Page 33 of Not By the Playbook

Fans swarm Logan and Jenna. He hesitates, but she waves him off. Jenna and I both watch as his adoring public fetes him.

Jenna turns to me. “You’ve done well, Rebecca.”

I smile while my innards twist into a mess of knots. All my attention is on Logan. He is standing by the dance floor and taking photos. It would be wiser to concentrate on the conversation with my new boss.

A scantily clad blonde woman, separate from the entourage, goes up to him and lays red talons on his chest while her other hand strokes his bicep. My belly is a gurgling cauldron.

Jenna says something and I respond, but my eyes keep flitting over her shoulder.

Logan can do what he wants. If he wants to line up his next fuck, that’s none of my business.

But he’s mine!

For how much longer?

I slide another look at him, and my heart constricts as my breath catches in my throat.A little bit longer.

He laughs at something the woman says, and my neurotransmitters spark. I force myself to keep calm even as my blood pressure mounts. I throw back the rest of my wine. It’s not tequila, but the Chardonnay-courage will do.

“Will you excuse me?” I tell Jenna.

Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.But I can’t stop moving toward Logan.

My teeth gnash together as I navigate the throngs to him. I tap his shoulder from behind. “Hey, I need to speak with you.”

He turns to me, but his eyes are distant. “Yes?”

The woman’s grip on his bicep doesn’t loosen until I glare. She drops it to her side with a scowl. Logan doesn’t seem to notice.

“I need to speak with you!” Looks come my way when I yell, but I don’t care. I yank him by his arm, and his fans separate at my scowl, allowing me a path to march him away.

I let go when we are in an alcove by the bathrooms and plant my hands on my hips.

Logan cocks his head to the side, thumbs stuck into his pockets. He arches one eyebrow and waits.

Chin raised, I face him head on. “Seriously? You couldn’t wait another twenty-four hours before lining up your next panty partner?” I hiss.

The corners of his eyes pinch and his lips tighten. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Your adoring fan club.” I fling my hand in the direction of the writhing bodies. “You know, maybe you want to wait until your sister’s gone before picking someone else to sleep with.”

Hurt flickers in his gaze, but that emotion quickly transforms into a glare of annoyance. “I wouldn’t do that.”

I scoff. “Sure looks like you are doing exactly that.”

“I was just speaking to her,” Logan growls.

“Yeah, right.” The arms I have crossed over myself are the only things keeping me from erupting.

“That’s not fair.”

“Oh no?” I challenge. I know I’m acting irrational, but I can’t help it.

Cool blue eyes study me, and the lines between his brows deepen. “Well, it’s whatever you want it to be, isn’t it? The world according to Rebecca Gerone,” he sneers. “If things aren’t going your way, just twist them to your satisfaction.”

I flinch. Is that what he thinks? No wonder he’s ready to rush off. I must have been mad to think that he was actually interested in me. My throat tightens.

A silence rises and the air between us thickens.

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