Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

MIRA

B ack on the rig, Logan and I had just finished a boardroom meeting with the environmental company he was considering to help us make the rig greener. Slate wasn't here yet, but ultimately, hiring them was Logan's decision, and after their arrival, he'd decided to proceed without my brother for now.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, smiling as he stood up and motioned at the assortment of snacks he'd flown out with us this morning. "Please help yourselves to something to eat and drink. Ms. Spiers and I are going to step out for a few to discuss the proposals you've put on the table. Make yourselves comfortable and have some coffee as well. We'll be back for the tour."

The head of the company's delegation nodded and returned Logan's smile. "Thank you, Mr. Jones. Take your time. You've got quite the spread here."

I glanced at the spread in question. The guy was right. Logan had hired a caterer to put together platters of baked goods and cold cuts, cheeses, and fruits, and all sorts of delicious brunch items.

Part of me wished we could stay and join them, but I'd already had the benefit of the fancy coffeemaker he'd also flown out with us for the occasion. I gripped my cup as I got up. Guess it's just you and me, old friend.

But hey, the caffeine was better than nothing and I was pretty sure Logan had saved some of the treats for us for later. At least, I hoped he had.

Not that it really mattered. Fed or not, he and I really did need to talk before we took these guys on a tour of the rig. They'd made some interesting suggestions and I was curious about what he thought. I was also feeling pretty positive about the practicality of the proposals they'd made. If Logan did decide to bring them onboard and they could deliver on their ideas, there was every possibility that this rig really would become greener by a mile.

And if anyone had the money to make it happen, it was Logan. So, yeah. Feeling pretty good over here.

I followed him to the office that was his whenever he was here, waiting until the door was closed behind us before I grinned and arched a brow at him. "And? What do you think?"

"Funny. I was just about to ask you that." He passed me, sat down on the corner of his desk, and curled a finger to beckon me to him, eyes resting firmly on mine. "Between us, you're the expert here, which is why I didn't bother waiting for Slate. He knows less about this than even I do, and we both value your input. What did you make of their ideas?"

My eyes grew wide when I realized he was being serious. As I mulled it over, I moved over to him, sliding into position between his spread legs. His hands landed heavily on my hips, fingers flexing to grip me tightly while I chewed on my answer to his question.

"He may not be an expert, but maybe we should talk to Slate," I murmured before eventually moving my eyes back to Logan's. "He's flying in later, so we wouldn't be wasting time waiting for him."

Logan searched my eyes before he shook his head. "We'll run it by him when he gets here, but we don't have to wait for him. You have all the knowledge and experience necessary to make this call, so make it. I trust you. Tell me what you think."

I stared deep into those eyes, wondering why it suddenly felt like he had all the faith in the world in me. Pressure mounted in my chest. The fees charged by these contractors were hefty. If I made the wrong call, Logan would lose a lot of money.

But that wasn't the only thing causing the pressure. His belief in me shone clearly from his eyes, his features relaxed and his demeanor calm.

Obviously, he really was comfortable enough with what he'd heard so far to let me take the lead on this for now.

"I think," I started tentatively, "that what they've suggested could work. Depending on how their ideas change once they've had the tour, what they've laid out for us is practical. It's rooted in what is realistically possible. They're not idealists trying to waste money by testing theories and going for gold right away, which is great."

"I agree," he said calmly, eyes still caught on my own. "Any other inputs?"

I released a slightly shuddering breath. "Our plan of action was to hear them out, show them around, and then meet with them again. I think we should stick to that. I'm cautiously optimistic that their current ideas would need minimal adjustments to account for the infrastructure we've already got. If that is the case, then it would definitely be worth the investment."

"What if the adjustments that need to be made aren't minimal?" he asked, but there was no fire in his voice. It was simply a question.

I shrugged. "Then we take a look at the adjusted quote before you make the final decision. If there are a lot of adjustments to be made, their price is going to increase significantly. As is the price of the actual implementation of their suggestions."

"It'd still be worth it though, right?" Sincerity shone from those pretty eyes. "If we can make the rig so much greener, the money is worth the reduction of the damage to the environment."

"That might be true, but that's a decision based on principle and emotion. It might not be what's best for your business."

Sliding his hands up from my hips, he caught my face in his warm palms and smiled. "I love that you're worried about my business, but it'll probably be okay. "

I gave him a stern look even as I lowered my forehead to his. "With that kind of attitude, it probably won't be okay for very long. Don't get me wrong, I want to do this, but it needs to be viable."

"Why don't you let me worry about that?" he asked against my lips. Then he tilted his head back and threaded one hand into the hair at the back of my neck, guiding me forward until my mouth sealed over his.

Without questioning it, I looped my arms around his neck, kissing him back as I leaned into him. Sparks zapped through me, turning me hot from the inside out. A series of mini explosions went off in my blood.

It'd only been two days since I'd last kissed him, but doing it now felt like coming home. Like a missing limb had been reattached to my body or like I could finally breathe again. Crazy, and possibly a little bit pathetic, but so damn true.

I moaned into the kiss, shuffling as close to him as I could get before tightening my arms around his neck. We had to get back out there, but I just wasn't ready to do it yet.

Logan responded the same way I had, holding me closer and tighter as his breathing picked up pace and a loud groan tore out of him.

"Fuck, Mira." He panted the words between heated kisses, not letting go of me. "We're going to have to make this quick."

"Make what quick?" I asked jokingly, as winded as he was with my entire being longing for more. The space between my legs ached to have him inside me, my nipples hard and my heart racing. "It's only a quick kiss."

"Fuck, no," he growled. "We're not leaving here until you've come at least once."

As he said it, his palms skated down my back and his fingers dipped into the waistband of my slacks. I shivered, wanting more than anything for him to keep his word, but we couldn't. A steamy moment didn't have to lead to more, and frankly, we didn't have time for it now.

Not if we wanted to avoid detection .

If we stayed away for much longer, people would definitely start wondering why. I pressed my butt into his hand when he slid it into my pants, but then I broke the kiss and lifted my torso away from his. Still panting and feeling how swollen my lips were from our fierce kisses, I gave him a coy smile. "Haven't you ever heard that anticipation makes it so much sweeter?"

Fire danced in his hooded eyes, his lips as swollen as my own as he swiped his tongue across them. "I'm not into denial. No anticipation necessary. I promise, instant gratification will be even sweeter in this case."

"No can do, Mr. Jones," I teased as I finally convinced myself to take a step back, slipping out of his grasp and drawing in a deep breath. "We have a tour to give, remember?"

He shoved a hand into his hair, pouting before he got off the desk. "Yeah, okay. You're right. Of course, you're right, but later, you're mine."

"Am I?" I winked at him before I spun away, facing the door instead of letting him see how much it had affected me to hear him say I was his. I knew the way in which he'd meant it, but still, it'd been damn nice to hear to that possessive note in his voice. "Let's go, Jones. We're going to be late."

"Fine," he grumbled but caught my hand and pressed another firm kiss to my lips. "Later, though. Okay?"

"You got it." I didn't know if I'd be able to keep the promise I'd just made, but my body and I sure hoped so.

By the time we got back to the boardroom, my heartbeat had slowed but my head was still cloudy. Logan waggled his eyebrows at me before he entered first. Then he invited the delegation on the tour and led them out while I tried to get my brain fully operational again.

It was only as we opened the door to the outside that I finally came completely back to the present, and it was thanks to my tingling spidey senses as my gaze darted to the sky. For now, there were only a couple clouds overhead but my senses told me a storm was coming.

The wind was stronger now than it had been, and while we crossed the bridge to the production platform, I grabbed Logan's arm and shook my head. "We should do this later. I don't like the feel of these winds."

The head contractor spoke up before Logan could, flashing me a reassuring smile. "My crew is well equipped to deal with this kind of weather. We'll be quick. Let's do this."

Against my better judgment, I agreed with a soft sigh. "Okay, but we really do need to make it quick."

I didn't like it, but I didn't want to question the abilities of his crew. Not even if I was sure that they weren't nearly as well equipped to deal with the storm as my own.