Resisting Ryann(4)

His gaze stays on mine. “You know it’s wrong, right?” He cocks a brow.

Of course I know it’s wrong. I nod.

“Have you told anyone?”

Only you. I shake my head, and he gestures toward his house.

“Come find me if he does it again.” He lifts his chin. “I’ll teach him a lesson.”

The thought of him teaching my father a lesson makes me laugh. It’s nice of him to offer, but he obviously doesn’t know how strong he is.

“What?” He gives me a dimpled grin. “You don’t think I could take him?”

Shaking my head, I smile but try to hide it.

His eyes widen. “Shit! Is that blood?”

I flinch, touching the spot where my face had hit the dresser. Pulling back a sticky piece of hair, I meet his eyes, and his expression goes hard.

He reaches for my chin. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispers, turning it toward him, carefully eyeing the injury. “That’s going to leave a scar.” I don’t know what to say, so I stay quiet while he examines the rest of my face. “I could kill him,” he hisses, releasing me and looking around. “I better go,” he points. “You should get back in bed. I don’t want to risk you getting in trouble again.”

I nod.

“Don’t forget what I said.” He lifts his brows, walking backward toward his house, nearly tripping when he almost misses the curb. It makes me smile.

My eyes pop open, and I’m short of breath. The ceiling fan spins above me. How am I supposed to move past this when my memories constantly bring him back? My chest tightens as the familiar ache burns from deep within, triggering tears I don’t want to cry anymore. I hate him—hate him for what he’s done to me. I grab a pillow and throw it against the wall. I doubt I’ll be getting any sleep tonight.



“Get off of me, Logan! It isn’t funny,” I growl, jabbing my elbows into his chest. He chuckles, taking his time before slowly rolling away, finding my effort amusing. The man drives me crazy. If he weren’t my best friend’s boyfriend, I’d take the opportunity to knee him in the balls. It’s a fantasy I have on a regular basis.

“Why are you always laughing at me?” I brush off my shorts. He had me pinned face down on the ground. It isn’t the first time, and I doubt it will be the last. Like Luke, he pushes my buttons, except he takes it to a completely different level that I didn’t know was possible.

He quickly stands. “I like to find the humor in things,” he says, leaning against the counter, crossing his feet at his ankles. “You should try it.” Then he strikes a pose to show off his muscles. I realize what he’s doing when an attractive woman walks by and shoots him a flirty look. He eats it up, his ego growing by the second. She’s wearing boy shorts that expose three-quarters of her butt. He purses his lips, and his eyes follow the back of her as she walks farther away.

“Maybe if you look long enough, you’ll get to see her vagina.”

He grins. “I hope so,” he says, keeping his gaze on her backside until she’s completely out of view. He’s messing with me; it’s what he likes to do.

“Earlier … you were saying?”

I’m about ready to tell him when he interrupts, “Oh yeah, something about my sense of humor, and your lack of one.”

I glare. “You repeatedly pinning me to the ground isn’t humorous. It’s annoying,” I say, reaching back to smooth out the mess that is my hair.

His eyes crinkle at the sides. “You know you secretly like it.”

“You’re a pig.”

He fakes a frown. “There’s no need for name calling, little virgin. I do it to prepare you, and I promised a buddy I’d cover what he hadn’t. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant.”

I roll my eyes. “What is it that Gia sees in you? Did your mother ever teach you any manners—perhaps the meaning of the word no?”

“You know this is different.” Walking behind the counter, he opens up a drawer and pulls out a protein bar. “I already told you,” he says as he takes a bite. “I made a promise … and I’m gon—”

“It doesn’t matter what you promised.”

He stops chewing. “How so?”

“Because, I’ve moved on, and so should you.” That’s not entirely true, but I’m trying.

Logan took Luke’s place here at work, which apparently was another promise I was left unaware of until the day he walked in, strutting around the gym as if he owned it. Luke prepared Jim and Pam in advance, and Logan agreed to take over. I guess it worked out for all of them. Logan dating my best friend is hard enough, but having to work with him … well, it’s nearly unbearable.