Club Destiny 1 Conviction (14 page)

The last voicemail began.

“Sam, it’s me, Logan. I’m worried
about you. I’m coming by your apartment. You need to let me in when I get
there.”

Fuck
.

That was the last thing she
needed. She looked over at the door and as if on cue, there was a sharp knock
that jolted her heart in her chest.

Did she answer it? Did she ignore
it? Would he go away if she didn’t answer?

“Sam, it’s me. Please open the
door.” She stood motionless. Her traitorous emotions told her to answer the
door, but her brain was screaming at her to ignore him.

Sam walked the few feet to the
door, took a deep breath and opened it part of the way. The chain was still on
the door, so it made it impossible for him to come in.

“Hey. What’s up?” She asked
nonchalantly, forcing a smile she didn’t feel. Well, at least she hoped it
appeared that way because she felt anything but.

“Can I come in? We need to talk.”

“About what?” She hoped her
innocent act would be bought, but she doubted it.

“Let me in, please.”

Wearing a pair of soft, faded
Levi’s and a black polo shirt, an outfit Sam would have expected on a much
younger man, Logan looked incredibly sexy. The snug shirt outlined his defined
upper body, the muscles in his chest protruded against the fabric and the short
sleeves circled his muscular arms.

She shut the door, glanced down
at her boxer shorts and tank top. Oh well. She had no intentions of letting him
stay for long, and she didn’t feel as though this were a fashion show.

After removing the chain from the
door, Sam opened it, taking two steps back to allow him to come in. She didn’t
want him there, and she didn’t want to risk touching him.

She didn’t want to be within ten
miles of him because she was angry and that was a side of her she wasn’t
comfortable letting him see. Anger meant she felt something for him, and that
was the last thing she would ever admit to.

“Can I get you something to
drink?” She asked as she headed for the small kitchen.

“Sam.” Logan gently grabbed her
arm and stopped her from walking away. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t turn back to face him,
but she stopped in her tracks. After what felt like an eternity, Sam gained her
composure and turned to look at him, taking a deep breath.

“Nothing’s wrong, Logan. I needed
some time to myself today. After all, you and Cardio Barbie seemed to be having
a terrific time. What? Did she kick you to the curb?”

“What are you talking about?
Fuck. Don’t answer that.” He ran his hands through his hair before turning and
going further into the apartment.

At least he didn’t try to deny
it.

Sam continued to the kitchen,
grabbed a glass tumbler from the cabinet. Pulling out a can of Diet 7-Up from
the fridge and a bottle of Belvedere from the freezer, she set about making
herself a drink. She was stingy with the 7-Up and generous with the vodka. This
was one of those times when she needed a healthy dose of liquid courage.

After a few fortifying gulps, Sam
planted herself beside the bar and proceeded to watch Logan as he took in her
apartment. He hadn’t been there before, and Sam wondered where he’d gotten her
address.

Deanna.

Sam glared at him, getting
angrier and more defensive by the second. He was standing in the middle of the
room, looking around at her things.

“What do you need, Logan? I’m
really tired and would like to go to bed.”

When he turned to face her, Sam
saw something unfamiliar in his eyes.

“Sam, I’m sorry.”

He sounded sincere, but that
didn’t explain his little tryst with Cardio Barbie. Then his eyes swept down
her, all the way to her bare feet and then slowly back up, sending a traitorous
chill through her. He could look all he wanted.

But damn him, he wasn’t going to
get his way. Not this time.

In a desperate attempt to fortify
her nerves, she downed the rest of her drink and went back for another. Hell,
at this rate, she might just get shit faced. It might be the only thing to make
her body listen to reason.

Damn it.

~~  ** 
~~  **  ~~  **  ~~

Logan watched Sam move through
her apartment, her movement’s jerky with restrained anger. He was a fair judge
of people, and he could tell she was pissed. If she saw him talking to Brittany
at the gym, that was entirely understandable.

Even angry she was sexy as hell.
Even more so in her pink boxer shorts and her tight black tank top that hugged
every luscious curve. But, although the outside was hot, he noticed something
was different about her. Colder.

“What are you sorry for? You
don’t owe me anything.”

Her voice echoed from the
kitchen, separated from the living room by a single wall. He knew she was
attempting to drown out the rage with alcohol. He also knew that it wasn’t
going to work.

“I owe you an apology. What
happened at the gym was inappropriate. I shouldn’t have been talking to
Brittany.”

“Brittany? She even has a Barbie
doll name.” Sam muttered as she poured vodka into a glass.

She wasn’t looking at him.

“I am sorry, Sam.” Logan
repeated, hoping she’d at least listen.

Coming up behind her, she was
trapped between him and the counter, but she didn’t seem to be bothered by it.
Instead, she took a swig of her drink, set the glass down gently on the counter
and then turned on him.

Before she had a chance to
unleash that pent up anger, he put his hand on the back of her neck and moved
closer until their bodies touched. She swayed in his arms, and he fought the
urge to kiss her again.

Hell, he wanted to take her right
there on the kitchen counter, but he knew she had trust issues. The last thing
she needed was him making this all about sex. He wanted her like he wanted his
next breath, but they had to resolve the issues between them first.

He didn’t deserve her, and she
was the first woman just to walk away from him. When he’d come out of the
shower to find his house empty, he’d been livid. So mad he’d gone to the gym
and indulged in a little harmless flirting with the first woman who gave him
the time of day.

Sam didn’t hold him accountable
for his actions, but she should. Or, maybe she was holding him accountable by
walking away. He was certainly used to women chasing him, not the other way
around.

“Logan, I don’t think I’m the
kind of woman you’re used to.”

Some of her anger abated, but now
Logan could see the hurt in her eyes. The bright green was brighter from unshed
tears. They were only millimeters apart, close enough he could feel the warmth
of her skin through his clothes. He still held his hand on the back of her
neck, gently holding her closer, keeping her head tipped slightly so he could
look into her eyes.

“I’ve figured that out.” He
responded, noticing the surprised look on her face. “Not that I should have had
to. My actions are inexcusable, but let me tell you why I did what I did.”

Honesty time. It’s best to lay it
all out there and pray that… What? What did he want from her?

“I’m scared of you, Sam. There’s
something about you that’s more than I ever expected.”

Sam let out a short burst of laughter
and Logan suddenly felt vulnerable. Was she seriously laughing at him? Then her
expression turned to one of utter disbelief and Logan knew she didn’t believe
him.

“You? Logan McCoy? Scared? I find
that hard to believe.” Her voice was low once more, a mere whisper in the
silence of her kitchen. The only sound was the hum of the refrigerator and the
rumble of the air conditioner.

This might backfire in his face,
but Logan felt the need to explain himself. He couldn’t let one irresponsible
action ruin what they were working to build. What he hoped they were building.

 “I’ve always needed backup. I
needed that other girl to fall back on in case I was left wanting. I don’t want
to be left wanting anyone, but that is a real threat with you. I want you, Sam.
I got scared, and it doesn’t make it ok, but it is the God’s honest truth.”

This time she didn’t laugh, but
he didn’t feel any less exposed. Everything he said was true. He might play the
part of a confident, well-adjusted President of a multimillion dollar company,
but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his own secrets.

 “Logan, I don’t know if you and
I are in the right place in our lives for this, whatever this is, to work.” She
used her hands to twirl around her head, as if encompassing whatever it was they
were going through.

“Maybe you’re right, but we won’t
know unless we try.” Logan tilted his head closer to hers, his eyes caressing
her lips, slowly moving back to capture her gaze. “I can assure you I won’t be
an ass any more. You won’t have to put up with that sort of shit from me. I
want you, Sam. Only you. I’ll give up whatever else I have just to have a
chance. Please give me a chance.” His voice was dark and low, and his lips were
getting closer to hers.

Logan’s body was hard as stone;
his dick throbbed with the need for release. Despite the seriousness of this
conversation, he wasn’t sure he could make it much longer without kissing her,
feeling her soft body clinging to him.

“A chance? A chance to what,
Logan? A chance to get into my bed? A chance to spend a day in my life? What
sort of chance are you looking for here?”

 “Shit I don’t know. When it
comes to you, I don’t know much. I just want to spend time with you. I don’t
want to hurt you. That, I assure you.”

His first instinct was to move
away, but he couldn’t take that chance. He’d gotten this close, and she wasn’t
trying to run from him. If he gave her an inch though, she’d probably take a
mile. When she inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, then released the breath, he
felt his body harden again.

She opened her eyes and met his
gaze once more. “A chance?”

Logan heard the breathlessness in
her voice; saw the raw hunger in her eyes. He knew she didn’t know what to do
any more than he did.

The day had been a long one with
those exact thoughts running through his mind. He had actually come over to her
apartment twice earlier in the day. Yes, twice. Like some love sick teenager,
he had stalked her just so he could try and talk to her.

“Fine.” Sam said when he’d just
about given up hope. “But there are conditions.”

“I can handle conditions.” He
said as his lips came closer to hers. He could feel the warmth of her breath
against his mouth, their ragged breaths mingling. “Name them.”

Before she said anything more,
Logan let his lips brush hers gently. He squeezed his hand on her neck, letting
her feel the tension that coursed through him. He wasn’t pushing for more, he’d
let her make the next move. It might kill him, but he’d wait for her to be
ready.

“First condition. You,” she poked
him in the chest for emphasis, “take me”, she poked herself in the chest, “on a
date. A real date where you pick me up and take me out.”

“That’s an easy one.” He brushed
his lips against hers again. “Next.”

She tasted so sweet, so tempting.
He was listening with all of his might as his lips pressed gently against hers.

“When it comes to us, I’m just a
girl interested in a boy. No expectations, no promises.”

He wasn’t sure what that meant,
but he’d ask her to clarify later. Right now he just needed her to kiss him
back. “Anything else?”

“Yes.”

She was breathless now, their
bodies touching from knee to chest, his fingers twined in her hair, holding her
head back so he could look into her eyes.

“Go ahead. I’m listening.” He
couldn’t take his eyes off of her mouth. He wanted to suck on her bottom lip.
God she was killing him.

“I want...” Her voice was barely
a whisper as she seemed to search for the next words. “I want you to kiss me.”

He didn’t need any more
instruction than that. Logan put his lips on hers, his tongue forcing them
apart, diving into her mouth as though he were starved and she his only meal.
Within seconds, he had her pressed between the counter and him, engulfed in the
sensuality of the kiss.

When she went up on her toes,
putting her arms around his neck, he lifted her off the ground and set her on
the counter. He let go of her neck long enough to lift her knee so her leg
would wrap around him. He needed to feel her heat, needed to get closer to her.

Logan could hardly breathe in
this position, her legs wrapped around his waist, his hands cupping her head,
her fingers twined into his hair. He pressed his cock between her open legs,
the only thing between them were her tiny pink boxers and his jeans. As she
kissed him back, Logan rubbed against her, wishing like hell he could rid her
of her clothes.

He wanted to taste her. He wanted
to press his lips against the folds of her pussy, he wanted to bury his tongue
inside of her and send her over the edge.