Chapter 153

Ella

By the time I awoke, the morning light was streaming in through the window. I yawned, scrunching up my eyes against the light; I wasn’t in my bed. The air still smelled faintly of popcorn, and I was thirsty from the alcohol. What happened?

Then, suddenly, I remembered.

Logan.

I had fallen asleep on the couch next to him, our bodies close. My cheeks instantly flushed red, and I jolted slightly as I lifted my head to see that he was asleep right beside me. His back was turned to me on the large sectional sofa, but I could still feel his warmth, and we were sharing the same blanket.

Before I could get up and get my bearings, Logan began to stir. He rolled over onto his back, his eyes blinking open. And then his gaze met mine.

The events of last night crashed over me like a tidal wave. The movie, the popcorn, the accidental exhaustion—it all went directly against what I had promised myself. I had allowed myself to cross a line I had drawn in the sand, a line meant to keep me from falling deeper into the complications of my life, to keep my sister safe.

But it wasn’t just the situation with Logan that left me reeling. I could feel her there—my wolf. She was present again at the corners of my mind. I reached for her, hoping that she was less standoffish than she was last night.

“Hey, Ema,” I said, prodding gently.

The response was immediate, her voice cutting through the silence of the room in a way that only I could hear. “Keeping your distance, huh?”

I frowned.. “It was an accident. You should know this.”

“It’s always an accident with you,” she hissed. “And yet here you are, once again. How many accidents are you going to have before you finally realize that it’s all intentional?”

“You’re acting boorish.”

Ema growled in anger. “No, you’re acting like a privileged little brat. I couldn’t sleep all night because of his scent, and yet you—”

“Enough!” I growled, almost speaking out loud on accident. “This is for Daisy. She is our top priority. And if you can’t handle that, then that’s your problem.”

Anger seemed to radiate from my wolf. Normally it was directed at someone else when we were threatened, but now, it was as if I was the one threatening her. “You’re letting Marina bully you. How could you let this happen?”

I sighed inwardly. “I don’t know. But it’s happening, and I have to keep Daisy safe. Even if it means ending things with Logan.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Ema asked. “You say you need to push him away, but here you are, sleeping beside him on the couch.”

“Look, I know it sounds absurd,” I pushed, “but Logan… He needs to lose against his brother. I figured that if I could make his father look down on him for ‘living’ with me in this shitty apartment, then maybe Harry would get the inheritance instead.”

“So you’re manipulating him,” Ema said. “Making him want to be here more.”

“Yeah. That’s the goal. But I only wanted to make him dinner, Ema. Not… this.”

Ema fell silent, but I could sense her disappointment. But what was I supposed to do? If manipulating a man that I cared about meant keeping Daisy safe, then so be it.

Before I could say anything, Logan finally sat up and ran a hand through his hair. I sat up as well, then stood and crossed the room, occupying myself with opening the window to put some space between us.

“So,” I said, not meeting his gaze. “I have to head out.”

“Already?” he asked. “On a Saturday?”

I nodded. Truthfully, I did have my usual hiking planned, but mostly I just wanted him out.

“You know,” Logan started, his gaze flitting away, “if we want people to buy this whole...” He gestured vaguely between us, “...charade, I reckon it might look odd if I just took off first thing in the morning. Don’t you?”

His words hung there, reasonable yet filled with something more. I crossed my arms, turning away from the window to face him. “You just want to stick around,” I accused lightly, though a part of me couldn’t help but agree with his logic.

He grinned, a flash of white teeth. “Maybe I do,” he said, a playful edge in his voice. “So, what do you have planned?”

“I was planning to go for a hike,” I said slowly, watching him carefully.

He raised an eyebrow.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and the words tumbled out before I could stop them, partially thanks to my wolf’s prodding in the back of my mind. “You want to come or something?”

His response was immediate, a nod accompanied by an easy smile. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

…

“Man, Ella, you move fast,” Logan said with a huff, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

I smirked as I glanced over my shoulder to look at him. He looked more handsome than I had expected in a tight-fitting athletic shirt and joggers, and I had to look away before my cheeks flushed. “I’m not moving that fast. You’re just not used to hiking, aren’t you?”

Logan shrugged and picked up his pace again to match mine. “You know, I can handle jogging and weightlifting like it’s nothing. But hiking…”

“Hiking is a whole different beast,” I said, stepping over a fallen log. “But it’s worth it.”

It wasn’t long before we reached the summit. We broke out of the treeline and came out onto a rock ledge that overlooked the city below. The skyscrapers and flashing lights looked so absurdly small on the horizon, despite the fact that we were still technically in the city.

“Wow,” Logan breathed, planting his hands on his hips. “Okay. I get it now.”

I shot another glance over at him. For a moment, without him noticing, I took in his appearance; the way he was standing on the ledge, the way his biceps filled out the sleeves of his shirt, the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead and the way that his hair was tousled in the wind. My cheeks turned bright red, and it was all I could do to quickly look away before he noticed.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I like coming up here. The city is pretty from this view.”

Logan was silent for a moment, still taking in the view, before his gaze slid over to me.

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason why you like hiking,” he said, and there was a teasing tone in his voice.

I shot him a sideways glance. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, then gestured to me as I leaned on a boulder. “Well, I’m sure those toned legs of yours are a big upside too, huh?”

My cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red. Without thinking, I pushed myself off of the boulder and landed a punch on his arm. “Pig,” I hissed, although my voice lacked any real heat.

Logan laughed. I tried scowling at him, but soon I found myself breaking into a laugh as well, the sounds of our voices mingling in the air as we looked out over the horizon.