hurried around to walk in front of me, facing backward. I could’ve looked away before, but now there was no chance. I was locked in place. Not wanting him to fall down the stairs, which were ten feet away, I stopped walking. He did as well and smirked down at me, giving me the full impact of his six feet of height.
“I wanted him to do a gambling thing with some of my guys last year. He turned me down.”
I frowned. “Okay?”
“You’re going to get him to do a gambling thing for me.”
I studied the amusement in those chocolate eyes of his. “Are you always like this?”
His smirk deepened. “Gorgeous?”
“Annoying.” But that wasn’t even true. I saw the amusement in his eyes. It was like he was laughing at me, but he glanced at the students filing past us and the look held firm. No. It wasn’t just me. “Like you’re laughing at the world.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Because I am.”
“It’s annoying.” It wasn’t, though. It was something else. Logan made me feel like I was pushed off my chair and had to go through life lying sideways on the floor. It was disconcerting. “Not much bugs you.”
He laughed. “Being called annoying? No. That doesn’t register with me. I’m not being cocky when I say that girls like me—they really do like me. I’m funny, sarcastic, quick-witted, and enough of a bad boy to make girls wet. If I like you, I’m loyal to you. If I love you—and don’t get ahead of yourself because that list is really short—I’ll do almost anything to protect you. Girls drink that shit up like it’s booze that makes you lose weight.”
“You just likened yourself to a fat-free beverage.”
“A fat-free alcoholic beverage, and yeah.” His smirk was almost adorable now. “I know how chicks think. If something like that exists—where you lose weight while you get drunk—I’m buying all the stock I can. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be all over that, too.”
“What? The stock or the booze?”
“Both.” His grin deepened. “Or just me.”
I ignored the last statement, and began walking around him. I had to get lunch and figure out where my third class was, but he walked with me. He held the door open, so I ducked under his arm. I was just stepping outside, almost past him when I looked up. Claire was hurrying my way, her jaw clenched. When she saw me, her eyes slid to the arm I was ducking under and her eyes bulged.
I stepped past him, but I felt him moving with me. He was behind me, his breath on the back of my neck. I tried not to notice—I tried to shut my mind off. I failed. I’d been attuned to him since class started, but this went to a whole other level. He purposely moved so he was almost touching me, and my body went on high alert. My knees threatened to buckle. Sensations shot up and down my spine, and I had a full-on sauna effect going. I almost fanned myself to cool down, but Kade would’ve known instantly the effect he was having on me. I felt an ache between my legs that I hadn’t felt in nine months.
Claire slowed as she approached us.
“Ah.” His breath teased my skin. “Delray’s friend number two. I can chat with both of you then.”
“Hey,” I murmured to Claire.
“Hey,” she said, her gaze glued to him.
Logan chuckled. “You went here last year, right?”
Her gaze cut to mine, questioning.
I stepped to the side, away from Logan. I didn’t want to move. No, actually I did, but my body didn’t. I almost cursed myself, but I felt Logan’s gaze on me. It was like he could see inside of me, right past the walls I erected.
“Uh, yeah, I did,” Claire said.
“So you know Delray turned me down last year.”
“Turned you down…?” She glanced at me again.
“The gambling circuit he used to run for Park,” Logan prompted. “Is he still running it?”
“Uh…” Claire had become a statue. She was on the spot, particularly because I was present. Jason promised to quit gambling after we graduated. All three of us made a promise to each other, and that was his. I now knew that he lied, and so had Claire. She knew he hadn’t quit.
“Yeah. He’s still running it.”
“This is what’s going to happen.” Logan clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. His eyes were gleaming, but it wasn’t malicious. He was being more mischievous, and that