Page 8 of An Heir For Her Enemy

“Your apartment looks fine.” Logan took Delaney’s hands. “And you are beautiful.”

Delaney ducked her head. “Thanks, but still. Give me two minutes. Um, close your eyes.”

Logan chuckled, but he complied. Delaney made a quick lap of her studio. She gathered clothes into her closet, tossed shoes towards the rack by the door, swept a pile of papers off her table/desk, and quickly pulled her sheets straight on her bed. Then she turned back to Logan, who still had his eyes closed. For a long moment, she just looked at him.

He looked out of place in her small studio with his fancy suit and haircut. Yet with his eyes closed, he also seemed more vulnerable than before. He was also very, very attractive. Delaney’s eyes skidded over the outline of his firm jawbone, over the muscles of his chest, down to his designer shoes, then back up.

“I’m starting to worry you won’t be here when I open my eyes,” Logan joked.

“I’m here.” Gathering her bravery, Delaney crossed the room, lifted onto her tiptoes, and pressed a quick kiss to Logan’s lips. As she withdrew, he opened his eyes and grinned.

“Welcome to my home sweet home.” Delaney gestured to her apartment. “I’ll give you the tour. We have the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, and my office, all in one convenient room. The bathroom is through that door. And that one’s a closet. Don’t open that one.”

Once again, she felt a little embarrassed by her studio. Delaney made enough as an art consultant that she could have afforded a better place, but she chose to live frugally and put her moneyaside towards her dreams of opening a gallery someday. She just hoped that Logan wouldn’t judge her for her current cramped quarters.

Logan’s eyes weren’t on the small kitchen or the tiny table. Instead, he was looking at the walls.

“Is thatThe Starry Night?” he asked, pointing out a print on the wall near Delaney’s bed.

“It is.”

“And that one… I’m not sure.”

Delaney followed his gaze to a small painting in the kitchen area and grinned. “That one isn’t a print. I worked with a new artist who’s a friend of mine to get a few of her first sales, and she painted this for me as a thank-you. I thought it was perfect for the kitchen, with all the warm colors in the sunset.”

“And that one?”

“That is a print, from Andy Warhol. I just liked the colors.”

“Very nice.” Logan turned back to her with a grin. “I love how you decorated this place. It’s very you.”

Delaney’s heart warmed. It would have been easy for Logan to focus on the outdated appliances or tiny square footage, but instead he’d zeroed in on the part of her home that Delaney was proudest of — how she’d decorated. She wanted to kiss him again, right now, but held herself back.

“Can I offer you a drink?”

“What do you have?”

Delaney opened her fridge and bit her lip again. “Let’s see. I have a few beers, some lemonade, and milk. And water.”

Logan surveyed the options. “I’ll go with the lemonade.”

Delaney poured them each a glass and they sat on her small sofa, which was up against a wall near the window. Outside, the street below still bustled with life as a few late-night passersby walked below. The streetlights flickered, and far above, the sky was as dark as velvet.

“I always loved this time of night,” Delaney said. She took a sip of lemonade. “It feels like I’m the only one awake in the world. Like I have a secret.”

“My view of the night is more practical, I think, but I like it too. Nighttime is when I do all my best work.”

“Really?” Delaney looked at Logan in surprise.

“Really. Ever since I was young, I always did my best work after dark. I don’t know why. Now that I’m in charge of employees, instead of just working alone, I try hard to keep a normal work schedule. Sometimes, I miss working all night, though. That must sound strange.”

“No, I get it. I don’t do particularly good work at night, but I do love being awake.” Delaney propped her head on her hand and looked at him. “I really enjoyed tonight.”

“Me too.”

“Am I going to see you at more art events from now on?” Delaney knew that tonight wasn’t the start of a relationship — she didn’t have time for that, and Logan didn’t seem to either. Plus, they were too different. Things would never work out in the long term. But she wanted some indication that this evening meantsomething to Logan, like it did to her. She wanted some hope that they would see each other again.

“I’m sure you will. I told you, I know beauty when I see it.”

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