Long, Lonely Nights by Marla Monroe

grinned at her.
    “Are you holding out on me?” she asked.
    “What are you talking about?” Tina gathered the shredded mess and deposited it in her nearly untouched pasta salad bowl.
    “Has something happened between you and Logan? You are acting mighty weird when I talk about him.”
    Tina shrugged and began gathering her trash. “Nothing is going on. He’s still a pain in the ass and is rude to me.”
    “He’s just gruff. You need to give him a chance.”
    “A chance for what?” Tina asked staring at her friend.
    “He likes you. Maybe if you act like you like him back, you two could hook up.”
    “What have you been drinking? I don’t want to hook up with him. I don’t even care if he likes me or not. I just want him to leave me alone.” Tina’s voice had gotten louder. She cringed when she realized several people had stopped talking to stare at her.
    “Hey, no problem. Sorry I brought it up. I didn’t realize you felt that strongly about him.” Jenna’s frown and hurried movements told Tina she’d hurt her friend’s feelings. Well, damn.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just really tired and need some sleep. I’m going to go home today and take a nap. Maybe I’ll get more sleep like that.”
    “It’s okay. I’m bad about getting into other people’s business. I’m sorry. You have enough going on without me trying to add to it.”
    Tina smiled, and they dumped their trash before walking outside into the hot sunshine.
    “You should take that nap you were talking about. That way if you don’t sleep well that night, you will have gotten a little bit of sleep anyway.”
    “Let’s get back. I need to finish the audit I’m working on before I go home tonight,” Tina said.
    They hurried back to the office, and Tina settled back into work with a little more focus. By the time to go home, she had finished the audit and written her report. She deposited the packet of material at her boss’s desk and waited on Jenna by the exit door. They walked to where their cars were parked and parted ways. All the way home, Tina thought about what Jenna had said about Logan. Did he really like her and just hid it behind the gruffness? It was difficult for her to believe. Still, even if he did, what future did they have together? He was way out of her league. She didn’t have the sexual experience to satisfy a man like Logan. No, it was best if she just kept her distance from him.
    In the time it took her to park the car in the garage and get out, Logan stood there watching her. Their eyes met and a chill ran up her spine. She jerked her eyes away from his and gathered up her purse and satchel. Nothing seemed different from when she left that morning. She closed the door and locked it back. Then she set the alarm and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t realize just how much tension she had inside until it was gone.
    Tina dropped her satchel off in her office. She kicked off her shoes and then removed her clothes. She decided on wearing her black negligee to bed. The sheers over her French doors were a little off kilter. She straightened them and pulled back the covers on the bed. The sunlight filtered through the sheers created a delicate pattern on the bed sheets. She climbed in the bed and curled up to go to sleep.
    Sleep eluded her at first. Her mind circled around itself thinking about work, the stalker, and Logan. Mostly she thought about the sex and how it felt. Never had she experienced anything like what Logan did to her. He sent her over the edge with just a touch. His kiss ignited a fire inside of her that only he could quench. How could she ever be satisfied with anything less?
    A noise outside her balcony jerked her back from the edge of sleep. She rolled out of bed and crept toward the doors. Looking out she didn’t see anything at first. Then she recognized Logan’s form as he walked around his backyard with a water hose. She longed to walk out on her balcony to watch