Checkmate: This is Dangerous (Logan & Kayla #1) Read online

  “So, you’re going to be a dog lady who adopts dogs and names them after Disney Princes?” His brow arches as his lips curve into a knowing grin.

  Shrugging, I respond, “Might as well. At least I know they won’t leave, cheat, or break my heart.”

  His lips turn down slightly, but rise again before responding. “I think you’re giving them too much credit.”

  “Maybe I’ll name my next one Tarzan. Sounds like a good name for a big, burly-sized dog.”

  “Technically, I don’t think Tarzan’s a Disney Prince,” he tells me with a straight face. I roll my eyes at his stupid technicality. “I mean, if you’re not going for true princes, then I’d suggest Logan because, let’s face it, that’s a brilliant name.”

  My head falls back in laughter and immediately decide to stop being sour about it. If Logan can do anything well, it’s make me laugh and forget about my pathetic dating life; or rather, lack thereof. Being around him used to be difficult for me considering my feelings for him, but after a while, I got used to it and learned to push it away. However, kissing him has now done the exact opposite. On the outside, I’m pretending as if it didn’t faze me and it’s already been forgotten. On the inside, I’m dying. Dying for his lips on mine again. Dying for his hands and body on me. Dying to feel that electricity burn between us.

  Once I’ve long finished my drink, Logan tells me he has to get going and my heart sinks because I can’t help wanting to be around him. Even if it won’t lead to anything, I just love talking to him.

  “I have a briefcase of paperwork to look over. Still catching up from being gone last week,” he tells me. The mutual friends we have in common, Drew and Courtney, just got married in Texas last weekend and are now on their honeymoon in Hawaii. We both flew there to stand in their wedding and watch them say their I Do’s.

  “Oh, no problem. I should get back and let the dogs out before I head in for the night.” I’m just about to stand up when he tells me he’s going to get a coffee refill and to wait.

  I watch as he walks up to the counter, and I can’t help but admire the way his black suit hugs him in all the right places, especially the curves of his ass. Vibration takes my attention to the phone on the table that’s currently lighting up. I grab it, about to tell Logan his phone is ringing, when I notice the name on the caller ID—Maggie & Skylar.

  Shortly before Courtney and Drew’s wedding, Courtney asked if I had ever heard him talk about someone named, Skylar. I hadn’t, and I assumed whoever it was, he wouldn’t tell me, or anyone else for that matter, even if I had asked. Courtney assumed it was an ex, but according to the picture flashing on the screen of Logan wrapping his arms around a little girl, I can now only assume it’s his daughter. She looks around five years old, no older than seven for sure, and I can’t wrap my mind around how he hasn’t ever mentioned he has a kid.

  Not wanting Logan to know I saw the name and picture, I set the phone back down and pretend I didn’t notice it. Pretend I’m not freaking out on the inside now that I know his secret. It was a complete accident, but I still feel guilty.

  The call is sent to voicemail and the vibration stops just before Logan comes back to the table.

  “Here,” he says, handing me a small brown bag. “Considering your Tuesday night was an epic fail, I wanted to make sure you at least got some dessert before heading back home.” He winks at me and it takes every ounce of willpower to leave my feet planted on the floor. Whether he realizes it or not, every time he makes a sweet gesture of friendship, it makes me fall even harder for him.

  I smile, taking the bag and opening it. Inside is a donut with pink sprinkles on top.

  “Good choice. You know I can’t deny my love for sweets.” I flash a genuine smile at him.

  “Or sprinkles.” He winks.

  I furrow my brows at him. “How’d you know that?”

  He chuckles and it warms my heart all over again. “Because every time I’ve seen you with a pastry or donut, it’s lathered in sprinkles.”

  I’m shocked he’s noticed and even more shocked he’d remember.

  “Well, thank you. Now I have something sufficient to stuff my face with as I cry my eyes out watching The Fault in our Stars.” In bed. Surrounded by my dogs, of course. With a box of tissues.

  Oh, God. I’m so pathetic.

  “The pleasure is all mine.” His mouth does that half-curve smirk thing again and fuck, I hate when he flashes that smile. It’s a panty-melting smile if I’d ever seen one. Panty-vanisher. That’s what his smile does. Panties vanishing since 1985.

  He walks me out and to my car, even holding the door open for me as I slip inside and buckle myself. I look into his deep blue eyes, the color of the Pacific Ocean, and I almost get lost in them.

  “Thanks again for saving me. You’re like my real-life Knight in shining armor.” I blush the moment the words spew out of my mouth. I doubt he’s going to think it’s part of my charm, so I quickly say something again. “I had no idea you had such a great British accent.”

  “Me neither. Do you think he bought it?” He flashes a knowing smile.

  “Probably not.” I laugh. “Now I need to reconsider those stupid profile answers and pray I don’t get stuck with another weirdo.”

  He wraps his fingers around the door, and I watch as they tighten. “You don’t need a dating site. The right guy will come when it’s meant to happen.”

  I stare up at him, wishing he’d say he was the right guy for me, but the words never come.

  “Goodnight, Kayla.” He nods his head at me and releases his fingers before walking off. I sigh, resting against the headrest as the sound of his voice saying my name lingers in my mind.

  CHAPTER TWO

  LOGAN

  My mind is reeling as I drive home and replay exactly what happened between Kayla and me. I analyze every moment—as I always do—and try to pinpoint the exact moment when I lost control. Kissing her was impulsive, I know that, yet it didn’t feel wrong at all. Once her body responded to me I couldn’t hold back any longer. As much as I try, I can’t explain what came over me, and I feel guilty regardless of how exhilarating her warm pouty lips felt on mine. One moment we’re joking, the next our mouths were fighting an unwinnable battle that I don’t think either of us saw coming. The greed, heat, and passion between us is undeniable, but it’s also dangerous.

  Once I pull into my driveway and park, I grab my briefcase of paperwork and coffee and walk in the door. Just as I set everything down on the table, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and see Maggie’s name flash across the screen, and I’m forced back to reality—my reality.

  “What took you so long to answer?” she asks in an accusing tone. This isn’t anything new though. If she has any sort of chance to paint me as the bad guy, she does.

  “My hands were full. What’s up?” I keep my tone flat without any sort of emotion. I know I have to play my cards right with her or she’ll dangle Skylar over my head until she gets what she wants.

  “I need more child support. Skylar’s dance expenses are a little more than I anticipated, and I can’t keep up with the payments on top of her costumes and new shoes for the Spring Recital.”

  “My child support should be enough to cover all of that,” I tell her. She gets a nice percentage of my check every week, which I don’t resent because I want to take care of my daughter, but Maggie hasn’t always been the best at budgeting.

  “Yeah well, that money goes to shelter, food, clothes, hot lunch money, haircuts, shoes...” She rambles on, and finally I cut her off.

  “All right,” I drag out, annoyed. “How much do you need for her costume?”

  “Two hundred.”

  I nearly choke. “For one costume?”

  “It’s several costumes and shoes, Logan. These things cost money. Not to mention everything else I’ve had to spend on her.” She says it as if taking care of our daughter is an inconvenience, but I don’t press her on it.

  “Fine,” I
grit between my teeth. “I’ll bring it with me when I come down this weekend.”

  “Actually, I need it before then. Could you mail it?”

  “Jesus, Maggie.” I dig my fingernails into my palm. “Fine.”

  “Great.” I can tell she’s wearing a smug smile.

  “So, have you thought more about moving here? I’d be able to help with these kinds of expenses and taking her to practice and such. Plus, I want to be there for her more,” I tell her, not for the first time, and probably not for the last.

  “Not really. It’s not a good time, Logan. Skylar’s already deep into the school year and has made lots of friends. She’s been looking forward to her recital for months. It wouldn’t be fair to just uproot her,” she tells me, although it’s nothing she hasn’t told me before. “Also, I can’t just up and quit my job without having another one lined up. You know this.”

  I inhale a deep breath, reminding myself I need to play by her rules if I want Skylar closer to me. “I do; however, Skylar could finish the year out there, and, in the meantime, you could look for a job around here. I’m not expecting you to move overnight, Maggie.”

  “Well it sure sounds like it. You’ve been bringing it up every time we speak.”

  “Yes, because I want to be involved in my daughter’s life. She’s getting older. I’ve already missed the majority of it because I can only drive down on the weekends.”

  “Well, it’s not my fault,” she says in an accusing tone. “I couldn’t afford living there with a baby. Once you left us, I had to manage it all on my own.” She makes sure to remind me every chance she gets, knowing it makes me feel guilty as fuck. It’s not exactly what happened, but arguing about it won’t help anything now.

  “Well, she’s no longer a baby. You have a good paying job now, and I’m offering to help you move. I don’t know what else you could want from me, Maggie? I’m trying here.”

  She audibly exhales. “Yes, I know, but it’s not fair that you just expect us to uproot everything she’s known for the last five years.”

  “I’m her father. She needs me just as much as she needs you,” I remind her.

  “She’s been just fine without you,” she spits back, knowing it’ll work my nerves.

  “Would you rather I take you to court and fight for custody then? Put Skylar through all of that just because you can’t compromise?” I threaten, knowing it’ll irritate her as much as she’s irritating me.

  “On what grounds? I’ve been taking care of her by myself since she was one year old, Logan, so don’t you come at me with your empty threats.”

  I’m tempted to remind her she’s the one that left the city and that I could’ve co-parented had she stayed, but I stop myself. I know arguing with her about the past isn’t going to help anything now, but every time Maggie throws it in my face that I wanted out of the relationship, my blood boils.

  “C’mon, Mags. Meet me halfway here. I just want to see my daughter more. The neighborhoods are safer here, too. My job is stable and I can provide a consistent schedule since I have seniority. I’ve offered to help cover expenses. I’ll help you look for work or Skylar can stay with me while you’re out on interviews. Anything. Please, Maggie.” I’m begging like a bitch, but Skylar is the most important thing in the world to me, and I won’t stop fighting to spend more time with her.

  “Fine. I’ll think about it some more, okay? I need to see if there’s even any nursing positions available near you first before I commit to anything. Not to mention, figuring out how to get out of my lease.”

  “Thank you.” I exhale a breath of relief. “If it comes down to it, I’ll help you pay off the lease.” I know she only mentioned her lease because she knew I’d offer to pay it, but at this point, I don’t care. I’ll do anything to get her to move closer to me. Driving back and forth every other weekend isn’t going to cut it for me much longer.

  I hear Skylar talking in the background and before Maggie can hang up, I ask if I can speak to her first.

  “Hold on.” I hear her shuffling around before she tells Skylar it’s me on the phone.

  “Daddy!” Skylar says as soon as she puts the phone to her ear.

  “Hey, baby! Did you have a good day at school?”

  “Yeah! I had dance tonight and learned a new move.” The excitement in her voice makes me smile.

  “Wow, that’s wonderful.”

  “Miss Kelly also talked about the daddy daughter dance for the Spring Recital, and I asked her what would happen if you weren’t there for rehearsals this weekend.” Her tone changes and my heart sinks. “She said I wouldn’t be able to participate.”

  My brows furrow. “What do you mean if I’m not there? I’ll be there when you need me. Always, baby.”

  “Mommy said you wouldn’t be able to make it, but you can?” Hope radiates through her voice, and I know Maggie is probably shaking her head in the background.

  “Absolutely, baby. I’m coming down this Friday. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “Okay, Daddy.” I can hear the smile in her voice.

  “That’s enough,” Maggie says in the background. “Tell your daddy goodnight. You need to get to bed. It’s getting late.”

  “But...” Skylar says and it kills me to hear the sadness in her voice.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’ll see you in just a few days,” I tell her.

  “I love you, Daddy. Goodnight.”

  “Love you, too. Goodnight. Sweet dreams.”

  Maggie grabs the phone and tells Skylar to go change into her pajamas before bringing the phone back up to her ear.

  “Logan, please don’t get her hopes up about that recital. There’s three or four rehearsals before the event and I’ll be the one that has to deal with her disappointment if you don’t make it. There’s no amount of ice cream that’ll make those tears instantly vanish.”

  “I’ll be there,” I tell her harshly, irritated she assumed I wouldn’t. “Just give me all the details and I’ll clear my schedule.”

  She huffs. “Okay, I’ll text them to you.”

  “Thank you. And thank you for taking the time to think about what we talked about. She’s getting older and will need me. Don’t take that away from her,” I plead with sincerity.

  “Don’t twist this into being my fault, Logan. You’re the one who walked away,” she reminds me—once again.

  “I never said it was your fault. We both made mistakes, and now I’m trying to make this work for all of us.” I grit my teeth, keeping myself from blowing up.

  After hanging up, I think back on those days and what I’d do differently. The truth is, though, everything that we went through is what gave us Skylar; so, in retrospect, I wouldn’t change a thing.

  Maggie and I dated for most of our high school years. On and off, both dating other people before we got back together for the last time. I joined the military right after high school until I was medically discharged. Shortly after I returned, I enrolled in the police academy and found a job at the Sacramento PD. Not long after, Maggie and I found out she was pregnant. We were young, but still I was excited to be having a daughter. However, when Skylar was just a baby, I broke it off and my worst nightmare began when Maggie moved her away from me.

  KAYLA

  The next morning, I wake up to slobbery dog kisses on my face. Not exactly the same as Logan’s lips on mine, which hasn’t left my mind since the moment it happened, but I love waking up to my three fur babies.

  I push my favorite sleep mask to my forehead and giggle as I try to fight them off me, but Kristoff—the feisty one—is determined to lick my skin right off.

  “Okay, okay! I’m up!” I whip the covers off and slide my feet into my slippers. They’re all looking up at me, fiercely wagging their tails. “Gotta go outside?” I ask in a high-pitched tone I know gets them excited. “C’mon, let’s go!”

  I do a quick glance in the mirror and realize my sleep mask is still on my head. Trying to salvage the rat’s nest on top o
f my head, I pull the mask off and redo my messy bun. Grabbing my sunglasses off my dresser, I follow the dogs down the hall to where their leashes are hanging.

  Philip’s a black lab mix and well over a hundred pounds. He easily takes over the bed and never budges when I try to move him. He’s the biggest baby out of them all, too. When all three of them are fighting over a toy, he’s the first to give up because he doesn’t want to fight. Adam’s a tall, skinny mutt but is always the first to finish his food and then usually gets caught trying to eat the other dog’s food. He’s more aggressive when it comes to playing and barking at people walking by. He climbs on top of me when I’m sitting because he thinks he’s a lap dog like Kristoff, who’s a small Beagle mix and ironically thinks he’s big like the other two, always trying to fight and get between them when they’re playing.

  I might sound like a crazy dog lady already, but I love them so much. Every time I volunteer at the animal shelter, I’m tempted to bring another one home with me. That’s where I adopted all three of mine. Fell in love immediately and knew they were meant to be mine. Now I even sling dogs off to my friends as much as they’ll let me. I hate seeing them live in the shelter, and every day I wonder if that’s their day to get a new home. It’s sad and bittersweet all at the same time. I love being able to interact with all the pups and show them love in return, but the greatest satisfaction I get is finally seeing them be placed in a forever home.

  I leash all three dogs and nearly trip over them as I open the door and they flee down the sidewalk. Walking them all at the same time isn’t an easy task, but I need to get their walk in before I can get ready for work. Every morning as soon as the sun rises, we walk to Donny’s Dogs and Donuts Bar down the road.

  It’s become our tradition and one that I know they look forward to. It’s a breakfast cafe that offers donuts and pastries for both people and dogs. So, while I get my pink-frosted with sprinkles donut, each of the dogs get an animal friendly doggie donut that’s healthy for them. I look forward to it every morning if the weather cooperates.