Page 101 of Because of Logan

Skye turns to Bruno. He’s zipping his pants.

“Say something! Tell him what happened. Tell him why you’re here!”

But Bruno just shakes his head.

“I can’t.”

He looks terrified, and that makes it even worse than it already is. Little wimpy son of a bitch can’t even stand up for himself and say anything at all. Fucking coward.

She looks him up and down.

“What happened? What happened to your clothes? Why did you take them off?”

“I got hot. You were too warm.”

Wrong fucking thing to say, pal!

I take two steps forward, and even though he’s on the other side of the queen-sized bed, he flinches. His arms go up and over his head in a defensive manner and he turns his back halfway. It makes me hesitate, but it’s the crisscrossing of scars on his back, thin pink lines paler than his skin, that stop me.

This is the kind of reaction I’ve seen on victims of abuse and domestic violence. The scars are forgotten in my anger. He’s a big fucking grown man and has to have a good twenty pounds of muscle on me. Even if he sucks at fighting, a guy his size should be able to hold his own.

But that reaction alone is what saves his ass, and mine too, for that matter, because I’d be in a world of trouble if I gave this guy the beating I want.

My attention is back on Skye and her pajama pants and tank top. The same tank top she was wearing the day I pulled her over. I refocus my anger on her. Bruno may have been a willing participant, but he owes me no loyalty. She’s the one I’m dating. She’s my girlfriend, and she’s the one who claimed there has never been anything sexual between her and Bruno, but she was lying before and she’s lying now. Her sister herself had said they were fuck buddies, and even if nothing happened today, it’s obvious in the way they’re so comfortable with each other, in the way she shared her bed with him, that something is going on between them.

Maybe he’s cheating on his out-of-town girlfriend. He’s always around during the week, but every weekend, he goes away to meet this mysterious person. That’s what Skye always says. But he was supposed to be away today, and he’s here. So something happened. Maybe the girlfriend found out he’s cheating and kicked him out, or maybe they could not get together and he went back to his old fuck buddy—my girlfriend.

Either way, I’m done.

This is done.

Skye is done.

It’s all going to hell in a fucking hand basket because there’s no way I’ll go along with whatever Skye’s saying. I can’t believe a word coming out that pretty mouth, and fuck me if I still don’t want to kiss her! I have to get out of here.

“Just tell him. Tell him the truth.”

Skye’s crying and yelling at Bruno to tell me that nothing happened. He shakes his head and doesn’t even look at her. Fucking asshole is not man enough to either own up to what he did or lie for his so-called best friend.

I take two steps back and Skye tries to come to me. I raise my hands and she stops. I turn and see River by the door. I don’t know how long she’s been there. Watching. She doesn’t say a word. I guess she had no idea her sister had a guy in her bed or she wouldn’t have let me in. River’s eyes look as startled as mine probably did when I first realized there was someone in the bed with Skye.

Bruno finally finds a pair and speaks up.

“I’m leaving, and you two can talk.”

He looks at Skye and shakes his head, a plea in the way he looks at her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I can’t. I just can’t. And you promised. You promised me.”

It’s just too much.

Too much.

Too much all over again, too much.

“Don’t fucking bother. I’m the one leaving.”

I look at Skye then. I don’t know if I’m trying to memorize her face or completely forget it. Because I know. I just know I’ll never look at her again.

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