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Another knock.
“Do you want me to get that?”
“Um, no.” I reached for the door handle, then stopped. “Sculpt?”
“Yeah, baby.”
God, when he called me that I felt like I could just erase everything that happened and start over.
Another knock. Louder.
I looked at the door then back to Logan. “I’m not something to win.”
Logan frowned. “No. No, you’re not. But you’re something to treasure.”
“Logan—” I stopped as soon as his name passed my lips.
He began his approach, slow and steady. I thought he was going to touch me, pull me into his arms, even kiss me. Instead he reached by me, his arm brushing my lower back.
“And a trophy … I will always treasure.” Logan pulled the door open.
Deck stood in his faded jeans and black T-shirt as he looked from me to Logan then held out his hand, and Logan shook it. “Logan.” I jerked. Deck called him by his real name. “Band sounded great last night. All good?”
“Could be better.”
Deck’s eyes swung to me. He was scowling, not that scowling was unusual, but it was directed at me, and I wasn’t sure why. “You tell her?”
Tell me what?
“Don’t go there, Deck.” Logan’s voice was low, and he ground out the words.
Go where? It was like suddenly I wasn’t in the room and the two most assertive and self-assured men in the city were having a private conversation despite the fact that I was standing right there.
Deck gave a curt nod to Logan. “You coming with us?”
I stiffened and looked at Logan. “To Georgie’s? Why would you come to Georgie’s?”
Deck and Logan exchanged a look then Deck said, “Georgie invited the band over for brunch last night, Emily.”
“Oh.” I didn’t like that. It meant Logan integrating into my life.
Logan put his hand on the small of my back. It was barely a touch, a light dusting of his hand, but it was possessive and … it felt protective.
“I need to meet up with Matt then I’ll be by. But you know what Georgie said last night?”
Deck nodded.
Logan’s fingers squeezed my waist. “I want to see you before I leave, Mouse.”
“What for?”
Deck’s brows rose, and I noticed the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Logan’s hand found mine and he interlinked our fingers and squeezed. “See you in a bit, Eme.” And then he was gone.
A whirlwind had just swept through me. I was so confused and uncertain at how to feel about Logan right now that I felt sick to my stomach. It was too much. The same friends, him owning the farm. It was like I was being thrown at him from every direction, and Logan was right there waiting with open arms.
It took ten minutes to reach Georgie’s, and Deck was silent the entire way. He wasn’t a talker by any means, and I normally wouldn’t have noticed if he didn’t speak. Except Deck’s expression was foreboding. Scowl in place, brows lowered, stiff shoulders, and lips tight. Something had pissed him off, but I had no idea what. I mean, he acted like he and Logan were cool with one another. Actually, it seemed like I was the one Deck wasn’t cool with, and being on Deck’s uncool side … yeah, that made me edgy.
He pulled up to Georgie’s semi-detached house in King Liberty Village, and we were walking through the alley between the houses to the backyard when Deck snagged my hand and brought me to an abrupt stop.
He was frowning in a way that caused shivers of insecurity to waltz across my skin. “You into him?”
“What?” Oh. My. God.
“You heard me.” Sometimes his no-bullshit attitude was really annoying.
“Fine, I heard you. I just don’t know what to say.”
“Easy—yes or no?”
“Why, Deck? What does it matter? Especially to you.”
“Beautiful, get your head out of your butt. No guy goes through what he went through if he isn’t into her. Logan is into you. I know you’re having trouble dealing with the shit that went down, but if you knew—”
“Deck—”
“I’m not done yet.”
I bit my lower lip.
His tone softened. “What I just saw between you and Logan looks like something. Logan got you out of that shit, and he went through hell. You ask him what happened after you left.”
“I know what happened. He fought for his father and—”
He cut me off. “No. You think you know. Ask him. You owe him.”
“I owe him?” I couldn’t believe he said that. Deck was as upfront as they came. He gave it to you straight. But in this case he was wrong. I owed Sculpt nothing, and yet, Deck was avoiding telling me something.
“He didn’t have to come after you, Emily. Did you ever think about that? We could’ve got his mother out from under Raul and disappeared. Logan never had to see his father again or go back there. Yes, I would’ve come for you, but by then you would’ve disappeared. Logan made certain that didn’t happen by acting fast and doing what he did.” He put his finger under my chin so he could see my face. “He hated his father. He asked me when he was eighteen, way before any of this shit went down, to try and find a way to get to Raul. But I couldn’t locate him. The guy relocated after Logan and his mother escaped.” I closed my eyes against the tears. “Beautiful, he risked his life for you. And if you think for one second his life was not at risk even more than yours, then you’re mistaken.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the back gate clanged open interrupting us. Deck’s hand dropped, and he put his hand on the small of my back.
“No screwing chicks in the alleyway, Deck. Fuck, thought you were over that teenage shit.” I turned around, and the guy’s eyes rose with recognition. “Oh shit, you’re Emily. Finally I get to meet the hottie Sculpt’s been pining over.” I couldn’t imagine Logan pinning for anything. “I’m Crisis.”
Oh, the band’s guitarist. His blond curls blew in the cool summer breeze while his eyes danced with mischief. His blue eyes drooped in the outer corners, and his soft features made him look cute. He also had a killer smile.
