He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

a sip of her soda.
    Logan put his fork down right after she did, as if he’d been waiting for her to finish. She glanced at his plate and only then realized he hadn’t eaten much more than her. Apparently he didn’t have an appetite this morning either.
    “I wanted to make sure you were okay before I left for work,” he said. “I know last night was . . . difficult.”
    Why couldn’t he let it drop? She took another sip of her drink.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    Sighing, she set the can down. “I don’t know how I feel. You’ve kind of knocked me off balance.”
    “What do you mean?”
    She waved a hand at the food on the table. “Breakfast. You, here, being nice to me.”
    He sat back with a lopsided smile. “I’m not supposed to be nice to you?”
    “You know what I mean.”
    “Yes, I think I do.” His face lost all signs of amusement. “You think because you survived some lunatic’s twisted sadistic game and your friend didn’t, that you’re somehow to blame. That’s bullshit.”
    “Excuse me?”
    He pitched his napkin on the table and stood. “Let’s go for a walk. There’s something I want to show you.”
    He stepped behind her chair to pull it out, not giving her a chance to argue.
    They went out through the French doors, across the back deck, and stepped into another world. The grass was spongy and soft beneath Amanda’s sandals. The air as they neared the edge of the lawn was surprisingly comfortable in the shade of the towering pines and moss covered live oaks.
    “It’s the creek,” Logan said, noticing her surprise. “It runs along the back of the property, cools the air. Beyond that is deep-water access to the Gulf, which sends even more breezes this way.” He reached out his hand. “Come on.”
    She placed her hand in his and was rewarded with an affectionate squeeze of his fingers.
    He pulled her behind him down a twisting path through the pines, a path she hadn’t noticed from the house.
    “Are you sure you have time for this?” she asked, wondering how far they were going.
    “I’m the boss. I’ll write myself a note,” he teased. “We’re almost there.”
    The path ended abruptly at the edge of the creek Logan had mentioned. Amanda was walking so fast to try to keep up with his long strides that she couldn’t stop. She would have fallen into the creek if he hadn’t grabbed her.
    Once he’d steadied her, instead of letting her go, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.
    She stiffened at first, then she relaxed against him, and his arms tightened around her. Delicious heat spiked through her as she breathed in his familiar scent, the same scent that clung to the comforter on her bed. It felt so right standing there with his arms around her.
    “This is my private sanctuary,” he said, his voice pitched low as if they were in church. “It’s where I go when I need to think, or get away.”
    The creek was no more than twenty feet wide but it had a strong current as evidenced by the little eddies and swiftly moving pine needles that blanketed its surface. It was dark, with the towering pines and oaks sheltering the glade, but that’s why it felt so cool and comfortable even in the midst of the hot Florida summer. Jasmine scented the air and a cooling breeze blew across the water.
    “It’s beautiful,” she breathed, her voice as low and respectful as his was.
    He took her hand and pulled her to the quaint wooden bench that sat in the middle of the clearing with a perfect view of the creek. He sat down and patted the bench beside him.
    “Sit,” he ordered. When she hesitated, he added, “Please?” and gave her hand a gentle tug.
    Shaking her head at his irresistible charm, she sat, her thigh pressed tightly against his in the narrow space. “How many women have you taken here to your cozy little retreat?”
    “Just one. You.” He turned his intense gaze upon her.
    Her breath caught at his whispered words. Unable to bear his scrutiny, she looked at the water, concentrating on the beauty of its motion as it rushed over the little rocks and branches that drooped down.
    “Why did you bring me here?” she asked, barely able to get the words out past the tight constriction in her throat.
    He sighed, the sound loud in the silence of the forest. “I should never have asked you to tell me about your abduction. I put you through torture. Gave you nightmares.”
    “Nightmares?”
    He glanced at her as if searching