Arianna When Logan said that he was going to take me home, I thought he meant my
apartment just off campus. No, apparently, he meant his home, which is a sprawling six
bedroom, four bath mansion on a huge chunk of land. Sometimes I forget that Logan isn’t just
well off like my mom has been since she got into real estate. He’s fucking wealthy. We have
spent almost every second since being back in Seattle in bed. We only left the house for the
occasional takeout meal, and to get STD panels, luckily both of wh ich came back clean. Our days
consisted of, eating, showering, and copious amounts of sex. It. Was. Perfect. Now it’s Sunday,
though, and I have my first class at seven in the morning, which means I need to head back to
my apartment and get all of my thing s together. Logan disappeared to his office a few minutes
ago for an important phone call, so I decided to gather up my things and get ready to leave.
Once my bags are at the front door, I move down the marble floored hallway in search of him. I
hear his voice muffled through the closed door and I slowly peek my head through. “No, we’re
not going to take a plea bargain, and I’ll tell you why, Gerry. As soon as he takes that plea — ” His
words pause as he sees me. I mouth to him that I ’ m going to go as I point to the door, and he
frowns. “ One moment, Gerry, ” he says before setting the phone on his desk. “ Where are you
going? ” he asks.
“I have class tomorrow. I need to head to my apartment, get ready, and get to bed at a decent
time.” Pushing to his feet, he moves away from his desk towards me. His dark hair is styled
perfectly, a white button down shirt wrapping around every muscle he h as. Muscles I’ve
become extremely well acquainted with over the last seventy - two hours. He hmphs at that,
running his fingers through my hair as he turns his head to the side like he’s in thought. “You
could always stay.” I smile at him, enjoying the feel of his hands on me. “I wish I could, but I
want some new clothes. I need my laptop. I haven’t been to my apartment in almost ten days,
Logan.” “We can bring it all over. There is more than enough room for you... I want you here.” My
eyebrows raise. “You mean, like, you want me to move in... here... with you?” He nods, his
fingers burying de eper into my hair before tightening his grip. A surprised gasp es capes me as
pleasure sparks inside me. Goddamnit, why does this man have to be so intoxicating? When he
leans in close, his mouth ghosting over mine, I can hardly remember my own name, let alone
what we were discussing. Moving in. Right. With him. Is he fucking nuts? “We just
started... seeing each other, Logan. I can’t move in with you.” “Why not?” he challenges easily .
“Is it the house? I can sell it. I have a penthouse downtown that I rent out. We can move into it
within the month if that’s what you want. Or I can look into a new property, you can pick it out.
Whatever you want.” I look at him like he’s delusional. “Y ou can’t buy a new house because of
me or sell your old one. No, it’s not the house. The house is lovely.” He frowns, his grip on my
head loosening as he drops his hand by his side. “Then what’s the issue?” “The issue is...” I’m
left speechless for a moment as I try to process what he’s saying. “I can’t move in with you! We
just started dating, if you can even call it that. I can’t just give up my housing and hope this thing
between us works out.”
“It will,” he cuts in. “Work out. Us.” “You don’t know that, not for sure. In case you forgot, we
have a lot going against us,” I laugh humorlessly. “I don’t give a fuck about anything but what
you think here,” he says, touching my temple before his hand s kates down to my chest. “And
feel here.” The reminder of his words at the lake house do something to me. I feel my heart
ache as if it were desperate for him to touch it. To cradle it in his hands and ke ep it safe and
protected from now until forever. That ’s just a fantasy, though, right? That’s not rational. It’s not
real life. Right? “Logan,” I say on a soft whisper as I shake my head. “Don’t,” he says, holding his
hand over my heart as he presses his forehead to mine. “Don’t sell us short, Sparrow. We’re on
the verge of something great, something perfect. You just have to be brave enough to fly with
me.” Am I crazy, or are his words actually wearing me down? Shit. N o. I can’t. I can’t do this. I
can’t move in with a man on a whim, that’s just so outrageous I couldn’t even begin to list the
ways. What if I’m his midlife crisis, what if I drop everything for him and he leaves me on the
sidewalk in the cold when he gets tired of me? The look in his eyes promises that he would
never do those things, and I know it’s stupid, but I believe it. I believe him. This pull, this... draw.
It’s the realest thing I’ve ever felt, and just seeing how off kilter it’s thrown him over the l ast
week, I think he feels the same. “You’re crazy,” I say with a teasing laugh. He smiles, though,
because he already knows that I’m caving. “I’m persistent.” “You’re a tad manipulative,” I
counter. His hand moves from my chest to my jaw, cupping it gentl y as he looks down at me
reverently. “Only when I’m doing what’s best for us. You know that, right? You trust me to take
care of you, to take care of us?” My nod comes immediately. I trust him more than I’ve trusted
any other person. Whether he has earned or coerced that trust, it’s hard to say. Our entire
relationship started with a lust drunk night and damn near every
moment spent together has continued that way. Moments filled with tension, heat, and
passion. I mean, there are worse ways to live life. “I do,” I say. Saying those words seems to
physically do something to Logan. Like I’ve just given him the most precious gift he’s ever
received. Like he could die a happy man from this moment on. He is the one who is always so in
control, so dominant, but right now, I feel like the one with all of the influence, and it’s an
incredibly empowering moment. “Then I’ll call mov ers once I’m done with my call. Your things
will be here tonight, ready for your classes in the morning, okay?” I smile softly, my heart
beating wildly in my chest as I pr epare to agree to perhaps the craziest and stupidest thing I’ve
ever done. “Okay.” Hi s lips come to mine and my chest immediately fills with butterflies. My
arms wind around his neck when he breaks apart. “We’ll be celebrating properly soon. I need to
finish this call. Come,” he says easily. I do, of course. I follow along willingly as he laces our
fingers together and pulls me towards his desk. Taking a seat, he pats his lap gently, and I take
the cue. I perch myself onto one of his legs and his hand reaches out, pulling my legs all the way
over his lap so I’m curled up on him completely. He presses a soft kiss to my forehead as he
turns his phone onto speaker and begins mindlessly stroking the sensitive skin of my ankle. I
rest my head against his chest and his other hand comes up, running his fingers through my hair
as he begins speaking. “Sorry about that. Where was I?” he asks. An older sounding man begins
talking, both falling into a heavy conversation about an upcoming trial. My mind quickly
wanders off, lost in the feel and sound of his de ep rumbling voice. I haven’t heard from Aunt
M arissa, not that I’d expect to. She’s grieving a horrific betrayal, and who knows what’s going on
between her and
Uncle Tom. By the sounds of it, he’s not sorry or looking for reconciliation, which is disgusting
because she deserves so much better. I still can’t believe my mother has been betraying her
own sister for years. She cheated on Logan with... him? For years. I’ m speechless. And
then my mother had the audacity to be mad at Marissa because she thought she did the same
with her ex - husband? It would have been better if she did! Of course, she can’t see that,
though. She’s never in the wrong. I realize that this weekend permanently ce mented her out of
my life, and I know I should be sad about that. Maybe one day I will be, but not today. Since we
left the lake house, I also haven’t spoken to Ty. There was no real need, I guess. Logan and I have
been more than a little preoccupied, but the reminder of him has me feeling the need to check -
in. I didn’t realize how much I adored him until this week. I missed him in my life, and I don’t
want another three years to go by before I see him next. Then again, if I’m living with his
brother now, I ’ll bet that I’ll be seeing him sooner than later. I hope things will be okay between
us when everything... settles. Lines were blurred on that lake, things got messy, but I hope out of
the rubble, that can be one relationship that’s salvaged. I glance up to see Logan already looking
down at me, smiling softly as he talks on the phone. It still doesn’t feel real. That I’m here, that
we’re together. The gravity of our situation is so heavy, you’d think I’d be suffocating. When in
reality, I’ve never felt more f ree.