Confidential: Expecting!. Jackie Braun

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СКАЧАТЬ into those eyes if he wasn’t careful. It was a good thing Logan had no intention of being lulled into complacency, even if he did enjoy the challenge of staying one step ahead of her.

      The eyes in question opened. If Mallory was unnerved to find him studying her, it didn’t show. She regarded him in return—boldly, bluntly and not the least bit embarrassed or uncomfortable. Logan swallowed, experiencing again that low tug of interest that seemed to define the time he spent in her presence.

      “I probably should apologize for staring,” he admitted. He waited a beat before adding, “And if you were another kind of woman, I would.”

      Her brows rose fractionally. “Another kind of woman?”

      “The coy sort.”

      “Coy.” Her lips pursed. “That’s not a word one hears often nowadays. It’s rather old-fashioned.”

      “Exactly.”

      “I’m not old-fashioned.”

      No, indeed. Mallory was worldly, at least in the sense that she grasped nuances, gestures. She wasn’t hard, though. He recalled the way she’d looked when speaking about her parents’ divorce. Then she had seemed almost vulnerable.

      “Nor am I coy,” she continued now.

      It was impossible to tell from her tone whether she was insulted or not. Logan decided she wasn’t. “Which is why I don’t feel the need to stand on pretense around you. I can say what I mean.”

      “Hmm.” It was an arousing sound that drew his gaze to her mouth. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she asked. When he glanced up and met her gaze, the amusement shimmering in her eyes told him she’d already made up her mind.

      “A good thing. Definitely a good thing.”

      She laughed. The sound was low and throaty. “I don’t know. I think I might prefer some pretense every now and then. I get so little of it. Subterfuge, sure.” She exhaled. “That’s par for the course in my line of work.”

      “But we’re not talking about your work.” Interesting, Logan thought, how it kept coming back to that. Interesting and a little unnerving.

      Mallory smiled. “Oh, that’s right. We’re talking about pretense.”

      Not just talking about it, he thought. Well, two could play the game. Logan decided to up the ante. “Are you saying you want me to pretend that I don’t find you as sexy as hell?”

      She blinked. He’d caught her off guard. He’d done it a few times in their relatively short acquaintance. Perhaps it was his male ego talking, but he liked knowing he could manage it.

      “Well?” he prodded when she remained quiet.

      “I’m trying to think of a response.”

      “And you can’t?” That came as a surprise.

      Mallory cleared her throat. “Well, you have to admit, Doc, yours is a loaded question.”

      Just the sort of question she was very good at asking, but he kept the observation to himself. Instead, Logan snorted. “And here I thought you weren’t one to act coy.”

      “Well, if I tell you no, you’ll think I’m playing games, but if I say yes, you’ll accuse me of being vain.”

      “Will I?”

      She ignored his question. “You’ve painted me into a corner. I don’t like corners.”

      “Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

      “Yes, you did.”

      He flashed a grin. “Okay, maybe I did. But in my defense, I find myself immensely curious as to what your answer will be.”

      The wind tugged at her hair, sending several strands of it across her face. Mallory pushed them aside with the palm of her hand. The gesture was practical and…“Tell me, Doc, what woman doesn’t enjoy being called sexy?”

      It was a question rather than an actual answer, but Logan let it pass.

      “For the record, I believe I said ‘sexy as hell.’ If you’re going to quote me…” He left the sentence unfinished in part because the words were unnecessary, but mostly because her complexion paled. When she stumbled back a step, he reached out to steady her. “Mallory? Are you all right?”

      “Fine.” She moved back another step to lean against the rail, forcing him to release her arm. “I…I guess I don’t have my sea legs yet.” He didn’t think that was what had caused her momentary weakness, but she was saying, “In response to your finding me ‘sexy as hell,’ what am I supposed to do?”

      “I have a couple of suggestions.” He bobbed his brows to lighten the moment and was rewarded with a laugh.

      “I hate to break it to you, but coy isn’t another word for promiscuous.”

      Logan snapped his fingers in a show of disappointment. “Damn.”

      “You know, if I thought you really meant that, I’d have to toss you overboard.”

      He had little doubt she would try and perhaps even succeed despite the fact she was no match for him physically. “How would you get back to the yacht club then?”

      She folded her arms across her chest. “Oh, I’d manage.”

      Even from their short acquaintance, Logan could tell that about her. Mallory was a survivor. That caused him to sober. He’d met survivors before. He’d counseled a good number of them in his private practice before he’d taken his profession to the airwaves. While he admired their ability to persevere and overcome, in some cases survivors could be very solitary. They didn’t need anyone.

      “It’s time to head back.”

      “Already? You know, I was just kidding about leaving you bobbing in Lake Michigan.” She laughed again.

      Logan joined in. “I know.”

      “But I’ve made you nervous.” The line returned between her brows.

      “Not because of that remark,” he admitted.

      “Hmm.” There was that sexy sound again.

      “There’s not much daylight left and I’m not a fan of sailing in the dark. Besides, I have some prep work to finish for tomorrow morning’s show.” It wasn’t a complete fabrication. In addition to taking listeners’ calls, Logan included a segment on general mental-health topics. Tomorrow’s, appropriately enough, was panic attacks.

      He prepared to bring the boat around. Mallory helped. In fact, she insisted on lending a hand, as if it was vital that she know what to do to return to the safety of the shore. Survivor, he thought again.

      “Watch for the boom,” he called. “Or you’ll be the one overboard.”

      “Aye-aye,” she called, offering a salute even as she ducked to СКАЧАТЬ