4

Elena's POV 

I woke up tangled in sheets that weren’t mine.

Somehow our escapade had left my room to Logan's room, to continue with some of the toys he had in his room.

The room was dark, except for the faint glow of the sun finding its way through the window. My body ached, a reminder of everything that had happened just hours ago.

My face heated as the memories came flooding back.

Logan.

His hands, his lips, the way he made me forget everything else. 

The way I let him.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart beating fast.

What had I done?

I turned my head slowly, and there he was.

Logan lay beside me, his bare chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. His face looked calm in sleep, his dark hair looking messy against the pillow.

Peaceful. Innocent.

But he wasn’t innocent.

And neither was I atleast not anymore.

Panic tightened in my chest. I needed to get out of here.

Carefully, I pulled the covers off and slipped out of bed, holding my breath as I reached for my clothes. My hands shook as I grabbed his shirt from his closet, slipping it over my head as quietly as possible.

I didn’t dare look at him again.

I had to pretend this never happened.

But as I reached for the door, his voice cut through the silence.

“Running away, little sister?”

I froze.

Slowly, I turned around.

Logan was awake now, watching me with a lazy smirk, his hazel eyes filled with amusement.

“I’m not running away.” Heat crawled up my neck.

He propped himself up on one elbow, his toned body on full display, and I hated the way my eyes betrayed me by trailing over him.

“Then what do you call this?” he asked, turning his head slightly to watch me.

“I just…” I swallowed hard, gripping the edge of my shorts. “I need to go back to my room.”

His smirk didn’t fade. “Why?”

I frowned.

 “Because I—”

“Regret it?” he interrupted.

His words brought guilt inside of me, he was supposed to be my brother.

I opened my mouth to say yes. To convince both him and myself that this was a mistake.

But the word couldn't come out of my mouth.

And Logan knew it.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He chuckled, running a hand through his messy hair. 

I clenched my fists. “You’re enjoying this too much.”

“Oh, absolutely.” His smirk deepened.

I groaned, yanking on my shorts. “This was a mistake.”

“If it was such a mistake, why are you blushing?”

I turned around, my face burning. “I hate you.”

He laughed, the sound deep and smug. “No, you don’t.”

I stormed toward the door, ignoring the way my heart flutter at his voice.

“You’ll be back,” he called. “You can’t resist me.”

I slammed the door behind me, my pulse racing.

I needed to get away from him.

From this house.

From myself.

Back in my room, I paced back and forth, my thoughts jumping from one thing to another.

What the hell was I thinking?

I had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.

I had slept with my stepbrother.

If Mom ever found out…

I squeezed my eyes shut, my stomach twisting.

I had to act normal.

No one could know.

I took a deep breath and headed for the shower, hoping the warm water would wash away the evidence of last night.

But even as I scrubbed my skin, I couldn’t erase the feeling of Logan’s touch.

Or the way I had wanted more.

When I finally made my way downstairs, my body still felt tense.

Mom was already at the table, sipping her coffee, a warm smile spreading across her face when she saw me.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

I forced a smile. “Morning.”

She gestured to the plate in front of me. “I made breakfast.”

I sat down, my stomach churning at the thought of food.

I forced myself to take a bite of toast, but it tasted like nothing.

Mom studied me, her brows forming together. “Are you okay?”

I panicked at the question.

Did she know?

No, she couldn’t. There was no way.

I let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, just tired.”

She didn’t look convinced. 

“Is it the new school? I know moving here has been a big change.”

I latched onto the excuse immediately. “Yeah. It’s just… a lot.”

She reached across the table, squeezing my hand. “I know, sweetheart. But it’ll get easier.”

I nodded, my throat tight.

I didn’t deserve her kindness.

I didn’t deserve any of this.

Because if she knew the truth, if she knew what I had done, she would never look at me the same way again.

Just as I was finishing breakfast, Logan strolled into the kitchen, looking way too smug.

My body stiff immediately.

He was shirtless again, because of course he was. His sweatpants hung low on his hips, and his dark hair was still tousled from sleep.

I hated that he looked so good.

“Morning,” he said casually, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

I kept my eyes glued to my plate, willing myself to ignore him.

But he wasn’t going to make that easy.

He leaned against the counter, taking a slow sip, his eyes locked on me.

“Sleep well, sister?” he asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

I nearly choked on my toast.

Mom glanced between us, oblivious. “Oh, were you up late last night?”

Logan smirked. “You could say that.”

My face burned.

I shot him a glare, but he just winked at me over his coffee cup.

Jerk.

Mom, thankfully, didn’t notice. She checked her phone and sighed. “I have a meeting soon, so I have to go. You two behave, okay?”

I nodded stiffly. “Of course.”

Logan chuckled under his breath, and I wanted to throw my fork at him.

As soon as Mom left, I stood up, ready to escape.

But before I could take a step, Logan grabbed my wrist.

His touch sent a jolt of heat through me.

“Let go,” I hissed.

“What’s the rush?” His smirk didn’t fade.

“I’m not doing this with you.” I glared at him. “

He tilted his head, studying me.

 “Doing what?”

I pulled my wrist free. “Whatever this is. Last night was a mistake.”

His smirk finally disappeared, replaced by something unreadable. “You really believe that?”

I swallowed hard. “Yes.”

He stepped closer, his voice low. “Then why are you still here?”

My breath caught.

I had no answer.

Because I knew he was right.

I hated him for it.

He leaned in, his lips just inches from mine. “You can lie to yourself, Elena.”

His fingers brushed lightly against my waist, his touch sending shivers down my spine.

“But you can’t lie to me.”