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It was too late. He dragged me down beside him.
With a childlike giggle, I let out a deep breath, taking in the glorious view above. I didn’t care that the cold was burning through my skin, my sweater buried in snow. The night sky was lit by the reflection in the snow of the bright stars above us. My eyes grew heavier the longer we lay there until I felt Luke sit up.
“I’m drunk,” he grumbled, staring off at the woods.
“I didn’t even think you knew what alcohol was,” I admitted, giggling again. He was always so levelheaded—especially compared to Caleb.
“I’ll have you know I’ve been to a few keggers in my day.” He looked back, offended.
I raised an eyebrow, then blew out a deep, gurgled laugh.
“All right, one,” he confessed. “But I dated a girl once who liked to party. She’d stop by my dorm after curfew and damn, was it always a night to remember.”
“Luke!” I swatted him on the arm. I’d never heard him talk like that before. “I’m appalled, but relieved, to know you’re not a virgin.”
“A virgin!? Hey, Caleb isn’t the only Townsend man who knows how to please a woman.”
A light flickered on at Logan’s house, drawing both our attention.
“Maybe Julia’s there,” I suggested, raising an eyebrow. “I would go see, but then I might run into you-know-who.”
“Well, if you see the girl, maybe you’ll tell her she’s dating a douchebag.” He stood and walked to my back porch, grabbing the tequila bottle and taking a long swig.
“Not my place,” I sang out.
Luke must’ve sensed I didn’t like where the conversation was heading because he called out, “Show me your wings, angel!”
I smiled. As if I could transport myself to the past as a child in my grandparents’ backyard, I closed my eyes and moved my arms and legs, creating a beautiful angel.
My body was warm from the liquor, but the chill from the snow soaked through to the bone. The weight in my arms and legs took over, and slowly I began to drift into the night when the crunch of snow and an “Oh, shit!” from Luke brought me back.
“Get up!”
I opened my eyes, my carefree smile falling away, only to find a dark, familiar figure standing over me. My glossy eyes readjusted to the darkness, slowly revealing Logan’s taut jaw and livid expression. I was too drunk to care, instead letting my gaze travel down his lean body, admiring the way his strong chest bulged from his dark wool coat.
His damp hair led my thoughts straight to him in the shower—an image I’d dreamed about multiple times before that fateful night—but even still, that thought alone held my attention. His hair was tousled just enough to help me visualize the way he must run his hands through it when he steps out of the shower. It was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen.
Every inch of thrill inside me skyrocketed to life. I found myself becoming heated and aroused, and less frozen to the ground.
Why is he here? I thought he was gone for good. I guess that’s the problem with being neighbors.
“So help me, God, Cassandra.” He ran his hands over his face with an exasperated sigh. “You can either get up and walk back inside your house, or I’ll carry your ass to mine.” His voice was thick, serious, and surprisingly unpleasant, reminding me why I’d been trying to block him out all week to begin with.
Buzz kill.
I sat up on my elbows and scoffed. “No!” I exclaimed before falling back into my outline in the snow, grinning to myself.
Luke was there instantly when Logan reached down to me. “Hey, relax. I’ll take her inside. She was just trying to have some fun.”
Logan stood straight again to acknowledge him, shooting daggers, with his jaw clenched in a fury. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”
“What the hell is going on that you had to wake me at…oh, Cassandra’s having a play date.” Jax’s chuckle rumbled through the night as he approached us. If I’d had half my wits, I would’ve been humiliated. “This is why you made me come out here to help you? ‘Cause she’s hooking up?”
Jax looked to me and winked. “Good for you, baby. Now carry on, and I’ll get my big brother back to bed.” Jax put his arm on Logan’s shoulder, only to have it ripped away in the same instant.
“Take Luke back home to sleep it off in the guest room.”
“I’m fine—”
Logan took two steps toward him, his jaw tight under the skin. “If you weren’t Caleb’s kid brother, I’d leave you to pass out here and fucking freeze.”
“Logan!” I yelled. “What the hell is your problem!?”
I sat back up and attempted to pull myself to stand until the ground began to spin. Suddenly I was going down headfirst, so I used all my weight to throw myself back, falling on my ass. With my head hung low between my knees, buried in my hands, vomit began rising, too quickly to stop.
No, no, no!
I swallowed the burn back down, making a face at the acidic taste and rancid burn, then looked over at Luke. He gave a sympathetic shrug, and I could tell he was sobering up. I nodded, reassuring him I was all right, and watched him walk away with Jax.
“Come on.” Logan’s hand extended down to me. I slapped it away.
“Cassandra.” He sighed. “You know I will carry you in there, sweet—” He stopped, unable to say it. His eyes dropped, and the guilt in them only fueled the fire burning inside me.
I wanted to laugh. I wasn’t his sweetheart, and I was all too aware of that.
Taking a quick breath to find my balance, I scrambled to my feet, my body rocking side to side, head complaining. The stiffness in my joints and soreness in my chest were nothing compared to the anger thundering though my entire system.
“That’s right, I’m not your sweetheart, so you can’t tell me what to do!”
“You’re drunk. I’m putting you to bed,” he demanded, and I snapped.
My body swayed forward and we were face to face, my lips almost touching . “I’m sure your bed is already full of enough sluts to keep you busy tonight,” I slurred venomously.
His hands clutched my shoulders, stabilizing me.
“Get off me, you ass!” I shoved him away.
His eyes darkened as he clutched me tighter, his back teeth grinding. “Cassandra,” he warned, but I couldn’t stop. I pushed against him with all my strength, and he released his hold on me.
“What!? What do you want from me!?” I yelled, stepping back, arms stretched out. Then it dawned on me. My eyes narrowed into menacing slits. “Oh, wait, I remember. You want to fuck me. Well, here I am! What are you waiting for, huh?”
He stood there, silently stoic.
“You want me? Come and get me.” I yanked my freezing, wet hoodie over my head followed by the white thermal underneath, leaving me exposed in a pink cotton bra.
He stepped closer, intent on stopping my actions, but I continued backing away, nearly stumbling to the ground. By some luck, I managed to steady myself, rage controlling my moves.
My fingers worked quickly to undo the button of my jeans, but his hands were there, stopping me before I could tug the zipper down. I smacked his hand away and looked up to see his brows lowered over his glistening eyes, staring at my chest covered in deep-yellow bruises.
