Untamed Passions (3 page)

    
“What did you want to ask me?” she asked quietly.

    
“I wondered if you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow. That is, if you’re free?”

    
Sienna stared at him, shell-shocked. He was asking her out? On a date? When she started
feeling faint, she realized that she had once again forgotten to breathe. Sucking in a lung full of air,
she tried to calm her racing heart.

    
“I’m free tomorrow,” she heard herself answer.

    
“Wonderful. Shall I pick you up around seven?”

    
Sienna nodded. “Seven will be fine.”

    
Logan leaned in close and brushed a kiss against her cheek.

    
“I’ll see you then,” he murmured. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should probably circulate the
room and check on all of my customers.”

    
“Of course.”

    
Logan gave her one more devastating smile before sauntering off.

    
The man could certainly make an exit! She’d never really noticed a man’s butt before, but
Logan’s was definitely something to look at. She sighed and turned to go find Robert. True to his
word, he was in the mystery section.

    
Robert took in her flushed cheeks and her dazed expression.

    
“I take it the conversation with Logan went well?”

    
Sienna snapped out of it and looked up at her friend. “He asked me out.”

    
Robert smiled down at her. “And you’re surprised?”

    
“Well, duh!”

    
Robert sighed and shook his head. “You shouldn’t be. How many times have I told you how
beautiful you are? That you’re one of a kind?”

    
“I always thought you just said that stuff to be nice and make me feel better.”

    
“Sienna, I say those things because they’re true. You’re unique. I can honestly say there isn’t
another woman out there like you.”

    
She snorted. “That isn’t always a good thing, Robert.”

    
“Maybe not, but in this case it is. And it can’t just be me that sees it. Logan had to have seen
something for him to ask you out.”

    
She shrugged her shoulder. “I guess.”

    
Robert growled low in his throat and backed her up against the bookcase. “Do I have to smack
you over the head with a book to knock some sense into you? Do I? Because I’m tired of hearing
you put yourself down; tired of hearing that you’re fat or unattractive. If I weren’t your friend, I’d
kiss you senseless right about now just to prove how attractive you are.”

    
Sienna’s eyes went wide. She had never seen Robert like this. Sure, he got upset when she put
herself down, but he’d never reacted like this.

    
He dropped his forehead to hers. “What am I going to do with you?”

    
She grinned up at him. “I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

    
Robert chuckled and stepped away from her. She was driving him insane lately. If Logan
screwed things up, he wasn’t sure what would happen. Sienna’s heart couldn’t stand to be broken
too many more times. And Robert wasn’t sure
he
could stand to watch it be broken anymore.

    
Grabbing her hand, he tugged her toward the front counter. “Come on. After I pay for my
book, I’ll take you to lunch.”

    
“Where are we going?”

    
He let his eyes travel over her dress, down to her sandals, and back up to her eyes. “I’m
thinking somewhere with tablecloths and candles.”

    
Sienna grinned. “You mean somewhere like Chez Christophe?”

    
Robert laughed. “Yeah, somewhere like that. I take it this means you’re in the mood for French
food?”

    
“French food is fine. Mostly I’m in the mood for French desserts.”

    
“Then Chez Christophe it is.”

   
Across the room, Logan watched the two make their way through the checkout line. They way
they held hands, stood close together and laughed together had his stomach in knots. Sienna had
said they were just friends, but they looked like a lot more. Maybe they were friends with benefits?

   
Logan clenched his fists. The thought of someone else’s hands on Sienna’s perfect skin just
about drove him nuts. He wasn’t stupid enough to think she hadn’t had lovers, but he hoped that it
had been a while since she’d been with anyone. Never before had anyone had this kind of pull on
him. He wanted to claim her, to let every man in the room know she was his. Shaking his head to
clear his thoughts, he turned and walked through the store once more. It was best if he kept Sienna
off his mind… until tomorrow.

Chapter Three

   
Back at her house, Sienna flopped down onto the sofa. Her lunch with Robert had been
fantastic, but now she was full and miserable. Maybe if she hadn’t eaten that decadent dessert…
nah, dessert was the whole point of the meal.

   
Robert closed and locked the front door before joining her in the living room. Sinking onto the
sofa, he sighed. Reaching for her hand, he clasped her fingers.

   
“Since you wouldn’t talk much during lunch, want to talk about Logan Drake now?”

   
Sienna groaned. “No, I don’t.”

   
“Come on. The man asked you out. It’s a dream come true for you.”

   
“And?”

   
“What do you mean ‘and’?”

   
“What do you want from me Robert?”

   
“A man you’ve desired from a distance for a while now asks you out and you don’t have anything
to say about it?”

   
“Yeah, I do. He’s nuts and so are you. Happy now?”

   
Robert sighed. “You’re hopeless, a lost cause.”

   
“And yet you’re friends with me… what does that say about you?”

   
He laughed. “Not much. But I love you so I think I’ll stick around.”

   
Sienna looked over at him and smiled. “I know and I love you, too. I’m glad you put up with
me.”

   
“Do you want any help picking out your clothes for your big date? Something guaranteed to
make the man drool?”

   
“Sure, why not? After all, a guy should know what another guy is going to like.”

   
“Come on,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go dig through that closet of yours.”

   
Sienna allowed Robert to drag her into the bedroom. She plopped down on the edge of the bed
while he threw the closet doors open wide. Stepping into the long walk-in, he started thumbing
through her clothes. Reaching toward the back, he pulled out a black cocktail dress that Sienna
hadn’t worn in ages.

   
“What about this?”

   
She shook her head. “There is no way I’m fitting in that thing.”

   
“You never know until you try it on.”

   
Sighing in resignation, she snatched the dress from him and marched into the adjoining
bathroom. Closing the door, she stripped out of her clothes and slipped into the black dress. After
a few failed attempts at zipping it, she opened the door a crack.

   
“I don’t suppose you could zip me up, could you?”

   
Robert gave her a wicked grin. “I don’t know. I’m better at
unzipping
dresses.”

   
Opening the door further, she laughed and playfully smacked him on the arm. “You’re so bad!”

   
“I know. It’s part of my charm.”

   
Shaking her head, she turned and gave him her back. She felt his large warm hands as he zipped
the dress for her.

   
“What do you think?” she asked, turning to face him.

   
Robert let his gaze roam over her full breasts, straining against the fabric, down over her lush
hips to the hem of the dress, which fell a little above her knees.

   
“You look spectacular. If Logan doesn’t love you in this dress, there’s no hope for the man.”

   
Sienna threw her arms around him. “Thank you.”

   
Hugging her back, he breathed in her floral scent. The woman was killing him and she wasn’t
even aware of it.

   
“You’re welcome,” he responded, his voice husky.

                                                    
***

   
The next night Sienna dressed in the black dress. Robert had come over to help her with the
zipper again. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, her make-up was light but flawless, and she
wore her sexiest black open-toed shoes.

   
Looking at herself in the mirror again, Sienna nervously smoothed her dress. She could find no
fault with her reflection other than the weight that plagued her every day. Dabbing a little perfume
behind her ears and between her breasts, she turned off the bathroom light and went into the living
room to wait on Logan.

   
Before she had a chance to sit down, the doorbell rang. Heels clicking on the floor, she walked
to the front door and peered through the peephole. Logan stood on the other side in a collarless red
button down shirt and black slacks. He had a jacket slung over his shoulder.

   
Opening the door, Sienna peeked around the edge.

   
“Hi, Logan,” she said.

   
He smiled as his eyes took in every detail of her. “Hi, Sienna. Are you ready for our date?”

   
She nodded. “Just let me grab my purse.”

   
She turned toward the small table in the entry and picked up the black clutch that matched her
dress. Making sure her keys were inside, she locked the knob and pulled the front door closed.

   
Smiling up at Logan, she placed her hand on the arm he offered her. Walking to the shiny BMW
in the driveway, Logan opened the passenger door for her.

   
Sienna slid into the car. Once she was inside, Logan closed the door and walked around to the
driver’s side. When they were both buckled, he started the car and backed down the driveway.

   
“Do you like seafood?” he asked as they drove through her neighborhood.

   
“It’s one of my favorites,” she answered.

   
“Good, I know just the place then.”

   
The drive to the restaurant was fairly quiet. Logan was dying to ask her a ton of questions, but he
didn’t want to spook her. Instead, he tried to let her lead the conversation. They spoke about his
stores a little and how great the weather had been, but she hadn’t volunteered any information about
herself.

   
Logan parked the car in some parking spaces off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Sienna
looked around. She saw a pier with a building out at the end. Was that the restaurant?

   
They got out of the car. Walking to the front of the vehicle, the stopped and looked out over the
pier.

   
“This place isn’t overly fancy, but they have killer food and the atmosphere is nice.”

   
She smiled at him as she took his arm. “I’m sure I’ll love it.”

   
They walked down the pier toward the restaurant and Sienna breathed in the salty air. The sound
of the ocean helped calm her racing heart. She knew that Logan had wanted her to talk more in the
car, but she was just too nervous.

   
As they entered the building, the first thing Sienna noticed was that the floor was glass in spots.
She looked at Logan questioningly.

   
He leaned to whisper in her ear, “While you’re eating, you can look down through the floor and
watch the fish swimming.”

   
“I haven’t been to a place like this before. I’m looking forward to our dinner.”

   
Logan smiled down at her. When the hostess came over, he requested a table for two with a view
of the sea.

   
Once they were seated near a window and over the special glass flooring, Logan took a moment
to watch Sienna.

   
The black dress she wore clung to every curve. The soft curls brushing her cheeks made Logan
want to bury his hands in her hair. In the candlelight, her skin glowed.

   
Sienna glanced up and noticed Logan’s attentive gaze. “Everything okay?”

   
He nodded. “Everything is perfect.”

   
She smiled and went back to looking over the menu.

   
The waitress came over a moment later to take their orders. Left alone, without a menu to hide
behind, Sienna had no choice but to speak to Logan. Under the table, her fingers fidgeted in her lap.