Wanting It All: A Naked Men Novel (24 page)

Which made it the perfect time to share her big news. Licking her lips, Madison said softly, “Logan asked me to come visit him. For three months. On a trip to Turkey, Thailand, and someplace exotic yet to be determined.”

His face blanked. Completely. “Holy shit. You must’ve made some impression on him.”

There was his generous heart shining through again. Letting Madison think that she was the reason Logan changed his mind, rather than due to Knox’s intervention. No wonder she loved this man. “Don’t play coy. I heard about the long-distance ass-kicking you gave him. On my behalf. So…thank you. You know I never wanted to come between you and your friends.”

In a forcibly cheerful tone he asked, “When do you leave?”

“Logan asked me to join him in a week. When I told my mother, she cried, she was so happy for me.” Madison hadn’t cried. His invitation had filled her with too much joy to leave any room for tears.

“Have a great trip.” Then he curled his hand around hers, and kissed the back of it. “I’ll be here waiting when you get back.”

“What?” Madison wished she’d recorded those words. She’d turn them into an alarm to get Annabeth up every morning.

“This”—he waved his hand at the seat full of flowers—“isn’t just some over-the-top gesture. I love you, Madison. I thought those words would never come out of me, but I want to say them over and over and over to you, just to make you smile. I’ll wait for you as long as it takes. Wait for you to come back. Wait for you to forgive me. Wait for you to fall in love with me.”

Knox offering to wait was the most romantic gesture he could’ve made. And he probably didn’t even realize it. “You don’t have to bother with waiting for any of it. I’m not going. I already forgive you. And I fell in love with you two weeks ago.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed once, twice, as his eyes widened. “You love me?”

“Of course I do. I started falling from the first time you kissed me.”

“Let’s take a second to reminisce, in that case.” He hauled her onto his lap and kissed her. Kissed her exactly as he had that first day. A slow tease to open her lips, and then enough tongue to let her know just how interested he really was. Which appeared to be pretty darn interested. The heat they were giving off would fog up the windows any second.

Then he moved his hands to her shoulders and pushed her back a little. “What do you mean, you’re not going?”

“I choose
you,
Knox. I can’t run off to globe-trot with another man when the one I love is here. I emailed Logan right before you got in the limo. I turned down his offer. I told him that I needed to stay here and fight for you. Figure out a way to make you love me every bit as much as I love you.”

Laughter crinkled the corners of the blue eyes she wanted to stare into for the rest of her life. “I’d love to see his face when he reads that.”

“It’s probably best that you are four thousand miles away when he does.”

“Good point.” Knox skimmed his hand through her hair in the automatic and tender gesture that thrilled her every single time he did it. “I’ll take you globe-trotting, Madison. I’ll take you anywhere. Everywhere.”

“I’m good right here, for now. My job, my friends, the man I love, all in one place.”

The car slowed. Stopped. “I know you told me you’re not impressed by my throwing money around, but this is one time I think you won’t object.”

Madison slid off his lap to look out the window. Silver letters on a gray marble wall spelled out
TIFFANY & CO
. When she turned back around, Knox was on one knee on the floor of the limo. With a robin’s egg blue box in his hands.

“I waited so long to get serious with a woman because nobody else was worth the effort. I’ve made a habit of wanting the best in my life, and you’re it for me. I love you. I love who I am when I’m with you. I love how happy you make me. I love that you make me a better man.” He flipped open the box. A huge yellow diamond solitaire, surrounded by a ring of white diamonds, glittered in the filtered sunlight. “You brighten my life like a ray of light. I hope you’ll remember that every time you look down at this ring.”

Holey moley, it was huge. Almost as huge as the gesture itself. To think that this self-proclaimed playboy wanted to give up everyone else for her! One hand on her heart, she asked, “If you have a ring, why did you bring me to Tiffany’s?”

His beautiful blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “Men are dogs. Now that you’re mine, I want you to wear this ring all the time so they don’t get any ideas. We’re going to march in there and get it sized. Because I don’t know that about you yet either.”

“That’s okay. You know the things that matter.” There was plenty Madison didn’t know about Knox. But wasn’t that just part of the fun?

“Shit. I forgot the important part. I really need to get in more practice with this romance stuff.” Knox shook his head. Scowled at the floor adorably. Then he looked back at her, as open and naked in his expression as she’d ever seen him. “Madison Abbott, will you marry me?”

Some women might play coy. Might hold back as punishment for the torturous last few days he’d put her through. Or to, indeed, make him practice the romance. Madison, however, wouldn’t bother wasting a single second of their lifetime of happiness on pettiness or gamesmanship. Love was all that mattered.

Heart in her throat, she said simply, “Yes.”

He held the diamond and white gold circle just past the tip of her finger. “If you don’t like this ring, we’ll exchange it for something else.”

Laughter burbled in her throat. Only Knox would offer to swap out a three-carat diamond for something
better.
“Something else wouldn’t mean nearly as much as what this diamond represents.
You
thought of this, Knox. Nothing could make me happier.”

He slid it on, but looked in her eyes, as if searching for any doubt. Madison knew he wouldn’t find so much as a speck. “I want you to have a ring that you’ll want to wake up to every day for the rest of your life. The sky’s the limit.”

“I never thought I’d say this, Knox, but you think too small. Because there simply won’t be any limits to our love.”

Dedicated, as always, to Tom, who is definitely everything I could ever want.

The first thanks must go to all you readers who came back for a second helping of Naked Men. I’m thrilled that you let my characters take up your very precious spare time. Enormous thanks to Sue Grimshaw and the Loveswept team for truly getting my Naked Men. You’re treating them so well, and I’m so grateful. Thanks to Misty Waters for setting aside her brilliant writing long enough to point out all the weak spots in mine—invaluable help!! And speaking of invaluable, that describes the smart, sweet, and talented trio of Stephanie Dray, Laura Kaye, and Lea Nolan to a T. You three keep me sane and centered and smiling through it all.

Risking It All

Wanting It All

Giving It All

Trying It All
(coming soon)

PHOTO: AMY JONES PHOTOGRAPHY

C
HRISTI
B
ARTH
earned a master’s degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately, she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance. Barth lives in Maryland with her husband.

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by Christi Barth

P
RESENT
D
AY

Logan Marsh was in the middle of the longest day of his life. Because that’s what happened when a surprise half-sister got dropped into his life after twenty-eight years. Getting home to meet her became an emergency. Since he hadn’t slept, and had crossed more time zones than he could keep track of, his day stood at about thirty-seven hours long right now. Middle-of-nowhere Kazakhstan to D.C. wasn’t exactly a direct flight. And now this fucking hurricane had sent his latest puddle jumper off course in the wrong direction before finally being grounded for the duration of the storm.

He looked around the armpit of an airport. The whole thing could probably fit into a single concourse at Dulles. Plastic chairs. Scuffed linoleum. No bar. Not the worst he’d ever been in, but not someplace he wanted to hang out for however long it took a hurricane to pass through.

The pretty gate agent with big brown eyes looked frazzled. No wonder, with a couple dozen angry passengers all yelling at her like the hurricane was her fault. Idiots. Logan figured she’d be relieved to give him a hotel tip and reduce the line at her desk by one.

Bypassing the line—and ignoring the frowns it earned him—Logan rounded the desk, glanced at her name tag, and slapped on the smile his friend Josh claimed could charm the panties off any woman within a hundred feet. “Angelique? One question and I’ll be out of your hair completely. And it isn’t ‘when does the next plane leave.’ ”

“I like you already, monsieur,” she replied, a dimple forming in her cocoa-colored cheek. “How may I help?”

“Got a decent hotel recommendation? One where my room won’t be jacked while I’m out? And I won’t be charged for clean sheets?” Logan had been around the world more times than he could count. Didn’t make him cynical. Just careful.

“Get away from the airport,” she warned. Then she handed Logan a taxi voucher. “My brother Remy drives a cab. Number fourteen, parked right outside. He’ll take you someplace good.”

“Thank you.” Logan took the voucher with one hand. Pocketed it. Decided to push the power of his smile a bit further. Swapped hands to shake hers and palm over a fifty-dollar bill folded around his card. Money talked louder than all the grumbling passengers behind him put together. He knew. Common sense and decency went pretty damn far, no matter what language you spoke. But money trumped it all. Got things done. And what Logan needed was to get home ASAP. “First plane going to anywhere in the continental United States. Anywhere. You let me know.”

Her expression warmed even more. Probably because she felt the crinkled texture of President Grant against her skin. “Certainly, monsieur. Welcome to Dominica.”

“Thanks.” Logan strode away before the other passengers pitched an even bigger fit. Hey, he knew they weren’t happy. He sure as hell wasn’t. Not with Madison waiting for him—sort of—back in D.C. Not to mention a best friend whose ass deserved to be kicked halfway into next week. But his job had taught him that sometimes you had to accept your circumstances and make the best of them. Hopefully this Remy would take him to a resort with a hot tub, room service, and icy beer. Although a hot shower would be enough to satisfy him at this point.

Scanning for the door, Logan’s eye was caught by a redhead. Not just because every man in the world appreciated redheads, but because she looked familiar. Which was impossible. Random. Weird. Weird enough to compel Logan to tighten his grip on his duffel bag and cross to her in five long strides.

Holy shit. It really was her. Brooke Gallagher, the captain of Roosevelt Prep’s cheerleading squad, all grown up. Really grown up. Her head still barely came to his collarbone. All that bright red hair still streamed down to the middle of her back. But the eyebrows arched a little more, emphasizing her big green eyes. The teenage softness was gone from her face. She looked sleeker. Sexier—which was saying a lot, since her curves had been the wet dream of every guy on the high school team. A turquoise top that looped behind her neck and left her shoulders bare showed off the deep vee between her breasts. Those lips that he remembered always being curved into a smile were pursed into a pout as she frowned down at documents. Could she be grounded, same as him?

Well, he couldn’t let a lady stay in distress. As adorable as the pout was, Logan wanted to see her smile at him again. Wanted it suddenly even more than that hot shower. So he angled right in front of her. “Welcome to Dominica, Miss Gallagher.”

“Thank you,” she said distractedly, not looking up from the papers in her hand. “Did the resort send you to…” Her voice trailed off. Probably put two and two together and realized even a car sent to pick her up wouldn’t know who she was in the crowded room. Her pointed chin jerked up. Then her eyes flew wide open, like when you yanked too hard on a window blind. “Logan Marsh?”

Well, that was a relief. “Got it in one. I’ll take it as a good sign that you remember my name.”

“Are you kidding? I’d never forget…I mean…Well, I remember you.” Her words tumbled out haltingly. Paired with the pink that insta-stained her cheeks, Logan pegged her as flustered.

Over him? Or over the situation? What if she was here on a romantic getaway with a boyfriend? Or a honeymoon? Yeah, until he got the details, Logan needed to dial back his excitement at seeing her after all these years.

No subtle way to do it. Or without sounding like a cheesy game-show host.
Happy Hurricane, Brooke! Will you be riding it out alone or riding someone through it?

Dropping his duffel to the floor, Logan said, “Weird running into you like this.”

“Yes.” She shook her head, sending that red hair dancing around bare shoulders. “For a second I both recognized you and didn’t believe it possible. Just when I thought my vacation was ruined, there you were!”

Aha. A sign that she was alone. Because nobody complained about being stuck in a hotel room on a romantic getaway. “That’s me. I travel the world, singlehandedly saving women from bad vacations.”

Christ. It was like the hundred and ten percent humidity of the island had sucked out all of his mojo. He could pick up any woman from a cocktail waitress to—his personal best—the spare Swedish princess. Why couldn’t he talk normally to a woman who used to pass him notes in Chemistry class? If Knox were here, he’d probably point out that Logan had always had a crush on Brooke.

Good thing he wasn’t here.

Shockingly, Brooke giggled at his weak-ass attempt at a joke. “Do you have a cape?”

“No need. I do my best work without clothes.” He never would’ve attempted that on a stranger. But Brooke was different. At one point, they’d been good friends. In-and-out-of-each-other’s-houses-without-knocking type of friends. Logan knew who she was back then. He just didn’t know who she was now. A moment too late, he realized he should’ve worried about that before making the borderline suggestive remark.

She nodded solemnly. “I can see how a cape would hold you back. Hard enough when you get your foot trapped under the covers. A cape would half strangle you if you rolled over once.”

“Exactly. I need freedom to roam in bed. Room to work my magic.”

“So…no cape, but you do have a magic wand?” Brooke covered her mouth with her hand and again dissolved into giggles. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen you in forever. I shouldn’t ask about your magic wand.”

Looked like they were on the same wavelength after all. Falling back into old patterns, as if she’d just yesterday left her pom-poms at his house. “Babe, I’ll tell you anything you want to know about my wand.”

A woman next to Brooke with a tight helmet of white curls gave them a sniff/glare combo. They both laughed before she huffed away more than a step. God, it felt good to share even a joke that small with someone. After a month of digging out a village from beneath an avalanche of mud and rocks with people who barely spoke any English, this easy back and forth was as luxurious as a slice of pecan pie.

“It’s good to see you again, Logan.”

“Great to see you, Brooke. Almost as great as you look.”

“Are you trying to flirt with me?”

“Don’t have to try. Just comes naturally when I’m with a gorgeous woman.” That wasn’t even a line. Straight up truth—and the redhead in front of him more than qualified. But talking with Brooke wasn’t just luxurious. It was also the most fun he’d had in the past month. Maybe even longer.

This time she didn’t laugh. Or even crack a grin. Instead, she gave him an up-and-down appraising look. Great. Logan wasn’t a style-conscious guy on his best days. Today was far from a good one. He hadn’t bothered to change out of his dirt-stained khaki shorts before his mad scramble for transport out of the village. Then he’d traveled at least eight thousand miles getting from point to point to point. Logan didn’t have to glance down to know that his plain green tee was more wrinkled than a ninety-year-old Tibetan monk.

“Any chance you’re jet-lagged? Drunk? Punchy from exhaustion?”

“I’ll take D—all of the above.” Since something he’d said must’ve tipped her off, Logan figured he’d better keep going to play it safe. “That answer also comes with an apology for pretty much anything that comes out of my mouth in this condition. I’d give a thousand bucks for just an hour in a bed.” And held back from adding
with you.
He’d already pushed his luck far enough with the suggestive comments.

“How jet-lagged? How far did you come? Because you don’t look like you took the same flight from Dulles that I did.”

Logan thwacked his cargo pocket with the back of his hand. “You mean ground-in dirt isn’t the hot new look this summer? I hate when I’m a season behind the fashions.”

“Very funny.”

“I started off in the Altai Mountains of Kazakhstan. Took a bus. A train. Another bus when the train broke down. All that just to get to the nearest airport in Almaty. Flew from there to Ankara, Turkey, then to Rome to Caracas, Venezuela.” He did a game-show sweep with his arm to indicate the airport. “Now I’m here.”

“After all that, I feel selfish for hoping, but please tell me that you’re stuck here, too.”

Until five minutes ago, he’d been pissed about it. Now Logan was more than ready to accept his layover. As long as it included Brooke. “Hurricane Danielle rolled out the welcome mat for everyone in this airport. Not that I’d planned on staying.”

“Do you need a place to stay? I’ve got a reservation at a fantastic resort, less than an hour away. Beau Rive.”

“By
fantastic,
do you mean at least better than the plastic molded chairs here in the waiting area?”

“I mean my parents chose it and paid for it.”

That immediately erased
cute, quirky,
or
rustic
from the possible description. Probably not even eco-friendly. The Gallaghers, just like his own parents, flaunted their wealth and appreciated all the perks of it. Somehow he and his friends had missed out on that show-off gene. They all had big trust funds but chose to work instead. Work damn hard. And their only real extravagance was the box they kept at Nationals Park.

From Brooke’s wrinkled nose and embarrassed eye roll, she wasn’t a big spender either. “So you figure there are swans in the bathtub. Armani bathrobes. Not just turndown service, but somebody to retuck the covers every time you turn over.”

“All that and probably more. Which means if they don’t have any spare rooms left, there has to be space in mine to squeeze in a cot. Or maybe even a sofa bed. With all these people grounded and looking for rooms, I’m probably your best bet for getting a roof over your head tonight.”

Logan didn’t intend to tell her about the lead he had on a hotel room. Sharing with Brooke was far and away better than having his own room. It was a whole bunch of teenage fantasies come at least partially true. Even if he didn’t talk his way into sharing her bed, too, just her company would be great. Guess her big heart hadn’t changed over the years. “That’s a generous offer. You sure I won’t be ruining any of your vacation plans?”

“Nope. I’m putting all the blame on the hurricane.” Putting her hand to the side of her mouth, Brooke stage-whispered, “You’re saving me. I hate eating dinner alone.”

“Then why’d you come on a solo vacation?”

Her eyes shuttered. Her smile vanished. A mile-long pause hung between them, until finally Brooke licked her lips and said, “Let’s just say the pros outweighed the cons.”

It didn’t take investigation skills to know there was a story there. Logan wanted to hear it. Wanted to hear everything about her, actually. What she was doing now, where she lived, and yeah, why someone so beautiful and sweet would vacation alone.

There wasn’t anything he could do to get off this island tonight. Which sucked donkey balls. His personal crisis back in D.C. had to be getting worse with every hour that passed…and a lot of damn hours had passed while he made his way halfway around the world. Might as well make the best of being stuck. Try to shove all that in a mental box and enjoy this surprise gift from karma. She owed him, after all. The fickle bitch had dumped a shit storm onto his plate in the last week.

He pointed to the navy rolling suitcase at her feet. It had a pink and green paisley scarf knotted around the handle. “Is that all you’ve got?”

“It’s a tropical island, Logan. Bikinis and sunblock don’t take up much room in a suitcase.” Laughter rolled out of her. Again.

Brooke had laughed more in this conversation than probably he’d heard in all his conversations of the past week put together. Not that there was much to laugh about cleaning up a disaster site. He’d never noticed missing laughter before when working a site. Of course, the time he spent there sucked out all his reserves of laughter and joy.

It was damn hard work keeping a positive face on when the lives and homes of everyone around you had been destroyed. But he did. Keeping up a good front helped convince survivors there’d be light at the end of the caved-in tunnel. All that sadness weighed on him as if the Lincoln Memorial sat on his shoulders. Logan usually decompressed for a few weeks afterward, surfing off of Costa Rica, hiking the Andes—anything physical that exhausted him into deep, dreamless sleep. Only then was he fit to rejoin the human race.