Las Vegas Nights. Cat Schield

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СКАЧАТЬ Scarlett told him. “Every Wednesday I host a fashion show. You know, resort wear, swimsuits. The girls strut around, showing off the clothes we sell at our boutique.”

      “And what was Madison wearing?”

      “I put her in the tiniest bikini I could find. She had men stuffing tens in the itty bit of string that held it together.”

      Logan drew in an enormous breath, preparing to deliver a lengthy tirade outlining all the reasons Scarlett was unsuitable as a mentor, when he noticed the glint in her eyes. She was teasing him. He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from strangling her. Or worse. Kissing her.

      Her red lips had softened into a slight smile as she watched him. That mouth of hers was going to be his undoing. Whether she was using it to taunt him or yielding to his kisses, he was completely enthralled.

      “What was she really doing?”

      “I considered putting her in the show, then decided you’d prefer it if I had her emcee the event. She did great. Quite a natural.”

      Logan knew he should thank Scarlett for demonstrating some common sense, but anything he said would probably come out wrong.

      “She’s done a lot of plays and public speaking,” he said instead, wondering what he could possibly do to keep this exasperating woman from creeping beneath his skin.

      “It shows.”

      The elevator finally deposited them in the lobby, and Logan escorted Scarlett toward his Escalade parked outside the main entrance.

      “You sure like your vehicles big,” she commented, stepping nimbly into the front seat.

      “And green. It’s a hybrid.”

      “You and Violet.” She gave her head a wry shake. “Made for each other.”

      He shut the passenger door harder than necessary and circled the car. She was right. He and Violet shared a like-minded philosophy about lifestyle and work. So why did it bug him that she kept pointing out the fact? It was either a subtle rejection or a defense mechanism.

      Defense mechanism, he decided as he slid behind the wheel. There was nothing remotely subtle about Scarlett.

      Which meant she had a reason to feel defensive around him. Interesting.

      “Any chance you’ve talked Madison into going to college this fall?”

      “I’ve had her for a day and a half,” she reminded him. “Give me a little time to gain her trust. Then I can start steering her in the direction of school.”

      “How much time?”

      “I don’t know. How long is it going to take you to trust me?”

      Her question startled him. “I don’t know.”

      “Give me a ballpark.”

      “I don’t know that I ever will.”

      “There’s more of that Wolfe charm.” She didn’t look the least bit hurt by his reply. “You should package it and sell it on eBay. You’d make a fortune.”

      Her sarcasm rolled off him like water off a newly waxed car. “Don’t ask the sort of questions you won’t like the answer to.”

      “You know what I think?” She prodded his arm. “I think you’re going to wake up one day and decide you really like me.”

      Did anything faze this woman? “What makes you believe that?”

      “Call it women’s intuition.”

      “Do you say things like that to annoy me?”

      “Most of the time. I love it when you scowl at me. Which is a good thing, since that’s all you ever do.”

      “Why would you like that I find you irritating?”

      “Because every other man I meet finds me beautiful and desirable. It gets tiresome. Our relationship is completely adversarial and I appreciate knowing where I stand with you.”

      “You don’t think I find you beautiful and desirable?”

      “I guess you might.” Her expression lacked its usual guile as she watched him. “But if you do it’s secondary to the fact that you don’t like me. I find your honesty refreshing.”

      Only, he wasn’t being honest. With her or himself. She disturbed him in a way no other woman had. Which was unfortunate because he didn’t trust her and he would never start a relationship, physical or emotional, with a woman who guarded her secrets as closely as Scarlett Fontaine.

      * * *

      By the time Scarlett licked the last of the chocolate from her spoon and set it down on the empty dessert plate, she was convinced she’d never enjoyed a meal so much. Part of her delight had been the delicious food, but most of her pleasure had come from her sullen dinner companion.

      Logan had been in a foul mood ever since she’d confessed that she found his honesty refreshing. Why that bothered him, she had no idea. Shouldn’t she be the wounded party? He was the one who’d declared he’d never trust her and called her irritating.

      “If you wanted dessert,” he growled, “you should have ordered your own.”

      “I just wanted a bite.”

      “You ate almost all of it.” And she knew he’d enjoyed watching her devour the rich treat.

      In fact, she wondered if he’d ordered it for just such a reason. From their dinner conversation, she’d learned that he wasn’t usually one to indulge his sweet tooth. No dairy. Steamed vegetables. Lean meats. Whole grains. His body was both a fortress and a temple.

      “Shall we order another one? This time I won’t steal a bite. I promise.”

      “It’s getting late. We need to get to the storage unit.” He signaled for the check.

      Scarlett was torn. On one hand, she’d love to linger over a cup of coffee and enjoy the thrust and parry of their banter a little longer. On the other, she was tired of having the barrier of the table between them.

      Unfortunately, now that dinner was through, the glint faded from Logan’s eye and his features hardened into a professional mask. Sighing in resignation, she let him guide her out of the restaurant and into his SUV. With his focus so far away from her, Scarlett knew the only way to reengage with him was to discuss the purpose behind their dinner tonight. “What sort of secrets to you suppose Tiberius had locked up?” she asked, hoping to jostle him out of his thoughts.

      “Dangerous ones.”

      His dark tone gave her the shivers. She studied him as the lights of the Strip faded behind them and they entered an area of town where tourists never ventured. Another man might have played up the seriousness of their outing for effect. That wasn’t Logan’s style. He was genuinely troubled and Scarlett was less confident with each mile they drove.

      “What СКАЧАТЬ