Scruples Read online

  “Out with what?”

  “Something’s wrong with you, I can feel it. You may as well tell me or I’ll bring it up every five minutes until you’re ready to strangle me.”

  That brought a smile to Cassandra’s face. “It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about this morning.”

  “I’m sorry about Justin, but you can do so much better than him.”

  “Can I?” Cassandra’s soft voice held a wealth of insecurity.

  “Of course you can. You are so beautiful and smart. Not to mention funny as hell. You’re young, honey. Someone will come along with a straight penis and sweep you right off your stilettos.”

  “I can deal with a slight curve, as long it’s east to west.”

  “It’s settled then. A full on curvature inspection will take place from here on out. And not by me.”

  “You’re insane, Carls. Literally.”

  “Yes, well, it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.”

  “What about Logan?” Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

  “I doubt he would want the job as penis inspector either, but we can certainly ask.”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Cassie grinned.

  “I have no idea what Logan’s package looks like.”

  “You are so full of shit. As many times as he’s stayed at the house, slept in your bed even, you’ve never seen him nude?”

  Heat spread up Carly’s neck to settle in her cheeks. “I may have peeked once or twice.

  “Ah ha. I knew it.”

  Carly went into defense mode. “It wasn’t like that. I was drinking at the time and just curious. Can we talk about something else?”

  “No, we can’t. The man’s in love with you, Dork. You’re either leading him on or—“

  “I’m not leading him on, okay? Logan’s the sweetest, most gorgeous, decent man I’ve ever met.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  Carly hit the brakes, and pulled off the side of the road. She knew Cassandra was right in her assessment of the situation with Logan Sanders. But no matter how much she cared for the man, they could never be together. His father would see to that, Carly thought with a pang of regret.

  She turned in her seat to face Cassandra. “I want out of this small town. I have dreams that are bigger than anything I can find here. I’ve never known anyone like Logan, but his home is here. His family, friends, business, all here. I can’t ask him to give that up for me and move to a big city where he wouldn’t be happy. It would slowly destroy him, and ultimately, us.”

  “Is that what you really want?”

  Anxiety tightened Carly’s gut. “It’s what I’ve always wanted, you know that,” She hedged.

  “You’re sure it’s not what your mother wants?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Indignation replaced regret. “Mom only wants what’s best for me, and so do I. There are more opportunities for me in California, Cassie. There’s something bigger out there. I just have to find it.” She hated lying to Cassandra, but some things couldn’t be divulged. No matter how much she wanted to scream it to the world.

  “Okay, don’t get your thong in a bunch. I just want you to be happy, and I hate to see you running from something that most people would kill for. I sure wish I had a man look at me the way Logan looks at you.”

  “I think you’re seeing things. Logan and I are friends, nothing more.”

  “Keep telling yourself that.” Cassandra retorted.

  “This conversation is over.” With a sigh of resignation, Carly pulled back onto the road and headed toward home.

  Chapter Four

  Logan fished out his cell from the console of his truck. He’d been sitting in Carly’s driveway for the past five minutes alone. The women had left ahead of him, and he’d taken his time arriving so he could smoke. They should have been there by now.

  Carly’s small red sports car rounded the corner just as he was about to call her. She pulled up next to his truck, and got out. Cassandra followed suit with a twinkle in her eyes, grinning up at Logan as he perched on the edge of his seat with one leg hanging out the door.

  “Hungry, Sanders?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m about to go down on one knee.” He glanced at Carly as she bounded up the steps to the big Victorian style house, and disappeared inside without a backward glance.

  “That cat over there was beginning to look like a steak. You got here just in time.” He nodded toward the black fur ball lounging on the porch.

  Cassandra chuckled. “Come on. I’ll hook you up.”

  “With the cat?”

  “If you do the dishes after dinner.”

  Logan slid from the truck and trailed after the sarcastic blonde. He preceded her through the door, taking a seat on the lumpy couch that he’d always hated with a passion. With all the nice furnishings the home possessed, the couch stuck out like a sore thumb, and was just as uncomfortable as one. With a shake of his head, he snatched up the remote.

  Carly’s voice echoed from the back of the house. “No football, Logan. It’s Sunday. Have some respect.”

  Something in her tone piqued his curiosity. He unfolded his tall frame from Satan’s sofa, and made his way to her bedroom, stopping in front of her partially open door. He lifted his hand to knock just as Carly moved into his line of site, muttering to herself about know-it-alls. What a vision she makes, he thought with a twitch from the front of his jeans. She wore nothing but a red bra and matching thong.

  Logan stood there frozen, unable to move, drinking in her amazing body. He knew it was wrong to keep looking, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His sex filled with blood, hardening into a nearly painful erection.

  “Hey, Sanders, can you give me a hand with this?” Cassandra’s voice interrupted his voyeuristic moment, and he jerked his hand back. What am I doing, standing outside her room like a modern day peeping Tom?

  Logan forced himself to walk away before he gave into the urge to barge into her room and claim her. She belonged to him. He felt it in his soul.

  He stopped in the hall to admire Carly’s graduation picture on his way to the kitchen. It hung in the midst of a collage of smiling faces. Random photos of family and friends were hanging askew in no particular order. A narrow table sat against the wall littered with trophies, awards and trinkets from Carly’s many achievements. Pride filled his chest along with pain. She really was meant for great things, and damn his foolish heart for trying to stand in her way.

  “Yo, Logan.” Cassandra barked from the kitchen in a fake English accent full of impatience.

  He turned to go just as another image caught his eye. A picture of Carly and Cassie at senior prom hung on the opposite wall. Both girls were smiling and holding hands, appearing completely happy, but something was off about it. Logan stared at the photo for a long moment before he realized what it was. Carly’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. There was sadness in their depths that he’d seen a couple of times before. She appeared lost…haunted.

  “That was a great night.”

  Logan had been so deep in thought; he hadn’t heard Carly’s approach. He gazed down at the top of her head as she lifted the frame from its home and held it up for inspection. She was so small compared to him that her head didn’t quite reach his shoulders.

  She raised her face and smiled up at him. “Do you know what I did that night?”

  He didn’t want to know. But instead he said. “Held Cassandra’s hair while she puked?”

  It was a lame thing to say, but his stomach was in knots waiting on her to tell him of some guy she’d been with.

  “Tried my first cigarette,” She ran her thumb over the image.

  The very mention of the little white sticks of doom set his teeth on edge. He wanted one in the worse kind of way.

  “You never told me you smoked.”

  “It was a phase. I had a rebellious streak a mile wide.” She replaced the photo.

  “Had?” He couldn�
�t help but tease her.

  She skirted around him. “I’m no longer rebellious. I’ve evolved into stubbornness.”

  “You got that right,” he mumbled, following her into the kitchen.

  “Never mind now, Logan. I no longer need the benefit of your great height.” Cassandra tossed him a beer, and went back to stirring something that smelled delicious.

  He popped the top and took a long drink. “What smells so good?”

  “Spaghetti and cat balls,” Cassandra answered in a matter of fact tone before placing a lid on the pot.

  “Freak.” Logan shook his head. “I’ll be right back. I have a call to make.”

  Chapter Five

  “Does he really think I don’t know he smokes?” Carly grinned at the back of Cassandra’s head.

  The blonde glanced over her shoulder. “I didn’t even know you knew. He tries so hard to hide it from you.”

  “I’ve known for years, Cassie. I should go out there and relieve his mind. It’s his life to do with as he wants.”

  “True, but if you open that door, he’ll crush it before you reach him. I can only guess at how much money he’s wasted on half smoked cigarettes when he’s near you.”

  A vision of her father lying in a coffin passed through her mind. “I just don’t want the same thing to happen to—“

  “He’s a big boy, Carls. Really big. Gigantic—“

  “Okay. I get it.”

  “Go tell Goliath the Cataroni and cheese is ready.” Cassandra chortled.

  Carly’s lips twitched. “You mean spaghetti.”

  “Yeah. That too. But give him a minute to finish his game of hide and smoke.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Carly trailed off into the living room and turned on the television before easing over to the window to crack open the blinds.

  Logan leaned against his truck with his back to the house. A puff of smoke left his mouth to drift off in the breeze like a lazy cloud on a summer day. The picture he made was not only sexy, but endearing.

  Carly abandoned her post at the window to take a seat on her most cherished couch. She understood Logan’s need to keep his bad habit from her, but that didn’t mean she had to like that he did. One of the things she loved most about him was the fact that she could tell him anything without expecting judgment. She wanted him to feel the same about her.

  With a sigh of frustration, she leaned back against the cushions to wait. Surely he wouldn’t let Cassandra’s warmed up, leftover spaghetti get cold.

  After several commercials on weight loss, gum disease, and car insurance, Carly jumped to her feet. She marched to the door, jerked it open and came face to face with Logan.

  “I was just coming to get you. Dinner’s ready.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “Were you spying on me?”

  “Of course not. I was watching Criminal Minds,” she stuttered.

  He glanced toward the television. “What episode is it?”

  “It’s um—“

  “You were stuck to the blinds like a crack head, Carls. Looking at my ass, no doubt.” He grinned and stepped around her.

  Carly closed the door. “Well, it is a nice ass, but I was actually waiting on you to finish your cigarette.”

  Logan came to a stop. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t approve, and I try like hell not to do it anywhere near you.”

  A lump formed in her throat. Damn, she loved him. “Well, you don’t have to hide it from me anymore.”

  She walked past him and gave his butt a smack. “Besides, I’m sure I do things you don’t approve of also.”

  “You’d be correct.”

  “How unfortunate for you,” she tossed over her shoulder, waiting for his predictable retort.

  “Kiss it, Carls.”

  * * * *

  An entire pot of spaghetti and two bottles of wine later, the three of them moved to the living room for the a new episode of Criminal Minds.

  Logan splayed out on the lumpy couch while Carly lay in front of him in a spooning fashion. Her sweet scent surrounded him, making it difficult to concentrate on the conversation she and Cassandra were having. Something about who was hotter, Hotchner or Derek.

  He refrained from any sarcastic remarks, and leaned forward to grab his beer from the coffee table. Carly snagged it and handed it back to him.

  “Thank you,” he murmured, and took a long draw from the cool, brown bottle.

  They’d switched to beer after killing off the wine, which was fine by Logan. He wasn’t much of a wine drinker anyway. And if Carly stretched one more time, pressing her luscious ass against him, he’d be forced to push her off onto the floor. She had no idea the torment he was in by being so close to her.

  “You better get to bed, Carls,” Cassandra muttered. “You have to open in the morning.”

  “Don’t remind me. Any chance of talking you into going in my place?”

  “Hell no. I don’t have to make an appearance until noon. But my heart will be with you.” She laid a hand on her chest for dramatic effect.

  “You suck,” Carly presented her with the finger, and stood. She glanced down at Logan before stumbling toward the hall. “I’ll get you a pillow and blanket.”

  He knew better than to argue with her. Besides, he had enough alcohol in him to endure sleeping on that piece of shit sofa for a week. He would buy her a new one first thing in the morning, he decided with a wince.

  Logan stretched his long legs out as far as the couch would allow. “Why does she have this ugly, uncomfortable lump of springs, Cass?”

  “It belonged to her Grandfather. He used to keep it in his office at Brysons, and Carly couldn’t bear to part with it when she remodeled the place. She grew up napping on it as a child. Her daddy loved the old thing too. It’s like a family member to her.”

  “Damn.” Logan immediately felt contrite. He knew how much Carly missed Dexter and her dad.

  “It’s cool.” Cassie waved it off. “She knows how awful it is. I hate the damn thing too, but it makes her feel good, so we compromise. Besides, she let me keep that.” She nodded toward a hideous green lamp perched on a table next to her chair.

  Logan laughed. He couldn’t help it. He wondered why he’d never noticed it before. “Let me guess. Your daddy gave it to you also.”

  A shadow passed through eyes. “I’m going to hit the hay. I’ll see you in the morning.” She left the room, leaving Logan to frown at her retreating back.

  That was the second time in less than twenty four hours he’d noticed something was off with Cassandra. He made a mental note to speak with her about it over breakfast.

  Chapter Six

  Carly rolled over and glanced at the clock she’d forgotten to plug in the night before. She jumped from the bed in a panic, immediately regretting it. Her head spun, forcing her to grab onto the headboard to keep from falling.

  After several deep breaths, she let go of her anchor, and made her way down the hall into the living room. The grandfather clock in the corner told her she had three hours before she had to be up for work.

  Poor Logan, she thought with a grimace. He was going to be sore as hell from sleeping on the too short sofa. She tiptoed farther into the room until the couch came into view. Two things became obvious at once, Logan wasn’t on the couch, and the front door had been left open a crack.

  He must be smoking. She crept to the door, listening for sounds of movement. A howl split the night, and Carly nearly jumped out of her skin. Wolves were unheard of in DeFuniak Springs, other than the two Logan owned, and the closest known wildlife resort was located in the neighboring Holmes County.

  With her eyes huge in her face, Carly eased the door open to peer into the night. “Logan?” she whispered. Silence.

  Another howl ricocheted off the trees sending nerves running up her back. Adrenaline coursed its way through her body leaving tense muscles and a racing heart as evidence of its power. She wanted nothing more than to run back into her bedroom, lock the door, and crawl
under the covers. But Logan was out there somewhere with a wild animal. She had to do something.

  “Logan Sanders, you better answer me.” When he didn’t respond, she flipped on the outside light and glanced around the porch, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Something ran between her legs, and into the house with enough force it nearly knocked her off balance. It took her a second to realize it was Cassandra’s cat. “Damn it, Psycho. You scared the shit out of me.”

  Carly never understood why Cassie would name a cat, Psycho, but she was inclined to agree with her in that moment. The damn thing just randomly appeared at the most inopportune times like something out of a Wes Craven movie.

  With her senses on high alert, she stepped out onto the porch. Crickets chanted in synchrony, partially drowning out the hoot of a nearby owl. Stars peppered the sky in beautiful, twinkling brilliance, resembling diamonds scattered across a black velvet backdrop.

  Wildlife seemed oblivious to a predator in their midst, Carly noted as she slowly descended the steps and crept along the front of the porch. “Logan,” she hissed. Where the hell can he be?

  She came to a stop at the corner of the house. The light spilling from the porch had grown dimmer the farther she walked. One more step and she’d be immersed in darkness. She wanted to turn back so bad her muscles tightened up. Her brain fought a war with her heart, and lost.

  She loved Logan, always had, even though he could never know. His family owned half of Walton County, and boasted of politicians from Tallahassee to Washington DC. They had a string of hardware stores that included Bay and Okaloosa Counties as well. Logan was expected to marry well, and run for office. He’d already stepped into his father’s shoes, taking on half the family business.

  Alfred Sanders was a very prominent man in the community, well respected by his peers, and loved by all who knew him. He headed up most of the local charities, fundraisers, and political events. His seat as County Commissioner of district five had won him the people’s trust and loyalty for years to come. He expected his children to follow suit, and Marissa, Logan’s sister was no exception.