Page 90 of King of Ruin

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't appropriate."

He frowned.

"Who says it isn't?"

She sighed.

Logan stared at her for several long seconds before taking a step closer.

"What if it's only for a few days?"

"No."

"A week?"

She shook her head again.

"Until I find an apartment."

"Logan..."

"I promise I won't be any trouble."

His voice carried an unfamiliar edge of desperation now, each refusal seeming to chip away at him a little more.

"I'll cook. I'll clean. I'll stay out of your way. I just..."

He swallowed hard.

"I don't want to go back there."

Chapter 10

Elise's heart tightened. She reached out and rested both hands gently on his arms. "What happened?"

Logan lowered his head. For several moments, he simply stared at the ground. When he finally spoke, his voice had become rough.

"I fought with Mom and Dad. They were talking about you again."

He looked away, jaw clenching so tightly she could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin.

"They kept saying you were never really part of the family. They said finding you had been a mistake. They said..." His voice caught briefly before he forced the words out. "...they wished they'd never allowed you into my life."

Elise felt her chest tighten.

A painful ache settled in her chest as she stared at Logan's face. His normally easygoing expression had disappeared completely, replaced by a frustration that looked far too heavy for someone his age.

"I told them to stop." A bitter laugh escaped him as he scrubbed both hands through his already messy hair, pacing a few restless steps before turning back to face her. "They just kept going." His jaw tightened. "So I lost my temper."

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, but the rigid set of his shoulders betrayed how angry he still was.

"I told them that if they couldn't respect my sister, then they didn't deserve to call themselves my parents."

Elise stiffened almost imperceptibly.

It wasn't because she was surprised.