I pretty much barricaded myself in my room last night. My aunt tried to get me to come
downstairs and have dinner with everyone, but I told her that I was tired and going to go to bed
early. You could tell she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t try to stop me either. I just didn’t want
to deal with Logan. I contemplated leaving about a thousand times. If he wasn’t going to go
home, then I was. He couldn’t just follow me out here and force me to face him after what we
did. But I came to the conclusion that I did nothing wrong. From the beginning, I didn’t have a
clue who he was. I mean, I won’t lie, I kinda feel dumb for not recognizing his voice. Then again,
I haven’t seen him in years, and when we were in the club, he spoke de eper than his normal
voice, rasp ier. Or maybe that was the alcohol and raging hormones inside me that made me
think that. Either way, I was not the one in the wrong here, that’s on him, and I’m not going to
run away scared from my vacation with my family. If he wants to stay, I guess he can, at the
price of fending off my mother’s advances. Then again, maybe he won’t fend them off. Maybe
he didn’t come here for me, maybe he wants to try again with her. That’s not the way it seemed
last night when he essentially cornered you and told you t hat he was here for you. Dismissing
the obnoxious voice in my head, I slip out of my room and cre ep down the stairs in search of
food because, in the mornings especially, I’m a hangry fucking bitch. I did end up actually falling
asle ep pretty early, so it’ s no surprise that I’m up well before everyone. At least, I thought I was.
My st eps falter as I enter the kitchen and see Logan sitting at the island, cup of coffee in hand as
he scrolls on his phone with the other. The instant his eyes come to me, I feel it. From the top of
my head to the tips of my toes, I feel his stare like a hot, heady blanket suffocating me. Instantly,
I regret not getting dressed before I came down here. Granted, I’m not wearing anything risqué,
just a pair of sle ep shorts and an oversized Iron Maiden shirt that I’ve had for years. Still, I might
as well be naked with the way he’s staring at me, watching me. I try like hell to hate it but come
up short. Pushing that thought to the side, I straighten my posture and move through the
kitchen like I don’t even notice him, digging through the fridge for something to eat. Wow, Aunt
Marissa really went hard with the grocery shopping. Since I skipped out on dinner, I get started
on breakfast for everyone. I see everything I need to make some eggs, hashbrowns, and
pancakes. Pulling out all the ingredients and a few bowls, I start with t he pancake mix when
Logan speaks. “Want some help?” “No,” I answer simply. I can see his reflection in the
microwave, and I don’t miss his disappointed expression as he busies himself with his phone
once more. Honestly, what the fuck does he expect? A knoc k comes from the door, and I turn to
see Logan stand to answer it. I frown, glancing at the clock. It’s just after eight in the morning.
Not sure who would be showing up, let alone at this time. A delivery, maybe? Logan answers
the door, his posture going stiff as he speaks to the person on the other side. “What do you
want?” I peek around the corner to see Ty, Logan’s younger brother. His golden wavy hair is a
stark contrast from Logan’s short black hair. Where Logan has de ep brown eyes, Ty has these
brigh t green ones that
constantly shine with mirth. He has that effortlessly hot surfer thing going on. I, without shame,
had a crush on him for years because, look at him, how could you not? Obviously, he was way
too old for me, and I wasn’t even on his radar, but that didn’t s top me from admiring. I smile
when his eyes meet mine, a matching grin spreading across his face.
“Holy fuck! Is that little Ari?” He laughs, shoving past his big brother as he moves inside. I set
down the spatula, walking over to the doorway as he drops his bag and lifts me into his arms. I
squeal in surprise as he spins me in a circle before letting me slide down to my feet. I don’t miss
the way he takes his time releasing me, every hard ridge of him pressed against me as we pull
apart and smile at each other. “Fuck, girly. You got... wait, how old are you now?” he asks. I laugh
at that. “Twenty - one.” “N o shit? Okay then, sexy, you got sexy. Let me look at you,” he says,
taking my hand and lifting it above my head as he forces me into a spin. I chuckle as I comply,
and the wolf whistle he lets out has me waggling my eyebrows at him. “Well, thanks for the ego
boost. You’re not looking too ugly yourself,” I tease. “You don’t have to beat around the bush,
Ari. I’m hot, it’s okay to admit,” he says with a lift of his eyebrows and a wink. I snort, shoving his
chest as I laugh. “What are you doing here?” I ask. “Well, my brother forgot to invite me,” Ty
says with a sour look to his brother before returning his smile to me. “Sorry I’m late.” Shaking
my head, I smile. “Just in time. I’m working on breakfast.” “Need a hand?” he asks. “Sure,” I
can’t help but see the frown that crosses Logan’s face as Ty moves into the kitchen with me. “I
didn’t forget to invite you. You weren’t invited, Tyson,” Logan says as he crosses his arms over
his chest. “Tomato, gelato.” He shrugs. Logan’s frown de epens as I laugh at Ty, pointi ng towards
the hashbrowns. “Potatoes are your responsibility, don’t let me down.” He mock salutes me
with a smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” As Ty and I focus on breakfast, Logan grumbles something
under his breath before storming out of the room and up the stairs. Ty looks to where he
disappeared, scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion.
“What crawled up his ass?” I shrug as he bumps his hip with mine. “It’s good to see you, Ari. It’s
been a while.” “A while since my slutty mom broke your brother’s heart?” I question. Ty lets out
a surprised laugh as he shakes his head. “I mean, breaking h is heart is a stretch. I’m not sure he
even has one if I’m honest. The slutty mom point, you nailed, no offense.” “Can’t be offended if
it’s true.” I shrug. Speak of the devil. Heels clack against the floor, a summer dress wrapped
around her body as my mot her’s perfectly made - up face smiles. “Tyson?” I watch the
amusement leave his face before he screws on a plastic smile. “Kelly, good to see you.” “You
too!” she grins. “What are you doing here?” “I heard you all were staying here, and I had to
come join in on the fun, if that’s okay?” he asks. She waves him off and smiles. “Of course. All
the bedrooms are taken, but I’m sure we can find a spot for you.” “What do you say, Ari, up for a
bunkmate?” Ty asks with a wink. “Only if you’re a cuddler.” I shrug. Exci tement fills his eyes.
“Oh, I’m an excellent cuddler.” “Are you trying to seduce my daughter, Tyson?” my mom tuts as
she moves past us, filling up a cup of coffee. “Only with her consent, Kelly.” “Good answer,” she
praises, lifting the cup to her mouth as she perches herself on the kitchen island. I frown as I flip
the last pancake. That’s a good answer? Usually, when a mother comes downstairs and finds a
man seven years older talking about climbing into bed with her daughter, they’d take issue with
it. Not my mom, of course. Logan emerges a few minutes later, his hair still wet like he just got
out of the shower. He’s wearing a black t - shirt and a pair of jeans that hug his muscles far better
than they
should. It’s funny. I’ve probably only seen him in jeans a few times. A shame considering how
good his ass looks in — Nope. Not even going to finish that thought.
My mom swings around to face him, giving him a megawatt grin as she tilts her head to the
side. “Morning, handsome. Did you sle ep well?” He nods. “You?” “It was alright. I was a little
cold, though. I hope tonight will be a little warmer,” she husks in a w ay that has Ty and I rolling
our eyes together. Logan glances at my mom before pulling out his phone. “I’m sure we can find
you an extra blanket.” A strangled laugh es capes Ty before he quickly swallows it, plating the
hashbrowns just as my Aunt Marissa an d Uncle Tom come down the stairs. The twins follow
shortly behind them, and we all sit down to have breakfast. Ty tells us story after story about his
es capades as a bartender in downtown Seattle. I almost pee myself three times from laughing
so hard, and everyone seems to be having a great morning, exc ept for Logan. He’s k ept his eyes
on his untouched plate the entire time, only offering irritated glances at his brother. I know it’s
been years, but I swear they were closer than this. Sure, Ty was always th e ‘obnoxious little
brother,’ but Logan never had a problem with him. At least not that I realized. After breakfast,
my mom and aunt decide to sunbathe while the rest of us go out on the lake. Uncle Tom
brought his boat and some inner tubes, so everyone he ads upstairs to get changed into their
bathing suits. What we really need are wet suits, because Washington lakes in April are still cold
as fuck. The sun shining this bright is deceiving, though, so maybe we won’t actually be that
cold, right? I’m coming down the stairs in my blue bikini when a hand grabs my elbow, pulling
me around the corner. “Hey, what the fuc — ” My words die on my tongue when I see Logan
staring down at me. Clearing my throat, I pull my arm away from him as I frown. “ What do you
want? ” “ I ’ m sorry, ” he says. “ I ’ m sorry for how I acted last night. I ’ m sorry I didn ’ t tell you the
minute I figured everything out. I ’ m just ... I ’ m sorry. ” He winces like the apology is painful, like
he ’ s never had to apologize for anything a day in his life. My guess is he hasn’t. Not when you
have his kind of money and power. “It’s fine.” I shrug.
“It’s not,” he insists, taking a st ep towards me. When I take half of a st ep back, he frowns before
retreating a bit, giving me the space I desperately need. He looks down like he’s struggling with
his words for a moment before he speaks. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me,
like I groomed you or something. I want you to know that what happened between us... if I’d
have known... it wouldn’t.” Why does a pang of hurt twist my stomach at his words? It makes no
sense. They are literally my words from l ast night regurgitated. Yet somehow, in the light of day,
I don’t like them at all. They make me feel... too much. Way too much. So, of course, the only
logical thing to do is to shove all of that way the fuck down where it belongs. “Look, I’m sorry
too. I fl ipped out on you yesterday, said stuff I didn’t even mean. I just, it was all... surprising. I
didn’t know how to process it, and then you showing up like this — ” “ I know, ” he agrees. “ It ’ s
not fair. ” “ It ’ s only not fair if I ’ m the only reason you ’ re here. Tell me that’s not true, and we can
move past this, pretend it never happened.” He frowns, his hesitance speaking volumes. “I don’t
know why I came. I just... ended up here, I guess.” I tilt my head to the side but nod. “Okay. Well,
we’re fine, Logan . You’re here, I’m here. Let’s just move forward, have a good week, okay?” He
hmphs under his breath, a half smile breaking through the frown. “Are we sure you’re the young
one here?” I shrug nonchalantly. “What can I say? I’m wise beyond my years.” Logan smirks at
that, his pink lips pulling up in a way that has me hyper fixating on them. Such soft, full lips
that... fuck. Nope. Not going there. Turning away from Logan, I call out to him over my
shoulder as I head for the back door. “Come on, Uncle Tom will one hundred percent leave
without us.”