Logan stood again. “Thank you for this. But my friend’s house just got shot up. I need to make sure—”
“I’ve already taken care of it,” Wyatt said, holding up a hand. “The forensics team has already done what they need to do. Technically it’s still a crime scene but Hurley is letting us put the house back together. The windows will be repaired and the glass cleaned up. And I’ve had your rental truck towed. If you need a vehicle, you can take one of the casino vehicles. You two don’t need to worry about any of that now.”
“Okay. And thank you. Just keep me updated. I want to tell him what happened, but reassure him that everything is fine with his place when I do.”
Grace knew Logan felt bad about what had happened, but it wasn’t his fault. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers, squeezing it once. It didn’t remotely feel like Christmas Eve but she was glad she was with him.
He glanced down at her, still standing, and smiled.
“I will,” Wyatt said. “But don’t worry about that stuff. Just worry about your lady.” Wyatt nodded once at her and left.
Still holding Logan’s hand, she sank back against the soft buttercream-tufted couch, pulling him down with her. “This is all so surreal. I don’t even have a bra on,” she muttered. They’d run out of there so fast.
Logan quickly gathered her into his arms. “I’m so sorry about all of this,” he said as she buried her face against his chest. The grip of his arms around her was safe, familiar. Wonderful.
“I think everyone needs to stop with apologies.” She leaned back to look at him. “I know I said I don’t think Kevin is behind this, and I still don’t. But…he is good with computers.” And it was something Logan and probably Vadim needed to know. She figured the cops already did since they were looking for him.
Logan nodded once as if he already knew that.
Closing her eyes, she laid her cheek against his chest again and decided to block out the rest of the world for a long moment. “Do you think we can order room service in that suite he’s putting us up in?”
His grip around her tightened. “I’m pretty sure we can order whatever we want, including a bottle of his best wine. Wyatt doesn’t half-ass things.”
Despite the turmoil congealed inside her, she smiled. “Logan…” She wasn’t sure what she was going to say but her throat suddenly wouldn’t work. Tears pushed against her eyelids, spilling over in a giant wave. Oh God, noooo. She didn’t want to have a breakdown. Had thought she was keeping it together pretty well.
He cursed softly before rubbing a hand up and down her spine as she started full-on crying. “Just get it out.”
She tried to fight it but it was useless. The more she tried to fight it, the faster the tears flowed. The events of the day cascaded down on her like a rockslide. She’d thought she’d been handling everything so well but today had pushed her over the edge. Being shot at like that, having someone hunting them down—she’d never experienced or imagined a terror like that before.
In that moment, she could only imagine how Logan had served in the Marines, how he’d dealt with a whole lot worse than today. It blew her mind and made her especially aware of her own mortality. And on that thought, she wrapped her arms tighter around him, wishing she could find the right words, but she was mentally tapped out.
Absolutely and utterly done. She was just glad Logan was here to hold her.
To keep her safe.
* * *
Logan stepped out of the huge bedroom of the suite they’d been put in to find Grace stretched out on one of the soft white chaise lounges. She’d moved it from the living room where it faced an oversized television so that it was now facing out the window overlooking the city.
She had a plush white robe belted loosely around her. Her toned legs were stretched out in front of her, and she had a glass of champagne in her hand.
“You look sexy as fuck,” he murmured, dropping onto the other chair she must have moved as well.
As he sank down into the plush seat, she smiled. “I figure I’m never going to have a chance to stay in a place like this so I’m taking advantage. Trying to make lemonade from lemons and all that.”
“Why won’t you get that chance?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I work for the public school system. A night here is like…probably a couple months’ paychecks. Maybe more.”
“You’re probably not too far off the mark.” Wyatt had put them in one of the penthouse suites, and while Logan wasn’t sure how much this place cost he knew it was pricey and probably half a year’s salary for her. It was where the Serafina put their high rollers. Leaning over, he grabbed the bottle of champagne—which was almost empty—from the bronze ice bucket and poured himself a glass.
“This is such an Instagram moment,” she said, giggling, and he was glad the champagne had loosened her up and hopefully eased some of her tension.
He’d hated that she’d been crying, though he understood why. But it had made him feel helpless because there’d been nothing to do to stop her tears. Nothing other than stopping the bastard after them. “Are you on Instagram?”
“Yep. It’s one of my only social media accounts and I love it. I find out all sorts of cool things that teachers and counselors around the country and world are doing. And of course I get unlimited access to cute dog pictures.”
He laughed lightly. He knew she was thinking about adopting a rescue and was hoping to do so once summer started. “Have you ever thought about teaching instead of being a guidance counselor?”
She nodded. “Yes. I go back and forth on whether it would be right for me, because I love what I do.”
He reached out with his free hand and linked his fingers through hers as he looked out at the city in front of them. “You’d make a good teacher.” She was so kind and giving.
“Thanks.” She sighed almost happily and took a sip of her drink.
“You seem like you’re doing a little better.” For that he was grateful.
“I am. Thanks for letting me cry it out on you earlier. I feel like I should be embarrassed.”
He tightened his fingers in hers. “No, you shouldn’t. And I’m surprised it didn’t come out earlier, to be honest.”
She took a sip of her champagne and laid her head back against the lounge chair. That was when he noticed she was wearing the bracelet he’d given her. “The reality of it all sort of crashed over me all at once. It’s hard to grasp that someone wants us, or one of us, dead.”
“I know.” He tightened his fingers in hers again as he watched her.
She looked so incredible just lying there, her robe loose around her, split up the middle to reveal her bare, sexy legs. Legs he’d had draped over his shoulders more than once. Fuuuck. His cock hardened just thinking about that.
Setting his glass down on a little side table, he moved to her chair and sat on the end of it. This woman completely owned him, even if she didn’t realize it.
She gave him a lethargic, relaxed look. “What’s up?”
Instead of answering, he shifted so that he was kneeling at the end of the lounge and slowly started spreading her robe all the way open.