Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5)(21)

Something happened that made Taylor avoid the limelight. I’d grown up in the spotlight around other people who wanted the spotlight too. Seeing someone like Taylor Bruce was refreshing. Hell, she was refreshing.

I wanted to bang her, but I wanted to bang a lot of girls. If the opportunity arose—I paused before pushing open the second door and stepping outside—, but there was something else in Taylor, something I didn’t sense from other girls. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but heading toward the communication building, I didn’t think about it again. Sam waited for me outside and her eyes lit up when she saw the coffee. “Give me. Give me. Give me.” After taking a sip, she closed her eyes with a contented smile. “Thank you, Logan.”

I threw my arm around her shoulders. “See, that’s how I’m supposed to be thanked for doing something nice. Getting coffee for someone—that’s a nice thing to do.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” I squeezed her against me for a second. “Let’s go to class.”

See? I could be a nice guy. Sometimes.





TAYLOR


“You’re friends with Logan Kade now?”

I’d been lost, still surprised by his generosity, when Claire’s voice distracted me.

“Huh?” I looked up to find her standing in front of my table. Her bag hung from her hands, which were cupped together in front of her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she glanced back over her shoulder. I followed her gaze. Her entire table watched us with mixed expressions. The girls’ eyes were big. One had a dreamy smile on her face, and most of the guys looked mystified. Their leader seemed stoic, his face unreadable, but I caught a flash of hardness in his eyes before it shifted. When he caught me studying him, a warm smile transformed his features. His eyes grew friendly and welcoming. It was such an abrupt change that I didn’t know how to process it. Instead, I shifted back to Claire.

She sat across from me, grabbing a water from her bag and placing it on the table. “So, are you?”

“What?”

“Friends with Logan Kade now?” She turned to look through the window, where Logan had gone.

As we watched, he handed the other coffee to that girl, the one from the party. Her eyes lit up, and she inhaled it, a blissful expression on her face. She said something, and he threw his arm over her shoulders as they went into the building. Whether she was his girlfriend or not, his utter devotion was evident.

My stomach churned slightly. I wanted that. But as soon as I had the thought I stopped myself. It wasn’t the devotion I wanted from Logan Kade. I wasn’t jealous about that; it was the loyalty. Eric hadn’t been loyal. He’d left me, literally. And my dad… No. I wasn’t thinking about my crap right now.

I forced a smile. “Has Jason texted you today?”

“You’re not going to talk about Logan Kade?”

I shrugged, glancing to the side. “I have no idea. I think he just likes to mess with me or something.”

“Oh.” Her eyebrows pulled together. “That’s all?”

I focused on her again. “I didn’t think you liked him.” I glanced over at her table. The guy she’d been sitting with was still watching. “What’s his story?”

She cast another look over her shoulder. “That’s Ben, and before you ask, I have no clue what’s going on with him.”

“But you want something to go on with him?”

Her head did another little shake. “I have no clue, like I said, and I’m over thinking about it. He pays all this attention—sits next to me, calls me, wants to study together, go get food together. But then when we get around other people? Nothing. I have such a hard time reading him. I don’t know what he wants, or if he even wants anything.” She began picking at the edge of the table. “You were here before, right?” She tilted her head and looked at me. “That’s what Malia said. She saw you first. Well…” She rolled her eyes. “She saw Logan first, but she said the girl was already there when we got our table.” She paused, her eyes flicking down to the table and back to me. “Why didn’t you say anything? You could’ve sat with us.”

I inclined my head toward her. “I thought about saying something, but you were with your friends. You know me. I’ve not been the most social creature lately.”

Her eyes grew sad.

“I didn’t want to bring you down,” I murmured. “Me and lots of people don’t mix well.”

Her eyes lowered, and she began picking at the table again. “I could’ve come over to sit with you. You didn’t have to sit here alone.”

I gestured to the empty seat next to her. “I wasn’t alone, remember?” Logan had occupied that seat. “Unfortunately.”

Her lips pinched inwards, giving her a thoughtful and almost disgusted look at the same time. She moved to the edge of her seat, her hand now weaving figure eights on the table. “Yeah. That’s…weird, huh?”

I sat back.

“Logan Kade’s kinda taken a liking to you or something.” She jerked up a shoulder. “I mean, that’s what it looks like to me…” Her voice trailed off, like she wanted to say something else.

I sat still as the realization hit me. Claire was jealous, and her friends were, too—the girls anyway. I scanned the food court. There were more than a handful of girls watching us, watching me. This wasn’t a normal reaction. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it wasn’t normal. If Eric had come to Cain University and become popular, I wouldn’t have gotten this reaction from people. Others might’ve noticed me, but I couldn’t imagine this envious, suspicious, and somewhat guarded scrutiny. It’s like they were trying to decide if I was a threat or not.