Snake Eater - THE BRAVO BOYS [book three]

Chapter TWENTY FIVE

Shelby Quinn

After I carefully explain everything about the unpleasant encounter in the park, detailing the unsettling appearance of Tyler Bennings and his inappropriate leering, I expect Logan to be angry.. I am fully prepared for him to yell or cuss me out.. To tell me that I fucked up or blame me for putting his niece in danger.. All those things I would deserve and I am more mad at myself for allowing it to happen than he could ever be..

But he doesn't do any of that..

Instead all the air is vacuumed from my lungs when he grabs me gently by both arms, his burning butterscotch eyes washing over me like two swirling tempest tornadoes, concern etched into his handsome features.. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I-Im fine, Logan.." He lifts my hands to inspect every inch of my arms, looking me over as if searching for signs of damage.. "I swear, I'm fine.."

"Aw hell.." Slowly he relinquishes his grip on me with a heavy breath, taking a swift step back to leave me cold without his touch.. "I tried to warn you about that family, Barbie.."

"I know.." I glance down to my boots with a newfound nervousness trickling down my spine.. Sometimes he makes me feel so small and powerless, and I find it near impossible to admit to myself just how much I like that.. His penetrative dark gaze tracks the movement as I reach up to rub the back of my neck, burning me alive under the scrutiny.. "And it gets worse- Tyler asked me to go to dinner with him.. And I had to say yes.."

"The hell you did!" He scoffs beneath his breath in disbelieving outrage, shaking his head with a stern disapproval that somehow manages to annoy and excite me simultaneously. "You ain't going nowhere with that preppy, blue blood motherfucker.."

A ripple of satisfaction rolls around in the base of my belly at his irked and jealous reaction.. I'm not proud to admit that his protectiveness gives me a jolt of pleasure because even though neither of us is willing to admit it, deep down somehow, some part of him must feel something for me.. Just like I do about him..

"Yes, I am.. I have to.." I blink up at him with my treacherous heart thundering out of control in my chest.. "But you have to know that I don't want to.."

"If you can't be talked out of it, why does it matter what I know?" Logan folds his arms across his broad chest, goading me with that slow and sarcastic southern drawl..

"It matters to me-" I admit quietly..

"I find that real difficult to believe.." He chuckles dryly as he scrubs a hand down his face, clearly struggling to maintain his patience.. "Since you never fucking listen to anything I say, Beauty Queen.."

"You're right, I should have listened to you when you told me not to take that meeting at Blackstar.." With a careful step forward I challenge the accusation.. "But I can't undo what's already been done.. Tyler isn't going away and this might give me a chance to find out what he really knows about Hendrix.."

The Hacker doesn't say a word, he just stares at me, as though he is trying to decide how to deal with me.. Eventually I force myself to speak again, this time to offer the reassurance I am certain he needs to hear from me.. "I don't expect you to help me with this, Lone Star.. I just thought you should know.. But this isn't your problem.."

The last time we'd spoken I was asking favour on behalf of my boss and he hadn't taken it so well.. Of course he hadn't.. Honestly I wasn't expecting him to and I knew it would only feed into that same narrative he has painted of me in his mind since the very first time we met; that I am a cold and heartless narc who would turn on him on a dime, use him and betray his trust..

But that isn't who I am.. And even though he doesn't want to see it, I have never done anything disloyal or deceitful that should give him cause to doubt me..
So maybe I'm not as soft or warm as other women, maybe I can be blunt and belligerent when challenged, but that doesn't mean I am some uncaring cold-blooded snake.