Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5)(20)

Then I heard, “It’s my mindf*cking partner in crime.”





REGULAR NICE GUY


LOGAN


Taylor wanted to be alone. That was obvious.

I saw her from outside before I came in. She was watching her friend, her cute face scrunched up. I could’ve done a play-by-play of her thoughts: Should I call out to her? Do I want to? Then I’ll have to deal with the douchebag pricks with her.

Then her face cleared. She stopped nibbling on her bottom lip and shifted in her seat, turning away from the table with her friend. Yep. Taylor made the right decision.

And I made my grand entrance, dropping into the seat across from her. “It’s my mindf*cking partner in crime.”

Her entire body went rigid, her apple frozen inches from her mouth.

I smirked. “Any time you spend with those sphincters is wasted time. Good call ignoring your friend.”

Her cheeks flooded with color, and she straightened in her seat. “I’m not ignoring—” she started. She took a breath and looked around. “I didn’t even see her over there.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t lie.” I waved at her face. “You turn purple when you try to bullshit. It’s a bad look for you.”

“I’m not purple.” Her cheeks went from red to a lavender color.

“You are. It’s kinda cute, if you want a guy that’s into the whole Barney look, but I’d assume those guys aren’t going to be looking your way unless you’re nine and like black, nondescript vans.”

“What?”

“Okay. I’m stereotyping.” I grabbed her water. “But I don’t care.”

“That’s my water.”

I opened it and took a drink. “It’s mine now.” I gestured to the coffee booth. “I have to get a latte for Sam.” I lifted her bottle. “I’ll grab you one of these. You want a coffee or something else, too?”

“No.”

I stood, frowning down at her. “I’m not that big of an *, I swear,” I told her, waving her water in the air as I walked away. “I’ll buy you another one. I just need a little something while I wait in line. My throat’s parched.”

She eyed me with her usual look, a mix of wariness, curiosity, slight amusement, and something else. I hoped it was sexual attraction, but this girl was different than the others.

“Why’d you turn Jason down for the gambling thing?” Taylor asked when I returned to the table.

I sat down and slid a coffee over to her, along with her new water. I flashed her a grin. “See? I keep my word.”

She scowled. “Answer me about Jason.”

I snorted. “Impatient much?” I pointed to the water bottle. “I’d like you to note that I follow through on my word.”

She looked down at the water and coffee. “What is that, and why are you making a big deal about it?”

I ignored one of her questions. “That’s the stuff you drink, right? Or did I get the wrong kind? You had it in class, though I think you forgot it when we left.”

“You got me coffee?”

“I told you I would.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” She stared down at it, her hands around the cup.

I heard the wonderment in her voice and I frowned. “It’s nothing. It’s coffee.” I placed another cup on the table. “I have to take this to Sam anyway.”

Her eyes lingered on Sam’s cup before she murmured, “Oh, yeah.” Then she shook her head and refocused on me. “Jason. Why did you turn him down? He’s blaming me for it.”

“He is?” The corner of my mouth lifted. I hadn’t expected that. “Delray’s some little shit, isn’t he? I kinda like him.”

The corners of her mouth were twitching, like she couldn’t decide to laugh or glare. “You asked for his competitor’s number?”

I remembered how Delray had sputtered over the phone. “Oh, yeah. Good times, but no worries. You’re not to blame. I was never going to use him. I just wanted to make him jump through some hoops—revenge for turning me down last year.”

“The whole thing was a lie?”

I nodded. “You weren’t around last year, but your friend worked for a major piece of shit. When I saw him at the party last weekend, I was surprised. I didn’t think he had the balls to come around one of my friend’s parties, he or those other *s. It was my way of sticking it to Sebastian, just a little bit, even though the guy is gone.”

She still looked confused. I’d mentioned Sebastian before, and I was sure Delray had filled her in, but it was hard to explain the magnitude of the guy’s *. He was a dark hole into the abyss.

I shrugged, standing back up. “But don’t worry. Next time I see your friend, I’ll let him know it wasn’t because of you. I was being an * all on my own.”

She looked out the window, frowning slightly. “Thank you for the coffee.”

I studied her for a second and gave her one last parting grin. “See you in class tomorrow. Don’t let some other douche sit next to you.”

I heard her say “What?” as I headed out, but I didn’t turn around.

I liked Taylor Bruce. I thought again about how she’d been ready to defend Sam. If another girl did that, I’d figure she had an angle—she wanted to use Sam to get to Mason, or even me, or use Sam herself for recognition and power on campus. My brother was a sports god, so his girlfriend was known, too. We all were. Just me sitting at Taylor’s table had drawn attention. I don’t think she was aware of it, but she would’ve realized it eventually and gotten uncomfortable.