“Evening, Mr. Olarez.” Logan held out his hand.

Horatio Olarez smiled and clasped his hand around Logan’s. “Quite the presentation today, Mr. Stone. I am most impressed.”

Logan smiled. “Glad to hear it was worth your time.”

“ Si . I know potential when I see it.”

That sounded promising. This was normally where Logan launched into conversation, playing to basic human needs and how he solved them. Tonight those well-rehearsed lines escaped him. “It would be my privilege to invite you, all expenses paid, to the Stone Security facility. My setup there provides a better model of what I can make happen on a broader scale.”

Olarez’s expression was unreadable as he peered at Logan. “You are a man of fine tastes.” He gestured to Logan’s empty glass, and the bartender refilling it with expensive scotch. “Join me in the courtyard? I have brought the finest cigarillos in all of South America. A shame to keep them to myself.”

Logan nodded. “Lead the way.”

He could use some fresh air.

The moon hung low and bright in the sky, a night when the lunar terrain etched visibly on the glowing surface. His wool suit shielded him from the bite in the November air. He accepted a cigarillo and Olarez flicked open a lighter. The scent of butane preceded wood-smoked cherry. He let the smoke fill his mouth with a pleasant sting.

Pondering the skyline, Olarez said, “I hear that in the District of Columbia no building may be taller than the Washington Monument.”

“That’s the deal.”

“Why is this?”

Logan blew out a stream of smoke that shone blue in the moonlight. “The pyramids of Giza, the Tower of Babel, the Washington Monument. They’re all beacons of hope, of strength. Structures of significance to the people. For us, the monument signifies courage in the face of oppression.”

Horatio tilted his head. “A fine explanation. You know American history well.”

“I love my country. Served it faithfully for ten years. I protected it with my life, and now I plan to protect it in a different way.”

A comfortable silence passed. They puffed their cigars.

Then Horatio spoke again. “The woman who presented with you today. She wears a ring. It is yours?”

Logan paused a beat. “Yes.”

“Ah.”

Glancing askance, Logan noticed a twinkle in the man’s eyes. When Horatio said nothing, Logan filled the quiet. “I’m glad one of us finds it amusing.” Realizing how the statement sounded, he backpedaled. “What I meant was—”

Horatio held up a hand. “I understand. This is new for you.”

“What is?”

“You find that someone else is more important than what you want for yourself.”

Incredulous, he wondered how they’d gone from iconic structures to his barely-requited love life. “You got all that from two minutes of conversation?”

“It was the two minutes before our conversation that intrigued me.”

Considering his foul mood as he’d watched Allison from a distance, the impression couldn’t be good. “So I’m that transparent.” Great .

Horatio chuckled. “I believe the American phrase is ‘it takes one to know.’”

It takes one to know one . Logan wasn’t about to correct him. The man had an uncanny way of pegging people, and Logan didn’t want to attract more attention to his confusing love life.

Horatio sighed. “There are worse things, my friend.”

“Nothing comes to mind.”

A cryptic smile accompanied Horatio’s next statement. “A great man cannot achieve success until he knows the one thing he cannot overcome.”

Logan took a drag from the cigarillo. “Some things sound better on paper.”

“Not a quote from a book, my friend. It is a truth.”

At the edge of the patio, Logan made a groove in the flowerbed with his shoe. “I don’t think I can overcome it. Or, if I could, I’m not sure I’d want to.” Then he rolled his eyes at himself. “I can’t believe I’m talking about this to someone I don’t even know.”

“What we have in common is greater than our differences.”

The man missed his calling as a philosopher. Logan looked up at the starless sky. “Does it ever stop? This feeling if you lose the person who makes you whole, you’ll never recover?”

Unimaginable sorrow touched the man’s features, aging him twenty years. “It does not.”

Logan bowed his head, honoring Horatio’s quiet pain. “I figured.”

“There are many who will never care to lose what they didn’t have the heart to find.” His tone cooled. “I find those men can never be trusted.”

Logan regarded Horatio Olarez like an apprentice reveres a master. “I think I understand.”

Shedding the personal intensity of their exchange, Horatio flicked the butt of his cigarillo and clapped Logan on the back. “Then let us talk about contracts. How soon is your security device available?”

Logan stopped mid-flick. His glowing orange stub dropped to the patio, hissing before the smoke disappeared. “I think I missed something.”

“Not at all, Mr. Stone. I speak on behalf of my people when I say it will be a pleasure doing business with you.”

A surprised smile tugged Logan’s lips. “I like that sound of that.”

“Excellent.” Horatio beamed. “Let’s talk about my security budget. We will spare no expense…”

As they returned inside the bustling warmth of the mansion, Logan was dumbstruck. How had his one weakness, his feelings for Allison, suddenly turned into his most lucrative international business alliance to date?

He’d investigate the connection later.

Right now, he had a game-changing deal to make.

*

Three hours later, riding high on his handshake deal with Horatio Olarez, Logan boarded his private jet with Allison. The primal satisfaction of landing a stellar contract fueled his vital urges. Not to mention that third glass of scotch. And his still-stinging jealousy.

The day’s events left shadows under Allison’s eyes. He knew she was tired. But this wouldn’t wait for his bedroom. Or the limo.

He wanted her n ow .

As she settled in, she bent down to stow her purse. Her tight red skirt rode up her thighs, her gorgeous ass beckoning him. From this angle, her skirt revealed the lace and clasps of thigh-highs. Holy hell .

The last of his restraint unraveled.