Page 16 of One Night Seduction

“You were my stepfather.”

“I know.”

“You…fucked me,” I say as I glance around like the walls are listening in on us.

His lips mash together in a tight line as he stares at the ground.

“I didn’t know,” he says.

Logan’s eyes come to meet mine as he continues.

“I would have never approached you, never touched you, never even looked at you if I knew who you were. Then, by the time I figured it out I…”

He pauses, his head dropping in defeat.

“I didn’tplanthis, Arianna. I didn’twantthis. I’m not some predator that’s had my eyes on you for years.”

“It sure as hell feels that way.” I laugh bitterly.

He shrugs. “You can believe what you want, but it’s the truth. When I touched you, I wasn’t touching my ex-stepdaughter, I was?—”

“Ew, you know what, stop. Just stop,” I say with a wince, shaking my hands. “Hearing you say it out loud is so much worse. Just…stop. It’s done, it happened, and maybe one day, if we’re both lucky, we can scrub the memory from our brains.”

His eyebrows pinch together, but he doesn’t speak as I continue.

“You’re here. There is no way in hell my mom is going to let you leave now. Let’s just…keep our distance and get through this week.”

Turning away from him, I walk through the doorway into the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub and hoping he will get the hint and leave.

“Is that what you want?” he asks from the doorway.

“Hm?” I ask.

He takes a few steps in, keeping his tone even and emotionless as he speaks.

“You want to scrub the memory from your brain? Want to pretend it never happened?”

I frown, looking over my shoulder at him.

“Of course. Don’t you?”

His face is impassive and cold as his posture stiffens.

“Of course.”

With that, he slips out of my room, shutting the door a little harder than necessary. As soon as he’s gone, I can finally catch my breath. A sinking feeling settles in my stomach immediately after, though. A foreboding feeling from what has happened or what’s to come? Does it really matter which?

Chapter Eight

Logan

I slam Arianna’s door shut harder than I intend as I storm into the empty room beside hers. Tossing my bag onto the bed, I dig my fingers into my hair. What the fuck am I even doing here? This was such a mistake. A stupid, impulsive, desperate to see her and test if the connection was real or something I conjured in my head at the club, mistake.

Test concluded.

Just two minutes alone with her, and all suspicions are confirmed. It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a lust induced one-off or twice-off, I guess. Being near her sets my skin on fire. It has my mind clouding, my heart racing. She puts me on edge, and I’m like an adrenaline junkie flirting with the cliffside, torn between staying safely where I am and free-diving straight off.

What a fucking ride it would be.

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