Fyre & Revenge (23 page)

His eyes
softened as Rae turned, spotting them and walking over. She had
done that. Her little games had pissed him off at first, sparked
his competitive instincts. But Rae had wormed her way in. He never
knew what she was going to do next. Like last week, he expected her
to walk out on him after the scene with Carrie. But she hadn’t.

A frown marked
his brow. That bothered him a little. He’d wanted her to say
something, give him a hint to indicate this thing between them was
something other than just about her house. That, possibly, there
might be an inkling of feelings they could build on to make the
fantasy they’d been playing since the crash real.

He wanted that.
He wanted the dream he’d had when he first woke up, of a wife
waiting faithfully by his bedside for him to wake.

Logan had spent
most of his life alone. As a child he’d been shunted off to
boarding school as soon as he was old enough, and any time he’d
spent at home he’d dedicated to avoiding his parent’s arguments. So
the idea of someone who cared about him, worried about him and to
cuddle at night was seductive.

He stood as she
approached. He’d taken her shopping to replace the trashy clothes
he’d had put in the apartment, buying her a new and far more
tasteful wardrobe. Clothing he noted she wasn’t wearing now, the
black trousers and grey satin top ones she’d brought from home.

His frown
deepened as he noticed the pallor of her skin. He moved, meeting
her a little way from the table he and JJ were sat at. He needed a
few seconds of semi privacy with her.

“Hey honey,
you’re late. I was getting worried about you.” He caught her lips
in a swift kiss as he reached for her hand. She hissed as he
touched her, her eyes darkening in pain.

“Really?” she
threw back, a slight note in her voice. Logan looked down. She had
small white dressings on the ends of three of her fingers. Stick on
butterfly stitches, covered with semi-sheer surgical tape.

“Oh sweetheart,
what did you do?” he asked, bringing her hand up to kiss it. A
surge of protectiveness took him by surprise as he ushered her to
the table where JJ sat. “Here sit down, let me get you a drink… JJ,
this is Rae. Raelyn, this is my business partner JJ.” He made the
introductions as he held her chair out, looking around for the
waiter.

“It’s okay, I
won’t be stopping long. Logan, it’s over, I brought you your key
back.” Her voice was firm, with only the slightest hint of a tremor
as she dropped his key card into his hand. He accepted it without
thinking. Stunned speechless he just stood there, looking at
her.

Her lips
quirked, sadness in her brown eyes. “I’ll be out of the Gatehouse
by the end of next week. You can have the bank take possession
then. I’d say it’s been a pleasure doing business with you Logan,
but it really hasn’t. You take care of yourself.” Then she was
gone, leaving Logan staring at her back and then the swinging
door.

He shook his
head, unable to believe what had just happened. She couldn’t have
walked out on him! He couldn’t have misread the situation that
much, surely? No, he
never
got it wrong this badly. This
dinner was supposed to put everything back on the level, sort
things out and put them on a better course.

JJ cleared his
throat in the silence, bringing Logan back to the present. He stood
there like a prize idiot, his key card in his outstretched
hand.

“You might want
to go after her.” JJ advised, sympathy in his eyes. “Believe me,
you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Logan didn’t
need any more convincing. “Take care of the bill, would you? I’ll
ring you later!” he called back over his shoulder as he ran for the
door.

He burst
through it and onto the street. The light rain splattered his face,
staining his shirt. He ignored it, scanning up and down for Rae.
Desperation filled him as he jumped a little to try and see over
the crowds. It had been empty out here earlier, now everyone and
his bloody dog was here… He paused, spotting a familiar figure.
There she was!

“Rae!
Rae
!” he yelled, dodging and weaving through the throng
until he caught up with her. “Please honey, wait a minute.”

Rae hunched her
shoulders in her coat, refusing to look at him as she walked at a
fast pace down the street. “Why Logan? What’s the point?”

He slid in
front of her, halting her in her tracks. She tried to slide to the
left and then to the right, but he blocked her both times. Finally
she looked up at him, exasperation on her face. “Logan, get out of
the way. I need to get to the station.”

Her eyes were
red, classic signs that she’d been crying, but that was nothing
compared to the dull look in her eyes. Logan felt like he’d been
punched in the gut. Did her house mean that much to her? He’d done
his research on it. She’d only been there a couple of years. Before
Rae it had belonged to the old estate, so it couldn’t have any
sentimental value. Surely?

“Please, I’ll
get you another ticket.” He promised. “Just talk to me.”

She sighed,
made a show of checking her watch. She shot him a glance from under
her hair. “Okay, two minutes then I’m gone. I have packing to do,
remember?”

He moved
closer, stroking along her cheek with gentle fingers. “You’ve been
crying.”

She backed away
from his touch. “No shit Sherlock, nothing gets past you does
it?”

“Does the house
mean that much to you?” Logan couldn’t help asking, his curiosity
getting the better of him.

“Oh God, even
you can’t be that dense, surely?” Her bark of laughter was short
and bitter. “No Logan, the house does
not
mean that much
to me. I finally realised that, thank God.”

“Then why have
you been crying?”

“None of your
damn business,” she snapped, and tried to move around him. His hand
shot out to stop her.

“Tell me. I
won’t let you go until you do.”

She shook him
off, glaring at him. “Piss off Logan!”

“Just tell me
why you were crying,” he demanded, something in her eyes telling
him it was important.

She hissed,
shrugging him off again. “Okay, if you must know. I love you. Okay?
Happy now? Good, now get out of my way!”

Logan froze,
her words hitting him like a freight train.

I love
you
.

She loved
him.

That single
truth permeated every cell in his body, easing an ache in his heart
he hadn’t realised was there. As though he’d been waiting to hear
someone say those words, waiting all his life for someone to love
him. Love him for himself, not for what he could give them in
either money or status. Rae wasn’t the sort of woman who was
impressed by money or status. He knew that without asking.

He could feel
his grin spreading and said the first thing that sprang to mind.
“Marry me.”

She stopped
stock still, her dark eyes on his face.

“Oh my God, you
really are into your sick little games, aren’t you?” Her lip curled
as she shook her head. The corners of her eyes wrinkled
suspiciously.

“Piss off
Logan, I never want to see you again!” she hissed at him, darting
sideways.

Logan made a
grab for her as she shot past him through the parked cars at the
side of the road, but he was too late. The car came out of nowhere,
the screech of brakes carving themselves into his mind before the
hideous thud as it hit the woman he’d only just realised he
loved.

* * *

Rae woke
slowly, encased in comfortable darkness. She drifted in the warm
cocoon. She frowned, something tugging at the edges of her memory.
There was a reason she should wake up, but at the moment she didn’t
really want to. Awareness crept over her by slow degrees, pain
flaring all over her body. She sucked in a sharp breath. Okay,
that
was what her subconscious had been trying to tell
her.

The screech of
brakes and the honk of a car horn came back to her. A hideously
painful thud that stole her breath away. Then darkness. A car…
She’d been hit by a car.

A voice
intruded on her thoughts, separating itself from the background
noise to become clear and sharp. “Yes, I’m her husband… Logan Fyre.
Thank you doctor, I’ll stay until she wakes up. No, I’m fine thank
you, there’s a coffee machine down the hall so I’ll make myself
comfortable. Thank you for everything you’ve done, I’m just
relieved she’s going to be okay.”

Rae opened her
eyes as the door closed behind the doctor to find Logan sitting
next to her. He smiled as she blinked, looking around the room to
orient herself, and wrapped her hand in both of his. His thumb
stroked over the back of her knuckles, his eyes warm. An expression
she hadn’t thought she’d see again on his face.

“You’re not.”
Her voice emerged as a croak. She swallowed to ease the dryness.
Everything smelt and tasted antiseptic.

“I’m not what,
love? Here, let me get you some water…” He looked around for the
water jug, starting to pull away but Rae held on. He’d said he was
her husband and she wanted to know why. What sort of game was he
playing now?

“You’re not my
husband,” she stated, her expression wary as she looked at him.

He turned back
to her, sitting still. His eyes locked with hers, open and honest.
“No, I’m not. But I’d very much like to be… If you’ll have me.”

His gaze
flicked down, his expression drawing in pain as he frowned. His
eyes red-rimmed with exhaustion, stubble on his chin and his hair
standing on end, he looked like he’d been to hell and back.

“When you… When
the car hit you… I thought I’d lost you.” Naked anguish filled his
eyes. “I thought the last thing you believed was that I was still
playing games, not that I—” he took a deep breath, pulling her hand
to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Not that I love you.”

He loved her!
Rae closed her eyes, emotion flooding over her and bringing her
close to tears. There was no question of whether she believed him
or not. Even Logan couldn’t fake the honesty and love written on
his face.

“Please Rae,
put me out of my misery,” he begged. “Say there’s a chance for us.
That I haven’t completely screwed up with my stupid games.”

She smiled, her
fingers tightening on his. Love and hope uncoiled from the small
corner of her heart she’d locked them into, expanding and filling
every cell of her body. “We both played games Logan.” She reminded
him softly, her smile starting to spread over her lips.

He shrugged,
“Yeah, but mine—”

“Shhh.” She
grinned. “I love you, you love me, so come here and kiss your wife,
Mr. Fyre.”

The End

Mina Carter is
a bestselling, multi-genre author. She lives in the UK with her
husband, daughter and a bossy cat.

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