Logan’s arms came around her, and he rested his cheek against the top of her head, exhaling a long sigh. His arms felt good around her, however, she wasn’t looking for her own comfort, but for his.
He’d lost his father today, and this was all she could offer.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LOGAN CLOSED HIS EYES, inhaling the soft scent of the woman in his arms. This was the first time he’d been hugged in...a long time. Having her hold him like this—no demands, no seduction—it softened a part of him that he wanted to keep strong. She held him tight, and he could feel the beat of her heart. She was strong, warm, and he realized belatedly that she was holding him up. A lump rose in his throat and tears stung his eyes.
He swallowed hard. He didn’t want to give in to these feelings, though his determination to keep his feelings in check was the very thing the women in his life kept complaining about.
“I’m okay,” he said gruffly, straightening and pulling back. Her hands lingered against his sides, and he caught them in his own rough grasp.
“Why don’t you tell me about Harry—the real guy,” she said. “Not the worst stories and not the idealized ones—the ordinary stories about your dad.”
“You said you need to go,” he reminded her. “I’m not trying to monopolize you here...”
“Half an hour,” she said. “Then I’ll head out.”
She was offering her friendship, and for that he was deeply grateful. Logan pulled up a chair to face the one he already had sitting by the balcony door.
They sat, and Melanie tucked her legs up underneath her. They were a proper foot and a half apart. He didn’t trust himself to be closer to her than that. Even though he had some very good reasons not to cross any lines with her, there was something about a dim hotel room and a beautiful woman that emptied his head of all reason. It was better to keep a physical distance.
“Okay...well...let me think.” He leaned back in the chair. “My dad liked to fish. That’s something. I used to pretend I liked it, too...”
They talked into the night, the half hour she’d allotted coming and going several times over as the moon moved across the sky. This would have been a miserable evening—dark and lonesome. But with Mel here, their voices murmuring out the patio door and into the night air, he could feel those complicated emotions untangling deep inside of him.
He’d get her safely to her vehicle soon... Really soon...
He wasn’t sure whose eyes drifted shut first, but the next thing he knew, it was morning.
LOGAN’S BACK HAD a crick in it, and he winced as he levered himself up to a fully upright position. Melanie was still asleep, her breath coming slow and deep. He paused to look at her. Her hair was rumpled and her lipstick was long gone. She sighed and her eyes fluttered open.
“Morning,” he murmured.
“Hmm...” She blinked a couple of times, then shifted, sitting up straight. “What time is it? Is it morning?” Her gaze whipped to the open patio door and the golden light filtering in from outside. “Oh, my goodness!”
Logan reached over to the desk where his phone sat and looked at it.
“It’s six,” he said.
Melanie jumped up, her cheeks flooding with color. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep! It’s six in the morning? Tilly’s back at my place. I feel terrible.”
“Why?” he asked with a shake of his head.
“She’s going to ask questions! That’s why!”
“She’s pregnant! I’m pretty sure she’s not quite that naive, Mel,” he said, a laugh tinging his tone.
Melanie shot him a sharp look. “I’ve got to get home.”
She wasn’t returning his smile, and he felt a wave of regret. He hadn’t meant to keep her here or cause her any embarrassment. But still, having stayed out with him couldn’t be that awful, could it?
Melanie grabbed her high heels and slipped her feet into them. She paused at the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair, then ran her tongue over her teeth.
“I’ve got a comb and mouthwash in the bathroom,” he offered.
“Thank you...”
Logan waited, listening to the water run. He pulled a piece of gum out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth, chewing as he waited for her to come back out again.
The bathroom door opened, and she came out looking smoother, a little more put together. Melanie headed for the door, and as she swept past him, he reached out and caught her hand. “Mel...”
She let him tug her to a stop and turned back, those soft brown eyes filled with worry, embarrassment, some tenderness. Whatever this had been last night, it was nothing to be ashamed of. She’d been there for him in a way that he hadn’t experienced in a really long time, and whatever was growing between them had been a lifesaver last night. It wasn’t tawdry, and he wouldn’t let her run off like it was.
“I’m not the kind of guy who has a woman spend the night, and then sends her off without a kiss, at least,” he said with a small smile.
That cracked the tension and she laughed softly. “It wasn’t like that, and you know it.”
He tugged her closer, then slipped his arms around her waist. “I still have a few standards about how I treat a woman.”
Melanie looked up at him, her eyes sparkling at his humor. “I stayed because I care, Logan.”
“And I appreciate that more than you know,” he said, sobering. “Seriously.”
She sobered, too. Her gaze stayed locked on his and he leaned closer, then brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
“This isn’t necessary,” she whispered.
“I know. Maybe I just want to.”
He hovered there, waiting for her to pull back, to push him away, but she didn’t. He bent down and lowered his lips over hers. Her eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment, it was just the feeling of their lips, their breath, and then
