only to set it aside on one of her shelves. “I have no intention of being your friend, Madison. Not that way.” Then he curled his strong fingers over her nape, exerted pressure. “Come here.”
“I don’t want this. I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to do any of this.” She didn’t jerk away, just resisted him with counterweight, futile against a man who was twice her weight and at least half a foot taller. He put his other arm around her waist, using it like a lasso to bring her to him, one reluctant step at a time.
“Come here,” he repeated quietly. She’d never had a man talk like that to her, equal doses of irresistible command and compassion, gentle strength and authority, which had her body throbbing as much as her aching heart.
Once his chest took up her vision, he wrapped both arms around her, her hands curled tense against her sternum, mashed between them. “Just breathe. I’m sorry. That was too much, too soon.”
She stood in his embrace, rigid. But not withdrawing.
“I wanted too much, too quickly,” he said. “You have that effect on a man.”
“Yeah, right.” But she didn’t have the courage to look for the truth. Not right now. His arms felt too good. She should pull away. Instead, she leaned, a little bit.
“Did she . . . did she have a lot of bad days?” The words were muffled against his chest.
He sighed. “She said the good days always outnumbered the bad, until the end. That was when she called you. She loved you, Madison. You were the only thing she wanted, at the last.”
“Shit.” She closed her eyes tight, pressing her forehead against his chest. “I loved her, Logan.”
“I know that. So did she.”
“I don’t understand any of this. Especially what you felt about her, and how that relates to me. How that can be a good thing. I’m not her.”
He straightened, holding her away from him to give her a look that had an edge to it. “I told you I know that already.”
“Yeah, but what people say and what they understand about themselves are pretty different. For a long time I told people I wasn’t anal and I actually believed it.”
His lips twitched at that. Then his expression sobered and she suspected he was considering his next words carefully, a shift in the air that brought the tension back between them. She still didn’t move out of his grasp. The touch of his hands was something she couldn’t resist.
“At one time,” he said, “I found Alice very intriguing. Fascinating. I even entertained the idea of a romantic relationship. But as colorful and passionate as she was, she was really quite grounded.” He shook his head. “She explained she genuinely loved everyone so she didn’t have to risk her heart on loving someone. She told me you were the brave one. Despite having your heart broken, shattered and stomped upon, you kept looking for the right person to care for it. She said if you ever found the person you could trust enough to let go—the person who deserved your trust—you would finally find that.”
He cleared his throat. “She knew me better than anyone, Madison. She told me I didn’t want her. I wanted you.”
She didn’t know how to deal with that, but tears were brimming, a response to hearing what her sister had thought of her. He took the hem of his shirt and dabbed her eyes with it, making her choke on a half chuckle. One nervous hand landed on his bare abdomen. Her fingers pressed into the hard ridges as his head lifted, a different awareness in both their eyes now.
“I need to get home,” she said, pulling back from him. She didn’t wait for his reply. Instead she grabbed the box off the shelf and pushed out the back door, aware of him standing in the entrance, watching her until she got into her car and drove away.
She felt as though she were fleeing the scene of an accident.
* * *
Hearing Alice’s perspective of herself floored her. She’d never really thought about it, because Alice had always seemed
“I don’t want this. I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to do any of this.” She didn’t jerk away, just resisted him with counterweight, futile against a man who was twice her weight and at least half a foot taller. He put his other arm around her waist, using it like a lasso to bring her to him, one reluctant step at a time.
“Come here,” he repeated quietly. She’d never had a man talk like that to her, equal doses of irresistible command and compassion, gentle strength and authority, which had her body throbbing as much as her aching heart.
Once his chest took up her vision, he wrapped both arms around her, her hands curled tense against her sternum, mashed between them. “Just breathe. I’m sorry. That was too much, too soon.”
She stood in his embrace, rigid. But not withdrawing.
“I wanted too much, too quickly,” he said. “You have that effect on a man.”
“Yeah, right.” But she didn’t have the courage to look for the truth. Not right now. His arms felt too good. She should pull away. Instead, she leaned, a little bit.
“Did she . . . did she have a lot of bad days?” The words were muffled against his chest.
He sighed. “She said the good days always outnumbered the bad, until the end. That was when she called you. She loved you, Madison. You were the only thing she wanted, at the last.”
“Shit.” She closed her eyes tight, pressing her forehead against his chest. “I loved her, Logan.”
“I know that. So did she.”
“I don’t understand any of this. Especially what you felt about her, and how that relates to me. How that can be a good thing. I’m not her.”
He straightened, holding her away from him to give her a look that had an edge to it. “I told you I know that already.”
“Yeah, but what people say and what they understand about themselves are pretty different. For a long time I told people I wasn’t anal and I actually believed it.”
His lips twitched at that. Then his expression sobered and she suspected he was considering his next words carefully, a shift in the air that brought the tension back between them. She still didn’t move out of his grasp. The touch of his hands was something she couldn’t resist.
“At one time,” he said, “I found Alice very intriguing. Fascinating. I even entertained the idea of a romantic relationship. But as colorful and passionate as she was, she was really quite grounded.” He shook his head. “She explained she genuinely loved everyone so she didn’t have to risk her heart on loving someone. She told me you were the brave one. Despite having your heart broken, shattered and stomped upon, you kept looking for the right person to care for it. She said if you ever found the person you could trust enough to let go—the person who deserved your trust—you would finally find that.”
He cleared his throat. “She knew me better than anyone, Madison. She told me I didn’t want her. I wanted you.”
She didn’t know how to deal with that, but tears were brimming, a response to hearing what her sister had thought of her. He took the hem of his shirt and dabbed her eyes with it, making her choke on a half chuckle. One nervous hand landed on his bare abdomen. Her fingers pressed into the hard ridges as his head lifted, a different awareness in both their eyes now.
“I need to get home,” she said, pulling back from him. She didn’t wait for his reply. Instead she grabbed the box off the shelf and pushed out the back door, aware of him standing in the entrance, watching her until she got into her car and drove away.
She felt as though she were fleeing the scene of an accident.
* * *
Hearing Alice’s perspective of herself floored her. She’d never really thought about it, because Alice had always seemed
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