by Sarah Bailey
“Is this your son?” he asked my father directly.
My dad looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but replied with a simple, “Yes.”
“Dad, you don’t need to do this,” Aurora said, putting a hand on his arm, “Let’s go home.”
“I will deal with you later, Aurora,” her dad said, giving her a disapproving look. He turned his attention back to us, “What were you doing holding onto her like that?”
“He wasn’t doing anything, we were having a conversation,” she told him, saving me from responding, “And we’re done now so let’s leave. This really isn’t worth it.”
“That did not look like a conversation. Is rough handling sixteen-year-old girls something you do regularly?”
“Dad!”
Aurora tugged on his arm, but he didn’t budge.
My own father’s eyebrow shot up and he gave me a disapproving stare.
“I can only apologise for my son’s behaviour. Logan knows better than that, don’t you?” Dad said with a quiet calm I knew he wasn’t feeling right then.
He was normally one to come to my defence. Dante Benson was nothing if not protective of his family. This time, I was in the wrong and he knew it.
Aurora’s dad didn’t look remotely convinced. I was beginning to believe her when she said it would have been a good idea for me to walk away. Now it was too late.
“Look, I’m sorry. Aurora and I were merely talking. I realise it might not have looked that way, but I assure you, it’s all we were doing,” I said in an attempt to mitigate the situation somewhat.
“See, Dad? Nothing to worry about,” Aurora added, giving me a wide-eyed look.
My father stepped forward.
“Again, I can only apologise for my son, but we really need to be going before I get an earful from my wife. We’re here for a family wedding, you see.”
Aurora’s father’s eyes narrowed, but she tugged on his arm again.
“Yes, that’s right, Logan and his dad need to go and so do we.”
She looked at me and mouthed, “Just go.”
I didn’t need telling twice. I grabbed hold of my dad’s arm and tugged him away, not wishing to get into any further trouble. We walked several paces towards the ballroom before I glanced back. Aurora looked as though she was getting an earful from her father. I couldn’t help but feel like it was my fault. I shouldn’t care. This maddening girl had inserted herself into my life without me wanting her anywhere near it.
“What on earth was that about?” Dad asked when we were completely out of earshot.
“Nothing,” I muttered.
“It didn’t look like nothing, Logan. Who are those people?”
I rubbed the back of my neck.
“The owners of the Syndicate.”
His eyebrow raised.
“That casino you’re a member of? The one you took Ant to for his stag do?”
“Yeah.”
And now I was pretty sure I’d end up with my membership revoked. No way in hell Aurora’s father would let this shit go. I had no idea what she would say about me to him, but it could be nothing good.
“Dare I ask what you were doing with that girl?”
I didn’t want to admit to what I’d been doing with Aurora. We shouldn’t have even been near each other. Apparently, when I was close to her, all my self-control and rationality went out the window.
“Exactly what we said… talking.”
Not a lie. We hadn’t done anything else despite how tempted I’d been to explore Aurora’s body with my own. The way all her soft curves had moulded to me when I’d had her pressed up against the sinks made me ache with a need I hadn’t felt in a long time.
He didn’t respond until we walked into the ballroom. It made me wish he hadn’t said anything.
“I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, Logan, however, I am going to give you a piece of advice. Leave chasing after sixteen-year-olds to Leo, hmm?”
“I was not chasing her,” I retorted without thinking.
But you were. You chased her down into the toilets because you were consumed by the need to be right.
I was so fucked up. This girl had done a number on me and I couldn’t for the life of me begin to understand how or why.
“Hmm, okay, if you say so.”
I glanced at him to find my dad smiling in a knowing way. He didn’t believe me. Hell, I didn’t believe me either. Aurora Knox just did something to me.
I often found it amusing how my aunts and uncle complained about how interfering my dad had been in their lives when they were younger. He was more like their father figure than a brother to them. He hadn’t been that way with me. I think it was more down to Mum’s influence on him. She always strove to make sure he kept things in perspective.
We’d arrived in time to see Ant and Maia cut the cake. It struck me again how in love the two of them were. I wondered if I’d ever get the opportunity to feel that way about another person.
An image sprung to my mind and I hastily shoved it away without dwelling on it. I could not afford to think about it. Things were bad enough already without my imagination running rampant. Yet I couldn’t ignore how, in such contrast to the mundane existence I’d been locked in since I’d finished school, the world had become so much brighter since the day I’d laid eyes on a dark-haired girl with a sharp tongue.
And I didn’t like the realisation… at all.
Chapter Eleven
“You are going to explain exactly who that is and why you were talking to him.”
I stared up at my dad knowing any attempt at lying to him would be useless, but it wouldn’t stop me from trying. At least I’d got Logan to leave with his dad. It meant he wouldn’t be witness to the earful I’d receive for this shit. It wasn’t even my fault. Logan wouldn’t leave me alone. I wasn’t going to let my dad railroad me.
“We were merely saying hello to each other.”
Dad clearly didn’t believe me, judging by the way his jaw ticked.
“Who is he?”
“Dad, can we not do this here, please?”
His eyes narrowed to slits.
“Aurora.”
The deadly note to his voice did nothing to stop me from getting irritated. If he wanted to have a go at me, I’d prefer it happen without an audience.
“Am I not allowed to have a conversation with someone? Is that suddenly a crime?”
“Quinn, we should really take this out to the car, don’t you think?” came Mum’s voice as she arrived next to us.
Dad stared at me for a long moment before replying, “Fine. Let’s go.”
I barely had a chance to blink when he took my hand and almost dragged me from the hotel. The rest of our family followed on our heels. I could feel the anger radiating off him. He’d gone into full-on overprotective daddy mode. It wasn’t necessary. No matter how much Logan and I pushed each other’s buttons, he wouldn’t actually hurt me. At least… not physically. His barbs might well leave me with emotional scars if I wasn’t careful.
I was forced to sit in a car with Mum, Dad and Rory whilst Xav and Eric took my brothers in the second car.
“Explain who he is, Aurora. Now,” came Dad’s curt demand as he set off towards home.
“Quinn, there’s no need to be so harsh with her,” Mum said, glancing back at me.
I stared out of the window, not knowing how to explain Logan without telling my father exactly how I’d met him. Without telling him how I’d gone out of my way to taunt Logan.
“I think we should do this at home,” Rory said.
“I asked my daughter a question she has yet to answer,” Dad ground out.
“Do you think she wants to answer when you’re practically biting her head off for talking to a man?”
My eyes snapped to Rory, shocked by him coming to my defence.
“I’m not...”
“Yes, you are. Are we suddenly banning our
kids from dating or something, Quinn? I do not recall us having that discussion.”
I didn’t want my dads arguing over me even though Rory was right. They’d never said anything about me not being able to date. Sure, they probably thought I’d find someone my own age, but I wasn’t interested in being with Logan.
Haven’t you lied enough about your attraction to him today already?
“I’m not dating anyone,” I said. “Jesus, I was talking to him. I met him at the casino and I ran into him today. There’s nothing more to tell.”
I couldn’t lie about where we’d met since Xav and Eric would tell my dad.
“You have not given me a full name,” Dad said, clearly having ignored what Rory had come out with.
“Why should I? You’ll only revoke his membership to the casino when he’s not done anything.”
Considering I’d threatened Logan with that, my sudden U-turn came as a surprise to me. I didn’t want him to get in trouble with my family. Knowing the type of things they’d done in the past made me wary. Dad’s overprotectiveness wasn’t necessarily always a good thing.
“I will find out one way or another. You’re better off coming clean now.”
“Why? You going to ground me again? Am I really in trouble for having a conversation?”
“He had his hands on you.”
I almost rolled my eyes.
“His hand being on my arm is not the same as some guy trying to feel me up, Dad.”
I was not about to divulge the way Logan had pinned me to the sinks in the toilets. Dad would only want to rip Logan a new one.
“Excuse me?”
“He wasn’t trying it on with me. Nothing is going on between us and you can rest easy knowing I will not be seeing him again. Besides, how is any of this my fault? I didn’t do anything wrong. What did you want me to do? Be rude to him in a public place when he was literally asking me a question? Why am I in trouble over that, huh? Tell me because I’d love to know.”
I watched Dad clench his jaw shut. I’d have to tell him who Logan was, but there was no way in hell I wanted him getting the wrong idea. Why I’d become protective over Logan was not something I wanted to examine. Besides, Dad had overreacted. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his drama.
The rest of the journey home was silent. Mum’s gaze was burning a hole in the side of Dad’s head. Rory stared out of the window, probably knowing arguing with my dad would be futile.
When we got in, Xav and Eric were already back and had taken the boys to bed. Dad made me stay in the living room with him, Mum and Rory. No one said a word until Xav and Eric walked in.
“You two are going to tell me about this boy our daughter has been talking to,” Dad said, glaring at the two of them.
“I’d hardly call what happened as them talking,” Xav scoffed, “We found him with her on the casino floor asking Rora why she’d been staring at him. We told him to leave her alone. That’s it.”
I shot Xav a grateful look. He hadn’t told Dad about Logan pinning me to the wall in the alcove. Probably knew Dad would only go off the deep end.
“Is that true?” Dad asked, directing his question at Eric.
“Yes. We made him aware of who she was and why he needed to stay away,” Eric said.
“Well, clearly he didn’t stay away.”
This was getting us absolutely nowhere.
“Us meeting tonight was a coincidence, Dad,” I interjected, “How was I to know he’d be at a wedding the same time as Lily’s birthday dinner?”
Dad turned to me. He looked pissed.
“You still haven’t told me who he is.”
I sighed, noticing Rory staring at me.
“Logan Benson.”
Dad frowned as if he recognised the name but couldn’t place it.
“His family own Bensons, the fashion house. He’s the heir to the company.”
Mum’s eyebrow shot up. Rory’s stare grew harder. He knew. It would be obvious considering I’d dragged him to Bensons last week. Whether he’d say anything was another matter entirely.
“How old is he?” Mum asked.
“Twenty.”
Dad’s frown deepened.
“I told you nothing is going on between us, so what does it matter?”
I swear Mum was putting the wrong two and two together. I was not interested in Logan. Didn’t matter if I was attracted to him. He was a heartless bastard. I’d rather die than have him kiss me.
Kiss him? Where did that even come from?
I did not want Logan anywhere near my mouth.
“Call it curiosity.”
Both Xav and Eric looked at Mum as if they were coming to the same conclusion as her. What was wrong with my parents? I didn’t want to call them out in front of Dad since I was attempting to persuade him nothing was going on.
“Listen closely, Aurora,” he started, making me flinch at his deadly tone, “You are going to stay away from him. I will not have you getting involved with a family who are subject to tabloids and online gossip. Not to mention he is too old for you.”
“You’re the one not listening to me. You don’t need to tell me to stay away. I have no intention of getting involved with him.”
I hated the way he was staring at me. As if he didn’t believe me. Were my fucked up feelings towards Logan that transparent? They couldn’t be. I didn’t even like him.
“Can I go now?” I asked, despising the horrifying realisation coursing through my veins.
“Fine.”
I got up off the sofa and stalked out of the room, feeling pissed off and uncomfortable. My dad didn’t get to dictate who I did and did not see. I might only be sixteen but I decided who I gave my time to.
Shutting my bedroom door behind me, I kicked off my heels and unzipped my dress, hanging it up in my cupboard. Then I sat at my dressing table after pulling a dressing gown on, staring at my reflection.
“You’re a liar,” I told the girl in the mirror, dragging a pack of wet wipes towards me, “A fucking liar.” I attacked my face with one of them, hating what I was seeing.
I heard a knock at my bedroom door. Whoever it was could go away. My dad had gone off the deep end with me. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I wanted to curl up in bed and distract myself from the memories of how Logan’s body had felt against me. How for some fucked up reason I hadn’t shoved his hand away the moment he gripped my chin. How the heat of his skin on mine had me struggling not to react to his presence.
“Rora.”
It was Rory’s voice.
I sighed and got up, chucking the wipe in the bin. As I reached the door, I pulled it open. Rory’s brow was raised, highlighting the scar on his eyebrow. He’d never told any of us kids how he’d got it.
“What is it?” I asked, keeping my voice soft.
Rory hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d come to my defence. I was more annoyed at my dad than anything else. And myself. I was pissed off at myself the most.
“I want you to be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“About Logan.”
I didn’t know what he wanted me to say. As if I’d ever see Logan Benson again. I hated the way my heart lurched at the thought of it being the last time I laid eyes on him.
I don’t want to feel this way about him.
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Me saying that was futile since Rory didn’t believe me.
“I’m not here to tell you not to see him.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning against the doorframe.
“Dad made it very clear I’m not allowed to. What’s your point?”
“What happened between the two of you?”
“Other than me hating the fact he sees right through me? Nothing.”
What are you saying?
“Rora…”
The understanding radiating off Rory made me feel like telling him some of the trut
h. Like unburdening myself a little.
“He’s a self-righteous dickhead who said some horrible things to me, Rory, but I deserved it. I sought him out because I hated how he looked down at me. You saw how he upset me after I saw him at Bensons. Today was the same shit. I don’t want to see him again.”
I rubbed my arm, my skin prickling with discomfort.
“I don’t want Dad knowing the truth. He’ll lose his shit even more. Logan might be a dick but he doesn’t deserve Dad’s wrath.”
Rory stared at me for a long moment. What else could I say? The lies were already building up. Logan was a dick but somehow we were drawn to each other. I wanted him on some level. It disturbed me. The knowledge I craved someone so heartless and cruel. Someone who made my heart pound and my blood boil with anger at the same time.
“Okay.”
I rubbed my arm again.
“Okay? That’s it?”
He nodded.
“Quinn won’t find anything out from me. All I ask is for you to be careful.”
I was about to retort I had no reason to since I wasn’t going to see Logan again, but I didn’t. Rory knew I was lying about my feelings. And he wouldn’t force a confession from me.
“I will,” I muttered.
He moved closer, leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead.
“Night, Rora.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond, walking away and leaving me feeling more vulnerable than ever. I shoved off the doorframe and shut my door.
I got ready for bed and curled up under the covers. Then I phoned my bestie who answered on the second ring. I hadn’t told Colleen about Logan nor did I intend to. Maybe it was stupid of me, but for some reason, I wanted to keep him to myself. It would make it too real if I told her.
Instead of revealing my secrets, I spent the next hour talking about her crush on a boy who’d moved in down her street. It was much safer ground. Plus, whilst I was talking to her, I didn’t have to think about Logan.
He came back with full fucking force the moment I closed my eyes to attempt to sleep. Taunting me with those harsh ice-blue eyes and cruel words.
I hate you, Logan. I hate how you make me feel so small.