Simply Scandalous (Simply Series Book 2) Carly Phillips (new books to read .txt) 📖

He’d said what he’d come to say. He’d leave her alone with her thoughts and trust she’d come to have faith in him.

“You’re leaving?” Her voice broke the silence.

“I’d better. You have to work in the morning.”

She nodded, then headed out of the kitchen. She grabbed his keys from a side table and met him on his walk to the door. “Logan, you’ve been…”

“Don’t say it.”

She tipped her head to the side. “Why not?” she asked. Her nose crinkled in confusion. “You have no idea what I was about to say.”

“Right. And I’d like to leave it that way.” Before she tried for goodbye, see you sometime, or some other lame line he didn’t want to hear. He dug his hands into his front jeans pocket, slipping his fingers onto the twister from the chips he’d stuck inside. “But I do want to give you something before I go.”

She shook her head. “I can’t take anything from you.”

He grinned. “Sure, you can.” He pulled out the tie, then opened his hand palm-up and revealed his gift. He couldn’t have planned it better if he’d tried.

Jewels and money would turn Catherine off. He had a hunch this small gesture would mean much more.

“What’s that?” As she asked, her lips curved and it took all his self-control not to kiss her senseless.

“My ring,” he said and grinned. “Want to go steady?”

Catherine looked down at cookie twister in his hand. “What are you doing?”

“Hold out you hand.”

She did as he asked and he twisted the tie around her finger, nice and tight.

“It’s my ring,” he said, a grin on his handsome face.

If Catherine’s heart hadn’t already belonged to Logan Montgomery, it would now. Such a small token that meant so much. A gift from his heart.

How could she not accept it? How could she deny her own heart any longer, let alone his? She curled her fingers tight instead of taking it off like he probably thought she’d do.

His gaze followed the movement. “I’ll be calling you,” he said in a husky voice. “Later tonight.”

Her stomach coiled into a tight knot. “What if I said don’t go?” She reached out for his hand, locking their fingers together.

His touch was hot, his gaze hotter. “Then I’d ask if you were certain.”

That she wanted to be with him? Without a doubt. Certain she was doing the right thing? Well, maybe it was time to take that leap of faith. “I am.”

He cupped her cheeks in his hands and lowered his head, meeting her lips with his. The warmth and tenderness in his touch caused a spiraling heat and a tidal wave of emotion to surge through her. Desire and the urge to have him inside her rose as fast as her remaining doubts fled.

When she reached for the button on his jeans, he stopped her. “I didn’t come here for this.”

If his breathing hadn’t been ragged and his expression tortured—if she didn’t feel the hard, heavy press of his erection where their bodies met—she might have felt embarrassed or vulnerable. But Logan obviously wasn’t saying he didn’t want her.

“Are you afraid you’ll take advantage of me? I know what I want,” she said quietly. “I want you.” Her rapidly beating heart and the sudden liquid rush of desire attested to that.

“No more than I want you.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

He groaned and touched his forehead to hers. “Desire’s never been a problem between us. Sex has never been the issue.”

Afraid she knew where this was leading, Catherine merely sighed. The man could probably see inside her soul. She had no doubt her feelings were mirrored in her face. There was little she could hide from him anymore and even less she wanted to. She waited for him to continue.

“We could make love now and there’d still be your fears to deal with in the morning. You admitted as much tonight.”

“Is that what we’d be doing? Making love?” She hated the raw tone in her voice.

With that one question, she’d not only bared her soul but her heart. By avoiding the issue of her fears, she’d set them squarely between them. She’d never trusted anyone not to trample her heart before, and by doing so now, she’d given Logan power that was frightening.

He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “We’ve never done anything but make love, Cat.”

Her breath caught in her throat as emotion warred with sexual need. Her heart felt full to bursting. So did her body because a throbbing, aching need had overtaken it.

“But we aren’t going to do it tonight.”

Despite her body’s protest to his words, she smiled. “You’re a gentleman, Logan Montgomery.”

“A damned uncomfortable one,” he muttered, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “What can I say? My grandmother raised me right.” He grinned, but she saw the same strain in his expression she felt herself.

“Yes, she did.” Catherine twisted the tie on her finger.

“Did you ever go steady before?” he asked.

“Not since high school.” And not all that often, she realized, thinking back to those days. She hadn’t wanted anyone to get that close, to see where and how her family lived.

“What do you remember most? And I’m not talking about making out in the back seat of some guy’s car.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Logan Montgomery threatened by some football jock who’s probably balding and has a beer belly by now?” She patted her stomach and laughed.

“I don’t like the thought of anyone’s hands on you—” he paused a beat “—except mine.”

She liked the possessiveness in his voice, but that darned honesty got in the way. “Actually, I don’t remember much,” she admitted. “There really wasn’t anyone who lasted longer than a day or two.” When she was in her teens, she hadn’t been ready for a steady boyfriend. By the time she’d hit her twenties, she’d developed the ability to date and remain detached. She’d had a couple of intimate relationships but none that had truly touched her heart.

He squeezed her hand. “Then let me be the first to introduce