you don’t have a coin?” I fish a euro out of my wallet and slap it into Logan’s palm. “Here.”
“It’s fine. Have it back.”
“Shut up.” I tut, closing my wallet so he can’t drop the coin back inside. “Everyone has to make a wish. It’s the law of the Trevi Fountain.”
“Sounds like something you just made up.”
“Just throw the damn coin.”
I close my eyes, silently preparing my wish. The breeze blows my hair around my face, but I ignore it, mentally conjuring up the image of Drew being happy to make it more powerful.
I throw my coin into the water with a smile, then look at Logan. He’s staring at the silver and gold euro in his hand.
“Don’t tell me the man that has everything can’t think of a single thing to wish for?”
He glances at me before closing his fingers around the coin and bringing it to his lips, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Oh, dear wish granting fairies of the Trevi Fountain, please give the gift of laryngitis for my companion, Maddox Harper.” He peels an eye open and looks at me with the beginning of a smirk. “Let her rest her sweet voice until we return to London.”
“You’re so annoying.”
He winks at me and then whispers something against his fist. Then he flicks the coin. It spins high in the air before splashing into the fountain with perfect precision.
He looks at me with a smug smile. “Are you going to tell me what you wished for?”
“Are you?” I fire back.
He shoves his hands into his suit pants as we walk. “Well, having a big dick was already granted, so…”
“Ugh. Are you ever serious if it isn’t about work?”
“I can be serious.”
“No,” I scoff. “You can’t. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.”
“I wished for a happy future,” Logan says.
“Okay… Not very specific, but better than I expected.”
“You didn’t tell me the fairies needed me to be specific. Can I have another coin? I need to go back and re-phrase it. I want a happy future for my big dick.”
“For God’s sake,” I groan.
“Too much?”
“Yes.”
“How much is too much? Like… nine inches too much?” He bumps shoulders with me, and I roll my eyes. “Come on, Mads. I’ll find something that makes you laugh one day.”
“You getting hit by a meteor? Your dick falling off and everyone pointing and laughing as they whip out their magnifying glasses? You growing body hair all over and getting mistaken for a yeti and having to go into hiding high up in the Himalayas so you don’t become a science project? Any will do.” I beam as my step gains a bounce.
His brows rise. “You wouldn’t want me ending up as a lab rat? That’s sweet, Smiles. You do care.”
“I—”
I slam my mouth shut, speechless.
The walk back improved ten-fold when we stopped talking. Although I had to bite back my surprise when Logan got a cab for us instead of calling his driver. Thinking about it, for a billionaire, he’s as happy wandering around like a tourist and queuing for things, as he is being driven around in a luxury car and having meetings on private yachts.
I let out a sigh as I sink down in the bubbles of the giant marble tub in the guest bathroom. There was a bottle of foaming bath oil on the side and a whole load ran out faster than I could stop it when I ran the bath. The result? Bubbles up around my ears and that slippery, silkiness of oil on skin.
“Mm, bliss.” I wriggle my toes underwater, my calves sliding against one another, slick with oil as I lean my head back against the side.
Nate Black’s voice fills the room. It’s definitely not the same through my phone speaker. His warm tone is still smooth, but something is missing. But I’m so engrossed with the story that I don’t care. I want to finish it so I can start posting teasers for it on my book account.
I stare at the ceiling as all the tension in my body evaporates with the steam from the bath. Nate’s character, Cameron, is arguing with someone about Frederica, the heroine. The two start fighting and Frederica screams repeatedly as she watches the other guy try and kill Cameron.
I slide down, letting the water come up over my head and the bubbles form a cloud over me as I close my eyes. The screaming muffles underwater, and I stay still for a moment, cocooned in an underwater haven of warmth.
Shouting voices. A man’s. Nate?
“Oh my god!”
This book turned dramatic suddenly. I love it.
“No, no, no!”
Nate sounds panicked. What did I miss? Did Frederica get struck during the fight?
“Fuck!”
I jerk underwater as something grabs me around the torso and hauls me from the water.
God, it’s a break in! Logan’s mansion is a target. I’m being abducted. They probably think I’m worth something as a hostage.
“Stop!” I splutter, gasping for breath through the bubbles on my face. “You don’t want me. I’m useless to you.” I can’t punch because my arms are crushed to my side, wrapped inside the big unforgiving arms of my attacker.
“I’ve got you,” a deep voice booms. His chest rises and falls with sharp breaths as he holds me against him, naked and dripping wet.
“No.” I wriggle, but it’s useless. My feet lift from the floor as he grips me tighter with one arm around my waist.
A hand swipes the bubbles from my eyes and then clasps my cheek, turning my face.
Oh, God, no. He’s going to do things to me right here.
I wriggle harder and fight to turn my face away from his, but he’s too strong. And he’s wearing suit pants? I glance down, taking in his shirt sleeves rolled up over muscly, corded forearms, and his dark suit pants. He’s not wearing any shoes or socks. What criminals break into houses in designer shirts and pants but no shoes or socks?
“You’re okay. Look at me.”
I suck in a breath, readying myself to look at his face, even though I don’t want to. It might be the last one I ever see.
Light brown hair. Strong jaw. Perfect cupids bow lips. Green eyes.
“What the hell? Logan!”
His eyes are wild and he’s panting as he grabs the other side of my face and stares into my eyes. Then his gaze darts all around my face, checking me over. My forehead, my cheeks, my lips, and back to my eyes.
“Jesus,” he hisses, his eyes pinching at the corners. He moves back enough to perform a sweep down my body. Then he pulls me close again as his thick neck contracts with a deep swallow.
“What are you doing?” My pulse is still firing blood around my body as I struggle to catch my breath. My breasts are squashed against his shirt, making the material wet.
“I heard you screaming.” He cups my face in his hands again and sweeps his eyes over it as if he doesn’t trust his first assessment.
“Don’t even think about it,” I pant, balling his shirt and pulling him closer so he can’t do a second check of my body. My naked, wet body. Oh God.
“I thought you were drowning.” His eyes have lost some of their wildness. But his hands are still firmly cupping my cheeks.
“I wasn’t, you idiot. People don’t scream when they’re drowning. It’s my audiobook. Listen…”
My lips are close to his, and he glances down at them and then back up into my eyes. My phone continues to play the audiobook on the countertop behind me. Only the story has moved on, and Cameron and Frederica are having raw, uninhibited sex, judging by the moans and heavy breathing.
“You like that? I know you’ve been waiting for my cock, baby.”
My eyes widen as I stare into Logan’s eyes. I loosen my grip on his shirt. Water runs down my back from my hair, tracing all the way down over my ass and the backs of my thighs.
I shiver.
“You need a towel. You’re cold.” He moves his hands from my face, but I fist his shirt, preventing him from moving away.
“No way are you going over there to get one. You’ll see everything.”
“I love your cock. Fuck me with it… hard,” Frederica moans.
“Okay. We need to do something.” My voice is shrill as I dart my eyes around. I shiver again and goosebumps prick up all over my body.
Logan wraps his arms back around me. He’s seen way more than I’d ever want him to. But I need to block that out for now. I can dissect it later when I’m dressed and don’t have blood heating my cheeks with embarrassment… and when Frederica’s moans as she builds up to having multiple orgasms aren’t echoing around the room.
Logan’s eyes flick to something over my shoulder. He stiffens and clears his throat before focusing on my face again. “I’ll close my eyes.”
I stare back, all my senses heightened from the fact I’m naked, soapy, and dripping wet… and in Logan Rich’s arms.
God, my life couldn’t get any worse right now.
“You’re so wet, baby. Dripping with cream for me,” Nate groans.
Okay. It’s worse.
I squeeze my eyes shut, closing out the burning emerald of Logan’s gaze before I see him react to the audiobook. I don’t want to know if he’s laughing at me right now.
“No. You can’t close them. The floor’s too wet, you could slip.”
As if to accentuate my point, my soapy foot slides underneath me, making me gasp. I wrap my arms around Logan’s neck as he stops me from falling and pulls me against his body. I jerk my hips back, away from his groin. He looks down at me, his eyes darkening as he licks his lips, flashing a hint of perfect white teeth.
“Told you that you care about me, Mads. You’re scared I’ll get hurt.”
“Get over yourself.” I scoff.
The intense look in his eyes has my breathing quickening. “I just don’t want to clean your brains up off the tiles. Not that it’d take long.”
He chuckles, breaking the weird moment, and I sigh in relief.
“Just like that, huh? You like to be spanked?” Nate’s voice rumbles.
My mouth drops open. “Now. We need to shuffle together. Now.” I can’t stand here a second longer listening to this with Logan. I eye the white robe hanging on the back of the door. It’s calling to me like a lifeline.
Logan follows my gaze, seemingly unfazed by the sounds of slapping skin and grunts echoing around us.
“Okay.”
The next couple of minutes consist of us shuffling one tiny step at a time toward the door, our feet threatening to slip out beneath us with every move we make. I grip on to Logan, and he holds me tight to stop us falling.
Frederica and Cameron fuck the entire time, and hell, I wish I’d listened to this part already, because it’s one impressive hot sex scene. But now I will never be able to listen to this book again without thinking about this moment and the sheer mortification that’s infiltrated every cell of my body.
We make it over to the door, and Logan reaches behind me and unhooks the robe, wrapping it around my shoulders. I stare at his strong neck and the days’ worth of stubble over his jaw as he keeps his eyes averted while pulling the robe together over my breasts.
“Thank you.” I exhale heavily, relief softening all the muscles in my body as I slide my arms into the sleeves and knot the robe around my waist.
Logan glances down, checking I’m covered.
Frederica and Nate’s voices cry out.
“I’m coming! Oh yes! I’m cooommmiinnggg!”
“Yes, baby. Squirt that cum all over my cock!”
Logan arches a brow; the corners of his mouth twitching, and I scowl at him as the audio reaches its crescendo.
“Don’t.”
He closes his mouth, flattening his lips. But his eyes are sparkling. “Take care with the floor, Mads.”
Then he turns and walks out of the door.
My lungs deflate as I blow out a strangled breath.
“That was amazing,” Frederica mewls.
First things first, turn off my freaking phone. I glare at it on the marble countertop by the sink as Frederica continues with her post-orgasmic complimenting of Nate’s character’s physical prowess. I catch sight of myself in the giant mirror above the sink. My hair is plastered around my face, cheeks flushed, eyes bright and alert.
The mirror.
My tongue feels thick in my mouth. I had my back to that mirror the entire time Logan was holding me.
My naked back.
Shit, that’s what the bastard was looking at.
That’s what he was looking at, right before I almost slipped and he caught me. Right before he pulled me against his body… Where I felt his raging erection in his pants before moving my hips back from his.
I groan and drag a hand down my face. Not only have I spent the last five minutes naked and wet, clinging to Logan’s shirt like a baby monkey as we listened to two people pretending to fuck. But he could see my naked ass the entire time.
And it made him hard. And not just hard… Solid as a rock, pressing into my stomach, wasn’t lying about nine inches, hard.
Someone trade lives with me, please.
It takes fifteen minutes to mop the floor with a towel and shower the remaining bubbles and excess oil from my body. And the entire time, my stomach twists in knots.
Logan saw me naked.
I keep telling myself it’s no big deal, hoping that it’ll desensitize me. Make me numb to the curling ball of humiliation in my gut. Anyone… anyone but him.
“Why did it have to be him?” I groan, pulling an oversized T-shirt and shorts on.
I fix my towel-dried hair into a bun and glare at my phone, like it’s to blame for playing that audio. But it’s not. It’s my fault. I didn’t know there’d be screaming. It’s so realistic. I should have kept the volume down. Then Logan wouldn’t have heard and come running like a white knight to save the helpless princess.
I snort in annoyance. Only five people have seen me naked. Mum, Dad, and Drew when I was a baby. And two ex-boyfriends. I’ve never had a one-night stand. Not exactly by choice, more like shyness at college and university. And before that, well, Logan made damn sure no one went near ‘crab girl’ at high school.
I can’t believe he’s number six, and he’s not my boyfriend. He’s—
Clarity hits me like a freight train.
“Asshole! What did you do, Logan?”
I grab my phone. Those students this afternoon thought he was my boyfriend. They thought me calling him the most irritating man I’ve ever met was hilarious. I mean, it’s factually correct, but it’s hardly prime stand-up comedy.
I jab at the phone screen, tutting impatiently as the Italian translation app opens. I don’t know how to write the words, so I say them instead.
“Hai un cazzo squisito, princepe del piacere.”
Then I click the translate button.
