Page 46 of The Star

“No one.” I speak before thinking, showing my entire hand of cards.

She gives me that shit-eating smile. “There’s the caveman again.”

I groan, waving a hand toward the house. “Let’s go inside, pretend like none of this ever happened, and stay out of each other’s way.”

A look flashes across her face, but before I can pinpoint what she’s feeling, she’s masking herself again. “Okay.”

She pushes her door open and drops out of the car onto the driveway, so I mimic her and follow her into the house.

* * *

Logan is gone the next morning when I wake up, and when I inquire about her whereabouts, my mom she says she’s staying in Franklin for the weekend. The first thing that crosses my mind is the messages I read on her phone –Austin.

Gripping my hands into fists, I stalk back to my room and slam the door.

I pull up Instagram on my phone as soon as I’ve dropped down on my bed, going straight to Logan’s profile to creep. She hasn’t posted anything, and neither have any of her friends. I catch the time on the top corner of my phone, realizing it’s probably too early for this.

I can either spend the day torturing myself with this, or I can find something to do. I decide on the latter, turning on the TV and settling for a movie marathon to distract myself. That’s what I need. Distraction from my obsession with my stepsister and her tight little pussy.

twenty-four

LOGAN

“I’ve missed you.” Giuliana leans her head on my shoulder, keeping her attention on the TV.

“I missed you too, G.” I lay my head on top of hers.

I needed to get out of there, so I jumped at the first opportunity to head to Franklin this morning when my dad offered to drive me to see my friends. Being in that house, with Carson on the other side of the wall, was making my skin itchy. He’s too close, his looming presence inside my home making last night veryreal.When I need it to be forgotten, need to stop thinking about the softer sides of him I saw, need to stop thinking about how smooth and pillowy his lips are against mine. I need to stop thinking about his long, talented fingers inside of me.

After tossing and turning all night, I crawled out of bed early this morning with bags under my eyes and ran for my life. Ran back to Franklin in some last-ditch attempt at getting him off my mind.

So we’ve been here, on Giuliana’s couch, watching TV all day.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Giuliana questions, turning her head up to look at me.

I sigh. “No.”

She nods, turning back to look at the TV, knowing not to push.

“Well…” I start, making her head perk up to look at me again. “It’s Carson.”

Her eyebrow curls. “The stepbrother?”

I don’t want to say the words that are sitting on the tip of my tongue. I don’t want to speak them into existence, because once I do, they’re alive and they’re breathing. They’re real. Deep in my head, I can tell myself that I’m feeling something for Carson fucking Raines, and it’s just me, it’s just thoughts. But once I say it, there’s no taking it back. There’s no erasing it.

I sigh again, leaning my head back against the couch and groaning. “Luxington sucks.”

“You sound like such a little bitch right now.” She clicks her tongue, humor in her smile. “Where’s my bad ass best friend that makes the best of every situation? Where’s the girl that is always up for a challenge?”

I scrunch my face up. “Shut up.”

She slaps my arm. “I mean it!”

I groan. “I know. I need to pull it together.”

“Yes, you do.” She stands up and holds a hand out to me. “Get up, we’re going out.”

I grin at her, slipping my hand into hers so she can pull me up off the couch.

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