Take (Temptation Series) (29 page)

Logan exploded on his tongue with a shout so loud that Tate’s ears rang, and as he swallowed the creamy fluid down, he gave several hard pulls of his own flesh and felt his orgasm hit. Then he shot his load all over the shower floor.

Tate looked up to where Logan had slumped back against the glass and closed his eyes. He drew his mouth off him, and when he felt the fingers in his hair loosen and stroke the back of his head, he didn’t get up. He rested on his heels, placed his cheek against Logan’s thigh, and once again stared up at him.

This time when Logan glanced down, his eyes seemed to be thanking him, but no words were exchanged. Instead, Tate gave a silent wink, leaned in, and kissed his thigh. No words were needed.

22
.

Dinner went by quickly enough, and once they were done, they ended up in the living room.

It’s so unusual to be sharing this space with someone,
Logan thought as he sat in his favored recliner and watched Tate grab a cushion off the couch so he could lie on the floor.

“You can lie up there, you know.”

Tate shook his head and leaned the cushion back against the leather. “No way. And this rug is comfy anyway.”

Logan picked up the wine he’d poured and looked down at Tate, who was laid out on his sheepskin rug. “Okay. But just know, when your ass goes numb, you’re more than welcome to move it to the soft
Italian
leather couch.”

“Are you showing off or just concerned for the welfare of my ass?”

“If I were concerned for its welfare, I wouldn’t be thinking about all the ways I’m going to devour it later,” he told him with a wink.

Tate stretched his arms over his head, making the red T-shirt he was wearing ride up. “So sure of yourself.”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?”

Tate gave him a look so hot it would melt fucking steel. “Not at all. You can have anything you want.”

Logan crossed his legs out in front of himself and took another sip of his drink. “Anything, huh?”

“Within reason, of course.”

“Now I’m trying to think of something that would be
out
of reason,” Logan mused.

“Oh, I’m sure you could come up with something, and even then, you’d dress it up in a way that would probably make me want it.”

“Now what makes you say that?”

“Did you forget how we met?”

Swallowing another sip of wine, Logan lowered his arm to the side of the chair. “I remember everything from the first time I saw you.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. You tried to hook me up with a woman,” Logan reminded him dryly.

Tate started laughing then asked, “Well, how was I supposed to know that you—”

“Were imagining
you
kneeling at my feet in your work clothes?” Logan shrugged. “You weren’t—until I told you.”

Tate calmed and then crossed his legs at the ankles. “Yeah. I’m really not sure how I worked that out since you’re so subtle and all.”

“Aren’t you hilarious tonight.”

“I’m relaxed. Probably for the first time in two weeks. Ever since my sis—Jill—found us, I’ve been a fucking basket case. Then Sunday happened and everything that came after that.”

Logan shared the sentiment, but there were still things they needed to discuss. “About that…”

“Logan—”

“No, let me say this. I’m not mad. Not anymore.” He paused, trying to decide the best way to say what he was thinking. “I wanted to be there for you after Sunday with your family. I wanted to prove to you that I wouldn’t just up and leave because things got hard. But that was what
I
wanted. What
I
needed. Not what you did, and I understand that now.”

He watched Tate’s face, trying to gauge what he was thinking from his expression, but he was giving nothing away, just quiet contemplation, so he continued.

“If you want to talk about what happened last week, I want you to know that I’m here to listen. That’s all. I don’t think I actually got to say that.”

Having said what he wanted, Logan waited to see if Tate had anything to add. He didn’t immediately talk, but then he said softly, “Last week was rough.”

Logan figured as much. If it’d been rough on him, he couldn’t imagine how Tate had felt.

“I switched up my shifts with Amelia just to take some time, and—”

“To make sure I didn’t track you down?”

Tate gave him an apologetic shrug. “Maybe a little. Like it mattered in the scheme of things. You know where I live.”

“Yeah. But you knew I wouldn’t go there. You told me not to.”

Tate scratched his stomach and asked, “Is it fucked up that I kind of wanted you to?”

Logan felt his chest tighten as he made himself answer. “No. You’ll never know how much I
wanted
to.”

Tate sighed, and rubbed his eyes. “I called my mom on Monday. She didn’t answer. I left her a message that I wanted to talk, and she never called back.”

Hearing that made Logan’s blood boil. Nothing pissed him off more than closed-minded bigots, but he kept his mouth shut. This was, after all, Tate’s family.

“I called again Tuesday, and still nothing. No answer, no reply to my voicemail. So I decided to try Jill. Her phone didn’t even ring. It just went straight to voicemail as if she’d just ignored me. Ignored her brother after knowing what happened. Who does that?” Tate’s voice slowly rose as his disgust took ahold of him, and then he placed an arm over his eyes.

Sometimes it was easier to say the hard things when you pretended no one was listening.

“Wednesday, I called again, and…” Tate paused and Logan waited—for what, he wasn’t sure. “I called…and my mom’s phone has been disconnected.”

Oh fuck. How can someone—no, not someone, Tate’s parents—just fucking cut him off?

It was infuriating, sickening, and Logan had no clue how Tate seemed so put together. But he kept his mouth shut and waited to see what else he had to say.

“That was a pretty shitty night,” Tate admitted and removed his arm to look at him. His brown eyes were full of turmoil from the inner conflict he was still dealing with, but they were also full of something else—conviction. “I knew they were going to be mad, but I never thought for a second they would
disown
me. Their own son. So I made a decision.”

Logan didn’t realize he was holding his breath until Tate sat up and clasped his arms around his knees.

“I was going to live for me,” he announced. “For what makes
me
happy. And you make me happy, Logan.”

Logan exhaled as Tate pinned him with serious eyes.

“You make me crazy and furious and out of my mind with need, but in the end, you make me so fucking happy. I can’t ever remember feeling this way. And no one is going to tell me it’s wrong.
No one.
”

* * *

Logan looked across the room to the man he thought he’d lost and said exactly what he was feeling.

“I love you.”

Tate didn’t move except to smile as he replied, “I love you too.”

Logan had never believed words more as they lingered between them.

The only thing he
still
needed to know was if Tate accepted them as a couple—together. If, when it really came down to being out in public, being associated with him as his other half, Tate was ready for that.

Would he ever be?

Logan wondered the best way to approach his concern and stated softly, “A lot happened this past week, and a lot was said. I need to know what you mean when you say those words to me, Tate. And if it’s the same as what I mean.”

Tate looked at him over his knees and then frowned. “I don’t understand. I told you how I feel.”

“I know.”

“Then what are you talking about? Do you still not believe me?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then what? Because that’s what it sounds like.”

Logan raised his glass and finished his drink before placing it down on the side table. “It’s easy to say words, but sometimes following them through is harder. That’s all.”

“Are you serious right now?” Tate demanded, quickly getting to his feet. “I’m pretty sure I followed through, Logan.”

Logan could tell he’d once again said the wrong thing, and he scrambled to get it right. “Don’t be mad. I’m saying this all wrong.”

“Then
start
saying it right.” Tate glared at him.

Logan scooted forward on the seat. “Please sit back down,” he implored.

Tate took a seat, this time on the couch, and waited.

Shit. This is not how I imagined telling him. Not while he’s pissed off at me.

But then again, when it came to spilling his guts, he was fantastic at putting his foot in his mouth. Around Tate, he seemed like a fucking professional.

“I want to tell you something about me. The reason I don’t…didn’t date up until now.” He swallowed and looked Tate in the eye. “Until you.”

Tate remained silent, and then he finally uncrossed his arms. “I thought it was because of Chris.”

“It was…”

As his voice trailed off, Tate said quietly, “So tell me then.”

Thinking about it and actually saying it were totally different. So he decided why not start with the biggest shock first.

“I didn’t just date Chris in college.”

Tate didn’t say anything, just sat staring at him as if he hadn’t even spoken.

“I also dated him for two years once I was out.”

That
got a response.

“Wait.
What?
I thought you two ended things after Cole kicked his ass.”

Logan raised a shaky hand and rubbed his fingers across his lips. He’d never told anyone what he was about to say. Not even Cole.

“We
did
end our relationship in college. After months of spending all my spare time with him, thinking we had something real, it ended rather publicly in his dorm hall by him punching me in the face. He pretty much told me to fuck off, and luckily for me, Cole happened to see and broke it up.”

Tate tilted his head to the side, confused. “Right, and then you said you slept with all his girlfriends.”

Did I?
Shit. He didn’t even remember telling Tate that part.

“Yeah, I kind of made it my mission to prove I was better off without him.” He laughed self-deprecatingly. “Guess I really failed making
that
point.”

“You’re telling me that you started dating
again,
out of college? When? Where did you even see him?” Tate paused and then asked, “Is he a lawyer too?”

Logan shook his head.

Fuck.
He really didn’t want to get into all of this, but he knew it needed to be said.

“I ran into him at a club.”

“A club? Like a dance club?”

“No,” he said, keeping his voice calm as he explained, “A sex club.”

Tate’s eyebrows nearly hit the top of his hairline as his jaw fell open.

“It was my first time there. And my
last
. I was young and heard about this private club that had the most beautiful men who would do whatever you wanted—if you paid the price. I was curious and…I had the money.”

“So
that’s
what you spent it on?”

“Hey
.
It was one time, and I didn’t actually
do
anything because I walked in the door, saw him in the foyer, and turned around to get the hell out of there.”

Tate looked as if he were trying to catch up. “Then how—”

“He recognized me.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “He followed me outside and caught up to me.”

“Did he look the same?” Tate asked as if he didn’t really want to know but couldn’t help himself.

He wasn’t about to lie, so he answered honestly. “He looked better.”

“Of course he did,” Tate mumbled.

Logan waited until Tate turned to him, and then he gave a half smile. “You’re a million times sexier than he could ever hope to be.”

Tate rolled his eyes. “Keep going.”

Logan smirked and then got back on track.

“At first, he was”—he thought back to that night and could clearly remember the panic on Chris’s face—“freaked out. It was gay night at the club, and he didn’t think he’d run into anyone he knew due to the high price tag. The last fucking person I’m sure he expected to see was me.”