The Millionaire She Married. Christine Rimmer
was certainly nothing tepid about her response to Mack McGarrity.
But what about Logan? Was she lukewarm and tepid when it came to him?
Well, what if she was—just a little?
Maybe she liked it that way. Maybe she was mature enough now to appreciate a kinder, gentler sort of love.
Except…
Well, it had been beautiful with Mack. In bed. Beautiful and astonishing and utterly right.
And the truth was, she and Logan had never actually made love. Not in the complete sense of the word. Not in the consummated sense.
They’d agreed to wait until after the wedding.
And waiting had seemed good and right, up till now.
Up till Mack McGarrity had appeared in town.
Up until those dreams Jenna kept having now about the way it used to be with Mack. How Mack couldn’t keep his hands off her and how she couldn’t stay away from him.
How they didn’t wait.
Maybe, she thought Wednesday night, after she hung up on Mack for the second time that week, she and Logan needed not to wait. Maybe she and Logan needed a night in each other’s arms. A night to seal their bond in the most elemental of ways.
Yes. That might just be it. She needed to make love with Logan in order to wipe out the memory of Mack’s touch.
She shared her insight with Lacey on Thursday night.
Lacey blinked those big blue eyes. “Wait a minute. You’re saying you and Dr. Do-Right have never…?”
“We were waiting.” Jenna hated how prim she sounded. “Until the wedding. And stop calling him Dr. Do-Right.”
Lacey nodded, a very unconvinced sort of nod. “Waiting. Right.”
“People do wait, you know.”
“I know.”
“You’re not acting as if you know.”
“Well, I mean, it just took me by surprise, that’s all. The thought of it, of you and—”
“Do not call him—”
“I won’t. The thought of you and Logan…” Lacey’s face was red.
“The thought of Logan and me what?”
“Well, you know. In bed. Making love. I never thought about that. But I guess that makes sense—that it would be hard for me to picture.” Lacey laughed, a thoroughly irritating little titter of a laugh. “Because you’ve never done it, right?”
Jenna felt vaguely insulted. “You are not helping me out one bit here.”
“I’m trying.”
“Try harder.”
“I will.”
“Good. So?”
“So, in my humble opinion, if you really want to seal your bond with Logan, the first thing you ought to do is to tell him the truth. That Mack’s taken a room at the Northern Empire Inn and he intends to stay there until you agree to go away with him.”
“I am not going to go away with Mack.”
“Don’t tell me that, tell Logan.”
“I will.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow night, all right? Is that good enough for you?”
“Now is better. And don’t look at me like that. You asked.”
“Well, fine. All right. I’ll call him right now, tell him I need to talk with him.”
Lacey turned around and snared the phone off the breakfast nook wall. “Here you go.”
Jenna took it—and then just sat there, holding it.
“What?” Lacey groaned. “All of a sudden you’ve forgotten his number?”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten his number. I know his number.”
“Hey. Look here. You’ve got him on autodial.”
“Lacey—”
But it was too late. Lacey had punched the button and Logan’s phone was ringing.
“This is Dr. Severance.”
“Uh. Hello.”
“Jenna. Hello.” As always, he sounded so happy to hear her voice. “What’s up?”
“I wonder…” She hesitated.
Lacey mouthed the words, “Do it!”
Jenna made a face at her sister and then forced herself to go on. “Do you think you could come over here? There are a few things I need to talk to you about.” Lacey gave her the high sign and a big, congratulatory grin.
Logan said, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I just…really need to talk to you.”
“I’ll be over right away.”
Chapter Four
Lacey decided to make herself scarce. As she went out the door, she advised, “Don’t wait up—and don’t you dare chicken out this time.”
“I won’t,” Jenna replied, sounding a lot more confident than she felt.
Logan arrived five minutes later. Jenna led him to the back parlor, the big, comfortable room off the kitchen, where the family had always gathered. He sat on the roomy dark green convertible sofa and looked up at her, a worried frown creasing his brow. “This is about whatever’s been bothering you for the past week, isn’t it?”
She sat down beside him. “Yes.”
He turned toward her, still frowning. In his somber expression she saw his concern for her. And his love. “You know that whatever it is, you can tell me, don’t you?”
“I know. I just…”
“You know that I love you?”
“I do. And I love you.” It was true. She did love him.
But not in the way she had loved Mack McGarrity.
And that did bother her. It bothered her terribly.
“Logan, I wonder…?”
“Yes?”
“Would you…kiss me? Really kiss me?”
He sat back from her a little. “Kiss you? I thought you were going to tell me—”
She put three fingers lightly against his lips, to silence him. “I will. I’ll tell you. I’ll explain everything. Just…would you please kiss me first?”
His dark gaze scanned her face. “Kiss you.”
“Yes. Please.”
His expression softened a little, the worried frown fading. He slid an arm around her shoulder and gently, with the tip of a finger, tipped her mouth up to his.
Light as a breath, his lips met hers. His mouth was warm and soft and his big arms cradled her cherishingly.
She closed her eyes and tried to give herself fully to the act of kissing him, sliding her hands up his broad chest, allowing her lips to part, inviting him to deepen the kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth.
Jenna sighed. But she knew as the small, tender sound escaped her that it was a fake sigh, a forced sigh, an effort to convince herself—and Logan, too—that she was an eager participant in this.
Jenna closed her eyes tighter, kissed him back harder, tried to call up memories