Jennifer Probst: Heart of Steel

Now all she had to do was get the man she loved to forgive her for not believing in him.

Logan replaced the receiver and swivelled his chair around. Darkness had settled over the city. Twinkling lights of the skyscrapers glittered against the dark moonless background.

Alexander Santell’s remark played in his mind like a mantra, and the full impact of the older man’s speech slammed through him.

The contract was his.

Santell was signing his company over to Logan for nothing. Zero. Nada . Logan didn’t have to do a thing except sign on the dotted line.

That’s when he knew Chandler was behind the whole thing.

He half closed his eyes and for the first time in three weeks, let himself really feel. After he lost her, he’d reverted to the same son of a bitch he’d been before. Except this time it was different. She had taught him how to be alive. Love. Trust. And when she walked out of his life, she taught him about real pain. Logan realized she’d changed him. He was no longer safe from emotion, and he didn’t know what to do.

He knew Thorne had asked her to marry him. He knew she still believed he’d lied to her, and that Thorne was the white knight. The knowledge twisted in his gut like a knife, keeping him from eating or sleeping, driving him to cut down the pain by work. But nothing helped. She had sworn to never believe in him again. Now her father was signing over his company.

Logan’s hands trembled slightly as he reached for his pen and tapped it against the arm of his chair. Santell must have told her the truth, and she had listened. This was her way of showing him she was wrong. A way to show she believed in him.

In a final light of blinding realization, Logan decided he didn’t want Alexander Santell’s company. He wanted Chandler. Her heart and soul. He wanted her to know he would choose her every time, no matter how many millions were at stake.

Logan made the decision, then turned to the next problem at hand. He hit the intercom buzzer and barked a few words to Connie. Minutes later, Richard Thorne walked in.

His attorney looked at ease and quite smug as he strolled into the office. Logan felt a brief flash of regret before it quickly flickered out. He’d used Chandler, lied to her, and would have happily trapped her into a loveless marriage.

So Richard Thorne would have to pay.

The two men nodded at each other. “You wanted to see me,” Richard said.

“Yes.”

“What’s up?”

“You’re fired.”

Richard blinked. Then smiled. “Hmmm. Sure about that, boss? I would have thought you liked keeping your enemies close.”

“Only when they have use. You’ve now outlived yours.”

The smile turned to ice. “You lost, Grant. You lost the woman and the contract. Do you think I care about your pathetic job? I’m about to take over a company to rival yours, and I’ll have the woman you want on my arm. Guess the Japanese were wrong. Too much waiting around and you lose your chance.”

Logan shook his head. His lip lifted upward. “Game’s over. Chandler found out her father offered you money to marry her. She knows everything.”

Rage shot from chestnut eyes. His face transformed into a mask of hate. “You’re lying.”

Logan shook his head. “Just got off the phone with Santell. He’s signing over his company with no provisions. You see, Thorne, it was a test, and you failed. Her father was looking for the man to pick her over the money. You played into his hands, therefore, you lost. I doubt Chandler will ever talk to you again, let alone marry you.” He chuckled. “And you sure as hell won’t be invited to our wedding.”

The attorney looked somewhat desperate. “I’ll convince her you’re both lying. She’ll believe me.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed. “You will never see her again. If you do, I can promise you won’t ever find work in Manhattan. There’s a small computer firm I contacted, who I think you’ll be perfect for. Cause any trouble and I’ll call in my favors.” He paused. “You’re finished, Thorne.”

“You son of a—”

Logan buzzed the intercom. “Connie, get security to escort Mr. Thorne back to his office. This is his last day.”

“Yes, sir.”

Logan switched off. “Get your belongings. Then get out.”

He turned back around in his chair as he heard a snarl of rage. Then the attorney was personally escorted out of the office by two burly guards. As the door slammed, Logan allowed himself to feel relief.

Game over.

Time to claim his lady.

She was dreaming.

A part of her knew the scene unveiling before her was just a misty image of her sub consciousness, but the rush of pleasure and happiness that surged in her blood made her go along with the fantasy.

She watched Logan undress beside the bed, quickly shedding his clothes as he revealed the hard muscled length of his body. With a murmur of pleasure, she reveled in his masculine power, greedy to absorb his image as she knew once she awoke her lover would be gone. Naked, he slipped under the sheets and pulled her into his arms, taking her mouth in a hungry kiss.

She responded heatedly to the embrace. Her heartbeat thundered as his hands drifted down her body and pulled off her nightgown. He caressed the ripe flesh of her breasts, lowering his mouth to take the hard crests between his lips, sucking with slow, teasing motions that urged her hips to press into his, her thighs opening to welcome him.

In her dream he made love to her with all the passionate intensity she remembered, exploring every inch of her skin with his hands and lips and tongue, driving her into a wild frenzy of need, until she begged him to take her.

Then with a single, powerful thrust he drove deep inside of her. The pounding rhythm escalated so rapidly she dug her nails into his shoulders as the tension grew, her head arching backward into the pillow as the tempo increased faster and faster, making the blood pound through her veins. Then the climax came, hard, pushing her over the edge until a scream broke from her lips, and she heard her name being whispered in her ear as she floated through the air.

Knowing once she opened her eyes the image would be a distant memory, she breathed in the scent of male sweat and musk, reveling in the feel of his sleek muscled length pressing against her, his weight covering her.

Then she realized she wasn’t dreaming.

Chandler’s eyes flew open in disbelief as she took in the sprawling male figure on top of her. His lips curved in a satisfied smile. “Logan!”

His hand stroked her breast with lazy motions. “It better be me, lady. If you had screamed the wrong name I would have had something to worry about.” She blushed at the wild, open response she had given him. “What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night. Have you gone crazy?”

“I was crazy to let three weeks drag on in the first place.” He moved upward and pressed her deep into the pillows, moving her wrists above her head so she was trapped beneath him. Smoky gray eyes burned in the darkness. “I was crazy to let my pride and your stubbornness come between us. I spoke with your father today.”

Chandler kept her voice neutral. “What did he say?”

“He offered me his company. The whole enchilada. No strings attached. Gave me a tidy little speech about trusting me to make him a profit.”

“What did you say?”

His lips traveled down her neck. “I told him to go to hell.”

“What?”

A laugh rumbled his chest. “I told him I never wanted the contract in the first place. That’s when I realized you were behind the whole thing. You convinced your father to give me what you thought I wanted.” He trailed kisses along the side of her jaw, then moved over her lips, his tongue slipping inside her mouth to kiss her hungrily. She clung to his shoulders and met each thrust of his tongue with one of her own.