by Janie Marie
“You’re not stupid,” he said. “Innocent and inexperienced, yes. But you’re not stupid.”
Kylie was still focused on his hand and the way his thumb was drawing little circles on her thigh.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” he added.
“What?” She finally tore her eyes away from his hand and found him staring down at her.
“I brought you here because I want to help you,” he said.
She frowned and went to open her mouth, but he squeezed her leg and spoke before she could.
“You’ll never get noticed if you keep hiding under your hood. You need to see that the only way to get what you want is to come out confident and go after what you want. I can help you gain that confidence. Because if you keep letting people push you around, one day, you won’t get back up.” He paused, his eyes drifting down her body before adding, “I saw the way you flinch.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, daring her to argue.
She didn’t.
“I don’t like people taking advantage of the weak. And honey, right now, you’re as weak as they come.”
Her eyes watered.
“I can help you get stronger,” he murmured, sliding his hand along her thigh. “I’ll teach you how to defend yourself. And I’ll give you the experience you need to be confident.”
“I don’t need your help.” She wasn’t what he thought she was.
Logan exhaled, letting go of her leg, and rested his forearms on his knees. “Hood, don’t take my bluntness as an attack. I’m just being straight with you.”
She looked away, almost in tears.
“Do you want Trevor to see you as more than an easy tool to get out of homework?”
She didn’t answer him, but that didn’t stop Logan from telling her what he thought on the subject.
“Because that’s all he sees with you right now. Hell, he probably hasn’t even noticed you up until this project.”
“I know that,” she whispered.
“He’s stupid for not noticing you,” he muttered.
She didn’t look at him because she didn’t want to read into his comment.
“Did you know that guys put girls in categories?”
She turned to look at him, wondering what he was going to enlighten her with now.
He looked happy to have her attention and began his explanation. “Well, for starters, we don’t have the whole ‘She’s just a friend’ thing. Girls are never just friends. You all might do that to us, but for guys, it works like this. There are the girls we make our girlfriends and eventually wives, then there are girls we’d like to fuck, and last—the girls we’d consider fucking if we’re in a zombie apocalypse and all the hot babes are already dead. ’Cause then you could end up having to choose between the chick that smells like farts or your hand.”
Her mouth was hanging open from the moment he listed girls they’d like to fuck, but he was still speaking as if he were telling her about the weather.
“Me, personally, I’d go with my hand before I stick my dick in Smells Like Ass Nancy—but that’s me. I have standards.”
“That’s awful, Logan.”
He laughed loudly. “I’m just fucking with you.”
She shook her head, not sure whether to throttle him or feel giddy because of his amazing laugh.
Logan’s laugh quieted to a chuckle, and he continued, “What I really mean is that those are the girls we hardly know exist, and if we do, we use them for whatever we need at the moment. For example, someone to dump our large project on to complete in one night.” He gave her a pointed look before adding, “While most of those girls fall short in the looks department, some are just unnoticeable.”
“Which category do I fit in?” It was a stupid question but too late for her to retract, so she waited.
His tone was soft and his gaze almost tender. “For Trevor—right now—you’re just a girl who hides under her hood—a girl to use for the moment.” Her heart began to crush. “For me, though”—he grinned, putting his arm over her shoulders and pulling her to his side—“you’re most definitely high on my ‘Want to Fuck’ list.”
Three
FUCK THE BIG BAD WOLF
It felt like days were passing as Logan made a few phone calls and various men came in and out of the room. Kylie stayed quiet, never looking too far from him but avoiding eye contact whenever he looked at her.
She checked the clock on the wall. Five minutes?!
How the hell—
“I want to help you with Trevor.”
Kylie jerked her gaze from the time-fuck of a clock to stare at Logan. “You want to help me with Trevor?”
He hesitated before nodding. “I want you to be able to go for something you want. If that’s my douchebag cousin, I want to help you become the type of person you’re supposed to be—someone he’d notice, not a girl in the apocalypse-only category.”
She gave him an annoyed look.
He shrugged off her irritation. “You know what I mean. He doesn’t see you the way you want him to. I can help you with that.”
She decided to humor him. “Say I take you up on your offer, what would your service include?”
The corner of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. God, he’s so attractive.
“My service?”
Kylie rolled her eyes. “Just spit it out already.”
“Well, the best way to get a boy to notice you is to have a rival male’s interest first.” He hitched his thumb toward himself. “Trevor’s greatest rival is yours truly. I might be his guardian when his dad’s gone, but we really do despise each other.”
“Why?”
Rage lit up his eyes like fire. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you’ll view him differently just because I say he’s a piece of shit.”
Her heart pounded. “How could you say that about him? Trevor’s perfect.”
The inferno in his eyes roared. “I know him better than you do but it’s not what I think of him that matters. You like him. So I’ll take interest in you and make it known that it’s in a sexual way—not that I’m just using you for something—and he’ll begin to look at you in a different light. But I don’t want him to take interest and fuck you just to spite me either. So we have to get him to want you in the ‘girlfriend’ category. To do that, you have to come out of hiding.” He flicked her hood. “No more hiding under this. You need to show off what you’ve got.”
Not really paying attention to the fact he was offering the most ridiculous form of help, she blurted out her insecurities. “I have nothing, Logan. I’m not going to be one of those girls standing in the hall for you. I know I’ll never have a guy like Trevor. It’s pathetic to like him, but what can I do?”
“You’re right,” he said. “You’re not one of those girls—you’re better than them.”
She turned stare at the wall instead of his face. He was too gorgeous to look at for an extended period of time. Looking at him while he implied such a thing would only hurt her later when she was foolish enough to believe it.
“This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.” She bit her lip, worried about sounding nasty, but there was no annoyance in his eyes, only humor. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re hot when you’re angry,” he said, chuckling softly.
“Is that all you ever think about?” she snapped.
“Oh, come on, Kylie. Don’t be angry with me. I just want to help you.”
She huffed and crossed her arms, very aware of his fingertips trailing up and down the side of her arm where his hand rested. Her eyes followed the movement in a trance, and for the first time in a long while, she wished she wasn’t wearing her hoodie so those fingers would glide over her skin instead of just her clothing. “But you said girls and guys aren’t friends. This proves you’re full of it.”
He smiled, shaking his head as he squeezed her to him again. “Baby, I told you what list you’re in for me. We’re not friends.” His dark eyes
roamed over her face slowly. “There’s just a need to protect you that I can’t get over. Hooking up is what I want, but I don’t want to hurt you. So the fact you don’t like me that way and you’re in love with my cousin won’t hurt. ’Cause, essentially, you’re using me.”
“I don’t want to use you,” she said, frowning. “That’s wrong.”
“Maybe I want you to use me,” he said, chuckling.
Kylie sighed, feigning frustration as she fought the smile trying to form on her lips.
Logan saw it and grinned, adding, “What’s so bad about getting what I want while making sure you’re safe? Besides, when we’re done, you’ll have Trevor.”
Her body relaxed into him, but her heart hurt. It was heartwarming that he wanted to keep her safe, but for him to admit that his eagerness to provide this protection was because he wanted sex made her sad. She shouldn’t be sad though. She couldn’t let herself think of Logan as anything more than a sex god with a kind heart. He had to remain just that, and she needed to remember it was Trevor she loved—the boy she always dreamed of—and this was Logan’s plan for her to have him.
“And if I don’t want to give myself to you?” She exhaled, feeling his hot breath around her ear.
“You don’t want me?”
She closed her eyes as his lips brushed her ear, sending her body into a new heat she’d never experienced before. Her mouth went a little dry, and she swallowed when his tongue lightly flicked her earlobe.
“I don’t want to be used,” she whispered, though her body was now begging him to use it however he wished. “I—I don’t want to be taken advantage of.”
A rumble sounded from him as he whispered in her ear. “Like Trevor used you?”
She snapped her eyes open and shifted away the same time he did.
His look had darkened considerably, and his voice turned cold. “Because he did, honey. And you let him without putting up any sort of fight. If it weren’t for me, you’d be at my apartment, tired and hungry, all while Trevor is fucking whoever is on his list tonight. Maybe you’d be there to see it, maybe not. Either way, deep down, you’d know the truth—he used you. No matter how tough you think you are right now, you’d be sobbing, wishing for someone to care when the truth about Trevor hits you.” He grabbed her chin, keeping her face up when she tried to hide her brimming tears by looking down. “I’m telling you, for some reason, I care about what happens to you—and I want to make sure Trevor, or any other dicks out there, know they’ll have me to answer to if you get hurt.”
Kylie watched his angry face through her burning eyes. “But you’re still using me.”
He dropped her chin and sat back. “Just think about it. I do really want to help. And it’s more like we would be using each other.”
She scooted farther from him as he leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.
“But I’m not going to lie to you,” he continued, “I’m still just a guy who wants to get in your pants, and that won’t change.”
She turned to wipe her tears away, his words slicing her heart.
He sighed and leaned over, grabbing her chin again, only gentler this time. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see his beautiful face as he said such hurtful things. It didn’t even matter they’d only just met—he was the first person to show real interest in her.
“Open your eyes.” His voice slid over her skin and into her bones.
“I don’t want to,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut tighter, hoping her tears wouldn’t fall.
“Why?” His voice was closer, but it was cold once more.
“Because you’re hurting me,” she whispered, trembling from his touch and her sadness.
“Open them.”
The power in his order demanded obedience. So, afraid and sad, she opened her eyes to see his face right in front of hers, maybe an inch away.
“Hood,” he said softer, moving his hand from her chin to hold the side of her face, “I promise to never intentionally hurt you, okay?”
She nodded as the warmth of his hand seeped into her skin. She would have tilted her face more toward his palm if she didn’t think he’d laugh.
“There’s no pressure,” he went on. “Just think about it. Besides, it will be good practice for you before entering the adult world.”
“What do you mean?” She had calmed a lot now that he wasn’t looking or sounding like he was ready to kill someone. It was strange how he could achieve these sudden jumps in mood and make her nearly forget all sadness and frustration.
“I’m just taking a guess,” he said, “but you don’t strike me as a girl who knows her way around the male sex.”
“So?”
He chuckled. “Don’t you want to be confident when you decide to start a relationship?”
“I’m fairly certain I won’t have the opportunity anyway.”
He watched her for a few seconds. “You have no idea what awaits you. I’m just giving you the chance to embrace yourself without some piece of shit taking you without your consent and breaking that sweet little heart of yours.” A strange look flitted over his face before he went on. “I wasn’t joking about which list you’re on with me. I know there’s a hottie just waiting for me underneath this hoodie. I’m going to enjoy unwrapping you.”
She couldn’t help but smile at him. He was so inappropriate, but she liked how blunt he was with her, and she was happy to have him teasing her again.
“I won’t hurt you, Kylie.” He pulled her to his side. “Do you want some jerk to come and feed you sweet lines, then screw you and leave you used on the floor?”
She shook her head.
“Do you want to have no idea what you’re doing so you’re either made a complete fool of, or taken in a way you were never ready for—or against your will?”
Again, she shook her head.
“Would you rather have someone who genuinely cares for you be the one you experience your firsts with?”
She nodded. All she wanted was to be someone’s whole world.
He continued, his tone tender like a sweet caress across her heart, “Would you want that person to understand that you’re innocent and hurt? To understand they need to be gentle and patient with you?”
She sat quiet next to him, listening to his steady breaths and relaxing in his warmth and scent. It was stupid to ponder this. She couldn’t do what he was asking. She couldn’t be the girl he was sure she’d be if she stopped hiding. But it was nice to savor his company, to imagine what he could teach her and fantasize about him fighting to protect her. But it was wrong to dream. “Thank you for your offer, Logan, but I ca—“
Knock, knock.
Logan looked at the door, then back at her. “Don’t decide yet. Sleep on it, okay?” He smiled and leaned forward until his lips faintly brushed her cheek. “And make sure we’re both naked when you dream about me.”
She smiled as his lips pressed against her cheek, then she watched him jump to his feet to go open the door. He unlocked it and greeted the fierce-looking man outside.
Kylie watched him, noticing all signs of the happiness and softness he had shown her were gone. It intrigued her that he was so different with her. His exclusive affection made her feel special and excited. Her giddiness quickly halted, however, and her heart pounded wildly when a beautiful woman stepped inside.
Logan’s normally unreadable expression came to life, killing the happiness he’d built inside her.
“Logan, mi amor,” the woman said, receiving his quick kiss to her cheek.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said, smiling and hugging her to him.
The man squeezed past Logan and the woman, nodding to Kylie when he caught sight of her.
Kylie couldn’t even nod back. She was feeling so many emotions as she continued watching the pair by the door.
“You know I love hearing you call me that,” she said, her voice thick with her Spanish accent.
Kylie balled her hands as she watched the woman all over Logan
. She wouldn’t stop touching him. She was running her stupid manicured fingers across his chest as he smiled down at her.
“It’s been so long, mi corazón. I hate when you make me wait so long to see you.” Her arms wrapped around Logan’s waist as she pouted her red lips up at him.
Kylie tasted blood as Logan’s hand reached up to caress the woman’s cheek.
His deep chuckle angered her now instead of melting her like it had all other instances, and she couldn’t even understand what he was saying to the woman in a low voice. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears and felt that maybe she was vibrating until Logan’s voice became clearer.
“ . . . her name is Kylie,” he was saying.
Kylie blinked, realizing she must have been in some sort of daze as Logan led the woman toward her. She couldn’t tell what he expected from her. Meeting one of his sex buddies wasn’t high on her bucket list.
“Kylie!” His snappish tone startled her, and she jumped in her seat before looking up at him. They stood right in front of her now, and he was looking at her with an odd expression as he spoke. “Are you all right? I was talking to you, and you were just sitting there turning red in the face.”
“I’m fine,” she said, speaking just as sharply as he had with her. Her eyes flickered over to the woman, easily picking up the glare she was receiving.
“Good,” he said, gesturing to the woman. “I want you to meet Gloria, my masseuse. Gloria, this is Kylie. I brought her to watch me fight tonight.”
Kylie glared at him. “She’s just your masseuse?”
His eyes trailed over her angry features as he nodded. “What’s your problem?”
Kylie looked over to see a smug look on Gloria’s face and saw red before she focused on him again. “That’s not one of your categories.”
He was staring at her like she was insane, and his condescending tone didn’t help. “I’m just introducing you to someone. That’s Mark over there.”
“You know what, Logan?” She didn’t like him talking down to her. He’d just made her feel so special—now he was treating her like a nuisance, so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I wonder if your ass is jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth.”