Snake Eater - THE BRAVO BOYS [book three]

Chapter TWENTY EIGHT

Shelby Quinn

"What?" When the throes of our passion cool enough for my melted mind to make sense of up from down, Logan shifts comfortably beside me as I roll to my side with a dopey smile.. "Why are you looking at me like that, Barbie?"

"Everytime I think I have you figured out, you prove me wrong.. It's starting to become a habit.." I stretch out to lounge lengthwise on his plush mattress looking around at his collection of clever books.. My Focus fixing on the pair of classic tortoise shell framed glasses propped atop a worn out, well read copy of 'Absalom, Absalom!' on the bedside table..

"You know, you might actually be even more high strung than me.." He shrugs next to me, relaxed and sleepy.. "How about you stop trying to figure me out and fucking relax for once.." He reclines deeper into the pillows, as though abandoning all of his cares..

If only it were that easy to let go of all my fears..
I wish I could do just that.. I would gladly forget about Blackstar and the hack on Specters servers, I'd erase any and all traces of Tyler Bennings from my life, but there is one thing I can't give up on..

My father..
I have to know where he is and I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do everything in my power to find him..

"I've tried.." I admit, my fingers sliding over the smooth skin of his side where I admire his curious cult tattoos, a combination of geometrics and bible verse numbers.. "But I've never been a go with the flow kinda girl.. And I've never met anyone like you.."

He nods slowly with a wry chuckle that feels sharp and pointed to my ears.. "That ain't hard to believe.."

"See, that right there-" I snap my fingers and point at him.. "That passive aggressive bullshit.. It's so unfair.. Why do you do that?"

Dim lights dance over his carved muscle as he twists his torso in my direction, angling his chiseled chin down to appraise me under a stern regard.. "Because you didn't mean what you just said as a compliment, Barbie, I'm a person - not a fucking puzzle for you to piece together.. If you really wanna know what pisses me off, it's that you don't seem to know the difference.." Logan narrows his smouldering syrup eyes on me.. "I mean, let's be honest here, I'm a distraction to you, or a cog in the machine of your master fucking plan.. I ain't stupid enough to believe I'm ever gonna be anything else.."

No matter how much I soften myself or bend to his will, he never believes me.. He will never trust in my feelings for him and that is exactly why we could never work.. It is a crushing and cruel revelation that against all better judgement, I ignore.. "You think you know me, but you don't.." I retort.. "You don't know anything about me.."

"Really?" Logan arches an amused brow.. "Shelby, Sweetheart.. I know everything about you.."

I am reminded quickly of just how easily he had accessed my agent files at Specter and other information about me and suddenly I am aggravated by the fact that I have barely scratched his surface in return.. "Okay, so maybe it wasn't a compliment, but it wasn't an insult either.."

"It was a judgement.." He scoffs..

"No, it was an observation.." I backchat, biting down on those defensive instincts that begin to bubble hotly in the depth of my belly..

Logan reaches across and twists a lock of my hair around his finger, a manoeuvre that is oddly familiar and comforting. "Maybe I don't wanna be observed, did'ya ever think about that?"

"Okay then." I hold up my hands in acceptance.. "I'm sorry.. All I meant to say was- It'd be nice to get to know you better.."

"Why didn't you just say that then.." He sighs a slow and defeated breath.. "Go on, ask whatever it is you're going to ask.."