Page 125 of Logan

His shoulders sag with relief, the tension draining out of him like water from a sieve.

I feel a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth, the first real one in a while. “Don’t worry, Liam didn’t recognize you. There’s not much of you visible in the video, and I didn’t say a word. You’re in the clear. Your job is safe.”

He snorts, shaking his head. “I told him it was me.”

“What?” I try to pull away again, but this time his arms lock around me, holding me in place.

“You thought I would hide behind you? I told you, I don’tgive a fuck about my position or my career. I’m not throwing you to the wolves and running.”

“Why would you do that?” I stare at him, aghast. “You were safe. Now we’re both screwed.” The tears well again, blurring my vision. “You’ll lose everything.”

“I don’t care.” He says it simply, like it’s an indisputable fact. “Everything I said at the gala, about wanting to be with you... That hasn’t changed for me.”

I’m silent, my mind reeling.

“This is the part where you’re supposed to say, ‘I want to be with you too, Logan,’” he prompts, a hint of uncertainty creeping into his voice.

I stare at the beautiful, infuriating man in front of me, my heart swelling until I feel like it might burst. God, I want him. I want this, want us. But my thoughts are a tangled mess, the ground shifting beneath my feet. I’ve lost my job, my life as I knew it. I don’t know which way is up anymore.

“I’m not in a good place right now, Logan. I can’t think straight.”

He sighs, his eyes sliding shut. “I know I’m unloveable. I’ve made my peace with that. But I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me, Sloane. I’ll take anything.”

I frown, thrown by the defeat in his voice. “What? Wait. What do you mean, not loveable?”

He’s silent for a long moment, his eyes distant. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I love you, and we’ll figure this out. I’ll make do with whatever you can give me.”

My brain screeches to a halt, my mouth falling open. “What?”

“We’ll figure it out?—”

“No, not that. What yousaid before.”

“That I love you?” A slow, brilliant smile spreads across his face, stealing my breath. “I fucking love you, Sloane.” He strides to the door and yanks it open, shouting out into the night. “I love Sloane Harris!”

“Shh!” I rush over and drag him back inside, giggling helplessly. “You’re insane.”

“There it is.” He grins down at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “There’s that smile I love so much.”

My cheeks heat, my heart doing a giddy little flip in my chest. What am I going to do with this man? When he smiles at me like that, I’m a goner, a useless puddle at his feet.

“Anything you want, Sloane.” His tone goes serious, his hands cupping my face. “Just tell me what to do to make this happen for us.”

I nibble my lip, considering. “I want to know why you said you can’t be loved.” I sit on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside me. “You still owe me a talk, and I think it’s time we have it.”

“Fair enough.” He sits next to me, our thighs pressing together. He takes a deep breath, seeming to steel himself. “I don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning is usually a good place.” I bump his shoulder with mine, trying to lighten the sudden tension.

He scrubs a hand over his face, his shoulders hunching. “I said that because you’re not the first person to tell me I’m unlovable.”

“I said that?” I gape at him, aghast. I would remember saying something so cruel.

“Yeah, in London. You said you could never fall for a guy like me. And it’s fine, I get it. I know I’m not an easy man.I’ve heard the rumors, the names they call me behind my back.”

“Not all of them,” I mumble, shame sitting heavy in my gut.

He twists his mouth into a rueful smile. “Sometimes I think I was born defective.”