Our Darkest Maze

by Sarah Bailey

  “Trust me, if we weren’t in public, he would be on the ground in pain right now because my stiletto would be stabbed through his heart… oh no wait, he doesn’t fucking well have one. I guess that’s too bad.”

  The man snorted and gave me another once over.

  “Whatever you say, Rora.”

  Well, it only proved she was still pissed off at me. I didn’t blame her. Just as Aurora didn’t back down from anything, I wouldn’t do it this time.

  Aurora took a step towards me at the same time as I did her. Her eyes held the same fire, the same spark which made me fall for her. Fuck, she was beautiful. The years had only made her look all the more stunning.

  “You drop off the face of the planet for three years and now you’re back, huh?” she asked before I could even form a sentence.

  I suppose it would look like that to anyone who followed the lives of the rich in the media. One minute I’d been all over the gossip sites. The next, gone without a trace. And my heart tightened at the clear implication in her words.

  “Been stalking me?”

  Her eyes narrowed. I’d caught her out and she knew it.

  “Did you want something from me, Logan?”

  I glanced at the people on the dancefloor, forming an idea in my head. Given we were in public and she wouldn’t make a scene here, I could use it to my advantage.

  “Dance with me.”

  Aurora crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Dance with me, please.”

  Her eyebrow slowly rose.

  “Do you seriously believe I would ever willingly enter your arms again after the way you treated me?”

  I shrugged.

  “It’s a dance, Rora. I wasn’t asking to sleep with you.” But if you were willing… no, don’t go there. You don’t deserve her forgiveness.

  Her face flamed at my words, her lips thinning into a narrow line. I shouldn’t have said it, but I’d never had self-control around this woman. My mouth liked to run away with me.

  “Fine, one dance.”

  She stormed away towards the dancefloor. I glanced at the man she’d been with, but he merely had an amused expression on his face.

  “Good luck with that, man. My sister is a wild one.”

  I frowned.

  Sister?

  Then it dawned on me why he looked so familiar. He reminded me of one of Aurora’s fathers. This was one of her three brothers. I’d seen him before when he’d been younger. He’d certainly grown up since then.

  It shouldn’t make me relieved it’s not her partner, but it does.

  “Tell me about it,” I muttered as I walked off in the direction Aurora had gone.

  Aurora was as wild as they came in terms of temperament, but I could handle it. I’d made her bend to me back when she’d been eighteen, as opposed to the twenty-one-year-old woman she was now.

  Do not remember the way she cried your name when you made her come. Don’t do it, Logan. It will only make matters worse.

  I reached her as the band started up with a new song. She allowed me to take her hand and tug her closer, wrapping my other one around her waist. Aurora rested her hand on my shoulder, giving me a dark look. I’d been a fucking fool to ruin things between us. Being close to her again brought back all my feelings and memories. They slammed into my chest, almost crippling me with their intensity.

  Neither of us spoke as I twirled her around the floor. She stared up at me with those golden-hued eyes betraying her ire, and there was a small slice of vulnerability in them too. Showing me there was more going on in her head she didn’t want me to see.

  “You going to carry out your threat, Rora? The one to make my life hell?” I asked, knowing it would only provoke her.

  She glared but didn’t respond. I wished she would, desperately wanting her to spit fire at me. To have her use that smart mouth to cut me down. I’d let Aurora Knox flay my fucking heart alive. She could destroy me if she wanted. I deserved it.

  “So, it’s the silent treatment, is it? Well, that’s okay. I can talk.”

  The flicker of indignation in her eyes had me fighting back a smile.

  “If you’re wondering where I’ve been, I’ll let you in on the secret.”

  There’d been a lot of speculation, but no one came close to the truth. My parents hadn’t released a statement. They’d kept their mouths shut about the whole situation. Everything had changed in the past three years. Absolutely everything. The man who stood before Aurora now? Well, he was different, but she didn’t know it quite yet.

  She would. I’d show her. I wouldn’t give up no matter what she did. Seeing her again had only confirmed one thing to me.

  This woman would be mine.

  And this time, I would never let her go.

  Chapter Thirty One

  My mind was a riot of emotions and feelings. Seeing Logan Benson again was the last thing I expected to deal with this evening. Yet, life had a funny way of throwing fucked up shit your way, as evidenced by the man I was dancing with. The one I should have said no and fuck off to. But he knew how to get me to do what he wanted. He knew I didn’t back down from challenges.

  Logan, why the fuck are you here?

  He’d been gone for three years. No one had seen or heard from him. I hated myself for keeping tabs on the damn man, but I did not want to get blindsided by his sudden appearance. Too fucking bad it happened, anyway. And now my heart hurt. The knife he’d lodged in my chest when he’d ended things between us remained, digging deeper into my flesh. I gritted my teeth against the pain and onslaught of need flooding my veins.

  His expression made me want to move closer. His ice-blue eyes were soft and his smile made me all kinds of crazy. It was like no time at all had passed and I was drowning in the man who’d intoxicated me. Who’d made me drunk off his words, his voice, and the way he demanded more from me.

  I should not want any of it. He hadn’t apologised for his behaviour. What the hell gave him the right to act like we were still close. I wouldn’t call Logan and me friends. We’d never got to that stage. No. It had gone from hate to lust to love to hate again. At least on my side anyway. Judging by the way he was acting, he didn’t hate me at all. It didn’t mesh with how he’d acted the last time we saw each other. When he’d told me the only reason he let me get close to him was to rip my heart out of my chest as revenge for me messing with him.

  “I don’t give a shit where you’ve been, Logan. As if anything you do matters to me.”

  “I’m sure. Not as if you admitted you’ve been keeping tabs on me.”

  I scowled. He’d bloody well forced me into speaking to him. The fucking man knew I couldn’t resist giving it back. He knew me too well it seemed.

  “Me? Keep tabs on you? Don’t make me laugh. Not my fault my best friend shacked up with your cousin not long after you fucked me over and now all I hear about is your damn family.”

  “Did Colleen or Leo tell you where I was?”

  “No. And you know why? Because I don’t care.”

  Logan had the fucking nerve to bite his lip as if he knew I was lying. My eyes were drawn to his mouth. Fuck, the mouth which had driven me insane in more ways than one.

  Why does he look so good in that tux? It’s like it got pasted on him. And when did he get a tan?

  I gave myself a mental shake. I should not be wondering if his tan extended all over his body. It was not only inappropriate but downright messed up. But hey, a girl has needs. I could hate-fuck Logan if I wanted to. It would certainly quell the boatload of sexual tension between us right now. The tension I wished would take a hike. It was completely unwanted.

  “You don’t want to know you’re the reason I told my parents I didn’t want to own Bensons?”

  I almost tripped over my damn heels as I stumbled at his words. Logan held onto me tighter, pulling my body flush with his so I didn’t fall. It made my heart rate spike. I t
ried hard not to react. His solid body against mine made me dizzy.

  “Me?” I choked out.

  “Yes, you, Rora.”

  The sincerity in his voice had me confused. He hadn’t even addressed what happened the last time we saw each other. He hadn’t said sorry for it. And yet here he was calmly telling me I was the reason he’d been truthful to his parents like it mattered more than any of the other shit he’d done to me.

  What the fuck?

  “You don’t get to call me that anymore,” I bit out, wanting to hide my reaction to his words.

  He leant closer, his breath dusting over my cheek.

  “No? Should I call you something else then? I remember how much you liked the nickname I gave you.”

  “Logan, don’t you fucking well dare,” I hissed.

  I shivered when his mouth hovered over my ear. I cursed myself out internally, despising my body for being a traitor. There was no fucking way I’d allow myself to get carried away. I might have thought about it a few minutes ago, but hell would freeze over before I let Logan tug me into the bathroom and fuck me up against the sinks. My nails would dig into his shoulders as he pounded into me, knocking the breath from my lungs. I’d tell him how much I hated him and he’d ignore it. Taunting me about how much I loved the way his cock felt inside me.

  The very dangerous fantasy playing in my head right now could fuck right off.

  “I know you’re not immune to me,” he whispered, “I can feel your heart hammering against your chest. Are you a scared little rabbit wanting to get free of my snare, hmm?”

  “Shut. Up.”

  I wanted to tear myself out of his hold but making a scene in public wouldn’t be a good look. Duke and I were here representing the Syndicate. He might be at university studying accountancy, but he was as much a part of the company as me. Which was why we were both here. I’d pestered him to come with me until he said yes. My brother and I might like to give each other shit, but when it came to business, we were on the same page.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t say it unless you ask me to.”

  He was referring to him calling me his little masochist. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if he did. It would hurt too much. And the seductive note to his voice would only arouse me further.

  I hated my body and him for making me feel this way.

  “I will never ask you for it.”

  The song ended. I pulled away from him, forcing him to drop his hands from me and hating the way I could still feel his imprint on my waist.

  “You had your dance, Logan. Did you want something else?”

  Why did you ask? You fucking fool.

  “I want a lot of things, but I doubt you’d be willing to entertain them.”

  He gripped my elbow and led me off the floor. I didn’t have it in me to stop him. My body had heated up all over and I could hardly think straight in his presence. My brain short-circuited as I had some idea of the things he wanted. The look in his eyes when he said it cued me in.

  “Try me.”

  Logan glanced at me with a note of surprise.

  “Have dinner with me on Friday night.”

  He deposited me back next to Duke, who had an amused expression on his face. I ignored him, turning to Logan.

  “Why should I?”

  “You and I need a conversation.”

  I crossed my arms under my breasts. And didn’t drop them when his eyes were drawn to them.

  You can look all you like. I don’t care.

  Except I did. His gaze had my skin lighting up. Why was my body such a fucking little traitorous piece of shit?

  “Do we?”

  “Yes. Of course, you could say no, and I’ll walk away and leave you in peace.”

  He was bluffing. The way he stared at me with such intense need spoke otherwise. Also, he’d issued me a damn challenge. He knew it, which is why his lips had curved up at the sides. It was almost like Logan wanted me to bury him in the dirt after I beat him bloody with my sharp tongue. He wanted to play with fire and get burnt. And a huge part of me wanted it too.

  If he wanted me to ruin his life, then I would. No less than he deserved. This time, it would be me getting revenge for what he’d done.

  “Fine. I’ll go to dinner with you. I expect you to pick me up by seven and dinner must be at a restaurant, not your place.”

  Logan raised an eyebrow.

  “You still live with your parents?”

  “That’s right.”

  Dad still hated Logan, but he and I had made up. He apologised for interfering in my life and promised he wouldn’t do it again. I also extracted a second promise from him to accept whoever I chose to be with, no matter his personal feelings. Having spent the last three years proving to my father I was a capable young woman, he’d backed off on his overbearing shit. I was an asset to the Syndicate. I’d brought in new business by upgrading our restaurant. The Underworld was thriving and it was down to me.

  “Okay, seven it is. Be ready.”

  I stared at him. Logan smiled at me before nodding at Duke, who continued to have this amused look on his face. Don’t know what he was so bloody happy about.

  “I’m Logan, by the way.”

  “You are persona non grata in our house, but anyone who makes my sister flustered the way you do… well… let’s just say I’m on board. I’m Duke.”

  They shook hands, leaving me looking between them. My brother was a little shit. I swear he and Raphi were always causing trouble together. Not to mention Cole and his antics. Mum was still pissed at him over his very recent breakup with Meredith.

  “I take it Rora’s father still hates me.”

  “Hate is an understatement.”

  Logan grimaced. Well, Dad didn’t like the fact I’d been intimate with Logan at all. I hadn’t told him myself, but Rory had. All of my parents knew the story now. Xav had congratulated me on getting laid and asked me if it was any good, whilst Eric told him to shut up before my dad overheard. As if I would tell any of my fathers what the man I’d slept with was like in bed. My family was crazy, but I loved them.

  “Guess I better prepare to get chased off your doorstep.”

  Duke laughed.

  “I’m so getting a front seat for this shitshow.”

  “Shut up, Duke,” I hissed.

  “What? I’m not scaring him off like all the other idiots sniffing around you.”

  My hand clenched into fists to stop myself from strangling my brother. He knew exactly who Logan was, and I was not impressed with his behaviour right now.

  “You’re not supposed to be encouraging him.”

  Logan heard me, of course, but I didn’t care. I thought telling him to pick me up might give him second thoughts, but no, his ice-blue eyes were twinkling instead. He stepped forward right up into my personal space which had me swallowing hard.

  “You look beautiful this evening,” he murmured in my ear, “I’ll see you on Friday, Rora.”

  My body almost melted into his. I almost lost my self-control completely when he kissed my cheek. He pulled back, gave Duke a wave and sauntered off into the crowd. And stupid me stared after him, completely dumbstruck by our whole encounter.

  Why the fuck had I agreed to go to dinner with the callous bastard who broke my heart?

  “Well, Quinn is going to lose his mind when he finds out about this,” Duke said.

  I turned and shot him a dark look.

  “You are not helping.”

  Duke shrugged, giving me a wink.

  “I like him.”

  “You don’t even know him.”

  “I know he makes you blush. Plus, he scores extra points for making you hide the fact he was your secret lover from our dads.”

  “I’m going to fucking kill you when we get home.”

  He merely smiled. It was a completely empty threat on my side.

  “You’re not going to tell him you’ve been pining over him
this whole time when he takes you to dinner?”

  I took a step towards my brother.

  “You are the worst, you know that, right? I hate how I told you that in a moment of weakness.”

  It’d been when everything blew up between him and Kira over a year ago. I’d been sympathising with him over it with Raphi. Hell if I knew where Cole had got to. He preferred to stay out of our relationship drama. The breakdown of Duke’s friendship with Kira had reminded me of how much it hurt to have Logan lie to me. Not to mention Raphi and his drama. Whilst he had a girlfriend now, I didn’t think it would last. Lana was nice enough, but she didn’t fit in with us.

  We were all fucking messes when it came to relationships, even Cole. Actually, especially Cole. I swear to god he ruined the best thing in his life when he walked away from Meredith. She was perfect for him, but no, he had to go be a fuck up like the rest of us.

  “Well, I’m not telling you to forgive him, am I? Let the guy grovel if he wants you. Unless you’re still planning on utterly ruining his life? Like, I get it. He’s in the wrong here. What he did was probably unforgivable.”

  “But…”

  “You need to think hard about whether it’s truly worth it, Rora.”

  “Since when did you become the voice of reason?”

  He shrugged again.

  “Since I learnt my actions have consequences.”

  I sighed and looked away. Whilst Duke hadn’t told me exactly what the whole deal was between him and Kira, I got the impression it wasn’t pretty.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Should we blow this joint and get a real fucking drink?”

  “Don’t you have lectures tomorrow?”

  “And?”

  I glanced at him, smiling.

  “Let’s go. Dad won’t know a thing.”

  He put his arm out to me, letting me place my hand in the crook of his elbow. Duke led me out of the charity event. And I hated to admit I glanced around the room to see if I could catch a glimpse of Logan again.

  The man had a lot of shit to answer for. And I wasn’t about to let him get away with walking back into my life without so much as an apology for the way he’d treated me three years ago. Logan Reid Benson better bring his fucking A-game because there was no way in hell I’d bend to his will ever again.