Page 57 of One Night Seduction

Kelly lets out a derisive snort as she forces herself to sit properly for once, grabbing her seatbelt and pulling it over herself.

“You wish. Sorry, not interested in my daughter’s sloppy seconds.”

A disbelieving sound escapes me as Arianna sets down her camera and turns to face her mom.

“What the fuck, Mom? What kind of mother talks like that? Could you not be a piece of shit for five minutes?”

She lets out a shrill condescending laugh as she glares daggers at her daughter.

“You’re lucky I’m hungover, or I’d smack the fuck out of that mouth.”

“Enough,” I bark, taking the car by surprise as I keep my eyes on the road.

Kelly backs down, too desperate for my attention and approval to go against me, but I can tell by the way she pouts and folds her arms like a goddamn toddler she’s not happy. Arianna huffs, shaking her head as I send her a warning look to drop it. Mainly because if things get out of hand and Kelly puts hands on her, I don’t know what I’ll do. Arianna is mine to protect now from everyone in this world, including her mother.

We make the rest of the drive in silence, thankfully, and when we get back to the house, Kelly rushes inside before disappearing to take a nap.

Chapter Twenty One

Arianna

When we get back to the house, everyone goes off and does their own thing. My mom takes a hangover nap, Tyson and Uncle Tom turn on some kind of sporting event, the twins watch a movie in the rec room, and my Aunt Marissa and I begin making lunch. Logan lingered in the kitchen, making small talk with Marissa before he finally joined the guys. I did my best to hide my smile when he’d look my way, but I’m not sure I did a very good job.

My god. I’m insane, right? I’ve lost my mind. I must have if I’m seriously considering pursuing an affair with my mom’s ex. Okay, is it technically an affair, though, if neither of us is in a relationship? That’s just called dating, right? Maybe there is some hidden rule of thumb when the age gap is well over twenty years, though.

Jesus.

There is no debate. I am. Fucking insane.

Unfortunately, I don’t seem to care. There is so much Logan and I have to figure out. I mean, we don’t even know each other that well. It’s a strange limbo because we do and wedon’t. He knows what foods I like, and I know that he prefers to wake up early in the morning rather than stay up late at night. He takes a deep interest in my photography, and I’ve always been fascinated hearing about his work.

We know each other at surface level, friend level, I guess. We don’t know the deep stuff, but then again, I guess we don’t have to. There is no rush, in fact, there shouldn’t be a rush. We need to take it slow, one step at a time and just…wing it, I guess. I’ve pushed him away long enough out of some warped moral code that society has created. Age gaps, especially of a forbidden nature, are seen as disgusting, but I couldn’t give a flying fuck.

I like him, and he seems to like me. I enjoy who I am with him. I feel safe, free. Like I could push the boundaries in all facets of life, and he would be there ready and willing to catch me within a moment’s notice. That kind of trust, that kind of bond, you don’t throw it away because things get messy.

People will get hurt when this finally comes out. Ty is already hurting despite how hard he’s trying to cover it up. I regret starting anything with him while consciously knowing I was holding…something for Logan. I thought I could push past it, but clearly, I was wrong. Though I know Ty will bounce back quickly, my mother will be another story. She’s going to lose her goddamn mind, might even try to kill us all. So, I definitely think Logan and I should wait as long as possible before letting her know about…us.

Once we get back to the city, back to reality, Logan and I can give this a try, and if it doesn’t work out, no harm done. If it does and it gets to the point where family has to know…well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it.

“So, things seem to be going well.” Marissa smiles.

I look up from the lettuce I’m chopping for the burgers and tilt my head.

“With?”

“You and Ty. He seems really into you,” she says as her eyes move to the living room.

As if his ears were ringing, Ty looks over the couch, smiling at the both of us before facing the TV. It’s a warm smile, the most genuine one I’ve seen since last night.

“He’s pretty wonderful,” I say with a nod and a small smile.

“Are you kidding?” she whisper shouts to me. “That’s all I get? Come on. Mel is like a vault, she never wants to talk boys with me! Let an auntie thrive. I’m begging.”

I laugh at that, setting down my knife before closing the distance between us. I pull her in for a hug, and she chuckles as she hugs me back.

“Thank you.”

“For what, sweetie?” she asks as we pull apart.

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