Page 25 of One Night Seduction (ONS #1)

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 we don’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.

“For proving that there are good mothers out there, good female role models to look up to.”

A sad look passes over her face as she sighs heavily.

“Your mother loves you, she just?—”

“Loves herself more?” I snark.

Marissa winces before running a hand through her hair.

“I wish I could tell you what goes on in that woman’s head, Ari. She’s just…Kelly,” she says with a sad shrug.

“Guess so,” I say as I turn back to the toppings for the burgers, arranging everything on a tray before Marissa calls for Tom.

“Tom, burgers are ready to go on the grill.”

“Two minutes,” he says, staring at the TV as he does.

She shakes her head with a smile and leans against the counter as she whispers.

“So, come on, spill. Is he amazing in bed? I can’t lie, when he started coming around, I was sorry I was already married.”

My mouth parts, and I admonish her with a laugh.

“Marissa! ”

“What?” She laughs. “These women out here are living up their best cougar life. I’m kinda jealous. I’d love to have some hot, spontaneous, forbidden sex.”

I’d agree with her, but I can’t relate to the wanting. I mean, I had a threesome not fifteen hours ago with two men in this very room. That’s pretty hot and spontaneous, and with their ages and the nature of our relationships, extremely forbidden.

“Ty is great all around. In bed, out of bed, and he doesn’t skip a meal, if you know what I mean,” I say, teasing her with a wink.

She howls out a laugh, attempting to stifle it.

“Oh my god, that’s amazing. Tom and I never have time together anymore. Since we had kids, things sort of declined, and now I’m lucky if I get laid once a week. We haven’t been together this entire trip,” she says, a sadness to her tone as she stares off at her husband.

I frown at that. What the hell is up with that?

Marissa is beautiful, not just a pretty face and great hair, but an amazing body.

If she was single, she would have a line out the door.

Why do so many people, of all genders, give up when they get married?

If I got married, I’d want to constantly date my partner.

I’d want to fall in love with them every day because life is too short not to, right?

Easier said than done, though, I suppose. I don’t know what it’s like to balance life and kids and a marriage. Maybe I’m talking out of my ass, but I think she deserves better.

“Maybe you should fire up the hot tub tonight? Even if it’s raining, fuck it. Warm, bubbly water and a skimpy bikini sounds like an aphrodisiac to me,” I say with a waggle of my eyebrows.

She thinks on that for a second before she nods. “You know what, you’re right. I think I will. ”

“Good.” I smile. “Just to clarify, I said fuck it, not fuck in it, because you know we’re still here for three more days.”

Marissa lets out a laugh that has the guys all turning to investigate what is so funny. Their confused faces only make the both of us laugh harder as Tom stands up, giving her that same look before taking the burgers out to the grill.

We eat kind of a late lunch, so we decide to skip dinner and just snack. We played an impromptu game of pool, which was hard for me since the last time I came in this room, I found Logan and my mom…yeah. That image will probably be burned in my head for all eternity, unfortunately.

My mom didn’t surface until around seven at night, looking a hell of a lot more refreshed than she did before.

Of course, to fight off her wicked hangover, why would she eat food filled with calories when she can just start drinking straight vodka?

I swear to god, her relationship with food is so unhealthy, especially paired with her borderline alcoholism. It’s no wonder she’s so thin.

After pool, Melanie, Marissa, and I played a few rounds of Uno, which was fun until Mel got a phone call.

She hid the phone quickly and ran up to her room, but not before I saw the name Brianna with a red heart beside it.

Maybe that’s why she doesn’t want to gush about boys with Marissa.

I’m just glad that she has such an amazing mom that if she ever does want to tell her, she will undoubtedly support her.

And probably make Brianna a permanent member of the family within five minutes of meeting her.

I’m sitting in the living room cleaning up the Uno cards when Marissa leans over to Tom seductively .

“So, I was thinking you and I could take a little dip in the hot tub, relax a little?”

He shrugs, barely glancing at her as he lifts his beer to his mouth.

“Kinda tired, babe.”

Rejection flashes in her eyes, and her smile falls as she dips her head. She looks two seconds away from crying, and I want to simultaneously smack the shit out of Tom and hug Marissa.

“I’ll jump in the hot tub with you,” I say softly.

She looks like she’s going to decline when Ty cuts in.

“Hot tub? Fuck yes, I’m in.”

My mother pulls the vodka bottle away from her mouth as she slurs.

“Oooo, me too!”

She pulls her shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor, revealing her pink lace bra to the room. My eyes pop open in shock as Brady looks around uncomfortably.

“Yeah, I’m gonna head to bed,” he mutters, running for his life.

Trust me, Brady, if I could run away from her, I would too.

“I’m in,” Logan says, his eyes coming to me despite my mother smiling up at him sloppily.

“Yay! Think I should takez off a fews a layersss,” she continues slurring.

“I think you need to go get changed,” he says. “Now.”

His tone isn’t harsh, but it’s not warm either. It’s just authoritative, and she listens, stumbling up the stairs to her bedroom.

“Come on, Tom. Now you have to join!” Ty says, clearly trying to sway him for Aunt Marissa’s benefit.

He nods, finishing his beer before setting the bottle down.

“Sure. It’ll be relaxing,” he says.

Marissa gives him a smile, but the instant she turns away, I see the disappointment on her face. Why would it have been so hard for him to say yes to just the two of them? He had to be peer pressured into it.

“I’m gonna go help Kelly so she doesn’t wear a shower curtain as a swimsuit.”