“Poker,” Cole supplied.

Tate bumped their shoulders together. “Of course you know how to play poker. Let me guess. Your specialty was strip?”

Logan had nothing to say for a change. He just held out his hand. When Tate took it, with no hesitation, he felt his heartbeat accelerate.

Pull yourself together, man.

“You ready to go?” he asked, trying to play it cool.

“Yep.” Tate looked at Cole and thanked him for the invite.

“No problem. Rachel wouldn’t have it any other way. I think she’s adopted you.”

Just as the words were spoken, the lady herself walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist. Cole placed his arm around her shoulders, fitting her perfectly against his side.

There was so much comfort and familiarity in the move that Logan found himself envious that they didn’t have to think about touching one another. They just did.

“You’re both welcome anytime.”

“Thanks, Rach,” he told her and made his way over to kiss her cheek.

Tate held a hand out for her to shake, and she let go of Cole, and wrapped her hands around his neck, kissing his cheek too.

When she released him, she smiled. “Drive home safely on that bike please.”

Logan groaned. “Thanks for the reminder.”

Tate tugged his hand as they made their way back through the living room. “It was nice meeting you all.”

Both couples turned to face them and waved. “You too.”

“See you at the next one,” Josh laughed. “You’re not getting out of it. Sorry.”

Mason agreed as he pulled Lena against his side and ran a hand down her hair. “If you decide to come down to Exquisite, make sure you ask for either me or Rachel. One of us is always there.”

Logan had been talking earlier about visiting one night. He’d heard all about the restaurant from his brother, and after meeting Mason, he wanted to check it out. Maybe he would take Tate one night.

“Will do. Have a good night, guys. This was fun.”

They silently made their way down the hall and out the door. When they walked to the elevator and Logan leaned over to press the down button, the quiet remained. He could feel Tate watching him, and once the doors opened and they stepped inside, Tate continued to give him the same intense look that had been in his eyes on the way up hours before.

“What?” Logan asked, wondering if he’d get an answer this time.

“I want you to know I really enjoyed tonight. Thank you for sharing your family with me.”

Logan didn’t know what to say. He knew what he wanted to say, but it felt too soon and he was fucking terrified that, the minute the words were out, everything would turn to shit.

So he leaned in to Tate’s arm and closed his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

“Logan?”

Logan’s eyes came open slowly, and he was convinced that the expression in Tate’s was almost identical to his own. Maybe I should just—but Tate’s mouth opened to speak right as the elevator chimed.

They both blinked, and the moment was gone.

Tate’s lips curved as he took his hand. “Come on. Let’s go back to your place.”

Logan neither agreed nor disagreed. He was certain that Tate knew that nothing on Earth would have made him say no.

12.

Tate stood behind Logan as he unlocked his front door.

Ever since they’d left Cole’s, Logan had been unusually quiet. There’d been no bitching about the bike, no sexually suggestive remarks when Tate had climbed on, and no sarcastic comments during the entire elevator ride.

Logan was the most serious Tate had ever seen.

When he pushed open his front door and made his way inside, Tate followed, shrugging out of his jacket. If he hadn’t seen the way Logan had looked at him when they’d left his brother’s, he’d be worried that something was wrong. But he had seen it, and even though he wasn’t quite ready to discuss it, he sure was ready to act on it.

He waited for some kind of sign from Logan, and when he walked directly into his bedroom, Tate decided that was clear enough for him. He toed off his boots and walked down to the room that was growing increasingly familiar.

Logan was on his side of the bed with the lamp on, unbuttoning his shirt. His glasses were resting on the table, and as Tate made his way to the opposite side of the bed, he reached behind his neck to grab a fistful of his shirt. When he removed it, he saw Logan take in a quick breath.

Nervous—that’s what’s different. He’s nervous.

Tate dropped his shirt on the table beside the bed and went for the button of his pants. Before he undid them though, he remembered Logan’s reaction to peeling him out of them and looked across the large, white bed.

Logan’s shirt was now undone and hanging from his broad shoulders, revealing a dark line of hair from his navel down under his jeans. The time for silence was about to come to an abrupt end, Tate thought—it was time to play.

“Are we going to stay this far apart all night?” he asked, waiting to see what Logan had to say about that.

“I sure as fuck hope not.”

That was what he’d been waiting for.

Tate unbuttoned the top of his black leather pants and then walked around the bed until he was standing in front of a very different Logan.

He couldn’t quite get a read on him, which was unusual.

He reached out and placed his hands on Logan’s naked chest before sliding them up to rest on his shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he checked as Logan’s hands came up to hold his wrists.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Tate brought a hand to the side of his neck and told him, “If you don’t want—”

“Tate,” Logan cut him off and finally lowered his hands to the leather pants. “I want…Trust me.”

Tate swallowed as Logan slowly unzipped his pants.

“I want it all.”

Tate wanted to know what that entailed in Logan’s world, but right now, he wanted to touch. He’d been aware of Logan’s eyes on him all night. Now, he wanted his hands.

He pushed the shirt from Logan’s shoulders and let it fall down his arms. When it snagged on his wrists, he bent his head to press his lips to Logan’s neck and reached to unbutton his cuffs.

“I felt you watching me all night,” he whispered and moved to the other arm.

Logan hummed low in his throat with pleasure. “I couldn’t stop myself.”

When Tate had Logan’s second arm free, the material fell off and hit the floor as he brought his mouth to Logan’s ear. “I didn’t want you to.”

As soon as the words were spoken, Logan turned his head and took his mouth in a kiss so fucking electric that Tate was surprised he was still standing when they came up for air. Then he grabbed Logan’s face, sinking his tongue deep into that sexy mouth and returned the one-two punch Logan was dishing out.

He felt cool air hit his groin as Logan spread apart his pants, and then the mouth on his was gone. Warm lips made their way down his neck to the spot at the base of his throat and center of his collarbone. Tate couldn’t help the throaty cry that escaped him as Logan tongued that spot and then drew a line to his left nipple as he slid his fingers into the back of his pants, pushing them several inches down his hips.

Tate ran the fingers of one hand into Logan’s hair and cursed loudly as sharp teeth bit his nipple. “Fuck.”

He placed his other hand on Logan’s shoulder and added pressure, needing to see Logan on his knees in front of him. Without question, Logan’s hands moved farther inside the leather as he crouched down, peeling the pants away as Tate had hoped he would.

When Logan was finally on his knees in his jeans, Tate tipped that strong face up to him and leaned down to place his lips against Logan’s.

When their mouths were touching, he heard himself saying, “Something’s going on with you. Tell me.”