Crazy Beautiful Love (The Martelli Brothers #1)(14)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“Well, I guess that rules you out, then?” I lifted one eyebrow at him. “Or do car thieves make minimum wage these days?”

“Maybe car thieves get up early to steal cars before anyone else is up.” He leaned towards me and my heart fluttered. “But you tell me, seeing as you joined the ranks yesterday, or at least, tried to join.”

“Come inside.” I grabbed his arm, and my stomach dropped as he yanked it back away from me. “I don’t want people to see us standing out here.”

“Scared to be seen with the town criminal?”

“No, but I don’t want people to call the cops because they don’t know what’s going on.”

Logan stared at me for a few seconds and shook his head. “I’m going home, have a good night, Maddie.”

“Wait a minute.” I poked him in the chest. “You’re not going to tell me why you were throwing rocks at my windows?”

“I wasn’t throwing rocks,” he responded petulantly, and I almost laughed.

“Pebbles, rocks, whatever,” I hissed and walked up to him. “But, I guess that’s your M.O., just walk away when the questions start coming.”

“Excuse me?” He glared at me. “I’m not walking away from anything. Just because you don’t get your way every single time, it doesn’t mean that I’m the bad guy. Maybe this will help you see what the real world is about.”

I tried to ignore the hurt that coursed through me. I had been told he had a chip on his shoulder. It wasn’t personal. I just had to remember that.

“Please come in, Logan.” My voice was soft and I stared into his eyes, this time resisting the urge to touch him again.

“Why?” He laughed. “You want to f**k again?”

I turned away from him and felt my face flush. I wanted to slap him across the face, but I couldn’t ignore the heaviness between my legs. He was right: I did want to sleep with him again. More than anything. But I also knew what he must think of me. What sort of girl sleeps with a guy on the first day they met? And what sort of a girl sleeps with a guy a second time after he treats her like shit? I didn’t want to be that sort of girl.

“I’d like to chat.” I looked back at him again. “That’s it.”

We stared at each other for a few seconds and I watched as Logan ran his hands through his dark blond tousled hair again. His eyes narrowed as he thought, and I could see that his shoulders were tensed. He looked back into my eyes, and as I stared into his deep, secretive green irises, I felt excited and scared.

“Okay.” He paused. “I’ll come in for a few minutes.”

“Great.” My heart soared and I walked quickly back up to the door with him right behind me. A part of me was a little scared. I really had no idea what I was getting into letting Logan Martelli into my house and my life. I’d had a small crush on him for a few years but that was based on a few photos and conversations about him with friends I’d gone to elementary school with, in the summers I’d come home from boarding school.

“Let’s go upstairs.” I closed the door behind him, not knowing if I was being too forward by taking him up to my bedroom.

“Okay.” He looked around the house almost eagerly and I saw him soaking everything in. A part of me was worried that he was taking inventory of all of my parents’ belongings. Maybe he was planning on coming back to steal everything. I ignored the brief hesitation and grabbed his arm. “Ready?”

“Your house is just as I imagined it would be inside.” His tone was even and almost wondering. “It’s grand, but it’s warm as well.” He stared at the antique grandfather clock next to the dining room entryway and walked over to it. “This is nice.”

“It’s heavy.” I uttered the words without thinking and blushed. He turned towards me with a sardonic smiled and rolled his eyes.

“Thanks for letting me know. I guess I won’t steal it when I come back.”

“I didn’t mean that.” I walked to him. “I’m surprised you came back tonight, after what you said earlier.”

“I came to talk to your father.”

“Why?” I didn’t really understand why he cared to talk to my father. Was he planning on telling him that I was on my way to becoming criminal and had slept with him in a field? It didn’t make sense.

“Doesn’t matter.” He looked at me coldly. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Are you mad at me?” I heard the pleading in my voice and hated myself. I wasn’t this person. “Because if you are, you can just leave.” Take that, I thought smugly. The ball was in his court now. I wasn’t going to make him think he was doing me any favors.

“No.” He walked towards me and grabbed hold of my waist and pulled me towards him. “I want to stay.”

“Okay,” I mumbled as I looked up into his dark gaze. His hands moved down to my butt and he pulled me into him roughly. I could feel his erection against me and I swallowed hard. “I just don’t get you.”

“What’s there to get?”

“If you like me or not.” I stared into his green eyes and saw the wanton desire and lust as he looked over my body. “Or if this is all about sex.”

“Do you care?” His hand slid up my back.

“I don’t know,” I lied. Of course I care, you stupid idiot. I wanted to pound my arms against his chest.

“Exactly, so let’s go upstairs then.” His eyes issued me a challenge and I knew what he was saying. A spark of desire ignited in me and I reached up and brought his mouth down to mine to kiss him. He kissed me back hard and then pulled away from me, with eyes blazing.

“I didn’t say you could kiss me.” He shook his head, and a small smirk twisted his lips. “You’ll pay for that.”

“Oh?” I licked my lips.

“And for that,” he growled at me.

“What are we waiting for?” I grabbed his hand and ran up the stairs excitedly. I paused at my bedroom door and turned to him hesitantly. “This is my room.”

He peeked his head inside and nodded. “It’s nice, but the bed’s a bit small.”

“It’s a full.” I looked at him and resisted the urge to bring him closer to me. “We’ll fit.”

“What size bed do your parents have?”

“King? Why?”