Logan started for her, lifting his hand out to her. “Kris? What’s going on?”
She darted out of his reach. “You and her. It’s true.”
“What?”
I glanced around. We were drawing a crowd. A head popped up from the stairs that led to the basement. Hayes came up, followed by a bunch of others. I didn’t know where Kris’ friend was, but she was probably hiding. I had every intention of hunting her down later.
“Kris, stop it.” I moved forward, taking charge. “It’s not true. Don’t listen to your friend. She was trying to mess with your head. She even admitted she’d try to sleep with Logan too. She just wants you to break up with him. That’s what that whole thing was about.”
“WHAT?” Logan whipped around to me, then to her. “You’re breaking up with me?”
“No.” Kris was crying. Both of her hands were balled into fists, and they were pressed against her mouth. She kept shaking her head. Her shoulders started jerking up and down from the sobs coming out of her. “That’s not all. It’s true. Sam, just admit it too. I can see it in you. I saw it in you before. You believe it too.”
I closed my eyes and looked away. I couldn’t admit to it, not here, not like this. I whispered without thinking, “I didn’t think you had caught on to that.”
“Caught on to what? What the fuck is going on?”
“Logan.” Kris dropped her hands. Her face was a patchwork of white and red spots. Her mouth was red from where her hands had been pressed against it. She swallowed some of her tears and wiped the rest from her face. “Do you lo—”
“I picked the best fucking time to get pizza EVER!”
Oh no. I recognized that voice. It had been in my head the whole year.
Right in the doorway was Tate, the root of my ass pain. With a beaming smile on her face, her long blonde hair hanging loose over her shoulders, and wide eyes as she took in the scene, Logan’s ex-girlfriend looked ready to climax. She shook her head. “My god. Is this what I think it is?” She checked her phone. “My old neighbor texted earlier that you’d be here, but I didn’t think my timing could be any better. This is a gift handed down from heaven.”
Oh hell. Even wearing a baggy white shirt that hung down to mid-thigh and jeans that were so tight they looked like leggings, she still looked like a model. Her jeans were ripped at her knees, but it looked stylish. Little tiny black shoes completed the look.
The guys agreed with me. I swear I saw drool forming in the corner of Hayes’ mouth. I glanced sideways to Logan. His eyebrows were bunched together, a wrinkle in his forehead appeared, and he just seemed confused.
“Tate? What are you doing here?”
“Getting my rocks off right now.” Her gaze swept the room once again. “This is so amazing.”
Kris turned to Logan when he said Tate’s name, and it clicked. Her mouth fell open. “This is your ex? You loved her?”
Tate closed her mouth, but it was pressed in a firm grin. Even her dimples were showing and laughter spilled from her tightened lips. “Oh, honey. I’m not the one you need to worry about.”
No, no, no. I already knew, even before she rested her gaze on me, what Tate was going to say.
She was enjoying this too much. I heard, “You need to worry about little Strattan right there. Logan doesn’t love me. Oh no. I screwed that up, but this chick, she’s got it going.” Her voice was clearer, and I opened my eyes to see she had moved forward a few steps. “A little birdie told me that you haven’t let out the secret. Can’t say I blame you. Why mess up a good thing with one brother? I mean, Mason’s gone. You and the other brother can get your rocks off too, if you know what I mean.”
She laughed. She wouldn’t stop laughing. The sound sickened me.
“What. The. Fuck. Is going on?” Logan was gritting his teeth, turning to me, then back to Tate and Kris. “Tate, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Oh no.” She waved a finger at him. “This is my town, Logan. I go to school here. You don’t have any right to say that to me, to make me feel like I’m trespassing. It’s you this time. I get to flip it on you and make you feel unwelcome. My town.”
“I don’t fucking care.”
She reared her head back, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and her hand fell to her hip. “Well, you should, because this whole thing is about you.” She circled the room with her hand. “This is all about you or should I say about how you fee—”
Kris cut her off. “Do you love Sam?”
Tate shot her dark look.
Kris placed both her hands on her hips and stuck her chin out at her. She said to Tate, “How do you like that? You didn’t get to say it.” She muttered, “Bitch.”
It was a small victory for Kris, and one for Logan even though he didn’t know it. Tate had been rubbing her paws together. She’d been so happy to be able to deliver the news, and even though I heard it coming, I couldn’t talk. I was frozen, but I glanced at Kris. I tried to thank her for interrupting. Those words should’ve been spoken by me, but I hadn’t said them. I held it in too long. I didn’t know if I ever would have said Tate’s words, but they were out. And they hadn’t been delivered to Logan by someone who only wanted to harm us. Even then, as Kris nodded at me, I knew she still cared about him.
I turned to Logan. He was right next to me, but he was radiating tension. His jaw was clenched tight, his shoulders were rigid, and he was staring down at me, heatedly.
He was furious.
“Cat got your tong—”
“Shut the fuck up.” He turned to her, his eyes flashing in warning.
Tate fell back a step. Her own eyes widened again. “Whoa.”
“This is from you?” He was still looking at Tate.
“Wha—what do you mean?” A wary expression came over her features.
“This.” He pointed at me, Kris, and our audience. “Did you do all this?”
She shot a hesitant look at the crowd, but shook her head. “Not them.”
“Kris?” He was still interrogating Tate.
“Yes.”
“How?” he commanded, the word coming from deep in his throat.
She heeded it. “My neighbor is one of her friends.”
She darted out of his reach. “You and her. It’s true.”
“What?”
I glanced around. We were drawing a crowd. A head popped up from the stairs that led to the basement. Hayes came up, followed by a bunch of others. I didn’t know where Kris’ friend was, but she was probably hiding. I had every intention of hunting her down later.
“Kris, stop it.” I moved forward, taking charge. “It’s not true. Don’t listen to your friend. She was trying to mess with your head. She even admitted she’d try to sleep with Logan too. She just wants you to break up with him. That’s what that whole thing was about.”
“WHAT?” Logan whipped around to me, then to her. “You’re breaking up with me?”
“No.” Kris was crying. Both of her hands were balled into fists, and they were pressed against her mouth. She kept shaking her head. Her shoulders started jerking up and down from the sobs coming out of her. “That’s not all. It’s true. Sam, just admit it too. I can see it in you. I saw it in you before. You believe it too.”
I closed my eyes and looked away. I couldn’t admit to it, not here, not like this. I whispered without thinking, “I didn’t think you had caught on to that.”
“Caught on to what? What the fuck is going on?”
“Logan.” Kris dropped her hands. Her face was a patchwork of white and red spots. Her mouth was red from where her hands had been pressed against it. She swallowed some of her tears and wiped the rest from her face. “Do you lo—”
“I picked the best fucking time to get pizza EVER!”
Oh no. I recognized that voice. It had been in my head the whole year.
Right in the doorway was Tate, the root of my ass pain. With a beaming smile on her face, her long blonde hair hanging loose over her shoulders, and wide eyes as she took in the scene, Logan’s ex-girlfriend looked ready to climax. She shook her head. “My god. Is this what I think it is?” She checked her phone. “My old neighbor texted earlier that you’d be here, but I didn’t think my timing could be any better. This is a gift handed down from heaven.”
Oh hell. Even wearing a baggy white shirt that hung down to mid-thigh and jeans that were so tight they looked like leggings, she still looked like a model. Her jeans were ripped at her knees, but it looked stylish. Little tiny black shoes completed the look.
The guys agreed with me. I swear I saw drool forming in the corner of Hayes’ mouth. I glanced sideways to Logan. His eyebrows were bunched together, a wrinkle in his forehead appeared, and he just seemed confused.
“Tate? What are you doing here?”
“Getting my rocks off right now.” Her gaze swept the room once again. “This is so amazing.”
Kris turned to Logan when he said Tate’s name, and it clicked. Her mouth fell open. “This is your ex? You loved her?”
Tate closed her mouth, but it was pressed in a firm grin. Even her dimples were showing and laughter spilled from her tightened lips. “Oh, honey. I’m not the one you need to worry about.”
No, no, no. I already knew, even before she rested her gaze on me, what Tate was going to say.
She was enjoying this too much. I heard, “You need to worry about little Strattan right there. Logan doesn’t love me. Oh no. I screwed that up, but this chick, she’s got it going.” Her voice was clearer, and I opened my eyes to see she had moved forward a few steps. “A little birdie told me that you haven’t let out the secret. Can’t say I blame you. Why mess up a good thing with one brother? I mean, Mason’s gone. You and the other brother can get your rocks off too, if you know what I mean.”
She laughed. She wouldn’t stop laughing. The sound sickened me.
“What. The. Fuck. Is going on?” Logan was gritting his teeth, turning to me, then back to Tate and Kris. “Tate, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Oh no.” She waved a finger at him. “This is my town, Logan. I go to school here. You don’t have any right to say that to me, to make me feel like I’m trespassing. It’s you this time. I get to flip it on you and make you feel unwelcome. My town.”
“I don’t fucking care.”
She reared her head back, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and her hand fell to her hip. “Well, you should, because this whole thing is about you.” She circled the room with her hand. “This is all about you or should I say about how you fee—”
Kris cut her off. “Do you love Sam?”
Tate shot her dark look.
Kris placed both her hands on her hips and stuck her chin out at her. She said to Tate, “How do you like that? You didn’t get to say it.” She muttered, “Bitch.”
It was a small victory for Kris, and one for Logan even though he didn’t know it. Tate had been rubbing her paws together. She’d been so happy to be able to deliver the news, and even though I heard it coming, I couldn’t talk. I was frozen, but I glanced at Kris. I tried to thank her for interrupting. Those words should’ve been spoken by me, but I hadn’t said them. I held it in too long. I didn’t know if I ever would have said Tate’s words, but they were out. And they hadn’t been delivered to Logan by someone who only wanted to harm us. Even then, as Kris nodded at me, I knew she still cared about him.
I turned to Logan. He was right next to me, but he was radiating tension. His jaw was clenched tight, his shoulders were rigid, and he was staring down at me, heatedly.
He was furious.
“Cat got your tong—”
“Shut the fuck up.” He turned to her, his eyes flashing in warning.
Tate fell back a step. Her own eyes widened again. “Whoa.”
“This is from you?” He was still looking at Tate.
“Wha—what do you mean?” A wary expression came over her features.
“This.” He pointed at me, Kris, and our audience. “Did you do all this?”
She shot a hesitant look at the crowd, but shook her head. “Not them.”
“Kris?” He was still interrogating Tate.
“Yes.”
“How?” he commanded, the word coming from deep in his throat.
She heeded it. “My neighbor is one of her friends.”
