“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