“You wouldn’t have fired Jamie,” she insisted. She didn’t know why it suddenly seemed so important for her to establish that between them, but it did.
He studied her in silence for several moments before responding. “No. I wouldn’t have.”
As admissions went, it was insignificant, but for this man, any admission, no matter how small, was a milestone. Claire relaxed, allowing herself the luxury of studying him.
Logan Monroe was fantastically gorgeous in an out-of-this-world, you-can’t-possibly-be-real sense. It wasn’t just his tall, well-muscled frame that made him so sexy, though it certainly didn’t hurt. The sharp cheekbones, strong jaw line, and slightly cleft chin combined with his black hair, sulky mouth, and golden skin to create utter perfection. Those looks had landed him in the gossip pages, an endless string of beautiful women on his arm. He flew with the jet set, his clients only the best of the best, and no mistake about it. To look at him was to lust after him, and no woman in the office was impervious to his incredible looks. Including Claire.
Especially Claire.
Oh God. She wanted him so badly, a wave of longing slammed into her then and there. She wanted him right now, in his office, on his big desk. Images of their insane weekend in New York flashed through her mind like the trailer for a movie. She wished she could forget.
“Claire.” Her name was a whisper on his lips. He moved closer to her, his eyes openly hungry, and she knew he was recalling every vivid detail of their encounter as well.
She swayed toward him.
“Mr. Monroe?” Mindy’s hesitant voice sliced through the moment, echoing eerily from the intercom. “You have a call on line one from Mr. Tolliver of Pierpont Hotels.”
Logan muttered a curse and walked to his desk, hitting the intercom button with more force than necessary. “Tell him I’ll return the call, Mindy.”
When he turned back to her, his CEO veneer was firmly back in place, as though it hadn’t just shattered before her eyes moments ago. He pulled a paper from his desk and held it up for her inspection. “Would you care to explain this?”
So now they were getting down to business. Claire crossed her arms over her chest, but then quickly dropped them to her sides when she realized the antagonistic posture called attention to her burgeoning belly. Besides, she wasn’t here to antagonize Logan. Was she?
“I would think it’s self-explanatory.” She tried to concentrate on the paper and not on him. “It’s my resignation.”
“Goddamn it. Don’t try to be cute.”
That offended her. “I’m not trying to be cute. I’m leaving LM. You have my two weeks’ notice. I followed policy to the letter. So why did you call me up here?”
He tossed the paper back down on his desk. It skidded across the surface and made a lazy glide to the floor. Claire continued to keep her gaze riveted to the paper. If she looked at him, she couldn’t quell the onslaught of explicit images of the two of them together.
But Logan wasn’t a man to be denied. He stepped forward so that the only thing she could see was his long, muscular legs clad in charcoal trousers. The pants hugged his lean legs—almost indecently—and she found her gaze settling on his narrow hips. Well, she couldn’t help herself. Her eyes zeroed in, dead center, and that’s when she noticed it.
Logan was aroused.
The breath left her lungs in a rush. He was doing a damn fine job of pretending to be aloof. She never would have known.
“I’m up here.” His tone was biting.
Her eyes flew miserably to his face and she saw the faint traces of a smug smile curving his lips. Heat rose to her face. God, since when did she go around staring at men’s goods? And not just any man’s, but Logan Monroe’s, which was precisely the problem.
“Tell me, Claire,” Logan drawled. “Is my fly unzipped, or were you just staring?”
Her eyes widened. “This is sexual harassment.”
Then again, having sex with him had blurred the lines between them, and she didn’t even know where she stood anymore. Even so, it wasn’t like him. Logan Monroe was always above reproach. He must be even more furious than she’d realized for him to be speaking to her this way.
“So what?” He shrugged. “You were the one looking, not me. Besides, you’re leaving, remember? Were you trying to get a good last peek before you never saw it again?”
“This is insane.” Claire ran a flustered hand over her neat updo. “You’re insane. Did you just order me up here to make crude comments?”
“Hey.” He held up his hands. “I only mentioned it because you couldn’t take your eyes off my dick.”
“I’m leaving.” Claire spun on her heel and headed for the door but didn’t make it far before Logan blocked her path.
“Wait.” He sighed and combed a hand through his hair, then tugged absently at his left earlobe. “I don’t want to lose you.”
She raised a brow at him. What on earth was that supposed to mean? Had he completely lost his mind?
