Chapter 166

Hazel spent the entirety of Logan’s second date night pacing back and forth in her apartment. My friends warnings echoed in my mind again and again.

Would Tina truly try to push me out of Logan’s life so that she could claim him for himself?

I didn’t want to be paranoid, but with the way Tina looked at me, I could tell she hated me.

No, I needed to trust Logan. Even if Tina had secret motives to try to steal Logan for herself, Logan would never allow that. He was my husband and dedicated to me. Even if he did have a playboy past…

I continued to pace until my legs started to hurt. Collapsing onto my couch, I turned on the television, but I was too distracted to actually watch it. For a while, I just sat there, staring mindlessly at the screen.

At ten o’clock, a knock sounded at my door. I checked my phone but I didn’t have any messages. I wasn’t expecting anyone. It too late for a solicitor.

Nervous but curious, I made my way to the door. I didn’t open it yet. Instead, I pressed my ear to the door.

“Who is it?” I called.

“It’s me,” Logan replied.

Oh! I quickly unlocked the door and opened it. Logan immediately stepped over the threshold. I closed the door behind him.

He walked into the kitchen and then just stood there, still as a statue.

“Are you okay?” I asked, following him. “What happened?”

He didn’t answer right away. I placed my hand on his shoulder and traced it down his back. Closing his eyes he relaxed slightly into my touch.

“Tina is taking this agreement very seriously,” Logan said. “She’s acting exactly like a woman in love would act.”

“That’s good… right?” I ask. The way he was talking made it seem like that wasn’t very good at all. “That’s what we wanted her to do.”

“I suppose…” Logan ran a hand down his face. “You’re right, Hazel. I’m sorry. I’m overreacting.”

He turned toward me and opened his arms. Eagerly, I stepped into them, happy when he tugged me into his embrace.

My joy lasted only so long as it took for me to inhale.

Logan smelled like flowers. That wasn’t his usual scent. No… this smell was a woman’s perfume.

Tina’s perfume.

Immediately, images of Tina pressing herself close to my husband flashed through my mind. How had this smell transferred itself so completely onto Logan? They would have had to be close for a lengthy amount of time.

On reflex, I pushed against Logan’s chest. Logan released me at once, with confusion crinkling his brow.

“Hazel? What’s wrong?”

“Do you think you could shower before we hold each other?” I asked him. “You smell like her.”

He looked down at himself. Not-so-subtly, he gave himself a sniff. “What does it smell like?”

“Flowers,” I said. “Please shower, Logan.”

He sighed a little. “I will when I’m at home.”

Now it was my turn to be confused. He showed up here unannounced at ten o’clock at night, and he wasn’t even planning on staying?

“I didn’t mean to offend you…” I started to say.

He gently shook his head. “I’m not offended, Hazel.” Running his fingers through his hair, he added, “I’m honestly just tired.”

“You came here for a reason…”

“I wanted to see you. And I have. I’ll be going now.” Turning, he started for the door.

I hurried to catch his arm. “Don’t leave angry.”

“I’m not angry, I promise.”

I wanted to believe that, but this whole exchange was so brief, so strange. “Kiss me and I’ll feel better,” I said.

Logan shifted slightly, smiling a little. “Silly girl.” He started to lean down, so I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, ready for a kiss.

Logan’s breath warmed the skin of my cheek, my lips… but he never sealed his mouth to mine.

I blinked open my eyes in time to see him pulling away from me.

“Logan?”

“I’ll text you,” he said. His gaze was on the wall, the floor, anywhere but on me. He continued to the door and disappeared out into the night.

In his wake, all I could do was wonder what the hell just happened.

Logan wanted to kiss Hazel, to take away the stain Tina had left on his lips and replace with the softness of the one he actually adored. The problem was, he didn’t want the stain to pass onto Hazel instead.

How could he kiss his wife so soon after his fake girlfriend stole a kiss from him? His lips were tainted. He wouldn’t bring that onto Hazel.

He never should have gone to see Hazel at all, but his body instinctively desired her closeness, her warmth.

He should have told her the specifics of Tina’s flirtations – specifically about the kiss. But to him, it hadn’t meant anything. Why worry Hazel for nothing?

For now, he wanted to go back to his house, pour himself a tall glass of whiskey and forget everything about this night.

In his car, he was halfway home when his phone began to ring. The dash told him the caller: Grandfather.

Logan really, really wished he could block his grandfather’s calls, even just this once. But to ignore the Hatfield patriarch only led to bigger problems later. Logan was already rocking the boat enough as it was; he really didn’t need to tempt fate by pushing even more of his grandfather’s buttons.

Logan accepted the call. “Grandfather. Good evening.”

“I see you have begun a romantic relationship with Tina St. Louis,” Grandfather says, straight to the point like always.

News traveled fast. That paparazzi Tina saw likely took those photos straight to Logan’s grandfather, hoping for some kind of payoff. As if Tina and Logan wanted their relationship to be kept secret. He hoped grandfather sent the paparazzi packing.

“That’s right,” Logan said.

“I want you to know how pleased I am about this,” Grandfather said. “The St. Louis’s are a well-established family with good ties. A connection there would benefit both families.”

“We’re only on our second date, Grandfather,” Logan said. “No need to get too far ahead of ourselves.”

“I’ve watched you squander opportunities before, Logan, but none as big as this. Second date or two thousandth, I don’t care. You cannot ruin this connection, is that clear?”

Thoughts of Hazel crept into Logan’s mind. She’d seemed so worried tonight. Logan wanted to comfort her, but truthfully doing so was beyond his capacity at that moment.

Logan was caught in a trap of his own making. Dating Tina was to be a cover to protect his relationship with Hazel and himself, but now that the cover was established, he didn’t see a way to ever remove it.

It was only the second date, but it already felt like Tina was asking for a ring.

“We can’t rush these things,” Logan said. “I can’t promise you that I’ll spend forever with a woman I’ve gone out with only twice.”

“What do you need more time for? She’s nice enough, I assume. You are going out for a third time?”

“Most likely.”

“Then why not get her a ring?” Grandfather said. “You young people would wait forever. She’s a good match, so make that match.”

“It’s not that easy…”

“Make it that easy,” Grandfather said and hung up the phone.