Page 47 of Logan (The Valeur Billionaires #1)

He takes another step until his chest bumps against my palm. My breath hitches, my pulse kicking into overdrive. I feel the heat of him through his shirt, the play of muscle beneath my fingertips.

Traitorous body. Don’t leave me hanging out to dry here.

“You left me to sit across from Liam and watch that mortifying video. He saw me naked, Logan. The humiliation—” To my horror, fresh tears well in my eyes, my voice cracking on a sob.

“I know, baby.” He takes another step until he’s a hair’s breadth away, close enough that I can feel the whisper of his breath on my skin.

His eyes are hazy, the blue consumed by the black of his pupils as I stare up at him, drowning in his gaze. I don’t move, don’t resist as he closes the final distance between us.

“Believe me, I would never do that to you on purpose. I got called away to Dallas to handle an emergency with a deal. I was there all day. I didn’t know until Liam filled me in after I landed. I had no idea about the video, I swear it.”

He takes one more step, and then I’m in his arms again, sobbing into his chest as he strokes my hair, murmuring soft words of comfort.

I lift my head, swiping at the damp patch I’ve left on his expensive suit. “I’m ruining your clothes.”

“Fuck the clothes, Sloane. Look at me.” He tilts my chin up, forcing my gaze to his. “I didn’t know about the video. I never would have left you to deal with that alone. You have to believe me. I can’t lose you. You want me to beg? I’ll fucking beg.”

He sinks to his knees in front of me, his hands on my hips, and my eyes go wide with shock.

“I have to say, the view from down here is pretty spectacular.” His gaze is locked on the juncture of my thighs, a wicked gleam in his eye. “I’ll happily worship at this altar every day, Sloane.”

He leans forward and places a kiss right over my covered mound, his lips hot even through the thin cotton.

I suck in a sharp breath, my knees nearly buckling. “What are you doing? Get up.” I grab his arms and haul him back to his feet, my face flaming.

“I need you to believe me, to know that I would never hide behind you, never leave you to face the consequences alone. I’m not a coward, Sloane. I’ll do anything?—”

“I believe you,” I blurt out, the words tumbling free before I can stop them.

His eyes are bright with emotion, raw and honest in a way I’ve never seen. It staggers me, the depth of feeling swirling in those blue depths.

He blinks. “What?”

“I believe you,” I repeat, stronger this time.

“Really? You just...believe me? Just like that?”

I nod, hardly believing it myself. But I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. It’s like I can feel the truth of it in my bones, in the steady thump of my heart. Logan isn’t lying.

I meet his gaze head-on, my voice quiet but resolute. “If I find out you’re lying to me, there’s no coming back from that. But yes, I believe you.”

His shoulders sag with relief, the tension draining out of him like water from a sieve.

I feel a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth, the first real one in a while. “Don’t worry, Liam didn’t recognize you. There’s not much of you visible in the video, and I didn’t say a word. You’re in the clear. Your job is safe.”

He snorts, shaking his head. “I told him it was me.”

“What?” I try to pull away again, but this time his arms lock around me, holding me in place.

“You thought I would hide behind you? I told you, I don’t give a fuck about my position or my career. I’m not throwing you to the wolves and running.”

“Why would you do that?” I stare at him, aghast. “You were safe. Now we’re both screwed.” The tears well again, blurring my vision. “You’ll lose everything.”

“I don’t care.” He says it simply, like it’s an indisputable fact. “Everything I said at the gala, about wanting to be with you... That hasn’t changed for me.”

I’m silent, my mind reeling.

“This is the part where you’re supposed to say, ‘I want to be with you too, Logan,’” he prompts, a hint of uncertainty creeping into his voice.

I stare at the beautiful, infuriating man in front of me, my heart swelling until I feel like it might burst. God, I want him. I want this, want us. But my thoughts are a tangled mess, the ground shifting beneath my feet. I’ve lost my job, my life as I knew it. I don’t know which way is up anymore.

“I’m not in a good place right now, Logan. I can’t think straight.”

He sighs, his eyes sliding shut. “I know I’m unloveable. I’ve made my peace with that. But I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me, Sloane. I’ll take anything.”

I frown, thrown by the defeat in his voice. “What? Wait. What do you mean, not loveable?”

He’s silent for a long moment, his eyes distant. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I love you, and we’ll figure this out. I’ll make do with whatever you can give me.”

My brain screeches to a halt, my mouth falling open. “What?”

“We’ll figure it out?—”

“No, not that. What you said before.”

“That I love you?” A slow, brilliant smile spreads across his face, stealing my breath. “I fucking love you, Sloane.” He strides to the door and yanks it open, shouting out into the night. “I love Sloane Harris!”

“ Shh !” I rush over and drag him back inside, giggling helplessly. “You’re insane.”

“There it is.” He grins down at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “There’s that smile I love so much.”

My cheeks heat, my heart doing a giddy little flip in my chest. What am I going to do with this man? When he smiles at me like that, I’m a goner, a useless puddle at his feet.

“Anything you want, Sloane.” His tone goes serious, his hands cupping my face. “Just tell me what to do to make this happen for us.”

I nibble my lip, considering. “I want to know why you said you can’t be loved.” I sit on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside me. “You still owe me a talk, and I think it’s time we have it.”

“Fair enough.” He sits next to me, our thighs pressing together. He takes a deep breath, seeming to steel himself. “I don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning is usually a good place.” I bump his shoulder with mine, trying to lighten the sudden tension.

He scrubs a hand over his face, his shoulders hunching. “I said that because you’re not the first person to tell me I’m unlovable.”

“I said that?” I gape at him, aghast. I would remember saying something so cruel.

“Yeah, in London. You said you could never fall for a guy like me. And it’s fine, I get it. I know I’m not an easy man. I’ve heard the rumors, the names they call me behind my back.”

“Not all of them,” I mumble, shame sitting heavy in my gut.

He twists his mouth into a rueful smile. “Sometimes I think I was born defective.”

I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”

“No one knows this.” He takes a deep breath, his eyes finding mine.

“I won’t tell.”