Chapter 24
24
Logan woke early to the comforting warmth of a body nestled snugly against him. A smile curved the corners of his mouth as he glanced down at Vivian tucked into the crook of his arm. Her back rested against the wall while the rest of her sprawled over him in peaceful slumber. Her silky hair cascaded over his pillow, the soft tresses across his arm. Her black lashes lay on her cheeks, and her lips parted slightly as soft breaths tickled his chest.
From over her shoulder, he stared into the amber eyes of Sakari, who unblinkingly gave off her annoyance at not having enough room in the bed.
Carefully extracting Viv’s arm from beneath her, he suppressed a chuckle at the realization that she was as immovable as a drowsy zombie in her slumbering state. Padding over the wooden floor to the bathroom, he briskly showered, working out the kinks from a night spent in the cramped confines of their tiny bed. Refreshed, he ventured into the kitchen, making sure to place cat food into the dish before flipping on the coffee maker. Soon the aroma of brewing coffee filled the small space. Seated at the table, he ate a bowl of cereal as he watched the comings and goings next door from his laptop. It appeared the Zamans were having a busy morning.
The soft sound of shuffling footsteps drew his attention, and he looked up as Vivian rounded the corner. His initial grin at seeing her blossomed into a full-blown smile. She’d slipped on a pair of form-fitting yoga pants, an oversized sweatshirt, and her feet were snug in the thick socks she was so fond of wearing. Rising to greet her, he poured a cup of coffee, liberally adding cream and sugar. Pushing it along the counter toward her, he watched as she reached out blindly, circling her hands around the steaming mug.
“Good morning, babe,” he said through his smile.
Lifting her eyes over the rim as she sipped, her mouth opened as though to speak, then snapped shut. She shook her head slightly before taking another sip. “Wow,” she mumbled.
Logan’s eyebrows arched as he leaned forward and tilted his head to the side. “Wow?”
She twirled her finger around in a circle, directing it toward him. “T-shirt clinging to your toned chest, showing off your muscles. Finger-combed hair, still damp from a shower. Gray-green eyes that look like the ocean on an overcast day.” Her gaze dropped to his forearms resting on the counter. “Even your arms are… they’re just… wow. How’s a girl supposed to compete with that this early in the morning? I was lucky to find some clothes to throw on just to hide the mess.”
His head tilted back as laughter rumbled from his chest, a deep, resonant sound that filled the room. “Viv, you’re no mess. You’re gorgeous.”
A blush moved across her face as she took another sip. “I…uh…I’m sorry about last night.”
His brows drew down sharply. “Sorry?”
Bobbing her chin in a jerk, she added, “Uh…about going to sleep. I should have gone back to my room. You could have woken me and…uh…you know…told me to leave.”
His face relaxed as he watched her stumble over her words. “Why would I want you to leave?”
Her breath left her lungs in a huff as she scrunched her nose. “Look, I know what last night was. Fun…right?”
“Yeah, it was fun,” he agreed. “Was that all it was to you, Viv?”
She blinked, then shook her head. “No.”
“You told me you weren’t a fling kind of girl. I already knew that. So do you think I’m the kind of man who would enter a fling with someone who wasn’t on board?”
Shaking her head slowly, she said, “No. I think you’re the best kind of man.” She shrugged, then took another sip. “But we had agreed to just work the job. No complications. And then, boom! We were kinda out of control. So I figured…”
“Well, if you figured I was just into having a good time with the most available girl, you figured wrong.”
Setting her cup down on the counter, she reached forward, placing her hands over his. He turned his upward and linked fingers with her. “I’m sorry, Logan. I seem to be making a mess of things.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s really on your mind instead of what you think you should say,” he ordered gently.
Clearing her throat, she nodded. “I…I loved last night. I wanted last night. Wanted you. But when I woke this morning and you were gone, I realized I’d fallen asleep in your tiny bed, probably making you uncomfortable. And I guess I was embarrassed. I slept like the dead, and you probably didn’t sleep at all.” Snorting, she continued, “I’ve heard friends talk about the walk of shame when a guy kicked them out of bed. Or friends who complained about someone who wouldn’t leave when it was over.”
His shoulders relaxed, and he gripped her fingers tighter, giving them a little squeeze. “That’s better. I’ve grown used to not having to guess what’s on your mind.”
She cocked her head to the side, unasked questions in her eyes.
“Yeah, we were stuck with a tiny-ass bed, but I wasn’t uncomfortable last night. I got up this morning so I could shower and make coffee so zombie Viv would have the bathroom when she was ready and some caffeine in her.” As her mouth quirked, he continued, “I made it clear that I wanted us, but I guess what I fucked up on was not making it clear what I wanted after the sex.”
He watched as she sucked in her lips, holding her breath. Leaning forward, he gave her hands a little pull, bringing her closer. “I wanted you. In my bed. In my arms. All night long.”
Her eyes widened as he neared, her lips now only a breath away from his.
“And I want that for as long as we both want it.” Closing the tiny distance, he latched onto her lips, suckling and tasting, swallowing her moans and his own rumbling from his chest. Pulling back reluctantly, he sighed. “I hate to stop, but?—”
“You’ve got to show up for your job, and I have to start watching our neighbors.”
Nodding, he kissed her again before rounding the corner. He stalked straight to her, pulling her into his embrace. His arms wrapped tightly around her much slimmer body while hers rounded his waist. She rested her cheek against his heartbeat, and he couldn’t deny it felt right.
“I’m working on a small plane that came in today, but I’m only a phone call away. If you need me, give me a call.” When he felt her head nod against his chest, he added, “Viv, babe. Do not do anything on your own. I don’t care if they come knocking on the door. You stay inside. Got it?”
“Got it, boss man.”
Laughing, he kissed her hard and fast, then headed out for the day.
Pulling her shower-wet hair up into a sloppy bun, Viv focused on the camera angle that gave her the best view of what was in the Zamans’ room used for their makeshift lab. Scribbling on the pad of paper by the laptop, she wrote down as many of the chemicals she could now identify. With her laptop opened to the side of Logan’s, she could simultaneously search the properties of each. She also made notes of other substances in labeled boxes and bottles.
The work was tedious, but she methodically plodded onward, her interest piqued at what they were creating. Occasionally, she flipped the screen back to the other room, but Akram appeared busy at his laptop, and Farrah stayed in the kitchen, first cleaning up from breakfast and then preparing their next meal. A small TV was on the kitchen counter, and Farrah would watch game shows while cooking.
Vivian stood and rubbed her eyes while moving to the kitchen to fix a sandwich. As she walked back with her meal, she heard the crunch of tires over the gravel. Sliding the curtain back slightly, she saw a car park outside the Zamans’ house. Recognizing Rashad and Malik alighting from the vehicle, both with boxes in their arms, she hurried back to the laptop and watched them enter the house.
Akram greeted them with a cursory nod, his voice low and indistinguishable. Malik walked past Farrah in the kitchen without speaking to her, but Rashad nodded his greeting. As Vivian changed the view on the cameras, she saw them enter the lab.
They donned white lab coats along with gloves and masks. The two men sat at the tables and began taking more test tubes from the boxes they brought in. Zooming closer, she was frustrated when she realized there were no labels. If only I could get in there. Knowing that line of thinking would get her nowhere, she continued to monitor their progress as she munched on her sandwich.
Watching them carefully, she leaned back in her chair, sipping her tea as she analyzed what she was seeing. They are cautious but not extraordinarily so. There is no way they can be working on deadly biologics or chemicals. Vivian knew bioterrorism did not have to cause immediate deaths or life-threatening diseases to be effective. In fact, with a large gathering, such as the upcoming Olympics in Europe, the only thing that bioterrorism would need to do would be to cause panic, disruption, and chaos. Categorized as “incapacitating agents,” they would be effective even if all they did was create a strain on the healthcare system by causing many thousands of sick patients to inundate treatment facilities that contained only limited quantities of drugs and only a few isolation beds.
The concept was much like the COVID-19 virus, which had the same effect of overloading the hospitals. But it didn’t have to be as severe as the COVID-19 virus. Just to cause panic when the pharmaceutical companies couldn’t keep up with the demand for medication.
Turning to her laptop, she began researching the most common incapacitating agents. Hearing another car approach, she moved to the window and observed as Nafisa arrived. Curious, she watched Nafisa enter the house, barely speaking to Akram, ignoring Farrah, and walking directly to the lab room. Malik looked up, greeting her with a smile, but Rashad never acknowledged Nafisa’s entrance. Vivian watched with interest at the relationships playing out before her.
Malik continually glanced in Nafisa’s direction. Nafisa ignored him while appearing irritated at Rashad’s disinterest. A love triangle?
Before she had time to process if that information interested anyone else, her phone rang, pulling her away from her personal soap opera.
“Hey,” she said softly, knowing Logan was the only one who knew the number.
“Babe,” he said, his voice still sending warm tingles down her spine. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve managed to stay out of trouble and have been working on the security feed all day. Right now, the whole group is over there.”
“Good,” he replied. “Listen, I’m finished here and will head home soon. Thought I’d stop at the grocery.”
“Oooh, I’d love to make pizza tonight. Get whatever you like on it and some pizza dough.”
“I can just buy a frozen one?— ”
“No! I want to dazzle you.”
The phone went silent for a moment, and she wondered if the line had gone dead. “Logan?—”
“Viv, if you want to dazzle me, all you gotta do is repeat last night.”
She smiled as warmth speared throughout her. “Well, I can certainly do that, but how about I dazzle you in the kitchen first?”
“Kitchen, bedroom, living room…babe, you can dazzle me anywhere you want.”
Now laughing, she said, “Just bring the pizza fixings. I’ll make dinner, and then…we can see what comes next.”
“You got it. See you in a bit.”
Disconnecting, she stood and walked into the living room, plopping down on the sofa. Leaning her head back against the cushion, she closed her eyes, a huge sigh escaping her lips. Girl, what are you doing? You never do flings. Opening her eyes, she knew he had said what they were doing was not a fling. So what is it? What happens when he goes back to wherever he came from, and I go back to California? The silent room gave no answers.
It’s okay…I can do this for now…enjoy what we have for now. Standing, she walked back into the kitchen, hoping she was not lying to herself.