Straight from the Heart

She had to get rid of him. The tension was so thick she had trouble breathing. It was sexual tension and Lucas was very good at creating it. She hated his easy flirting, which created a fear deep inside her. Over the years she had forced herself to date, to come to grips with her terror, but it hadn’t worked. Men in any kind of sexual context—the very thought of sex—stirred a revulsion in her that she couldn’t control. She was beginning to wonder if she ever would.

With his hand on the doorknob, he said, “You have a thing about intimacy, don’t you, Blair? I was only going to say late at night when I feel…” He stopped, then added, “Hell, you were right. I did have something risqué in mind.”

Lucas grinned all the way down the hall. Roger was the wrong man for Blair. She needed someone to unlock all those emotions she had hidden away. Someone with passion and ardor. He suddenly stopped walking. He was thinking about himself. No, he was already involved with Jennifer. He didn’t need…but he enjoyed sparring with Blair—maybe too much, maybe not enough. She made his blood rush, kept him on his toes. “No,” he muttered aloud. “No way.” It wouldn’t be the first time he’d fooled himself about a woman.

AS THE DOOR CLOSED on Lucas, Blair picked up a paperweight and threw it. It bounced off the wall and landed on the carpet with a thud. Arrogant bastard, she thought, and immediately checked the door to made sure it was locked. She leaned against it and sank to the floor, drawing her knees up to her chin. How was she going to live this down? Lucas had seen her in a state she’d never allowed any man to see. And the way he’d gazed at her—as though she was an attractive woman he liked looking at. She could still feel those dark eyes heating her skin, her blood. Oh, no. Don’t even think it.

She gulped in some air and did the only thing she could. She started to laugh. After a moment, she sobered, wiping tears from her eyes. Despite the turmoil of this day, she could still laugh. That was good. Maybe Lucas was good for her. No, no, no, she told herself. She wasn’t going to be like every other woman in the courthouse—bowled over by his charm. She intended to avoid Lucas Culver. Like the plague.

CHAPTER TWO

LUCAS DROVE to his office to check his messages and finalize his plans for a long vacation with Jacob and the family. He couldn’t believe how much he missed the kids and he couldn’t believe how much he enjoyed being an uncle. It would be nice to have his own kids, but he didn’t see that in his future.

As he let himself in the side door of his office, Blair’s face flashed into his mind. A Blair with her blue eyes dreamy and her dark hair mussed. He shook his head, smiling. He had a feeling that picture was going to haunt him for days.

He sat at his desk dealing with messages, when his secretary, Joan, stepped into the office. At sixty, Joan was a stoic, unflappable woman, an invaluable asset. Her hair was blond with streaks of gray that didn’t bother her. She had a husband, three kids and a grandchild, yet she managed to handle all his affairs with effortless ease. She was better than a wife, or so his friends told him. She kept his life organized but didn’t nag or complain. At the moment, though, she seemed flushed and out of breath.

He lifted an eyebrow. “What is it, Joan?”

She leaned over and whispered, “Sam Logan is here to see you.”

Lucas frowned, thinking he’d heard her wrong. “What did you say?”

“Sam Logan. He wants to see you,” she whispered again.

“Why are you whispering? He can’t hear us.”

“I know…but I’ve heard all these stories about him and I’ve never met him. He’s very impressive in person.”

Lucas had heard the stories, too. Logan was overpowering in a courtroom. In college Lucas had wanted to be like him—a winning lawyer with the respect of his peers. These days Lucas just wanted to be himself.

Why the hell was Sam Logan calling on him?

Had Blair told him what had happened in her office? No, she wasn’t that kind of woman.

“What should I tell him?” Joan asked.

“Have you cleared my schedule for a couple of weeks?”

Joan’s eyes widened in shock. “Of course, but…surely you’re going to see him.”

“He doesn’t have an appointment, does he?”

“No,” Joan said slowly. “But it’s Sam Logan.”

“So what?”

Joan planted her hands on her hips. “Lucas Culver, what are you trying to pull? You know you’re going to see him, so why are you giving me a hard time?”

“I’ve just never seen you so flustered before.” He smiled mischievously. “If it’ll make you happy, send the man in.”

“Really, Lucas, sometimes…” Her voice trailed away as she left the room.

Lucas got to his feet and fastened a button on his dark gray suit. What a day, he thought. Sam’s daughter had just beaten him in court and he’d seen that same daughter in a state of undress. What next?

Sam Logan entered the office. He was solidly built, about five foot ten and weighed maybe one hundred and eighty pounds, Lucas surmised. He had dark hair, almost black, that was beginning to turn gray, and blunt masculine features. Nothing out of the ordinary, but there was something about Sam Logan that drew one’s attention. An unmistakable aura of power and strength…

Lucas stayed behind his desk instead of joining him at the door. He felt as if he could now meet Sam Logan on equal ground.

Sam walked over, and they shook hands. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice,” he said, and sat in one of the leather wingback chairs. He was dressed in a tailored navy-blue suit, a pinstriped shirt and navy tie—impeccable in dress and manner.

Lucas glanced at his watch as he took his seat. “I have a few minutes between appointments,” he answered. “What can I do for you?”

Sam placed his fingers together in a thoughtful gesture. “I know we’ve never met, but I’ve watched your career over the years. You’ve become a great lawyer and I admire your work.”

Praise was the last thing he’d expected from Sam Logan, and he had to resist the urge to shift uncomfortably in his chair. But Sam wasn’t going to make him feel like a bumbling lawyer without any experience. A smile touched his face. “I find that ironic since your daughter just beat me in court.”

Sam dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. “Any A.D.A. could have won that case.”

For some reason, Lucas didn’t like the way that sounded. Sam Logan made it seem as if he didn’t have any confidence in Blair. “Don’t underestimate your daughter,” he said more sharply than he’d intended.

Sam raised a dark eyebrow. “I don’t,” he answered. “Blair’s getting very good in a courtroom, but you and I both know that your heart wasn’t in the Raye case.”

Was that obvious to everyone? Lucas wondered. Was he losing his edge?

“However, I don’t want to talk about that case,” Sam said. “I want to talk about the future.”

That caught Lucas’s interest. What the hell did his future have to do with Sam Logan?

“You see, I’m thinking about retiring,” Sam went on, studying the end of his fingertips. “My associates, Derek Johnson, Frank Mann and Theo Barker, are also getting on in years. I have other attorneys, but they’re not measuring up. I need new blood, someone who can control a courtroom and maintain the prestige that is synonymous with my firm.” He raised his eyes to Lucas. “You’re the best I’ve seen in a long time. I’d like you to consider working for my company.”

“You’re offering me a job?” Lucas asked with deceptive calm; he knew there had to be more to this than a job offer. But what?

Sam nodded. “Yes, you can come in as a senior partner with a salary commensurate with that status.”

Few things in life shocked Lucas, but this one threw him right into orbit. Logan and Associates offering a senior partnership to a new attorney was unheard of. Like the old saying went—it had to be earned. Sam Logan had the best defense team in the state and no one entered that prized sanctum without paying some dues. So what was Sam Logan up to?

Lucas met his gaze. “How will your top guns feel about this?” It was well known that Sam called his best attorneys “top guns.”

Sam suppressed a smile. “You’ve heard about that?”

“Hasn’t everyone?” Lucas quipped. “And I’m not too eager to get involved with office politics.”

“I am head of Logan and Associates and I make all hiring decisions. Anyone who has a problem with that can leave.” Sam spoke quietly but with force, and Lucas didn’t miss the fire in his voice.

Before he could respond, Sam continued. “To be honest with you, my top guns, including me, have begun to lose some firepower. We need someone younger—someone like you.”

Lucas didn’t blink. There were more than forty attorneys in Sam’s office and some of them were very good. “I’m happy with my job at Harris and Harris.”