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“That settles it then. I’ll order.” She stood up to use the phone, ordering way more food than they’d ever consume.
Candace turned back around, eyes locking on Logan’s as he met her gaze. It wasn’t something she was used to—a man not intimated by meeting her, not fazed by the circus they’d confronted when he’d escorted her from her car. She knew that she was no one special, but men usually reacted badly to her fame or her money, and the way Logan was behaving was the complete opposite. He was just staring back at her like she was...ordinary. Although she guessed a lot of it, dealing with the crowds and stress earlier, was more to do with his training than anything else.
“Can I ask you something?”
He shrugged. “Shoot.”
“You’re the first guy in years who’s treated me like a regular woman and not a celebrity. Is it your training or just how you are?”
He leaned back, crossing his legs at the ankle and stretching out his big body. Logan was tall and fit, the T-shirt he wore snug to his athletic frame, pants stretching over his thigh muscles. She’d sure hit the jackpot where he was concerned.
“Aren’t you a regular woman?”
She felt a blush crawl up her neck and heat her cheeks. It had been a long time since a man had drawn that kind of reaction from her, but he’d said it like it was the most logical answer in the world. Which she kind of guessed it was.
“Of course I am,” she said, refusing to be embarrassed. “It’s just that men usually avoid me, look at me like I’m some freak show because they’ve seen me on television or in magazines, or otherwise they’re all over me. Even most of my bodyguards have never gotten used to dealing with the whole fan and paparazzi thing.”
“Sounds like you haven’t spent much time with real men,” he said with a chuckle. “Or maybe it’s just that Australian men aren’t so easily intimidated. A pretty lady is a pretty lady, no matter who she is, and at the end of the day, I’d rather a camera in my face than a semi-automatic.”
He thought she was pretty? “Well, maybe I should spend more time down under. Is that what you call it here?”
“Yeah, that’s what we call it.”
Candace could tell he was trying not to laugh.
“So, are you going to hang around for the concert?”
“Is that an invite?”
“There’s a VIP pass with your name on it if you want to stay. And I can’t say I’d mind you hanging around, knowing that you’re keeping an eye on things that could go boom.”
“Sure thing. Can’t say I’ve ever been given the VIP status before, so it’ll be a nice change.”
Candace cleared her throat. “Ah, do you have a partner or anyone I should add to the list, too?”
“Yeah, but he’s probably not that interested in a show.”
“Oh.” He was gay? She sure hadn’t seen that one coming, and it wasn’t exactly easy to hide her disappointment. “If you’re sure, then.”
Logan met her gaze, his eyes dancing with what appeared to be...humor? “You’ve already met him, actually.”
She swallowed, trying to figure out why he looked like he was about to burst into laughter again. “I have?”
“Yep. He’s pretty big, beautiful brown eyes...and he’s staring at you right now.”
It took her half a second before she locked eyes with the dog staring at her, his black tail thumping against the ground as she showed him a hint of attention, like he’d figured the joke out before she had.
“That wasn’t funny,” she said, shaking her head and refusing to smile.
“Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”
“So, just the one pass, then?” she asked.
“Just the one,” he confirmed, standing up when a knock at the door echoed throughout the room.
Candace watched as Logan accepted the food and kicked the door shut behind him. He wasn’t hard to watch, the kind of guy she’d always notice no matter where she met him—tall, built and with close-cropped dark hair that matched his eyes. But he was strictly off-limits, eye candy only, because she was staying true to her promise not to get involved with anyone at the moment.
He paused, stood there looking down at her before crossing the room again.
“Candace, I won’t be offended if you say no, but are you busy after your show?”
Why did he want to know, and why did he suddenly look so...staunch? “Why’s that?”
Logan cleared his throat “I thought you might like a night out in Sydney, you know, to just have fun once you’re done with work.” He laughed. “I’ve been working around the clock for months, and I have a feeling you don’t take much time off, either.”
Candace stared at him, taken aback. He’d just managed to surprise her twice in less than a few minutes. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s just not that easy for me to hang out in public.” Was he asking her on a date or did he think taking her out was part of his job description?
He put the containers down on the low table between the two sofas and sat down, leaning forward, eyes on hers. “You’re in Australia, not America, and the places I’ll take you, if it’s just the two of us, no one will even realize who you are.” Logan held his hands up. “But I have thick skin, so you can just turn me down and I’ll forget I ever asked.”
She took the plastic tops off the containers and reached for a pair of chopsticks, before looking up and seeing the serious expression on Logan’s face. He was serious. And she had no idea what to say to him.
“You promise I’d be safe? That it would just be the two of us?”
“I promise,” he said. “You’ll just be a girl in the crowd instead of a superstar.”
A shiver cascaded down her spine, spreading warmth into her belly. Now that was something she liked the sound of. “I’ll think about it, but it does sound nice.” It sounded way better than nice, but she didn’t want to lead him on, not until she’d had time to think about it.
“Well, you just let me know when you’re good and ready,” he said. “Now it’s time for you to tell me exactly what I’m about to bite into here, because I haven’t ever seen anything that looks like this before.”
Candace didn’t usually even talk much before a show, tried to rest her voice, yet here she was chatting with a cute guy and thinking about going out with him. Maybe Australia was exactly the place she was supposed to be right now, to take her mind off everything that had been troubling her since...way too long.
* * *
Logan fought not to grimace as he held the chopsticks—awkwardly. He wasn’t opposed to trying new things, but the food sitting in front of him looked downright scary. Not to mention the fact that he was more comfortable using a good old knife and fork.
“When you said Japanese, I was kind of thinking about the over-processed chicken sushi that I find at the mall.”
Candace gave him her wide smile again, the one that was making him wish he’d met her under different circumstances. Although, someone like her wouldn’t exactly have crossed paths with him if he hadn’t been assigned to mind her. She was an international superstar and he was...a soldier turned bodyguard for a couple of days. Which was why he’d taken his chance to ask her out while he could. That would teach his friends for pestering him about being single too long and not enjoying enough human company—he’d stepped completely outside of his comfort level with Candace.
“So, I probably should have explained to you that sashimi is raw fish, huh?”
Logan raised his eyebrows and wrangled with the chopsticks some more, trying to mimic her actions. Except she was already dunking her first piece in the soy sauce and popping the entire thing in her mouth, which meant she was way ahead of him.
“Here goes,” he muttered, leaning over the table so he didn’t spill any, his other hand ready to catch anything that fell.
“What do you think?” she asked.
He swallowed. “I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to eat raw fish before, but I guess it’s not half bad.”
“I do have one kind with a cooked prawn on top. Here,” Candace said, opening another box and then pushing it his way. “Try this.”
Logan shook his head. “I can’t go eating your favorite foods hours before your big concert. I’m the help, not a guest.”
She rolled her eyes. “If we eat all this I can order more, so just take whatever you like, okay?”
Logan stared at her, wondering if he was about to see her diva side firsthand. He had a feeling someone that beautiful and talented was bound to be difficult. “You’re sure?”
“Look, most celebrities have a rider about exactly what they do and don’t want backstage or in their dressing room. Me? I just ask to have someone ready to run out and grab me great Japanese food and bottled water, and I request good lighting for my hair and makeup team.” She smiled, shrugging at the same time. “I like the fact that everyone thinks I’m easy to deal with, so trust me when I say we can order more. These people are used to divas requesting a certain number of candles with a particular scent, flowers, bowls filled with expensive chocolates and imported candy. You get my drift?”
Logan got the picture. “Okay, pass me the prawn one, then.”
“That’s more like it.”
Candace pushed the container closer to him, as well as a cup with a lid on it.
“What’s this?”
“Miso soup. You’ll love it.”
Logan took off the lid, staring into the brownish liquid. “You sure this stuff won’t kill me?”
“Positive. Now stir it with your chopsticks and take a sip. The green stuff is just seaweed, and there might be a few pieces of tofu floating around, too.”
“Tofu?” he asked, pausing before the cup touched his lips. “You’re killing me. I don’t even think Ranger would eat tofu.”
As if he understood exactly what they were saying, Ranger let out a low whine that made Candace laugh.
“Tofu,” Logan muttered, taking a sip.
It wasn’t half as bad as he was expecting, so he had some more, careful to avoid anything solid that was floating around in the soup. He was probably the only person in the building who hadn’t tried this type of food before, but he was a soldier and a rancher—he was more used to simple steaks, vegetables and fries than the latest cuisines. Not to mention he was having to act like a regular guy instead of one who usually couldn’t go a day without exercising like a crazy thing—sprinting as hard as he could to outrun his demons.
“So, what do you think?” Candace asked, pulling her long hair from her face and throwing it back over her shoulders.
“I think,” he said, clearing his throat and putting down his chopsticks, “that it’s time I went and did another perimeter check.”
He was starting to become way too comfortable sitting around with Candace, eating fancy food like he did it every day.
Smoke billowed around him, obscuring almost everything. He walked slowly, not able to see even one of his feet, but he never let go of Ranger’s leash. And then he stumbled, looked down and realized he’d just walked over another human being, facedown in the sand.
Logan cleared his throat, pushing away the memories that always hit him when he was least expecting them. If he wasn’t on duty, he would have changed his shoes and hit the gym. But today that wasn’t an option, and neither was giving in to his memories.
CHAPTER TWO
CANDACE TOOK A deep breath, mentally preparing for the concert. She’d been given her sixty-minute countdown already, which meant it was time to start running through her exercises, have a little something to drink, stretching out so she was all limbered up and dressing in her first costume.
But preparing for the performance wasn’t taking up all her energy like it should have been. Instead she was thinking about a certain man who’d as good as knocked the wind from her earlier in the afternoon.
She’d been single for so long, not to mention the fact that she hadn’t met a man who’d even remotely interested her for close to a year. Maybe that was why Logan had surprised her so much. Because even if she stayed true to her promise to remain single, she could still appreciate a good-looking man. And Logan was a fine-looking addition to the male species.
Candace cleared her throat and was about to start rehearsing when there was a knock at the door. She didn’t call out because she was saving her voice, but she did cross the room to see who it was.
“Hey.”
The man she’d been trying her best not to think about was standing in the hallway.
“How did you get past my security detail?” she asked in a low voice.
Logan grinned. “It just so happens I know the boss.”
She laughed and pulled open the door so he could come in. She was about to ask him in when he held his hand up and shook his head.
“I’m not going to disturb you, I just wanted to check that you felt safe,” he told her. “I personally handpicked the men working tonight, so you’ve got nothing to worry about, and I’m going off duty now for a quick break.”
Candace thought for a second before saying what was on her mind. “What do you think about escorting me to stage and watching from the wings?”
“Like my own private concert?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She grinned. The idea of having Logan close by in case something did happen would be reassuring.
“What if I made you a trade?” she asked.
He cocked his head, clearly listening.
“I’ll say yes to the night out you suggested, tonight, if you look after me for the duration of my performance.”
Logan didn’t even blink he answered her so fast. “You’re on.”
Candace met Logan’s gaze, determined to keep her head held high. He was a handsome man who happened to be protecting her, and one she’d agreed to go on a date of sorts with. It didn’t mean she had to go all bashful and forget the confident woman she usually was.
“Well, that’s settled then,” she said. “I’m going to keep running through my routine, so if you could come back in about forty-five minutes?”
Logan nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Candace forced herself to stop staring at the tall, heavily muscled hunk standing outside her door and shut it instead, slowly slithering to the floor once she did so, cool timber against her back. She was behaving like a silly girl, flirting with a man who probably had no interest in her other than to parade her around a few hotspots on his arm. How many times before had she had someone say to her that they wanted to take her on a quiet date, only to find the paparazzi tipped off the moment they arrived at a restaurant or club? Or a man pretending he wasn’t interested in her fame, only to find out he was a wannabe film star or singer with a CD he wanted to slip her during drinks or over an entrée. That was why she’d sworn off men for the time being.
Deep down, she wanted to believe that Logan was different, but until he’d proven that he wasn’t the type of guy she was used to, she needed to tread lightly. No falling for her bodyguard, no touching her bodyguard and definitely no letting herself think, at any stage, that he could be anything more than fun.
She’d tried serious, and it hadn’t worked. She’d even tried marriage, too, and that hadn’t worked out well at all. When it came to men, she’d realized that maybe she just wasn’t good at picking them, and it was probably something she’d inherited from her mom. Her mom might have been an incredible businesswoman, but she’d also had to raise Candace singlehandedly because of her poor decisions when it came to the male species.
Candace sighed, reached out for her first outfit, ran her hands down the silk, shut her eyes and imagined herself on stage, wearing it. Listening to the crowd. Holding the microphone as the band started to play. Hair and makeup would be back any minute, and so would her stylist.
She could do this. She’d performed a hundred times before, and Logan had promised her that the venue was safe and secure. She needed to forget the stupid threats and just do what she did best. Because no matter what happened to her, no one could ever take away her love of singing. Performing was the love of her life and it always would be.
This was her time to shine.
* * *
“You a fan of country music?”
