Club Destiny 1 Conviction (10 page)

Almost to the oversized front
porch that resembled more of a pavilion than something on the front of a house,
Sam wished she could just get in her truck, drive back to her apartment and
hide for the weekend. But, if nothing else, she needed to make an appearance,
just to show her employees that she was a team player and supported team
functions.

The front door was open when she
reached the porch, the only thing between her and the room full of people was a
solid glass storm door. She took a deep breath and reached for the handle. The
moment she entered, she was almost knocked over by a huge animal, resembling an
enormous black bear.

“Bear, sit.” Jim Jeffries, one of
her project managers, said from across the room as he headed her way.

Sam took in a deep breath and
stared into the face of what had to be the biggest German shepherd she had ever
seen. Not that she had personally seen many.

“Hi.” She greeted the dog, her
voice trembling.

Sam relaxed a little when the dog
didn’t move, simply began vigorously shaking his hind end, his tail wagging back
and forth against the Travertine tiled floor.

Looking up from the dog, she saw
that no one appeared alarmed, so she slowly held out her hand, giving the dog
the opportunity to smell her. When he pressed his massive head into her palm,
she took it as an invitation to pet him.

Instinctively, she squatted down
to greet him appropriately and was greeted back with a lick to her face. The
laugh that escaped allowed all of the tension to fade away and Bear seemed to
think that was a sign to give her more affection. The friendly, overgrown
animal pressed his warm, furry body against her, and she had to lock her legs
to keep from falling to the floor.

“It’s great to meet you too,
boy.” She said as she gave him a full body rub and slowly stood. “I think I
better go talk to some of the humans, but don’t worry, I’ll check in with you
later.” She spoke to Bear as though he would understand.

She took in her surroundings,
trying to put names with the faces of those she could see from the doorway.
Looking back down at the dog, she suddenly wished she could just hang out with
him for the remainder of the afternoon. She’d always had a deep affection for
animals, but due to her schedule, she’d never felt she could provide enough
attention to an animal of her own.

“Hey, Sam. Glad you could make
it.” The same voice that had called the dog earlier spoke again, and Sam turned
to see Jim standing only a few feet away, beside him an extremely attractive
red head.

“I wouldn’t miss it.” She
replied, then held out her hand to shake his in greeting.

“Sam, this is my wife, Paulina.
Paulina, this is Samantha Kielty, my boss.”

“It’s very nice to meet you,
Sam.” Paulina greeted as she shook her hand.

“Very nice to meet you. Jim talks
so much about you.” Sam smiled, noting the dreamy way Paulina glanced over at
her husband. The pretty red head couldn’t have been older than twenty two,
maybe twenty three. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she looked at Sam and
back down at Bear.

“I think you’ve made a friend
there.” Paulina laughed.

Sam looked down to find Bear
sitting beside her, his big body pressed up against her leg. “Looks like it. Is
he Logan’s?”

“His brother’s actually. His name
is Bear.” Jim confirmed, taking Paulina’s hand in his and pulling her closer.
“You’ll find the rest of the gang out by the pool. Logan’s running around
somewhere.”

“Thanks. I guess I’ll go and let
them know I made it. `I hear this is a frequent thing.” Sam said a little
shyly. “I hope I’ll fit in.” Suddenly blushing from embarrassment, Samantha
realized how insecure she sounded.

“I don’t think you have to worry
about that. In case we haven’t mentioned it, we’re extremely glad to have you.
It’s been an interesting couple of months, and quite frankly, I think all of us
are just excited to see the progress we’ve made since you came on board. I
don’t think we’ve seen this much cooperation and streamlining of projects in
the entire time I’ve been with the company.” Jim boasted, sounding genuinely
happy.

This time the blush was due to
Jim’s compliments. She hadn’t been given much feedback from her direct reports,
probably because they were still trying to get comfortable with her. “That’s
great to hear, Jim. And it was so nice to meet you, Paulina. If I don’t see you
before I go, I hope you have a great weekend.”

Sam gave Bear another loving pat
before she turned to go in the direction of what she assumed was the back of
the house. She tried to take in the decor, noting the warm colors on the walls,
the large vases full of fresh flowers, and the dark, masculine wood furniture.
She wondered if Logan had decorated the house himself. He didn’t come off as an
interior design type of guy, so he’d probably hired a designer. With him,
though, she didn’t want to make any assumptions. She’d more than likely be
wrong.

When she headed down the long
hall, Bear fell into step beside her, and she looked down to speak to him.
While she was mumbling sweet words, paying no attention to where she was going,
Sam collided with something hard. And warm.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching
where –” Stumbling more as she tried to gain her balance, Sam fell head long
into a very familiar, very broad chest.

“Sam. I’m glad you made it.”
Logan’s deep voice rumbled through the darkened hallway.

When his hands braced her
shoulders, an apparent attempt to hold her upright, Sam felt his entire body go
taut. She had the same reaction, her body tensing as she became aware of how
close they actually were. And just as it had in the parking lot at their first
lunch meeting, Sam felt the underlying sexual need spark between them.

For a brief second, she
entertained the idea of relishing the feel of his large, calloused hands on her
bare shoulders. She wasn’t sure if she was moving closer, or he was, but
neither of them seemed to be able to back away.

His presence overwhelmed her, the
warmth of his hands on her shoulders, the intoxicating scent of musk and man
had her knees feeling like jelly. And then, before she was ready, the heat from
his palms left her, and she suddenly ached for them to return. Feeling embarrassed
and highly aroused, Sam turned her attention to the traitorous dog who now sat
at Logan’s side.

“Sorry, I was having a
conversation with Bear.” She admitted, trying to lighten the tension flaming
like a wild fire around them.

“Bear? Well, he’s a decent
conversationalist.” Logan admitted as he took a step back, his eyes boring into
her.

So much for all of the distance
she’d managed to put between them for the last few weeks. One single touch and
her body betrayed her. Sam hated that she couldn’t muster up any of her control
from her never ending supply.

This tall, well-built man was out
of her league, yet he intrigued her, not to mention he smelled so damn good.
What was it with him? She had never been around a man that smelled that good.
It must be the pheromones.

When her gaze collided with his
piercing blue-gray eyes, his presence overwhelmed her, his confidence filled
the air around them, making it hard to breathe while his muscular body towered
over her. She wondered if he felt the strange connection that seemed to linger
between them. There was an odd sense of comfort, a sort of security that she
felt when he was near.

~~  ** 
~~  **  ~~  **  ~~

Logan watched the emotions play
across Sam’s beautiful face. She seemed distracted and confused all at the same
time. Maybe she was thinking the same thing he was. What would it feel like to
pull her in his arms and put his mouth on hers? Her soft, sweet lips seemed to
beg for his kiss, and he knew they would taste as good as they looked.

But none of that mattered because
Samantha Kielty was off limits.
Off limits.
Like a crime scene – stay
back; do not cross the yellow tape –
off limits
.

They both stood motionless for a
moment, mere inches separating them. While he stared down at her, she stared
back at him just as intensely. Without heels, Sam’s chin came to the middle of
his chest, and he couldn’t help to think how nicely their bodies aligned.
Everything about her seemed right for him felt right even though it was
completely wrong.

The moment was broken when Bear
let out a gentle bark, trying to get Sam’s attention again, and Logan took the
opportunity to break the silence. “The party’s out back. I just came in to
check on things in here.” Breaking eye contact, Logan looked at Bear, then back
at Sam. “Looks like you might have a companion for the evening.”

When her eyes widened, Logan
wondered what she thought he meant. Then he wondered what she would say next.

What if he was offering to be her
companion for the evening? Would she be ok with that? He was her boss. She was
new to the Dallas office, and rumors would spread quickly, especially since
Logan knew there was one particular project manager who didn’t seem too keen on
the idea of having Sam as her boss.

Suddenly, and with very little thought,
Logan reached up, gently tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, lingering
for a second more on her soft cheek. She didn’t move and neither did he.

The confines of the long, narrow
hallway offered a small measure of privacy, but not nearly enough. When she
pressed her face against his palm, Logan knew he was a goner.

Stepping back quickly, nearly
tripping over Bear, Logan realized he’d crossed a line. “I’m sorry.” He
whispered.

“Don’t be.” Sam’s voice was low,
her eyes hooded as she stared at his mouth.

She was killing him.

“I mean…” Obviously she had a
moment of sanity because she took a step back as well, putting a respectable
two feet between them. “Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen.”

She looked incredibly nervous,
and Logan wanted to touch her again. Rather than backing off like he should, he
took a step closer and lowered his voice. “I’ll do my best, but I don’t think
that’s going to happen.”

There. He’d said it. Now, at
least she knew where he was coming from. Though this was likely the biggest
mistake he’d ever made when it came to his career, something about Sam made it
impossible for Logan to back off. So, now they could either walk away, pretend
the earth didn’t stop spinning when they were close, or she could make the next
move. Either way, he’d have to make do with her decision.

He fought the urge to touch her
again. Instead, he glanced behind him, then back at her. Her face was flush,
and she still looked nervous, but then a flirtatious smile curved her lips and
his heartbeat ratcheted up a notch.

“I think I should go where the
party is.” Sam suggested, her voice a little breathless and shaky.

For some reason, that turned him
on more.

“Party. Yes.” Logan knew they
better get back before someone noticed he was missing and came looking for him.
Or, before he kissed her. “After you.” He said as he stepped aside so she could
pass him.

“Sam, I’m so glad you could make
it.” A female voice called from the hallway behind them. Deanna.

The timing couldn’t have been
better. Logan smiled at his admin as she seemed to be unaware of the heat that
still lingered in the hallway after the brief interlude between him and the
sexiest woman he’d ever met.

“Oh, hey, Logan.” Deanna smiled,
turning her attention back to Sam. “Come on back, we’re all sitting by the
pool. What would you like to drink?”

“Something strong.”

Logan almost laughed at the
insistence in Sam’s voice. So she had been just as affected by their encounter
as he had. Except one thing. He needed a moment alone to figure out a way to diminish
the evidence of how affected he was. He watched as Sam walked away from him,
not looking back once. He admired her long, tan legs, and the way her short,
white denim shorts encased her beautiful ass.

This was going to be a long damn
party.

Several hours later, Sam stood as
she went to say her goodbyes to the few people still lingering.

For most of the afternoon, she’d
managed to get lost in the conversations of those around her, never once paying
attention to the time. She’d shared some laughs with several of the managers
who now reported to her, and she’d talked at length with Deanna. She liked that
they were becoming fast friends, and she was getting to know her on a more
personal level.

Then there was Bear, Sam’s new
four legged best friend. Most of the party goers were amused with how much Bear
had taken a liking to her. According to them, Bear rarely left Logan’s side
when he was over at the house, but today Bear hung around everywhere she went.

 The party was dwindling down,
and couples were heading home with excuses about kids and laundry and other
family things that needed to be taken care of. She knew she better make her way
out before she ended up being the only guest left, and that would be
uncomfortable for both her and Logan. Especially after what had transpired
between them earlier in the hallway.