Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,255

my phone. He catches it with ease and looks down at the screen.

“Ex,” I say, reaching for the phone.

“Sounds like he wants to change that.”

“Well, what he wants and what he gets are two very different things. I don’t play games.”

My phone vibrates in my hand.

Daniel: NOT OVER!

I feel Kacen lean in close. Glancing up, I see his eyes are locked on the screen of my phone, reading Daniel’s last words. His jaw is tight. I start to wonder why he would be angry, and it’s then I remember I’m working, not just hanging out with a group of rockers. I lock the screen and slip the phone back in my pocket.

“Well, I’ll just be in my office if you need me,” I say as I go to stand.

Kacen grabs my arm and pulls me back into the sitting position. “Is he harassing you?” he asks. His voice is low, but I can hear the edge of anger trying to push through.

“Logan, breakfast was fantastic!” Tristan says. I hear Gavin voice his agreement.

“Come with me,” Kacen says. He grabs my hand and leads me out of the room. I don’t fight it as I let him lead me to my office. Once we’re inside, he shuts the door. “What’s going on, Logan? You had a boyfriend while we were together?” he seethes.

“What? No, of course not. I don’t do that. I don’t even have one-night stands. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve slept with.”

I watch as he runs his fingers through his hair. “So if you weren’t with him, what’s with the messages?”

“Not that my personal messages are any of your business, but we broke up a few weeks before Hawaii, and he’s not impressed that I’m no longer playing his games.” My anger rises. It’s none of his damn business. We are not together. Our current relationship is strictly professional.

“Games? Did he hurt you? You’ve got to give me something, Logan. My mind is going crazy here.”

Sensing that he’s coming from a good place, I release a heavy sigh and plop down in my chair. “If you insist on hearing the story, you might as well sit,” I tell him. Surprisingly, he does as he’s told and takes the seat across from my desk. “Daniel and I dated for three years. We were constantly on again off again due to his need to ‘take a break.’ My friends tried to warn me about the stories they had heard, but I was naïve enough to believe his words over theirs. On graduation day, I overheard some girls in the restroom talking about how great he was, yada yada yada. The same girl was also telling her friend how he promised her that he would break things off with his girlfriend for her. That was the final straw for me. I was tired of feeding into his lies about our future, the dream of marriage and kids. I want that. He said he did too, but it turns out he was just telling me what I wanted to hear.”

I pause and take a sip of the bottle of water I brought with me today. “So you see, I don’t play games. He doesn’t want me. He’s just pissed off that he got caught and I called him out on his shit. Regardless of what he wants, it is most definitely over.”

Chapter 14

Kacen

As I sit here and listen to her story, the only thing running through my mind is that this guy is a fucking moron. He had her. He had Logan in the palm of his hands, and threw her away. She finishes and I’m floored as to what she put up with from this guy. Even more so that he wasn’t smart enough to cherish her.

“Wow, that’s . . . I’m sorry, but he’s a jackass.”

This has Logan throwing her head back in laughter. My eyes lock on her slender neck as I remember what it was like to trace the lines with my tongue.

“I agree, this is totally a laughing matter,” I say with a grin. “He let the best thing that ever happened to him slip away, for what, a new piece of ass? Not worth it.” My voice is clear and stern. Something inside of me needs her to understand that she’s worth it, that he’s, well . . . a jackass.

“I have to agree with your jackass assessment,” she says with grin. “It’s over. Any feelings I had, or thought I