An Heir For Her Enemy (Bossy Bachelors #3)

3. Delaney

CHAPTER 3

DELANEY

D elaney bit her lip.

She and Logan stood on the sidewalk outside her apartment. The evening air was brisk and she was a little cold, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to go inside just yet.

For the past decade, since Delaney had gotten her first waitressing job at the age of fifteen, she’d been focused on work. Nothing was more important than her dream of opening her own gallery, and she stood by that. Yet it was also lonely, working so hard towards a dream that was still years down the road. And all that work didn’t leave time for much romance.

Mostly, Delaney was okay with that. She knew she’d have time for love later, if she wanted it. Yet tonight, as she stood with an attractive man on a beautiful evening, she felt herself waver. Yes, she and Logan were very different people with very different beliefs. For one, Delaney didn’t approve of him collecting art just to fit in with a wealthier demographic. Yet there was a spark between them, too. A spark that made Delaney bold.

Maybe, just for tonight, she could throw caution to the wind.

So, she took a small step closer to Logan.

“Perhaps we should end the night on a high note,” she suggested.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know.” She took another small step closer, until she could feel the heat radiating off him. Another inch and they would be touching.

“Maybe a kiss would be a fitting end to the evening,” he suggested. His tone was lower than usual.

“That could be arranged.”

Logan reached for Delaney and rested his hands on her waist. Then, slowly, he leaned forward. Delaney’s anticipation stretched as he closed the distance between them. His gray eyes were intense, as though she was the only person in the world that mattered.

Finally, his lips brushed hers, and sensation flooded Delaney. He tasted a little like the chocolate lava cake they’d shared, and his lips were warm and firm. The nearness of this man made Delaney’s head spin and her knees weak.

Logan deepened the kiss, and it was all Delaney could do not to moan with how good it felt. In that moment, it felt like there was nothing and no one in the world but the two of them, kissing under a streetlight on this September evening.

Then Delaney realized that they were full on making out in full view of anyone who happened to walk by. With some regret, she pulled away. Logan looked down at her, his eyebrows drawing together in concern.

“Is everything all right? Was that okay?”

Delaney nodded. “Would you like to come upstairs?” she asked. Her voice came out a little higher than she’d intended. “I can make you a nightcap.”

Logan didn’t hesitate. “I’d love to.”

Delaney led the way up the small set of stairs to the front door of her building. As they walked down the hallway to the elevator, she worried about how her building must look to someone as rich as Logan. Then her mind flew ahead to her apartment. She wasn’t sure exactly how clean it was. Delaney was very tidy, most of the time, but towards the end of a long week the apartment tended to end up strewn with sweaters and cast-off shoes.

They stepped into the elevator and the doors whooshed shut. As soon as they did, they were kissing again. Logan pulled Delaney flush against his firm chest and she felt desire pool inside her. It only increased when he gently pushed her back against the wall of the elevator, his kisses growing more passionate.

The elevator doors dinged open, and they pulled apart. Delaney was sure that her cheeks were flushed. Logan looked relatively composed, but she could see that his lips were slightly red from their kisses.

“I’m right down here,” she said with a nod to one of the doors.

“Lead the way.”

A moment later, they were in Delaney’s apartment. Sure enough, it was strewn with clothes, which slightly undercut the romance of the moment.

“Sorry.” She nodded to the clothes. “Give me two minutes to straighten up.”

“Your apartment looks fine.” Logan took Delaney’s hands. “And you are beautiful.”

Delaney ducked her head. “Thanks, but still. Give me two minutes. Um, close your eyes.”

Logan chuckled, but he complied. Delaney made a quick lap of her studio. She gathered clothes into her closet, tossed shoes towards the rack by the door, swept a pile of papers off her table/desk, and quickly pulled her sheets straight on her bed. Then she turned back to Logan, who still had his eyes closed. For a long moment, she just looked at him.

He looked out of place in her small studio with his fancy suit and haircut. Yet with his eyes closed, he also seemed more vulnerable than before. He was also very, very attractive. Delaney’s eyes skidded over the outline of his firm jawbone, over the muscles of his chest, down to his designer shoes, then back up.

“I’m starting to worry you won’t be here when I open my eyes,” Logan joked.

“I’m here.” Gathering her bravery, Delaney crossed the room, lifted onto her tiptoes, and pressed a quick kiss to Logan’s lips. As she withdrew, he opened his eyes and grinned.

“Welcome to my home sweet home.” Delaney gestured to her apartment. “I’ll give you the tour. We have the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, and my office, all in one convenient room. The bathroom is through that door. And that one’s a closet. Don’t open that one.”

Once again, she felt a little embarrassed by her studio. Delaney made enough as an art consultant that she could have afforded a better place, but she chose to live frugally and put her money aside towards her dreams of opening a gallery someday. She just hoped that Logan wouldn’t judge her for her current cramped quarters.

Logan’s eyes weren’t on the small kitchen or the tiny table. Instead, he was looking at the walls.

“Is that The Starry Night ?” he asked, pointing out a print on the wall near Delaney’s bed.

“It is.”

“And that one… I’m not sure.”

Delaney followed his gaze to a small painting in the kitchen area and grinned. “That one isn’t a print. I worked with a new artist who’s a friend of mine to get a few of her first sales, and she painted this for me as a thank-you. I thought it was perfect for the kitchen, with all the warm colors in the sunset.”

“And that one?”

“That is a print, from Andy Warhol. I just liked the colors.”

“Very nice.” Logan turned back to her with a grin. “I love how you decorated this place. It’s very you.”

Delaney’s heart warmed. It would have been easy for Logan to focus on the outdated appliances or tiny square footage, but instead he’d zeroed in on the part of her home that Delaney was proudest of — how she’d decorated. She wanted to kiss him again, right now, but held herself back.

“Can I offer you a drink?”

“What do you have?”

Delaney opened her fridge and bit her lip again. “Let’s see. I have a few beers, some lemonade, and milk. And water.”

Logan surveyed the options. “I’ll go with the lemonade.”

Delaney poured them each a glass and they sat on her small sofa, which was up against a wall near the window. Outside, the street below still bustled with life as a few late-night passersby walked below. The streetlights flickered, and far above, the sky was as dark as velvet.

“I always loved this time of night,” Delaney said. She took a sip of lemonade. “It feels like I’m the only one awake in the world. Like I have a secret.”

“My view of the night is more practical, I think, but I like it too. Nighttime is when I do all my best work.”

“Really?” Delaney looked at Logan in surprise.

“Really. Ever since I was young, I always did my best work after dark. I don’t know why. Now that I’m in charge of employees, instead of just working alone, I try hard to keep a normal work schedule. Sometimes, I miss working all night, though. That must sound strange.”

“No, I get it. I don’t do particularly good work at night, but I do love being awake.” Delaney propped her head on her hand and looked at him. “I really enjoyed tonight.”

“Me too.”

“Am I going to see you at more art events from now on?” Delaney knew that tonight wasn’t the start of a relationship — she didn’t have time for that, and Logan didn’t seem to either. Plus, they were too different. Things would never work out in the long term. But she wanted some indication that this evening meant something to Logan, like it did to her. She wanted some hope that they would see each other again.

“I’m sure you will. I told you, I know beauty when I see it.”

Delaney’s heart warmed. “If you know beauty when you see it, you do know something about art.”

“I certainly do.”

Just like that, they were kissing again. Delaney wasn’t exactly sure where the lemonade went or how it happened, but Logan’s arms were around her and his mouth was on hers. This time, she parted her lips slightly as Logan’s hand skimmed along her spine, making her shiver. The feeling of him, so masculine and sexy, made her knees feel weak again.

“I can go home,” Logan whispered against her lips.

“Don’t.” Then she was on his lap, her hands in his hair as they kissed again. Logan pressed searing kisses to her cheek and her neck until Delaney forgot about everything but his touch. They were the only two people in the world.

“You’re beautiful,” Logan said. He pulled back and ran a hand along the curve of her waist in wonder. “So beautiful.”

“Would you like to go to bed?” Delaney asked. Her voice caught slightly. Unlike some of her friends, who spent their weekends at clubs and in bed with new guys, Delaney never did anything like this. Something was special about Logan, though. Special enough to make her forget her usual sensibilities and focus only on this moment, on how good it felt to be in his arms, and on how her heart raced when he said how beautiful she was.

Again, Logan didn’t hesitate. He didn’t reply either. He just stood up, Delaney in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her across her studio to the bed, where he gently laid her down. Delaney looked up at him and he looked down at her, his eyes intense. For a long moment, they both took each other in. Then Logan bent his head and kissed her again. His hand slid under the hem of her dress, skimming along her calf, past her knee, up her thigh… higher.

For a long time after that, they were in perfect harmony.