Page 34 of Pucking Fake

"Michael Keller is my father," I whisper.

His eyes widen with shock. "Michael Keller? You mean…?"

"Yeah. Senator Keller."

"Jesus Christ, Peyton," he whispers.

I glance down at my lap. "Every single time he's up for reelection, I'm the skeleton people drag out of his closet."

"That's fucked up."

"I'm not mad about it." I shrug. "Honestly, as much as it sucked for me, I appreciated that his opponents never really let him forget that he had a kid he just threw away. Especially after…"

Logan growls, and I know he's worked out the rest of the story. The stuff I didn't tell him back in the conference room. Refusing to acknowledge me wasn't the worst of what my father did, not by far. Sending me to foster care after my mom was killed by the guy who robbed the convenience store where she worked?

Well, there's a special place in hell for him for that.

"That fucking prick," he rasps. "He abandoned you after your mom was killed."

"He abandoned me long before she was killed, Logan." I rest my head against the window with a sigh. "You can't re-abandon a kid you never bothered to meet in the first place."

"How the fuck is he a senator?"

"Because the truth about who he really is only matters when it's convenient. The rest of the time, it gets swept under the rug. People see what they want to see. He talks a good game and trots his perfect little family out to play the perfect husband and father. That's what they see. Not the daughter he never wanted. Not the woman he cheated with and then abandoned. They see the lie. It's all they ever see."

"Fuck," Logan growls, jerking beside me. "Peyton, I–"

"If pretending we're dating will help protect your sister, I'll do it," I say, cutting him off before he can apologize. He didn't know, and he was trying to protect me. It's not his fault I had a target on my back before I was ever even born because my father is evil. I appreciate him for trying to protect me. It's more than anyone else has ever done.

"Why?" He glances over at me, curiosity burning in his gaze.

"Because sometimes, the lie is worth it," I murmur. I've survived being a media spectacle my whole life. There's nothing they can throw at me that I haven't already heard. His sister is a different story, however. She has a baby to protect. She doesn't deserve to be in the crosshairs just because some reporter wantsto blow up his life. If I can prevent that, I want to do it. "Your sister deserves peace. I'll do my part to make sure she gets it."

"Had I known, I never would have…" The guilt is heavy in his voice. "Christ, Peyton. I'm an asshole."

"You didn't know." I lick my lips, eyeing him warily. "But just so we're clear, wearen'tdating, Logan. This is just for show. I'm your fake girlfriend and your assistant. Nothing more."

"Yeah?" He meets my gaze, his eyes dark and fathomless. "How long do you think you're going to be able to keep selling yourself that lie, baby?"

For as long as it takes for it to become true.

"It's not a lie," I say instead of voicing that frightening truth.

"Whatever you say, angel." He smirks at me, shaking his head. "But we both know you're full of shit. Just like we both know you only pretend you hate me because you know if you stop, you'll have to admit how you really feel."

"Yeah, and how do you think I really feel?"

"You're falling for me. You were falling for me before you ever left the bar with me. That's why you were so goddamn mad. And it's why you're so afraid to trust me now. I feel like something you need, and Peyton Cloud doesn't want to need anyone."

"You should really stop buying into your own press, Logan. It's giving you a big head," I mutter, my heart pounding. He's got me pegged so well it's scary. It's uncomfortable. It's…kind of beautiful, too.

What? No. I didn't mean that last part. Absolutely not.

"Whatever you say, baby," he murmurs, exiting the freeway. He meets my gaze again, a smirk dancing on his lips. "But just so we're clear…it doesn't matter how hard you fight or how hard you run. You're going to end up in my arms anyway. Make me bleed if it makes you happy. I'm not afraid of that attitude. You aren't pushing me away. All you'll do is make my fucking cock hard."

"Logan?" I hold his gaze, my eyes narrowed. "Shut up and drive."

Chapter Eight

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