Page 30 of One Night Seduction (ONS #1)

Logan

It felt nearly impossible to leave Arianna alone in her bed after she fell asleep in my arms. I held her in that bath until the water ran cold, and then I got us out, drying us both off with a towel before tucking her into her sheets.

I peppered her face with kisses and promised her things I don’t think she’s ready to hear consciously.

Then, I went back to my room where I found Tyson hogging the entire bed.

I smacked him in the head, and he woke up just enough to roll all the way to the wall.

Good enough. At least I knew if he was sleeping in my room, he wouldn’t sneak into Arianna’s.

Goddamnit. I’m starting to feel like a piece of shit for thinking so low of him.

I know he wouldn’t do that, especially if Arianna has expressed disinterest in him.

I was definitely not sleeping when they were talking at the hotel in Leavenworth.

I need to give him the trust he has earned and deserves.

It’s just so much easier to operate under the guise that everyone is against you and out to get you.

He isn’t the prosecutor, though, he’s not a judge.

He’s my little brother. We’re all each other has in this world, and I need to step up and start acting like it .

I’m getting out of the shower the next morning, sliding on a pair of jeans when I feel something in my pocket.

Pulling out the scraps of red lace, I smirk to myself.

Almost forgot I took these as a memento last night.

Tucking them back into my pocket, I pull on a black button down because jeans are about as casual as I can get.

Tyson steps into the room, towel around his waist from using the downstairs shower, and looks at me with a suspicious gaze.

“What are you smiling about?”

I school my expression before shaking my head.

“Nothing.”

Tyson sighs, shaking his head before moving to his bag. I didn’t realize he already brought it in here.

“She’ll do that,” he says as he begins getting dressed.

“Do what?”

“Make you smile for no goddamn reason. Give you a reason to smile for no reason. She just has this…light about her,” he says with a ghost of a smile, though it falls when his eyes come to me.

“Ty…” I trail off, frowning as I look at my little brother.

He shrugs like he doesn’t care when we both know that’s a lie.

“No hard feelings, bro. I get it. You saw her first, she chose you. I’m good. We’re all good.”

I don’t say anything, mainly because I don’t know what to say. As a good brother, shouldn’t I want to step aside? Let him be happy and have the girl? Because I don’t and I won’t. I’ll give him whatever he wants in the whole world. Anything but her.

“It’s just…” he starts as he pulls on a shirt, his eyes coming to mine. “Don’t make her regret that choice.”

My brows furrow as I cock my head to the side curiously.

“What do you mean? ”

“I mean, be worthy of her attention, of her affection. Don’t fuck this up. She deserves your absolute best and if you can’t give that?—”

“I can. I promise,” I say as I hold out my hand for him.

He watches me for a moment like he’s not sure if he believes me, but slowly nods in acceptance, taking my hand in his as he lowers his voice.

“You know I’ll kick the shit out of you if you hurt her, right?”

I shove him away, shaking my head smugly.

“Little boy, I’d like to see you try.”

He jumps at me, trying to wrap me up, but I easily twist out of his hold, keeping him in a headlock like I did when he was a kid.

He struggles against me as we move around the room, but my hold on him never wavers.

Eventually, he taps out and I release him.

Tyson scrubs a hand through his hair, panting heavily.

“Damn, I was just joking. You didn’t have to go all Hulk smash on me,” he grunts like he wasn’t trying.

I roll my eyes and pat his back, urging him forward as we make our way downstairs.

Everyone’s already eating breakfast, but my eyes seek out Arianna immediately and find her already looking at me.

She smiles before covering it with a sip of orange juice, but I have no such tool.

So, I just grin. I grin like a goddamn fool in love.

Because I am, or at least it feels like love.

I know that sounds psychotic, but I don’t really give a shit.

I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my life.

It’s the closest thing to love I’ll ever feel.

I love that girl right there, and one day, she’ll love me too. I’ll make sure of it.

Tyson and I take up the empty seats, one beside Arianna and another between Kelly and Tom.

As much as I hate it, I know where we’re expected to sit.

So, I take my spot beside Kelly, ignoring her presence completely as I grab some eggs and bacon from the serving plates, looking at Marissa with a grateful smile.

“Thank you for breakfast.”

She waves me away like it’s nothing when Kelly speaks, effectively spoiling my good mood.

“Can we talk? In private?”

Her voice is just above a whisper, and I turn to look down at her.

God, she looks awful. Her face is pale and gaunt, like she’s been puking out what little weight she has left all night.

Her hair is in a greasy bun, and she’s wearing a baggy t-shirt and sleep shorts without an ounce of makeup on her face.

I know something is seriously wrong because she’d sooner be on her death bed than be seen by anyone without being fully presentable.

I was her husband, and I probably saw her without makeup less than a dozen times. That’s how vain she was.

“I’m not sure there is anything to say, Kelly.”

Tears begin welling in her eyes as she looks up at me pleadingly.

“Please, Logan. I need to apologize. Explain. I’ve just been under so much pressure at work, and I’m so lonely all the time. I miss you more than anything in the world. I just didn’t want to screw that up and?—”

“Drop it,” I say lowly, my eyes moving around the table.

Everyone is pretending to mind their own business, but make no mistake, every last one of them is eavesdropping.

“I can’t!” she says, reaching her hand out to my thigh. “Marissa told me what happened last night. I’m so embarrassed. So ashamed. Can you please forgive me?”

Fuck, this is exhausting. “You don’t need my forgiveness, Kelly.”

“I do, though!” she says, her hand moving to hold onto me tighter like that will stop anything. “I need you to forgive me so that we can?— ”

Her words stop abruptly, a strange look passing her face before she looks down. Slowly, she lifts up torn-up red lace panties.

Fuck.

She holds them high above the table, capturing everyone’s attention.

Her eyes stay on them for a long time, like her brain is carefully analyzing them in an attempt to figure out what they were doing in my pocket.

My eyes move across the table to see Arianna wide-eyed with terror, Tyson’s mouth hanging open and Melanie and Brady watching with confused expressions.

Marissa quietly leans over to them, whispering something before they quickly get up and move upstairs. That seems to set Kelly off.

“What the FUCK!” she snaps, shoving her chair back so violently it rocks the table.

She’s on her feet instantly, her eyes wild and furious as she screams.

“Why the fuck do you have ripped panties in your pocket, Logan?!”

I don’t say anything because I have nothing to feel guilty for. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true, but it’s not like I’m going to apologize to her for it. I won’t lie or backpedal. So, I just let her rage.

“Are you serious right now? You’re so fucking serious? You come all the way out here to try to reconcile with me, and what? Accidently slip into her?”

My face remains impassive, and she lets out a humorless chuckle that sounds downright diabolical before turning to the table. I watch Tyson place a protective arm across Arianna, like he’s ready to push her away at any second. Instead, Kelly’s eyes come to Marissa.

“You fucking skank!” she screams .

Marissa looks taken aback as she stares at her sister.

“What are you talking about?”

“You! You fucked him! You took the one man I’ve ever loved and fucked him right when I was just getting him back!”

What?

Marissa jumps to her feet, brows pinched in confusion.

“I don’t know what you’re on about but?—”

“Did you tell her, Tom? Is that what this is? Some disgusting revenge plot?” Kelly snarls.

Tom turns as white as a ghost as Marissa’s brows knit together. She looks down at her husband before back to her sister.

“Tell me what, Tom?”

He stares straight ahead, not moving a muscle as Kelly lets out another wicked sounding laugh.

“We’ve been fucking for years. When you’re not looking, he comes onto me hard, sometimes I give in if I’m drunk enough. He fucked me for the first time the night before your wedding. He begged me to marry him instead, saying we’d run away together before he dumped his load inside me.”

Shock ricochets around the table as Kelly continues.

“So, did he tell you? Is that why you tried to steal the only sliver of happiness I had in this life? Or did you hear us Friday night? I told him to stop moaning so goddamn loud.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Wait. You’re saying that you’ve been fucking my husband for fifteen years? You’re saying that you fucked him as recently as Friday? Like this last Friday? Four days ago? With me and our children in the house, that’s what you’re saying?” Marissa stammers.

A vengeful smile spreads across Kelly’s face as she nods.

“He told me that I was the best pussy he’s ever had.”

Oh god. When he was drunk, yammering in the rec room with me. He wasn’t talking about Marissa, he was confessing his affair with Kelly.

“After he told me that he was in love with me,” she says with a raise of her eyebrow.

Marissa stares down at Tom, pure heartbreak in her eyes, her voice cracking as she speaks.

“Tom…”

He takes a sip of his juice, still not looking up at the trainwreck around us.