“Congratulations, dove. Knew you could do it.”
Tears form, burning my eyes, and I’m embarrassed for being this happy over winning a dessert contest. I’m handed a ribbon that’s reads:First Placeand I grin head to toe.
Rejoining my friends, I can’t seem to wipe the enthusiasm from my face. “I know it’s silly to get so emotional, but… I’ve never won anything before.”
“We’re proud of you, Sora. You deserve it. You deserve to smile.” Logan encloses me in his embrace while I run a finger over the lettering of my award.
“It’ll look pretty hanging from your mirror, girl,” Lana tells me like I’m back in high school.
But I suppose it will.
“All right. Let’s celebrate. I have a bottle of Champagne that needs to be opened.” Lana grabs my hand and starts guiding me toward the house.
“Hey! What about us? We don’t get an invitation,” Crew shouts over the distance we’ve already put between him and Logan.
“Youare not invited. However, Logan can join if he wants, considering he lives next door.”
“You’re both invited!” I yell over my shoulder.
Lana scoffs clearly irritated. “Why’d you invite him?”
“I don’t want to be rude. He’s Logan’s friend.”
When she says nothing, I stop us both by grabbing her arm. “Hey,” I whisper. “If Crew being there bothers you, I’ll uninvite him. You come first.”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “No. It’s fine. This is your night. I’m okay.” She smiles, but it’s not entirely convincing.
When we reach the street, the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight. It’s the same eeriness as before when I thought someone was watching me. It’s a feeling I can’t explain, but…
“What’s wrong?” Logan asks when he catches up to me.
My eyes search the now deserted streets. “It’s nothing.” I flash him with a smile of dismissal but can feel Logan’s burning stare on me the entire way back.
Logan
Why would I want to focus on anything else when the most beautiful woman on the planet is dancing? Laughing with her best friend, carrying on without care in the world. Her strawberry dress flows behind her as she twirls in the moonlight. That damn dress. It’s cute, sexy, and fuck, did it look good on her. The waves in her dark hair move like the ocean on a summer night, and it’s elegant, downright sexy as fuck.
It's only when Crew holds out a beer for me to take did I remember he’s here. “So… what’s up with you two, anyway?” He leans back, propping his boots up on the railing as he takes a swig, the girls still dancing in the grass below us.
“Nothing.” It’s true. Plus, I don’t like discussing my personal life, even though there isn’t anything going on between me and Sora.
Though, her tempting me in the strawberry fields… I wanted her so badly. To taste her. And man, was I jealous of that piece of fruit.
It’s unusual for me to be so open. Sure, Crew knows about my past, but it took way longer for me to trust him versus Sora. She changes something inside of me. For the better. I’ve known Crew a long time, both of us met inside the club, but it’s obviously different.
“Whatever you say, man.”
“She’s married.”
He lets out a snorting laugh. “I’d say it’s only a piece of paper and his sociopathic tendencies that keeps that title.”
My hands clench at the thought of who she’s bound to.
Crew knows everything. He had to, so he could pull his strings for me. She trusted me to keep her secret, but I only broke that trust for her sake, and I’m not sorry.
“Have you at least told her?”
Beer still in hand, music still pouring from the speakers, I whip my head to him. “What’s with questions?”
