Page 165 of Sin Bin

He lowered his lashes over his eyes, not denying what she’d said.

“We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah.” His voice was low. “I think I’m gonna head up to the room.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said without hesitation.

“You don’t have to leave the party. You can stay.”

“Are you crazy? I’m not leaving you alone on your birthday.”

He looked at her with an unreadable expression.

She lifted her chin. “Just try to get rid of me.”

She saw a glitter of humor in his eyes. After a few moments, he handed off his empty glass to another waiter. Then he took her hand and led her out of the ballroom and down the corridor to the elevators.

They rode to the top floor without any stops. When they entered his suite, Logan shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket, tossed it over the back of the plush couch and walked to the windows.

With her heart aching for him, Meadow sat down on the couch and slowly crossed her legs.

Logan stood brooding in front of the window with his hands jammed in his pockets, his shoulders rigid as he stared out at the bright lights of the Strip. She sensed that his gaze was focused on the casino where he’d been abandoned as a child. He looked so lost and lonely, her heart yearned to comfort him. But she wasn’t sure she knew the right words to say.

She did, however, have one burning question. “Who was that woman at the party?”

It was a long time before he answered. “I thought she was my mother.”

Meadow stared at him. “Your…mother?”

He gave a slow nod. “She resembled her from the back. The long black hair, the way she walked…” He swallowed visibly. “This isn’t the first time I thought I saw her.”

“Really?” Meadow whispered. “When was the last time?”

He stared out the window. “I was having lunch with the guys not too long ago. I glanced outside and saw a woman who looked just like my mother, even down to the waitress uniform she used to wear. She was standing at the bus stop across the street, and I could have sworn she was staring right at me. But when I got up and ran outside, she vanished into thin air.”

Meadow swallowed tightly, gazing at him as he continued speaking.

“When Santino told me he wanted to adopt me, I asked him if I could keep my last name. I thought…if my mother ever came looking for me, I wanted to make it easy for her to find me.”

Meadow’s heart locked in her throat, tears stinging her eyes.

Logan dragged a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being lousy company.” His shoulders expanded on a deep, heavy sigh. “Maybe we could watch a movie or something.”

“We could.” Pulse pounding through her veins, Meadow uncrossed her legs and got slowly to her feet. “But I can think of better ways for us to pass the time.”

Logan turned to look at her.

Staring into his turbulent dark eyes, she lowered the side zipper on her dress and slowly slid the strap off one shoulder.

The flare of hunger in his gaze was unmistakable. But he made no move toward her. He looked as if he were rebelling within himself, resigned to suffer through this day without allowing himself any real pleasure.

Not on her watch.

“Your birthday has always brought you so much pain and sadness.” She slipped the other strap off her shoulder, letting the dress slither to the floor.

As Logan’s smoldering eyes took in her lingerie-clad body, she whispered with seductive tenderness, “Let’s replace the bad memories with good ones.”

Chapter Twenty-One

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