Mr. Dangerously Sexy. Stefanie London

       5

      ADDISON’S EYES SNAPPED open at the sound of a bird chirping outside her window. The blare of horns and wail of sirens that usually greeted her in the morning were suspiciously absent. She pushed herself up and blew the hair out of her eyes to see that she wasn’t in her sleek and stylish Manhattan apartment.

      Of course, she was at the cottage.

      The events of last night came rushing over her like an avalanche. The long drive, the car accident, fighting with Logan...making up with Logan.

      “Ugh.” She ground the heels of her palms into her eyes.

      There would be no escaping Logan this weekend, not if she might be in danger. A delicious shiver rippled through Addison’s body. Everything ached in that way that could be achieved only by orgasms and hot, spontaneous sex. It had been too long since she’d felt this good, far too long.

      The empty space in the bed was cool and fairly unrumpled, which meant he hadn’t stayed long. Not that she was surprised. When it came to the morning-after dash, Logan made Usain Bolt look slow.

      A dark thought tugged at the corner of her mind. Last time she had been taken by surprise, because she’d been stupid enough to think that he might want to stick around. That he might feel something real for her. But less than a week later, she’d turned up at his apartment to find another woman answering his front door.

      That’s not going to happen this time. You know the score, and you’ve got plans to make it on your own. Sex doesn’t change that.

      And having sex with Logan was fine so long as it suited her needs: pleasure for her body, but not for her heart. She didn’t regret seducing him last night, not even a little bit. Being in his arms—distracting herself from the night’s events—was exactly what she’d needed. But that was all she needed from him.

      Addison threw on her bathing suit and then layered a floaty cotton dress over the top. This weekend was going to be all about rest and relaxation, regardless of whether or not Logan wanted to participate. No one was going to get her down—not him, not the guy who’d run her off the road. No one.

      * * *

      LOGAN PACED THE length of the deck out on the back of the cottage. The morning sun was light and buttery yellow. Soft, beautiful. Like Addison.

      Christ, you’re comparing her to the morning sun now? Get a fucking grip.

      He raked a hand through his hair and stared across the land that stretched out in front of him. It was so peaceful here, so serene. But all he could feel was how isolated they were. How no one would hear or see them.

      They could do anything and the world would be none the wiser.

      Having that level of freedom wasn’t a good thing for a man like Logan. He needed to know someone was watching, keeping tabs. In the office, he had guys like Rhys and Owen and Aiden to keep him in check. His team, his men. They didn’t realize it, but they kept him in line. Simply by giving him their loyalty, he was bound to do right by them as Daniel had done for him. But out here, anything was possible.

      And that scared the shit out of him.

      “Morning,” Addison said as she came up next to him. Her hair flowed loosely around her shoulders, her legs and feet bare under her summer dress.

      He wasn’t sure how he should greet her. With a kiss, or would that be too familiar? A hug, perhaps. But that could be too brotherly.

      This is exactly why you shouldn’t have overstepped. You got all caught up in the passion of the moment and then things got weird.

      He had too much to lose by getting entangled with Addison—it wasn’t just that he’d be dishonoring the memory of the man who’d mentored him. The company was his whole life, and he needed Addison by his side to take care of all the things he was clueless about: finances, health and safety, and all that other administrative crap that made his eyes turn square. Sure, there were other people who could do her job, but none who would do it as well as her. None that he trusted.

      She was Cobalt and he was Dane. Without one of those elements, Cobalt & Dane didn’t exist. Which meant he couldn’t risk any type of personal relationship with her. Especially given his track record for screwing things up.

      “Fancy a coffee?” she asked, eyeing him with unconcealed curiosity. “I’ve just put the pot on.”

      “You’re speaking my language.”

      He followed her back into the house and closed the door behind him, flicking the lock. A good security system wasn’t worth crap if you didn’t make use of it.

      Addison swanned around the kitchen, humming to herself. She didn’t seem adversely affected by last night...though he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. They hadn’t made any rules or set any boundaries.