Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
He turned back to Neal. ‘Restroom, now.’
The werewolf scurried away, a slight hobble in his step.
CeCe crossed to Ripper, wringing her hands. ‘I know how this looks, but I swear I didn’t—’
‘Don’t bullshit me,’ he bit off. ‘You could have gone anywhere with Neal tonight. Any-fucking-where. You chose this bar, knowing Logan would be here – he comes here every Sunday night to play darts and shoot the shit with some wolves from our clan. You knew it would hurt him to see you with Neal. Knew it’d set him off. So the only reason you’d come here is if you wanted that.’
‘I didn’t!’ she protested. ‘I would never do anything to hurt Logan!’
‘Then why choose this bar?’
‘It was a busy week, I had a lot going on, I lost track of the days, thought it was Saturday. I didn’t realize my mistake until I walked in and saw people gathered near the dart board. I was about to walk straight back out, I swear. But Logan saw us and rushed over.’
Ripper clenched his jaw. ‘Didn’t I just tell you not to bullshit me?’
Her eyes flared. ‘I’m not lying, I got confused.’
‘Did you also get confused when you started dating a guy you only think of as a friend?’
She snapped her mouth shut. ‘I could tell that you weren’t going to change your mind about the triad. But Logan . . . he wasn’t giving up hope. I thought that if it looked as if I was moving on, it would force him to let this go and move on himself.’
‘So you’re using Neal? Does he know that?’
‘No.’ She averted her gaze, pulling a face. ‘I feel bad about it, but I didn’t know what else to do. This is my mess. I suggested the triad, I caused all the friction, I needed to put it right.’
‘How in the hell was seeing you with Neal ever going to put this right for Logan? All you had to do was make it perfectly clear to him that you’re not interested in a triad anymore.’
‘I did! He could tell I was lying!’
‘You really thought that this was the solution?’
She grimaced, adjusting her tee. ‘I’m going to go talk to Logan; check he’s okay.’
‘No, you’re not. You’re going to help Neal clean this mess, and then you’re going to leave with him.’
Her head jerked back slightly. ‘Look, I realize you’re upset about me and Neal—’
‘I’m not, CeCe. I want things to go back to the way they were before, when we were nothing but friends. A natural part of that would be you dating someone. But you’re not dating Neal, you’re using him. And you’re hurting my brother in the doing of it.’
Her lips thinning, she jutted out her chin. ‘I love Logan. I love you both.’
‘Yeah? You’ve got a messed-up way of showing it.’ Ripper walked off, weaving through the tables until he arrived at the office.
Inside, Logan sat on a chair near the desk, gently probing his jaw. He looked up at Ripper, his eyes dull. ‘Neal ain’t much of a fighter, but he got a few good shots in.’
Ripper walked over to his brother. ‘How did all that play out exactly?’
Sighing, Logan lowered his hand to his lap. ‘I meant it when I told you I wouldn’t seek him out or confront him. But they walked in here hand in hand, smiling and laughing . . . I didn’t see it coming, Rip. It took me off-guard. I didn’t think she’d do that to me, and it pissed me off that she did. Before I knew it, I was striding over there.
‘I told them both to get out. Told her I thought better of her. Said I wanted them out of my sight. But that motherfucker went nose to nose with me, saying I needed to accept that CeCe was his; that he now gets to come inside her; that I’ll never have her again; that he’d one day claim her. Things escalated from there.’
Ripper bit out a curse. Neal had really gone all out to provoke Logan. ‘She swore she thought it was Saturday.’
Logan’s eyelids lowered. ‘Fuck that. Her eyes went wide when she saw me, as if she was shocked. But I know her. That emotion was fake.’ He rubbed at his forehead. ‘She did this in the hope that I’d find it so hard to see her with Neal that I’d put more pressure on you to give her what she wants, didn’t she?’
Ripper gave a weak shrug. ‘Probably.’
‘I hated the idea of her with him, but I didn’t want to think you were right; that she’d do something as cold as use him to play you.’ Logan eyed him closely. ‘You would never have caved, would you?’
‘No. And it wouldn’t really have been what you wanted if I had. You and me can’t even share a pizza without snarling at each other; how were we ever gonna share a mate?’