Page 39 of Sinful Palace

I licked my dry lips and tentatively reached one hand out to his chest. “I just think we need to talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said, pushing my hand away.

“There is. I haven’t forgotten what happened last week, you know,” I said, cheeks warming with a deep blush. “You kissed me after you saved me from Teddy. You felt something that night. I know because…” I trailed off and lowered my eyes, shame sweeping through my body. “I know because I felt it too.”

“I told you to stop talking, Willow,” Logan said.

Frustration burned through me. “We can’t ignore this forever,” I said. “We need to be honest or we’ll wind up going insane. Maybe it’s just old feelings from when we were teenagers; I don’t know. But as much as we hate each other, we have to admit there’s something still here between us.”

“You’re delusional, and you’re also treading on very fucking thin ice.”

Anger flared deep inside me. “You’re the one who’s delusional. Everything you do is a contradiction. You constantly threaten me and tell me how much you hate me, but your actions betray you every single time.” I jabbed a finger at his chest, mimicking his earlier gesture. “This isn’t all in my imagination. You know it isn’t. Now tell me why you kissed me that night.”

Logan averted his eyes again. “It was a mistake,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead. “Drop it. Please.”

I folded my arms and narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t going to let this go. I was finally getting the first real glimpses of the boy I used to know, and that was exactly what I needed. The truth. The real Logan.

“Tell me,” I said, voice trembling with anxiety and anticipation. “Tell me why you saved me that night. The real reason. Tell me why you kissed me.”

A vein was jumping in Logan’s forehead now, and his hands were clenching and unclenching in rapid succession by his side. “I said drop it.”

“Teddy was one of your closest friends,” I went on, refusing to back down. “But you killed him for me. You chose me. Tell me why.”

Something jumped in his cheek, and his nostrils flared. “I was wrong.”

“About saving me?”

“No. I was wrong when I thought we could peacefully co-exist as long as you tried your best,” he said. “You don’t have a best. You’re a spoiled, manipulative little brat. You think you can say or do anything. You think you’re totally fucking indestructible.”

“No, I—”

He cut me off, lifting a hand. “You aren’t indestructible,” he growled. “I’ve just been too lenient with you, that’s all. I should’ve never let it get this far. I should’ve broken you from the start.”

“Logan…” I reached for him, but he shook my hand off again.

“You really wanna know how I feel about you, princess?” he asked, eyes darkening.

I nodded. “Yes. I want the truth.”

“All right. Here’s the truth.” He strode over to the bed and fished his phone out of his jacket. Then he dialed a number and lifted it to his ear. “Hey, Frank,” he said about ten seconds later, turning to face me with a cold smile.

A dark thread of fear curled up my spine. “Wait… no. Stop.”

He ignored me. “I know it’s too late to get eyes on the kid now, but could you do it first thing tomorrow morning?” he said. He paused for a beat. “Uh-huh. Yeah. I’m ready. Take the shot as soon as you get it and let me know when it’s done. I’ll send the payment through right away.”

Cold terror seeped through my insides. “Don’t do this,” I said. “Please.”

Logan tossed the phone aside and smirked at me. “Too late.”

The force of his loathing hit me like an avalanche, and I sank to the floor and whimpered as my knees buckled.

I was wrong. So fucking wrong.

“Now you know,” Logan said, stepping over to me again. He roughly tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his stony gaze. “That’s how I feel about you.”

With that, he turned and left the room.

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