Chapter 46
CHAPTER 46
Ethan stood shirtless by the breakfast bar.
A purple bruise was already blooming like a violent flower on his cheek, small cut on his forehead. His chest rose and fell in uneven heaves, as he clenched the edge of the counter, trying to steady himself. “So, you’re just gonna walk out?” He frowned, anger flaring wild and hot in his gut.
Across the room, Logan remained by the door. His broad shoulders seemed impossibly rigid, muscles coiled as if bracing for a fight he wasn’t sure he could win. “I can’t stay. What happened here earlier… Goddamnit, Ethan, it could’ve ended so badly.” He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just glad I got here in time. But staying the night… I can’t do that.”
Ethan flinched, but quickly masked it with a scowl. His fingers drummed erratically against the countertop before curling into fists at his sides. “You think Devon showing up here, losing his fucking mind, is on you? Are you listening to yourself right now?” He stepped forward. “Because your ex can’t control himself, you think you should leave? That I’d blame you? That I wouldn’t want you?”
“I came over here to talk, but what I had to say… it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Ethan’s lips parted as if to argue, but for a moment, no sound came out. His mind raced back to moments ago when Devon’s hands were on him. The memory made him shudder.
“What doesn’t matter?” He took another step toward Logan until they were only inches apart. “You didn’t just come here to ‘talk,’” he accused. “That’s bullshit.”
Logan sighed. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter, because this…” he gestured vaguely between them without looking up, “can’t happen. I was stupid to think it ever could.”
He closed his eyes briefly and dragged a hand down his face. “I told you before… me and you, it crosses too many lines.” Each word pulled from some deep well of guilt inside him. “I put you in danger tonight, and if we take this any further... that’s what it’ll be like every day. Every spin-up, I have to put you in harm’s way. And I can’t handle that, not if we get closer, not without someone seeing how I feel about you.”
Ethan’s laugh was sharp and bitter. “I’m getting spun up whether we sleep together or not. You’re still gonna have to watch that happen, so what difference does it make?” He locked his eyes on Logan. “What… you think you won’t feel anything for me if we don’t fuck? You know that’s a lie. The only difference is we miss out on all the good stuff—the stuff that makes it worth it. We don’t get to comfort each other when shit hits the fan, and we don’t get to have great sex.”
He tilted his head, a daring smile tugging his lips as he watched for a reaction. “I know which I’d prefer.”
Logan’s resolve cracked for just an instant; his shoulders sagged before he straightened and shook his head. “Stop it,” he snapped. There was no real anger behind it, only desperation.
“No,” Ethan shot back as he reached past Logan and slammed the door shut with enough force to rattle its frame. “Who said you get to decide this?”
Logan started to say something, but Ethan cut him off. “I don’t think so.” He shoved him back against the door, hands clamping around his head. His lips crashed into Logan’s, tongue plunging deep, invading with a hunger that stole the breath from his lungs.
The kiss wasn’t careful or calculated, it was desperate, primal, a claim being staked. It burned hot, then softened as Ethan pulled back. “You still wanna leave?” He yanked the door open, stepping aside, daring him. “Then go.”
Logan froze, his mind caught somewhere between disbelief and desire, but then heat flared through him like wildfire. He gripped Ethan’s bare shoulders, fingers digging into the firm muscle beneath flushed skin.
He could feel every ridge and plane of Ethan’s chest pressing against him, separated only by his t-shirt. The heat seeped through the material, branding him, and making it impossible to think about anything else.
Logan’s heart hammered against his ribs as he stared out at the open door, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts. Leave? Stay? Fight? Run?
Something shifted, and he brushed his fingers lightly over Ethan’s bare chest, grazing the shape. Temptation roared inside him and lifting his eyes, a slow smile broke across his face. It was real, in a way that shook him to his core.
“No,” he finally said, despite the turmoil roaring inside. “I don’t wanna leave.”
Ethan exhaled audibly, relief flickering across his features before melting into something softer, something closer to hope.
“Good.” He smiled as he stepped forward. One hand reached up to cup Logan’s cheek, thumb brushing lightly over the rough stubble along his jawline. “Then stay with me.” He whispered, leaning in until their foreheads touched.
Ethan’s touch was surprisingly gentle, and it made Logan’s pulse jump all over again. This time when their lips met it wasn’t about dominance or control, it was about connection. The kiss was long and deep and filled with a promise that neither of them would dare put into words. Their tongues tangled in a dance of equal give-and-take.
Logan groaned as his hands roamed freely across Ethan’s bare skin, fingertips tracing every line and curve of his muscles with reverence and hunger alike. He let them slide down his back until they reached the dip just above his waistband. He paused for a beat, then continued lower still.
The warmth beneath his palms was addictive, and it stoked so many things inside him that made rational thought impossible.
He wanted this—wanted him—more than he could stand.
Ethan shivered but didn’t pull away, instead he leaned into Logan’s touch as if trying to merge their bodies into one seamless whole.
When finally they broke apart for air, they were both panting heavily. “Lock the door,” Ethan said firmly as if daring Logan not to comply. “We don’t want any more interruptions tonight, do we?”
He stepped back, his movements slow and deliberate, as if teasingly aware of the eyes tracing his every move. Ethan slid down his jeans and shrugged them off onto the floor, revealing the taut lines of his abdomen and the sharp curve of his hipbones just above the waistband of his boxer shorts.
Ethan’s skin glowed faintly under the dim light, a warm, golden hue kissed by the sun. His lips quirked into a playful grin as he turned, bare feet padding soundlessly against the wooden floor.
Each step carried an effortless confidence that seemed to radiate off him. He glanced back over his shoulder. “You coming to bed?” He could feel the weight of Logan’s stare and wore it like a crown. Then, without waiting, he disappeared into the bedroom.
Logan stood alone by the door, caught somewhere between awe and anticipation. His gaze followed Ethan’s every movement, lingering on the flex of muscle as he moved.
What the hell am I doing? The question echoed in his mind, as his eyes darted back to the door.
His fingers hovered over the deadbolt as he stood at the crossroads of decision. The world outside beckoned, but then his gaze returned to the bedroom where Ethan’s silhouette lingered faintly in the darkness.
Leave or stay? The air thrummed with tension, but then he suddenly heard Ethan’s laugh drifting through the open door. It was warm and inviting, a sound that made his chest tighten and loosen all at once. It was with a quiet resolve that surprised even himself, that he pressed the bolt on the door into place.
The soft click sealed them inside together.
Logan dragged a hand down his face as if trying to wipe away the last remnants of hesitation that clung to him. He then shrugged off his jacket and let it fall unceremoniously onto the couch and gripping the hem of his t-shirt with both hands, yanked it over his head.
The cool air kissed his skin as it met his bare chest, and he tossed the shirt aside without care for where it landed.
His muscles rippled—a body honed from years of discipline and hard work—his dog tags clinking softly as they settled against each other.
Logan’s boots thudded against the floor as he kicked them off and for a moment, he simply stood there amidst the shards of broken lamp and shifted furniture. The mess was glaringly obvious, but he shook it off with a loud sigh that carried away whatever tension remained within him.
The darkness beyond the bedroom was like an invitation written in shadows while the rest of the world… it just faded away.