I Love You, I Hate You: Part 1

Logan drops his chin to his chest and shakes his head. As if on cue, Melody slinks over to Logan and steps between his legs. She sets her hands on his thighs rubbing dangerously close to his cock and the same fire I felt around Emily ignites in my veins.

I don’t want Melody touching him.

I don’t want anybody touching him.

Logan grunts and shoves her back a step. “Quit.”

My imagination runs rampant, torturing me with images of a naked Melody writhing beneath Logan. Her sweat glistened body arching as Logan buries himself between her legs. The image flickers into motion, only Melody is no longer beneath Logan. I am.

I clear my throat and drop my gaze to the floor. “I should get home. Dad will ground me if I break curfew.”

It's only eleven-thirty and I don’t have a curfew, but Gunner doesn’t know that. I just want to go home, take a shower, and figure out what I’

m doing before someone gets hurt. i.e.: me.

“Okay, doll face. Let’s go.” Gunner dips his head, pressing his lips to my crown. He looks at me with bedroom eyes and I have a feeling that his definition of taking things slow and mine are completely different. I could maybe consider going a little farther than kissing if I felt something, anything, when we are together but I don’t.

“No. Stay with your friends. It’s not your fault I have an early curfew tonight. I’ll catch an Uber or something.”

“I’ll take you,” Logan slides off the counter. Melody cups Logan’s cheek with one hand, desperate for his attention, but he ignores her and pushes her hand away.

Gunner pulls my hair to the side and sinks his teeth into my neck. My breath hitches, heart racing a little faster as my body reacts to the way his mouth feels against my skin. As thrilled as I am to finally feel something for him, this whole situation seems dirty. Like a show of dominance between two predators. He pulls me tighter against him and chuckles darkly. “Tell me, why would Danika go anywhere with you?”

Logan stares intently, gazed focused on where Gunner’s lips met my skin. He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off because I can see this situation getting physical fast. I step forward, out of Gunner’s reach and brush my palm against my neck. “Actually, Logan, that would be great.”

9

Danika

“So, you and Melody are a thing, huh?” I twist the seatbelt between my fingers. Logan hasn’t spoken a word since we left the party ten minutes ago and it’s killing me. I take a ragged breath, forcing my lungs to expand even though it feels like they’re being squeezed by a rubber band.

He grunts and squeezes his steering wheel, the leather making a rubbing sound under his hands. “Yes and no.”

I shift one leg under me and turn in the seat to face him. Even under a blanket of darkness, the air between us is thick. I can’t tell if the tension is from the conversation or because I’m in his car but I ignore it and pretend everything is fine between us. “Care to explain?”

“Not really.”

I shake my head. This isn’t the Logan I used to know. He would never string girls along or show such little respect for someone as to cheat on them. “I need you to try, Logan. I can’t do whatever this is we’re doing anymore if you don’t.”

He looks over at me, and our stares hold for a moment before his gaze finds the road again. We’re almost home, which means any minute this conversation will end. “What is it you think we are, Danika?”

My chin falls to my chest and I exhale a heavy breath. I don’t know what we are, or what I want us to be. My body shakes with nervous trembles. I hug myself, rubbing my arms, and pretend I’m cold so Logan doesn’t see the effect he has on me but of course he notices, and turns on the heat.

We pull into the Harris’ driveway and park beside Cooper’s Jeep. Surprisingly, Logan doesn’t bolt out of the car. He reclines his seat back and stares up at the headliner, brows bunched together. After a long stretch of silence, he says, “I hate Melody.”

“Then why are you with her?”

Logan laces his fingers behind his head and closes his eyes, his shirt stretching across his chest. “We’re not. I’ve never touched Melody, never will, but she’s insisted we were together since sophomore year.”

“Bitch sounds crazy,” I mumble.

Logan chuckles and turns his head. He opens his eyes and even in the dark I can see his pupils have swallowed that beautiful brown again. “She’s a level of crazy that puts Jessica from Love is Blind to shame.”

“You watched that?” I ask, a grin taking over my face.

“Don’t judge me.” He smirks and looks back up at the roof. “Anyway, last year I stopped fighting her on it. She wanted the title without the benefits, fine. I could still hook up with whoever I wanted and she got to say she was my...whatever. It’s never been a problem.”

I tuck my hair behind my ears simply to have something to do with my hands. I still can’t decide if what they’re doing is cheating, but I guess it doesn’t matter so I change the subject. “Does this mean you’re officially done being a jerk? Because I missed you, Logan.”