Page 28 of His Fantasy Girl

At the table, Abby seated him next to Jenny and opposite her mother.

Throughout lunch, Jenny kept up a constant buzz of conversation as though she couldn’t switch off. Abby and Rachel added the odd comment when they could get a word in, but they didn’t try and slow her; maybe they realized she needed to get it out of her system. Taking their lead, he ate his meal almost in silence. When he’d finished eating, he pushed his chair back and relaxed, watching her as she chatted. Finally, she ran out of breath.

“Why don’t you come and help me get some more drinks, Jenny?” Rachel asked, rising to her feet. Jenny gave Logan a reluctant glance but followed her out of the room.

Logan shook his head. “Is she always this…intense?”

“No,” Abby said. “She’s normally a little more relaxed.”

He gave her a wry smile “Me, too.”

“You’re doing great. She already likes you.”

He blew out his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “She does?”

“I can tell.”

He sagged in his chair as some of the tension drained from him. “I don’t think I have ever been so shit-scared in my life. I wanted to bring her something, and then I remembered all the times I accused Rory of trying to buy me off.”

“No, you did the right thing.”

He glanced to the door where they could hear Jenny talking in the kitchen. “I’m surprised you’re not in a constant state of exhaustion.”

“She’ll crash soon. She’s running on nervous energy.”

He gave her a long look, studying her face, seeing the lines of strain etched around her mouth. This meeting hadn’t been easy for any of them. “Then maybe I should go. I’ve a lot to think about. But she’s wonderful. You did a good job, and I know it can’t have been easy.”

She bit her lip and glanced away. “Thanks.”

He stood up as the other two came back from the kitchen. Crossing the room to his daughter, he bent down and kissed her on the forehead. He thought quickly about what to say; he didn’t want to pressure her but he needed to leave her in no doubt that he would see her again. “It’s been lovely to meet you, Jenny. Maybe next time I can take you out somewhere.”

Jenny beamed.

Hell, he’d got it right.

He shook hands with Rachel and turned to Abby. “Will you see me out?”

Something flickered in her eyes—maybe she didn’t want to be alone with him—but she pushed back her chair and rose to her feet, leading him out into the hall. He pulled the door closed behind him and followed her to the front door.

“Wait a second,” he said. He needed one more thing before he left.

She turned to face him, eyes widening when she found his so close. He glanced back at the closed door before taking the final step closer, which brought his lean length flush against her body. His hand came out and slid under the hair at the nape of her neck. He tugged her closer as his mouth came down, and he delivered a swift, hard kiss before pulling back.

His fear had drowned out his anger for a while. Now it came roaring back to life. “I can’t believe I have a daughter. I can’t believe she’s ten years old and I know nothing about her.” A tic twitched in his cheek, and he gritted his teeth to not say more. They had to work this out, and him blowing up would not help. All the same, he needed to make one thing perfectly clear. “I won’t be kept out of her life.”

She swallowed. “I won’t try.”

“Just as well. Because you’d fail.” He gave a curt nod. “I’ll be in touch.”

Dizziness washed over her, and she forced herself to hold it together. It wouldn’t do for him to see how much he affected her. But his words had shaken her to the core. She touched her lips as the door closed behind him. Her mouth tingled. If she was honest, more than her mouth. Just the brief touch had lit little fires inside her, bringing her recalcitrant body to life. For a minute, she rested back against the wall, breathing evenly. When she was pretty certain she had herself under control, she straightened and headed back into the living room. Jenny and her mother were at the window, and she joined them there. Together they watched as Logan slung his leg over the Harley and pulled on his helmet. He gave a brief wave in their direction, the engine rumbled to life, and he vanished off down the road.

They all let out a sigh in unison.

“Well, that was intense,” her mum said. “But I like him. He’s…different.”

“He is indeed.”

Jenny turned to her. “Mum, can I have a tattoo?”

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