Chapter 35 Stone
Stone
“Logan, can we talk?” I ask my helicopter pilot after a mandatory meeting that the entire unit had to be present for after our shift ended at five.
We’ve been working around the clock because there’s a concern about our snowcats setting off avalanches while grooming the trails, so we’ve had to adjust the blasting schedule to accommodate the grooming schedule, which isn’t terribly abnormal, but it’s a pain in the ass.
Logan stops walking and turns to face me.
“What?” he asks shortly. His tone makes a few of our teammates turn their heads in our direction.
“Can we talk privately?” I correct.
He stares me down for a solid ten seconds, debating whether he’s going to give me any more of his time, when he finally nods.
Our meeting was held in the main lodge because our office is too small to hold everyone when we’re all present, so Logan and I duck into a vacant conference room.
“I need you back on my team,” I tell him bluntly.
“You know I’ve always assigned myself the toughest terrain and the worst conditions.
Regardless of how much you hate me, you can’t deny that I try to protect this entire unit as much as I can, and Deacon’s not as confident in the weather that’s coming our way. ”
“Hate you?” Logan snarls, ignoring my comment about Deacon. “Stone, I don’t hate you, you blind-ass idiot.”
“Yeah, well, that sentence doesn’t do much to convince me otherwise,” I tell him.
Logan’s eyes follow the movement as I cross my arms over my chest, and he blows out a breath before taking a step toward me, forcing me back against the wall.
“Stone, why do you think I still showed up that night even though I knew it was you on the hookup app?”
“To fuck with me,” I say automatically.
“And why do you think I’ve flirted with you and have tried to get you in my bed every night since then?
Why do you think I’ve kept your secrets?
Why do you think I’m so fucking pissed about your fling with Hanlon?
” His questions come rapid fire, and I don’t have a chance to answer him before he’s doing it for me.
“Because I’m in love with you, you fucking asshole.
I have been for a long time, but I didn’t think you were into guys.
Then you show up as a match on that stupid app, only to turn me down before even giving me a chance.
Then your fucking brother shows up on the scene and the one guy that shouldn’t be my competition at all, somehow ends up in your bed.
So, no, Stone. I’m not rejoining your team.
It’s all I can do to stay sane while your scent permeates the office.
Since your precious boy-toy is attached to your hip, I need to keep my distance. ”
I feel a mix of a lot of things, but the first item I address is his assumption about Hanlon and me.
“You need to know that Hanlon isn’t a fling, Logan, and he’s certainly not my boy-toy.
I’m sorry if I hurt you, but it isn’t like I fell in love with him to spite you.
What’s happened between Han and me is complicated, but it runs deep.
I apologize for being a little dense. I had no idea you felt that way about me.
I just always thought you enjoyed fucking with me.
But I need you back as my pilot because Deacon is good, but he’s not as good as you, and with a series of storms moving in this week, I need to be able to trust my pilot because I won’t send anyone else out in that weather. ”
“So, you’re okay asking me to risk my life, but not anyone else?”
Shit. That’s not what I meant.
“No, I’m asking you to potentially save mine.”
Logan sighs heavily before caging me in against the wall with his arms.
“Being in this position is hell, Stone. It physically fucking hurts,” he says with the most vulnerability I’ve ever seen from him.
“Of course, I want to keep you safe. The fact that you trust me with your life should tell you something. But instead, you’re asking me to keep you safe just so I can return you to him.
” Logan is breathing hard, his panted breaths coasting across my lips.
“Hey, there you ar—what the hell is going on?” Hanlon asks from the doorway.
Logan drops his arms and pushes away from me, pain painting his features.
“Nothing,” he says to Hanlon.
“Logan,” I start, unsure if I’m going to apologize or beg him to fly for me one more time.
But he answers before I can find the words, his voice low so Hanlon can’t hear.
“I’m transferring at the end of the season.” He shoulder checks Hanlon on his way out the door and says, “He’s all yours.”
Guess I’m still flying with Deacon.
“What was that all about?” Hanlon asks, moving toward me in a rush.
“Well, Logan confessed he’s in love with me, now refuses to fly with me, and apparently, he’s transferring at the end of the season.”
Not understanding the difference because he’s never flown in a storm—nor would I ever let him—Hanlon shrugs.
“Okay, but none of that’s really shocking, is it? Plus, Deacon does really well.”
Yeah, on sunny days with clear skies and no crosswinds, I think to myself, but I’ll be damned if I tell Hanlon that.
“You’re right,” I say, giving him a tight smile.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” I push off the wall with Hanlon matching my stride.
Seeing him in his patrol jacket honestly hasn’t gotten any less mesmerizing.
Watching him really lean into his role here has been incredible.
Not to mention, he’s added so much to our team.
Even my boss has noticed the quality of Hanlon’s contributions.
It didn’t take long before I realized I was singing Hanlon’s praises a little too excitedly, hoping they’d offer him a job, and I had to dial it back or risk giving myself away.
“I just need to confirm a couple of test results and some forecast info with Jeremy, and then I’ll be ready to head home,” Hanlon says. “I wonder if Chase has eaten everything in sight yet,” he adds.
Chase got in two days ago and is only staying for two more. Having him here has been nicer than I thought it would be. I tried to give Han the day off yesterday so they could ski, but Hanlon refused. ‘If you’re at work, so am I,’ he’d said.
Between his work ethic and his stubborn streak, he’ll be an asset wherever he goes, and I’m so fucking proud of him.
As a compromise, I clocked out at eight-thirty and had Chase meet us at the resort for first tracks at nine.
I told my team I was on call if they needed me, but no calls ever came.
The three of us skied until four, stopping every hour for Hanlon to get warm.
We shared a couple of beers, and it was the most fun afternoon Han and I have had in a while.
I could tell Hanlon has missed his best friend, and I’m hopeful that having him here helps alleviate the stress I know he still feels from our parents’ silence.
“Hey, text him and ask him to put on a pot of chili, will you?” I ask. “There’s ground beef in the fridge, and there should be plenty of cans of beans he can dump in there.”
“No problem. I’ll meet you in your office in twenty minutes,” Hanlon says, fingers typing away on his phone as he heads toward the table where Jeremy’s still sitting.
As soon as I step outside the lodge to head back to the office to wait for Hanlon, the wind damn near blows me over. The storm is picking up, and I can’t fucking wait to get home.
My cell phone rings as soon as I step inside my office, and my boss’s voice rings out over the line.
“Stone, Rick here.” He always answers the same way, as though I don’t have caller ID and haven’t had his contact saved in my phone for four years.
“Hey, Rick. What can I do for you?”
“I just got off the phone with the new resort owner. Nice guy. Certainly more sensible than the man before him. Seems to genuinely care about the people who make this resort run smoothly and isn’t just concerned with chasing a dollar.”
“Sounds great,” I say. Sometimes Rick needs some help getting to the point. “Did he say anything relevant to ski patrol?”
“Oh, right. He’s ordered the top of the mountain to be shut down tomorrow.
They’re calling for wind gusts up to forty-five miles an hour through lunch, and he doesn’t want to risk it.
” Good on him, I think to myself. “Also,” Rick continues, “he’s halted your blasting schedule for tomorrow.
He says he’ll keep an eye on it. I mentioned that he might want to talk to your intern, but apparently Jeremy beat me to it, and the big man already asked Jeremy for Hanlon’s number in order to get his thoughts. ”
Wow, that’s a big fucking deal.
Suddenly, a thought occurs to me…maybe Hanlon will be my boss one day.
I smirk at the thought that I’d be banging my boss, but worry quickly takes hold.
Hanlon is a rule follower. What if he were to insist that we can’t see each other anymore because we obviously wouldn’t be allowed to date if he becomes my boss?
Pretty sure they teach that in Rules for Upper Management 101.
“Stone? You there?” Rick’s question pulls me back to the present.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that last part.”
“I said tomorrow your team will just be running basic patrols mid-mountain and lower.”
“Okay. Can I tell Deacon to stay home?” I ask, knowing my pilot would love a snow day with his baby girl.
“Unfortunately, no. We’re backup for Search and Rescue tomorrow. Sapphire Butte’s chopper is down for maintenance.”
“10-4,” I confirm as tension returns to my shoulders. The fact that it was there in the first place makes it clear I need to address my concerns with Deacon. Maybe Logan would be willing to do some additional training with him before he leaves for good.
But that’s a conversation for tomorrow or the next day. Right now, I’m going to wait for Hanlon, head home, jerk him off in the shower, and relax in the company of my boyfriend and his best friend in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
It feels perfect. Maybe a little too perfect.
Like we’re in the eye of the storm.