Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

LOGAN

I f there was one thing I'd pinned down about the tall, dark-haired woman in front of me, it was that she was tightly wound. Despite her earlier amusement about everything, she definitely didn't seem like the spontaneous type.

She stood stock still as I walked up to her, her eyes on mine but a certain unmistakable coolness in her posture that told me she wasn't entirely convinced about talking to me again. That was fine, though. We didn't have to talk.

When I reached her, I held out my hand. "Dance with me."

"You didn't ask," she said, her gaze dropping to my palm for a moment before it slowly traveled back up. "Are you going to?"

"I could, but you already know you want to, so you might as well just do it."

Her teeth sank into her lower lip, her spine straight and her hands remaining firmly at her sides. "Life isn't all about what we want. Sometimes, you still have to ask the girl to dance."

"Life is all about what we want, but I'll play. Would you like to dance?" I flashed her what I knew was a charming smile, but again, she didn't react the way I was expecting.

She nodded, sliding her palm into mine, but she also sighed like she was aggravated by something. Regardless, I wrapped my fingers around her warm skin and led her onto the dance floor before I raised our joined hands and spun her into me.

Moving gracefully, she twirled and landed against my chest with no more than a soft brush, lacing her arms around my neck and then bringing her gaze up to meet mine. "How can you say life is all about what we want? That's ridiculous. If it was true, everyone would spend all day lounging by a pool, drinking cocktails and never getting any work done."

I shrugged. "I beg to differ, but then again, I love what I do, so I would still work even if I don't have to. Is that what you'd like to do, quit your job and lounge by a pool all day long?"

The woman had a deep tan, but I doubted it'd come from relaxing by the pool. As graceful as she was, she also had a very no-nonsense way about her, businesslike rather than whimsical, and as soon as we started moving around the dance floor, I realized that she also liked being in control.

As she looked at me, she scoffed. "I wouldn't know how to lounge if you hit me over the head with the chair, but that doesn't really change anything. Life is about responsibilities and making time to have some fun every once in a while."

"Is that what you were doing earlier, then?" I asked lightly. "Simply making time to have some fun?"

"Nah. I was just trying to get a drink when you came along and bought it for me." That same amusement I'd seen in her eyes before came bubbling back to the surface. "Have you managed to get rid of the cement in your mouth?"

"I don't know," I teased. "Want to taste and see if it's all gone?"

The skin between her eyebrows puckered for a moment. "If you want me to kiss you, you're going to have to work a little bit harder than that."

"I was just answering your question," I said playfully. "Why? Do you want to kiss me?"

She sighed again, seemingly growing irritated as our bodies fought for dominance while we moved. Eventually, she relented and let me lead, but she didn't melt into me or even soften just a little bit at all. Instead, it was almost like she was saying Fine, do it, but you'd better do it right.

I tightened my grip on her, my palm resting on the small of her back while my fingers hovered just above the curve of her ass. Everything in me itched to cop a feel, but I had a feeling it wouldn't earn me a moan from her so much as it might get me slapped.

Mira smiled at me, once again almost devilish but also once again making me feel like she knew something I didn't. Which, to be fair, since it'd turned out she'd already been warned against me earlier, meant that then, she had known something I hadn't.

It made me wonder what else she knew this time, but I didn't ask because she beat me to it. "I've already told you that it doesn't always matter what we want. Whether or not I want to kiss you, you're thinking that it's probably going to happen anyway."

"What? No. I'd never kiss you if you didn't want me to. If I see an opportunity, I generally take it, but that doesn't mean that I force myself on people. Is that what Tess told you?"

"No. Quite the opposite, in fact. She warned me that you would try to get into my pants and that you were likely to succeed if I gave you half a chance. Apparently, women find you irresistible."

"But you don't," I concluded for her. "Is this the part where I tell you that I accept the challenge?"

"Well, you could, but then I'd know that you see me as a challenge, which means I could have so much more fun with it."

"I'm down for that." I grinned. "You're used to holding your own. I get that. I respect it, but if you're willing to come to the dark side for a night, I lick cookies."

Her nose scrunched up. "That's not as sexy as you seem to think it is."

I smirked. "It's still true."

"You're very cocky."

"I have no reason not to be." I applied pressure to her lower back in an attempt to bring her closer to me. "Are you always such a tough nut to crack? "

She moved infinitesimally closer and chuckled quietly, her warm breath ghosting across the bare skin at the crook of my neck where my open collar had pulled away. "If you think I'm being tough now, you wouldn't like me if you saw me outside of a wedding."

I hummed my agreement. "If I'm very cocky, then you're very cryptic. You like to keep your cards close to your chest, huh?"

"It's the only way to survive."

I laughed. "Now we're talking about survival? Wow. That went downhill fast."

Inhaling deeply as I slanted my head closer to hers, I caught a whiff of the fresh, clean scent that had to belong to her perfume. It was damn alluring, but in a very different way to the regular, more floral or even the musky or spicy feminine scents.

This was almost unisex, yet on her, it was still undeniably feminine. Or maybe something about her was just scrambling my brain.

In the short time I'd known her, I'd already learned that the contrasts between us were striking. She was put together, graceful, and always in control, taking whatever came her way in stride—no matter how amused or irritated she might become by it.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I was off the cuff, playful, reckless, and I had a definite edge to me. I took risks and chances—like buying a damn oil rig in the middle of the ocean with zero experience under my belt, for example.

I was also confident and self-assured, whereas she was equally confident and self-assured, but in a much more reserved way. It'd been a long time since I'd met a woman who intrigued me the way she did, which was why my brains were probably a bit scrambled.

"How is talking about survival going downhill?" she asked curiously. "If anything, survival should be at the very top of the hill."

"Nah, survival is middle ground at best. Thriving is at the top of the hill, but I'm not even sure how we got to this topic anymore."

"You said I liked keeping my cards close to my chest."

"Right," I said slowly, blinking a few times before I pulled back to look at her again. "Do you ever let anyone get a glimpse of them? Your cards, I mean. "

Her brow furrowed like she was taken aback by the question, but it only lasted for a second before her expression smoothed out again. "Are you asking if I ever let anyone break down my defenses?"

"Sure," I said easily. "Phrased differently, I guess that's exactly what I was asking."

"Then no," she replied just as easily, looking me straight in the eyes as she said it. "You're not interested in breaking down my defenses though, are you?"

"Jeez, and you said I was straightforward. Pray tell then, Mira. What am I interested in?"

"Sex," she said simply, her gaze unwavering on my own. "Unless I'm wrong and you're trying to make a new friend, in which case, you're barking up the wrong tree."

"For the record, I'm a good friend to have. Ask anyone."

She shrugged. "You're Jude's best man despite the fact that he has a brother, so that must mean that you're not just being cocky right now. You must actually be a good friend, but you don't really want to be mine."

"Flynn has a wife and a baby. I don't think Jude wanted to pile onto that, so he asked me. I could be your friend too, though. For tonight anyway."

"No, thank you." She gave me a tight smile. "I have enough friends and not nearly enough time to get to any of them as it is."

What the hell is going on here? A minute ago, I'd thought I still had a shot at taking her home with me, but now, I was pretty sure she was about to walk away again.

She has got to be the most confusing woman I've ever met.

Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to shoot my shot anyway. Before she ran off again. "Fine. I don't have to be your friend. To be honest, I'm pretty full up on those myself. How about orgasms, though? Are you interested in having them?"

Much to my surprise, a slow grin spread on her lips and she nodded. "Finally, we're on the same page. Shot of tequila before we leave?"

"Sure." I offered her my arm, wondering why I suddenly felt like she was the one who'd put the moves on me before I decided it didn't really matter. "Gold or silver?"

"Is that even a question?" she asked as we reached the bar.

I flagged down the bartender in response, ordering two shots of gold before I glanced back at her. "Your place or mine?"

"I'm in a hotel."

"Mine, then," I decided out loud, not in the mood for dealing with parking issues, staff, and waiting in an elevator.

She inclined her chin in agreement, then grinned at me after throwing back her shot and swallowing without even a trace of a wince. "You've already got a car waiting to take us there, don't you?"

"No." I grinned right back at her, swallowing a little harder on my own tequila than she seemed to have. "But I can. You ready to go?"

"I was ready when you asked me to dance. I've just been waiting for you to catch up."

I choked on nothing but air as I laughed, offering her my arm again and sliding my free hand into my pocket to pull out my phone so I could text my driver. My earlier conclusion about her was definitely correct.

She was a lot more devilish than that dress made her seem—and although she really was graceful and put together, I was really looking forward to making her come undone.