The Wager. Metsy Hingle

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ flirtation—a flirtation that was no doubt second nature to a man like him. Once the waiter retreated, they both said simultaneously, “I’m sorry.”

      She laughed.

      So did Josh.

      “Well, I’m glad we got that cleared up,” she told him. “Thank you for what you said…about my eyes. It was very sweet of you—which is what I should have said to begin with instead of accusing you of hitting on me. I was out of line and I really am sorry.”

      “Since we’re being honest, I suppose I should confess that you weren’t totally off base,” he replied, a wicked and totally unapologetic glint in his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I meant what I said. You do have beautiful eyes.”

      “But?”

      “But I guess I was hitting on you. It wasn’t a conscious thing on my part, but I was coming on to you all the same.”

      “I understand,” she said, disappointed because there was a part of her that had wanted to believe he’d been sincere in the things he’d said.

      “Is that so?”

      “Yes. I know it wasn’t anything personal. It was instinctive—the ‘you’re a man, I’m a woman’ thing.”

      Josh frowned as he sat back in his chair and subjected her to one of those scrutinizing looks. “Tell me something, Laura. Do you have a poor opinion of the male population in general or is it just me in particular?”

      She caught the edge in his voice, wondered how she had managed to put it there. “Neither.”

      “And you, Ms. Harte, can’t lie worth spit.”

      “Now, just hang on a minute,” Laura shot back, bristling at his reply.

      “No, you hang on,” he told her, and pinned her with a steely look. “What I was trying to say and have obviously done a damn poor job of it is that I’m attracted to you. You’re a smart, interesting woman and I like the fact that you live and breathe this business like I do. I’m also fascinated by the fact that you look at an old hotel like this one and see more than just dollar signs or a lucrative investment. You see the beauty and history that gives the place its soul, that makes it unique. Add to that the fact that you’re a beautiful, sexy woman, and I would have to be dead or have ice in my veins not to hit on you.”

      His little speech took the wind right out of her sails. For a full five seconds Laura could do nothing more than stare at him. One thing she was sure of was that Josh Logan wasn’t dead and never in a million years would she even think of suggesting he had ice in his veins. Quite to the contrary, Josh struck her as a man who would be passionate in all aspects of his life.

      “Obviously, I’ve shocked you.”

      The amusement in his voice nipped at her pride, making her feel like an awkward girl unused to going toe-to-toe with a man like him. Keeping her voice cool, she said, “Not at all. I’m just not sure how to respond. I can’t decide it you were apologizing to me just now or taking another stab at trying to seduce me.”

      “Neither. I was simply stating the facts.”

      “Thank you for clearing that up for me,” she countered.

      “Glad to do it. But there is one thing I think I should clarify.”

      The gleam in his eyes, coupled with that handsome face, made her think of fallen angels. Still she asked, “And just what would that be?”

      “While I may have admitted that I was hitting on you a few minutes ago, I haven’t tried to seduce you.”

      Yet. The unspoken word hung between them like a live wire dangling in a storm, and Laura’s already taut nerves grew even more tense. “I didn’t realize there was a difference.”

      The smile he gave her was pure sin. “Believe me, there is. I’d be happy to explain it to you or even demonstrate, if you’d like.”

      “That’s all right. I’ll take your word for it,” she said, deciding she’d be wise not to pursue the discussion. While she didn’t consider herself a coward and had enjoyed the verbal volleying with him, she suspected Josh Logan was far better at this male-female thing than she was. So she held out her hand. “Truce?”

      “Truce.” But instead of shaking her hand as she’d intended, Josh kissed it. And Laura felt the touch of his lips all the way to her toes.

      “It looks like dessert’s arrived,” she said, withdrawing her hand. And while the waiter prepared Bananas Foster table-side, Laura chattered about the restaurant’s other sumptuous dessert offerings.

      Once the flaming delicacy had been served and the waiter retreated, Laura decided she’d be wise to avoid any more of the sensual minefields they’d been stumbling across all evening by shifting to a safer topic. “Nick mentioned earlier that both your father and grandfather were hoteliers.”

      “That’s right. Gramps was still in his twenties when he built his first hotel. By the time I was born, he owned more than a dozen.”

      “And now?” she asked before spooning up a taste of the ice cream.

      “Now there are thirty-one hotels that bear the Logan Hotels banner.”

      “Very impressive,” Laura said. “How does it feel to be part of a dynasty?”

      He chuckled. “I’m not sure dynasty is the word I’d use to describe us Logans.”

      “I don’t see why not. You and your family have been very successful in a business that’s extremely competitive.”

      “True,” he said as he shoveled up another spoon of ice cream coated with the thick brown-sugar sauce. “But it’s hard thinking of Logan Hotels as a dynasty when I’ve been brought up to think of it as our little family business.”

      Laura arched a brow. “Somehow, I don’t think thirty-one hotels classifies as anyone’s little family business.”

      “Put like that, I guess it does sound silly. But it’s what we do.”

      “And obviously you do it very well.”

      He shrugged. “Gramps was a good teacher. And my family’s been lucky. We’ve gotten most of the hotels we’ve gone after, but we’ve also worked hard to make things happen.”

      “I imagine you have. Still, it must be nice…you and your family working together.”

      “It’s both a blessing and a curse….”

      While Josh spoke of the fun and the madness of working with his siblings and parents, Laura couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. She thought of her own life, the closeness she’d shared with her mother, and considered the irony of the profession she’d chosen. Not for the first time since discovering the truth about her father, she wondered how her mother had felt about her decision to pursue a career in hotel management. Thoughts of her father invariably brought back the phone call from Olivia Jardine. Despite the older woman’s insistence, her heritage wasn’t in New Orleans. Why would she even want to claim the heritage of a man who had not only abandoned his pregnant СКАЧАТЬ