High-Sided (Armed & Dangerous #3)(33)

We came up on Cullasaja Falls and he pulled off to the side of the road. It was the same spot we stopped at on our first date. He hadn’t wanted to take me out to eat and to the movies like everyone else did at our age. We’d been more adventurous and carefree.

Logan held onto my hand as I hopped off his bike. The view of the falls was breathtaking. I’d ridden past them numerous times over the years, but I never cared to stop and actually look at them, not after all the memories Logan and I shared there. I took off my helmet and so did Logan.

“Remember when we used to come up here all the time?” he asked, putting his arm around my waist.

I smiled up at him. “How could I forget?”

Taking my hand, he helped me over the guardrail and we climbed down the rocky slope toward the water’s edge. The sound of rushing water grew louder the closer we got. We were right at the top of the falls, where the water cascaded over. There were large boulders in the water and we hopped across them until we got to the one we used to always sit on. Just one minor slip and we’d be in the water, tumbling over the falls. It was an exhilarating feeling to be close to something so powerful. Sprays of refreshing cold water misted across my skin.

Logan wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. “I’ve missed this place. Don’t get me wrong, Charlotte has its perks, but there’s nothing as amazing as this.”

“What are you going to do when you go back?” I asked, knowing the inevitable was going to happen. He had a house and a life he’d just up and left. Plus, he knew I couldn’t leave Bennett Racing behind. My home was here, in the mountains.

He stared over at me, obviously hearing the trepidation in my tone by the way his brows furrowed. “Are you asking if I’m going to forget about you?”

I shrugged. “You have a life over there. I don’t know what you left behind.” Or who, but I didn’t want to say that.

Sighing, he leaned in and kissed me. “To be honest, I don’t consider Charlotte my home. I was never there much to begin with. I threw myself into work for the most part. I could be working on a case for months.”

I didn’t like the thought of him leaving town for months without seeing him, but I knew it was his job. Sooner or later, he’d have to go back to it. “Is that how it’ll always be?” I asked.

A small smile spread across his face. “You worried about me?”

“Of course, I am. When I knew you were in school to be an agent, I never thought about all the danger you’d be in. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

He leaned over and kissed me, his hands firm against my cheeks. “Don’t worry about that, Kassie. I’m good at what I do. No matter what I have to do, or where I have to go, I’ll always come back to you. I don’t want to lose you again.” The wind blew a strand of hair into my face and he brushed it away. “What about you? You’re about to fully take over Bennett Racing. How does that feel?”

I chuckled. “Scary as hell. I think one of the reasons my dad hired Sean was so that I’d have back up. We’ve had some riders tryout who blatantly have no respect for women. When my dad’s around, people fear him, and in return, fear me. I just don’t know how it’ll be when he steps down.”

“You’ll do fine,” he murmured. “Besides, if anyone tries to f*ck around with you, I’ll kick their ass. That is, if Sean doesn’t beat me to it.”

“Is it going to bother you that I’ll be working with him for the rest of my life?”

His jaw clenched and he looked away. “As long as he doesn’t try anything with you, we’ll be fine. But I’m not going to lie, it’s worse knowing you two have slept together.”

I’d be livid if he had to work closely with a woman he’d had sex with. “I promise, you have nothing to worry about. And speaking of which, I’m going out to dinner with Sean and Janie tomorrow night.”

His brows lifted. “And I didn’t get an invite?”

I shook my head. “It’s not like that. I have a plan and I’ll need your help. I want Sean and Janie to hit it off.” By the look in Logan’s eyes, he wanted them to work out too.





We rode further up the highway to see more waterfalls before turning around and heading back home, since it was getting dark. When he dropped me off at the shop, there was no one there. He loaded up his bike in the back of his truck and strapped it down. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to keep it away from people who could sabotage it. The last thing I wanted was to see him hurt on the track. However, it made me feel like we couldn’t trust the guys on our team.

I leaned against Logan’s truck and he blocked me in.

“Is there anything else you want to do, or should we call it a night?” he asked. I was nowhere near ready to let him go.

“We could order take-out and eat at my house.” I bit my lip, waiting for his reply. It felt like we were on a first date. I couldn’t help but be nervous around him.

He noticed me biting my lip and smiled. “Is that Italian place we liked still open?”

My stomach growled. “Yep and it’s even better than before. The garlic knots will always be my favorite.”

“I remember,” he murmured. “Why don’t you call it in, then we can drop off your Jeep at your house and pick up the food.”