™, she’s become my sounding board, my fellow troublemaker and a truly great friend. Thanks for sticking with me during the writing of this book—and all the other times, too. You simply rock, babe.

Kristin Daniels

Chapter One Mia Bryant looked up at the blue and yellow sign welcoming her to the typically titled First Savings and Loan, doubling over a little as her stomach bunched in a nauseous grip. A fresh bout of tears stung her eyes and she blinked them away just as quickly. God, it seemed as though she’d just stopped crying yesterday. Now, facing everything all over again… Damn it. Death sucked, quite frankly. The agony it created ripped her soul out, then just as easily crumpled it up into a tiny ball, threw it on the ground and stomped the hell out of it. And that’s exactly where she left it, where she left her smashed soul. Right there on the sidewalk, in front of the only bank in the small town where her grandmother had lived. She wanted nothing more than to high-tail it out of this town, out of this state, just…out of here. Out and away from anything and everything reminding her that her crazy, wacky—beloved—Grandma was truly gone. But she couldn’t do that, not until she’d finished what she came here to do, which was to settle her grandmother’s final affairs. She yanked open the bank’s door, and the gazes from four sets of eyes shot in her direction. She knew she looked like she didn’t belong here, not in this tiny Midwestern town. Her oversized Dolce & Gabanna sunglasses gave her away, she supposed, along with her Gucci boots and matching purse. Fitting, it seemed, since she learned all about finding her personal style and showcasing herself from Grandma. All those times when Mia was a teenager and she and Nanette had cuddled together at the small kitchen table, drinking full-sugar, full-caffeine Cokes while munching on a bag of fat-laden

6

Leap of Faith

Fritos as they poured over the likes of Cosmo, Glamour and Vogue. That’s how Mia figured out who she could be, and more importantly, who she wanted to be. A woman with aspirations, a woman who could do anything she put her mind to. A woman with confidence. Which she had. Most of the time, at least. And now was a perfect time to put that confidence to work. She took a step toward the desk closest to her and cleared her throat. “I’m looking for Mr. Andrews.” The woman behind the desk merely nodded, said, “One moment,” and reached for the phone. A minute later, a handsome, gray-haired man sprang from the back office and headed her way. “Mr. Andrews?” Mia met the man halfway with her hand extended. “Yes. And you must be Ms. Bryant,” he said, accepting the handshake. “We were told you’d be stopping by today.” They were? The notion caught her off guard, but only until she remembered where she was. It wasn’t surprising they knew, since everyone in this town was pretty much privy to everyone else’s business. Of course someone who worked here had been told, or more likely gossiped to, that she was in town. “I’m here—” “For the contents of Miss Nanette’s safe-deposit box.” Okay, that was a bit unnerving. “Yes…” “Not a problem at all. If you’d just follow me this way.” Mr. Andrews led her down a hallway to a cramped room lined on both sides with safe-deposit boxes. Once inside, she dug in her purse for the key she’d stashed there earlier. She clutched the jagged metal in her hand and pressed her fist hard against her chest. The irony once again struck her that this key would open box number eightyseven. Ironic, since that was exactly how old Grandma had been.

7

Kristin Daniels

“The box is right over here,” he said. The quiet tone of his voice resembled that of the funeral director she’d dealt with. A bit more raspy, maybe, but oddly hypnotic and soothing nonetheless. “If you’d just put your key in here, next to mine.” Sucking in a breath, Mia tossed her purse onto the small wooden table in the center of the room and stepped forward. It’d ended up taking two months since the funeral for her to finally find enough time to come down and clean out Grandma’s apartment. Now that she was here, though, she wondered if maybe she should have waited a little longer. It didn’t matter that she’d had the key since the reading of the will, or that she’d been curious as hell when Nanette’s lawyers had initially handed it over to her, explaining as they did how Nanette Bryant—being of sound mind and body—had bequeathed both the contents of her apartment and safe-deposit box eighty-seven to her one and only granddaughter. Nor did it matter that, until then, Mia hadn’t even known that Grandma had rented a box, let alone what could possibly be hidden inside. All that mattered right now was that she really wasn’t sure she was ready for this, not when every little thing she’d done, every memory that had been sparked since arriving this morning had set off another bout of annoying waterworks. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a choice in the matter. It was either face this head-on now, or wait a few more months—which was simply out of the question. Busting her ass for the soon-to-be vacant Project Architect position at work was on tap to be her number one priority. Starting first thing Monday morning, she was determined to throw everything she had into winning that job. There wasn’t going to be a spare second left over for anything more than breathing, never mind taking the luxury of an extra road trip to stroll down memory lane. She took a bit of solace knowing that Grandma would’ve pushed her just the same as she was pushing herself, and wouldn’t have been happy if Mia had gone about getting the job any other way. The bank manager stood by quietly as she collected herself. Patient and serene, his calm nature gave Mia enough wherewithal to know she’d spent enough time delaying the inevitable. Ignoring all the thoughts busying her head, she boldly inserted her key

8

Leap of Faith

and turned it in unison with the man beside her. She let go and stood back, holding her breath as he tugged the steel box from its home inside the wall. The grinding screech it let loose as it emerged sent an unnatural shiver straight up her spine. With an apologetic expression, Mr. Andrews turned and set the long box on the table behind her. “Take your time,” he said. “Just let one of us out there know when you’re finished.” He smiled with sympathy in his eyes before quietly yet quickly closing the door behind him. Mia stood there, all alone in the small space, just staring at the metal box for several minutes until she finally corralled enough courage to sit down. “Okay, Grandma. Let’s see what you have in here.” She stuck her finger through the hole of the lid and lifted. When a whoosh of lavender-scented air drifted out of the box, another attack of shivers scurried up her arms and shoulders to settle at the base of her neck. Despite her odd reaction, she loved that scent, and had grown up closing her eyes and breathing it in every time she’d ever hugged Grandma. That she found herself taking a deep breath and closing her eyes now wasn’t really that much of a surprise. She smiled a little, letting the melancholy flow through her at the memory, then opened her eyes to take in the contents of the box. Several envelopes were stacked neatly alongside an oblong velvet box. The curiosity that had run through her when she was first given the key slammed back into her now, full force. She took a few of the envelopes out of the box, clutching half of the stack in her now-sweaty hands. She let all but one fall to the tabletop, and with only a moment’s hesitation, she ran her finger under the flap to open it, being cautious enough not to slice her finger open on the old, brittle paper. What she found inside that envelope, and the one after that, and the one after that… She pored over unbelievable document after unbelievable document before reaching inside the safety deposit box to rip through even more. In the end, she’d spread at least a dozen stock certificates out on the table, all from distinguished, not to 9

Kristin Daniels

mention profitable, companies. Most of the documents were three or four decades old, based on the purchase and maturity dates listed on them. “This doesn’t make any sense.” Ever since Granddad died close to twenty years ago, Grandma had lived modestly, alone, in her one-bedroom apartment. But the papers Mia held in her hands had to be worth, God, who knew how much? She had to admit that she was never very stockmarket savvy, but she wasn’t so uninformed that she didn’t know these could be worth thousands of dollars, hell, maybe hundreds of thousands. “Oh Grandma, why…” She swiped away a lone tear as her gaze drifted back to the last item in the box. The black velvet, oblong container screamed “jewelry case”, and her heart sped up a little wondering what sort of exquisite piece she might find inside. With the tiniest trepidation, she pried it open. Slowly, steadily. The old, squeaky hinge gave way a millimeter at a time, then suddenly sprang open with a dusty pop in her hands. She jumped in her seat, then blew out a muttered, “For the love of…” before calming her heart enough to take a good, long look at her treasure. The most beautiful, three-strand black pearl choker lay inside, nestled against a lining made of dark blue satin. Mia had never seen anything quite like the necklace before. The piece was stunning, really, and captured the essence of who her grandma was to a tee. Three strands of what Mia instinctually knew to be the finest black pearls were gathered at the ends by lengths of a white-gold chain. The chains were looped together on one side by a fishhook closure, but the other side… The other side held an intricate clasp that was offset by a pearl so large, Mia wasn’t sure it was real. The black-green gem—which was at least as wide as a nickel, if not a smidgen wider—was encircled by a halo of small diamonds interlaced with tiny, vibrant sapphires. Hanging by a single jumpring from the edge of the clasp was a

10

Leap of Faith

white-gold, heart-shaped charm. She could see the elegant script adorning both sides, but couldn’t make out any of the words through her now-blurry vision. Tear, tears and more tears. Damn, damn and damn it some more. She blew her hair off her forehead and wiped at her watery eyes. God, she must look like a raccoon right now, with all the boo-hooing she’d done in the last few hours. But she had a feeling she wasn’t done yet, not when she spotted a piece of paper tucked along the inside edge of the box. Her stomach fluttered, but she’d come this far, right? What the hell, why not go a little further. She pulled out the paper and unfolded a note. Mia recognized the perfect flow of her grandmother’s handwriting instantly. My dear Mia, This is my gift to you, now that I am gone. Wear it when your heart tells you, for only it will know when the time is right. With all my love and wishes, Grandma Nanette Heaven above. Tears flowed in earnest now, and her nose ran like a faucet. Her heart broke all over again, and she knew she had to get a grip before someone outside the door heard her and came in to check on her. She sniffled and re-folded the note, taking her time so she could compose herself as best she could. “Okay, okay, okay. I can do this,” she murmured to herself. Although, to anyone on the outside looking in, it would appear she was talking to the choker lying on the table in front of her. She ran a timid finger along its length until she came to the clasp, then lifted the necklace from the box to hold it between the shaky fingertips of both hands. At first, it was as if an eerie calm blanketed her. Her heart slowed, her breaths evened, her tears stopped. The second they did, that’s when she felt it. Tingles. Little zings of energy burrowing through her fingers to center in her palms. Within a shallow breath, they became stronger, then stronger still, until violent currents of electricity coursed through her hands. 11

Kristin Daniels

She wanted to drop the choker, or throw it, or… God, something, anything, to stop the zaps of burning pain. But she couldn’t. She was held prisoner, entranced by something she couldn’t put a name to. The huge pearl. The one in the clasp. Her gaze was drawn to it, as if the gem were calling out to some long-forgotten place deep inside her soul. The air in the room seemed to swirl in smoky ribbons all around her, stealing the very breath from her lungs. She tried to look away from the pearl but found doing so was just as impossible as trying to drop the choker. She was locked in, frozen in that moment, and it was scaring the hell out of her. Just when she thought the burning in her hands couldn’t get any worse, the fire eased somewhat, morphing into an oddly soothing warmth. The air churning around her tightened, converging almost, until it formed a tiny tornado. The vortex centered over the large pearl, spinning a few dozen times before dissipating like tinkling fireworks into thin air. What it left in its wake, Mia would never forget, not for as long as she lived. Eyes. Dark, sultry, heart-stopping eyes that stared at her from under straight masculine brows. As quickly as the image appeared within the pearl, it was gone again. Everything around her was once again still, as if a whacked-out episode of The Twilight Zone hadn’t just played itself out in this very room. She looked toward the door, then back to the choker in her hands. She was surprised she wasn’t shaking like a leaf, and every part of her was even more astounded that she wasn’t already running from the room screaming like a fool, since that was exactly what she felt like doing. God, what the hell just happened? She stood from the chair, still staring at the choker while that flight instinct gripped her in a stranglehold.

12

Leap of Faith

Despite her panic, she was cognizant enough to gingerly place the necklace back into its box, but not careful enough to not let the lid snap shut when she gripped the sides. She mechanically gathered the stock certificates, stuffed them back in their envelopes, and then shoved them, along with the velvet box, deep inside her purse. Knowing how vicious the local gossipmongers could be, and not wanting to besmirch her grandmother’s reputation by bolting from the room like some sort of lunatic, she shoved her sunglasses back on, tossed her purse straps onto her shoulder and then ran her tingly hands down the front of her dress to dry the sweat on her palms. She stepped from the room looking the epitome of calm, even as her insides twisted and turned in raging chaos. She nodded to Mr. Andrews through his office door on her way out and forced out a pleasant “Thank you so much,” to the woman she’d spoken to before by the front door. By the time she reached the sidewalk, her heart was firmly lodged in her throat. Wasn’t it enough that life would never be the same for her without Grandma? Why now, of all times, did the Fates seem to think she could handle losing her mind too? Because Mia was, without a shadow of a doubt, quite certain that’s exactly what she’d just done.

***** One month later “Tell me again why I’m going to this party.” Wearing only a lace demi-bra and a pair of barely-there matching panties, Mia rummaged through her closet searching for the perfect outfit. “I mean really, Brooke. It’s not like he’ll fire me if I don’t go.” She turned to her best friend, who lay sprawled on the bed, and held up two dresses. “The black one. And wear your hair up.” Mia hung the rejected dress back in the closet with a tick of the hanger on the clothes rod. She would have picked the black one anyway, even if Brooke hadn’t tossed in her opinion. The classic LBD—little black dress—was perfect for this stuffy, chokingly work-related/social occasion. 13

Kristin Daniels

Brooke scooted up and crossed her legs. “You’re going because you were invited. He’s your boss, Mia. It’s not very often that people stay married for forty years.” Mia stepped into the dress and lifted the thin straps over her shoulders. “I know. But it just reminds me of how pathetically single I am. I hate going to these things alone.” “So why didn’t you get a date?” She motioned for Mia to spin and reached up to quickly zip the dress before latching the eye-hook at the top. “And who would I ask? It’s not like I have a string of hot men lined up outside my door.” Mia crossed to the mirror over the dresser and pulled her hair off her neck. Ringlets of dark auburn fell astray as she pinned the mass into an easy up-do. She watched as Brooke fiddled with a string on the bedspread. “You’re just going through a dry spell right now is all.” She met her friend’s gaze in the mirror. “A dry spell? How about a crusted, cracked, hasn’t-been-wet-in-over-six-months spell?” “Well, see there? You’re due. Beyond due. Besides, you’ll earn a ton of brownie points toward winning that job you keep going on and on about. Showing up at Mr. Big-man’s party certainly can’t hurt.” No, it couldn’t. And Mia hated that Brooke was right. Still didn’t make playing nice at an event chock-full of couples and families and all their sappy togetherness any easier for her to deal with. “Or you can just say screw it all and quit,” Brook went on. “You know, cash in a couple of those stock certificates your grandmother left you and move somewhere tropical. Someplace where it’s sunny all the time. Where a few dozen men will line up outside your door.” Mia finished pinning up her hair and fished through her jewelry box for the sapphire stud earrings she wanted to wear, smiling a little at the thought. “That would be nice, but no. I told you before, that money will be used for investing, or college funds if I’m ever lucky enough to have kids. Maybe a retirement fund. Besides, you know me, 14

Leap of Faith

I’d be bored to tears in two weeks if I lived somewhere like that. I need my job. It helps keep me sane.” Brooke didn’t look convinced but nodded anyway. “So, the party it is.” Mia nodded as well. “Yep. The party it is.” Brooke hopped off the bed and headed toward the door. “All right then. Just so long as you’re willing to go in there and kick some workplace butt.” Mia rested her rear against the edge of her dresser and gave her friend her best team-player smile. “You know me. I’ll work the room like a pro.” “Ha. I knew you had it in you. And you’ll have a great time, I just know it.” She stopped and leaned in closer to give Mia a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “I’ve got to run, we’re having dinner with Rob’s parent’s in…” She glanced at her watch. “Crap, in less than an hour, and I still have to pick up Jonah from the sitter. Nothing like relying on your two-year-old to make an evening with your in-laws bearable.” When she closed her eyes and chanted, “I love my mother-in-law, I love my mother-in-law,” Mia couldn’t help but toss out a chuckle. Poor Brooke and the dinner she was forced to endure with her husband’s family every month or so. “Give me a call if you decide to slink out early,” she said. “I’d jump on the excuse that I have to run out and save a friend in distress.” Mia just folded her arms and shook her head. “You know if it comes down to that, you’re the first loony friend I’d call.” Not taking offense to the loony comment in the least, Brooke grinned and said, “You’re the best.” With that, and in classic Brooke style, she threw out a wink coupled with an air-kiss, then dashed out the door. The energy in the room dropped a few dozen notches as Mia found herself alone in her bedroom. She let her hands fall to her sides and turned to stare in the mirror. For a split second she gave in to her earlier remark. Why didn’t she have guys lined up outside her door? What the hell was wrong with her? Nothing that she could see. At

15

Kristin Daniels

thirty-two, she still had her looks. Okay, so she wasn’t exactly stick skinny. So what? She had curves, and men liked curves, right? Her boobs were upright, her stomach reasonably flat and her arms were trim. With daily doses of sunscreen she’d kept the wrinkle fairy at bay and those twice-weekly sessions of bikram yoga kept the rest of her muscles toned and her psyche somewhat clear. She liked to have fun, adored where she lived and loved what she did for a living. But, despite all that, her love life seemed to be in a constant flatline state. Yes, her job was important to her and yes, she’d kill to win that Project Architect position. But she couldn’t help but think now that her single-mindedness of late was hindering her from having that “more” in life that she craved. More, as in companionship. Love. And sex. Lots of sex. Hot sex. Crazy-wild monkey sex. With a man. A warm, red-blooded man. She’d love to give B.O.B.—her battery-operated boyfriend—a good, long rest. Flesh-on-flesh was what she craved now. Nothing else came close in comparison. Not that her wanting actually gave way to any getting. She sighed at that and grabbed up her favorite lipstick, a plum shade that accentuated her olive complexion. She coated her lips lightly and tossed the tube back on the dresser. It rolled across the top, colliding with the black oblong box holding her grandmother’s pearls. After her trip to the bank, she’d spent days convincing herself the image she thought she’d seen in the necklace’s pearl clasp had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Even so, she hadn’t had enough courage to bring herself to open the box since that one and only time inside the bank’s safe-deposit vault. Should she open it now? God, did she even dare? Her hands trembled and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she stared at the box and contemplated reaching for it.

16

Leap of Faith

Wear it when your heart tells you, she remembered the note reading, for only it will know when the time is right. Was it her heart that spoke to her now? Something did. Something spoke to her. Something screamed inside her head, compelling her to reach for the box. To hold it, to stroke the smooth, black velvet material covering the outside. To slide her fingernail along the crease. With delicate care—and a hefty dose of the ohmygod’s ringing in her ears—she pried the box open. Why she expected eerie music to play in the background or a choir of angels to sing from above, she didn’t quite know. And she tried not to think too hard on that as she ran a finger over the string of fragile pearls and then lifted the choker from its satiny nest. She cradled the gems and waited, fully expecting to see those eyes. The ones that had so often visited in her sleep, the ones that seemingly haunted her. Ah… Yeah. Nothing. She blew out a chuckle, then gazed at her reflection in the mirror. “Ridiculous, Mia. You only imagined it before. Let’s just chalk that up to too much stress at the time.” Since the choker went beautifully with the simple dress she wore, she thought a moment about wearing it—since it obviously wasn’t haunted and all. No point in not getting some use out of a fine piece of jewelry. And a family heirloom, at that. But when she went to unlatch the fragile clasp to try it on, a familiar tingle started to flutter along the tips of her fingers. The sting stopped her in her tracks as the sizzle grew in intensity. The buzz gathered every bit of her attention, mesmerizing her as the largest pearl once again drew her in and spoke to that desolate place deep inside her soul. Excited and frightened all at the same time, she held her breath when the blackgreen brilliance swirled and shimmered once more. And then, just like that, there they were. Deep, dark eyes staring right at her. And just like before, they instantly disappeared. “Wait!” she screamed to no one.

17

Kristin Daniels

But it was too late. Mia’s heart pounded like a timpani. Had she imagined the eyes again? Twice she’d held the pearls, and twice she’d seen… What? What the hell was going on? Wear it when your heart tells you… Her thoughts scrambled. She never believed in magic or visions or any other such nonsense. Common sense dictated her life. Tangible and real, that’s what she lived by. Usually, anyway. Apparently that stance no longer held any meaning, not when all she heard inside her head, all she felt inside her heart, was anything but rational. Because her heart was telling her, louder than anything else she’d ever heard, that tonight was the night she had to wear the necklace. And Mia found herself helpless to resist.

18

Leap of Faith

Chapter Two Mia arrived at her boss’s house with the party already in full swing. Still a bit shaken, she made her way up the front walk and rang the bell with a forced calmness she wasn’t even close to feeling. A member of the wait staff opened the door, greeting her with a friendly smile as he ushered her inside. Mia stepped into the foyer, looking around with a bit of awe, soaking in the classic formality of the room. A large center table boasted a tall floral centerpiece, matching ornate mirrors hung on either side of the entry, while a sweeping staircase finished the room off perfectly. “Fashionably late, I see,” Ted Stanhope, president and CEO of Stanhope Architects, said, coming up from behind her as she handed over her shoulder wrap and clutch purse to the coat check. Mia turned and smiled at the kind yet firm man who held her career’s future in his hands. “Only a little. Traffic,” she explained by way of a little white lie. He took her hand and pulled her in to kiss her cheek in welcome. “Well, at least you made it. You remember Ellen, don’t you?” he said, placing his arm around the woman standing next to him. “Of course I do.” Mia pushed aside her nagging uneasiness from earlier and focused her attention on Ted’s wife. “It’s so nice to see you again. Congratulations to the both of you. Forty years together. That’s quite an accomplishment.” Ellen repeated Ted’s cheek kiss. “Oh thank you, Mia. But I suppose it’s easy to do when you spend the time with a wonderful man. Might be a cliché to say, but the years truly have flown by.” A pang of jealousy flashed through Mia when her boss placed a gentle hand on his wife’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to her hair. That, right there… That’s what she 19

Kristin Daniels

wanted. To be that close to someone, to share her life with him and have him share his in return. “Several people from the firm are here,” Ted said, sliding his arm from where he held on to his wife to reach for her hand instead. “Mingle around. A buffet is set up in the dining room and the bar is in there too. Get yourself something and enjoy the evening.” “Sounds perfect. Thanks, Ted.” Mia hesitated only a minute after Ted and Ellen had moved on before ambling through a set of French doors and heading into the living room of the house. Although really, house couldn’t be more of an understatement. Mansion was more like it. She’d lay pretty good odds that her entire apartment could easily fit inside this one massive room. A group of her coworkers stood chatting beside the monstrous fireplace on the far end of the room. She wormed her way over to them, grabbing up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter on the way. Once she reached the group and the usual fawning over each other, oh-my-god-you-look-gorgeous-so-do-you pleasantries were out of the way, she sipped on the dry brut and turned to observed the other partygoers, seeing if she could make out the who’s-who of the crowd. The typical contingent attended—friends, family, business associates. Mia found it easy to figure out who fit into which category. Huddled couples lined the walls, while a group of older women kibitzed together on one of the sofas. Several men stood behind them, obviously deep into one of those male-bonding rituals where each had to outdo the other by telling bullshit stories dotted with hyped-up anecdotes. Mia chuckled to herself, shaking her head a little as they puffed out their chests and clapped each other on the shoulder while drinks and cigars circled with over-the-top hand gestures. But her laughter fell away the second she saw a tall man passing behind the group. For some insane reason, the sight of him made her shiver, even though at the same time a wave of heat swept over her skin, warming her from the outside in.

20

Leap of Faith

The way his head was turned, coupled with the direction he was headed, made it impossible for her to see his entire face. Only the angle of a strong jaw was visible as he passed behind more people lingering by the door. She followed his whereabouts as best she could, struck by the fluid way he meandered through the crowd. She lost him when another group of men and women entered the room in front of him. A thrill ran through her—one she couldn’t quite put a name to. Eager came close. Awakened came even closer. She waited for him to reappear, but he didn’t. She stood on her tiptoes, begrudging the fact that, even though she wore three-inch heels, most of the people in the room still towered over her. She bobbed in an attempt to peer over heads, desperate to find him again, when one of her coworkers laid a hand on her arm. She practically jumped a mile high. “Whoa, Mia. You okay?” The concern in Jordan Summer’s expression was eased by a quick, surprised smile. Doing her best to cover up her mini freak-out, Mia plastered on a fake a smile of her own. “Yeah, I’m fine. You just startled me a little, is all.” “Sorry. I just wanted to tell you we were going to the buffet. Want to come with us?” Did she? She wasn’t quite ready to give up her search for the dark stranger, not yet. Where had he gone? And why had all the air left her lungs? She could barely drag in even the slightest breath. She scanned the room again, coming up empty-handed. Jordan nudged her again. “Come on, come with us. The food looks amazing.” After another quick scan, Mia gave in, but that didn’t keep her from searching for the man as she and Jordan and a few others zigzagged their way toward the dining room. They were last in the short line for the buffet, and as she waited her turn and half-listened to Jordan’s conversation with another coworker, Mia couldn’t help but notice she felt a little, well, odd. The warmth that ran through her when her mysterious

21

Kristin Daniels

man first appeared lingered with her now. She peered over her shoulder, hoping to catch sight of him again. Hell, even a glimpse would do. Something. Anything. But no. He was gone, like he’d simply vanished. Damn. “So, have you heard about this guy?” Jordan asked her, drawing her back to the here and now. “What guy?” Jordan gave her a duh look. “Hello? The one I was just telling you about?” “Oh,” Mia said, a little disappointed that Jordan wasn’t referring to her mysterious stranger. “No. Who is he?” Jordan moved forward in line. “Ted didn’t give a name, but from the way he was going on and on about him before you got here, I gathered he’s a real hot-shot. Ted said he’d just been told he’s moving to town. He seemed pretty happy about it.” “Hmm,” Mia said, not really interested in hearing about one of Ted’s old cronies, or the endless golf games the two of them could play together. The only person who interested her now was the one she couldn’t seem to find. She looked around again, but gave up when it came to be her turn in line. She grabbed up a plate and passed by cold salads, then warmers of steaming vegetables, potatoes and meats. She went through the motions of picking and choosing her favorites, even though hunger was the furthest thing from her mind. Well, physical hunger anyway. Hunger for a man—that man—controlled her, strangely enough, now. She’d barely made it to the end of the buffet when a fresh wave of heat bathed her entire body. She stood stock still as a hint of spicy cologne danced under her nose. The scent had her breathing deeply, deeper than she ever had before. Somehow—she didn’t know how—but somehow she instantly knew who had walked up behind her. “Quite a spread, isn’t it?” The low, sexy voice vibrated through every inch of her.

22

Leap of Faith

A lame bob of her head stood as her weak answer, since she’d suddenly been rendered mute, thanks to the desert dryness racking her mouth. With her head lowered, she turned around ever so slowly. Leather loafers led to dark slacks covering a pair of long, lean legs. Up past those, she found a trim waist and farther up, a broad chest hidden by a kitten-soft, black cashmere sweater. Her throat tightened once the man’s angular jaw came into view, her heart seized as the lips above it turned upward into a broad smile. When a perfect set of pearly whites flashed at her, Mia’s head spun. Through a will she pulled from some place deep inside, she forced herself to continue on her path, despite knowing full well what she’d find above that killer, downright heart-stopping smile. The eyes. The eyes from the pearl choker. She stopped breathing. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think. The plate that she had a death grip on just moments ago slipped from her fingers, shattering into splinters at her feet. Thick, straight eyebrows above the dark eyes drew together as a hand grabbed at hers. “Miss? Are you okay?” The words swam in her ears, but she couldn’t respond. Warmth circled her neck, and in the same instant a quick fire seared her skin where the choker’s heart charm lay against her nape. She covered her lips with the tips of her fingers and breathlessly muttered between them. “Oh. Dear. God.”

Logan Thomas attempted to steady the rattled woman in front of him with a reassuring hand to her elbow. It wasn’t like he was used to such a weird reaction whenever he tossed out a friendly, casual statement. Usually people would smile or nod

23

Kristin Daniels

or… Well, what they did or didn’t do didn’t seem to matter so much at the moment. The only thing that mattered right now was how this woman reacted. Which, honestly, was like he just scared her to death. She kept staring at him with a perplexed expression riddling her face. Yes, he found that to be a bit odd, but also found that he didn’t really mind. Not since she was so damn gorgeous and not since it appeared she only had eyes for him. Okay, they were freaked-out eyes, but still. With a gentle tug, he led her away from the broken china. “Careful. Hold on, step this way.” She followed him in a stiff, mechanical way, never once taking her eyes off his. He had to admit that the way she gaped at him was getting to be a little unnerving, but he shook off the feeling, settled her into a nearby chair and squatted beside her, still holding her hand. “Mia! God, what happened?” The young woman who was ahead of them in line came around to mimic his squat in front of… Oh hell. The woman called her Mia. This had to be Mia Bryant. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she asked. Mia glanced to the questioning woman for a split second before her stare returned to him. “Um, yes, I’m fine. The plate just slipped…” “You’re sure?” the other woman pressed. “Yes, yes, Jordan. I’m…” Mia dragged in a deep breath, “fine.” Jordan looked to Logan then back to Mia. “You don’t look fine. You look anything but fine.” “I’m okay. Really,” Mia said. “Please, go finish your dinner. I’ll be all right here.” Jordan hesitated, but only for a minute before standing. “Okay then. Promise you’ll let me know if you need anything?”

24

Leap of Faith

Mia nodded, which seemed to satisfy Jordan. Once she left, Mia spoke. “Who are you?” The question was breathy, as if it left her perfect lips on a sigh. The softness of both her words and the shape of her lips sent a jolt of awareness through every cell in his body. “Logan. My name’s Logan Thomas.” He smiled then, feeling a little out of breath himself. “And you’re Mia?” She nodded once again and narrowed her eyes on him. He was instantly enraptured by her high cheekbones, which met at the corners of those almond-shaped, deep brown eyes. But what really held his attention, what he couldn’t look away from, were those full, rose-colored lips. They seemed to call out to him, silently begging to meet with his. “Do I know you?” she asked, breaking the eerie trance he’d fallen into. No, he thought. But I know all about you. Intelligent. Respected. A real heavyhitter. But, damn, the people I asked about you never told me you were this beautiful. In a bold move, he held her hand a little tighter and rubbed circles on her palm with his thumb. “No. I’m certain I would remember if we had met.” Her stare fell to their entwined hands. “I’m sorry. I feel a bit…” Her gaze returned to his. “Shaken.” “Can you stand?” he asked, doing just that and bringing her up along with him. At six-feet-two, he towered over her. A sudden urge to protect and care for her flashed through his mind. Strange. “How about a little fresh air?” I know I can use some. “We could go outside, maybe take a short walk.” She craned her neck to meet his eyes. “A walk? Oh. Yeah. Um… That would be— lovely.”

25

Kristin Daniels

“Lovely?” He grinned, then nodded. “Well, then. Allow me to show you the way,” he said, teasing her a little by acting just as formal as she sounded. He tucked her arm under his and smoothed his other hand over hers, keeping hold of her as they maneuvered their way through clusters of guests toward the back of the house. Her hand trembled under his, and he held on tighter, suddenly anxious to get her outside and away from the crowd. They exited onto a stone patio, which gave way to a luxurious pool complete with a waterfall. To the left of the pool sat a cabana, lit up with gold paper lanterns hanging above an impromptu dance floor. A half-dozen or so couples swayed to the mellow jazz playing through hidden speakers as they passed by. As gorgeous as their surroundings were, Logan noticed she never let more than a few seconds lapse before hitting him up with another questioning stare. “Are you sure you’re all right?” He was starting to get a little worried, if not just a bit wigged out. And that didn’t come just from her not letting him out of her sight, but also about how he was feeling toward her too. Bewitched. Infatuated. Charmed. She averted her eyes and once again apologized. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to stare. It’s just… I feel… Ugh. Never mind.” He stopped at the edge of the gardens and turned toward her. “What? What do you feel?” He was desperate to know if what she was feeling was remotely similar to the strange sensations blasting around inside him. She smiled. A perfect smile that worked wonders at lighting up her eyes. It also did quite a trick on revving up his libido. “Oh no.” She shook her head and a small laugh escaped. The lilt of her chuckle made his heart pound—among other things. “You probably think I’m nuts as it is, so there’s no way I’m going to go there,” she said.

26

Leap of Faith

“Why would I think that?” he asked, even though he knew full well. “Maybe because I’ve been staring at you?” She studied him again with another unnerving search of his eyes. “I can’t help it. They’re just the same as… You have the most exquisite eyes.” She brushed her hand across his forehead. “And the strongest brow of any man I’ve ever met.” “Um, okay. Didn’t know a strong brow was important,” he said, and she rewarded him with another smile. When she lowered her hand, he instantly missed the warmth of her touch. Odd to miss something that was nothing more than a fleeting caress, but he did nonetheless. “Might be to some, I suppose.” She twisted around to sit on a nearby wood bench. “So, Mr. Thomas—” “Call me Logan,” he said as he followed her. She struck him again with another stare. “All right. Logan. How is it you know Mr. Stanhope?” Instead of sitting next to her, he straddled the bench so he could face her. “Ted? I guess you could say we’re business associates. I’ve known him for a few years. He’s the one who invited me here tonight.” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear, like it was the most natural thing for him to do. “I’m going to have to make a point to thank him for that.” “I think I might have to as well,” she said. A moment of silence hung between them, but the feeling wasn’t uncomfortable. He felt like he didn’t need to rush anything with her. So why the hell he blurted out his next words without a second of forethought, he didn’t have the slightest clue. “I want to kiss you.” He’d caught her just as off guard with that statement as he’d caught himself. She lifted an eyebrow and held her breath. “What?”

27

Kristin Daniels

“I know, I know. It’s crazy, right? But ever since you dropped your plate at my feet, I’ve been dying… Your lips… All I can think about is kissing you. It’s as if I’m being…” “Drawn—” she said. “Drawn—” he said at the exact same moment. He inched closer, feeling that pull, that crazy tug all at once and everywhere in his body—his head, his heart and places further south. “Yes. It’s…” “Strong,” she finished. He nodded. “Strong. Definitely.” No doubt in his mind. He’d never experienced a pull so powerful. His lips itched to take hers. His hands shook so badly with a need to caress her skin, he thought he’d choke. His cock hardened just from another quick glance at her lips. “Maybe we should—” “Test it and see…” she offered. “Yeah, a test.” He leaned in closer, tentatively, gauging her even though she was the one to suggest they try it out. When she held her ground and didn’t budge, he pressed his lips against hers. They came together softly at first. Then a hunger, an inexplicable craving, overtook him. He couldn’t stop himself from sliding in farther on the bench until their bodies collided. Nor could he hold back from wrapping his arms around her. She grabbed on to him at the same instant. Their mouths opened and their breaths mingled. Tongues slid easily against one another. The kiss was overrunning with passion, full of questions without a single answer in sight. He cupped her nape, holding her close as he tasted her over and over. And she was right there with him, giving as good as she got, delving deeper and driving him crazier. God, he could stay like this forever. She kissed him like she was born to, and he couldn’t get enough. Torn between his animalistic needs and a more sensible desire to get to know this woman better—not to mention the reason he knew all about her—he ended their little experiment by pulling back with a groan.

28

Leap of Faith

He touched his forehead to hers, not missing the fact that both of them were breathing like they’d just swum the English Channel, and done it in record time. “A successful test, I would say,” he said. “Yes,” she panted. “Very.” “I’m afraid if I don’t get you back to the party now, I may never.” She nodded, a little shaky. “Right. The party. It’s important that we get back in there. We should go…” He took a few moments to steady his breathing and get his libido under control, battling within himself to do the right thing and get her back to her friends and coworkers, instead of staying out here like he really wanted. Everything inside him railed against the idea of having to share her company, of not having her all to himself. But then he sat back and looked at her. He wanted to believe that her visible shakiness was due to his amazing skills as a kisser and nothing more. But he knew that wasn’t true. She had to have felt just as disoriented as he did, probably even more so considering how she reacted when she first saw him. Didn’t matter how much he wanted to keep going, how much he wanted to keep kissing her. He tortured himself by giving in to a momentary image of how far they could go, of how incredible she’d feel once he had her fully in his arms, then stomped down the thought just as quickly. Here was not the place and fifteen minutes after meeting her was sure as hell not the right time to give in to everything he wanted to do. Was it? No, damn it. It wasn’t. At least that’s what he tried to tell himself over and over as he stood and held out his hand. “Come on,” he said. “Let me take you back inside.” Before it’s too late…

29

Kristin Daniels

Oh God, he smelled so good. And his lips. Those wonderful, soft lips. Mia felt like she was floating somewhere high above, which tore her up because she both loved and hated the serenity that feeling gave her. She loved the hush that settled inside her when he kissed her. She loved even more the wash of heat over her skin that quickly followed. Yet she hated all of it because none of it made any sense. Logan Thomas was a stranger. She knew nothing about him—what he did for a living, where he lived, what kind of man he was. The only thing she knew about him was his eyes. Those damn haunting eyes. Which didn’t help her a bit. She fingered the necklace, trying like hell to work all this out in her head when he cleared his throat and said, “Mia?” She glanced up to where he waited for her, let go of the pearls and slipped her hand into his palm. “We should get back to the party?” She didn’t mean for it to sound like a question, but despite everything rolling around in her brain, she needed the reassurance that going back inside was what they should do. Her body was slowly taking precedence over her mind, and she found it more and more difficult to put together even a single thought, let alone a good reason not to stay right here on this bench with this man. “We should. Otherwise, I’m not sure I can…” He ran a hand along his jaw and swallowed. “Yeah. We need to go back inside.” Wait a minute… Was he thrown just as off kilter by their meeting as she was? God, could this get any more insane? How could she feel so drawn to someone she met only twenty minutes earlier? Why did everything inside her scream for them to not return to the house? He helped her stand, slid an arm around her and silently led her in the direction she didn’t want to go. Fire burned through the thin silk of her dress where his hand had settled at her hip. As they strolled past the cabana toward the house, neither of them said a word, they simply held on to each other tenderly. He swirled circles with his 30

Leap of Faith

fingers on her side, while she slid a hand under his sweater to grasp his waist. They moved slowly past the pool and under the pergola that led to the door. When they were only yards away from the house, she let go of his waist and grabbed his hand, pulling him farther away from the door and into the shadows close to the side of the house. “Hold on,” she said, knowing in her heart that what she was doing was crazy. “Just kiss me again. One more time. Please, before we go back to reality. Because really? This has to be a dream. I’m asleep, and all of this? It’s just a dream, right?” She thumped her forehead against his chest. “It is. It has to be. And the last thing I want to do is wake up.” He took the lead then, or maybe what he took was the blatant cue she was offering. Either way, he stepped forward with her in his arms, backing her up against the rough brick of the house. They were hidden there in the darkness, away from the luminous lights of the cabana and the fiery tiki lamps that lined the pool and the rest of the patio. “It’s not a dream, Mia. I guarantee you that every second of this is as real as it gets. Because have you, in any of your dreams, ever felt anything like this?” This was a wild clashing of their mouths. She sensed an urgency in him, an overwhelming need in his kiss that made her sex throb. She didn’t think—no, check that—she was sure that his lips couldn’t be any more devastating. She drowned in his arms as he kissed her with the impatient intensity of a new lover. Her knees weakened, her insides trembled, and when he thrust his hips against hers, she melted. The hard ridge of his erection pressed firmly against her belly. But then, just as quickly as he began, he killed her by pulling away. Now it was her turn to groan. “Have you, Mia?” Rational thought left her, and she shook her head. “Never,” she croaked. “What’s going on here? It’s…” She wanted to say it was too much, too fast, but the words wouldn’t come. Lord forbid she would say them and he would walk away. That was the last thing she wanted. 31

Kristin Daniels

“I don’t have a clue what’s going on. All I know is how much I want to touch you, how I never want to stop kissing you.” He took her lips again and she couldn’t help opening up for him. He brought one hand to her waist as the other traveled lower to clutch her thigh. She wrapped a leg around his, wanting to growl at the hard muscle flexing along his calf. He ground his hips against hers as if he were inside her, moving with her and fucking her hard. His cock rubbed her just right through their clothing. A few more thrusts, a few more minutes, and she’d… Oh God, she shouldn’t. Not with him. Not out here. Not now. But knowing she shouldn’t didn’t go very far in her not wanting to. Lost inside herself, inside Logan, she wound her fingers through his dark hair before settling them at the base of his neck. As she toyed with the strands at his nape, he stroked a hand from her waist, up and over her ticklish ribs to stop and grip her just under her breast. “Should I keep going?” The question came on a breath at her ear. She should say no, she should push him out of the way and go back inside the house, or better yet, go back home. Anything. Something. But nothing could kill the anticipation raging through her at what he might do next. The rush his kisses gave her combined with the searing heat of his caresses rocked her to her core. But when he stopped everything—his kiss, his hand, his breathing—she thought she might die. She knew right then that there was only one answer she could give him. “Please,” she said. His held breath gushed from his lungs as their lips met again, damn near frantically this time. Seconds later, when he teased her nipple through her dress with a stroke of his thumb, she didn’t know what to do. She instinctually slid her fingers into the waves

32

Leap of Faith

of hair at the back of his head, fisted them and held on tight. He growled low in his throat, and she was helpless to do anything else but pull him in closer. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he skimmed his hand higher and covered her breast. Her nipple beaded, zinging her with a jolt as the tip poked against her dress into his palm. He broke the kiss and nipped along her neck as his other hand rode higher on her thigh. He took the smallest of steps away and she nearly cried out when his hips left hers. But the quick touch of his fingers on her panties made any argument she might’ve had fly right out of her mind. “Lace,” he groaned against her skin. “Fucking wet lace.” Fucking insane Mia was more like it. What the hell was she doing? That earlier feeling of being drawn to Logan paled in comparison to the need thrashing around inside her now. There was no way for her to resist him, no way for her to say no. She didn’t want to say no. God, she’d never wanted anyone to touch her more in her entire life. And if she wasn’t so caught up in sensory overload, that might’ve scared the living daylights out of her. He captured her mouth once again and muted her moan as he teased her clit through the lace. She pushed on his chest to break the kiss and tipped her head back. She searched his eyes for answers, desperate for anything that would explain the desire boomeranging between them. The radiance from the full moon bathed his silhouette in a soft light. The aura from its glow surrounded him, giving him an almost ghostly appearance. His voice was low, throaty, when he spoke. “Do you want to come?” This. Was. Insane. Despite that—or maybe because of it—she bit her lower lip and nodded. “Yes.” God… “Look at me, watch me.”

33

Kristin Daniels

How could she not? He had her entranced, holding her in his stare as she melted from the inside out. Lace had just become her new favorite fabric. He touched her again through her panties, swirling his finger with the perfect amount of pressure as his other hand never left her breast. The rough texture of the lace added another level of sensation, one that had a fire igniting deep inside her. Over and again he caressed her, building her need higher, never shoving her panties out of the way, never once touching her skin on skin. But somehow that didn’t matter. Heaven above, he knew what he was doing. Nothing had ever felt so cock-eyed, yet so amazingly right at the same time. She shuddered in his arms, digging her fingernails into his biceps as a powerful orgasm ripped through her and took her breath away. She squeezed her eyes tight, so damn tight, and dropped her head to his chest while clinging onto handfuls of cashmere, all while biting her lower lip to keep from crying out. Her heart seized inside her chest and her breaths came and went in shallow pants as he ravished her shoulder with tiny, biting kisses. “Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.” She hung on to his sweater as he slowly slid his hand out from under her dress and set her to rights. A few deep breaths later, and she finally came down enough to gather her wits about her. Embarrassment should be ravaging her right about now, instead of this incredible… Calm, was it? She hadn’t felt this even-keeled, this in-control-while-beingout-of-control in, well… She’d never felt this way. She lifted her gaze as confusion ransacked her mind. “I don’t understand,” was all she could say. He smiled a little and wrapped her in his arms. “I don’t either. I’m not really sure I want to.” She blew out an uncertain chuckle, knowing exactly what he meant. “What do we do now?”

34

Leap of Faith

A quick chill danced over her skin as he kissed the top of her head, then settled his cheek there and held her tighter. “Honestly? I don’t have a clue.”

35

Kristin Daniels

Chapter Three If Logan stopped to think about what he’d just done, he’d probably try to kick his own ass. Unprofessional didn’t even begin to cover it. But it wasn’t like he could not have touched her. Something about Mia made him possessive. So possessive, in fact, he had to suppress the urge to throw her over his shoulder and get the hell out of there with a single-minded mission—find the nearest bed. A Neanderthal he wasn’t. Nor was he normally driven by pure animal instinct. But after just one look from her, just one whiff of her incredible perfume, he went flying off into a reckless, primal state. He eased his hold on her, stepped back and reached for her hand. He considered for a moment taking her here, fucking her up against the hard brick of Stanhope’s house. Hell, he could practically feel her heat wrap around his stiff cock. As much as it killed him, he needed to keep at least a modicum of decency and suppress that urge as well. But, shit, how he wanted to. He had to keep forefront in his mind why he was here. This new job Stanhope offered him could be a huge boost to his career, paving the way to bigger and better positions—namely the chance of earning the Project Architect job Ted had dangled in front of him to get him to move here. Years of fighting his way up the proverbial ladder made him a damn good, not to mention a respected, designer. That’s how most people knew him. Competent. Hard-working. Competitive. Usually, any sort of rivalry enticed him. And after he heard the names of the other architects battling for the job, this one had too. Right up until he’d gotten a taste of Mia. Now he could’ve very well fucked everything up.

36

Leap of Faith

She peered up at him, opening her mouth to say something. But before she could, he placed a finger against her lips. “Wait. There’s something I need to tell you. I just want you to know…” He let out a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. How could he tell her that no matter what she learned about him, about who he was and why he was here, that none of that would change how he felt right now? The strange need for her, the instant pull he felt toward her. He rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated beyond belief—and not just sexually. “Ah hell.” “What’s wrong?” she asked. The uncertainty in her eyes made him cringe. She began to pull away, but he held her, steadfast. No way could he let her go. He had to come clean, right here, right now. He had to tell her everything. “Come inside with me. Let’s talk.” He slid an arm around her, touched his lips to hers and then led them out of the shadows.

The hesitation in Logan had Mia fighting back an unwelcome anxiety. He was so into her, so all over her one minute, then turned weirdly solemn the next. And that, like everything so far, didn’t make a damn bit of sense. Did he regret what he’d done? Was he having second, third or even fourth thoughts about starting something with a complete stranger? His halted words said yes, but his eyes and body language told her no. The polarity between the two left her conflicted, without an inkling as to what might be running through his mind. And she could just as easily flip that same contradiction onto herself. She’d never done anything remotely like this before—never let a man get that, ahem, close after just meeting. Not that offers hadn’t been made. But she’d never once felt that deep connection, that instant bond with any other man. What freaked her out so much was the fact that she’d never wanted anyone as desperately as she wanted Logan. And the huge erection hidden behind his zipper told 37

Kristin Daniels

her he wanted her as well. The thought of what he’d feel like—in her hand, in her mouth, inside her body—only amped up her desire that much more. “Maybe we should just get out of here instead?” she said, choking on the need she suddenly had to get to the bottom of the craziness raging through them. He flashed a glance down at her as they entered the house. “We could. Yeah. Absolutely. But…” Ah ha. Here it comes. Mia’s uncanny knack of being able to read people flew into a tailspin. Usually, she considered her perceptiveness to be a gift, one she used over and over in her professional life. Now it seemed more like a curse than anything else. Because that look right there, the one he just gave her? No one with an ounce of people skills could mistake a look like that. Guilt. Full-blown, no-holds-barred guilt. But why? What the hell was going on with him? She stopped dead in her tracks just inside the doorway, hell-bent on finding out. “Okay, enough. This is driving me crazy. Just tell me what you have to say and get it over with.” The heavy sigh he blew out didn’t go very far at making her feel any better. “Come here,” he said, once again pulling her by the hand. He led her through the milling crowd toward a deserted hallway, and she couldn’t help but stare at him as she followed close behind. God, even his back was sexy. The strong column of his neck, the way his dark hair curled against the tan skin at his nape, and damn, those wide shoulders… Logan knocked on a closed door and opened it without waiting even a moment to see if someone would answer. He flipped the light switch by the door and closed them inside what had to be Ted’s home office.

38

Leap of Faith

“We probably shouldn’t be…” she started. But before she could add on the in here part, Logan had wrapped her in his arms. “Shh,” he said, stroking his fingers along her cheek and running his thumb along her chin. Before she could speak or think or breathe, he lowered his lips to hers. This kiss was ripe with a tenderness, a slow softness he hadn’t shown her earlier. He started with an easy parting of her lips with his tongue and ended with unhurried, almost lazy nibbles against her mouth. Heat speared her core the same instant a sense of dread set a course straight for her heart. Whatever he had to say, it wasn’t going to be good. “Oh God. You’re married. Aren’t you?” she asked when he broke the kiss. He chuckled. “No, I’m not married.” “Engaged?” He shook his head. “Seeing someone?” Again with the head shake. “No, Mia. There’s no one in my life. Not yet, anyway.” Her heart danced a little. Not yet? “What is it then? If it’s because you think I’m easy, I can assure you I’ve never—” “I don’t think you’re easy,” he laughed, and kissed her again. “Far from it.” With a serious turn, he said, “It’s just that—” The door shot open then, and in walked Jordan. Her eyes got a little bigger as she stopped inside the doorway, still gripping the doorknob. “Oh sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here. I was just… Mr. Stanhope asked me to get…” she stuttered. “He’s about to address the masses,” she finished, recovering somewhat and gesturing toward the door. “He asked me to get the gift for Ellen and then gather everyone up. So, consider this as me gathering you.” She scurried over to Ted’s desk, plucked the gift

39

Kristin Daniels

box from the top and rushed back out. “In five?” she said with a coy smile, and then closed the door behind her. “Just great,” Logan said. “Listen… Damn it. This is not how this should go. Not rushed like this.” He drew his eyebrows together, and Mia’s entire body tingled. “I just have to know that you’re with me, that you’re feeling this thing between us too?” Her heart pounded in her ears, the blood rushing through them roaring like the waves of an angry ocean. “I feel something. Something strange. Something incredibly strong.” “I do too. Remember that while we go out there and make our appearances at Ted’s speech. After that, I promise, we’ll get out of here. Go someplace a little more private so we can be alone.” “Wait a second—” He didn’t let her finish. Instead, he took her in another knee-rattling kiss. They clung to each other as if they’d never get the chance to again, and once more the heat from the pearl choker warmed a circle around her throat.

***** He should have told her. He could’ve blurted it right out and told her who he was. That would’ve at least paved the way for him to try to set it all right. Yeah. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. They left Ted’s office, quietly making their way to the living room to stand next to the fireplace. A waiter passed by, offering flutes of champagne for the toast. Logan took two and handed one to Mia as Ted and his wife came up next to them in front of the fireplace. Ted cleared his throat and the entire room hushed. “Ellen and I just wanted to thank all of you for coming tonight,” he began. “It means so much that you’re here to celebrate with us. And personally, it means even more that this lovely woman,” he pressed his lips to Ellen’s hand, “has had the strength to stay with a bastard like me for forty years.”

40

Leap of Faith

Logan risked a glance at Mia as the crowd chuckled. Her kiss-swollen lips were upturned in a small smile, which sent a jolt straight to his cock. Damn, he never intended to start anything tonight. A relationship—with anyone— hadn’t been something he’d considered in a very long time. One look from Mia, however, one hand on her beautiful body, and BAM. He was gone. Like slammed out of the park, gone. Ted continued his speech, but Logan barely heard a word of it. All his concentration was on the woman standing next to him. He sipped his champagne, trying not to make the way he kept looking down at Mia so obvious. But when she nudged him with her hip and nodded toward Ted and Ellen with another smile, he knew he’d done a pretty lousy job at it. Ted gave the gift to Ellen, the crowd let out a load of ohhhs and ahhhs, and Logan found he couldn’t care less about any of it. All he wanted was a repeat of what went on in the shadows outside with Mia. It was all he could think about. Two seconds after Ted gave his final thanks-glad-you-could-come, Logan was ready to get the hell out of there. Until Ted made eye contact and headed his way. Shit. “Logan. You made it.” He took the older man’s hand in a firm shake. “I did, Ted, thanks.” Ted slid his glance to Mia. “And I see you’ve already met the firm’s rising star.” When Mia brightened at the compliment, Logan’s throat tightened. He knew what was coming next, and he knew without a doubt that it would dim the glow he saw in her now. Christ, but Stanhope had awful timing. “I hope he’s done a good job introducing himself, since I haven’t had the chance,” Ted said.

41

Kristin Daniels

Depended on what the old guy considered proper. Logan considered his meeting her hot as hell. Mia coyly laughed as a sexy-as-sin blush rose to her cheeks. “He did just fine, Ted.” “Good.” He nodded. “I have to admit, though, I’m a bit surprised to see the two of you being so cordial toward each other. I figured that since the board and I haven’t determined which candidate will win the Project Architect’s position, you two would either be out for blood, or at the very least steer clear of each other.” Mia’s gaze bounced between Logan and Ted, and Logan’s heart sank. The sudden anger boiling in her eyes had him momentarily forgetting what the rest of his body wanted. What he wouldn’t give to have time move back an hour. To be able to hold her like he’d done before. And get that chance to tell her the truth. She set her champagne flute on a nearby table, folded her arms and stared at him, downright furious. He could match that fury, but his would be directed at Ted. “I, ah, hadn’t exactly gotten around to that part yet.” Ted’s gaze mimicked Mia’s earlier back and forth, only his was between her and Logan. “Oh. I see.” “You’re here for the job?” Mia asked. “I’m here…” He stopped, thought about the right way to answer but came up with nothing. Instead, he reached for her hand. “If you’ll excuse us, Ted?” Even though Ted was getting up there in years, the old man was still sharp as a tack. He nodded once and clapped a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “Of course.” “Don’t bother,” Mia said, tossing the words out with an added shot of venom. She yanked her hand out from his reach and instead shook Ted’s. “The party was perfect, Ted, but you’ll forgive me if I have to leave a little early.”

42

Leap of Faith

Ted tossed out another “Of course.” When Mia spun on a dime and took off down the hallway, Logan’s head almost exploded. He started after her, but Ted kept hold of his shoulder. “Let her go, Logan. Mia’s highly competitive, and if my instincts are correct—which they usually are—I’m guessing you owe her an explanation. Giving her some space might just give her the time she needs to calm down.” “No.” He threw out the one-word answer with as much force as he dared to his new boss. “If I let her leave, she’ll never let me explain.” Ted let go of him. “She’s not stupid, son. The girl can put two and two together. Best to let her cool off.” Logan clenched his jaw and tamped down the urge to tell Ted to back the fuck off and leave him alone so he could go find her. A minute later, Logan spotted her by the front door with her purse and keys in hand. When she glared at him from over her shoulder, her dark eyes were overflowing with pain and anger. He hated it, but he deserved every single bit of the punch to his gut her look created. That, and then some. Much more, in fact. God, he couldn’t let her leave like this. He had to stop her, he had to do something. Now, and no matter what Ted said or what the consequences may be. “Wait,” he shouted. Without a backward glance to his boss, Logan took off after her. But before he could take even a step, she’d turned away and bolted out the front door.

43

Kristin Daniels

Chapter Four What a fool she’d been. What a damn, stupid fool. As Mia dug in her purse for her keys and stormed to her car, she could almost feel the smoke coming out of her ears. And that was because, out of all the questions raging through her head now, there was one she couldn’t begin to shake. Did Logan know who she was before he kissed her, before he touched her? Ha. Of course he knew, damn him. And the fact that he did, the fact that he sat there on that bench with her and sidestepped how he knew Ted and why he was really in town, only infuriated her that much more. Jordan’s earlier words swam in Mia’s ears. I gathered he’s a real hot-shot. Ted said he’d just been told he’s moving to town. He seemed pretty happy about it. Mia yanked open her car door, threw her purse onto the passenger seat and plopped down on the driver’s side. She sat there a moment, clutching at the steering wheel, fuming. But not all of her anger was directed toward Logan. She was pissed off at herself, at the dumbstruck way she acted and the foolish way she behaved. What on earth possessed her to let him touch her like that? To let him work his charm against her? All of this, the entire night, was so unlike her. How the hell had she let lust get the better of her? She groaned and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. If she were being honest, she’d admit that deep down, she knew how. It had been the mellow, throaty tone of his voice, the gentle way he held her, the sensual way he touched her, not to mention his dark, haunting eyes—the same eyes that only hours earlier had swirled in her necklace. That was how. 44

Leap of Faith

She’d gotten caught up in a daze, a dreamlike state where anything and everything was possible—even something as ridiculous as falling instantly in love. And when he kissed her? The dream had shattered into a million pieces and became tangible. Real. She had touched it. She had touched love. And that lightheaded rush of love at first sight burst into flames and smoldered into ash when Stanhope opened his mouth and burned her dream to the ground. Gripping the steering wheel harder, she bit her lip to keep from screaming out. How had this happened? She’d gone from drowning in lust and touching love to being smacked upside the head with the harsh realities of the real world—along with the awful truths of the business world. She’d been working her ass off for weeks to win the Project Architect job and head up Stanhope’s new building venture. When she thought back on all she’d already done, of all the nights she spent planning and preparing and drafting out the basics of the seventy-five-story steel-and-glass dream, she wanted to cringe. No, wait, she wanted to punch a hole in the damn windshield. She’d earned this job, damn it. And there was no way in hell she was going to let some hotshot from out of nowhere waltz in and steal it away from her. No matter what he may do to the rest of her. She started her car and pulled away, leaving Ted’s ritzy neighborhood, Logan Thomas and all the chaos both men represented behind. She stewed the entire drive— wriggling in the driver’s seat, slamming the palm of her hand against the steering wheel—but somehow managed to calm down enough that she didn’t feel like she was on fire by the time she made it home. She shuffled into her ground-floor apartment, tossed her keys and purse onto the kitchen table, then ran her hands down her face and around to the back of her neck in a poor attempt to ease a little of her tension. Just as she was feeling a hair better, a soft rap at the door made her jump nearly a foot off the floor. She laid a hand over her heart before moving to the door. Flipping the exterior light on, she pulled the edge of the curtain back and peered out the window.

45

Kristin Daniels

Oh for the love of… She dropped her chin to her chest and sighed before unlocking the door and opening it, still leaving the chain in place. “What do you want?” The expression Logan wore teemed with well-controlled anger. “You left. Took off before I could explain.” “There’s nothing for you to explain. I get why you didn’t say anything. No chance in getting lucky with some girl you’re competing with for, oh, just the most important job she’s ever gone after. That’s understandable. So why don’t you do us both a favor and leave it at that. We’ll just chalk everything up to a moment of insanity.” “I’m not leaving or chalking it up to anything. Let me in.” Wait, hold on a damn minute… “How did you find me?” A shot of boldness edged out some of the anger swirling around him. “I followed you.” “You what?” This was insane. He was insane. “I watched you leave, got in my car and followed you. I didn’t think you were ever going to stop.” Her own receding anger started prickling at her again. “You need to get right back in that car and drive away, then. I don’t have anything to say to you.” A muscle ticked along his jaw, but the irritation in his eyes softened some. “I can do the talking for both of us. Just let me explain. I told you I would. But I can’t do it from out here. Please,” he said with a quieter, yet equally determined voice. “I need to talk to you.” Mia stilled for a long moment, contemplating what to do. Despite the hurt and anger hanging heavy between them, despite him not being up front from the get-go, she couldn’t ignore that beneath all his he-man, my-way-or-the-highway attitude, there lay

46

Leap of Faith

a sweet sincerity. She knew if she did as he asked, if she opened the door and let him into her home, she would also be opening the door to her heart. Did he belong there, in her heart? She might’ve thought so before, but now? Now she just wanted… God, she didn’t know what she wanted anymore. But she figured the truth was a good place to start. Besides, she had to admit that she’d love to hear how he’d explain all of this. She closed the door, slid the chain lock and stepped back when he pushed through the door and soundlessly closed it behind him. “Why did you leave?” “Why didn’t you tell me why you were at the party?” she countered. He wasn’t the only one who was edgy. She was still just as infuriated and had every right to be. He stalked slowly toward her, like she was his prey and he her captor. She backed through the archway that led into her living room, step by little step, knowing that she needed to keep at least a small distance between them, more for her own sanity than for any other reason. The way he stared at her consumed her, while it just as effortlessly tore her apart. Trust battled with desire, need meshed with honesty, and none of it made any sense. With every step he took, her resistance slipped further and further away. “I wanted to tell you.” He took another step toward her. “Why did you leave?” he asked again. “I don’t like being lied to,” she said, trying to keep up pretenses. “I never lied.” “Lying by omission. Same thing to me.” “No, it’s not.” He continued forward, stealthily. Purposefully. In the darkness of her living room, he somehow seemed bigger. Stronger.

47

Kristin Daniels

Irresistible. She didn’t feel an ounce of fear toward him. Instead, her entire body sizzled with a newfound awareness. Every inch of her tingled as her blood thundered through her veins. Longing replaced her ire, her confusion. There was no way she could resist him, no way she could ever tell him no. She didn’t want to. When she came to a halt in the middle of the room, he took one more step closer. “You told me you felt it too. I asked you to remember.” Logan ran a hand through his hair, clutching the ends and holding on to them. “Damn it, I wanted to tell you. But, God…there were so many other things I wanted to do more. I’m sorry.” She let out a cynical chuckle. “You’re sorry? You would’ve rather stuck your tongue in my mouth and your hand up my dress than tell me why you’re really here?” He stopped all movement. “Don’t make it sound like that,” he growled. She tried to hold him back with a hand in the center of his chest. But instead of stopping, he grasped her wrist, pulling her toward him and spinning her around at the same time. Her back landed against his chest with a thud. He held her captive in his arms, and she didn’t know whether she should hate it or love it. But there was no need to clue him in on her indecision. “Let go,” she said, making a show at struggling within his arms. From behind his zipper, a thick erection prodded her lower back. Any rational person would’ve been scared, or at the very least apprehensive, but not her. Clearly, she wasn’t even close to being rational, not when her disloyal body reacted in a purely sexual way. Hot. Wet. Ready. “No. Not until you tell me I wasn’t the only one standing outside that house feeling a connection. God, Mia.” He breathed into her hair and lowered his lips to her neck.

48

Leap of Faith

“Touching you like that, watching you come, it had to be the most erotic thing I’ve ever done. But only because of you. This damn inexplicable pull I have to you…” Still holding her tight, he lowered them both to their knees. “You feel it. I know you do. Your heart is beating so fast. You want me.” He ground his hips against her ass. “You feel how much I want you. More than I want my next breath.” The moan that left her lips betrayed her. “See there? It’s deep, isn’t it? The need. The desire.” His words killed her slowly. Every one made her breath come faster, made her pussy throb harder. He dropped one arm as he tightened the other around her. She wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to worry about her taking off, that there was no way she was going to walk away from this. His dominance only drove her arousal higher, had her dying bit by bit inside. He sat back on his heels, pulling her with him until she lay over his chest, sitting on her own heels between his thighs. He ran his lips across her shoulders, licking and nipping and making her feel like she was two steps away from going insane. Nudging the heart charm from the choker aside, he pressed his mouth to the top of her spine, breathing over her skin, making her breathe in sync with him. “Mia…” he whispered, pulling the clip in her hair free and smoothing his fingers through her curls. “God, your hair is so soft. So silky.” With each touch, each word, her surrender edged closer. But she wasn’t quite ready for him to know that. “Yeah, well, you’re a liar.” A deep, throaty chuckle vibrated against her back. “No, I’m not.” She arched into more hot kisses, which only succeeded in pressing her rear harder into his cock. “Mmm,” he groaned. “You’ve got me on the edge of control here, babe. Do that again, and you might just push me too far.” “Is that a threat or a promise?”

49

Kristin Daniels

She knew she was egging him on, and knew just as well that with that one little sentence, she’d given herself away. “Which do you want?” She swallowed and kept silent, because she truly didn’t know. “I guess it’s up to me to decide,” he said, reaching between them and splaying his palm in the middle of her back. “Lie down,” he ordered. When she hesitated, he nudged. He didn’t force her, which told her the decision was ultimately hers. The choice was an easy one. She was too far gone, too turned on to even think about stopping now. When she started forward, he surprised her by stopping her. “Hold on,” he said. He flicked the hook from the eye at the top of her dress and latched onto the zipper pull, sliding it all the way down her back. He pushed one strap over her shoulder before moving on to the next. She shivered when the bodice of her dress fell to her waist. “All right. Go ahead,” he told her. Her head spun as she slithered forward. He held on to her dress, pulling it down the farther she went, until she’d rested her forehead on her crossed wrists on the floor and her ass nuzzled the bulge in his pants. “Right there,” he said. “Stay just like that.” With her ass up in the air? “Are you with me?” he asked, sliding his fingertips under the edge of her lace panties. There was no point in playing coy any longer. She was here, all in, and it was time she let him know that. “I am.” He let out a long sigh, one she couldn’t help but think was chock-full of relief, as he began to work her panties over her hips. “Damn,” he whispered, growling a little low in his throat.

50

Leap of Faith

Earlier, when Logan had held Mia against the side of the house and she came in his hand, he’d called her gorgeous. What a fucking understatement. To him, she was perfect. He hated acting like a bastard when he first arrived, pushing her the way he did. But he couldn’t let go of how she left, not with this crazy connection sparking between them. And now that he had her, there was no way he’d let her walk away again. Something deep in his heart spoke to him, clearly and in no uncertain terms. Mia was his. When he’d pulled the clip from her hair and the dark waves fell around her shoulders, he knew he was on the right path. As the zipper of her dress came down and he’d slid the straps off her shoulders, he’d come this close to heaven. But right here, right now, gliding her panties over the supple roundness of her ass, that was when he discovered his ultimate undoing. The position he had her in was perfect for giving this delectable part of her a little well-deserved attention. He smoothed his hand over first the right cheek, then the left, deciding if he should even go there, if she’d want him to go there. “What are you doing?” The apprehensive tone of her voice almost gave him pause, but he knew, if she were right here with him like she said she was, that he could make this good for her. So unbelievably good. “Shh, it’s okay.” He stroked her again, teasing his own hand with how amazing she felt. “You have a fantastic ass, Mia. So soft. I don’t think there’s anything I’d love to see more than this pretty ass blush.” She didn’t say anything, only wriggled against him the tiniest bit. That she didn’t freak or tell him to get the fuck out spurred him on. He stroked once more, then quickly came down with a well-placed slap on the sweet curve of her right cheek. She yelped and jumped a little, bucking forward as though she wanted to get away, then surging right back, as if she were looking for him again. “Like that, do you?” 51

Kristin Daniels

Again, she said nothing. But the way she moaned spoke louder than any words could’ve. When he delivered another matching spank on the other cheek, she blessed him with another throaty moan. “Damn, sweetheart.” He fought the urge to take her right then, to strip off his clothes and lose himself in her body. But he couldn’t. Not yet. He wanted…needed to have more of this moment. With her, just like this… The gift of it, the trust she offered up—that she gave herself so freely meant more to him than he’d ever imagined. Again and again he spanked her, conscious never to come down in the same place twice or make it hard enough to replace her pleasure with pain. He had her on the edge of breathless, and damn if he wasn’t feeling that way too. He definitely succeeded in making her ass blush, and seeing the pale skin there turn more and more pink made his dick harden to steel. He soothed the heat away with sweet caresses, but he couldn’t keep from heading lower, from dipping his thumb down the crease of her ass until he came to the hot slickness of her pussy. Only he didn’t stop there. He pressed on, settling the pad of his thumb over her clit and stroking once. Twice. Then again. When her moans and hissed out yeses mingled with her out-of-control breaths, he knew he couldn’t stand the torture he was putting himself through any longer. He reached up and flicked the hook on her strapless bra, letting it fall to the floor as he pulled his sweater off over his head. “Roll onto your back.” His words came out gruff, but when she did as he said, when she rolled over and speared him with a stare so full of heat and need, he knew his tone didn’t matter. Hell, maybe she even liked the rough way he talked to her. With that thought in mind and her laid out in front of him, Logan came face-to-face with his personal point of no return. He would have Mia, all to himself, take her right here and now. He came over her on all fours, dying to kiss her, for her to wrap her arms around him.

52

Leap of Faith

When she did, he was the one caught up in a heavy moan. He got lost in the lush curves of her body, in her full, firm breasts topped off with those pretty, pink nipples. He got lost in her kiss, in the feel of her tongue as it slid against his. But he didn’t want to stop there. He moved on, going lower, cupping her breasts and drawing her nipple between his lips, nipping on it gently before flicking it with the tip of his tongue. The hard point tightened under his touch, and when she arched into him, he moved to the other, lavishing just as much attention on that one as she dug her fingers through his hair and held him close. The kisses on her breasts led him to the underside, to her ribs and the soft dip above her belly button. He spread his hands out on her hips, digging his fingertips into the flesh there as he went lower. She spread her legs wider, making room for him to settle between them. Not a word was said between them at that point, but there didn’t need to be. He knew what she wanted and was determined to give it to her. That, and so much more. His first taste of her sent a shiver through his body. So sweet, so amazing. He tasted her need, the heady flavor of desire that made his own blaze until he thought he’d burn to a crisp. Her arms shot out to her sides, clutching at the short-pile carpet. But when she came up with nothing substantial to hold on to, she fisted her hands, crying out as he teased her again with his finger. He slid it deep inside her, driving her crazier with a come-here motion. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit at her lips, but he didn’t want her to hold back. Not with him. Not with how they were both so close to the edge. When she lifted her arms to run her hands through her hair, then brush her fingers over her neck before skimming them lower to palm her breasts, he realized he never should’ve doubted her. The sensuality with which she caressed herself before pinching her nipples between her fingers nearly made him come in his pants. She was so gorgeous, so sensual. So his.

53

Kristin Daniels

The way that thought kept running through his mind should’ve scared the shit out of him. But somehow the concept gave him peace, an inner calm deep inside, even when his entire body ran along a razor-sharp edge of desire. But then she looked down at him. Every muscle in his body clenched when she wriggled her fingers at him. “Come here,” she whispered. “Please.” Fuck, she didn’t have to ask him twice. He crawled up her body, grabbing at the button on his waistband on his way before reaching in his back pocket for his wallet. “Oh God. Hurry.” He tried, shit how he tried. He shoved his pants to his knees, plucked the worn condom package from his wallet and covered himself within a half-dozen beats of his heart. “Easy now,” he said, more for his own benefit than hers. If he didn’t take it slow, he wouldn’t last more than two strokes. And he definitely wanted to last, to ride out every wicked wave he knew he’d find within her. But she was having none of that. She grabbed at him, at his arms and shoulders, and pulled him down on top of her, nestling him between her thighs, the slick heat of her pussy waiting to invite him in. The instant he slid inside her, he took her in a heated kiss and drowned in how right it all felt. In how right she felt. “Ah, Mia. Babe. You’re so tight, sucking me in and holding me so damn tight.” He snaked his arms underneath her, controlling every movement and savoring every stroke, waiting for the perfect moment to speed up, to go faster and deeper. He clenched his jaw in a lame attempt to hold back, determined to have her come before he let himself go to join her. And God, she was close. He could feel it, feel her. Tightening on him, bringing him with her. Just when he thought he couldn’t stand it any longer, she broke from his lips

54

Leap of Faith

and tossed her head to the side. The moan she let out rang in his ears and shot through his body. He sped up then, giving her what she needed, what they both needed. When she dug her fingernails into his back, that was all it took. He came harder than he ever had before, groaning out her name while damning himself for putting on the condom in the first place. He wanted nothing more than to come inside her, to take that one step he never dared with any other woman before. He would, damn it. Next time, he promised himself he would. He’d take that step and make her his, forever.

55

Kristin Daniels

Chapter Five What. The. Hell. Mia lay wrapped in Logan’s arms, breathing hard while careening back and forth between a mishmash of turmoil, satiation and stark raving confusion. But none of that seemed to matter when Logan lifted his head from the crook of her neck and flashed a killer smile at her. “Still mad at me?” She bit back a telling smile of her own, and instead shrugged. “I should be.” He slid his cock from her body and lay on his side next to her, again pulling her back against his front and holding on tight. His breath blew in warm puffs over her skin as he spoke. “I get that. And I truly am sorry that who I was or why I was at Ted’s party never came up between us. But I have to be honest and say that’s all I’m sorry for. As far as the rest of this goes? I wouldn’t change even a second of it.” Mia closed her eyes and tucked herself further into his arms, wondering how he could be so certain about something that to her came just shy of sounding completely insane. “It’s all so crazy,” she said. “No doubt,” he agreed. “But crazy is good. Crazy makes life interesting. And I’m all for interesting.” “You’re a real thrill-seeker, huh?” She shivered when he chuckled and stroked his fingers up her arm and over her shoulder. “I can be. I guess it all depends on what the thrill is.” Before she could ask if she qualified as his latest adventure, he stopped the dance of his fingers halfway up her neck when he came to her grandmother’s choker. A flutter

56

Leap of Faith

scurried through her insides when he lifted the heart charm from her skin and leaned in closer. “What’s this? Is there an inscription on here?” She swallowed hard before peering over her shoulder at him. “I think so. I’ve never looked close enough to read what it said though.” Not since she hadn’t touched the thing once in the past month. “Hmm,” he said, letting go of the charm to run his finger across the triple strand of pearls. “It looks old. Antique.” He kissed her shoulder and tucked her in closer. “I think this is all you should ever wear. Nothing but this choker.” She elbowed him gently in the ribs. “Fat chance. I’d get arrested as soon as I left my apartment.” “Who said anything about leaving?” he countered. “We could stay inside for months and I don’t think I’d have a single thing to complain about.” She rolled in his arms to face him. “Months? Here, with me?” “Yeah. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?” She knew she should be leery about how much it truly did. “But what if I snore louder than a freight train? What happens when I use up all the hot water? Or you end up hating my favorite carry-out place? Or what about the way I—” He placed a finger over her lips. “Whoa, slow down. All of that is called getting to know each other. And if any of that stuff happens while you’re wearing only this necklace, then I’m sure I won’t mind.” She flattened her palms on his chest, pushing him a little and ignoring the grin he offered up. “I’m serious, Logan. From the second I laid eyes on you, it’s like I’ve been caught up in a tornado. Everything’s happened so fast. Too fast. What if…” She sighed, letting her scattered thoughts hang, too afraid to organize them and let them out. He turned serious then too. “What if, what? What if we both snore? What if we end up liking the same things? What if we end up liking each other?”

57

Kristin Daniels

“But what if we don’t? Add to that how we’re fighting for the same promotion…” He ran his hand lazily up her back to her shoulder and then down again. “I won’t fight with you over that.” That made her take notice. “Wait, what?” He propped his head on his hand and fingered her choker again, laughing gently. “Don’t get all excited. I’m not backing out, if that’s what you’re thinking.” “Then what do you mean? Isn’t getting the Project Architect job why you moved here?” “That was part of the reason. And there’s no denying that I’d love to have it. In the end, though, what it comes down to is my portfolio and reputation against yours and all the others up for it. I know what I’ve accomplished in the past, and I’ve been able to climb a few ladders because of my history. So have you. We just have to let what we’ve done speak for us and see who comes out on top.” “Just like that?” He nuzzled her ear, kissing the ticklish skin underneath. “Think of it as a new way to look at the situation. To really, like everyone says people should do, separate our business from the pleasure.” Could he do that? God, could she? Yes, she’d been hurt and angry when she found out he was up for the same job, but only because of everything that had gone on, along with him already knowing about her and her not having the slightest clue about him. She hated being kept in the dark, and would much rather have had all the cards laid out on the table so she knew what—or who—she was dealing with. But now that the shock had a chance to run its course, maybe she could try out his way of looking at things by letting go of a little of her competitiveness and attempting to focus on the rest—mainly on the whirlwind that had quickly become the two of them together.

58

Leap of Faith

“And in going along with that whole theme of keeping work and fun apart,” he went on, shifting her to her back and coming over her on his hands and knees again, “how about we add a little more to the fun side?” “Hmm, more?” she teased. He gave her the most adorable, crooked grin. “Oh yeah. I was thinking what I’d really love to do right now is take about an hour or so to lather up your entire body.” Ohhh, that sounded like heaven. “A shower?” “Not just a shower, but a shower with me.” The conviction with which he said it told her there was definitely a difference between the two. He stood, then held out his hand. She hesitated, even though they both knew the pause was only for show, before sliding her fingers over his to have him help her up. “I think I’d like that,” she whispered, before standing on her toes to lean in and kiss him. The way he kissed her back—long, deep and slow—made her toes curl and her heart race. But this time, the pounding in her chest wasn’t born from confusion or second-guessing. This time all she concentrated on was his lips, on his hand covering hers where she laid it on his chest, and the power of their intimacy wrapping around them and holding them close. When he broke from their kiss, she wanted to sigh. “This way,” she said, taking his hand and leading him down the hallway. Neither of them said a word as he followed her into the bathroom and tossed the condom in the garbage can while she turned on the water for the shower. Lifting the hair off her neck, she spun and glanced back at him. “Help me with this?” “Sure,” he said, brushing his fingers along her shoulder on his way to unclasping the choker. She was quickly coming to love how he touched her, stroked her, caressed her every chance he had.

59

Kristin Daniels

He made quick work of the clasp before holding the choker and the heart charm closer under the light by the vanity. “Have you tried reading the script on this?” he asked, studying the charm. “It’s so tiny.” “No, I haven’t.” No way would she tell him of the two visions she’d already had, or how seeing them made her feel like she ought to book herself a first-class trip on a crazy train. Nor would she tell him that she only wore the necklace tonight because something inside her told her she should. “Hold on,” he whispered. “I think I can make out what it says. It’s beautiful. Listen.”

Under the wash of a bright moonlight Wear these pearls that very first night And forever you will be bound For True Love you will have found

When Logan lifted his gaze to hers, Mia nearly choked at the puzzled expression on his face. She tried to swallow, but couldn’t. She tried to breathe, but that wasn’t happening either. Every ounce of her blood rushed from her head and heart to settle in the pit of her stomach. God, no. No, no, no. What in the hell had her grandmother done? Grandma had believed in magic, everyone in her family knew that. But when she would spin her tall tales, Mia and the others would just smile and pat her hand to mollify the old woman. None of them had ever believed—or even remotely considered—that what her grandmother had told them might be true.

60

Leap of Faith

Mia tried to swallow again and closed her eyes, but that only made her feel worse. Visions of swirling mists and bright moons flashed behind her eyelids. But when a vision of Logan sparked, one of him pressing her body against the side of Ted’s house with his, she nearly cried out. She remembered looking up at him as he stood with her in his arms. She remembered the way his silhouette glowed, the way his head had been haloed by… The light of a full moon. OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real. None of it. Not one tiny, damn bit. For True Love you will have found? A rhyme, that’s all this was. Just a silly little rhyme on the back of a pretty, silver heart charm. She’d never met anybody who’d found true love. It didn’t exist. Not for her or anyone else. Except it had existed for her grandmother. Grandma Nanette always said Grandpa was her one and only true love. Mia had listened to the story a million times when she was a little girl, about how the two had met. It had been at Grandpa’s military school social, a mixer of some sort. Debutantes and budding generals, that sort of thing. Grandma often spoke of how she’d gotten dressed up in her midnight-blue ball gown and slipped her feet into her very first pair of high-heel shoes, of how she’d worn her pearls and met the man of her dreams… Oh heaven above. Pearls. These pearls. Mia’s insides cramped and she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms across her stomach. It didn’t take Logan longer than a second to set the necklace on the vanity and rush to her side. “What is it?” With sure strokes, he rubbed her back with one hand as he swept her hair away from her face with the other. “Mia? Come on, baby. Tell me what’s wrong.”

61

Kristin Daniels

She tried, but as she opened her mouth to speak, another memory blasted her headon—the burning from the heart charm on her skin when she first laid eyes on Logan and dropped the plate at his feet as she stared into his gaze. Had that happened only hours ago? Could the spell—if that’s truly what this was— work so fast? Was Logan her true love? Was she his? Could this insanity even be possible? Gathering every bit of strength she could muster, Mia sat back on her heels and sucked in several deep breaths. She stole a sideways glance at Logan, and her heart literally hurt at the concern on his face. He looked worried, really worried. Lord, she would give just about anything to know what was going through his mind. What was he thinking? Did he realize what the poem on the charm could possibly mean? And if he did, why wasn’t he freaked out too? Or maybe this was all a bunch of nonsense and she truly was losing her mind. She plastered on what she hoped came off as a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Really,” she added when he raised an eyebrow. “The poem just reminded me of something, that’s all.” He sat on the floor next to her and continued to rub comforting circles on her suddenly clammy skin. “What did it remind you of?” Mia shook her head. “It’s nothing. Just an old story my grandmother used to tell me about her and my grandfather. The necklace belonged to her. She left it to me in her will.” He gathered her in his arms, tucked her head under his chin and pressed a kiss into her hair. Oh God. A kiss into her hair. She’d longed for that earlier, had been jealous because she didn’t have anyone to kiss her as Ted had his wife.

62

Leap of Faith

But Logan kissed her like that now. “I’m so sorry, Mia.” She dropped her head against his chest and breathed in the spicy, manly scent of him. A fresh bout of tingles filled her belly, sending a jolt of awkwardness straight through her. She couldn’t help but wonder if she felt this way with him now because she was truly attracted, or was the entire night the product of a little magical push from her grandmother? “The poem…” he started. She would’ve had to have been even more clueless than she already was not to pick up on the question in his voice. “You don’t think it means… That it’s the reason why we…” He had to know, or at the very least suspect, what the poem—or spell, or curse, whatever it was—meant. Panic stole her breath and made her want to run and hide. “I don’t know what to think.” She twisted in his arms to face him, feathering her fingertips along his jaw. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But I’ve changed my mind about the shower. I need some time to, um… I just need to come to grips with everything. This whole night has been such a roller coaster, and I feel like I’m just now recovering from the highest drop and slowing down a little.” Despite his understanding nod, he still didn’t move. Instead, he caressed her arms and searched her face, her eyes. Being so close to his, seeing them in a brand new light… She couldn’t handle it. She had to look away, she had to get away. Standing, she reached into the shower and turned the water off. “Mia, we should talk,” Logan said, coming to his feet as well. “I don’t think you should be alone right now.” Alone was exactly what she wanted to be. She placed a finger on his lips to keep him from saying any more. “I’m fine, I promise.” Grabbing her robe from the back of the bathroom door, she led him out to the living room where he’d left his clothes. Her stomach clenched all over again as he picked them up and started dressing. 63

Kristin Daniels

“I need to see you again,” he said, punching his feet through his pant legs and pulling them on. “You will. We work together now, remember?” He shook his head. “No, not at work. I’m talking about here. Or my place.” He lifted her chin with his thumb. “This has nothing to do with business.” She wasn’t so sure anymore. If their instant connection could be explained away by a mystic charm, what else did they have left that was real besides a business relationship? “You can look at things however you want, Logan. But I worked hard for that job, and I still intend to walk away with it.” “That wasn’t what I meant,” he said, leaning in closer. “I’m talking about us.” She almost laughed. “Us?” “Are you really willing to discount everything that happened tonight because of one little coincidence? Because of some poem on a piece of jewelry?” She stepped out of his reach and hugged herself tighter. “You should go.” He planted his fists on his hips and sighed. His aggravation was more than apparent, and Mia felt awful about that. She just didn’t know what else to do. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” he asked. “I could hold you, keep you warm next to me. We can work through your troubles together.” That sure as hell wouldn’t work, considering he was her troubles. Him and the tiny little matter of a magic spell. “I’m positive. I just need a little space. Give me a day or two. Please. I’ll see you at work on Monday.” He ran a hand through his hair, not looking the least bit convinced. “This doesn’t seem right. I can’t just up and leave after what we shared tonight. You’re upset. Let me stay.”

64

Leap of Faith

“Stop,” she begged, warding him off with her hand. “This is all too much. I need to sort through it, and I can’t do that with you here. You’re too…distracting.” She looked into his eyes, his damn haunting eyes. “I need you to go—” “But I can help—” She stepped back again, struggling to keep her tears at bay, struggling to keep from falling back into his arms. “Logan, please. Don’t make me ask you again.” He clenched his jaw and dropped his chin to his chest. “All right,” he said a moment later, looking at her with steely determination. “I’ll leave. I’ll give you your space. But I won’t stay away for long. Because there’s something going on here—with us. Forget what the poem on the charm says. Think about tonight, about the undeniable pull we feel toward each other.” He yanked his sweater over his head and shoved his feet into his shoes. “Sometimes you have to let go, Mia. Toss your chances up in the air and see where they land. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and do what your heart tells you.” With that, he kissed her quickly, then turned and walked out. Mia stood frozen for a moment, soaking in what he’d said. Do what your heart tells you… God, that’s just what her Grandma’s note had said about the necklace. Wear it when your heart tells you. Despite trying not to cry, a tear spilled over and slid down her cheek. Oh Grandma. So much about tonight confused her, but if she stopped a minute to think about it, would it be so horrible to let a little magic explain it all? She wanted that perfect person for her to share her life with. She wanted love. And there was no denying that something very real happened between her and Logan. Magic or not, she very well may have met her match in him.

65

Kristin Daniels

But what if he didn’t feel the same way? What if the spell was what drew him to her, and not who she truly was? What if they’d met in another time or place? Would he still feel the same way? Mia wiped away her tears before locking the door behind Logan and shuffling her way into her bedroom. She fell on her bed and curled into a ball, holding her knees tight to her chest as a shiver ran through her. She imagined her grandmother looking down on her, smiling and speaking to her in the wise way only she could. Love is love, Mia, my dear. No matter how it comes into your life. You know in your heart what’s true. The question was, how could she convince her mind to agree?

66

Leap of Faith

Chapter Six Logan sat in his new office close to lunchtime the following Monday, attempting to go over the required new-hire paperwork HR had left for him. He’d barely gotten started and his concentration was already completely shot to hell. Not that being distracted now was any different than the way he’d felt all morning. Through countless introductions and one seemingly never-ending tour around the building, he was helpless to keep his thoughts from wandering, nor could he keep them from finding their way back to Mia. And the charm. She’d gone completely ashen after he’d read the poem from the little heart. But what surprised him most was the change in her demeanor when he asked her about it afterward. She’d flipped from being quietly upset to shoving him out the door in about two seconds flat. But why? Did she really think some poem on an antique necklace was the reason they met? The reason they wanted each other so much? Sure, Logan believed in fate. What was meant to be, will be. Good karma leading to good fortune, and all that. And it was because of those beliefs that he knew some random inscription wasn’t dictating his life. He wanted Mia because of who she was. Simple as that. Now to convince her of that fact, because he really couldn’t stand being away from her one minute longer than he had to be. It’d been hard enough dealing with the memories running nonstop through his head for the last two days—the way her lips tasted when he kissed them, the pink hue her ass took on as he spanked her, the little sounds she made when she came. Remembering all of that had nearly driven him insane.

67

Kristin Daniels

He stared at the paper in his hand but couldn’t read any of it. All his interest had quickly settled further south. God, he was hard. Rock-hard. Uncomfortably hard. He’d walked around that way all weekend. And right now he could think of only one way to alleviate the problem. He needed Mia. Often. Continually. He could take her over and over, make love to her forever, and it still wouldn’t be enough. When he saw her behind the desk in her office this morning, he resisted going to her. Not just because he thought she may still be troubled by the inscription on the heart charm, but also because he knew if he stood within three feet of her today, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. He’d grab her and lock her in a room somewhere, whatever was closest, and take her. Fuck her in the janitor’s closet, if that was the nearest room. So he stayed away. But that didn’t keep him from stealing glances, or giving her sexy—and what he hoped came off as reassuring—smiles whenever the opportunity arose. Easy comforting from a distance he could handle, but not being able to touch her up close? That’d be pure torture. He forced his attention back to the task at hand and finished up the paperwork, then reread the information he had on Stanhope’s new building development. A project this large could take years to finish. The prospect of taking it on, of the huge advancement it would give his career, excited him. At the same time though—if he was awarded the job—the thought of hurting Mia… Well, he didn’t want that either. Maybe he should withdraw, tell Ted he wasn’t interested. But, damn it, no. Then he would just look unprofessional or intimidated. Not the impression he wanted to make, especially to a man with Ted Stanhope’s level of power. Besides, with the exception of how he acted with Mia at the party, he’d certainly never behaved unprofessionally before, nor had he ever been easily intimidated. He was damn good at what he did and he held fast at upholding that reputation. There was no option for him other than to see this through. If it came down to the end and he won the promotion, he’d somehow make it right. Because job or no job, there was no way he’d let her go.

68

Leap of Faith

As he came to terms with that, Ted poked his head into Logan’s office. “I know all this first day on the job bullshit can be tiring, but lunch is next on tap. A group of us are meeting at the restaurant down on the first floor in about twenty minutes. Reservation is under my name. I’ve got to sit in on a conference call first, but I’ll catch up with you and the others as soon as I finish.” Before Logan had a chance to utter a word, Ted took off. Well, okay. Logan supposed he could survive a business lunch. Until he thought about sitting at a table across from Mia. Of course she’d be there, and of course that would drive him crazy. If he could only get her alone so he could talk to her, so he could find out where her thoughts were right now. But hell. He’d already established that if he was near her, talking would be way, way down on the list of what he wanted to do. He let out a groan and tossed the papers he held back on the desk. The only alternative would be to ignore her, and there was no way he would do that, not after the way she acted before he left her apartment. He needed for her to know he was onboard, regardless of whether she believed it was for real. Figuring he could take a few minutes before lunch to step outside and grab some air—and work on psyching himself out—he stood from behind his desk, turning away from the door and any prying eyes to adjust himself in his pants. Christ, what he wouldn’t give for a suit jacket right about now. But Ted kept his office casual, so slacks and a golf polo it was. Along with a circus tent behind his zipper. He waited a minute, then a few more, thinking of his latest project while calculating architectural dimensions in his head. The distraction worked, and once the beast his cock had become calmed down, he wound his way around the cubicles and filing cabinets in the outer office to get to the elevator. But when he got there, all the effort he’d just spent flew right out the fucking window. Mia stood there in the vestibule, alone, waiting on the elevator. When she

69

Kristin Daniels

looked over as he got closer, Logan swore her entire body stiffened and she held her breath. “Hi,” he said, unsure of what else to say. “Hi,” she said back, then glanced away. He couldn’t help it, he had to step closer. “How are you? I mean—” “I’m okay,” she said, cutting him off and still not looking at him. “Are you?” He twisted sideways, blocking her so that anyone who looked into the vestibule would see only his back. “I’ve been worried.” She closed her eyes then, sucking her lips between her teeth and clenching her jaw. “Mia…” When the elevator pinged, she opened her eyes and rushed for the door. He followed after her, grabbing her elbow and spinning her around once they got inside. “You can’t hide from me forever,” he said, willing the doors to close quickly so he could pull her the rest of the way into his arms. Her attempt to twist from his grip was a weak one. “I can try.” As the doors slid closed, he stepped in front of her, pushing her until her back hit the side of the elevator. He let go of her elbow and plastered his palms on the wall on either side of her head. “You don’t want to. Why are you fighting this? Fighting me?” She straightened in the cage his body created, lifting herself up so the top of her head came to the bottom of his chin. She peered up at him, visibly bolstering herself, and all he could think about was lowering his lips to hers and kissing the hell out of her. But it was the soft tone with which she spoke, the way her words betrayed how she held her body, that made him realize how deeply her turmoil ran. “I have to fight you. Because none of this is real.” He was torn to his soul between punching the wall out of frustration and reacting like he thought about before, about taking her if he had one moment alone with her.

70

Leap of Faith

Instead, he knocked himself down a couple of notches by breathing deeply and cupping her cheek. “This is as real as we want it to be, Mia.” With his other hand, he lifted hers to his chest, placing it over his heart. “Feel that? I’m as real as it gets.” She licked her lips and shifted her weight from foot to foot, not saying a word, so he pushed forward. Swooping in, he brought his lips next to her ear as he dragged her hand down his body. He whispered to her as he laid her hand over his cock. “And that? Nothing fake or mysterious going on there.” She closed her eyes once more and turned her cheek into his hand. Again, her words contradicted what her body was telling him. “Don’t,” she said. The elevator pinged for a second time when they reached the lobby level. He took one step back but didn’t let go of her hand. He still had a good ten minutes before they were due to meet up with the others, and damn if he wasn’t going to take advantage of every second of it. He led her from the elevator and out into the reception area before spotting a dark service hallway between the security desk and the lobby’s convenience mini-mart. The daze she was in inside the elevator snapped when he pulled her farther down the darkened corridor. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just what do you think you’re doing?” He spun her again, this time pulling her in his arms while he once again hid her from potential onlookers by keeping his back to the opening to the lobby. “I’m getting you all to myself, even if it’s only for a minute.” “We can’t—” “The hell we can’t,” he said. “I’m not going to let this go on any longer. I’m not going to let you keep pushing me away.” He didn’t let her get a word in edgewise. Instead, he kissed her, like he’d been dying to do since he left her apartment two days ago. His lips muffled her surprise, turning the quick yelp she started to let out into a long, throaty moan.

71

Kristin Daniels

How on earth could she think this, what they had between them, was anything but real? “Stop,” she said, breaking away and pushing against his chest. She was breathing hard, but hell, so was he. “I don’t want to stop. And if you were being honest with yourself, you’d know that you don’t want to either.” She quit fighting against him and stilled before letting her entire body go slack. “God, Logan. I don’t know what I want.” “You want me.” He didn’t give a shit if he sounded cocky or not. “Do I? Really?” Gut, meet fist. “You’re kidding, right? How can you say that?” She stepped out of his arms and leaned back against the wall. “I can say it because I don’t know what to believe. You don’t know my family history, the stories my grandmother used to tell. If I took stock in any of it, then all of this is… It’s…” “It’s what? Jesus, Mia,” he said, running a hand through his hair to settle at the back of his neck. She narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s not easy, that’s what. I loved my grandmother, more than anything. But I never believed any of her quirky stories. And then last Friday night happened. Now I don’t know what’s reality and what’s not.” “Does it matter?” She looked at him like he’d just lost his mind. “How can it not?” “We found each other, didn’t we? Does it matter to you how that came about?” She kept staring at him but didn’t say anything. He could practically see the wheels turning inside her head, like she was thinking on how to reply, or wondering if she should even try. “Because to me, it doesn’t,” he said, moving in on her. “Magic, fate, destiny, chance, who cares?”

72

Leap of Faith

“What about will?” she threw back at him. “What about deciding for yourself how your life should be led?” “Would you choose differently?” He’d stumped her again with that one. “That’s what I thought,” he said. She lowered her head and spoke, but he didn’t hear what she’d said. When he took her hand, she flinched, and he held on tighter. “What was that?” he asked. “I said, what if you would? What if you’d choose differently?” Her saying that was like a knife sliding into his heart. He lifted the palm of her hand to his lips and kissed her there, sighing wearily as he did. “I wouldn’t change a damn thing. Not a single moment since we met, with the exception of leaving you the other night.” The sad chaos in her eyes shoved the knife deeper into his heart. “But how do you know for sure? How do you know that what we’re feeling is the real deal?” He didn’t need to think more than a second on his answer. “Because I trust myself. I’m not a complicated man, Mia. I work hard, play hard, and I love hard. When I see something I want, regardless of how I stumbled upon it, I go after it. The second I saw you, I just knew.” “You knew.” The tone she used wasn’t a questioning one. Before he had a chance to say anything to her, or more to the point reassure her, Ted’s voice bellowed down the hallway from where he stood in the lobby—a sure sign that Logan’s alone time with Mia was up. “We have to go,” she said. “Keep Ted waiting, and neither one of us will end up getting that job.” Again with Stanhope’s lousy timing. “We’re not done here. Not by a long shot.” As she moved to sidestep around him, all she said was, “I know.”

73

Kristin Daniels

And all he could do as she walked away from him was wonder if she truly did.

***** Out of the eight seats situated around the table in the restaurant, only two were left by the time Mia and Logan arrived. And, of course, they had to be right next to each other. Logan smiled as he came up behind her to hold her chair out for her, which exasperated Mia that much more. Still, she whispered a quiet thanks and busied herself by taking a sip of water and placing her napkin on her lap before perusing the menu and attempting to ignore him. She had to give him the cold shoulder, had to pretend he wasn’t there. Because if she didn’t, she might have to admit that what he said to her in the hallway struck a chord with her. She wanted to believe he wouldn’t change a thing about how they met. She wanted to believe there was such a thing as love at first sight. She wanted to believe it all. Logan did. He believed. He didn’t keep secret how drawn to her he was, or how the circumstances surrounding their meeting weren’t what made him want her. He just knew. He trusted himself. So why couldn’t she? “What’s good here?” he asked, sliding her a look that made her wonder if he really meant the food. Despite trying to brush him off, his sexy allusions had her smiling back. So much for sticking with that whole ignoring him idea. “Anything, really. I usually go with the crab cakes.” “Hmm, sounds perfect.” She set down her menu and cocked her head toward him. “And if I’d said the eel?” He returned her gaze, stonefaced. “Is it grilled, or pan-fried?” Mia chuckled despite herself. “You’re impossible.” 74

Leap of Faith

The rest of the lunch went much the same way, with him nonchalantly laying on his charm, and her struggling not to fall for it. It was only when the conversation turned to business that he showed his serious side. His experience was apparent, his talent undeniable. For the first time since she met him and found out they were up for the same promotion, a tingle of concern unsettled her. As Logan went on to discuss the highlights of the latest 3D CAD software update, she glanced over to Ted and caught him watching her. There was no mistaking the look on his face, like he was sizing her up, gauging her reaction to not only what Logan was saying, but to the man himself. She’d be damned if she grabbed at the bait. She was just as professional, just as knowledgeable—if not more so—as any of the others up for the job, with the new possible exception of Logan. Still, something had to be said for firm loyalty, for a little seniority, wasn’t there? God, she hoped so—which infuriated her even more than Logan had exasperated her before. Hope belonged with wishes and dreams and long shots. It had no business being part of the workplace, not for something this important. But what else could she do? The only thing she could let speak for her now was her solid portfolio and reputation, which was exactly what Logan had said to her while she lay in his arms on Friday night. Aside from any sort of juvenile sabotage, which she would never resort to, that’s all she had left. She hated that he was right, that he made so much sense. And that thought made her mind swing back to what else he’d said that night. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and do what your heart tells you. A new bout of cold feet threatened, but unless she wanted her coworkers to start doubting her sanity, she needed to nip this attack in the bud. The last thing she wanted was to let another freak-out get the better of her, especially in front of everyone here. So instead of going bat-shit at the table, she laid her napkin over the half-eaten plate of food in front of her and pushed her chair back. When Logan stopped mid-sentence

75

Kristin Daniels

and all eyes fell on her, every bit of the blood in her head rushed to heat her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. If you’ll excuse me for a minute?” She could see the concern in Logan’s eyes, practically feel the restraint he was struggling against within himself. If she knew him at all, she knew he was dying to ask her what was wrong, to hold her in his arms and comfort her. And, ah God, she suddenly wanted him to. Strange, but no matter how much she might’ve fought wanting him, she’d still come to expect his tenderness. And it nearly killed her that she couldn’t take advantage of it now. As the other men at the table stood along with Logan, she put on a nervous smile and headed as calmly as she could out the restaurant’s entrance and back into the high-rise’s lobby. She paced there a moment, then plopped down on a bench by the front window, digging deep to find some sort of answer within herself. Trying it his way wouldn’t kill her, would it? Taking a shot in the dark might be scary, but she’d spent years yearning for that perfect man to come along, for someone amazing to share her life with. Now it seemed as though he was standing right in front of her, wanting the exact things she did. Did it truly matter how he got there? No, she had to admit. It didn’t matter how she met him, it didn’t matter what kind of help she might have received along the way. The only thing that mattered was how he held her in his gaze when he thought no one else was looking, the possessive way he touched her when they were alone and the words he whispered to her as he held her in his arms. The only thing that mattered was the way he made her feel. Which was, oddly enough, loved. She smiled gently to herself at that, suddenly wondering how long she’d sat on the bench, since Ted, Logan and the others were leaving the restaurant. Basking in a strange combination of excitement and inner peace, she nearly hopped to her feet when she stood, then met up with them at the entrance. 76

Leap of Faith

“Everything okay?” Ted asked. She nodded but didn’t offer a reason for taking off. “I’m sorry, yes. Everything’s great.” Ted’s gaze bounced warily between her and Logan, yet he seemed satisfied enough with her answer. On the other hand, Logan stood across from her with his arms crossed over his chest, studying her while clenching his jaw. As Ted and the rest of their colleagues moved toward the elevators to head back to the office, Logan hung back a moment, and she could tell by the way he held himself that he expected her to do the same. But she couldn’t do this here. Not now, and not with her peers breathing down her neck and gaping at them. If she were to take that first step, if she were to tell him that she was willing to set aside her concerns and trust herself—trust him—she needed to do that only with him, one on one. “Hey,” he said, as she started to follow the others. When she didn’t stop, he caught up to her and slid his hand over the crook of her elbow. His touch was hot, so hot where he covered her skin. She wanted to close her eyes, to lean into him and drown in that heat. It took everything she had not to. In the same breath, however, it took absolutely nothing for her to finally realize why sleep had eluded her all weekend, why the idea of eating had become a joke. Every thought, every move she made since he left her apartment Friday night had reminded her of him. As much as she tried not to let it happen, he’d somehow wound his way around her heart. “Hey,” she said back, for lack of anything better—or anything less telling. He stopped them a few feet behind the others to wait for the elevator and whispered so only she could hear. “What happened in there?” She wanted to reassure him, really she did. But didn’t know how, not without jumping into his arms and making a spectacle of them both. “I just needed some air, is all.” If he doubted her, he didn’t let it show. “Let’s talk.” 77

Kristin Daniels

Yes, they’d have to. But Ted turned around and reminded Logan of his afternoon meeting with the tech team, pushing her prospective time alone with him back that much further. “Tonight,” he whispered from behind her as they shuffled into the elevator. She didn’t say yes or no, she didn’t so much as look at him. But she felt him. All of him. His breath on her neck, his fingers randomly stroking her arm and his chest brushing against her back as he made room for one more inside the small car. As the doors slid shut in front of her and they were all sardined in there together, she decided to treat herself to a little casual touching of her own. She closed her eyes and let her arm fall leisurely to her side. And then she reached behind her. His thigh was rock-hard. Taut and powerful. She didn’t grab him, didn’t squeeze. She simply laid her hand on the side of his thigh. The muscles underneath twitched, and for the first time she wished the fifteen-story ride up to their offices would last as though it were two hundred. But it didn’t. All too soon the doors pinged and opened, and off Logan went, being led down the hallway by Ted, with the older man’s hand resting on his shoulder. The rest of the day moved at a snail’s pace, so slow she wanted to scream. She’d caught sight of Logan through the glass doors of the tech office on her way to a meeting of her own. Her heart fluttered when he glanced up and their gazes met. And when he smiled at her? She nearly melted into a puddle on the floor. Walking back into her office now, she grabbed her jacket off the hook next to the door and headed to her desk to pack up her computer bag, grateful this tumultuous workday had finally come to an end and she could move on to more pressing matters— namely, meeting up with Logan. With only minutes to go before she could leave, the phone rang. She groaned, crushing the urge to grab the damn thing and throw it into the round file under her desk. “Mia Bryant,” she answered. “So? How’d it go the other night? I didn’t get a call, so I assume you stayed?” 78

Leap of Faith

Brooke. Mia loved her best friend, but this was not a conversation she wanted to get into right now. Despite that, she fell back into her chair and settled in for the potential long haul. “Yeah. I stayed. The party turned out, well, nice. For the most part.” “Oh. One of those, huh? Sorry you didn’t have a better time.” Mia figured Brooke was assuming the entire evening had been a bust, and she wasn’t quite ready to imply any differently, let alone spill her guts about the rest. Because, in the long run, the party hadn’t been a bust at all. That night, meeting Logan, had been amazing. Wonderful. Magical. After going up and down and ’round and ’round with it all, her mind could no longer disagree with what her heart told her. And if that was due in any part to a tiny gift from her grandmother, then so be it. God, she was falling in love with him. The realization had hit her hard after she’d gone back to sneak another glance while he was still in his meeting. He’d been standing behind one of the tech guys with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking like power and sin and pleasure rolled into one muscular package. And then, just as she was about to turn away, he looked up. Their stares met again, but this time, there was something more there. More spark. More need. More everything. As Brooke rambled on about the stresses of her monthly dinner with her in-laws, Mia tried to keep pace but found it hard as hell to follow along when her thoughts kept wandering back to Logan. She’d had to tear herself away from her post outside the tech room door earlier before she became too conspicuous, and she’d not caught a glimpse of Logan around the office since. So when a quick knock sounded at her door, she jumped at the chance for an excuse to end her phone call and head out to search for him. “Brooke, I’m sorry. I have to run. Someone’s at my door.” After Brooke gave her a hesitant Okay, call me later, Mia hung up and glanced at her watch. Five-oh-two. Hot damn, she could finally get out of here. “It’s open,” she said, standing and gathering her things. 79

Kristin Daniels

The door cracked open and Jordan poked her head inside. “Hi, Mia. Mr. Stanhope asked me to tell you on my way out that he’d like to see you in the conference room.” She took a step inside then and lowered her voice. “And as a head’s-up? He’s asked for Mr. Thomas too.” “Oh?” Or better yet, oh shit. This little after-hours tête-à-tête could mean only one of two things. Either Ted suspected there was more going on between her and Logan than met the eye—everyone at Stanhope Architects knew he wasn’t crazy about office romances—or he and the board had made their decision about the Project Architect position. The former, she could smooth over with him easily enough. The latter promised to toss her into an atypical professional panic. But she wouldn’t let her uneasiness get the better of her. Making her decision about giving life with Logan a go bolstered that strong, confident woman her grandmother taught her to be, which in turn drove away all those other useless doubts and left only new challenges and opportunities in their wake. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I finish up here.” She pretended to dig through her bag as a way to give herself an extra moment to collect her thoughts. In doing so, she came across the black jewelry box that held the pearls. She’d packed them away in there this morning, wanting to keep the necklace close at hand, but not really knowing why. The tiny gems had wreaked so much havoc in her life over the last few days, but at the same time they’d given her so much too. “Everything okay?” Mia hadn’t realized Jordan still stood at her door. “Oh. Yeah.” She nodded, more to herself than to Jordan, and took the box out of her bag, clutching it in both hands. Jordan didn’t seem too convinced, but mimicked Mia’s nod and backed toward the door anyway. “Okay then. See you in the morning.”

80

Leap of Faith

“Mm hmm. See you,” Mia trailed off, letting her focus fall to the velvet box in her hands. She held it for a long moment before opening it. Funny, but this time she didn’t expect to see any visions or mystic swirls. And her expectations were dead on. Nothing happened. She couldn’t help but think it was because the choker had already done its job. It had given her what it meant to. It had given her Logan. Warmed from the inside out with the rush that gave her, she squared her shoulders and put on the pearls. She rested her hand over where they lay at the base of her neck, sucking back not one breath, but five or six deep ones. A quiet thrill ran through her then, one that had her hands, feet and heart tingling together. She left her office and strolled through the outer rooms casually enough, determined not to let the unknown worm its way inside to screw with her mind and confidence. Presenting herself as poised and professional was an absolute must. Coming off as being on the edge of lost control? No way in hell. She paused outside the conference room door long enough to suck in one more of those deep breaths. Tapping her knuckle against the door, she turned the knob and opened it, letting out the air in her lungs in one long and even exhale. The instant she entered, she spotted Logan. He stood there, on the other side of the high-gloss table, wide-legged with his hands shoved in his pants pockets. His stance made her mouth go dry and her belly flip. “Mia, come in. Close the door behind you.” Ted’s voice brought her out of a haze— a deep one at that, if she hadn’t even noticed her boss was in the room too. She did as Ted asked, closing the door behind her while locking gazes with Logan. “Both of you, please have a seat.” As the three of them closed in on the table, Mia felt as if she were in a trance. Ted took the seat at the end while she and Logan sat along the sides, opposite each other. With an ache in her lungs from holding her breath, she broke away from Logan’s stare

81

Kristin Daniels

to concentrate on Ted and what he had to say. It killed her to turn away from him, but she had to cut herself off from the buzz his look created inside her. She never hated the term business before pleasure more than she did right now. “I apologize for bringing the both of you in together. I know this is an unorthodox way of doing this, but Ellen and I are expected at a fundraiser downtown and I have a short window of time before I have to leave.” He leaned his forearms on the table and laced his fingers together. “Just so you know, there’s another meeting going on next door with the rest of the PA candidates, but I wanted to be the one to talk to you two. I had a long conference call this afternoon with the Board of Directors. After much debate, we finally came to an agreement on who should be our new Project Architect.” As Ted sat back in his chair and looked at Logan, Mia’s heart sank to her toes in anticipation of his next words. “Logan, I know you took the job here with this project specifically in mind. The decision was anything but an easy one. However, the board and I agree that Mia should be awarded the PA position.” Mia blinked. Then blinked again. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as Logan looked over at her. “Mr. Stanhope, thank you,” she said with as much calm in her voice as she could muster. “You earned it, Mia. Your dedication, experience and attention to detail proved to the board that you’re the right choice for the job.” Before she could untwist her tongue to respond, Ted turned his attention to Logan. “But we’re not leaving you out in the cold here, Logan. I’ve been working with the hospital on plans for a new cancer complex. Once the details are hashed out, I’ll see to it that the development is yours.” “I appreciate that, sir. Thank you.”

82

Leap of Faith

Ted shook his head. “No thanks necessary from either of you. You’ve both worked hard to get where you are, and that shows. It’s only right that others sit up, take notice and reward you properly.” He stood, and she and Logan followed suit. “For now though, I need to head out or Ellen will have my hide.” Ted shook each of their hands in turn, lingering on Mia’s. “We’ll get started first thing in the morning. Be ready.” She smiled at his quasi-order. “I will be. And thank you again.” He nodded once, and left her and Logan alone in the conference room. “You didn’t have that on earlier.” She turned to Logan, her mind whizzing around, focusing on nothing but everything at the same time. “I’m sorry, what?” “You weren’t wearing the choker earlier today.” She placed her hand over the warm jewels, just as she’d done before in her office. “No, I wasn’t.” “Why’d you put them on now?” he asked. “I’m not sure.” Every inch of her body reacted to the sensuality of his stare. “Once I heard that Ted wanted to talk to the two of us, it seemed like the right thing to do for some reason.” “I like that you did.” He came around the table to stand in front of her. His closeness lit up her insides and had her blood rocketing through her veins. “I’m glad they named you PA.” He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “From what I’ve been told, you’ve worked damn hard for it.” A lazy, sexy smile blessed his lips. “The job’s yours, and you’re perfect for it.” She slid her hand into his and leaned into his touch, desperate for more, but willing to take what she could get.

83

Kristin Daniels

For now. “No one will ever convince me otherwise,” he went on. Moving slowly, he wrapped her in his arms and nipped her earlobe, then whispered, “And the same goes for me, Mia. I’m all yours, just as you’re mine. And nothing will ever make me believe differently.”

84

Leap of Faith

Chapter Seven Mia squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to soak in the power of his words. When she opened them, Logan was lowering his mouth to hers. His kiss consumed her as he held her tight and pressed his body against hers. “Wanna get out of here?” His question came out rough, and she loved knowing he was just as far gone as she was. “I think maybe we should.” He growled at that. “My place is closest.” Thank God it was. “Let me grab my things. I’ll meet you at the elevator.” She had to slow herself down to keep from running to her office. Grabbing her things off her desk, she made it back to the elevators first, and in what had to be record time. When Logan strode up to her a moment later, he never said a word. He just took her in another killer kiss, scrambling her brain and making her knees go weak. Despite the urgency of his kiss, once they entered the elevator he didn’t touch her, except for holding her hand. But his stare, the crazy sexy way he consumed her with only his eyes, made her feel like his hands were all over her. To her surprise, he didn’t let go of her when they reached the lobby. He held on to her, leading her through the packed atrium to get to the parking garage and his car. In true gentlemanly fashion, he opened the passenger door for her, waiting as she sat and buckled herself in before jogging around to climb in the driver’s side. As he started the engine and pulled out of the garage and onto the street, she opened her mouth to speak, then closed it just as quickly. He glanced over at her, catching her hesitation. “What?” She shrugged. “It’s nothing.” But then she smiled and gave herself away. The secret she kept—the one about letting go of her trepidations to be with him—teetered on the 85

Kristin Daniels

tip of her tongue. And she found she didn’t want to keep him hanging any longer. Still, timing was everything “That didn’t look like nothing.” He gripped the steering wheel with one hand and the car’s shifter on the console between them with the other. “That was definitely something.” She looked out the passenger window, still grinning. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” She glanced back at him. “Oh no. I will.” Now he was the one smiling. “When?” As he turned the corner into a subdivision of townhomes, she leaned in closer. “The next time you pull me into your arms,” she whispered. He let go of the shifter and reached for her thigh as he turned into the first block of homes. One more turn had them parking in front of the end unit. “So, now then?” he asked a breath away from her lips. It took everything she had not to fall into his arms. “Inside.” Even though she knew he would, she didn’t wait for him to come around to her side and open the door. Instead, she climbed out when he did and met him at the front of the car. Hand in hand they rushed up the sidewalk to the front door. He couldn’t separate the house key from the others fast enough. Finally he unlocked the door, and they were inside. He spun on her, gathering her in his arms and walking her backward until she collided with the closed front door. “Tell me,” he said. “Tell me what I need to hear.” Up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and met his gaze headon. “It’s time, Logan. It’s time to trust in what we’re both feeling. I’m ready to take the leap.” Tension flowed from his shoulders as he momentarily closed his eyes. “Thank God,” he said.

86

Leap of Faith

“Swear you’ll catch me?” “I’ll do better than that,” he said. “I promise to hold on forever. I won’t ever let you go.” That was what she wanted—his promise, his vow that he’d stick by her side. “And the rest? The choker and the inscription?” He nuzzled her ear, pressing his lips to the sensitive skin underneath. “Think of it as a little something to force us in the right direction. Don’t read more into it than that. I’m here, with you, because I want to be. Trust that.” As he swooped in to kiss her, she knew that she did. He broke from her lips as his hands traveled lower. Pinning her harder against the door, he grabbed her thighs, lifting her legs until she wrapped them around his waist. “Mia.” Her name came from his lips on a growl. “Baby, you’ve got me all twisted up inside. I need you.” “Yes,” she hissed. She needed him too, with a desperation that knocked the wind right out of her lungs. He spun them once again, carrying her to the leather sofa on the far side of the room. He nearly fell to the couch as she straddled his lap. And as he ran his hands down her back and over her ass to end with a powerful grip on her thighs, she created just enough room between them to tug his shirt out of his waistband. “Off.” She reared back, yanking on his polo, dying to get it off him. He let go of her only long enough to help out. Throwing the shirt on the floor, she moved back in, this time kissing him with just as much heat as he had kissed her moments ago at the door. He worked on loosening the belt of her dress before tackling the long row of buttons down the front. One by one he undid them, and she never loved a garment more than she did this dress, simply because she didn’t have to stop kissing him as he took it off her.

87

Kristin Daniels

He opened the dress, pushing the fabric over her shoulders and down her back to reveal a sexy set of silk underwear. He stopped kissing her and looked, taking her all in at once. “Holy hell. Silk this time.” He traced the cup of her bra, then tucked his finger under the strap like he was going to pull it down. Instead of letting him, she sat straighter on his lap, feeling sexier than she ever had in her life. She gathered her hair in her hands and twisted it, holding it up while biting her lower lip. “You like silk?” His hands fell to her hips, where he dug his fingertips into her flesh. “Fucking love it.” His gruff words only spurred her on. She dropped her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders as she skimmed her hands over her breasts, then lower between her legs until she came to his belt buckle. His gaze stayed transfixed on her hands, watching as she unfastened his belt and popped the pants button. “It’s my turn, Logan.” She grasped the zipper pull, teasing him with how slowly she lowered it. She teased him even more by sliding off his legs and coming to her knees in front of him. He locked gazes with her as she tugged on his pants and boxers, and he helped her out again by lifting his hips and kicking his pants the rest of the way off. “You don’t have to—” he started. “Shh,” she cut in. “Yes, I do.” “Ah God,” was all he managed to get out, which made her smile. His cock lay thick and hard over his pelvis, and as she wrapped her hand around the base, he groaned. The sound came from deep inside his chest, vibrating through his entire body. She held him gently, then licked over the head. His hips bucked, but she

88

Leap of Faith

didn’t let up. With tiny flicks, she tried her best to drive him insane, then took as much of his length into her mouth as she could while using her hand to stroke the rest. The taste of him struck her taste buds and she couldn’t help but indulge herself. She slid her tongue, her lips, her entire mouth up and down, gliding over him faster and faster. Her free hand clutched his thigh, her nails clawed half-moons into his skin as he wound his fingers into her hair. And then he tugged. He groaned when she did, but he didn’t let go. He held on to her hair at the nape of her neck, leading her, controlling her movements as his hips jerked underneath her. “Mia. So good. You feel so fucking good.” Oh God. So did he. He felt amazing. So thick and long and absolutely perfect. “Fuck,” he murmured, his voice gravelly. When she glanced up at him, he had his head back and his eyes squeezed tight. He was so intent. So beautiful. And he was so hers. “You’re killing me, baby. You can’t… I can’t…” Yes he could. She wanted him to. But it seemed as though he had other plans. He moved so fast she couldn’t respond, not with a word or a groan or a protest of any kind, and not until he had her lying flat on her back on the sofa. As he crawled up her body, she wanted to ask him why he stopped her, but the question was ripped from the tip of her tongue as he reached underneath her to unhook her bra and pull it off in one swoop. “Much better,” he said. He’d get no argument from her there. None at all, not as long as he kept going. Which he did. He ran his fingers back into her hair, closing his lips on hers. He held such force inside him, but balanced that out with such tenderness too. He took her lips slowly—consumed them at such a languid pace she didn’t know how he could stand it.

89

Kristin Daniels

His tongue flicked in and out to toy with hers, which left her breathless and damn near beside herself with need. When he broke away, she almost cried. “Tell me what you want. Tell me where you want my mouth.” Holding her breath, she studied his eyes and the firm set of his jaw. From the way he’d spanked her that first time they were together, she knew he liked things to run along the other side of ordinary. And until that night, she never knew she liked it that way too. Well, she knew it now. “Everywhere,” she whispered. “But you can start here.” Lazily, she skimmed her fingers over the hollow of her throat. He followed her instruction, kissing along her jaw and down her neck, passing over the choker until he reached the dip between her collarbones. The warmth of his lips seared her, but she needed more. Much, much more. “Now here,” she whispered, creating a trail down her chest and between her breasts. He traced her path with his tongue as he cupped each breast. He caressed them as he flattened his tongue and softly licked the valley between them. Still, it wasn’t enough. “And here,” she went on, circling her nipple with the tip of her finger. He glanced up to her eyes and smiled with a hint of devilish pride as he closed his lips around both her finger and the hard peak. She clutched at his shoulder with her free hand and arched into his mouth, moaning quietly at first, then louder the more her finger battled with his tongue. When he released her nipple and sucked the length of her finger into his mouth, she gripped him harder, leaving the same fingernail marks on his shoulder that she’d left on his thigh.

90

Leap of Faith

“Don’t stop now,” she said on a heavy breath as she slipped her finger from his mouth to skim the underside of her breast. “Not now. Not ever.” “Never,” he said. The promise of that one word lit her up inside. Her heart swelled as her body ached even more. He returned to her breast, kissing the underside and sucking on her nipples while driving her out of her mind. Each lick sent a shock wave directly to her pussy, each nip brought her closer to the edge. She wanted him lower, wanted all his attention between her thighs, where she needed him the most. She drew her hand over her stomach, teasing her own skin as she went. “Keep going,” she said. “Lower. Please…” God, her voice sounded so sultry, even to her own ears. He kept up with the line she traced, stopping once he came to her silk panties, where he plastered on another sinful grin as if he didn’t have a single clue what she wanted next. “And now?” She’d come too far to back down, she needed this too much to even think about stopping. She slithered her fingers under the edge of the silk, going lower, diving into her wetness. Over and over she stroked her clit, grinding her hips to a rhythm that came out of nowhere. “Damn,” he groaned. She didn’t know if she should stop—or if she even could. And when he pulled on her, shifting her position on the couch before dropping to his knees on the floor between her legs, she knew she didn’t have to. Once he drew her panties down her legs and tossed them to the floor, her feet instinctively settled on his shoulders and the heels of her strappy sandals poked like daggers into his skin. Not that he seemed to mind.

91

Kristin Daniels

“Keep going, Mia. Make yourself come.” Their gazes slammed together and her heart pounded so hard, so out of control, she didn’t think it would ever calm back down. “I… Oh God,” was all she could manage before letting her head fall back on the cushion. “I’m here, baby. I’ll help you along. Do this for me.” He leaned in closer, using his fingers to spread her wider as she slicked her finger back and forth over her clit. When his tongue joined in the melee, her hips bucked and her head spun. Hell, her entire world spun. “Oh God,” she cried again, lifting her ass off the couch. He held her down with a forearm over her hips, fucking her with his tongue as she worked furiously on her clit. The tightening in her pussy began slowly, the tremble along her legs following quickly afterward. The tingles shooting through her pelvis ramped up in intensity, forcing her higher, then higher still, as the ability to think or speak was ripped right out of her. When he backed away, leaving only his breath hot and quick on her, she eked out a breathy, “No, Logan…” But he didn’t come back to her. He stayed there, between her legs, watching her— no, studying her—in those final seconds before she fell mindlessly and completely apart. “Mia. Baby. So perfect. So fucking perfect.” There was no stopping her from coming then. She fisted the edge of the leather sofa at her side, giving in to everything all at once—giving in to Logan, to her trust, to the orgasm catapulting through her body. She panted, moaned, savoring the tremors running up her legs and down her arms to settle in her core. Breathing almost as hard as she was, he grasped her hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the couch. Despite the desperation raging between them, he stilled for a moment, stroking his length in one hand while caressing her thigh with the other.

92

Leap of Faith

“Mind if I take over from here?” The gruff tone of his voice had her aching, anticipating the feel of him inside her. “Yes. Please.” “I’ve got you,” he said, shifting his hips closer, nestling the tip of his cock at the entrance of her pussy. He eased inside her, then retreated before pushing in again. And again. And, oh God, again. Heaven above, she thought she was going to die. It all felt so good, he felt so good. “Yes,” he whispered, lifting her knees higher and spreading them wider. He rocked against her smoothly, yet with an intensity and speed that made her toes curl. In. Out. She tightened on him as each stroke settled him deeper, as each thrust seared every nerve ending inside her. He closed his eyes, tucking his chin to his chest while growling out a string of baby’s and yeses. She loved hearing him like that, loved knowing she did this to him. And then he opened his eyes, locking his gaze on hers once again. A shiver ran up her spine as she stared into his beautiful eyes—his deep, dark, seductive eyes. That they were the same ones that entranced her a month ago from the pearl on her choker instilled a warmth in her, a rush she’d never get tired of feeling. “The two of us?” she breathlessly asked. “Meant to be,” he said, lying over her and gently holding her cheeks in the palms of his hands. He held her like that, kissing her, embedding everything about himself into her as he loved her like no one had ever done before. And when he stiffened, when he pushed inside her one last time and came on a groan so fierce and filled with pleasure, she knew deep in her heart that no one else ever could. They were meant to be, like he said. No matter how they came to be together.

93

Kristin Daniels

Several moments later, after breaths had been caught and hearts had slowed, Logan leaned back, keeping one hand on her cheek while he lazily ran a finger over the choker at her neck. “Do you believe in magic?” she asked as she gently brushed her fingers over his eyebrows. “I believe in us,” he said. She smiled. “I do too.” He turned his attention from the necklace to look into her eyes. “Even if magic is real, that’s not what makes me feel the way I do. It’s you, Mia. Who you are, what you are. I would’ve been drawn to you no matter what. Like I said, think of the rest as just a little push.” “I suppose I can handle a push.” “Like this?” Matching her smile, he gently rolled his hips against hers. She laughed and he kissed her, slowly, tenderly, showing her he meant exactly what he said. With trust in her heart—and now in her mind—she kissed him back, at the same time sending up a silent thank you to the heavens and to her Grandma Nanette for the pearls and the gift she’d wisely given her. You know, just in case.

94

About the Author Kristin Daniels has always been a reader of romance, but it wasn’t until she discovered the erotic romance genre that she finally figured out what had been missing from all the books she’d read before. The heat, the passion…that was it! Her love of reading (any genre, any format…really just anything) led to her taking a chance on writing something of her own, and she’s been hooked ever since. Kristin calls the suburbs of Chicago home, where she lives with a hero of her very own and their three great kids.

Kris welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

Also by Kristin Daniels Chasing Eden Ellora’s Cavement: Flavors of Ecstasy I anthology Getting Naughty Lily’s War Unscripted

Print books by Kristin Daniels Ellora’s Cavemen: Flavors of Ecstasy I anthology Sex, Lies and Rock & Roll anthology

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

www.ellorascave.com