Chapter 23 Nina
NINA
“Oatmeal is blech,” Noah pulled a face and dropped his spoon into the bowl in front of him with a crash. “Why did Josie make this?”
The three of us were gathered at the breakfast table, a situation I still wasn’t quite used to, preparing for a breakfast battle. Thankfully, Noah was back to even keel, but the sass was a new addition I didn’t love. Sad Noah had taken a back seat to Pushing Boundaries Noah.
“Because I told her to,” I answered quickly. “We’re pulling back on all of that sweet breakfast food, mister. And have you tried the brown sugar glaze on top of it? You might like it more that way.”
It was one sugary concession to help him make the change. Josie and I had spent time strategizing how to transition Noah to healthier breakfasts, but he was resisting at every step.
“Yuck,” he said firmly, refusing to even consider it.
“Noah, don’t be rude,” Logan cautioned. “Have some fruit if you don’t like the oatmeal.”
Even though we were heading into a tussle, I had to admit how darn cozy the whole setup was.
For so many years, I’d fantasized about having something like this: a home and a family that I was actually a part of.
It wasn’t quite the way I’d imagined it, but still, the chance to sit down to a hot meal and talk about the day ahead was a luxury all on its own, far beyond the nice furnishings and fancy food.
Noah played with the spoon in the glaze pot.
“Noey, c’mon, we need to get moving,” Logan said, his patience clearly waning. “We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
“Where are we going?” Noah asked.
Logan looked at me, confused. “You didn’t tell him he’s coming to work with us again?”
Shit. Major miscommunication.
“No, he’s actually staying here today,” I replied. “It’ll be better for us that way, especially considering…” I jutted my chin toward where he was using his spoon to play hockey with a strawberry.
Logan’s face clouded over. “Since when? I told everyone at the office he was coming in, and they’re prepared this time.”
I winced at the frustration in his voice. What had his boxers in a twist?
“No, but it makes sense for him to stay here. We have tons to cover with the daycare center plans,” I insisted, Logan’s expression growing harder by the second.
“We’re going to be at the office for most of the day, and it’ll get boring for him.
Josie’s daughter and grandson are coming over, so the boys can play. ”
“Liam’s coming!” Noah cheered. “He likes to draw too!”
“Hold on,” Logan shushed his son. “Since when? Why wasn’t I asked about him staying home?”
It was a tone I hadn’t heard in weeks.
I squinted at him and lowered my voice. “Um, what’s going on? Why do you seem upset?”
“Because I expect to be involved in these decisions,” he insisted. His expression was positively stormy now.
Noah had quieted and was watching us volley back and forth. I glanced at him and realized that little ears needed to be shielded from whatever was going down between the grown-ups.
Not that I could figure out why such a simple decision had Logan so triggered.
“I’m sorry, but I thought you, uh, ceded control of daily schedules to the caregiver,” I said, hoping my code made sense to him and not Noah. “After all, the caregiver has an extensive background in this sort of thing. Josie and I—”
“Yes, but the caregiver isn’t the ultimate decision maker. I am,” he interrupted.
Josie bustled in with glasses of orange juice, and we went quiet.
“Liam is so excited to meet Ariel,” she said as she placed a small glass in front of Noah. I wondered if she’d heard the fuss and was coming in to assist. “They’ll be here in an hour, and in the meantime, you can help me get the snacks ready.”
Logan’s jaw flexed for a moment. “Josie, I’m sorry but there was a miscommunication about today. Noah will be coming to the office with us.”
She paused to frown at him. “Oh? Nina mentioned that he was so bored the last time you brought him with you, so I suggested he stay here with me while Diana and Liam visit me.”
Some of the tightness in his jaw eased. “It was your idea?”
“Of course it was,” she said as she placed the juice in front of him. “Nina was trying to plan his snacks and meals and activities for the day, and it all seemed so complicated that I suggested he stay here with us instead.”
I watched Logan struggle to process the news, eyebrows drawn.
What the hell was going on with him?
“What do you want to do, Noah?” Josie asked. “Stay and play with Liam, or go to work?”
She wrinkled her nose and made a playful grimace as she said the word “work.”
Noah went on his knees on the chair and thew both hands in the air. “Play!”
Josie shot a judge-y look at Logan. “And there you have it.”
Logan looked over at me. He still seemed unsettled for whatever reason, but at least he wasn’t glaring anymore. “I guess he’s staying, then.”
“I guess so,” I replied primly, basking in my mini win. Josie winked at me as she shuffled back to the kitchen.
“Where’s Ariel?” Noah asked, bending over to look under the table.
“You don’t see her?” I asked. The kitten was never far away from her favorite boy. “She’s in the room, but she’s napping in a secret spot.”
“Where?” His little head swiveled as he surveyed the dining room.
Logan was tapping away on his phone, probably telling the office Noah wasn’t coming.
“Let’s play a game of hot and cold to find her,” I suggested.
“Okay!”
“Once you finish your breakfast,” I added.
“Hmf,” he grumbled, but he picked up his spoon.
“Take some glaze,” I pushed the bowl toward him. “Your dad loves it.”
I hoped it would be a segue to get Logan back into the conversation, but he was detached.
He’d even angled himself away from me, like he was giving me the cold shoulder.
I just didn’t get why. Was he really that upset we wouldn’t be bringing Noah to the office?
Or was the problem that I’d made that plan without talking to him?
He’d trusted me to make the right decisions for his son up until this point, so what had changed?
“Daddy, do you see Ariel?” Noah asked.
Logan finally put down his phone and glanced around the room. I watched his eyes land on the kitten curled up in an oversized planter by the window, the remains of a murdered fern scattered all around her.
“I do. Three more bites of oatmeal and we can play hot and cold.”
“Okay!” He shoveled the food into his mouth and jumped off the chair still chewing. “Let’s go.”
We both chuckled at his enthusiasm, even if the manners left plenty to be desired.
“Getting warmer,” I coached as Noah started circling the room.
It only took a few minutes before we were back to normal, laughing at Noah’s ridiculousness.
Still, I made a mental note to try to figure out why Logan fell apart over something so minor.
Was it possible to be talked out? Because after a full day of brainstorming at the office, with my brain as the epicenter of said storm, all I wanted to do was go home, put on soft pants, and chill—and maybe not speak again for twelve hours or so.
Everyone was wildly supportive of my ideas, though. We were onto something incredible, and I was proud to be leading the charge. So many families were going to benefit from the new plan.
We’d finally called it a day, but everyone was so excited about what was to come that half the group was still standing around the conference room chatting.
I’d found a strong ally in Grace from the marketing department when it came to the creativity and art area, since she created graphic novels in her off hours and had a thriving Etsy shop.
“I love the idea of having visiting artists at the daycare,” she said to me as we finally started gathering our things. “Can I go first?”
I laughed. “I’m not sure if I’m going to be involved in those decisions, but I’ll put in a good word for you. It’s a funny coincidence that you do graphic novels, because lately Noah is getting really into comic book-style art.”
“Oh no way! I love that; you should totally nurture it. There’s this camp I heard about that’s put on by Graphix, the company that puts out all of those amazing middle grade graphic novels.
The authors do workshops and help the kids learn the art of storytelling.
It’s a sleepaway in Santa Monica, so it’s not far from here. I bet he’d love that.”
I had a feeling that the promise of spending a week making comic books with his heroes would be right up his alley, even with his homebody tendencies these days.
It could be just the thing to force a little independence on him.
And maybe we could sponsor Liam to go too, to make it a little less scary.
“That sounds amazing! I’ll definitely check it out.” I grabbed my phone. “What’s the name?”
Grace laughed. “Camp Comix, with an X. Making it very clear what they’re about.”
“Noted,” I chuckled as I screenshotted their website as a reminder. “And thanks for the idea.”
Logan drifted over to us. “New ideas at this hour? I’m impressed you’re still brainstorming.”
“Can’t stop, won’t stop,” Grace said brightly. “I’m heading out, but it was great seeing you again, Nina. You’re a perfect addition to the team!”
I bit back a smile as Logan slid his arm around me. His mood had shifted entirely since this morning’s breakfast fiasco.
“In more ways than one,” he added, giving me a little squeeze while using his free hand to wave goodbye to some other people who were leaving. “I know it’s getting late, but I still have one more thing I need to do back in my office. Can you give me fifteen?”
“You’re my Uber; I don’t have much choice,” I replied. “And I have plenty to do while I wait, so no worries.”
I set up on the couch across from his desk, ready to dig into the camp background to make sure it was just right for our budding artist.
I paused at my instinctive word choice. Our artist.
Yeah, that felt right.
“What are you smiling at?” Logan asked me from behind his laptop.
“Why are you watching me and not working?” I teased.
“Because it’s impossible to not watch you,” he replied quickly. “Especially with your skirt hiked up like that.”
I hadn’t even realized I was displaying half of my upper thigh. I decided to take advantage of the obvious hunger in his eyes because I’d been fighting off my own horny fantasies all day. Seeing him in boss mode did things to me. And when he rolled up his sleeves?
Take me now.
“You mean this skirt?” I teased, drawing up it even higher and lifting my leg in the air like a ballet dancer.
“Don’t,” he cautioned. He shifted in his seat like he was preparing to pounce on me.
“And why not?” I caressed my leg and posed prettily, blinking innocently at him.
“Because if you do, I’m going to have to come over there and take what’s mine,” he said in a low voice.
“Oh?” My pulse sped up, but I played it off. I leaned back and fully reclined on the couch, swirling my legs in the air playfully.
I loved making a billionaire wait.
“There’s no time. We need to get home,” Logan said in a strained voice.
“Do we, though? Josie texted me to let me know that Diana and Liam are staying for dinner.”
The words were barely out of my mouth before he was on top of me, covering my neck with kisses as his hands dove under my skirt.
“I can’t control myself around you,” he breathed against my neck. “I swear my dick was hard all day watching you present. Very unprofessional of you to come into my office looking this sexy.”
I laughed and bit his earlobe. “Yes, my blouse and skirt from Club Monaco are absolutely scandalous. Maybe you should stop fantasizing about your employees, sir.”
“I’m not.” Logan drew back to stare into my eyes. “I’m fantasizing about my wife.”
Well, fuck.
I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to me again, into a kiss that didn’t stop as hands started wandering all over.
“The door…does it lock?” I panted between kisses.
“No one would dare come in when it’s shut,” he snarled against my neck.
“Are you sure about that?” As much as I wanted this, I had visions of someone storming into the room while we were naked.
He huffed a laugh, then reluctantly moved away from me long enough to flip the lock on the deadbolt. Then he was back on me.
We were both so desperate for each other that the foreplay was laughably condensed.
We pulled each other’s clothing off, pawing and kissing with increasing desperation.
Logan picked me up and tripped his way to his desk to grab a condom.
When he placed me down on the edge of his desk, I leaned back on my palms.
“Let’s do it right here.” I stuck my leg out to hook him and bring him closer to my body. “Perfect height.”
He nodded as he yanked the condom on. It was like he couldn’t form words. Logan finally reached out to palm my waist and pull me against his body.
“As long as I’m with you, anywhere is perfect,” he rasped into my ear.
And the next thing I knew, he was filling me up. I didn’t even realize I was moaning until he placed his finger against my lips.
“Shhh.”
But I was getting closer, and his fingertip was swirling around between my legs. I was so close, so close…
Until I couldn’t stop myself. I leaned closer to bite his shoulder to muffle my noises, and a few seconds later he joined me, groaning loudly as he came.
We leaned against each other, breathing hard.
“Ouch,” he finally said, laughing as he rubbed his shoulder. “Feral woman. You definitely left a mark.”
“Aw. Sorry.” I ran my thumb along the indentation. “Maybe we should play doctor and patient later.”
“I could get behind that. I need a very thorough, hands-on examination. Do you make house calls, doctor?” Logan asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“House calls, back-seat-of-the-limo calls, office calls…I’m full service.”
He reached up to cup my cheek. “Then I’ll never eat another apple.”