by Janie Marie
Casting a quick glance at Logan, who looked irritated, she returned her attention to Trevor. His blue eyes sparkled at her unsure smile.
“Okay,” she murmured. “They might not be as good as I normally do, but if you start writing up the fact sheets, I think we can get it done.” Her smile grew bigger as she grew more confident in her decision. But then she noticed his frustrated expression and her confidence wavered.
Is he upset my sketches won’t be their best?
“Well,” Trevor said in a semi-apologetic tone, “you see, I kind of have somewhere to be tonight. It’s a prior commitment I can’t get out of. You understand, don’t you?”
Kylie’s smile vanished and her stomach clenched. He expected her to do it by herself. There would be no them. She couldn’t even find her voice.
Logan could find his though. “Is this the project you told me about?” His tone was almost violent. “The class you’re making up?”
Kylie slowly let her eyes move to the fierce glare he had trained on Trevor.
“It’s none of your business.” Trevor’s icy tone sent a shiver down her spine. She had never heard him speak with so much hostility before.
Logan pushed himself away from the counter and stood across from them. “While your dad is gone, you are my business.” His voice held just as much venom. “You’ve had this assignment since the first day of school. Are you really going to bring some girl here and dump it on her to finish in one night?”
“Fuck off.” Trevor stood up. “Go find one of your little bitches and mind your own shit.”
Kylie almost wanted to cry. They were so filled with hatred. And it was over her.
“Do you really want to test me, little cousin?” Logan’s muscles flexed, either for effect or in anger. “You know how that would end.”
He scared her shitless, and the threat lining his statement made her nervous about Trevor’s well-being. She knew he was right without even knowing Trevor’s fighting abilities. Logan could probably kill anyone he wanted. Her fear for Trevor had her blurting out words before she could think. “No, it’s fine. I work better alone anyway.”
That earned her a fierce glare from Logan.
“See?” Trevor smiled at her. It helped soothe the sting across her heart. Maybe he really does have a commitment. Of course, football cut into his studies. It was the reason teachers were so lax with athletes, at least at their school. “Thanks, Kylie.”
Logan grunted and walked out of the kitchen. She cast a glance at his back before returning her smile to Trevor.
“I really am sorry—and grateful, Kylie.” Trevor gave her another heartbreakingly beautiful smile. “It just slipped my mind, you know?”
She nodded, consumed by his soft tone.
He reached out slowly and caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. The action and tender look on his face had her paralyzed. “You should smile more.”
She couldn’t believe he was touching her. Trevor Grimm was caressing her cheek and telling her she should smile more.
“Okay,” she said, making him chuckle. The sound warmed her heart.
“You’re the best.” He gave her a trademark wink. “I gotta go now.”
The warmth became a chill, yet she couldn’t even shiver.
“Oh, and you can work in my room if Logan gives you trouble. He probably won’t stay long. He has a fight tonight. But he could come back with a girl, so unless you want to see and hear that, try to finish before midnight.”
Her heart sank. Not because of the details of Logan’s activities, but because Trevor was practically giving her a deadline to get done and get out.
But she loved him. She wouldn’t have the chance to do something for him again.
“Okay. I’ll try to finish before then.”
He smiled and stood up. “Great. Just shut the door on your way out. No need to worry about locking up. No one messes with Logan’s stuff.”
She didn’t respond as she stared at the humongous load of work she was about to start. This was her moment with Trevor, and it was ruined by some prior commitment. He would forget all about her, but she refused to fail. There was always the chance he’d be so grateful for her help that he’d see her as someone truly special.
“See ya, Kylie. Thanks again.”
She looked up in time to see his back retreating out of the kitchen. Then she heard the front door slam shut. She let her eyes water as heartache consumed her.
“Are you really going to do his project?”
Kylie gasped, lifting her gaze to find Logan standing at the kitchen entrance. He had a shirt on now, thank God, but his dark eyes still gleamed with hate.
“Yes,” she stuttered. “Of course, I will.”
He shook his head, making some of his hair land in his eyes. It looked good that way, but even better when he jerked his head to move it. “You shouldn’t let people take advantage of you just because you have feelings for them.”
“He’s not taking advantage of me. He asked for help and I agreed.” She didn’t want Trevor to come off as a bad guy. It wasn’t his fault that practice took up so much of his time, or that he had another commitment.
“Does he know you’re in love with him?” There was so much disgust in the question.
“What?” She cringed as her voice screeched.
“It’s a simple question.” He looked her dead in the eyes. “Does he know you love him?”
She felt her chest tighten and shook her head.
His expression was blank, his tone empty. “Has he ever talked to you before this?”
Again, she shook her head, and that burning feeling you get before crying stung her eyes and nose.
“Did he offer you any sort of payment or favor in return?”
“No,” she whispered, hating the point he was making. She didn’t want to give up hope that Trevor was interested in more than just having her do his project.
Logan stayed quiet as her eyes watered and her breath hitched. She didn’t even know him, but the degradation she felt under his judging eyes was far greater than she ever remembered feeling.
He studied her for a few more seconds before turning and walking away. She sighed and looked down at her workload. Logan’s opinion shouldn’t have bothered her, but it did. No matter how long she sat there, just knowing he was disappointed in her made her feel so much more pathetic.
“Crap.” The pencil fell from Kylie’s cramped fingers as she flexed them. Three hours had passed, and she’d only completed five sketches and six descriptions. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. It was nearly nine. “They’re going to kill me tomorrow,” she said, groaning at the fact she’d feel Lorelei’s wrath whenever she made it home. Better hers than Maura’s though.
“Who will kill you?”
Kylie yelped, jumping from her spot on the floor in Trevor’s room. She had moved in there after Logan kept making noise in his room. She had no idea what he was doing, but it had sounded like he was throwing furniture around for hours.
Now he was standing in the doorway, watching her the same intense way he had been earlier.
“Do you have to keep doing that?” She was surprised by how snappy she sounded, and by the amused glint it caused in his brown eyes.
“I thought you weren’t scared of me?” He shoved off the doorframe and walked into the room.
Her face heated up as she remembered their meeting a few hours ago. “I’m not. I just find people sneaking up on me annoying.”
He chuckled and threw something down on her sketches.
“Hey,” she yelled, grabbing up the binder he’d thrown, ready to throw it back at him.
“Get up,” he told her.
“What?” She glared up at him as he stood over her.
“That’s his project,” he said, nodding to the binder in her hands. “He asked me for it weeks ago when he told me he didn’t feel like doing his.”
Kylie looked at the binder and opened it. Sure enough, it was the same proje
ct, done with sketches instead of actual bugs. Her fingers trailed over the intricate drawings. They were amazing.
“This is yours?”
A sort of sadness flitted across his eyes too quickly for her to understand. “They’re my sketches.”
“Why are you giving it to me? Your drawings are beautiful by the way.”
He shrugged, briefly glancing at her sketches. “He asked for this because he knew I had it. I told him to fuck off and do his own damn work. I didn’t know he would go get some girl and force her to do his shit.”
She looked at the binder and smiled. “So why give it to him now?” Slowly, she peered back up at him.
His expression gave nothing away, but his words sure as hell warmed every cell in her body. “I’m not giving it to him. I’m giving it to you.”
Two
CATEGORIES
“It’s going to be hectic in there.”
Kylie looked at Logan as they walked side by side. He grinned down at her. The sight of his smile almost had her tripping over her own feet.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?” She glanced at the lines at the entrance.
“What do you mean?”
They reached the side door he was leading them to, and she walked through as he held it open.
“I mean”—she grimaced at the corridor full of scantily dressed women—women who all had their hungry eyes on Logan—“I’m not eighteen yet. Isn’t that illegal or something?”
He laughed. It was a deep sound that sent tingles between her legs. “Am I taking you on a drug run or to watch me fight? Do you have a curfew?”
“I don’t do drugs, so I hope this is just a boxing match. And I don’t have a curfew. At least I don’t think so.” She noted that his smile hadn’t faded since they left his apartment. He didn’t tell her any more about Trevor, or his drawings. When she had asked him if he was certain he was okay giving it to Trevor, he closed off and told her to get up because she wasn’t getting it for free. The payment was her company tonight.
“I told you, it’s mixed martial arts, not boxing.” He glanced at her like she was stupid before asking, “When are you eighteen, by the way?”
She remembered he’d explained the type of fight he would be in, but she didn’t realize confusing it with boxing was offensive. “I was just saying I feel a little out of place.”
He followed her line of sight to see she was making it clear that she did not look like the other females here. His arm suddenly fell over her shoulders, and he pulled her to his side.
Yelping from both pain and surprise, she tried to push him off. Logan loosened his grip but kept her close as his eyes ran over her body. She didn’t want him to figure out she was hurt and looked away. Only, she ended up subconsciously leaning into him for safety anyway. The malicious glares being sent her way spelled trouble.
“When?” His stern tone had her focusing on him rather than the jealous stares.
She didn’t know if he was asking about her birthday or what injury she might be hiding, but she hoped he only meant her age. No one could find out about her. “September twenty-eighth,” she whispered, noticing the satisfied spark in his eye.
He looked thoughtful before he nodded and squeezed her tighter. She started to cringe but stopped when he softened his grip.
“Good, then you’re my date tonight, Hood.” He lowered his mouth to speak softly in her ear. “I’m the champ. My girl doesn’t need to fit in.”
Before her shock could settle in, a guy approached them.
“The Big Bad Wolf has arrived.” The man greeted Logan with a grin.
“You know not to call me that,” Logan told him, all the playfulness now absent from his tone.
“Fine.” The guy rolled his eyes. “Have it your way. The fans like the bad wolf thing—it’s catchy. But whatever you want. Are you ready? I’ve got the girls waiting,” he said before looking at her with a frown. “Who’s the kid?”
She dropped her gaze to the floor. He was right, after all. She was a kid in a place only the elite, older crowd should be.
“Get rid of the girls,” Logan told him instead of explaining why he had brought a seventeen year old to his fight.
“Come on, man. I spent thirty minutes standing out there, picking the hottest in attendance.”
Logan shrugged, still holding her close. “Kylie’s my date tonight.” He grinned down at her and heat spread over her cheeks. “Isn’t that right, Hood?”
Unable to do anything else, she smiled and nodded at him. She didn’t know why he was being so nice to her, but she was loving his attention.
“Are you high?”
Logan exhaled sharply and pinned his friend with a fierce look. “Chris, I have company. Take them with you for all I care.”
The man, Chris, just looked at him like he’d lost his mind, then dropped his gaze to her, trying to see the appeal, before Logan gave a throaty grunt.
“See that Kylie is taken care of while I’m in the ring,” Logan added. “I’m holding you responsible for her. Put her in the front row and stay with her. Got it?”
Chris sighed. “Got it.”
“I have to go get ready.” Logan gave Chris a dark glare. “Just send Mark and Gloria.”
“All right,” Chris said, nodding as he took her in once more before leaving.
“Don’t worry about him,” Logan told her. He began walking her down the hall again. “He’s my manager. And a dick. He’s always had a problem with my—“ He shook his head. “Never mind.”
She didn’t have any idea what he was going to say, but she was more focused on the fact that she wasn’t good enough to be at his side. “But he’s right,” she whispered. Even though she had felt insignificant for so long, she could not deny that she wanted to make him proud. It didn’t make sense to her why she wanted to please him—she just did.
“Hood,” he said, not looking at her, “you have to quit thinking so lowly of yourself. I brought you with me because I wanted you here. I can have any woman I want.”
She couldn’t believe he was so conceited.
He shrugged at her look, adding, “It’s true. My point is, I brought you.”
“I don’t know why you did.”
“I’ll tell you why soon.”
She didn’t look up at him until they arrived at a door with his name taped on it. The words separating his first and last name had her raising her eyebrow at him. “The Reaper?”
“Yeah.” He frowned as he studied his name. “You don’t like it?”
Smiling at his somewhat worried expression, because it was adorable as hell, she shook her head. “No, I like it. It makes you scarier than you already are.”
He grinned, happy with her compliment.
“But why don’t you like The Big Bad Wolf? It fits your name and your tattoos.”
His smile fell. “Let’s get inside.”
Letting him push her inside the room, she decided to investigate this whole dislike of the wolf thing later. What was so wrong with the big bad wolf anyway?
“My masseuse and coach will be here soon,” he said, putting his bag on the table. “We have a few minutes alone.” He gave her a sexy smirk as he raised an eyebrow.
Her body was aflame, but she glanced around the locker room and pretended to be interested in the case of water sitting on a table as she said, “If you brought me here for some freaky warm-up sex, I’m sorry to disappoint.”
“You sure?” He grinned, his gaze slowly falling over her. “Not even non-freaky sex? I hear I’m a great lover.”
She squeezed her legs together. “Well, I’ll just have to take your word for it.”
He sighed and shrugged his shirt off. “And here I thought I was impressing you with my gentlemanly behavior.”
She shook her head, trying her hardest to not look at his body.
“Not even a little hug for giving you my project?” He stuck his arms out toward her, smiling adorably.
“I thought me keeping you
company was payback?” God, she really wanted to hug him. But she knew he’d find her weird when she refused to let go.
Without any sort of warning, Logan smirked and dropped his jeans.
“Logan,” she screamed, covering her eyes.
He laughed loudly. “I’m not naked.”
She peeked through her fingers before moving her hand. He already had his fighting shorts on.
“You don’t just undress in front of people!”
“I’ve never had an upset audience,” he said, still smirking. “Do you want a closer look, Kylie?”
She blushed, making him laugh and turn back to his bag.
“So tell me,” he said while he dug through it.
Kylie walked to the only available chair, a leather couch, to get comfortable. She tried her damnedest to not stare at his back. How was it that a man’s back could be considered sexy? She really didn’t know but decided, yes, Logan had the sexiest back she’d ever seen.
She shook her head and went to sit so she wouldn’t keep staring at him. Not anticipating the couch’s firmness, she bounced up rather high.
Logan chuckled, catching her surprised expression. “You all right?”
She wanted to hide her face for plopping down like a little kid but ended up smiling and nodding at him anyway.
“Good,” he said. “Now, I was wondering how long you’ve been in love with Trevor.”
Her eyes nearly popped out, and she dipped her head down to hide her humiliation.
“Love at first sight, huh?”
She nodded slowly and peeked up to see him staring at the wall with a far-away look.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I know the feeling.”
“You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”
He shook his head before walking to sit beside her. A shaky breath slipped out of her mouth as his large hand closed around her thigh. Her jeans covered her skin, but the heat from his touch almost had her shaking with a need she’d never felt before.
