Page 47 of Logan

“’Fraid you wouldn’t make it as a SEAL, babe, but I like you just the way you are.”

They sat silent for a moment before he asked, “Why don’t you tell me about your family?”

The immediate smile on her face let him know he had chosen wisely.

“You already know about my grandparents. My mom grew up in tiny Tanana and attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. There, she met my dad. He was a geologist working for an oil company. He firmly believed in preserving all of Alaska’s beauty, and his job was to find ways to mine it without damaging the landscape. Mom was an education major. It was her passion to teach. Once they met, they never dated anyone else. It was love for them…right away.”

Smiling at her recounting, he asked, “Did they stay in Alaska long?”

“For a while. I was actually born in Fairbanks about two years after they married. But, much to my grandparents’ sadness, Dad got transferred to the Redding office in California. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so it was just me andmy parents. I finished school there and went to get my undergraduate degree in biochemistry close by at California State University, Chico. From there, I got hired by the Department of Homeland Security. That was fabulous because they paid for me to continue my education with Dr. Kendall Rhodes—the woman you rescued when her plane crashed.”

“Well, she was truly rescued by a friend, Marc Jenkins, who works for a security company in Virginia. When they got caught in a storm, I managed to get a helicopter in to rescue them both, along with some of the other men from the Saints.”

“Saints?”

“That’s the name of the company he worked for. Saints Protection and Investigations.”

“What’s your company's name, or is that still on a need-to-know basis?”

He spied the interest in her eyes, as well as the dare. She wanted more than his company's name—she wanted his trust.

“I’m a partner with the Lighthouse Security Investigations.” He started to tell her more but hesitated. He trusted her with the truth, but it was hard to explain LSIMT without giving her the whole story of him. And that could wait for another time.

She held his gaze. “Thank you,” she whispered. Shaking her head, she sighed. “I keep wondering why on earth I took this assignment since I don’t know how to do any of this kind of work.”

“I think you were right when you said you were chosen because you have the training for the substance analysis and the heritage that allows you to fit in easily.”

Vivian focused on his eyes, the color holding her captive once again. “You’ve got the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen on anyone.” She blushed, then moaned. “God, I can’t believe I just said that. I sounded more like fifteen than twenty-nine?—”

“No way, babe,” Logan said, leaning forward to take her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over her delicate fingers. “That was…nice.” Wishing he could have come up with a better description, he realized how out of practice he was with dating…flirting…hell, just having a heart-to-heart with a beautiful woman. And he wanted it all with her.

27

“Tell me about California.”

Vivian thought about what was happening. She and Logan were sharing stories, histories, and information that a couple should know about each other. But it was still for the cover to make sure Iggie and Sally thought they were a true couple. Yet, in some ways, they were a couple. The lines between real and pretend had blurred. And in that blurred area between true and fake was the place where her heart could get broken. She looked into his gray-green eyes that were staring straight into her soul and was lost. Lost in all that was Logan, both real and not. But the possible heartbreak was very real.

She looked down at her hand in his. “Um… yeah… California.”

“Hey,” he said, drawing her eyes back to his. “You okay?”

“Just gathering my thoughts.” She smiled, thinking about where she’d grown up. “I know this sounds so typical, but I love sunshine. That’s why Alaska would never work for me…the change in sunrises and sunsets would kill me. Part of the year, they have only four hours of daylight, and others, only four hours of darkness. I could handle the daylight.”

She pointed up to the curtain. “That’s why most places have room-darkening shades or curtains. If it’s light outside, you can make it dark inside. But if it’s dark outside…ugh. Lamps just don’t seem like sunlight.”

She watched him lean back, the grin on his face warming her as she realized she had slid off topic again. “Sorry, I got sidetracked by talk of sunshine. Anyway, I’ve been working out of the Sacramento office for the past four years.”

“Waiting for things to get exciting?”

Nodding, she dipped her chin, staring at her hand still clasped in his. “I told my supervisor I wanted more responsibility and was willing to travel.” Snorting ruefully, she said, “And I landed right back in Alaska.”

“You landed right into my lap,” he said, giving her a little tug to pull her closer.

“It was a nice landing,” she admitted and watched as his eyes seemed a little brighter.

“What’s your favorite food?”

“Wow, quick change of topic,” she responded with a laugh, “The answer is everything, but I love Asian food…Chinese, Thai, Japanese.”

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