Page 300 of Sin Bin

Frustrated, he reached up and grabbed his hair as if he were going to rip it out by the roots. “You have to believe me, Jupiter. What you saw down there, I’m not the one who started it. She threw herself at me!”

“Oh, I believe that,” Meadow said caustically. “She’s been flirting with you all night, so I’m not at all surprised that she came on to you. But here’s the thing, Logan. Why didn’t you just remove yourself from the situation? She couldn’t have stopped you from leaving if you really wanted to. But you didn’t even try, did you? You stayed because a part of you was tempted—”

“That’s not true!”

“No? Then why the hell didn’t you leave?”

Guilt flickered in his eyes. “I don’t know.”

“You do know!” Meadow folded her arms across her heaving chest. “Just tell the truth, Logan. You wanted to sleep with her.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“I don’t believe you!”

“It’s true!” he insisted fervently. “I only let her kiss me to hurt my father! I didn’t even kiss her back!”

Meadow stared at him. “But you let her kiss you? Is that what you’re saying? You willingly let another woman put her mouth on you?”

“Well, yeah,” he admitted guiltily. “But I couldn’t go through with fucking her!”

Meadow’s lips twisted with bitter scorn. “How decent of you.”

“Shit! That came out wrong!” He grabbed his head with both hands and let out an aggravated breath. “I meant—”

“You said exactly what you meant.” She shook her head at him, pain clawing at her insides. “I was right about you from the start, Logan. You’re no good for me.”

“Don’t say that.” His voice was a raw whisper. “Please don’t say that, Jupiter.”

“But it’s true.” She hated the way her voice shook. “You see, Logan, it’s not about the big houses and expensive telescopes, the designer clothes and sparkling diamonds. It’s about trust. When we’re apart, can I trust you not to seek refuge in wild parties just because something’s weighing on your mind? Can I trust you not to sleep with other women because you’re angry and out for revenge? Can I trust you not to be tempted? I honestly don’t know if I can, and that breaks my heart.” She gave him a look of sadness and regret. “In a way, it’s not your fault. As the saying goes, ‘Hurt people hurt people.’ And you’ve definitely been hurt, Logan. You’re damaged. We both are. But the difference between you and me is that I’m not willing to hurt the people I love.”

He groaned and reached for her arm, but she snatched it away. Blinking back tears, she fumbled her keycard out of her beaded clutch and unlocked the door. “I’m going inside. You can come back later for your things and sleep somewhere else tonight. Maybe you and your stepmother can pick up where you left off, assuming your father hasn’t killed her.”

Logan groaned miserably. “C’mon, baby. I know I fucked up. I had a terrible lapse in judgment, a few seconds of epic stupidity. But it’ll never happen again, I swear to God. You gotta forgive me, Jupiter. I can’t lose you.”

“You already have.”

Raw pain darkened his eyes.

She steeled herself against it. “I’ve fought too long and too hard to put the past behind me, to heal from everything I went through. I still have a long way to go, but while I’m on the road to recovery, I have to protect myself from any more harm. I love you with all my heart, Logan, and maybe someday we can be friends again. But that’s all we’ll ever be. Just friends. Nothing more.”

His face contorted with agony. He shut his eyes and hung his head as he whispered hoarsely, “Jupiter, please—”

“Goodbye, Logan.” Before he could open his eyes, she backed through the door and slammed it, swiftly turning the lock.

“Jupiter!” Panicking, Logan pounded his fists on the door and rammed his shoulder against it. “Don’t do this, Jupiter! C’mon, baby, open up and let me in! Please, baby! Please!”

She slapped a trembling hand over her mouth and backed away from the door.

“Jupiter, please!” he howled desperately. “I’m sorry, baby! I’m so fucking sorry!”

She heard voices outside the door. They belonged to Lucien and two unfamiliar males, presumably his bodyguards. They were speaking in stern tones, trying to reason with Logan. But he was too out of control to be calmed down or reasoned with.

“Jupiter!” he yelled despairingly through the door. “I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me!”

When one of the guards issued a warning, Logan snarled ferociously, “Get your fucking hand off me!”

The next sound she heard was the smack of a fist against flesh. She knew, even without seeing, that Logan had punched one of the men.

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