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‘Anything—’ and everything ‘—you want to tell me.’
She started talking about the weatherboard house she had grown up in on the outskirts of a small town called Sherwent Creek, her mother walking out on them when she was fifteen and what that had meant to them all. ‘My sister and my father really suffered after she left. It wasn’t long after that my sister fell pregnant, then my father, who had already been struggling, completely fell apart...’ Her voice grew quiet. ‘Being the oldest, I did my best to cook and clean and make sure Peta was okay, but she wasn’t interested in me being a replacement parent and for a while we fell out. Then she had the twins and that was when things really got tough.’ She winced and peered at him sheepishly. ‘Sorry, you were probably wanted to hear about the tourist attractions rather than my life story.’
Logan brushed her lips with his. ‘If I want to know about the tourist attractions I’ll visit there myself. It’s you who interests me. What happened next?’
‘Well... Peta is quite shy and the gossip and derogatory comments she received, having the twins so young, made all of our lives miserable. Peta drifted for a while, barely making ends meet. I got a job to help out with the bills but...’ She hesitated and Logan sensed she was holding something back but didn’t want to push her. She blinked as if to clear her memory.
‘It got so bad that our father eventually relocated us to another town. We packed up the station wagon one night and drove all through the night. Amber and April were only young at the time.’ She gave a soft laugh at the memory. ‘Anyway, it was a little better after that but not great. Eventually Peta moved out and I stayed to take care of our dad.’
‘What happened to him?’
‘He died in a car accident.’
‘I’m sorry, mi amor. And your mother? Did she ever return?’
‘No. Having kids didn’t suit her. I have no idea where she is now.’
Logan felt the pain of every word she spoke like a lash abrading his skin. He wanted to grab every one of those people who had made Cassidy’s life a misery around the neck and squeeze. Hard.
Unable to do that, he pulled her unyielding body against his and looped his arm around her waist. ‘Then what?’
She laughed softly. ‘You really want to know everything, don’t you?’
‘I’m greedy like that.’
Loving the way he was able to make her smile after such a gruelling story, he encouraged her to go on. ‘So what’s next? Was that when you moved to New York? Came to work for me?’
‘Yes.’ A fleeting smile crossed her face. ‘Once my father passed away I moved to New York to finish my online course and Peta moved in with me. After that I needed a well-paid job and walking into your building was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time. I never expected to get the job but just as I handed my résumé to your receptionist she became violently ill. You had a Chinese delegation waiting to receive their building passes, as well as a persistent paparazzi guy lurking around, asking questions about you. It was Todd Greene, I think.’
Logan’s lips twisted into a grim line. ‘Don’t talk to me about him. The guy has a vendetta. He tried to get a press pass to the coronation yesterday too but I had him removed. Anyway, go on.’
Cassidy shrugged. ‘There’s not much else to tell. I happened to know how to use the computer system you used so I printed the passes for the Chinese delegates and phoned your HR department. Your HR manager was in a flap because you’d just fired your last assistant and demanded a replacement asap. She interviewed me on the day, did a security check, and I was hired two days later.’
‘Much to everyone’s relief. You know you’re amazing, right?’ He kissed her shoulder. ‘And utterly beautiful.’
‘Don’t say that. I don’t need those kinds of compliments to feel secure.’
At her nonchalant comment Logan’s eyebrow went skyward.
‘I don’t,’ she persisted.
‘That’s because you don’t believe it,’ he said shrewdly. ‘But you are beautiful, Cassidy.’
‘I’m not.’ Her eyes wouldn’t quite meet his. ‘My sister is the beautiful one. You haven’t met her but—’
‘I’m sure your sister is quite lovely, but we’re not talking about her. We’re talking about you.’ He tilted her chin up so that she was forced to look into his eyes. ‘And you are gorgeous. Gorgeous eyes. Gorgeous nose.’ He kissed each attribute he labelled. ‘Gorgeous chin. Gorgeous neck.’ His voice became a sexy murmur. ‘Gorgeous collarbone. Gorgeous—’
Cassidy squealed as he slid lower down her body. ‘I get the picture!’
Rising up to loom over her, his biceps braced to take his weight, he locked his gaze with hers. She touched his face, her fingers stroking over his stubble, her eyes soft. For a moment he heard nothing but the sound of his own heart beating and the echoes of forever in his head.
‘When you look at me like that,’ she whispered breathlessly, ‘I feel like anything is possible.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
THIS TIME WHEN Logan woke up, Cassidy was beside him, her arm flung across his abdomen, her leg draped over his thigh, and for someone who was always eager to move on from a woman he’d slept with he was hard pressed to explain this sense of belonging he felt at having her nestled beside him.
He knew it was very early because no light appeared around the blinds on his windows, or it was very late. He couldn’t tell. He’d lost all sense of time
