Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
Half-shock, half-hope, Ethan’s heart slammed against his ribs with a rapid thud, nervous excitement tightening like a vise.
Logan stood there, filling the doorway, all broad shoulders and quiet intensity. His familiar scent wafted in, stirring memories Ethan had been drowning in for days.
“Hey, how are you?” Logan coughed, a nervous edge cracking his usual confident tone. His eyes betrayed him, flicking down despite his effort to play it cool, they traced Ethan’s bare chest, lingering on the damp gleam of his skin, the hard lines of muscle earned from endless drills. Then they slid lower, a slow trail past his toned stomach, halting where the white towel met his waist, the fabric taut barely holding on.
He snapped his gaze back up, settling on Ethan’s abs, and a faint smile tugged his lips.
Ethan felt the weight of those eyes like a physical touch, and suddenly the towel was nothing, a flimsy scrap leaving him exposed.
“Hey,” he managed with a cautious smile. “I’m good. What can I do for you?” His fingers twitched at the towel, tugging it tighter, a reflex against the vulnerability prickling his skin.
“I…” Logan faltered, a rare stumble. “I just thought I’d swing by, you know, to check you were good.” He leaned against the frame, casual but deliberate, one arm braced high. “How we left it the other day…” He coughed, the awkwardness creeping in, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Look… Brick said some things on the flight back—quite a few things, actually.” A wry smile flickered. “He said I was rough on you, the way I talked. I didn’t mean it to come out like that. I fucked up, and didn’t consider how you might’ve felt about us.”
“Okay, thanks.” Ethan nodded, unsure if this was real contrition or because of Brick. “I appreciate you coming by to say it in person.” He looked at Logan, those sharp eyes, the stubble shadowing his jaw, and his pulse kicked harder, torn between hope and doubt.
“Well, that’s all I wanted to say, really.” Logan hovered, fingers curling around the doorframe. “Guess I’ll catch you tomorrow.” His eyes darted again, quick and subtle, over Ethan’s bronzed chest, the curve of his pecs, then back to that damn towel, the white cotton stark against Ethan’s tanned skin.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a beat, like by closing them he could erase the image. It was burned in. Ethan, fit and glistening, was a vision he couldn’t shake.
The silence stretched as he groped for something to say, anything to not walk away. “You going out?” he mumbled, gaze drifting from Ethan’s eyes to his chest, then back to the towel’s precarious knot.
“Uh, yeah.” Ethan swallowed, Logan’s stare was a heat he couldn’t dodge. “Yeah, Brick… we’re meeting to sink some beers later.” He smiled, ducking his eyes. His muscles flexed instinctively, a subconscious tightening of his biceps, his abs firming as his heart pounded like it might burst free of his chest.
“Well, okay,” Logan sighed, tapping the frame with a restless rhythm, his hand a barrier keeping the door open. “That’s good. I mean, that you’re feeling better. It’s good to hear.” Another sigh, his fingers drumming harder, eyes flicking over Ethan again. Bronzed, toned, and too damn close. “I best head off. Jess is coming up for a couple of days. We’re grabbing dinner, then I’m driving her to a friend’s for the night.” His words stumbled, tongue tripping over themselves, Ethan’s near-nakedness scrambling his brain.
“That’s nice,” Ethan let a sigh slip out as he scrambled for words to say something that might keep Logan here. He glanced around the cluttered apartment at the empty beer bottles, the TV flickering cop lights, and that damn box glaring at him from the counter. “You want a beer? I’m having one. I mean, only if you have time.” He winced at his rambling, heat creeping up his neck.
Logan checked the hall. It was empty, unlike his head, which was a battlefield fighting between what he should do and what he wanted.
“Sure. That’d be great.” He smiled, stepping inside, the brush of his shoulder against the frame a soft thud.
Hands shoved deep in his jeans pockets, he trailed Ethan through to the kitchen, pacing the small space, he was trying not to stare, but that frickin’ towel riding so low, made it damn near impossible. Every glance stoked a fire he was fighting to smother.
Ethan grabbed two beers from the refrigerator, the glass cold against his palm. He popped the caps, foam hissing as he handed one over. “So, where are you taking Jess for dinner?” He leaned back against the counter, the edge biting into his spine.
As Logan lifted his bottle, his bicep curled tight, the muscle rounding. It stirred something deep inside Ethan.
“Some fancy new pasta joint she saw on Instagram.” He sipped again. “Costs a small fortune but I’ve been promising her for a while.”
“Sounds good,” Ethan nodded. “You’ll have to give me the name, I might check it out. I love pasta.”
Logan drank more, the beer was doing nothing to cool the heat under his skin. Silence thickened, the unspoken looming large—sauna, toy, fight. “You know, maybe I should head off. I don’t want to be late.” As he set the bottle down, his gaze suddenly snagged on the box. “What’s this?” He frowned, picking it up, and turning it over.
Ethan’s breath hitched as embarrassment flooded through him. “Oh… that, it’s…” He stammered. “It’s nothing. Just…” He sighed, his words dying.
Logan continued to study it. “You buy this?” He bit his lip, eyes flicking from the box to Ethan. “Because of us?”
Ethan looked away, the crimson creeping up his neck, as he nodded. “It’s not what you think. I wasn’t going to use it. I—” He sighed. “I thought if things happened, which I know now they won’t, I’d be ready. Stupid, I know.”
Logan set the box down and planted his hands on the counter on either side of Ethan, caging him in. He cupped his cheek, turning his face. “You were doing that for me?”
Ethan swallowed, unease swirling as he nodded. “I’d do anything for you.”
He dropped his eyes, but before he could continue, Logan leaned in, lips crashing against his with a hungry edge that stole his breath.
“Holy fuck…” Ethan exhaled, dazed, satisfaction humming through him. “I wasn’t expecting that.” He smiled, shaky but real.
“Sorry,” Logan caught his lip between his teeth. “I shouldn’t have done?—”
“No, it’s fine.” Ethan grabbed his arm, firm and pleading. “I’m glad you did.”
Logan’s grin flared, and he dove back in, kissing harder, deeper, claiming Ethan’s mouth with a possessive fierceness. His hand gripped Ethan’s curls tight, while the other slid down, groping through the towel, fingers digging into his ass as he shoved him back against the fridge with a metallic thud.
“Mmm…” Ethan groaned, his stiffness surging, the towel much too small to mask it. “Logan…” he breathed, bracing a hand on the larger man’s chest. “Maybe we shouldn’t…”
“What?” Logan frowned, hips pinning Ethan’s. “You don’t want this?”
“Oh God, yeah. Yeah, I want this. It’s not that, it’s just… I know how hard it is for you.” Ethan grabbed Logan’s waist, regret spiking. “I want this so much, you know I do. But if you can’t… I get it. You’re my team leader. This is tough on you.”
Logan’s fingers traced the counter. “Yeah, it’s tough. But…” he glanced around, “not doing this with you, I’m not sure I can live with that either.” He picked up the box, then faced Ethan with a teasing grin. “You wanna try this out?”
“What, right now?” Ethan’s jaw dropped.
Logan nodded, casual but eager. “I’ve got an hour before I need to collect Jess from the airport, plenty of time if you need a hand,” he shrugged.
“You bet.” Ethan’s grin split wide, hands clamping Logan’s cheeks, kissing him hard and fast.
“Hell, maybe I should leave you behind more often, if this is the welcome back I get.” Logan tugged the towel free, letting it crumple to the floor, then took a step back, drinking Ethan in. He trailed his hand along his erection, feeling it throb against his palm.
“Mmm…” Ethan groaned, nipples pebbling, chest twitching as Logan massaged him. He sagged back against the fridge, pleasure pulsing up his spine as the cool metal rocked against their weight. “Oh God… that’s good,” he moaned, breathless, eyes fluttering shut in pleasure.
Logan leaned in, his grin wide and wicked, lips working Ethan’s mouth as his hand kept stroking. “Let’s take this to the bedroom?” He picked up the box from the counter. “And don’t forget that.” He gestured to the bottle of lube. “We’re gonna need it.”