“Does he know that?”
“No.”
“Then keep it that way, protect yourself, girl. Don’t go there tonight, let him stew in his own gravy for once. Stop letting him win. You’ve been giving into him since he and his mother came to live with you guys.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look, for years he picked on you, even when he hurt you, you were always nice to him. After he moved, you wrote to him, practically begging him to write back, call or come home. I know that’s why you always mailed him those letters. He’s had you where he wanted you forever, right within arm’s reach but never really touching you. The one time you don’t send a letter, the one time you don’t write, is the one time he comes back home. Coincidence, I think not. Let him chase you for a while, let him know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of his own shit. Maybe then he won’t be so quick to play these fucking games with you. Stepbrother or not.”
I really listened to what she had to say. She was right, he had done exactly what she had said he did, and what she said about me was true as well. I couldn’t see it until now. “Did you want me to call you tonight once I am home? We can have a Skype party; I’ll just tell Jim we moved our girl’s day.”
“No, it’s okay, it’s been a long day. I’m going to drink my tea and go to bed.”
“Promise me you won’t go to him?”
“I promise,” I said reluctantly. “If I even think about it, I give you permission to kick my ass before I leave.”
“That’s my girl.” I hung up the phone, sat back in my dad’s chair and closed my eyes.
I thought back to that first kiss we had shared those many years ago. That was the kiss that had sparked it all. I knew I liked him from the moment I laid eyes on him that day in the hallway at school, and after that kiss, those feelings had intensified.
With him being so far away, I guess crushing on him felt safer, but with Logan back home, I let weakness win. I couldn’t do a fling; I had done plenty of those over the years. Once I was settled in my new career and a new home, I knew I would eventually find everything I was looking for. However, I secretly wished that Logan and I weren’t related and that our parents weren’t married, because I knew deep down that with him, we could have exactly what our own parents had taken years to find.
SEVENTEEN
Logan
All the way back to the hotel, I prayed she would come to me. I’d had a taste of her, a taste of that sweet skin, those beautiful lips, her sexy body and I wanted more. Fuck, I wanted more, and I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the other night the whole time I was watching her today. Truth be told, I made a mistake by telling her that there couldn’t be anything more between us and I felt like kicking myself in the ass. What happened between us had freaked me the fuck out. I hadn’t expected to feel the way I did.
Back in my room, I turned the shower on and let the bathroom steam up. The only thing on my mind was her. I quickly showered and shaved and laid on the bed. I turned the TV on quickly finding something to watch. As I laid there mindlessly watching some crappy TV show, I thought back to her letters. I read them every chance I got, but I didn’t have the guts to tell her that, or that I had kept them.
I heard a car door slam outside my window and jumped up to see if it was her. Sadly, it wasn’t, and instead I watched a big burly man pull a suitcase from the trunk of his car. I needed to have her one more time before I had to return to Boston. Just once, and then I could void her from my system.
I grabbed my cell phone checking for messages, but nothing had come in. It was only nine o’clock, why wasn’t she here? There was no way she was still cleaning up. I grabbed the room service menu and ordered a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. She would love them, her two favorite foods combined into one. How did I know that? Because I fucking remembered. I remembered the cute little birthmark she had on the inside of her right thigh too.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked my reflection in the mirror. I feared she was not only in my head, but over the years she had worked her way into my heart. It was the little things, the way she touched me, the way she sucked on her bottom lip as I pumped into her and the way her eyes danced as she looked at me after it was over. She smelled and tasted so good she drove me near wild. “Where the fuck are you?” I said out loud, throwing my phone onto the bed.
I paced back and forth, finally stopping when room service knocked on the door. They placed the tray of strawberries on the little table and left. I stood looking at them then grabbed my phone and sent her a text message. I waited, staring at the screen. “Please, Leah, answer me.”
However, that message went unanswered. Another hour passed, the strawberries I had delivered sat on the table, getting warm. They didn’t appear to be as appetizing as I had first believed they would because I had hoped to be eating them off forbidden places on her body.
At two in the morning, I sent through one final text before I crashed into the mattress and fell into a deep sleep. I would see her tomorrow at brunch, there was no way she was getting away from me then.
EIGHTEEN
Leah
I put the final touches on my makeup and then smoothed the wrinkles from my dress. I had deleted his messages as they had come in. He could beg me all he wanted. After my talk with Jenna, I knew it was time to take back my self respect. I hadn’t slept last night, and it showed. I covered the dark bags under my eyes the best I could.
I placed the last few remaining items I still hadn’t packed into my bag and zipped it shut. Dad had taken my luggage to the car while I grabbed my ticket and shoved it into my purse. In a matter of a couple hours, I would be on my way to Boston to start my new life.
“Leah, you’re sure that is everything?” Dad asked as he walked into my room.
“Just this bag, Dad. That’s it, my entire life packed up into a few bags.” I smiled. It was a totally fake smile, I was sad I was leaving, but at the same time, I was so excited for what the future held. I needed to hold myself together for the brunch and once I was at the airport it would be over.
Dad wrapped me in his arms and pulled me against him. “You’ve made me so proud. I am so excited for you.” I hugged him tight until I felt that familiar lump in my throat, I had been feeling it all night.
I pulled away as I heard Anna call from the bottom of the stairs, “We need to get going, I told Logan to meet us at the restaurant in half an hour.”