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his head and watched her. "Does it really matter that I happen
to own the restaurant you work for?"
    "Yes, it does."
    "It shouldn’t."
    "Don’t say it like that." The intense gleam in her eyes
slowly faded. "You make me sound shallow and I’m not
shallow."
    "I know you’re not."
    "What happened back there? What were you doing?"
    "I was doing nothing more than enjoying you."
    She shook her head unable to believe it was that simple.
    "Yes, I was. Everything about you." He
stepped closer to her. "My biggest fear was you’d disappear right
before me."
    She shook her head again.
    "Why don’t you want to believe that?"
    Amber studied him quietly as uncertainty sat in her chest, heavy and
pressing. "I don’t know what to believe. I don’t even know
what to think about you." She said the words so softly they were almost
carried off by the wind before they reached Logan’s ears.
    "And you think this is easy for me?"
    "Is it?" she asked in an emotion-chocked voice.
    "God, no," he murmured. "Amber, I didn’t ask you to
join me because you work for me. I could care less who you work for. I asked
you to join me because I’m interested in you. It couldn’t be any
simpler than that."
    Completely captivated by the intimate look in his eyes and the undeniable
sincerity in his voice, Amber said, "I’m confused."
    "There’s no reason to be. I’ll tell you anything you want
to know. All you have to do is ask."
    God, she hoped he was being honest with her. She prided herself on being
able to read a person by their first impression. Her first impression of him
was that he was not only kind but sincere, too. "Then everything that
happened tonight was just a twist of fate? You just happened to stumble across
me while dining at one of your restaurants."
    "No."
    That wasn’t the answer she was hoping for. "Are you stalking
me?"
    He laughed a hearty robust laugh that caused his head to fall back.
    Amber’s eyes narrowed as she watched him. "I’ll take that
as a no." She pushed at his shoulder. "Stop laughing or I’ll
be forced to take offense."
    "Please don’t take offence. I’ve been called many things,
stalker never being one of them."
    He was looking down at her with amusement and she felt a little ridiculous
for having gotten so mad. Actually, the anger which had consumed her minutes
ago was nearly nonexistent. She didn’t want to be angry at him—deep
down she felt like she couldn’t. "Will you please tell me
what’s going on?"
    "Of course."
    "Before I decide that you’re a total jerk I’d like to hear
your side of the story."
    "Yes, from where you’re standing I’m not looking that
good, am I?"
    She shook her head.
    "I will tell you everything. But not here on the street." He
took her by the arm. "Do you drink coffee?"
    "No, but I do drink tea."
    "There’s a place about a block down that’s open all night.
I’m sure they have tea." They started to walk and then he stopped
her. Turning he said, "Smile, everything’s fine." His thumb
traced over her lips. "That’s better. So you think I’m
good-looking?"

Chapter Six

 
    The café was small and to Logan’s relief mostly empty. A large
glass case, which greeted them the minute they walked in, held a display of
irresistible pastries in all shapes and sizes. "Would you like something
to eat," he asked.
    Amber glanced at the tarts, mousses, cakes, and pies. "Tempting but,
no thank you, just some chai tea please."
    After Logan ordered a cup of tea and a black coffee for himself, he gestured
to a small table that was positioned away from the front door and the main
counter. Their conversation would not be casual in nature so he wanted privacy
with no distractions. He knew that’s what they would both need to get
through this. He wasn’t quite sure how much he would share with her at
the moment, but he was going to have to be honest with her regardless of what
questions she might ask. He could only hope he wouldn’t scare her off
with his honesty.
    When you walked