Simply Scandalous (Simply Series Book 2) by Carly Phillips (non fiction books to read .TXT) 📗

quiet end of the week. Not surprisingly, his thoughts turned to Catherine. He hadn’t heard from her. Not one word.

Logan was as understanding as the next guy, but he’d discovered something about himself. His desire to be her lapdog only went so far. He’d extended himself as much as he could without compromising his integrity.

I love you weren’t words he said idly or to every woman he’d dated. In fact, he’d never said them before. And he wouldn’t be saying them again unless she decided to get in touch with him.

But that didn’t stop his concern, and he’d called Kane yesterday to check on Catherine’s sister and had sent a bundle of balloons to celebrate the birth of their baby.

“Mr. Montgomery.”

Logan turned to face the bailiff who ran the courtroom. “How’s it going, Stan?”

“Fine. I have a message for you.” The burly man passed Logan a white, sealed envelope.

He loosened his tie and examined the generic envelope. “From whom?”

“Pretty lady. Blond. Five-foot three or so…”

Logan lifted an eyebrow. “Thanks, Stan.”

“No worries. I’ve gotta get home or the wife’ll kill me. Have a good one, Montgomery.”

“You, too, Stan.”

Curious now, Logan opened the envelope. As he pulled out the folded sheet inside, a sprinkling of what looked like confetti fell to the floor. He unfolded the sheet and read aloud. “Come Home.”

Logan’s heart sprang into action, beating too hard and too fast—as if it had been lying dormant, waiting for Catherine’s return. He glanced toward the doorway, but the courtroom was empty.

Still, he understood the message. She’d put aside her doubts and her fears. She was ready to place her faith in the unknown. He knew what that leap of faith cost her. He intended to make sure she never regretted it.

He grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door into the dwindling heat of the day.

What was it he’d said the first time he’d taken her to the beach house? It’s humble but it’s home. She’d glanced around the run-down cottage, the idea of which had sent other women running, and greeted him with an approving gleam in her green eyes. Home. It is that, she’d murmured.

He’d probably fallen in love with her then and there.

Logan slid into the Jeep and turned the ignition. What felt like hours but could only have been twenty minutes later, he finally walked up to his cottage. The Pot Luck company van sat parked in the driveway.

He turned the knob. Not surprisingly, the door was open. After days of uncertainty, the adrenaline rush felt damn good. Knowing she was inside but not knowing exactly what awaited him left him breathless with anticipation.

He wanted her, and she was here. He stepped inside and shut the door. Placing his briefcase on the floor, he glanced around. The spring weather was still cool and a fire crackled in the hearth, the scent of fresh-burning wood enveloping him.

“Cat?” he called out, but she didn’t answer, so he walked in farther, pausing in the kitchen. Though she wasn’t inside, she’d made her presence known. His old table had been transformed.

A beige tablecloth draped his wooden table, hiding the old scars and nicks. Candles burned in holders he’d never seen before and a bouquet of spring flowers sat low in the center. A heavenly smell hit his nostrils and he realized she’d been cooking.

Wondering what else she’d been doing, he backed out of the dimly lit kitchen and headed for the bedroom. He didn’t need a map to guide him to a room he’d been in dozens of times before. But Catherine had been thoughtful, leaving him a trail to follow.

A sexy, seductive trail, he thought as he bent down and picked up the first article of clothing at the end of the hall. Leopard sandals dangled from his fingertips. Need kicked in, intense and strong.

He took a step farther and retrieved a black skirt. Another step and he’d reached the bedroom door. Hanging from the doorknob was an emerald-green-and-black lace teddy. His body tightened in response to the seductive garment.

His heart pounded and his cock throbbed with need. Turning the doorknob, he entered the room. Although Logan was certain he’d find Catherine waiting for him, certain she’d come back to him, he refused to succumb to her seduction until she made it clear she’d committed for good.

The room he entered was the stuff of fantasies. Mood lamps and candles and burning incense were scattered around the room, setting an undeniably sensual mood.

He glanced through sheer curtains hanging from the bedposts. Catherine lay waiting for him, covered by a single sheet, her pale skin glowing in the candlelight. She was the stuff of his fantasies. And all he had to do was step across her leopard print rug…

Catherine met his gaze. Determination to explain and set things right warred with the need to rush into Logan’s arms.

Before she could decide, Logan had come up beside her and lowered himself onto the bed. “I told you that rug would go well in the cottage.” He treated her to his most endearing grin, and his eyes—those cocoa-colored eyes—stared into hers, filled with the most amazing emotions. Honesty, sincerity, and love.

“When you decide to come around, you do it in style.” He let out a long breath. “I’d counted you out, Cat. I figured there was nothing that would convince you we weren’t a disaster waiting to happen.”

She reached a hand out to cup his cheek. “I grew up lonely, Logan. Always waiting for my father to come back. Relying on a mother who wasn’t ever there—not emotionally anyway, and later on, not even physically. I was always prepared for the worst.”

“And it always happened.”

She nodded.

“Even with us,” he continued. “The press conference, the media frenzy…”

“Happened for the best. It showed me what I could handle and forced me to go after what I want.” She looked him in the eye. “And I want you.”

He propped himself up on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. A combination of easy warmth and heated