Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5) (8 page)

“Then you got the right guy. No pity here. Trust me. I get screwed-up parents.”

I eyed him. “Yeah?”

He nodded.

Jason and Claire never pushed for answers, but the questions were there. I felt them. Every day. They wanted to know, and I couldn’t blame them. They were concerned. I waited to see if he would ask more, but I didn’t grit my teeth. My stomach wasn’t clenched in knots. He didn’t strike me as someone who would care. He wouldn’t ask the invasive questions. He was easygoing with a joke at the ready all the time. There was also a darker side, but I don’t know…maybe I was just lonely, and he was the only other person I knew.

That was it.

I was lonely. Good God. How pathetic.

Logan pulled back into the street and headed to the next intersection. “Now that I feel all close to you, you’re stuck with me,” he announced. “I’m hungry. You’re going to keep me company.” He rubbed his flat stomach. “The taco place by my house doesn’t close for another half hour.”

LOGAN

I whistled as I locked my car and headed for the house, bag of food in one hand and keys tossed in the air with the other.

I’d been at a party. Texted Hot Girl, picked her up for a random adventure, and now I was home after dropping her off. It was a few minutes till four in the morning on a Monday night, but this was college. This was life. This was what I was supposed to be doing: staying out, going where I wanted—not sleeping a solid eight hours a night and being wifed up.

Nothing against my brother’s girlfriend, but the writing was on the wall. Mason and Sam had been through too much at an early age; they were going to be together forever. And that was the kicker. I don’t even think they cared. They probably relished the idea of being only in each other’s arms for the rest of their ninety years. I wasn’t giving them an extra ten. Shit, Sam
might
endure that long—who knew if all that running she did was good for her body or was slowly killing her.

Nah, I guessed she’d tucker out around eighty-nine. My big brother? Seventy-five, and that was being generous. He was too cold, calculating, and disciplined. He’ll have been under too much stress to make it longer than that.

Me, on the other hand, a solid eighty-three. And a horny eighty-three, too. I’d be doing the same shit as now. I’d get my tacos delivered to me in an old folks’ home, preferably by some young thing. The idea had merit. I grinned as I headed inside, thinking of the sponge baths.

I stopped just inside. The kitchen light was on. We never kept that light on.

“Hello?” I walked inside and spotted Mason locking the back door. “Hey. What are you doing up?” I smiled again. “Had a fight with the wife?”

He scowled, scratching the top of his head as he walked past me to the hallway. “No, you asshole. I had to pick up Nate.”

“Nate…” My voice trailed off, and I took in how my brother was dressed: Sweatshirt. Sweatpants. Bags under his eyes, his hair slightly messed up, and tired lines around his mouth—well, fuck. “I forgot him at the party, didn’t I?” I looked around, but no one had come in behind Mason. “Where is he?”

“Yeah. You left him. I dropped him off at the hotel.”

I groaned, grabbing on to the back of my neck. That was even worse. “His parents are in town.” The pieces were coming back to me. Nate hadn’t wanted to go to the party. But I did, so I talked him into it with the promise that we’d only be gone a few hours. His parents were arriving tonight—make that last night. “They were going to be jet-lagged, so he wanted to stay up and surprise them at the hotel. Shit. Shit. Shit.”

Mason shook his head. “I hope the chick was worth it.”

“The chick?” That’s what they thought. I left him to have sex. I shook my head. “I’m not that shallow. I mean, come on.”

Mason stood half in the dark hallway now, half still in the kitchen’s light. His face was masked with shadows, but I caught the grin. “You didn’t leave the party because of some girl?”

“I did, but—”

He snorted a laugh. “That’s your problem. Whatever you did and whoever it was with, I hope it was worth it. Nate is pissed.” He walked backward toward his room. “And lucky for you, you sleep next door to him.”

I hadn’t left him to have sex. I knew that even when Taylor texted back. She wasn’t that type of girl. But hearing it from my brother, I couldn’t tell Nate the truth. It’d be even worse that I’d left him to
not
have sex. He wouldn’t understand. I’d dropped the ball. Nate was my brother’s best friend, but because all three of us grew up together, we were family. We all lived in the same house, along with Samantha, my future stepsister and Mason’s “wife.”

“’Night, little bro. You’ll make it up to him. Don’t stress about it.” Mason paused before going into his bedroom. “Hey.” His voice had softened.

“Yeah?”

“Did you have fun?”

“What?”

“With the girl. If you didn’t have sex with her, did you have fun, at least?”

I scratched behind my ear.
Did I have fun?
“I thought you didn’t want to know.”

Mason lifted a shoulder. “You’re a little different tonight.”

I scowled. “I am?” I didn’t want to hear crap like that. I was the same. “I was leaving to get food anyway. I forgot Nate was there because
he
was the one off with some girl. Not me. I’ve had a very asexual night.”

“Logan.”

“What?” My scowl didn’t go away. That bothered me.

“I was joking. You’re the same sarcastic jackass you always are.”

“Oh thank God.” I pressed a hand to my chest, giving him a watery grin. “That scared the living shit out of me. Don’t do that.” Sam called to him from inside the bedroom, and I waved him off. “Go back to Sam. Sleep tight, big brother. You’ve got a day full of twofers tomorrow.” Which reminded me… “Oh hey,” I added as he opened his door. He glanced back at me. “The coaches had a rough night. All four of them spent the night at the head coach’s house tonight.”

He cursed. “Are you sure?”

“Yep.”

A second, third, and fourth curse. “That means we’ll be doing sprints all practice.”

I laughed. “Have a good night.” I yelled past him, “You, too, Sam.”

“Stop talking so we can go to bed!” she yelled back.

Mason closed the door behind him, and I went to the kitchen.

MINDF*CKING PARTNER IN CRIME

TAYLOR

“What did you say to him?”

The sight of Jason waiting outside my classroom building hadn’t registered before he saw me and pounced. Well, he didn’t pounce, but it was almost the same thing. He straightened from the building, crushed out his cigarette, and flung a hand in the air as he rushed over to meet me. His hair stuck up all over, like he’d been running his hand through it.

“Uh…”
Wait a minute
. I frowned. “What are you doing here? You don’t go to school here.”

“I’m waiting for you.” He glared and crossed his arms over his scrawny chest. “Kade turned me down. He asked for my competitor’s number instead.”

My mouth twitched. I wouldn’t laugh. “He did?” I could feel myself smiling. I couldn’t stop it.

“It’s not funny. Do you know how much money I lost out on?”

I shrugged. “Look, I told him you’d do it. That was my job. I didn’t say anything else about it.”

“Then why’d he change his mind?”

“I don’t know.” A swarm of students headed inside—even the smokers were going in. “I have to go to class. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“Because I can’t.”

I started for the door, but turned around to walk backward. “What do you mean?”

“He called me from a disposable phone. It’s not in use anymore.” I could see the wheels start to turn as he spoke. His gaze went to my hands, which were empty, then shifted to my book bag.

“No.” I shook my head, stopping before I hit the door.

“You have his real number. He doesn’t give that out.”

I reached behind me, finding the door handle. “Apparently with good reason.” My hand tightened around the handle. “And no, you can’t use mine.”

“Come on…”

I gave him a look.

He trailed off, his shoulders dropping in a sigh. “Fine. Okay.”

“I have class. If you want, I’ll brainstorm new jobs with you.”

“New jobs?” He lifted a hand to scratch his head.

“You know, so you’ll stop with the gambling stuff. Because you know I hate it.”

“Uh…” He bit his lip and glanced around. “I think you’re going to be late for class.” He gestured behind me. “You should get going. We’ll talk later, maybe this weekend.” He began backing away.

I waited, watching him go. No matter which side he was on—taking the bets or making the bets—it was all the same to me. Same world. A dangerous world. I repressed a sigh. Jason would never stop. He’d just stop being honest with me about it.

But at the moment he was right. I needed to get to class. I was a few minutes late, but I slipped into one of the back chairs unnoticed. Or I thought I was unnoticed. I looked to the front of the room to find Jeremy Fuller, the TA from yesterday’s class, leading this one as well. He had the syllabus projected on the wall and pointed at it as he ran through what was expected of students.

Without interrupting his speech, he grabbed a piece of paper and began walking toward me. He was explaining which textbooks were approved for the class when he placed the sheet of paper on my desk.
Glad to see you made it
, he’d written. My cheeks warmed, and I glanced up. He’d moved on to the criteria for an A grade, but he winked at me as he headed back to the front of the room. A couple of girls next to me witnessed the exchange, and I could feel their speculative gazes.

But whatever. I didn’t think their attention was academically rooted. I looked over and one girl was still glaring at me. That was definitely not academic jealousy. Jeremy Fuller was good looking. I’d noticed it yesterday too, but he was the TA. I wasn’t one of those girls who signed up to screw the TA for a better grade. Glaring Girl did not have to worry. At all.

I ignored her, and eventually she turned her heated looks back to the TA. When class was over, I grabbed my stuff to make a quick getaway. I felt like Jeremy might try to talk to me afterwards. Maybe I should’ve stayed and apologized for being late, but I didn’t want to draw any more attention.

I was almost in the clear when I heard my name behind me. “Taylor.”

I cringed and turned around, pushing back against the stream of students leaving around me. Jeremy waved me back into the class, and I could see the glaring girl waiting beside him. Of course. Gritting my teeth, I went back inside, but stood next to the wall. I didn’t want to step any closer. I didn’t want to fight. Not with her. Not with anyone. I just wanted to go to school and move on with my life.

“Glad you came today.” Jeremy handed something to another student and spoke to me, reaching for his bag. He began putting his remaining papers and books in there.

The girl cleared her throat, slinking up right next to his table. “Jeremy?”

His eyes widened. “Oh, Sarah. I didn’t see you there.”

She didn’t look amused. Her eyes grew flat, but her smile didn’t slip a notch. “I was hoping to ask about the Honors Study Group. I heard you were leading it this year?”