Page 17 of Forget Me Not

“You’re a good person, Dem,” Logan says from where she stands at the sink. “Don’t worry, I’ve got clean up.”

“Thanks, Lo. They can help you too.” She looks at me and Asher. “I did cook for you both after all.”

“Of course, we’ll help. Be safe.” I pull Demi into a hug, and she smiles up at me with adoration. The guilt sinks deeper that all she ever wanted from me was to be here and it’s taken me so long to do it. Asher stands from the counter, looking between me and Logan with a glint in his eye.

“Oh, look at that.” He looks at his phone, pretending there’s something important on there. “I’ve got to run too. I’ll walk you out, Demi. Don’t worry, Lo, Kade can stay to help you, we drove separately,” he says, already following Demi out the door before either of us has a chance to argue.

I turn toward Logan, not sure what to expect. She shuts off the sink water and turns to face me, leaning her back against the counter and crossing her arms under her chest. Annoyance flares in her eyes as I wait for what I’m sure will be a scolding for touching her at the table. Even so, looking at her now with anger radiating off her body, knowing she’s about to lose control, I smirk. I don’t regret it for a single second.

CHAPTER

NINE

Logan

“What the fuck was that?” I’m fuming, and the piece of shit is smirking. I can’t tell if I’m more annoyed that he’s finding amusement out of my obvious anger or that he looks hot as hell. I can feel my face flush with a mixture of anger and arousal, unsure which one is more at the forefront. The fact that I haven’t had sex in over a year and his simple touch has me more worked up than I’ve ever been isn’t helping matters either.

“So, you’re the infamous Lo, huh? My sister’s roommate, best friend, savior.” He stares at me as if he’s looking at me in a new light. As if this new development changed something for him. His deep-blue eyes shed away my layers as they roam over every inch, leaving me feeling vulnerable and exposed.

“I’m not a savior.” I roll my eyes. “Not even close.” I stop myself before I reveal any more. That’s the thing about Kade or Kaden or whatever the hell I’m supposed to call him, he’s intuitive. Where I can get away with certain comments with most people, he sees through them. He’s not afraid to dig, and frankly, I’m terrified of what he’ll find.

“Interesting,” is all he says in response. His tone cool, almost bored as he stays leaning against the refrigerator across from me.

“You never answered my question,” I say, steeling my posture. I sure as hell hope I look a whole lot stronger and sterner than I’m feeling at the moment.

“I could ask you the same question, you know?” he says and my face crinkles with confusion. “You were baiting me before. Pretending to consider going out with Asher to get a rise out of me.”

I cut him off with a loud laugh that I hope doesn’t sound as forced as it is.

“Who says I was pretending?” I say smugly. “Is your ego really that big that you think I was only entertaining Asher, who is hot as fuck, by the way, as some way of getting attention from you? Please, you think too highly of yourself.”

“I never said you weren’t attracted to Asher,” he says, still unfazed. “Your face is a lot more expressive than you think, baby girl. I could spot you blushing from a mile away.” My smile drops as I wait for him to continue. “But you didn’t start truly acknowledging Asher’s advances until I had my hand on you. Until I gave you the attention you were so desperately looking for, and then you didn’t know how to handle it.”

I stay quiet, not knowing how to respond. The truth is everything he’s saying is one-hundred-percent true. I played into Asher’s shameless flirting for two reasons. The first being that it got a rise out of Kade. Something I’ve been trying to unconsciously do since the first time I saw him.

Second, when I felt his hand, so large it covered nearly the entire width of my thigh, I panicked. I figured if I started flirting back with Asher, it would piss him off and he would let go. That backfired big time when all he did was move it higher until I feltlike I was two seconds from combusting with the amount of heat coursing through my body.

He pushes off the refrigerator, slowly but confidently walking toward me. Closing the small distance between us with every step he takes.

“Also”—he stops directly in front of me. His height towers over mine, forcing me to tilt my head back to meet his stare—“my ego is merely a reflection of what I have to offer. What was it that Asher said earlier?” His eyes glitter and a low chuckle leaves his throat. “On a date and when I take a woman home.”

I swallow harshly and I watch as his eyes follow the movement of my throat, a confident smirk adorning his face.

“Maybe I’ll show you one day.” He steps around me, turns the faucet back on, picks up the dish on top of the pile, and begins to scrub it. I stand there. Stunned, speechless,turned on? I couldn’t tell you at this point. He nudges me with his elbow.

“You just gonna stand there like a fish out of water or dry for me?” He hands me the now clean plate. I clear my throat, turn around and grab a clean dish towel to dry with. I grab the plate from his hands, our fingers connecting ever so slightly before I yank it away. He lets out a low laugh at my urgency while I do everything I can to avoid eye contact.

We continue washing and drying in silence, one dish at a time. As the time passes, it’s not entirely uncomfortable. I’ve never enjoyed silence, but right now I can almost find comfort in it. Maybe because I’m not alone? Maybe because he’s here with me? There’s the uncomfortable feeling that was missing.

I finish drying the final dish as he dries his own hands. I move to put it away, standing on my tippy-toes to place it in the higher cabinet, but I feel his presence looming over me before I can reach it. He snatches the plate out of my hand, pinning me between himself and the counter to place it neatly in the cabinet above me.

My hands grip the edge of the countertop so hard my fingers nearly turn white as I feel the front of him press along my backside. I bite my lip to stop the hitch in my breath from escaping. It’s only for a second before he closes the cabinet and backs away, but the feeling of his body against my own lingers. I turn around to see him now standing by the opposite counter, watching me.

“Well, thanks,” I say. My voice sounds raspier than I’d like, revealing just how much he really affects me. “I’ll see you around, I guess.” The entire situation feels awkward now. I don’t know what to say anymore. It seems that he doesn’t either because he says nothing, observing me for a few seconds more before nodding his head and turning to walk toward the door. He only takes a few steps toward the door before I blurt out what I’ve been dying to know all along.

“Why did you touch me to begin with?” He slowly turns back around, his face revealing nothing. “You said it yourself, I didn’t start playing into Asher’s game until you had your hand on me. But you never explained why you grabbed me in the first place.”

“Do I need a reason?” he asks calmly as if maybe he doesn’t actually have one. I don’t buy it for a second. The man is calculated, he doesn’t act without thinking. But then again, neither do I, except when I’m with him. “Maybe I just like to watch you squirm,” he says, and I’m pissed again.

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