One Night With Her Ex. Kate HardyЧитать онлайн книгу.
Logan and Evie were tangling. It was quite another to walk in there and stake his claim on her in front of people she had to work with. God knew he had no desire to undermine her authority.
Maybe if he didn’t stake his claim—just went in there and kept his hands and his mouth off her.
Be Max’s brother rather than Evie’s lover. Keep everything casual and easy—no biting jealousy or had-to-see-you-again obsession here. If he could do that …
It was a pretty big if.
Moments later Logan’s phone beeped.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ the message from his brother read, and he looked up and his brother was fiddling with his phone and Evie was deep in laughing conversation with the giant across the table from her.
Another text from Max. ‘You want a gold-plated invitation?’
The short answer being yes. Either that or a machete to cut through the mess of thoughts and feelings roiling round inside him.
With a shake of his head, Logan pocketed his phone and headed for the open doorway of the bar. He’d know soon enough if he’d done the right thing by coming here.
And he’d take her dismay straight up, if that was what she served him.
The noise level was high as Logan stepped inside. The smell of hops permeated the air. Not exactly an upscale establishment, this one. Cheerful though. And then Max lifted his arm and gestured him over and bent to whisper something in Evie’s ear and she whipped around and the smile that lit her face wrapped around Logan’s heart and wouldn’t let go.
Her smile said she didn’t consider his presence an intrusion.
Her smile telegraphed a message Logan had waited a lifetime to hear.
Pleasure—not pain—because he was near.
Max snagged Evie’s champagne glass from her as she pushed through the circle of men and headed straight for him and then she was in his arms and her lips were on his and she tasted of strawberries and champagne and generous, genuine welcome.
If ever there was a time to keep his wits about him this was it, but the kiss deepened anyway, capturing him so completely that there was no room for anything else. Only Evie.
Wolf whistles helped him to remember where he was.
Evie’s reckless smile told him she knew exactly where she was and that she didn’t mind laying claim to him in public in the slightest. She brushed her thumb over his lips and kissed him swiftly once more, and then took him by the arm and propelled him forward towards the group she’d been sitting with.
‘Everyone, this is Logan Black. He bankrolls us from time to time. He’s also Max’s brother.’
Max picked up two drinks from the table—a whisky shot and a beer chaser. ‘You’re going to have to catch up,’ he said, and handed them to Logan.
Max’s casual welcome worked to soothe Logan some. The welcome said, ‘I know damn well you’ve never been this invested in my successes before, but I’m open to it no matter what the reason. You’re my brother. You want in, you’re in.’
‘Doesn’t seem entirely wise,’ said Logan, but he took the drinks anyway, sent the whisky straight down and set the beer on the table for later. ‘Congratulations on landing the job.’
‘Thanks.’ Max clasped Logan’s forearm to his. ‘Couldn’t have done it without you. You just get in?’
‘Yeah.’
‘You knew he was coming in?’ asked Evie.
‘Surprise,’ said Max and grinned, warm and wide,
at Evie’s narrow-eyed glare. ‘Who says I can’t keep a secret?’
‘It was very last-minute,’ Logan offered by way of lame excuse. ‘Didn’t know if I’d make it in time.’
‘You came straight from the plane?’
Logan rubbed ruefully at his bristly jaw—he’d last shaved back in London, about thirty hours ago by his count. ‘Why? Does it show?’
‘To your extreme advantage,’ said Evie dryly. ‘You are so pretty when you get all tousled and unshaven. Have you eaten?’
‘No.’
‘Most of this lot will clear out in another hour or so. I was planning on grabbing a meal somewhere nearby with your brother. Which should in no way be construed as a date,’ she added with a touch of anxiety.
‘I’ll keep that in mind.’ He liked that little hint of anxiousness in her. He liked it a lot. And hated himself for it. His father had kept his mother anxious, always one breath away from outright fear. God, he remembered her fear. This wasn’t the same.
Dear God, make it not be the same.
‘You want to come along?’ she asked next.
‘Yeah.’ Logan ran a hand through his hair and looked to the bar rather than at Evie.
‘Yeah, that’d be good,’ he muttered.
‘What’s good?’ asked Max.
‘Food.’
‘When?’
‘Whenever you’re done here.’ He wasn’t jealous of the bond Evie shared with Max. He wasn’t.
‘One more round,’ said Max and Logan nodded.
‘Max’s happy,’ he said as his brother turned away.
‘Very,’ replied Evie. ‘There’ll be no living with him after this. He’s going to drive the workmen on this project bonkers. Fortunately, I have a solution. Her name’s Juliet Grace.’
‘She’s going to distract him?’
‘Not at all. Juliet’s a construction manager with forty years’ worth of high-end project management under her belt.’ Evie smiled sagely. ‘She’s going to control him.’
Evie made Logan feel wanted. There was no other explanation for the warmth in his body and the smile that came so readily to his lips. Easy to make an effort to fit in when a person felt wanted. Cost him nothing to satisfy people’s curiosity about what he did for a living and to grin and wear it when one of them asked him where he’d been all Evie’s life. ‘He’s mine,’ Evie told them more than once. ‘All mine. I saw him first.’
‘But I have a puppy,’ called Kit. ‘I bet Logan likes puppies.’
‘I have goldfish,’ said another pure soul.
‘I have breasts,’ said Evie smugly and Logan almost choked on his beer as Kit pouted and the men around him roared. She knew how to handle her subbies, damned if she didn’t.
‘Max, you got another brother?’ asked Kit.
Max shook his head and met Logan’s gaze with an affectionate one of his own. ‘One’s enough.’
‘Cousin?’ asked Kit, and Max glanced back at Kit with a quick grin.
‘She’s married.’
‘Guess you’ll have to do,’ said Kit with a devil’s slow grin.
And Max blushed.
Logan leaned in towards Evie and she made it easy for him by tucking into the circle of his arms. ‘Did my brother just blush?’ he whispered in her ear.
‘You’re very astute.’
‘Are they—?’ Shock robbed him of words.
‘Not yet.’
‘But has he ever—?’ Still no words.
‘You mean has Max ever? Not that I know of, but it wouldn’t surprise me.