Three months later
I feel Logan and Tyler’s presence more than I hear them. I turn to look at them approaching us on the beach, both of them smiling, both of them shirtless and showing off their hard abs and ink. Logan’s arm is around Tyler’s shoulder.
The way they look, you’d never guess they were on their way back from a business meeting.
I stand, dust the sand off my ass. “And?” I ask.
Vera turns her head, looks at Tyler with eyes that I recognize, eyes I see in myself every time I look in the mirror and think of Logan.
Tyler lifts her up in a jolt and Vera’s giggle says all it needs to about how she feels about him. I’m happy for her.
Logan slides over to me, runs his hands around my back and brings his lips down to mine. My mind drifts the second he touches them, and all I can think of is the breeze on our skin and the sound of quiet lapping water behind me.
“I wanna know how it went,” I say, not really caring anymore, just caring about his arms around me, the feel of his hard body against mine. Logan and I have taken the downstairs apartment, Tyler and Vera are in the upstairs one, and all I can think of is taking him back to our place and sliding into bed with him.
“Later,” Logan says, kissing me.
I wrest myself away. This meeting was important, more important to Logan than to me. I don’t care if he makes it in two years or four or six. I know he will make it eventually, but Logan has taken the business game personally. He calls it The Cage when he’s talking to Tyler about it.
He grins at me, then looks over at Tyler who seems equally distracted as his hands slide down Vera’s body while he kisses her. “Well, my business partner is busy, so I guess I’ll have to tell you later.”
Logan moves in closer again. “Damn it, you guys. Hey, Tyler! How’d it go?” I shout.
Tyler looks up at me, grinning. He shrugs, tries to act cool.
I slap Logan’s hard chest. “Come on!” I tell him. “What happened?”
“Your father taught me well,” he says. “We’re in, Kyla. We’re in. Three gyms across Florida, with the option to open a fourth if they show a profit within the first year.” I almost screech with excitement. “Now we have to find reliable fighters who are able to man those gyms. I might need to call Vito and see if he has any guys planning on retiring that I could snatch from him.”
“No you won’t!”
Logan laughs, and pulls me into another deep kiss, my feet digging into the sand, my toes curling.
He turns me around so I’m facing the setting sun behind the calm water, presses against me from behind. He’s aroused, winning always gets him aroused, and now so am I.
He leans down to whisper in my ear. “I’m not in the mood for dinner,” he says.
“But we promised them.” I look over at Vera and Tyler. The way it’s going there, it doesn’t look like they’re keen for dinner either.
I turn toward my man. “OK,” I whisper into his chest. “But you’ll have to convince me.”
“Let’s go to your apartment and I’ll do my best.”
I try to move away, but Logan holds me firm, not letting me go.
Vera and Tyler are at our side suddenly, holding hands.
Vera looks up at Logan with an impish grin, then looks at me.
“What?” I say.
“Oh, nothing.”
I turn my body to face hers. “What? Spit it out.”
She looks up at Tyler. Whatever is so amusing, he’s in on it.
Logan looks equally confused.
“I was just thinking...” Vera puts a finger to her lips. “Y’know, this whole Vito thing...”
“I was only kidding about calling Vito,” Logan says.
“I know...” Vera’s voice is a sing-song, a mischievous sing-song. “But, y’know, he still has a hold on you. I mean, there’s that whole green card thing, right?”
Logan’s arm tenses around my body.
“Well, y’know, there’s another way you could become a permanent resident of the USA.” Vera looks at me sharply after saying it.
“Uh-huh, and what’s that?” Logan says.
“You two could get married.”