Jennifer Probst - Heart of Steel

     “Safe is good.”

     “Safe is cowardly.”

     He advanced a step. She retreated as she said, “Harry is sweet. You’re overbearing and insufferable. I won’t let you walk all over me.”

     “You don’t belong with him.”

     “Harry listens to my ideas and supports me. You’re domineering and a pigheaded.”

     “I won’t let you do things that will get you in trouble.”

     Chandler continued backing up from his looming figure. “Harry’s patient and understanding. He'd never rush me into bed without being my friend first.”

     “I won’t wait around on the sidelines while you try to compare me to men in your past.”

     “Harry would never demand something I’m not ready to give.”

     “I won’t let you lie about your feelings.

     She caught the gleam of triumph in his eyes too late. Her back slammed against the wall and trapped her from further retreat. She tilted her chin in defiance. He was so close she saw the heat in his eyes, smelled the musk of his cologne. She rallied her crumbling forces and battled for control over her treacherous body. “Harry would never use forceful tactics to get what he wanted.”

     “Harry will never make love to you the way I will, Chandler.”

     Her knees went weak and her gasp of outrage was smothered by his mouth over hers. He plundered her lips in a sensual invasion that drove the breath from her lungs. Heat exploded through her as his tongue thrust against hers, diving in and out of her mouth as if to plummet every dark secret, demanding her response, until she grasped his shoulders for balance and hung on. Her nails dug into the hard muscles as the searing kiss went on.

     Raw sexual energy crackled between them as Logan slid his hands up her back to rip at the pins holding her hair. He dragged the honeyed strands through his fingers and murmured in pleasure as the heavy waves tumbled down to cloak them in a world of mindless abandonment.

     She pressed her body against his, luxuriating in the feel of his hips cradling hers, the lean strength of his thighs, the bold evidence of his arousal. He pulled back, heard her strangled cry of protest, and re-slanted his mouth to kiss her more deeply. He used his lips and teeth and tongue to push her to the limits of control, until she became helpless beneath the onslaught and surrendered completely.

     When he withdrew from her, it took a few moments to register the loss. She blinked in confusion and stared up at him. His eyes were hot and smoky as he gazed at her, but his words fell like icy drops of water and made her stiffen in shock.

     “Cancel your dinner appointment with him. If you insist on starting this game, I’ll insist on finishing it.”

     When she finally recovered enough to hurl some choice words at him she was too late.

     He was already gone.

     The following evening Chandler sipped her wine and gazed at the man who wreaked havoc with her life. Her dinner appointment with Harry had been postponed, replaced with one of Logan’s making.

     She had picked up the phone a hundred times to cancel on Logan, then replaced the receiver while she raged at his incredible arrogance. The whole time she dressed she vowed he would not order her around like one of his employees. The only reason she hadn’t canceled was the business opportunity for her school. When he picked her up she acted cool and distant, prepared to ignore any apology or explanation he offered. It only angered her further when he’d taken her lead and treated her with utmost politeness and kept their conversation on a neutral basis.

     She wanted to hit him over the head with a blunt object.

     Chandler re-focused her attention on the conversation. “I’m pleased with the final negotiations,” Thomas Weatherall said. He glanced lovingly at his wife. “Time to relinquish some responsibilities and give Laura the attention she deserves. She’s been patient for too long.”

     Laura laughed and laid her hand over her husband’s. “I knew what I was walking into when I married him, but I admit I’m looking forward to doing some traveling. With the kids grown we finally have time to do what we want.”

     Chandler smiled. She liked Thomas and Laura Weatherall the moment she met them. Obviously, the older couple were still in love after many years. They complemented each other nicely. He was a tall man, quiet and reserved, with silver hair and a stately manner. Laura was short and energetic, with red hair and sparkling eyes. Her movements were quick and her laugh was loud. Chandler bet Thomas learned not to take life quite so seriously with his wife around. She applauded Laura’s success.

     Laura turned to her. “Chandler, I think your idea of a stress workshop is a wonderful idea. I know Tommy’s company could use it desperately. All those nice young men and woman end up with ulcers and migraines by running themselves into the ground. Have you seen any success yet?”

     “I think it’s working out rather well. Logan will analyze the results in six months, and hopefully we’ll be able to expand.” She prayed he wouldn’t say something to the contrary. His chuckle took her by surprise.

     “We’re not halfway through yet and already the employees seek her out with their problems,” he said. “I’m afraid if I tried to get rid of her they’d band together and overthrow me as monarch.”

     Everyone laughed. Chandler glanced at him and caught his wink. She felt guilty at her previous thought to injure him.

     “Well, you have to be a miracle worker if you get our ‘man of steel’ to relax,” Tommy said, ignoring Logan’s groan at the nickname dubbed him.

     “Yes,” Laura chimed in. “I’ve been telling him for years all he needed was a good woman. Now maybe he’ll stop trying to invite himself for dinner every Thursday night.”

     Chandler arched one brow. “Let me guess. Meatloaf?”

     Laura shook her head. “Pork chops. And I have to warn you, I’ve already found three other women he finagles dinner from on a weekly basis. I think it’s all in his master plan.”

     Logan threw up his hands in defeat. “I admit I’m a lousy cook. I complement you, Laura. No one makes food like you do.”

     Laura leaned in. “I bet he says that to all the girls.”

     Chandler stopped smiling when she caught the sensual gleam in his gray eyes. His voice dropped. “Once I find the right one I’d never stray. It’s a contract for life.”

     She clumsily reached for her wine and tried to hold back a blush at the pointed smiles directed at her. Logan made it evident he was interested in more than business, and his clients seemed delighted at the thought.

     Tommy pushed back his chair and stood up. “If you’ll excuse us, I’m going to take my wife for a spin on the dance floor.”

     Chandler watched them, hands entwined, as they walked away.

     “Are you still angry?”

     She looked up. She studied his face, captivated by the slope of his jaw, smoky eyes, black brows. His mouth could have been sculpted by an artist. His lips were finely outlined with just a hint of softness evident in the lower one. The khaki sports jacket he wore hugged the broad line of his shoulders and emphasized the breadth of his torso. She struggled to keep her voice cool. “Of course I’m still angry. Since I’ve met you I feel like I’ve been run over by a steamroller.”

     Logan chuckled. “Funny, I’ve felt the same way since you walked into my office.”

     She snorted in disbelief. “I haven’t acted like a bully and ordered you to cancel dinner dates.”

     “I don’t know how else to make you listen. You don’t believe me about Thorne, and now you think Weston is harmless. He wants more than friendship.”

     Chandler let out her breath in disgust. “Harry is harmless. I only tried to make you believe something else was going on because I wanted to teach you a lesson. I’m sorry.”

     He studied her for a moment, then relaxed. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Did you like making me jealous?”

     “No!” she denied hotly. “Of course not, I just wanted to—”

     “I think you wanted to see how far you could push me.” His fingers slowly stroked the delicate flesh of her wrist and glided up her bare arm. She tried to contain her racing pulse. “Maybe you wanted me to lose my temper, so I’d be forced to show you how good we are together. Hurl you over my shoulder and carry you into the bedroom. Thrust my tongue inside of you over and over—”

     “Logan!”

     His hand dropped from her arm to her thigh. She fought for breath. “We’ll spend hours locked in the bedroom because I have a long list of wants. To feel you melt beneath my fingers. Hear my name on your lips when you beg me to take you, opening yourself to me so—”

     “Please!” She placed her fingers over his lips. “You win. I get the picture. You don’t—you don’t have to go on.”

     His eyes lit with mischief. “Are you sure? I was just getting to the part when you wrap your legs around my hips and—”

     “Logan!”

     He chuckled and brought his hand up to touch her cheek, which was now a fiery red. “I can’t help it, you blush beautifully.”

     “You’re impossible.”

     “And you’re lovely.” A sudden smile touched her lips at his admiration. Her blush clashed with her pale rose dress skimming over her body in the most delightful ways. He wondered if she’d worn her hair down just to tease him. It was clipped away from her face but tumbled down her back. When the candlelight touched her she shimmered, an ethereal figure of grace and beauty. He was almost afraid to touch her in case she dissolved in a ray of light.

     “Thank you.” Chandler cleared her throat. The imprint of his hand still burned. “I like Tommy and Laura. Have you known them long?”

     He took a swallow of brandy. “We worked together in the same firm for a number of years before I decided to start out on my own. Tommy’s been good to me. More like a friend than a business associate. When my mother died years ago he helped me through a rough time.”

     She reached over and covered his hand with her own. “Logan, I’m sorry, that must have been difficult. Were you close?”

     “Yes, she was all I had left.” A shutter dropped over his face. “When my mother became pregnant my father was forced to marry her. He hated us both for that. You see, he had great ambitions and living in a shack with a wife and kid wasn’t in the picture. So, one day he left to pursue his dream of fame and fortune.”

     His fingers gripped the snifter. “She fell apart after that. She had to work so hard to try and take care of me, and she tired easily. I never realized she was dying. She kept that from me for a long time. By the time I had built a successful career it was too late. She was already gone.”

     Her fingers squeezed his. “That must have been so much responsibility for a young boy to take on,” she said softly. “Your mother must have been proud of your ambitions.”

     He didn’t speak for a while, as he contemplated the amber liquid in his glass. “It was too late. I became successful too late to save her.”

     Her heart broke into a million pieces. His matter of fact tone told her he still carried the pain of his mother’s death. Even with his achievements, he couldn’t erase the guilt, and she felt tears sting her eyes when she thought of the little boy who’d taken the weight of the world on his shoulders. She laid a hand on his hard cheek, and turned his face toward her.

     His face steeled for pity, but she gazed at him with only deep understanding. “You gave her the greatest gift a son could. You became everything she always wished you to be.”

     Something passed between them, a current of emotions so strong she sucked in her breath at the sheer intensity. His hand gripped hers in reaction and Chandler knew she had learned something intimate about this man no other woman had been given. She was honored by the gift, fearful of the connection forged, and dizzy with the sensations passing through her body. He opened his mouth to speak but Laura interrupted them.

     “Logan, take this lovely lady onto the dance floor and show her what you can do. We’ve already requested Frank Sinatra.”

     He gave her a questioning look. “Ms. Santell?”

     “I’d be honored, Mr. Grant. Tommy must have known that besides chocolate, Frank Sinatra is my other addiction.”