Burn by Aubrey Irons Read Free Book Online Page B

places to do the opposite of what we’d all just assumed he was doing.

    “Your Father would be very pleased to hear about it” He smiles at me and shakes his head again; “But my , look at you, Quinn Archer. A doctor, and working for his company; he’d love it.” He leans forward and winks at me; “And again, I’m not William, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least check in with his daughters on his behalf.”  

    I grin and roll my eyes as I feel my cheeks burn a little; “Before you even ask it, no; no boyfriends.”

    Major Lawson chuckles and shakes his head as he sits back in his chair; “I had to ask.”

    I smile at him, “Let me guess; Dad left last will directions for you to have any ill-intend suitor sent to Guantanamo or something?”

    He laughs deeply, the kind of laugh that sucks you right into it too, and he leans back again to wipe his eyes; “Something like that, yes.”

    “Yeah, well, save your favor with the CIA; no boyfriends.”

    “With your credentials and your mother’s looks?” The Major shakes his head; “What the hell is wrong with those idiots up there in New York?”

    I snort; “I don’t even have time for dating! I mean first with the hospital work, and now the stuff with the outreach program, and then there’s Logan- ”

    The Major’s eyebrows twitch just enough for me to trip over my words, and I freeze.

    “What about Logan?”

    “Hmm?” I swallow, trying to make my face look as blank as possible; “Oh, nothing.”

    Smooth, Quinn, so smooth.

    “I just mean with him running the new healthcare program at Archer and everything; he keeps me pretty busy over there!”

    The Major’s brow raises with jus the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he nods; “Logan’s a good man, you know.”

    I laugh, maybe a bit too harshly and quickly than I mean to; “He’s, uh, he’s something alright.”

    “He can be prickly”

    I do hold back a snort this time, but Major Lawson chuckles; “You know, your father had a way of seeing things in people that others didn’t, including themselves.”

    “Not everything is what it looks like on the outside, you know.”

    So what is it that I see in Logan? What can I possibly -  

    No. I shake the thought from my head quickly. God, what am I thinking ? I don’t see anything in Logan except a mistake I need to just put behind me and move on from. Except if that’s the case, why am I still dwelling on it? If Logan is such a cataclysmic and obvious bad decision, why am I having such a hard time getting him out of my damn head and just forgetting about the whole sordid thing?  

    I force myself to push the whole thing with Logan out of my head for the time being, and spend the next thirty minutes or so chatting with Major Lawson. But it’s right back there in my head the second I leave his office, it’s still floating around as I grab a coffee at a cafe down the street, and it’s still gnawing at me as I make my way over to the National Mall.  

    Ok, enough of this , I finally think, setting my jaw and staring across the reflecting pool. One mistake one night is not going to mess with my head this much, and I decide right then and there that it’s time to just cut this whole thing loose and just move on .

    Simple.

    *****

    “Been enjoying the view?”

    I’m sitting on the steps near the top of the Lincoln Memorial when I turn to see Logan walking down towards me; “I was ,” I say petulantly at him.

    He smirks and nods his chin towards my chest; “Yeah, me too.”

    I frown at his glance and look down to realize the top button of my shirt is open a bit more than it should be. I frown and try to shove the burning blush from my cheeks as I hastily button back up; “Do you always have to be the man-child?” I shake my head at him.

    Logan shrugs, grinning at me; “Keep your shirt on and maybe I won’t stare so much.”

    I roll my eyes; “Like it’s my fault my button came undone.”

    “Like it’s